Alice in Zombieland Read online

Page 20

Page 20

 

  “Still waiting,” he prompted.

  I rattled off the numbers.

  “Thank you,” he said, and if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a note of relief in his voice.

  I had to be mistaken. Either that, or those violet eyes had reduced the points in my IQ.

  “Stay put,” he said, and got out of the car. He walked around, and…helped me out. Wow. I never would have guessed he would exhibit the classic signs of etiquette. “Tell me you aren’t going to be this difficult for the rest of the day. ”

  “I guess we’ll find out together,” I said. His skin was warm against mine, his palm calloused and rough. I liked that, even shivered.

  “Cold?” He pressed me up against the side of the Jeep, his arms caging me in.

  “No. I mean yes. I mean maybe. I don’t know!” Was he going to kiss me? For real? Here, now, in front of strangers? I’d stop him. Right? (Before and not after. )

  “I don’t think you’re cold,” he rasped, “I think you’re scared. You’re right to be scared. ”

  I gulped. “I’m not scared. ”

  “Let’s see what I can do to change that, shall we? We’re going on a little adventure, you and I. When I give an order, you’ll obey it. There will be no asking politely, no matter how much you bat your lashes at me. ”

  I opened my mouth to protest. I’d never batted my lashes at anyone!

  He shook his head, silencing me. “It’s for your safety. ”

  Again I opened my mouth to protest.

  Again he shook his head. “That’s the deal. Agree or I’ll take you back to school right now, and none of your questions will be answered. ”

  Peeved all over again, I ran my tongue over my teeth. He was underhanded, sneaky and manipulative, that was for sure. Too bad I still liked him. “What questions do you think I have?”

  “Probably the same ones I have. ”

  No way. Not possible. “Fine, I’ll follow your orders. ” Anything for answers. “Just as long as you realize that every time you issue one, I’m beating you up in my mind. ”

  “Realized,” he said, thrums of amusement suddenly evident. “But please refrain from mind-punching my pretty face. I like it just how it is. ”

  Now I was the one fighting amusement. Someone so egotistical shouldn’t have been so charming. But then, I loved Kat, so there you go.

  His gaze zeroed in on my twitching lips. He leaned closer to me…so close I could feel the heat of his breath trekking over my skin.

  “What’s going through your mind right now?” he asked, his lips hovering over mine.

  Don’t you dare tell him! I scrambled for a winning reply. “Will Mackenzie be upset that you’re with me? Not that you’re with me. I’m just saying—” Shut up, idiot! That’s enough.

  He straightened with a snap, the maybe-kiss moment completely lost. “She shouldn’t be. We’re not dating anymore. ” I wasn’t given a chance to reply. “Come on. It’s time for our adventure. I want to show you something. ”

  At the back of the building was the thick, thriving forest that wound all the way to my grandparents’ neighborhood. I frowned. The drive to the store had taken longer than it should have, then. I replayed the route and realized Cole had doubled back a few times, taken turns he hadn’t needed to take. There was no reason to do that—unless he was as paranoid as I was and had thought we were being followed.

  “Are you walking me home?” I asked, not sure how I felt about that.

  Displaying even better etiquette than before, he moved limbs out of my way. “Yes and no. Now, not another word out of you until I say it’s okay. You’ll distract me, and I have to make sure we don’t stumble on any trip wires. ”

  A lovely nonanswer sprinkled with supposed courtesy. Wait. “Did you say trip wires?”

  “Distracting me,” he said in a singsong voice.

  “Annoying me,” I sang back. But I bit my tongue and stayed quiet as we hiked the rest of the way through bushes, over thick tree roots and boulders, and up and down hills.

  By the time we reached the fence to my backyard, my thighs burned and my heart galloped in my chest.

  Note to self: start working out today. At least the air I was so heavily breathing in carried hints of pine and wildflowers, the rot all gone.

  “See these tracks?” he asked, pointing to the ground.

  Dread washed through me as I took in the very tracks I’d noticed two nights ago. I could even make out the indention of my own tennis shoes…but not Emma’s slippers. “Yes. I see. ”

  His gaze snapped to mine, slitted. “Do you know what caused them? Besides the ones belonging to you, of course. ”

  “No. ” Maybe. I licked my lips. “Do you? And how do you know I’ve been out here?”

  “Give me some credit. You’re an eight and a half, on the narrow side, and your shoes have a distinct zigzag pattern. ”

  That was not something a normal kid would notice. How—and why—had he?

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “So you haven’t seen anything out here?”

  “Besides you?” I asked, trying to figure out exactly where he was going with this.

  “Yes, besides me. ”

  I couldn’t admit it. I just couldn’t. “First I want you to answer me. Do you know what caused those tracks?”

  “Yes. ” No hesitation from him.

  Unbidden, I took a step closer to him. “What?”

  “You tell me. ”

  I rooted my feet into the ground, too afraid I’d try to press myself against him and shake him. “I never said I knew. ”

  “You paled. That was answer enough. ”

  “I…I…”

  “But I have to hear you say the words. ”

  Stubborn, nervous, I shook my head. “No. I won’t. ”

  Cole stared at me, frowning, a slash of menace in the shadows. “You’re really handicapping me here, Ali. I shouldn’t be talking to you about this. And I cannot—absolutely will not—mention anything outright. You have to tell me what I’m trying to say. ”

  Dang it! Was he implying what I thought he was implying? That he saw monsters, too, but couldn’t admit it until I admitted it? But if I admitted it, and that wasn’t what he’d meant…

  “Let’s try this another way,” he suggested. “Your dad is dead, isn’t he? Killed this summer. ”

  Immediately I spun, giving him my back. “I won’t talk about that, either,” I said. I figured Cole had done a search on me the same way I’d done one on him.

  “He died in a car crash at night, in a cemetery,” Cole persisted. “You were with him. Did you see anything…weird?”

  “I won’t talk about that,” I repeated, stomping away from him. If I did, I would cry in front of him, and I absolutely refused to cry in front of him.

  A scream burst from my lips as my feet were jerked out from under me.

  Something tight and inexorable banded around my ankle, lifting me up…up…until I dangled from a tree branch, no part of me touching the ground. Blood rushed into my head, making me dizzy.

  “What the heck!” I shouted. As I swung back and forth, I looked up. Thick rope encased my ankle—a rope that had been painted to resemble tree bark.

  Someone had booby-trapped the land behind my backyard. Or was this one of the trip wires Cole had mentioned?

  He closed the distance between us and crouched down just in front of me. Suddenly we were eye to upside-down eye.

  “Let me down!” I demanded.

  His smile was anything but pleasant. “You and your commands. Ask nicely. ”

  How dare he throw my words back at me! “Will you please…let me…down?” I ruined the saccharine-sweet request by trying to punch him.

  Laughing, and baffling me with the sincere amusement I detected, he jumped out of striking distance. “Now, now. No need for that. I’d be happy to help you. After,” he added. <
br />
  “After? What do you mean after? Do it now!”

  “After we finish talking. ”

  Oh, really? I arched back, then curled in, repeated the actions again and again, until I had a nice swing going. He was stretched to full height, the best kind of target.

  “What are you— Oomph!” He crouched over, wheezing.

  I’d just head butted him in the gut. Satisfaction filled me as I said, “How about now?”

  When he no longer sounded like an old man hooked to an oxygen tank, he moved directly in front of me, placing my forehead directly in front of his navel. Brave boy. To keep me still, he settled his hands on my waist. My bare waist, I realized with a flare of panic. My shirt had risen up, catching on the underwire of my bra.

  “Stupid gravity!” Motions rushed, I reached up, clasped the hem and tugged.

  “Settle down before you hurt my favorite body part. I’m really fond of my…gut. ” He shooed my hands away, my shirt falling and once again catching on my bra. “Here. Let me. ” He tucked the material in the waistband of my jeans. “Better?”

  “Yes, now get me down from here! Who would do something like this, anyway?”

  “I would,” he stated simply.

  I tried to meet his gaze, but he was simply too high up. “You did this?”

  “That’s what I just said, isn’t it?”

  “But why?”

  “You tell me. ”

  Not that crap again. “Cole. Please. Act like you’ve never been to juvie and let me down. ”

  He sighed, and it was not a patient sound. “Ali has a mean streak. Good to know. And I told you. I’ll let you down—after we chat. So let’s chat. Did your dad ever talk to you about something weird?”

  Dread slithered through me, wrapped around my heart and squeezed painfully. “Like what?”

  “You. Tell. Me. ”

  Argh! “I do not know you. I do not trust you. Therefore, I will not talk to you about this. ”

    Ecstasy in Darkness Read onlineEcstasy in DarknessFirstlife Read onlineFirstlifeCan't Hardly Breathe Read onlineCan't Hardly BreathePlaying With Fire Read onlinePlaying With FireThe Queen of Zombie Hearts Read onlineThe Queen of Zombie HeartsTwice as Hot Read onlineTwice as HotUnraveled Read onlineUnraveledThe Darkest Secret Read onlineThe Darkest SecretSeduce the Darkness Read onlineSeduce the DarknessLord of the Vampires Read onlineLord of the VampiresThe Darkest Surrender Read onlineThe Darkest SurrenderEnslave Me Sweetly Read onlineEnslave Me SweetlyThe Darkest Lie Read onlineThe Darkest LieIntertwined Read onlineIntertwinedInto The Dark Read onlineInto The DarkSavor Me Slowly Read onlineSavor Me SlowlyCan't Get Enough Read onlineCan't Get EnoughAnimal Instincts Read onlineAnimal InstinctsThe Harder You Fall Read onlineThe Harder You FallThe Darkest Promise Read onlineThe Darkest PromiseThe Closer You Come Read onlineThe Closer You ComeThe Pleasure Slave Read onlineThe Pleasure SlaveThe Darkest Warrior Read onlineThe Darkest WarriorOn the Hunt Read onlineOn the HuntThe Darkest Prison Read onlineThe Darkest PrisonBlack and Blue Read onlineBlack and BlueThe Amazon's Curse Read onlineThe Amazon's CurseWicked Nights Read onlineWicked NightsTwisted Read onlineTwistedBurning Dawn Read onlineBurning DawnThe Darkest Pleasure Read onlineThe Darkest PleasureThe One You Want Read onlineThe One You WantThe Darkest Night Read onlineThe Darkest NightThe Hotter You Burn Read onlineThe Hotter You BurnDark Swan Read onlineDark SwanThrough the Zombie Glass Read onlineThrough the Zombie GlassAlice in Zombieland Read onlineAlice in ZombielandRed Handed Read onlineRed HandedThe Darkest Assassin Read onlineThe Darkest AssassinAwaken Me Darkly Read onlineAwaken Me DarklyThe Darkest Fire Read onlineThe Darkest FireThe Darkest Seduction Read onlineThe Darkest SeductionBeauty Awakened Read onlineBeauty AwakenedThe Darkest Craving Read onlineThe Darkest CravingThe Darkest Kiss Read onlineThe Darkest KissJewel of Atlantis Read onlineJewel of AtlantisThe Darkest Angel Read onlineThe Darkest AngelThe Darkest Whisper Read onlineThe Darkest WhisperEverlife Trilogy Complete Collection: Firstlife ; Lifeblood ; Everlife Read onlineEverlife Trilogy Complete Collection: Firstlife ; Lifeblood ; EverlifeThe Darkest Passion Read onlineThe Darkest PassionPrince of Stone (Imperia) Read onlinePrince of Stone (Imperia)Heartless Read onlineHeartlessThe Stone Prince Read onlineThe Stone PrinceA Mad Zombie Party Read onlineA Mad Zombie PartyKat in Zombieland Read onlineKat in ZombielandAll Write Already: Year Of Your Book Read onlineAll Write Already: Year Of Your BookSecond Chance Read onlineSecond ChanceCan't Let Go Read onlineCan't Let GoLast Kiss Goodnight Read onlineLast Kiss GoodnightHeart of the Dragon Read onlineHeart of the DragonEverlife Read onlineEverlifeThe Darkest Touch Read onlineThe Darkest TouchThe Nymph King Read onlineThe Nymph KingHeart 0f The Dragon (Atlantis Book 1) Read onlineHeart 0f The Dragon (Atlantis Book 1)The Darkest Captive: A Lords of the Underworld Novella Read onlineThe Darkest Captive: A Lords of the Underworld NovellaLifeblood Read onlineLifebloodBlacklisted Read onlineBlacklistedPrince of Forever Read onlinePrince of ForeverForbidden Craving Read onlineForbidden CravingThe Warlord Read onlineThe WarlordThe Darkest Seduction lotu-10 Read onlineThe Darkest Seduction lotu-10Shadow and Ice (Gods of War) Read onlineShadow and Ice (Gods of War)Unraveled i-2 Read onlineUnraveled i-2The Darkest Captive Read onlineThe Darkest CaptiveThe Glass Queen Read onlineThe Glass QueenThe Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil) Read onlineThe Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil)Last Kiss Goodnight (Otherworld Assassin) Read onlineLast Kiss Goodnight (Otherworld Assassin)After Dark Read onlineAfter DarkOh My Goth Read onlineOh My GothBlack and Blue oa-2 Read onlineBlack and Blue oa-2Wicked Nights aotd-1 Read onlineWicked Nights aotd-1The Darkest Kiss lotu-3 Read onlineThe Darkest Kiss lotu-3The Darkest Assassin: A Lords of the Underworld Novella Read onlineThe Darkest Assassin: A Lords of the Underworld NovellaAlice in Zombieland wrc-1 Read onlineAlice in Zombieland wrc-1The White Rabbit Chronicles Read onlineThe White Rabbit ChroniclesThe Darkest Promise--A Dark, Demonic Paranormal Romance Read onlineThe Darkest Promise--A Dark, Demonic Paranormal RomanceRomancing the Gravestone Read onlineRomancing the GravestoneThe Pleasure Slave i-2 Read onlineThe Pleasure Slave i-2Can't Let Go--A Bad Boy Romance Read onlineCan't Let Go--A Bad Boy RomanceFirstlife (Everlife #1) Read onlineFirstlife (Everlife #1)The Stone Prince i-1 Read onlineThe Stone Prince i-1Playing With Fire (tales of an extra ordinary girl) Read onlinePlaying With Fire (tales of an extra ordinary girl)The Darkest King Read onlineThe Darkest KingThe Darkest Prison (lords of the underworld) Read onlineThe Darkest Prison (lords of the underworld)The Vampire's Bride--A Paranormal Romance Novel Read onlineThe Vampire's Bride--A Paranormal Romance NovelBeauty Awakened aotd-2 Read onlineBeauty Awakened aotd-2Twisted i-3 Read onlineTwisted i-3Dark Taste of Rapture Read onlineDark Taste of RaptureJewel of Atlantis a-2 Read onlineJewel of Atlantis a-2Atlantis Series Complete Collection Read onlineAtlantis Series Complete CollectionThe One You Want (Original Heartbreakers) Read onlineThe One You Want (Original Heartbreakers)Last Kiss Goodnight oa-1 Read onlineLast Kiss Goodnight oa-1Wicked Nights (Angels of the Dark) Read onlineWicked Nights (Angels of the Dark)The Vampire's Bride a-4 Read onlineThe Vampire's Bride a-4The Darkest Passion lotu-6 Read onlineThe Darkest Passion lotu-6Everlife (An Everlife Novel) Read onlineEverlife (An Everlife Novel)Ever Night Read onlineEver NightHeart of the Dragon a-1 Read onlineHeart of the Dragon a-1The Darkest Whisper lotu-5 Read onlineThe Darkest Whisper lotu-5The Nymph King a-3 Read onlineThe Nymph King a-3The Darkest Fire lotu-1 Read onlineThe Darkest Fire lotu-1The Darkest Surrender lotu-9 Read onlineThe Darkest Surrender lotu-9The Darkest Lie lotu-7 Read onlineThe Darkest Lie lotu-7Tempt Me Eternally Read onlineTempt Me EternallyLord of the Vampires and The Darkest Angel and The Amazon's Curse and The Darkest Prison Read onlineLord of the Vampires and The Darkest Angel and The Amazon's Curse and The Darkest PrisonMagic at Midnight Read onlineMagic at MidnightThe Darkest Night lotu-2 Read onlineThe Darkest Night lotu-2The Amazon's Curse (atlantis) Read onlineThe Amazon's Curse (atlantis)Catch a Mate Read onlineCatch a MateThe Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld Book 8) Read onlineThe Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld Book 8)Lord of the Vampires rhos-1 Read onlineLord of the Vampires rhos-1Shadow and Ice Read onlineShadow and IceBeauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark) Read onlineBeauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark)The Darkest Torment Read onlineThe Darkest TormentLords of the Underworld Bundle Read onlineLords of the Underworld BundleThe Darkest Craving lotu-11 Read onlineThe Darkest Craving lotu-11Temptation in Shadows Read onlineTemptation in ShadowsThe Darkest Surrender (Hqn) Read onlineThe Darkest Surrender (Hqn)The Alien Huntress Series Read onlineThe Alien Huntress SeriesThrough the Zombie Glass wrc-2 Read onlineThrough the Zombie Glass wrc-2Can't Get Enough (The Original Heartbreakers Book 6) Read onlineCan't Get Enough (The Original Heartbreakers Book 6)