Page 115 of Magical Academy for Delinquents
I scrambled into the limo's interior and hurried out of my dress, sliding on the fire-resistant suit that Tia's second-cousin twice removed or whatever had gotten for me. The black suit fit like a glove, molding to my body with the help of spelled stitches. I slid on some boots just as the limo door opened and Grayson slid inside.
"Damn. Got a breath mint?" he grumbled. "Laura tasted like dog."
"You probably tasted secondhand dick from the blowie she gave your friend on the drive over."
Gray immediately stuck his tongue out and made a gagging sound. Then he quirked a brow at me as he pulled his tux jacket off. "Did I sell it okay? Not really a drama student here."
"Yeah. You did. I kinda want to throw this heel at you?" I showed him the pointy side of my shoe.
He laughed as he wrangled his bow tie off his neck. Then he glanced around the limo. "Isn't Evan supposed to be back here already? I thought we'd timed it so he and I should get here at the same time."
"True." I touched my earpiece and asked, "Evan? You there?"
He didn't respond. Malcolm's voice came through. "And stampede in three, two, one..."
It sounded like a football stadium when Malcolm's stink bombs went off. Part of me really wanted to open the sunroof and look out, but I was supposed to be wearing my little teenage mask of self-pity and broken-hearted woe. So, I wouldn't get to witness his triumph first-hand. But I could hear it, as people shrieked at the godawful smell. Retching sounds intermittently pierced the cacophony.
I peered through the tinted window, watching as people hurtled out onto the lawn that this building shared with the Pinnacle. They trampled over the prairie dog holes in their desperation to escape the foul stench. Once, but only once, I spotted Z's cousin darting in and out among with wealthy, his hands blurred as he stripped the wealthy of pocketbooks, jewelry, wands.
Malcolm's voice came online again. "Part two: Mindless frenzy in three, two, one."
I watched as Malcolm's delivery truck rolled by.
Malcolm's voice came online again. "Part two: Mindless frenzy in three, two, one."
I watched as Malcolm's delivery truck rolled by, my hand flying to my ear. "Wait! Princess is still out there!" My heart jumped as I scanned the parking lot. Worry prickled me. Evan was supposed to be back at the limo already.
His first assignment for the night had been to show Tia a fun time to pay her back for the suits and then fake a stomach illness and get her out of there. Where was he? Had he driven her home? Or was he still on the grounds.
"Anyone hear from him?" I asked.
A chorus of 'no's sounded in my ears.
"Princess?" I tried the coms, touching my earpiece to activate it. Princess was Evan's code name for the night. The guys had tried to push for horny bear, but he wouldn't have it. Why he'd preferred Princess ... guys made no sense.
"Princess?" I tried again.
Evan didn't answer.
My stomach started to whirl. Had something gone wrong already? If I'd expected anything to go wrong, I'd expected it to be with Claude or maybe Laura. I hadn't expected Evan to have any trouble.
Crap.
Malcolm's voice sounded. "4-H, we're losing our window. People are scattering."
"Do it," I replied.
The sprinklers on the lawn went on with a whoosh. Screams from women in thousand-dollar gowns turned to shrieks of terror as their dates roared and transformed into wolves, bears, lions, even snakes as thick as my torso, that slithered along the ground.
Gray finished changing and I turned to look at him. "What are we gonna do if Evan ..."
"We'll have to push through," Gray responded, taking my hand.
I swallowed hard and shoved aside emotion. I nodded. "Guess it's time to go to the meetup spot."
Gray motioned to his driver, who pulled out and drove us to the opposite side of the Pinnacle building--the side with all the construction on it
"Z's meeting us at the trees, right?"
