On Valentine's Day, Connor dropped the rather unnecessary hint that he had something for her.

"Only, I want to do it right," Connor said. He shrugged. "Somewhere romantic and stuff."

Somewhere romantic turned out to be behind the school grounds, at the very edge under a large maple tree. He told her he had asked their friends to stay back and give them some privacy. Amanda agreed to meet him after last period at the back door of the school. She carried under her sweater a cute little stuffed wolf that she and Jay had picked out last weekend. Jay was convinced that Connor would naturally love wolves if he loved the dagger she'd given him so much.

Connor hugged her when he saw her, his hand behind his back. "Let's go," he said.

"Connor, can I have a word?" a voice said just as they'd opened the door to head to the maple tree.

"Sure thing, Mrs. Hammers," Connor replied. To Amanda he said, "I'll just be a few minutes."

"No problem," she said.

The field behind the school was muddy with the melted snow. The weather was cool but not cold. She stood under the tree and waited. She would have sat but the ground was too muddy. She clutched the stuffed animal to her chest, hoping he would like it.

She heard the roar of a motorcycle engine. We are all sooo impressed by your loud motor, she groused to herself. We think you are so freaking cool.

Then suddenly the motor stopped and she heard footsteps coming her way. She looked up and saw a huge man coming toward her. He was wearing heavy combat boots, faded blue jeans, and a denim jacket with the sleeves torn off, revealing muscles and heavy tattoos. His eyes were dark and angry, his face weathered and lined with scars. His lips were curled into a sneer, and he was staring right at her.

She turned to flee back across the school grounds but didn't get two steps before he caught hold of her arm. Her feet slipped on the mud, and she dropped the stuffed wolf, falling on her knees. He yanked her roughly to her feet.

"What are you running for?" he demanded, his voice gravelly and thick. "I haven't even threatened you yet."

The yet hung in the air between them as he inspected her briefly. "Hmm," he said, "pretty but a little heavy. Long dark hair." He pulled her close, stuck his face into her hair and inhaled deeply. "Yeah, you're her all right-the Bjornsen girl." He said her last name in a thickly accented way, like Aunt Maggie did. "The others all made it sound like it was so hard to catch you alone. Guess it must be my luck."

He put his hands on her neck and forced her face upward. She stared up into his slate-gray eyes. "I like to look my prey in the eyes when I kill it." he said coldly.

Anger flared in Amanda's chest. She lashed out savagely with her knee, trying to catch him between the legs but she missed. He merely laughed and jerked her off balance, thwarting a second attempt.

Suddenly Amanda could hear running feet splashing through the mud behind her. "Hey, you!" Connor was yelling. "Let her go!"

She felt the hands around her neck tightened down. Amanda struggled and then lashed out with her right arm, breaking the choke hold.

She fell on her side in the mud just as Connor arrived. He jumped in between them, bumping chest to chest with the man. "You get away from her!" he screamed in the man's face. The man stared down at him coldly, clearly not intimidated.

"Pup better keep his nose out of this," the man growled at Connor. He pushed Connor hard but Connor was ready for it. He fell back a half foot, but he didn't go down.

"I am not afraid of you," Connor said. "You wanna go?"

"I've killed better warriors then you," the man spat.

Amanda fought to get back on her feet. "Don't hurt him," she shouted at the man from behind Connor's back.

The man roared with laughter. "You two think you're a match for me?" he said.

"Make that three," Jonathan yelled as he came running up. There were the sounds of multiple running feet now.

"Four," Brianna added as she appeared on Connor's other side, glaring at the man with a savage look. They were all there now, Erica and Tanner circling the man while Jonathan and Brianna stood on either side of Connor, defiant in their stances.

"We can take you if we have to," Connor threatened.

"How many are you willing to lose to take me?" the man replied quietly.

Amanda felt a small set of hands on her arm. "Come on," Jay's voice said in her ear. "Let's back away."

"But . . . Connor," she protested as Jay started tugging her back toward the school.

"Connor won't back down until you are safe," Jay said pleading. "Come on. Everyone needs to just back away." Amanda knew he was right, so allowed herself to be guided away, though reluctantly.

There was another set of footsteps and a deep male voice. It was one of the school's designated police officers. "All right, everyone. Just stay where you are," the officer demanded as he approached the group. He had one hand on his holster, unclipping it as he spoke.

"This ain't over," the man spat at Connor. He turned and casually walked away. The officer followed him yelling, "You too, sir. You need to stay right where you are." The cop pulled his gun as he followed the man, who didn't even turn to acknowledge the order.

"I am warning you!" the officer commanded. "I will shoot."

The man climbed on his bike and stared straight at the officer. "Then shoot," he said. He kicked the pedal, and the bike roared to life.

"Goddamn it!" the cop cussed as the man rode off. Amanda didn't know if he was cussing at the man for not stopping or himself for not shooting.

"With all due respect, Officer," Connor said suddenly, "I think you need to call Officer Shadur and Officer Leidulf right away."

"What the hell just happened?" the officer demanded.

"With all due respect, Officer," Connor began again, "I think you need-"

"And who are you?" he demanded, obviously not liking be told what to do.

"Connor Leidulf, sir," Connor replied quickly, "and-"

"Would Officer Leidulf happen to be your father?" the officer snapped.

"Yes, sir, he would be," Connor said.

"Uhh . . . shouldn't we go after him?" Jonathan interrupted, staring down the street where the man had disappeared.

"No," the officer and Connor replied simultaneously. The officer glared at Connor.

"Now can someone please tell me what just happened?" he demanded again.

Amanda stepped forward shakily. "I was just standing there, and he pulled up and got off his bike. He walked up and-," she broke off, a cold sweat pouring over her again, remembering. The others made it sound like it was so hard to catch you alone. How many others were there?

"Go on," the officer prompted. He had holstered his gun and pulled out a small notepad.

"He just started threatening me." Amanda said. "Then Connor came up and tried to get him to leave me alone."

"Why did he threaten you?" the officer asked suspiciously, almost as if he didn't fully believe Amanda's story.

"I don't know," Amanda insisted. "I have never seen him before now. But he's right."

The officer gave her a quizzical look.

"I mean, Connor, sir," she said. "He's right that you need to call Officers Shadur and Leidulf."

The officer continued to stare at her implacably.

"Something like this happened before," she told him, "at a basketball game. Someone just came up to me and was threatening. Officer Leidulf took the report, and Shadur's been investigating. They need to know about this."

"All right," he said. "Everyone needs to get up to the school. I don't want any of you to leave until we have taken a full report."

As they started back to the school, Jay briefly broke from the crowd and headed toward the maple tree. Before the officer could yell at him, he was running back to them with a stuffed animal in his hands. He handed the now muddy wolf to Amanda, who passed it to Connor.

"Aww, it's cute." Erica said with a smile.

As they neared the door, Connor bent and picked up a stuffed teddy bear, equally bathed in mud and a crumpled box of chocolates. He handed them sheepishly to Amanda. "Sorry," he muttered.

The officer led them up to the back door of the school and commanded them all to stay right where they were until he got back. As he moved a little ways away, talking into his radio, Amanda caught the words "Officers Shadur and Leidulf." She let out a sigh of relief.

She looked up and saw Connor had his face in his hands. "I am so sorry, Amanda," he said, his voice choked. "This is all my fault."

"How is this all your fault?" she said. "You had no way of knowing-"

He interrupted her. "I wanted to have privacy, just for a few minutes, or you wouldn't have been out there at all. I put you at risk. It was foolish and selfish of me. I hope you can forgive me." He seemed really down on himself.

"You didn't know he-" She stopped, a sudden suspicion in her heart. "You didn't know, did you?"

"Know what?" he asked with a wary look.

"What's going on, Connor?" she demanded.

"What do you mean?"

"Did you know about this . . . this person?" she asked.

"Of course we didn't," Jonathan volunteered.

"Actually, we do know some people are out to get you," Connor countered. "I shouldn't have let my guard down. Not even for an instant."

"How many people are out to get me?" she said, her voice now rising with her anxiety level. "Because I know of one. One, Connor. How many more? What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing," he insisted. "We have some ideas, but that's all they are, ideas."

"What ideas?" she persisted.

"I can't say, not till we know more.".

"Bullshit. I want to know everything, now."

"I doubt that," Brianna muttered.

"There are . . . some concerns. We don't know anything more than that," Jonathan said, inserting himself between her and Connor. He was protecting Connor, she knew, but from what and why?

"How do you know there's even a couple? I know of one, Jonathan, one."

"You are forgetting the homeless man last fall," he pointed out. Connor remained silent, looking at the ground.

"What makes you think he's out to get me? Does he know my name? And if so, how do you know that fact?"

"He was staring right at you Amanda," Jonathan said. "Not at me, not at Jay, not at anybody else. At you. The man in the van knew your name. Even before we knew this, we knew that he was seen in your neighborhood. Always your neighborhood. Now this guy threatens you for no apparent reason? Did he know your name?"

"Yes," Amanda said quietly. "He said, 'you must be that Bjornsen girl.'"

Erica wrapped her arms around Amanda. "Oh, Amanda. You must have been so afraid."