Page 76 of Fight or Flight
“You guys are way too calm about this,” I tell them. “I mean, I know you’re used to this kind of thing, but it’s still a pretty insane plan and there’s a fuck ton of ways it could end very badly for all of us.”
“It is, and there are,” Jace agrees. “But it’s like Jax said, as long as you listen to us, you’ll be fine.”
“How did you find out that I can pickpocket?” I ask him. I haven’t told anyone on campus about that.
He grins. “There’s a note on your student file about it.”
“Really? Wait. How did you get my student file?”
“Same way I get most of my information.” Our arms bump together, and it’s then that I notice how close we are, and I fight the urge to take a step back from him.
“Hacking?” I ask when he doesn’t elaborate.
He nods.
“So you’re an actual hacker like Myles?”
“Not at his level, but yup.”
“That’s both surprising and not.” I shake my head. “What was in the note?”
“It mentioned that you went through a bit of a klepto phase when you first started at your boarding school and got caught trying to break into another student’s room after you lifted their key off them.”
“That’s not what happened,” I say quickly. “He stole from me first. I was just trying to get my shit back, and they believed him over me because he was a senior and I was only a freshman.”
“Well, I believe you.” Jace bumps his arm against mine, and more of my nerves melt away. “Did you get your shit back?”
“Yeah, I bribed his roommate into letting me in so I could get it.” I smile despite myself. “Probably should have gone that route first, but in my defense, that’s the one and only time I’ve ever gotten caught. And I didn’t even get caught lifting the key. I got caught using it to break into his room.”
“Looks like we’ve got a criminal mastermind on our side,” Jace tells Jax with a grin.
“Looks like.” Jax shoots me a smirk.
“Bet you didn’t have popping your mission cherry on your bingo card for today when you woke up this morning,” Jace says as the dorm comes into view ahead of us.
“I definitely didn’t,” I tell him.
“Don’t worry, your cherry is in good hands.” His smirk makes my stomach feel funny, and not from nerves. “I’ll be gentle.”
My neck and face heat with what’s probably a blush, but luckily Killian and Jax are both too busy looking at their phones to notice.
Jace, however, notices, and I don’t miss the flare of heat in his eyes as he gives me a secret smile.
“Catch you assholes later,” Killian says, tossing us a quick wave, his attention still on his phone.
“Later,” I say as he quickens his steps and hurries ahead of us.
“See you tonight.” Jace gives me another heated grin that does nothing to help my blushing situation.
“Later,” Jax adds, slipping his phone in his pocket.
“Later,” I repeat dumbly and hang back for a few beats as they bound up the steps, their movements completely synchronized, and watch as they disappear into the house.
Shaking my head at how insane the day already is, I pull my phone out of my pocket and bring up Ben’s contact info. Thankfuck the news about both me and Jace being named to the house leadership hasn’t broken yet. There’s no way I could wrangle an invite if Ben were aware of my new position. Might as well get that settled now. Then I can get a coffee and go hide in my room while I try not to panic about tonight.
13
JACE
