Delinquents Turned Fugitives - Ann Denton Page 0,110

him. "What the hell is your problem? I said yes."

"You need to be sure, because I'm not about to teach you how to escape."

Wait, what? Confusion flooded me, tinged with a little bit of fear. "What exactly will you be teaching me?"

"How to piss Muller off enough to kill you."

36

I took every one of Andros’s lessons seriously. Each time he taught me a move, attacked me and had me fight back with magic, I did. I tried to internalize the moves he wanted me to take, and the words he wanted me to say.

But the entire time, my mind kept chanting, “This is wrong.”

If I was going to tempt a bastard into killing me, I was going to try to take him down with me.

Because that’s just who I was.

And even magic couldn’t save me from myself.

As I practiced, an idea started to form, one where I might combine what Andros thought was necessary and the complete and utter beat down that Muller deserved.

When we finished, I called all the guys to meet me, because if I’d realized one thing after this morning, it was that we worked better together than I did on my own. I’d let myself be blinded earlier by my fury toward Claude, but I’d be damned if I made the same mistake twice.

I texted Tia and told her I might be late to the funeral.

-Are you serious right now?-

I didn’t respond, because there was nothing I could say that would make it alright. She was the best friend in the world. And I … wasn’t.

We set up shop in the backroom of a norm gas station. Andros bribed the attendant to take a walk, handing the greasy twenty-something guy a wad of cash and telling him, “Come back in an hour.”

I’d disconnected all the video feeds and grabbed myself a Twinkie. And then he and I had settled into the plastic chairs and stared at the ripped, discolored “Employee of the Month” pictures on the wall while we waited in silence. The analog clock on the wall clicked loudly and reminded me of my last few minutes at Medeis.

They’d been glorious.

I wanted to see a face that shade of furious purple again. Only this time, I didn’t give a shit about headmasters. This time, I needed to take down a detective.

The clock ticked again, reminding me that I only had an hour to plan.

I ripped open my Twinkie and started to think.

When my crew arrived, they all had suspicious and questioning looks on their faces as they took seats or leaned against the wall.

Since I had called this impromptu gathering without giving them much information, I spoke first. “I don’t want to fuck up again like I did with the asshole who can’t be named, so we’re going to do this next crazy-ass thing as a group or not at all.”

Z gave a whistle as he hopped up onto the break room table. He almost instantly hopped down. “Gross. That thing is sticky.” He walked over to the wall and leaned up against it instead.

I glanced over at Malcolm. “Do you think you could hit up your new friend, Teddy Hall—Mr. Social Media—and tell him we might have something he’ll want to see?”

Malcolm’s eyes immediately lit up and he slid his newest burner phone out of his pocket. “Sure.”

I glanced over at Gray. “Think you have someone who could give Teddy a ride to the cemetery? And maybe see if they can bring along one of those drones you love so much?”

Gray nodded and started texting.

Evan canted his head to the side. “Want to tell us exactly what Teddy might be seeing? Or what we’ll be doing?”

I licked the last bit of Twinkie off my fingers before I answered. “How’s your wrist? How’re your writing fingers?”

“Why?”

I gave him a wink then I shared a grin over at the guys. “Ready to have some fun?” I tossed my feet up on the table and crossed them at the ankles.

“She’s got her cocky face on,” Malcolm observed.

“Um, I wouldn’t call that a cocky face, since her mouth’s not—”

I held up a finger and cut Z off. “Don’t even go there.”

“But … but he just put it out on a platter. He basically handed me that joke.” Z whined.

“You want me to do to you what I’m planning to do to Muller?” I asked with a raised brow.

Z crossed his arms and pouted. “No fair. I’m gonna become an expert hacker and then I won’t have to worry