There was a hiss as the air escaped from the rubber. The operative pulled out her weapon and slid it back into her satchel as she straightened up. She doubted that Jenn knew how to change a tire. And depending on the kind of guy Tate was, he might not know either.
With that, she brought a business card out of her back pocket, kissed it, and put it in the jamb of the driver’s-side window.
Now it was time to catch a Kitten.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“THIS LOOKS DISGUSTING.” I LAUGHED, TWIRLING the corn dog stick in my hand.
“Come on.” Joel knocked his elbow into mine as we walked across the fairgrounds. “Hot dogs covered in batter and shoved on a stick? It’s like the most delicious combination on the planet.”
I didn’t mind coming here with Joel. I was really enjoying it. Even though Kira, Leona, Izzie, and the other girls on the squad were great, I really missed having a guy around. Not in a boyfriend way, but just that male presence. In fact, it was nice to not have to worry about the boyfriend baggage.
“So Kira told me she was going to put you back on the squad,” Joel said as we passed the Ferris wheel. “Did she?”
“Yep. I am officially a Smitten Kitten, a member of the fiercest squad in Washington.”
“Ah,” Joel said. “Taking your rightful place at the helm soon, hopefully.” He finished his corn dog and tossed the stick in the trash as we passed it. “It’d be a good thing,” he added. “I was starting to think that Kira was going to lose her mind with all the practices and infighting. You all are a feisty bunch!”
I pursed my lips and then nodded. “Yeah, but we love each other.”
“So sweet,” Joel cooed, placing his hand over his heart.
“Zip your lip!”
“Wait.” Joel took my arm and pulled me sideways. “We have to go see this!”
“What?” I followed him as he dragged me over to the haunted house, which was really a renovated trailer. “They might have real ax-wielding murderers in there,” I said, raising my eyebrow.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered as he paid the carnie in tickets. “I’m a trained assassin.”
“Wow.”
“Yep. Deadly. Ninja-like reflexes.”
I laughed and walked into the haunted house behind him, pausing to throw out my half-eaten corn dog before going in.
The haunted house was a bit of a letdown. The cart stalled out once, stranding us in a small room among a sea of glowing red eyes. Only most of the bulbs had burned out, so there was just a lot of winking lights going on. Despite the non-scare factor, Joel made bad jokes the entire time, so it was sort of fun.
And after about two hours and three rides on the super-slide, I was exhausted—filled with confectionary sugar and ready to go. We were halfway to his car (still needing to jump my own) when my phone vibrated in my pocket.
“It’s Kira,” I said, looking down at it as I pulled it out. “Tell her I say hi,” Joel replied, reaching into his jeans to take out his car keys.
The minute I clicked on the phone and put it to my ear, Kira started talking.
“We’re at the gymnasium,” she said in a monotone. “You need to meet us here.”
“Oh…” I looked over at Joel, surprised by Kira’s tone. “Did something—”
“And bring Joel with you,” Kira interrupted, and then hung up.
My breath caught and I stopped walking, pulling the phone slowly from my ear to look at it. Guilt consumed me.
“Everything okay?” Joel asked, clicking the locks of his car. I brought my eyes to his soft hazel ones, wondering if I’d done something wrong.
“She wants me to meet her at the gym,” I said, swallowing hard.
“Cool. Your car is parked there anyway. I’ll drop you off.”
“Actually,” I said, moving past him to his passenger door. “She wants to see both of us.”
Joel looked back at me, then shrugged and walked around the front of his car to his door. He might not look fazed, but something in Kira’s voice worried me. And I had a feeling the fair might not have been a good idea after all.
Kira shifted on her sneakered feet, glaring at me as we walked into the gymnasium. Then she softened her eyes and looked to Joel. “Hi, honey,” she said with exaggerated sweetness as her voice echoed across the court. “I’ve been wondering where you were.” She was smiling, but I could tell by the shallowness of her dimples that it was forced.
“Hey.” Joel left my side and walked across the gymnasium to Kira, kissing her cheek when he got there. He’d fixed my car before we came in just in case. In case of what, I wasn’t sure. “It took a while,” Joel told Kira. “Tessa needed a jump.”
Leona coughed at his word choice.
He darted a glance at her before continuing. “Then I figured since I had to bring her back here, I’d stop by the fair at the mall and get a corn dog.”
“You’re so adorable,” Kira said, reaching up to pet his chin. I felt a small twinge of discomfort.
The gym doors swung open and Izzie came running in. “Girls,” she called. “There’s something you have to see.…” She stopped in her tracks, noticing Joel. “Oh. Hi, Joel,” she said, looking between him and the rest of the squad.
He laughed. “Where’s the fire, Izzie?”
Izzie took her hair in her hand and twisted, a sure sign of her nervousness. “It…” I could tell she was struggling to find an answer.
“Is that the new jacket you wanted from Hollister?” Kira interrupted, her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Yes,” Izzie snapped, sighing. “The jacket. Isn’t it great?”
Joel nodded, not catching on in the slightest. Normally I would have politely asked him to leave, but judging by Kira’s protective hand on his bicep, it wasn’t my place. And I had a feeling that she was already pretty ticked at me.
“Mind if I meet you after practice?” she asked him, flicking her eyes toward me once. I lowered my head.
“That’s cool,” he said. “Call me when you’re done and I’ll pick you up.”
They embraced quickly, and I felt further out of place. I wrapped my arms around myself in a hug. When they separated, Joel waved to the other girls and walked past me on the way to the exit.
“And thanks for hanging out, Tess. It was really fun.” His smile was innocent, friendly. But I could practically feel the daggers coming my way from Kira.