Revival (The Variant Series, Book 1) (31 page)
Read Revival (The Variant Series, Book 1) Online
Authors: Jena Leigh
Down by the pier, the others had halted their game and were now watching them with interest. Jessica, meanwhile, had her arms crossed angrily over her chest, apoplectic with rage. Alex had started to wonder if the girl’s face was even capable of showing an emotion other than annoyance, or if it had become permanently stuck like that.
Connor shrugged. “If they’ve got a problem with it, screw ’em.”
Cassie appeared mildly impressed by his indifference.
“Lexie,” he said. “I know you’re still angry with me. And you’ve got every right to be… All I’m asking is that you give me one more shot.”
This was exactly why she hadn’t answered the phone.
“I’m sorry, Connor. I just… I need some time.”
“It’s alright.” He stood and began moving slowly backward down the beach. He flashed her a confident smile. “You’re worth the wait.”
As soon as he was out of earshot, Cassie chimed, “Just say, ‘no,’ Alex, dear.”
“You make him sound like a drug.”
“That’s exactly what the guy is, for you. He’s your addiction,” she said. “Trust me. Just say no to crack, spray-on tans, and
Connor
. All three have the potential to end badly. Especially where you’re concerned.”
“
Ladies
,” Aiden said in a slow, goofy drawl from behind Cassie. “Mind if we join you?”
Aiden, Nate and Declan were approaching from the direction of the boardwalk. Somehow, the trio had done the impossible and grown even
more
attractive in the four days since she’d last seen them.
Then again, maybe it was simply the fact that this marked the first time she’d been able to observe the guys without the threat of impending doom hanging over their heads. Frown lines weren’t good for anyone’s
features.
And relaxed and happy seemed to be a
really
good look for them.
Alex glanced back in the direction of the pier.
Most of the girls were blatantly staring.
She smiled.
Miranda Pierce, eat your heart out.
“Where’s Kenzie?” asked Alex. “Wasn’t she with you?”
Aiden dropped down on the other side of Cassie.
“Red left us in search of coffee.” Nate settled in next to Alex, taking the last open spot on the blanket and forcing Declan to find a seat in the sand. “Said she needed a caffeine fix.”
“At six p.m.?” said Cassie. “Won’t that keep her awake all night?”
“I asked her the same question,” said Aiden. “She just marched off down the boardwalk shouting, ‘
Death before decaf!
’”
“Someone should put that on a t-shirt,” said Declan.
Alex smiled.
Declan smiled back, bumping her shoulder with his. “Hey, you,” he said softly, below the level of Nate and Cassie’s conversation.
“Hey, yourself.”
“You haven’t been by the cabin,” he said, fiddling with his car keys. “Everything alright?”
“Fine,” she said. “Just needed a break, you know?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I figured.”
Kenzie was walking toward them with a massive iced coffee in one hand.
“Death before decaf!” Cassie shouted with a smile, raising a fist in the air.
“Death before decaf!” Kenzie echoed. “Nice to see a little caffeine-lover solidarity. So few people out there
understand.
”
She plopped down in the sand beside Declan.
“So have they told you yet? Or do I get to be the one to break the happy news?” asked Kenzie between sips.
“Told us what?” asked Alex.
“That Bay View High has two new transfers,” she said, breaking into a brilliant smile.
“What?” said Cassie, sitting up a little straighter. “Who?”
“Mackenzie and Declan
O’Neill
, at your service, miss!” she said with a mock salute. “That’s O’Neill with
two
L’s, by the way.”
“Hey, that’s great!” Cassie smiled wide.
“Man, I love getting to use a fake name,” said Kenzie. “I’ll be incognito! At school! How awesome is that?”
Cassie’s expression became a guise of mock severity. “I do hate to be the one to tell you this, Kenzie… But you see, you’ve made a
major
tactical error by being seen with us in public. We’re not exactly on speaking terms with the
cool kids
these days.”
“Damn,” said Kenzie. “There goes my lifelong dream of being made Prom Queen. And I look so
cute
in a tiara… Tragic.”
“Not that I don’t think it’s great, cause I do…” said Alex. “But why in the world are you two transferring to our high school?”
“It’s to make the Agency happy,” said Nate. “They wanted us to be able to watch you more closely, so… we’ve temporarily relocated to Florida.”
“Hooray for sunshine and sandy beaches,” said Aiden.
“What?” said Cassie. “You’re moving too?”
“Yeah, well. My last place is now in ruins, I lost my job at the docks when I went MIA over the weekend… and Grayson owes me one. Least he can do is rent me a room for a while. And anyway, I’ve been living in the cold and dreary Pacific Northwest for too long. Time for a fresh start in the sunshine state.”
That revelation had Cassie as happy as a lark. Alex
really
needed to find out what was going on with those two.
“Declan, I thought you’d already graduated,” said Alex.
“I did,” he huffed. “Trust me. I’m not looking forward to going back, but it was either me or Nate—and I’m still 18 for another month, so I’m the youngest. Agency thought I might still be able to pass as a high school junior.”
“Having you guys around ought to make things a little more interesting,” said Cassie. “I’m all for making things more interesting.”
“Just… maybe not
quite
as interesting as last week,” Alex amended.
“No. Definitely not
that
interesting,” Cassie agreed.
“What? Not a fan of living in an action flick?” asked Aiden.
“You know, it’s funny,” said Cassie. “Getting kidnapped twice in one week really ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“Is it still considered kidnapping when it’s a government agency doing the abducting?” asked Kenzie.
“Semantics.”
Kenzie leaned toward Cassie and whispered something in her ear. They both smiled wide.
“I happen to think that’s an
excellent
idea,” Cassie replied.
“Alright! All you hooligans off the blanket. Now. Up. Move it or lose it!” Kenzie jumped up, set her coffee in the sand, and began shooing the others off of the bright red stretch of fabric. Everyone scrambled to get up, voicing their protests.
Kenzie and Cassie grabbed either end of the large red blanket and held it up in between them, standing apart, as if they were about to fold it—which conveniently blocked the group from any potential prying eyes in the direction of the pier.
Suddenly, Alex knew what they were up to.
Down the shore, in the opposite direction, a solitary couple lay basking in the sun, the man sound asleep and the woman too engrossed in her paperback to pay them any mind.
Declan stood staring at them, arms crossed over his white t-shirt, the bottoms of his jeans and his black boots half buried in the sand. He was dressed almost the same as he had been on the first day they met. The only thing missing was the gray military jacket.
If they were going to do this, the time was now.
She sighed. So much for boring.
“What? Are we leaving already?” asked Declan, misinterpreting their movements.
Alex got to her feet and shimmied out of her jean shorts, leaving on the tank top. No
way
she was taking that off in front of him again. She turned around, leaned in close to Declan and took him by the hand.
“You know what, Decks?” she said in a soft voice. A slight tingle shivered through her palm. Just a few more seconds… “I’m really glad you came by. There’s actually something I’ve been wanting to do since that first day we met.”
Declan smiled lazily down at her.
Poor guy didn’t have a clue.
“You remember?” she purred. “That day you dropped me in a lake? Twice?”
Alex released Declan’s hand, took three steps backward and nodded to Nate and Aiden. They closed in on him, grinning.
“What are you doing?” Declan asked warily. Realizing too late that he was their intended target, he tried to turn and make a break down the shore.
Nate and Aiden were too fast.
Declan soon stood hostage, only a few feet away, Nate gripping one arm, Aiden the other.
“What the heck are you guys—” He finally noticed Alex, standing by the blanket, a wicked grin on her face. “Oh, no. No, no, n—”
His last word of protest was clipped short by Alex’s tackle. As they fell toward the sand, Nate and Aiden released their hold… and Alex jumped.
They splashed down in the salty water after having reappeared, tangled together in the air, thirty feet from the shore, and too close to the surface for Declan to even
think
about teleporting himself anywhere dry.
Back on the beach, the others were cheering.
Declan surfaced and slicked his hair back.
Alex smiled at the sight of a very angry, very
wet
, Declan O’Connell.
Oh, yeah. Revenge was
sweet
.
“I suppose this makes us even?” Declan looked back at her from under an arched eyebrow, his ire slowly fading.
“Not by a long shot.” She smiled and started back for the shore.
A strong current of cooler water surrounded her. She swam with the flow, the water providing little resistance as she sailed onward toward the coast.
“Oh, come
on
,” Declan groused from behind her as he struggled against a sudden onslaught of unusually large waves. “Cut it out, Aiden!”
“What’s that, cousin?” Aiden called back. “Can’t hear you!”
Alex laughed as the helpful tide sent her coasting back toward the beach.
Maybe she
wouldn’t
ever be normal again. But in moments like this one, Alex was willing to concede—normal was terribly overrated.
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