The Forbidden Note (Redwood Kings Book 4)

Zane’s eyes cut through the room like lasers, hyper-focused on me. I know he’s waiting for me to turn and acknowledge him, but I’m not going to do that.

My head is throbbing after that conversation with mom.

I can still feel her censure. Her frustration. Her disappointment.

She was… ashamed.

And there’s something inside me that curls up and dies knowing she feels that way.

Zane is eighteen years old.

That’s the truth.

That’s reality.

Whatever I feel for him…

Whatever he feels for me…

Does it even matter? Is our forbidden story really anything worth fighting for?

I don’t think so.

It’s time I get my head screwed on straight. I keep snapping back and forth like a plucked rubber band, which is why I’m in this mess. If I’d held firm from the beginning, if I hadn’t kissed him on that cliff or lifted my skirt for him in that classroom, we wouldn’t have gotten this far.

It’s up to me to bring some sanity to this madness.

I glance up and feel everyone watching me. Dutch, Finn and Sol all look mildly uncomfortable with the tension between me and their best friend. It doesn’t help that Zane hasn’t taken those blue eyes off me since I walked in here.

A wash of awareness hits my body, but I refuse to give into it.

Harris is breathing down my neck.

The police are involved and suspecting Zane.

It’s all going to hell.

I need to focus on what’s important.

I walk up to Finn. “Can I get a ride with you? I want to start opening those boxes and see what we’re working with.”

Finn doesn’t answer. Instead, he glances behind me at Zane as if he needs his brother’s permission before he takes me anywhere.

Annoyance flares in my chest.

“Fine. Dutch?” I arch an eyebrow in his direction.

Dutch lifts both hands. “I don’t want to be anywhere near this.”

“Near what?” I snap.

“Grey,” Zane’s tone is soft but firm. I can’t tell if he’s angry or annoyed by my cold shoulder. Either way it doesn’t really matter to me.

I pretend not to have heard. “We need to move.”

Zane growls again. There’s no hiding the threat this time. “Woman.”

I back away from the boys. “If Harris is suspecting you all, then that means he’s suspecting me too. We’re running out of time.”

Still no response from The Kings.

They remain in position like they’re posing for some kind of celebrity photoshoot. Finn with his almond-shaped eyes and regal bearing. Sol with his wild, curly brown hair and high cheekbones. Dutch with his amber eyes like an unfeeling psychopath.

And Zane…

Usually he wears an air of frivolity, always with a playful smile tilting his lips. But right now, he’s all dark menace.

Even his brothers recognize it. None of them dares to step out of line.

Screw it.

I push the door aside. “Forget it. I’ll find my own way.”

I take one step into the hallway when I’m suddenly being hauled by the waist and spun against the wall. Zane’s uninjured hand smacks inches away from my head.

“Such bad manners,” he says into my ear and I jump from the nearness. He pulls back so he can brand me with a disapproving stare. “Didn’t you hear me calling you, tiger?”

“Get back to bed.”

“Only if you come with me.”

I start to shove him and stop when I remember he’s injured.

“What do you want?” I snap, my voice shaking.

He leans in a little closer and my heart pounds. The connection between us is undeniable. It would be so easy to fall into that whirlpool of temptation, but I can’t.

“What did your mom say?”

“Nothing.”

“Grey.”

“What?” I put enough attitude in that word to scare off a horse.

Zane doesn’t budge. “Are you okay?”

My ribs feel like someone is pinching them closed. My throat turns scratchy. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You haven’t looked at me once since you came back.”

I zip my eyes up to his. “I’m looking at you now.”

“Yeah.” A smile touches his full lips. He strokes the side of my face with a thumb. “Yeah, you are.”

His eyes are an impossible shade of blue. Turquoise waves and bright like the sun, and yet darkness spreads out from the center, swimming flecks of onyx that warn he’s not as sunny as he pretends to be. The way he watches me is possessive and I should feel suffocated by it.

But I don’t.

The door cracks open.

Sol calls out. “Are you decent?”

“Unfortunately,” Zane says, pulling away from me. He turns to greet his brothers and Sol. “Take Grey home and get started on that search first. I’ll check myself out of the hospital and meet you there.”

I surge forward, nearly knocking into his chest. “Absolutely not. You have a head wound, several bruises, and a broken wrist. You need to stay here for at least three more days.”

“I’m fine, tiger.” He leaks a dazzling smile that would probably send half of Redwood Prep fainting. “But I like that you’re worried about me.”

I realize I’d spoken too vehemently and inch away from him. “I’m not.”

“No?”

I backpedal. “As your teacher—”

“Oh? My teacher?” He prowls toward me.

“It is my responsibility to make sure you don’t make stupid decisions.” Halting to a stop, I speak intently, “You really shouldn’t leave the hospital yet.”

Behind us, I hear Sol murmur, “Like he’ll listen to that…”

“Okay.”

The soft thud of Sol’s jaw hitting the floor is all I hear.

Even I’m surprised.

“Let’s make a deal. I’ll stay another night,” Zane leans forward and whispers, “if you spend it with me.”

I shove him back.

He laughs softly.

The gremlin.

My phone rings and I latch onto the opportunity to put some space between us.

Walking a few steps with the phone, I call over my shoulder, “Dutch, talk some sense into your brother please.”

“Impossible,” Dutch answers.

“You think he’d be this way if any one of us could tell him what to do?” Sol grumbles.

Finn just shakes his head.

I turn away from them and put the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

Mom’s voice blasts my ears. “Grey, how soon can you shower and put on a nice dress?”

For a moment, her words scramble in my brain and make zero sense to me. “Why do I need to put on a dress?”

At the word ‘dress’, Zane stands to attention. His eyes drag over me and I can feel it like a hand skating up my spine.

“I got in contact with a nice young man who made a very good impression last week when we met. He’s available to meet you for lunch.”

“So soon?” I croak. Sending a guilty look over my shoulder, I mumble, “Mom, we just had a conversation about that. Besides, I’m busy today.”

Her voice snaps with heat. “If you miss this date, you can forget about our deal.”

I chew on my bottom lip. It feels like I’m stuck in an hour glass and the sand is quickly filling to the top with no reprieve in sight. If I don’t find a way to break free, I’ll be buried.

“Are you going or not?”

I hesitate. Mom is high on emotions right now. I can’t afford for our relationship to fracture any more than it already has. Not just for the sake of my deal with The Kings, but for my family.

“Okay,” I mumble. “I’ll get ready for the date.”

Mom heaves a sigh of relief. “Perfect.”