Page 71 of Five for Silver

“You are joking,” Romeo slumped. “Good.”

“About the poster, not about the crush.”

“I guess I should thank him.”

“Why?”

“You being into bad boys is probably whatled to this,” Romeo gestured between them, then raised hiseyebrow.

“It’s a little different.”

“I don’t think you can get worse than aserial killer. You’ve hit the big leagues now, Chad.”

“Are you done trying to make me feeluncomfortable?”

Romeo’s eyes narrowed, and a knowing smilespread his lips. “You love it.”

“All I meant was being sixteen, raginghormones and confusion, someone like Gavin Hargreaves who wascomfortable being himself would be attractive.”

“I understand, I think, but Arnold Fritz isstill on my hit list.”

“Hit list?”

Romeo hummed. “PeopleIwant to kill,not for the monster, but for me and if the opportunity arises, I’mdoing so with or without your consent.”

Chad folded his arms. “Is this a longlist?”

“Four names.”

“Which are?”

“Holly Stevenson for running your namethrough the mud, that barman, Dean, for thinking he can save youfrom me, Vincent Whitehall for whateverthiscurrently is,and now Arnold Fritz for being your teenage crush.”

Chad sighed. “Okay. Fine—”

“Fine? As in everyone on that list I cankill?”

“Dean didn’t do anything wrong.”

Romeo tutted. “Not this again.”

“He was looking out for me, Romeo.”

“He doesn’t need to look out for you, you’vegot me, that’s the point. I look out for you. He was some meddlingbarman sticking his nose in where it wasn’t welcome, and it riledme.”

“Okay,” Chad stepped over to him, andpressed his hands on Romeo’s chest. Romeo’s heart thundered beneathhis palm, “but he doesn’t deserve to die.”

“With or without your consent … and I’mgoing to goddamn enjoy it more than the others.”

“Thought you didn’t have a bias?”

“I didn’t until emotion got involved.”

“Are we going to move on, or are you goingto keep threatening to kill Dean?”

“I guess we should move on, but know that Ithink about it.”

“It’s been noted,” Chad said. He turned hisattention back to the board. “So, both sisters had a crush onGavin, but Gavin only had eyes for Harriet. They date, whichwould’ve bothered Lucy, and once that relationship came to an end,Gavin decided to leave Little Wren, and the county of Bardhum andmove in with his dad in Portsmouth.”

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