“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 figured it out? Had they already tied together the vampire escape and Claude’s death and the robbery? Did they already have me as a suspect?
Were we scanning the wrong channels when we listened to police chatter? Had I hacked the wrong systems?
Paranoia crept over me—it felt like I’d been dipped in a vat of ants.
If they’ve found me, what should I do? My eyes darted to the parking lot. But if they knew, then there'd be more of them out there already. Were we surrounded?
"Hey, stop pouting and come eat, Madame President," Z grabbed my hand and I jerked.
I was standing frozen in the doorway. I stepped back into the dim interior of the restaurant, with its round, faux-paper lanterns hanging over each laminate wood table. The restaurant's ambiance was as fake as the smile I tried to plaster on my face.
"What is it?" Zavier stepped closer, his dark brow furrowing as his eyes studied mine.
"Are you all going to stand there like a pair of lovesick turtledoves or are we going to eat?" Potts complained, walking back toward us.
I swallowed hard. "Pinnacle Police," I whispered, loud enough for the two of them, but hopefully quietly enough that the two men at the table nearby couldn't hear.
"Where?" Z asked.
I glanced at Potts. Immediately, her eyes and mouth both narrowed.
"My office?" she asked. But she was already marching out the door without waiting for an answer.
I stared at the door for a second before taking a deep breath. Then I turned to Z. "You warn the guys. I'll go after her. I'll try to stall." I reached into my shirt and grabbed the pouch inside, which I'd tossed on a string and hung around my neck. I pulled off the serum and lifted his hand. I stuffed it into his hand, ignoring him when he rapidly shook his head.
"Not gonna let you do that," he protested.
"You don't let me do anything, Sweet Butt," I gave him a determined wink that didn't have any true humor behind it.
His face softened the way it always did before he says something sweet and annoyingly honest. Which he did just then. “You aren’t going by yourself, Hayley. I’d never let you do that.” His palm traced the side of my cheek and for a second, I was sucked into some tragic movie parting scene, one where the music just sobs that they’ll never be together again.
Will this be the last time I see Zavier? I wondered. With the police next door … it might. Fuck. I rose up on my tip toes so my eyes could flicker across his. “You’ve become more than just my best friend, Z. You’re my happiness.”
His eyes instantly narrowed and he reached out and encircled my wrist with his hand. He leaned in and put his nose to mine, then gently rubbed the tips of our noses together in a soft Eskimo kiss that completely contrasted his words. “None of that mushy bullshit. You are not going in there alone.” He pulled back and his eyes were dilated, his breathing intense. “You forget I’m faster than you.”
I gritted my teeth together, but he was right.
He saw the second I conceded, because he let go of his death grip and intertwined our fingers before leading me back out the front door of the Chinese restaurant and onto the sidewalk.
“So, what’s the plan?” he asked, casual once more as he squinted in the sunlight.
It was so annoying that he could be so relaxed about everything.
I scanned the parking lot for extra cops but didn’t see any. “Wait outside. But if I say the word … cheesy … do that thing you like to do with my underwear.”
“Scratch and sniff?” He laughed when he saw my disgusted face. “Just kidding.”