Page 74 of Killer of the Bells
“It’s a new rule,” Gareth said, leveling afuck around and find outglare at Baz.
Baz pouted. “Aw, man.”
“Didn’t you get enough killing in earlier?” Vale complained.
“Have you met Baz?” Vix asked in a sleepy voice.
“I won’t rest until I’ve beaten Vale’s body count,” Baz said in the most serious tone I’d ever heard him use.
“We’d have to make teams,” Vale reminded. “We can’t do it in groups larger than two.
“I call dibs on you,” I said immediately.
“Dibs on Vix,” Baz said. “Sorry, Paris, you have to work with Gareth.”
Gareth and Paris glanced at one another, and the atmosphere between them developed an instant, very weird tension.
“Yay!” Vix cried. “It’s my gadgets versus Echo’s traps and Baz’s violence versus Vale’s. This is going to be amazing. Paris, you and Gareth play nice, okay? Don’t just spend the whole time wrestling.”
“Wrestling?” My mind immediately went to a naughty, oil-covered place, and oh, my god, I’m not ashamed to admit I popped wood over imagining Paris and Gareth doing naked oil-wrestling.
“It’s their thing,” Vix explained. “I try not to get involved.”
I kept my eyes firmly away from Vale, because I thought everyone on the planet should be involved if Paris and Gareth were doing naked oil-wrestling. If Vale knew what I was thinking, he’d probably get murdery.
Hey, a guy is allowed to imagine two buff guys getting slippery together, okay? Look up Turkish wrestling. Thank me later.
“I’m sure we’ll manage,” Gareth said.
Paris didn’t say anything at all, but he was leveling a calculating look at Gareth.
All mention of Apple and Adam was dropped, and I was more than happy with it. My brain went weird around Apple, and I didn’t trust him one bit.
We arrived at a spot about a quarter mile from the churchyard and agreed to split up. Paris and Gareth stayed behind in the Humvee, while Baz, Vix, Vale, and I stood outside. Vale filled them in on the rules, emphasizing the need for anonymity and silence while I kept gazing back at the tinted windows of the Humvee.
Every now and then, the vehicle would shake violently, and I couldn’t look away. Finally, I couldn’t help it and blurted out to Vale, “Are they fucking in there?”
“Hah!” Vix snorted.
“I wish!” Baz said. “If Paris fucked Gareth, then he’d have to have a three-way with me and Vix.”
“Not happening, Baz. Noteverhappening. My Paris would never do that, and if he did, it wouldn’t be with Gareth. They aren’t each other’s type. And no, Echo, they’re not fucking, just arm wrestling. Gareth keeps trying to beat Paris but can’t, and it’s driving him insane because he’s stronger than Paris. Like, a lot stronger. No one knows how he’s doing it, and Paris isn’t spilling the beans."
“It’s magic,” Vale said.
“It does seem like magic, right?” Vix mused. “I could almost think it was.”
“No, it’s actual magic,” Vale corrected.
“You mean his animal thing? I don’t think talking to animals makes Paris stronger.”
Vale sighed. “Vix, how are you so smart and yet so… never mind.”
The Humvee jolted wildly, causing me to jump and latch onto Vale’s arm. “What the hell kind of arm wrestling are they doing in there?”
“The stupid kind that’s going to wreck our last Humvee,” Vale said. “Now let’s go before the hunt starts.”
“Right,” Baz agreed. “At least we don’t have to worry about those two. Once they get started, no one can separate them. Eventually, either they get bored, or Vix threatens to ask Adam to help in his workroom.”
