Chapter 38 #2
Grey goes straight toward the back of the room. “I already went through these.” She points to a row. “From here to here.”
“On it,” I say, walking toward her and pushing up my sleeve.
She backs away from me, heading to the other side of the room.
I stand there, confused.
The woman is giving me freaking whiplash. One minute she’s grinding on me like we’re two animals in heat. The next she’s pulling back, acting ice cold and keeping her distance.
But she’s not fooling anyone.
Grey already dropped way more than her defenses with me.
The lingerie in my pocket is proof. She might have given up on us before we’ve even begun, but I’m just getting started.
* * *
We work hard and fast, but there are way too many boxes.
Footsteps thump down the stairs.
I go tense until I see Rick appear.
“I’m hearing some chatter on the feed, guys. They’re about to do rounds.”
“Of shots?” I ask with a smirk.
Dutch scowls at me, but at least Cadey gives me a pity snort.
This is why she’s the more likable half of that couple.
“I think he means something else,” Finn says darkly.
Grey sighs. “It’s Redwood Prep administrative policy. Teachers and guards do a buddy system team-up. They go around checking every classroom and making sure students aren’t doing anything…wrong.”
Our eyes meet across the room.
I smirk and pat the side of my pocket. Totally unashamed.
Her eyes dart away.
Dutch frowns at Rick. “So we hide out until the sweep is over?”
Rick scratches his chin nervously. “There’s no official ending point. Even if we stay down here until they clear this floor, they’ll be paying attention to the exit points. It’s going to be hard to explain why you’re roaming with these trolleys, even if you’re wearing the waiting staff outfits.”
“These masks cover most of our faces,” Sol says, tapping the plastic he shoved to the top of his head. “They won’t recognize us anyway.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Rick’s eyes jump from me to Finn, Dutch, and Sol. “You four kind of stand out, even with your faces covered.”
“We won’t take much longer,” I say.
“We’re almost finished in here,” Cadey agrees.
Behind her, Sol shows a thumbs up. “I’m almost finished too.”
“Someone keep the lighter away from him until we’ve cleared this room,” I mumble.
Sol flips me off.
Grey lifts a giant box of documents. Papers fly off the top.
My eyes widen and I rush over to her. Yanking the box away, I shove it on the trolley.
“I told you not to lift the heavy things,” I scold.
“I’m fine.”
My gaze darkens. “Pick up one of those heavy boxes again and see what happens.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Baby, it’s whatever you want it to be.”
Her lips tighten. “Stop hovering, Zane. I can do this much.”
I know she can. That’s not the freaking problem.
I just can’t afford for this woman to break a single fingernail.
The protective urge I feel for Grey is as violent as the one I feel for my brothers and Sol.
I’d die for them. I’d kill for them. But with Grey, those emotions are…
I don’t know. More glittery. More pointed. More explosive.
It’s almost foreign to have a girl in my head like this.
“Show me another box,” I grumble.
Behind me, I feel Dutch, Finn, and Cadey observing us.
“Are those two married as well?” I hear Rick ask Cadey.
“They might as well be,” she responds.
A heavy thump of another box hitting the trolley resounds.
Finn grunts. “I’m done.”
“Wait.” Grey pushes past me and points to a stack of boxes by the wall. “Those too.”
“I’m out of space,” Finn says.
“Me and Dutch too,” Cadey admits.
“Can’t we leave those extra boxes?” Sol grumbles.
Grey plants her hands on her hips. “No. They all have to go.”
“Guys,” Rick has his walkie to his ear and he gives us a worried look, “they’re about to start sweeping.”
“We need to move,” Dutch’s voice booms.
Sol checks his phone and then glances at us. “Time’s up.”
“I need those boxes,” Grey insists. “We don’t know which one has the evidence we’re looking for. And there’s no coming back after Sol does his part.”
Sol grins a little too wide. “She’s right.”
“I say we cut our losses,” Dutch growls.
I purse my lips. There are way too many boxes down here. We underestimated how many trolleys we’d need to get them out discretely.
Cadey places a hand on Dutch’s arm, her wedding ring glinting. “Is there really no way?”
Dutch shakes his head ‘no’.
Grey wilts.
I get an idea. “No, we’ll do this.”
Hope fills Grey’s eyes and I know I’ll do anything to keep her looking at me like that. Like I matter. Like I make her life better. Like I’m not just a screw-up, but someone who can be respected.
“Grey, open the boxes and take out the files inside. Finn, unload the boxes on your trolley.”
Finn gives me a confused look.
I stalk to the boxes and help Grey unload the documents. Then I carry them over to Finn’s trolley.
“Open up.”
“They’re full to the brim, Zane,” Finn argues.
“Just do it,” I snap.
His jaw clenches, but he sticks his knife through the slit and opens the folds. I tape the sides together so the box has a couple more inches of height and then I dump the documents inside. Some of them slip off. I take the ones that do and open up another box, dumping them too.
“That’s not going to work,” Finn points out.
“It’ll have to work for now,” I respond.
Cadey hurries over to help with unloading the files while Dutch, Finn, Sol and I work to top them off on all the other boxes. We secure the overwhelmed mounds with tape. Hopefully, it holds when we’re on the move.
“Hey,” Rick’s face has a fine sheen of sweat, “you need to move out. Now. The sweep’s already started.”
I exchange a look with my brothers.
Our plan to sneak out of Redwood undetected just got ten times more complicated.
* * *
Jinx: What Mask Are You Wearing Tonight?
They say there are three things that can’t be hidden—coughing, poverty, and love. The Snare King certainly couldn’t hide his feelings. Even with a mask on, he was only looking at one person all night.
And his mysterious Cinderella? Well, I have some ideas on who she might be.
Will we get a face reveal before the clock strikes midnight?
I sure hope so.
But be careful, Cinderella. When you peel off that mask, you might take some skin with it.
Until the next post, keep your enemies close and your secrets even closer.
- Jinx