'This is seriously a nasty weather. If they broke my leg and I had to crawl all the way back home, I wouldn't stand a chance. That place is isolated, with that highway cutting through where wild animals roam. I'd be toast,' he thought with a grimace. 'And that Jardin, he's downright cruel!' The sharp pain in his leg was a harsh reminder of Zach's aggressive behavior.

Zach put out his cigarette in the downstairs ashtray and headed back up once the scent had faded. At the far end of the third-floor hallway, Madelyn stood by the window, the cold wind softly lifting her hair. Zach approached her.

With a look of concern, Madelyn questioned him, "When will you stop harming others? Surely, there's a better solution. Why did you feel it was necessary to break his arm?"

Madelyn turned to Zach with eyes so sad and so full of disappointment that it made something inside him ache. He defended his action, "I needed to show them what happens if they mess with us, to keep anybody from trying to st