Page 76 of Zero Chance

“Well, it wasn’t me,” he insisted.“I was sitting all the way over here.How the hell could I touch it with four feet of space between us?”

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly, distracted by my thoughts as I bent down to retrieve the book and turn it, looking for trick strings.As I straightened again, a riot of cold air breezed across the back of my neck, making me arch my spine and shiver from the sensation before I blasted Keene with another scowl.“You had to have donesomething.”

“Yes,” he deadpanned.“I used my powers of telekinesis to jerk the book from your hand.”Lifting his eyebrows, he sent me a get-real look.“I mean, really?Do you honestly thinkthat’swhat I’d use my powers for, if I had any?”

Since I had no answer for what had really happened with the book, I set it back where it had been lying and sulkily mumbled, “Well, I didn’t drop it.”

“That time of the month must really turn you into a klutz, huh?”

Hissing, I turned a savage snarl his way, and he started to laugh, only for it to be wiped immediately clean when he glanced toward the entrance of the library.

“Ah, shit,” he gasped before swinging his legs from his side of the counter to mine and dropping down to sit on the floor by my leg, where he hid himself out of sight.

I blinked at him, too startled to even think about scolding him for entering an employees-only zone.And I shifted my attention to the exit, only to find Parker Ohrley striding inside.

Remembering Xander’s earlier phone call, I zipped my attention down just as Keene looked up.

He said nothing, didn’t beg me to keep quiet about his location, he just looked up at me with so much torment in his gaze I melted.

I shifted protectively closer, even though I had no idea why.It wasn’t like I could hide him any more than he already was.But I moved close enough that he reached out and took hold of a handful of my pant leg as if thanking me for my support.

A small quiver of all the emotions I held for him bubbled up to the surface, and I glanced up as Parker noticed me and started in my direction.

“Waverly,” he greeted with a sober nod, but his gaze went back to searching the first floor.“You haven’t seen Dugger come through here today, have you?”

I swallowed and shook my head before I was able to wet my mouth enough to form the lie.“No, sorry.”And then, because I didn’t want Parker to start wandering the floors and stay longer, Ikeptlying.“I’ve been here since we opened this morning and haven’t seen him come through at all.It’s extremely slow today, too, so… I would’ve noticed.”

It was starting to feel like I was babbling, so I shut my mouth abruptly.

But thankfully, Parker seemed too distracted to notice.“Fuck,” he muttered, wiping a hand through his hair.“I was sure he’d come here.”

He looked miserable.

Feeling bad for fibbing to someone who’d literally saved my life, I bit my lip and winced.“It was a pretty bad fight, huh?”

As Parker zipped his suddenly alert gaze my way, I spotted Keene on the floor from the corner of my eyes looking up at me in surprise as well.

Not particularly wanting this kind of spotlight on me, I crept back a step and explained, “Xander called and told me about it.”

“Oh.”The tension in Parker’s shoulders released before he nodded in understanding.“So she warned you about?—”

“Yep,” I blurted, bobbing my head adamantly before he could mention anything about me being Keene’s mystery girl.“She told me everything.”

“Okay, good.”He nodded and patted the countertop twice before motioning to me.“Hey, if he comes through here, call me, would you?”

“Sure.”I kept shifting my head up and down.All the while my pulse was racing, and I thought I was going to start hyperventilating at any second.

But seriously, how could some people lie as much as they did?Doing it felt like I was going to suffer from heart failure.

This was not fun.

“Thanks, darlin’.”Parker tried to smile, but he looked too sad to really make it work.

I stood there silently as I watched him turn away and stalk back out of the library.And I kept watching him until he was well and truly gone.Then my knees lost their rigidity, and I sank down to sit next to Keene.We stayed there quietly for a moment with our backs to the checkout counter shelves and our knees bent in front of us.

Finally, Keene glanced over.“You already knew about our fight?”

I nodded.“Xander told me.”

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