The Forbidden Note (Redwood Kings Book 4)

“I think it’s better if we split up,” Zane says, raising a brow in my direction. “We’ll be less suspicious that way.”

“Good point,” Dutch agrees.

Zane and Dutch’s eyes look otherworldly in the darkness. Both glowing and sinister. Both predators in their own right.

Zane points. “Dutch and Cadey will go together, obviously. And then me and Grey—”

I open my mouth to protest.

Sol beats me to it. “I need you to stay here and help out.”

“No way.”

“This is a two man job.”

“Let Finn help.”

“Finn is no fun.”

Dutch narrows his eyes at them. “We don’t have time for this. Zane, you help Sol. Finn can take the rear exit alone. Cadey and I will use the elevator. Rick can go with Grey through the front.”

“The front is too dangerous.” Zane stands off with his brother.

“It’s the least dangerous. No one will expect a thief to use the front entrance. Plus Rick will help throw suspicion off.”

“The plan is fine. Let’s move.” I motion to the stairs. There’s no time to argue.

Zane leans close to me.

My chest gets tight.

“Be careful, tiger,” he whispers.

I wish I didn’t feel anything but, when Zane brushes his fingers against my cheek, I feel everything.

Turning away without a word, I follow Rick. The music from the dance helps to absorb our steps, but it still feels like we’re on the edge of discovery.

He points his flashlight in front of us. “Since we’re using the front, we can go a little slower. Moving with urgency draws more attention.”

“Okay.” I blow out a breath.

His long legged stride throws a shadow on the floor.

I glance up at him. “How come I didn’t see you at the funeral?”

“Not really a fan.”

“Of funerals?”

“Of my mother.”

“Ah.”

“Honestly, it’s a relief that she’s finally dead.”

I cringe. That’s harsh.

He sees my expression and explains, “She tossed me when I was a baby and then came back years later, asking me to steal money from my foster mom so she could buy drugs. That woman was never much of a mother when she was alive, so I won’t treat her like one in death.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No need.” He shakes his head. “Her death taught me one thing. Life is short. I want to be a better brother to Cadey and Viola. I want to be a better boyfriend. You just never know when it’s your last time to say ‘I love you’ to someone.”

I think of mom. The last time I saw her, I snapped at her. She hasn’t reached out since then.

I should text her tonight…

Up ahead, a shadow skitters by.

I yelp and nearly turn over the trolley.

Rick chuckles. “Relax. It’s just a cat on the tree outside.”

“Oh.” Sheepishly, I lick my lips.

“You’re nervous,” he observes.

“I’m not much of a risk-taker.”

“Really?”

“Can’t you tell?”

“To be honest, it’s hard to tell anything under that mask.”

I give him an assessing look. There’s something about the way he watches me. It’s not rude or like he’s interested. But it’s brimming with curiosity, like he’s trying to figure me out.

I stare straight ahead. “What did Cadey say about me?”

“Oh nothing. Absolutely nothing.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t even know your name.”

“My name is Grace Jamieson,” I say, pushing the trolley. My fingers flex on the handles. “But my friends call me Grey. I teach math—”

“I thought it was Lit?” I stare pointedly at him and his entire face blanches. “You’re smart.”

“And you’re a liar.”

He blushes. “Cadey might have mentioned a few things about you. You’re her favorite teacher, you know. Apart from the music guy who gave her the scholarship.”

“Mulliez,” I say. He was my only friend at Redwood before he got on The Kings’ bad side, was falsely accused and then left with his reputation in shambles.

Rick coughs. “Are you close with the band?”

“Not really.”

“How about one person in the band?”

I stare him down. “No.”

“Right. Right.” He glances at the trolley that’s nearly buckling from the weight of all the boxes. “You want me to push for a bit?”

“If anyone sees us, they’ll wonder why you’re acting like the wait staff.”

The music is louder.

We’re getting close to the dance.

I check my watch.

Have Sol and Zane set the fire yet?

Rick’s eyes dart around. “So this is Redwood.”

“Not that impressive, right?” I say sarcastically.

“Half the time, I don’t understand what goes on in this shiny world.” He gestures to the marble floors and high ceilings. “It’s like the rules don’t apply to you people.”

“That’s not true.”

“The rules do apply?”

“I shouldn’t be included in ‘you people’.”

“Come on. You belong here now. Even The Kings respect you.”

I almost laugh. He has no idea. “I’m just a cog in the machine. I work for the shiny people. None of their shine rubbed off on me.”

And I don’t want it to. My dream is to burn Sloane’s enemies to the ground and walk away smelling of smoke and revenge.

At that point, I’ll have to figure out who or what I’ll be next.

He clears his throat. “This place gives me the creeps.”

“It’s much prettier during the day.”

“Pretty things can still be poison.”

I can’t disagree.

Rick slips a hand into his pocket. “Viola wants to transfer. Did you know that?”

“To Redwood?”

Rick nods. “I’m against it.”

“Why?”

“After she moved here, Cadey got married to Jarod Cross’s son. Jarod Cross. Not just that, she got married to him the day she turned eighteen. And a week later, she was burying our mom and moving in with her husband in between going to trig class. Who does that?”

I stare at him with a discerning eye. “You’re worried about your sister.”

“She grew up too fast.” He shakes his head. “And this world is dangerous. Those boys are the masters of it, sure. But that means there’s a target on their backs. They’ll always draw chaos.”

He’s not wrong about that either.

My phone chirps.

It’s Zane.

Get ready to burn, tiger.

My lips quirk as I imagine Harris’s face when he sees what we’ve done.

Rick notices my expression. “Zane?”

“Huh?” I glance up distractedly. “Oh… yeah. They just set the fire.”

“They probably enjoy this. Destroying things.”

“Probably.”

He eyes me. “You know… it would have made me feel a little better knowing an adult Cadey trusts is part of that psychotic family.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint, but I’m not,” I say. “I’m just a teacher at Redwood and they’re… entitled eighteen year old boys.”

“Zane too?”

“Especially him.”

He snickers. “The kid was about to take a bullet for you.”

“The gun was empty.”

He snorts as if I’m being ridiculous.

Maybe I am. I don’t want to believe Zane is serious about me.

He can’t be.

Neither can I.

What we have is not serious material.

I can admit that I’m attracted to him.

I can even admit that I want to sleep with him—although that burns me to confess.

But I have to be realistic.

“If you’re not with Zane, then how about I introduce you to someone?” Rick glances hopefully at me. “I have a buddy. Hunter. Great guy. Got his heart broken by some girl he met in Europe recently.” Rick tsks. “Poor thing. I’ve been trying to hook him up—”

Boom!

The floor rattles.

I jolt on my feet.

Rick grabs my arm. “The hell was that?”

Boom! Boom!

Screams break out.

The music stops abruptly. Rick throws the gym door open and it feels like I’m stepping into an alternate reality. Everyone is running back and forth. Kids are ducking in horror. A few are crawling under tables. Someone is puking in the corner. It smells like the spiked punch.

Harris takes the mike on stage. “Alright, everyone! Just calm down! I’m not sure what this is about, but I’m certain there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation—”

A high pitched wail cuts him off.

Fire alarms ring suddenly.

Harris yelps into the mike. I watch with a twisted sense of satisfaction as the sprinklers snap to life and spray all over him.

Shrieks erupt from the girls whose dresses are being drenched.

Harris grabs the mike again. “Everyone calm…”

Boom!

Explosions of color crackle outside the windows. Sparks explode in the black night, staining the sky like glittering jewels.

Fireworks.

Immediately, the mood shifts from terrified to awe-struck.

Students rush outside in a frenzy.

This is definitely The Kings’ doing. I should be angry at them for drawing more attention to us and making a spectacle of tonight’s heist, but it’s worth it just to see that dumbstruck look on Harris’s face.

“Uh-oh. Incoming,” Rick says.

I stiffen when I notice Harris bound down the stairs and gun straight for us. My instinct is to run, so I take a few steps with the trolley.

Rick grabs my hand. “What are you doing? If you run now, you’ll only look more suspicious.”

“I can’t just stay here. What if he recognizes me?”

It’s too late.

“Excuse me!” Harris slams his hands on his hips and glares at us.

I stiffen, dropping my head and hiding my gaze from sight. My hair is straight tonight and I’m wearing a mask as well as an ill-fitting waiter outfit, but Harris has seen me everyday for more than six months. What if… he sees through my disguise.

I feel Harris’s eyes drilling into my face. My heart climbs to my throat and starts beating as hard as the fireworks exploding outside.

Just as I’m about to choke, Harris turns toward Rick. “You. Find out who’s setting those things! And you!” Harris stabs a finger at me. “Caterers use the back entrance. Not the front.”

I dip my head and share a quick glance with Rick. He gives me a barely discernible nod and walks off.

I push the trolley toward the kitchen, sure that I’m going to feel a hand clamp on my shoulder and whirl me around. Sure that Harris is going to rip my mask off, throw the cloth from the trolley and point to the documents. Sure that everything is going to be utterly ruined.

But no one pursues me.

I push the trolley through the back entrance and nearly cry in relief when Dutch, Cadey, and Finn meet me at the van.

The boys load the boxes off the trolley.

Dutch slams the door shut. “That’s everything.”

“We did it.” Cadey slings an arm around me, grinning wide.

“We… did it,” I breathe in shock.

The Kings are total maniacs, but they fulfilled their end of the deal.

My lips curl up in a smile, but a strange sense of foreboding wafts over me. Why do I get the feeling that it’s too early to celebrate?

Jinx: Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire

Things are heating up here at Redwood. And I’m not just talking about the dirty dancing between Snare King and his mystery Cinderella. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what triggered the fire alarms.

Screams of terror turned to screams of delight as rain fell from the ceiling and lights shot up from the ground. With the kingdom in utter chaos, I have only one question…

Where are The Kings?

Until the next post, keep your enemies close and your secrets even closer.

– Jinx