Page 42 of The Executioners Three
“A key?”
“Yeah, a school key. But we aren’t damaging anything with it. I promise.”
She swallowed. “You… probably shouldn’t share all of your prank secrets. I’m the enemy after all.”
“I know. I just…” He wet his lips. “I just don’t want you to think I’m a Very Bad Human Indeed. Proper nouns and all.”
Ah, it was too much. Having him quote her—having him care. Freddie kissed him again. He growled and pressed into it. Deepened it immediately, kissing her so hard. A clash of tongue and teeth.
But then he was pulling away.Backingaway three steps, and freezing, miserable air rushed between them. Even the wood of the mill seemed to creak in frustration.
“You’re dangerous.” Theo ran a hand through his hair. A tiny frown knit his brow. “So dangerous, Freddie Gellar.”
She wasn’t sure why, but she liked that he called her that. And she liked the way he looked at her too, hungry and helpless at the same time.
Freddie leaned against the mill. “You need to go.”
“I know.” Theo didn’t move.
“If they found out we were…” She couldn’t bring herself to saykissing. She wasn’t sure why. It just felt so… personal. Instead, she waved between them and finished, “That probably wouldn’t be good.”
“No.” He swung his gaze toward the Village Square, and he finally,finallyseemed to collect himself. He stood taller. Smoothed at his sweater and jacket. Brushed at his hair. And then pinned Freddie with a final blue-eyed stare. “Enemies, yeah?”
“Enemies.” She nodded decisively. “In fair Verona, where we lay our scene.”
“Sure.” He smiled, a crooked thing.
“I still have to get that prank book back,” she reminded him. Or maybe she was reminding herself. Everything had gone so muddy behind her eyeballs.
“Not a chance in hell, Gellar.” Theo stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. “See you later?”
“Yeah,” she murmured, watching him leave. “See you later.”
10
Freddie did not go back into the Village Square. She couldn’t stand the thought of her mom’s squealing or the Fortin students leering. Besides, she was in desperate need of legitimate psychoanalysis, and there was only one person on the entire planet she trusted for that.
Also, she needed to get rid of Lance Bass.
“Take him back.” Freddie’s eyes screwed shut and she held out the keychain like a toxic dead thing. “I don’t want him, Divya. His magic is broken, and now he feeds off only darkness.”
“Huh” was all Divya replied. She bent out of her family’s front door and examined the short space between porch and street. “Where’s your bike? Wait—did you just walk here?”
“From City-on-the-Berme, yeah.” Freddie shuffled inside, Lance’s dangling face kept as far as possible from her person. “It’s only three miles on the park path.”
“Yeah, but…” Divya frowned at the sky before shutting the door. “It’s, like, super dark outside and there might be a murderer on the loose.”
“I have bigger concerns, Div.” Freddie rubbed the side of her face. “Please just reclaim Lance. I am in great distress.”
Divya’s eyebrows shot high, and for the first time since Freddie’s arrival she took a long, hard look at her best friend. Then her eyes locked onto Freddie’s neck, and her jaw slung low.
“Oh. My. God.” She grabbed Freddie’s chin and tipped it up. “Is that ahickey?”
Heat ignited on Freddie’s face. She nodded miserably. “Probably.”
“Oh, my dear Honey-Baked Ham, let’s go to my room.” Divya laced her fingers into Freddie’s and towed her out of the foyer, up the carpeted stairs,and into her bedroom, where sounds of Nirvana drifted through the wall from her brother’s room.
“Take Lance. Please, I beg of you.”
