Induction: Her world just got a whole lot scarier. by S.E. Sharp

Author:S.E. Sharp [Sharp, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sarah Sharp
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Six

Have Pity on the Boy

Another girl missing. She’s the fifth one since July. The disappearances are happening closer together. The last two girls went missing only days apart, instead of weeks.

This subject is a hot topic at work, especially with Brittney. The girl who just went missing lives in her neighborhood. Or maybe “lived” is the more appropriate tense. The thought leaves me queasy and despondent. Considering none of the other girls have been found—dead or alive—I don’t think they’re coming back

Not a happy or uplifting conversation in any way, but it keeps my mind off Adam’s offer. I’d rather not think about it. Or the fact that Vic came up with the plot. The urge to strangle him is powerful.

But when Brittney says she’s signed up for self-defense classes, something she’s been putting off for a long time—the latest missing girl being the incentive she needed—my own decision is made before I realize it. I’m still going to strangle Vic, plant spiders in his room, shoes, wherever, but I will give Adam a chance to train me.

Speaking of that audacious jerk, he returns to pick me up ten minutes before my shift ends. I ignore the stares from Brittney and Shayla (the coworker who typically only works weekends) when Adam walks in to ask me for my bike’s lock combination so he can load it.

I refuse to give him the code, however, insisting I unlock my bike myself.

“Do you like coffee or tea?” I ask him.

“Huh?”

“Coffee or tea?” I finish unlocking my bike and wrap the cord around my hand, glancing up at him. My face heats up as I ask the next question: “Or are you still a hot chocolate kind of guy?”

“Oh.” He hesitates, gaze jumping from the bike to me. “I guess mochas aren’t bad.”

“But if you had to choose, hot chocolate or mocha?”

I swear his lips actually twitch with a hint of a smile.

“Hot cocoa. All the way.”

“Sweet.” I head back into the shop.

“Okay, even at the risk of sounding like Carter. I have to ask.” Brittney looks at me before glancing at Adam, who is lifting my bike into the back of the SUV. Shayla shamelessly stares at him, brushing a lock of her silky, ash blonde hair behind her ear.

Brittany finally voices her question. “Is that your boyfriend?”

A Carter question, indeed.

“He doesn’t even qualify as a friend,” I say with a huff.

They don’t have a chance to respond, as customers arrive. I do the few dishes that are in the sink, wipe down countertops, then clock out.

I make the hot chocolate for Adam, and a tea—with an ample amount of cardamom—for myself, finishing them both without interruption. I say my goodbyes and see-ya-laters, and trudge outside, bracing against the chill. It wasn’t snowing when I’d given my bike to Adam, but it is now. Teeny, tiny flakes pelt me in the face as I walk.

“Here you go.” I pass the hot chocolate over to him.

He takes a slow, tentative sip.

“It’s safe,” I say, ready to embarrass myself with more knowledge of Adam Stehn.

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