Nightfall (Devil's Night #4) - Penelope Douglas Page 0,72

being annoying. I’d punch me if I were her.

“Come on, knock-knock?”

She shook her head and dried her eyes, ignoring me.

I hardened my tone, demanding, “Knock-knock.”

“Come in,” she snapped, cutting off my joke.

I stood frozen for a moment. How did she always do that?

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not often I could be outsmarted, let alone repeatedly.

But that was clever. I broke out into a laugh, and after a moment, I noticed a small smile playing on her lips that she tried to hide.

Releasing her hand, I rounded the bookshelves and approached her, staring down at her bowed head and eyes that still avoided me.

“Look at me,” I repeated.

Slowly, she shook her head, but it seemed more to herself than an answer to me.

“Emory…”

She stared at the floor and then retreated a step, but I grabbed her face, bringing her in close and rubbing my thumbs underneath her eyes. I wiped away the tears, but more just streamed down.

And in that moment, I wanted to do nothing else with my life more than change her world, so she’d never feel like this again. Goddammit.

She tried to pull away, but I couldn’t let go. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in, hugging her as she gasped. Sobs wracked through her as she tensed, but I just held her tight, keeping her standing so she didn’t have to even worry about that right now.

I couldn’t stand this. She had to stop crying.

Finally, her arms relaxed, and every fight inside of her melted away. She let her cheek fall into my chest, her arms hanging limply at her sides as she leaned into me, letting me hold her.

People passed behind us, but I didn’t care what they saw as long as they kept going.

I stroked her hair with my hand, my fingers humming at the feel of finally touching her. Such a big mouth and attitude on a person who was really so soft and small.

I dipped my nose into her hair, the scent making my head buzz and the feel of her warming every muscle in my body.

“Let’s go,” I told her, taking her hand in mine and her bag in the other. “We’re getting the fuck out of here.”

I pulled her, not waiting for a reply.

She dug in her heels, suddenly alert. “We can’t.”

“Watch me.”

I pulled her out of the library, leaving my shit on the table because I knew it would still be there later, and walked down the hallway and out of the school, hearing her nervous breaths behind me as she looked around frantically for teachers or surveillance cameras.

For some reason, though, she didn’t protest more.

Heading to my truck, I tossed her bag into the bed and opened the passenger side door for her.

She finally met my eyes, looking so tired. God, the circles around her eyes I was finally able to see in the light of day… When was the last time she’d slept?

She opened her mouth, like she might argue, but then, she just climbed in. I slammed the door, rounding the truck and climbing in on my side.

I almost wanted her to fight. Emory Scott was letting me take her off school grounds during school hours, and she wasn’t even demanding to know where.

I didn’t like this dead look on her face. What the fuck was going on?

Starting the truck, I pulled out my phone and dialed as I drove out of the parking lot, turning to head toward the village.

She absently pulled her seatbelt across her body, fastening it.

Roger Culpepper answered on the other end. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Will. Can you open the doors?”

“It’s nine a.m.” he told me.

“Just open the theater,” I told him again. “Then you can go back to sleep.”

I hung up before he had a chance to argue and looked over at Em, who just stared out the window. She’d stopped crying and just relaxed back into the seat, looking sad but comfortable.

I stared out at the road as we headed back into town, unable to help the smile peeking out. Sorry, D. That’s her seat now.

• • •

Roger had the movie theater unlocked for us when we arrived, and I parked in the alley so no one would spot my truck off school grounds. Emmy didn’t ask any questions as I parked her in one of the theaters and left to grab snacks.

Culpepper managed the theater and had been here for the nightly festival until a few hours ago. I felt bad about waking him up and dragging