I quickly swiped at my eyes like I was embarrassed. "I'm going to the powder room," I whispered. I needed to check on my mom and Tia. And Doctor Potts. Shit. I hadn’t even thought of her.
Gray nodded.
I slipped off to the side and let him take care of check in.
I was planning to use my burner, but I found a courtesy phone set in an alcove of the hotel lobby—a throwback to the old days. I dialed Mom’s number, one of the only ones I had memorized, my finger wrapping nervously around the phone cord as I waited impatiently for her to pick up.
“Please,” I breathed. “Please be okay.” I didn’t know if my pleas carried any weight after what I’d done tonight. When a voicemail box is full message popped up, I figured that God or the universe or whoever was listening had just shown me the finger.
Fine. I deserve it, I told myself as I set down the hotel’s phone and moved into the bathroom. I found Tia on social media—already posting about the Unnatural Ball with a couple selfies of her and Evan together. She had a ton of comments and I scrolled until I saw her last reply. Fifteen minutes ago.
I breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe.
I tried my mom again but had the same result.
My heels scuffed half-moons into the buffed black and white tile bathroom floors as I nervously looked up Potts’ phone number, worry about my mom still whisking my stomach into frothy peaks. I found Potts’ business website and tried her number, hoping she might forward her calls.
No such luck.
Fuck.
I felt like throwing my phone at the wall—the useless piece of trash. I resisted because it was my only connection to the guys. I scrolled into the contacts app. The phones were set up with new code names for each of the guys so we could communicate as needed. We weren’t allowed to reuse anything from the heist, in case my virus didn’t fully corrupt everything. I fingered the sleek new cell, regretting its short lifespan. We had a new set of burners ready for tomorrow depending on how everything went tonight. Based on how everything was going down, I had a gut feeling that we’d need the new phones.
I opened my text app and it was completely empty. I didn't have texts from any of the guys. I didn't know if they were in place, setting up their own alibis.
I texted Malcolm—aka Gamer on the phone. He sent a quick text picture back of sitting around at a game cafe. He was playing with strangers, not Z. His text read, -Hey Stormy. Miss you. Just playing a round of Catan. Can't wait to see you!-
I grinned down at the picture. Even though Malcolm didn't know any of the people he was sitting with at the game cafe, they'd all raised their hands to wave at me in the picture. That was sweet. I also laughed because the fucker had made me worry about blowing off steam. And there he was in a nerd’s paradise, using plastic figurines to decimate someone else’s pretend army.
But where was Z? They’d left together.
I texted Z (aka Spaz because Andros had picked that name for him) next. I didn't get a text back. Instead, to my surprise, I got a video call.
Zavier's face filled the screen. His eyebrow quirked and his voice slurred. It was instantly obvious that he was drunk. "Hey! How come I’m not getting texts first?" A finger jabbed at the phone to scold me and accidentally hung up on me.
I stifled a laugh when a video call rang on my phone seconds later.
"Yes?" I answered, when Z's face popped up again.
"Gamer texted and says he's your favorite," Z pouted, jutting out his lower lip in an expression I’d come to love because it was equal parts exasperating and adorable.
I laughed. "He’s a troublemaker."
The phone shifted over to Z’s shoulder as he shifted in his chair. I could see he was sitting at a bar, a neon sign lighting the wall behind him. If the beer light behind him was any indication, he’d gone into a norm bar instead of a magical one. That was probably a good idea since magicals also typically got drunk on whatever potion the bartender specialized in, so their memories would be unreliable at best. Alcohol was much less potent. I saw Z take a sip of his beer and raise the glass in my direction. Clearly, his fake ID had worked. “To winning. And to me kicking Gamer’s ass.”
I smiled and shook my head. “Thirty minutes, okay?”
He blew me a big kiss. Then he leaned over to the guy next to him. “My girlfriend’s trying to convince me to leave. But I’m playing hard to get.”
“Man, get your hands off me!” The other guy shoved Z back and the phone cut off as he hung up on me.
Shit. I hoped that wasn’t the start of a bar fight, though that was one way to ensure Z had a memorable alibi. Not the way I would have chosen but... guys. Ugh.
I left the bathroom and met Gray outside, where he was leaning casually against the wall with his jacket draped over his arm. He’d unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and his bowtie dangled casually over his shoulder. I was struck for the millionth time by how handsome he was. He tucked me under his arm and kissed my forehead.
"All better?" he asked as he led me through the lobby.
I knew he was asking about my mom, Tia, and the guys. "Not a hair out of place," I responded with the code phrase we’d come up with, though my eyes told him I was lying. Then I gave a broken laugh.
He ran a hand over his hair. "Hey, I’ve got you." He pressed the elevator button and then leaned down for a kiss.
I gave him one, and not just because an older couple was watching from the couches nearby. I kissed him because I wanted comfort in that moment. I needed it. Otherwise, I was going to freak out and sob right here in the lobby. And while that would be memorable, I wasn’t supposed to know what was going on at the Pinnacle right now. I wasn’t supposed to be aware that my mom and Potts might be lying dead on the grass—I cut that thought off as a mental image of their lifeless faces popped up inside my head.
A tear I didn’t mean to let escape trickled down my cheek as we kissed and I felt Gray gently swipe it away with his thumb.
I kissed him harder, used him to shove down the bad for a moment, because I couldn’t handle those possibilities.
One step at a time, I chanted internally.
But then Grayson deepened our kiss. He stole my breath away—literally—his powers sucked it away. I went light-headed and my knees grew weak for a second before he pulled back and let me have air again.
I blinked up at him, dazed. When I’d caught my breath, his grin was knowing and haughty.
“So that’s your trick?” I narrowed my eyes. “You make all the girls breathless.”
He dusted his shoulder off as the elevator dinged. I laughed and lunged at him, pressing him into the wall and letting the doors close in front of us without boarding while the hotel staff watched. “You know that’s not much of a feat if there’s only air between their ears.”
“If there was only air between their ears and I sucked it out, their faces would collapse like balloons.”
“Ew.”
“You’re the one who brought it up.” He shrugged and tilted his head to look down at me as his hand slid up the wall to press the elevator button again. “You okay now?” His voice radiated genuine concern.
I went up on my tiptoes and leaned into him. “Okay enough. But I want a real kiss, Gray.”