Page 163 of The Forbidden Note

“Excuse me!” Harris slams his hands on his hips and glares at us.

I stiffen, dropping my head and hiding my gaze from sight. My hair is straight tonight and I’m wearing a mask as well as an ill-fitting waiter outfit, but Harris has seen me everyday for more than six months. What if… he sees through my disguise.

I feel Harris’s eyes drilling into my face. My heart climbs to my throat and starts beating as hard as the fireworks exploding outside.

Just as I’m about to choke, Harris turns toward Rick. “You. Find out who’s setting those things! And you!” Harris stabs a finger at me. “Caterers use the back entrance. Not the front.”

I dip my head and share a quick glance with Rick. He gives me a barely discernible nod and walks off.

I push the trolley toward the kitchen, sure that I’m going to feel a hand clamp on my shoulder and whirl me around. Sure that Harris is going to rip my mask off, throw the cloth from the trolley and point to the documents. Sure that everything is going to be utterly ruined.

But no one pursues me.

I push the trolley through the back entrance and nearly cry in relief when Dutch, Cadey, and Finn meet me at the van.

The boys load the boxes off the trolley.

Dutch slams the door shut. “That’s everything.”

“We did it.” Cadey slings an arm around me, grinning wide.

“We… did it,” I breathe in shock.

The Kings are total maniacs, but they fulfilled their end of the deal.

My lips curl up in a smile, but a strange sense of foreboding wafts over me. Why do I get the feeling that it’s too early to celebrate?

* * *

Jinx: Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire

Things are heating up here at Redwood. And I’m not just talking about the dirty dancing between Snare King and his mystery Cinderella. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what triggered the fire alarms.

Screams of terror turned to screams of delight as rain fell from the ceiling and lights shot up from the ground. With the kingdom in utter chaos, I have only one question…

Where are The Kings?

Until the next post, keep your enemies close and your secrets even closer.

- Jinx

CHAPTERFORTY

ZANE

“The hell is wrong with you?” I bark at Sol.

Flames dance in his eyes.

It’s insidious.

Ghostly.

For a second, my best friend looks like a creature that climbed out of hell.

“The plan was to set small fires and trigger the smoke alarms. Not blow freaking rockets in the sky.”

“They’re not rockets. They’re timer-set M0-18s—”

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