Page 39 of Oh, Flutz!

“Well, since you suggested it, sure.”

“Aren’t you clever,” he mutters, and she pins him with a look.

“I’m not kidding around. You’re going to spend lots of time together. Get used to it.”

“Doing what?” I protest. “There’s nothing to do in this town.”

“Aha!” Bryan cries. See, you’ve offended my town, therefore you have offended me. I’m going to educate you on the wonders of Lake Placid.”

I stare at him, then turn back to Lian. “Why would you do this to me? I saved you.”

She shrugs innocently. “Sorry, kid. You’re on your own now.”

Chapter Twelve

BRYAN

Look, it's not likeme and Katya are blood enemies.

Sure, we’re at each other’s throats half the time, and she’s still a crazy person—it’s been two months, not enough time for a miracle—and I may or may not have a role in egging her on. But after we agreed to put aside the fact that we can’t stand each other in order to get us to Helsinki, things became a whole lot easier. We’re not about to make matching friendship bracelets or anything, but you could say we have an understanding.

And that understanding includes that this partnership is business. Thatdefinitelydoesn’t include her coming over to my family’s house for the sacred Young sibling Friday-night Bachelor night.

“Look, you don’t actually have to come,” I try as we walk out of the center, in a last-ditch attempt to get us out of this. I assume she’s as desperate to as I am. “We can just tell Lee that you did. She doesn’t have to know.”

Katya gives me a look. “She would.”

Crap. She would. Lian can read me like a book, and even if she couldn’t, she has a bullshit detector the CIA would beg on its knees for. “Fine. You don’t have to stay for long, though.”

“I wasn’t planning on it. This is not how I wanted to spend my night either.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

I shrug, plunging my hands deeper into my pockets and kicking a pebble along the sidewalk. “I don’t know, seemed to me like Lee was saying you don’t exactly get out much.”

“I’m focused on training. I don’t have time forgetting out.And for some godforsaken reason, I can’t drink here, anyway.” She huffs. “This is the worst. No alcohol, no strawberry cheesecake protein bars. This country is so uncivilized.”

“Oh,man. I’m going to put aside the fact that you clearly are wasting your life for a moment, and just say that you clearly haven’t spent enough time with Oliver if legal age is what’s stopping you.”

“I am not wasting my life. I’m dedicated, there’s a difference.” Katya scowls when I look at her pointedly. “Be quiet. And will you quit walking so fast? This isn’t a race.”

I didn’t even notice she was struggling to keep up, and my first instinct is to slow down, but then I think, yeah,no, and grin down at her. “What? You admitting you’re not as fast as me?”

She gives me an extremely annoyed glare. “Not everything is a competition,mudak.”

I lift my eyebrows. “Pot,” I say, pointing at her, then point at myself. “Kettle.”

Usually I have to explain sayings when I use them, because Katya’s near-flawless English somehow managed to escape even the vaguest understanding of idioms. I guess she gets my meaning, because she rolls her eyes. “Whatever. As for your friend, he doesn’t like me very much. I don’t think he’d help me.”

“He’s like that with everyone,” I lie through my teeth, then seeing the look on her face, I sigh. “Look, he just doesn’t know you that well.”

“And I’m sure you’ve given him suchglowingaccounts of me.”

“Exactly. Now you’re getting it.”

She almost laughs. Almost. “What about your sister? Have you poisoned her against me, too?”

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