Delinquents Turned Fugitives - Ann Denton Page 0,52

my face before I could even reach for the handle. And suddenly Potts was there in a flowy flower dress and a crocheted vest that looked like it was from the original Woodstock. Her arms wrapped around my waist and she lifted me off the ground in a bear hug that I never would have expected from her—she was stronger than she looked. It also wasn’t lost on me that her hug was probably incredibly out of character. But I was just as happy to see her as she was me.

My hands flew to her shoulders and I held on.

“Saw you through the lobby window. Left the blinds open because after that breakout, I want to see who’s coming,” she said.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” I said softly.

She just set me down without responding. But the hug had said everything for her.

Z grinned next to me. “Now, that’s a good hello. Can I get one too?”

Potts set me down and glared at him. “Who are you?”

He opened his arms, like he was prepared for a hug. “I’m Zavier—”

“This the stalker?” She turned to look at me without touching him.

“Nope.”

“Well, he definitely wasn’t your date last night.”

“Nope.”

Potts shook her head at me. “You need to find some girlfriends, Hayley.”

“This is hug discrimination,” Z complained. “I’m gonna have to file a complaint.”

“With who?” Potts raised a red eyebrow.

Zavier glanced over at me. “What were her cats’ names again?”

I burst into laughter. Leave it to Z to be ridiculous on our serious mission.

Potts scowled. “Mr. Buggles would never—”

“Okay, you two. Let’s go inside.” I tried to cut off what I was sure was a burgeoning argument.

“Let’s not. Let’s go next door,” Z countered. “Doctor Potts,” he extended an elbow. “If you’ll join me on a lunch date, I’m sure we can forget the whole hug debacle—”

I pinched the bridge of my nose as the two most annoying people in the world proceeded to link arms and stride toward the Chinese restaurant. “We have things to do—” I tried to remind Zavier.

“Yes, like eat Sweet and Sour soup.”

“They have great wontons,” Potts added.

I seethed as I hurried after them. I went to block the door, but suddenly, Z was there first, already holding it open and gesturing for us to enter, like he was being a damn gentleman instead of an annoying shit.

I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t wanna discuss things in there.”

“Oh, things,” Potts said, intrigue coloring her tone. “We better not discuss things. That would be inappropriate.”

“Almost as bad as discussing stuff,” Z chortled.

“Stuff’s even worse. It might lead to what-d’you-call-its.”

“And everyone knows what-d’you-call-its are just a gateway conversation to doodads,” Z built on Pott’s ridiculousness.

The two of them just sparkled with naughty energy. I clenched my fists, restraining myself from punching them.

Potts jerked her head toward Z. “I like him. You should date him.”

My hands flew up. “You like him because you are him. He is you!”

Z held up a hand and then inserted himself bodily between the two of us. “Actually, we are supposed to start dating any minute now,” he told Potts. “I’m just waiting for Hayley to take me on our first date.

“Oh, good. So, the guy from the ball—”

“Hayley’s polyamorous,” Z explained, escorting us both to the hostess booth where a girl with braces and a couple menus in her hands froze at his words.

“Stop telling people that!” I whispered, jabbing him in the side as my face went through every shade of pink and red ever invented.

“Oh, don’t be embarrassed,” Potts spoke in a tone that seemed to carry throughout the entire restaurant. “We all have our bedroom kinks. Why, back in my day—”

“Okay! I’ll just wait in your office.” I hurriedly ducked out from under Z’s arm and ran for the door. Hell fucking no. I was not eating with the two of them. I yanked open the door of the restaurant just in time to see a man with a gun and a badge, opening the door to Potts office.

Fuck.

It looked like the Pinnacle had found us.

17

My heartbeat felt like the big fucking bass drum the marching band members carried. Each thud echoed inside my skull and every other sound around me faded.

Did the Pinnacle already know that we’d robbed their vault? Claude and Ginny’s bodies had been in there, but the door to the lab had been open and I’d been hoping their deaths would be blamed on the vampires and our thievery would go undiscovered. At least for a while. But had they