Page 58 of Talon

Suddenly, I got a cold, tingly feeling on the back of my neck, and froze, my stomach turning uneasily. Was I being watched? Where? By whom? Was Riley somewhere in the crowd, spying on me, having followed us all the way from Crescent Beach? That was a bit creepy, though. It didn’t seem like him. The rogue dragon might be arrogant, defiant and rebellious, but he didn’t strike me as a stalker.

Who, then, was watching me?

Garret blinked as I came back, still waiting patiently to hear what I wanted to do. If he noticed that I was distracted, he didn’t comment on it.

“Hold that thought, then,” I said, gazing around for a restroom, spotting one behind a hot dog stand. “I’m going to wash my hands. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be here.”

I smiled and left the table, following a gaggle of human girls toward the restrooms, my gaze scanning the crowd for anyone familiar. But almost as quickly as it had begun, the strange feeling vanished, and all was normal again.

Garret

Ember smiled and brushed past me, her fingers skimming my arm as she went by. My heart jumped, breath catching, but she had already melted into the crowd.

Leaving her phone sitting on the table.

I stared at it, my smile fading, cold realization settling over me as I remembered. The reason I’d come, the purpose of this date. It wasn’t to ride coasters, stand in lines or drive miniature cars into one another. I wasn’t here to have fun. I was here to discover, once and for all, if Ember was our target. The bug lay nestled in my pocket, and her phone lay within easy reach. All I had to do was slide off the case, slip the bug behind the phone battery and snap everything back into place before she returned. It would take ten seconds, fifteen tops.

Slowly, I reached across the table, my fingers resting on the smooth black case of her phone. It beeped as I pulled it toward me, indicating a text had come through. I hesitated, then touched the screen, bringing it to life. A green bubble blinked, the new message displayed inside, and I turned the case around to read it.

Hey, Tweedledee. I don’t want us to fight. Call me soon, ok?

I paused once more, feeling the bug in my pocket. There was still plenty of time before she came back. This could end our search. This could uncover a nest of dragons and their guardians. Or not. Either way, once the bug had been placed, there was no reason I had to see Ember, ever again.

Reaching into my pocket, my fingers closed around the bug and pulled it out.

Ember

When I maneuvered my way back to the table, Garret was in the same spot, his chin resting on his hands as he watched the milling crowd. They watched him, too, or at least I saw several appreciative glances slide his way from passing human females. Bristling, I walked faster, but if Garret noticed the interest, he didn’t respond. His expression, though alert and watchful, wasn’t the hyperawareness of that day in the mall, when he’d scanned the crowds like he was afraid a ninja would come leaping out at him. He seemed relaxed, more at ease, though as I walked up, a faintly troubled look crossed his face as he glanced at me. It was gone in the next heartbeat, though, so I’d probably imagined it.

Apparently, I was imagining all sorts of things today. There was no sign of any mysterious stalker watching me through the crowds. All seemed normal, though with so many people milling about, it was difficult to spot anything. Besides, if someonewaswatching me, what could they do in this mob?

“Ready?” I asked, bouncing up to the table. My phone lay on the napkin where I’d left it, and I slipped it into my pocket. Garret smiled and rose to his feet with easy grace, tossing his empty cup into the trash bin.

“Lead the way. I’m ready to tame a giant caterpillar if you are.”

A couple walked by, a stuffed gorilla under the boy’s arm, and I perked up. “Ooh, wait, new plan,” I announced, making him arch an eyebrow at me. “Let’s go check out the fairway.”

“Fairway?”

I pointed to the stretch of game booths up and down the boardwalk. “Lexi says they’re all horribly rigged,” I explained, watching a skinny guy toss a basketball at a tiny orange hoop, where it bounced off the rim. “But you can win prizes if you score enough points.”

“Prizes?”

“Yeah! See, he’s probably trying to win her that big stuffed penguin.” I pointed to the skinny guy, who was digging through his pockets now, while a dark-haired girl looked on hopefully. “But it looks like he only gets three shots,” I explained as the guy handed the booth attendant another bill, “and you have to keep paying for more chances.”

“So, I’m paying them to play a game that I’m probably going to lose. To win a prize that I don’t even want.”

“Looks like it.” Now that I thought about it, it did seem pretty rigged. Kristin once bragged that a guy had spent over a hundred dollars trying to win her a giant poodle. “Actually, never mind,” I told Garret. “Forget it. I don’t want you to lose a ton of cash trying to win something. Let’s go check out the Ferris wheel.”

I started to turn, but his hand closed on my arm, stopping me. Surprised, I glanced back to see a faint, almost smug grin on his face. “What makes you think I’m going to lose?” he asked, making me blink in shock. “This is part of the date, right? If you want a giant stuffed animal, I’ll get you one.”

* * *

And he did. I don’t think he missed one target as they bobbed by on plastic waves, even knocking down the tiny, really hard to hit frogs worth three times as much. The kid manning the booth looked reluctantly impressed as he handed him a giant pink bear, the biggest prize on the wall. Garret looked amused as he accepted it, then turned and handed it to me. I grinned and crossed my arms. “Pink looks good on you, Garret. Sure you don’t want it?”

“I was playing for you,” he replied, smiling back. “Take it. It’s yours.”

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