Hot Blooded (Wolf Springs Chronicles) - By Nancy Holder Page 0,42
use it on the fabric stuck in the fence, but she could feel something watching her so she left the knife where it lay and jumped into Trick’s car.
“Go, go, go!” she shouted as soon as she’d closed the door.
He took off fast, the truck fishtailing around the first turn. “What happened, Kat?” he panted, sucking in air. “What did you see?”
“I think . . . I think there was another dog,” she said.
“Damn, girl,” he said, sliding a glance at her as he chuckled. “You handled that like a superspy.”
“My friend back home raised dogs,” she lied.
“Kimi?”
“Different friend.”
They drove in silence for a minute or two. Finally Trick spoke. “Okay, next time front door.”
“We have a problem,” she announced.
He looked at her.
“We left part of your shirt behind, and fingerprints and stuff. And I saw a piece of my grandmother’s stolen silver by the fence.”
His brows shot up. “Let’s see it.”
“I left it.” She made a face. “I freaked out and I just kept running.” She looked at him. “I can’t exactly tell the police I found it while breaking and entering.”
“Which side of the fence was it on?” He started to turn the car around. They would fishtail again if he wasn’t careful. “Inside is trespassing, or B and E. Outside is happening by. And how freaky is that? So did one of those crazy bastards break into your house?”
Kat paused to think on this. Then, “Does the sheriff have an anonymous tip line?” she asked.
He blinked. “I have no idea. Despite the rumors, I’m not all that knowledgeable about my friendly law enforcement agency.” He looked at her. “We have to go back.” At her disbelieving expression, he added, “Soon.”
Katelyn felt like an idiot for not grabbing the knife as they fled, but she was still buzzing with adrenaline on the way back to the school parking lot. She didn’t really know what Trick had hoped to accomplish, but it had been a daredevil thing to break in in broad daylight. What had Cordelia liked to say about Trick? That he was unpredictable?
And I went along with it all, she thought. What if we had gotten caught?
“You’re thinking very hard over there,” Trick said. “Processing our walk on the wild side? Or looking forward to your weekend?”
“My . . .?” She caught her breath. Her grandfather was taking her to the Cirque du Soleil show in Little Rock. She had completely forgotten about it, impossible as that seemed since the Cirque had been all she had dreamed about for years. Dreamed about joining.
“Yes,” she said. “Can’t wait.”
His smile was intense, and his hand brushed hers as he shifted gears. Alone with a boy, in a car, danger. But Trick was Trick. An exception to all rules.
They pulled into the school lot. There was a scattering of cars — probably teachers — and Trick came around to the side to let her out, but he suddenly seemed distracted as he walked her to her car, looking around, frowning, while she got out her keys.
“Is there something wrong?” she asked.
Then she saw the Confederate flag car skulking from around the back of the school. Mike Wright. Her vision telescoped and she could see through the windshield the pigfaced jerk behind the wheel. She felt a sudden wave of extreme fury and balled her fists, barely under control.
“You should leave,” Trick said.
She gritted her teeth, then forced herself to remain calm. “We should leave.” She looked at him. “C’mon, Trick.”
Mike revved his engine. Trick tensed and glanced over at his Mustang. A muscle jumped in his cheek as if her temper flare were contagious.
“Oh, my God, are you thinking of racing him?” Katelyn blurted. “Are you as much of a Neanderthal as he is?”
Then the roar of a motorcycle overshadowed Mike’s engine as Justin rode down the street toward the lot. Trick’s mouth dropped open and he looked from Justin’s motorcycle to Katelyn.
“No. Kat, really?” he said incredulously.
As Justin approached, Mike peeled out, making a show of swerving around Katelyn and Trick and heading in Justin’s direction. Justin kept coming. So did Mike. At the last possible moment Mike swerved — and wound up driving onto the sidewalk, bumping his front end against the tarmac. Katelyn felt a momentary flash of dark glee, then glanced over at Trick. He’d missed Mike’s clumsy exit; his gaze was focused laser-like on Justin as the motorcycle rolled to a stop a few feet away.