Read Online Heroes of Falledge Book One: Black Hellebore by Nicole Zoltack - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Nicole Zoltack
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thinking. Most of the time he did, but all day today, she had been a little off. Laughing too loudly. Staring at him, then looking away. Acting sillier than normal. Today, he couldn't figure her out.
She stuck out her lower lip. She was beautiful when pouting. They had been friends for a year now, and Nick wanted them to be more than that so badly, but he wasn't willing to risk their friendship. She had to be a part of his life, even if it wasn't in the role he most wanted her to be in.
"I... I thought... maybe..."
She was at a loss for words. Justina. The girl who could talk all day and never get a dry throat or run out of words. She could talk endlessly about anything. No one knew this better than Nick. Okay, maybe Julianna did, but they lived together, so she didn't count.
"Just spill it," he said.
Justina stared at her shoes.
Heels. He couldn't believe it. She was actually wearing heels. He never saw her wear heels before. Always her ratty pair of sneakers. "Heels were for girls who wanted to pretend they were women," she always said. "I don't want to grow up. I just want to be me."
What the heck was going on?
Maybe... just maybe... Maybe Ginny was right and he should just come out and ask her.
But if she said no, it would humiliate him. If it destroyed their friendship, he'd never forgive himself.
His hands sweated, and he rubbed them on his jeans. Before he could debate whether or not this was a good idea, he blurted, "Will you go to the dance with me?"
Too terrified to look at her, he stared at her heels, which jumped off the floor one, two, three times. "Yes!" she squealed, and threw herself into his arms.
"Oof," he breathed. He wrapped his arms around her and whirled her in a circle. She threw back her head and giggled.
When he opened his eyes, he still heard her giggles in his ears. Only it was Julianna. She walked toward him, Ginny beside her. When Julianna's gaze fell on him, her laughter died, and her lips pinched.
He thought about jumping to his feet but refrained and, instead, leaned back with his arms folded behind his head. Her chair groaned in protest. "Ready for me?" he asked.
Julianna scowled at him. "We won't be long," she promised Ginny.
Ginny looked from Julianna to Nicholas to Julianna again, a smirk on her face. "Take your time."
Nicholas glared at her. "We have dinner to get to, so the quicker the better."
"I do own an oven, and food can be reheated," Ginny said sweetly.
Julianna flicked her hand impatiently.
Nicholas made a show of taking his time getting up. She rolled her eyes as he sauntered toward her.
"Move it," she growled as she passed him to the small interrogation room.
Still not bothering to pick up his pace, even pausing some until Ginny grunted, he entered the room thirty seconds after her. He knew he was being childish, but he didn't care. He was here for Ginny, not Julianna, and he wished one of the other deputies was working tonight.
"Tell me what happened." She folded her slender hands on top of a legal pad, a few lines already written on it.
"Well, after..."
"After?" she prompted.
He wiggled his eyebrows.
She flushed and narrowed her eyes. "Get on with it."
Pushy little thing. "I was about to leave town when I drove past what used to be the lab." He stared at her, hoping to see some kind of emotion to clue him in on the strange happenings there, but her face was a mask. The only hint of emotion was annoyance. She could not be colder toward him than if she was on top of Mount Everest.
"Just stick to the pertinent facts. Did you or did you not witness the burglary?"
Hearing her voice filled with such bitterness churned his stomach. Justina had never talked to him in such a way. The twins shared the same voice, and he felt as if he had been slapped.
If she was going to be an ice princess, he could be a cool cat, too.
He drummed his fingers onto the table and stared at the wall above her head. "Yeah."
"And..."
Nicholas began to count the blocks behind
She stuck out her lower lip. She was beautiful when pouting. They had been friends for a year now, and Nick wanted them to be more than that so badly, but he wasn't willing to risk their friendship. She had to be a part of his life, even if it wasn't in the role he most wanted her to be in.
"I... I thought... maybe..."
She was at a loss for words. Justina. The girl who could talk all day and never get a dry throat or run out of words. She could talk endlessly about anything. No one knew this better than Nick. Okay, maybe Julianna did, but they lived together, so she didn't count.
"Just spill it," he said.
Justina stared at her shoes.
Heels. He couldn't believe it. She was actually wearing heels. He never saw her wear heels before. Always her ratty pair of sneakers. "Heels were for girls who wanted to pretend they were women," she always said. "I don't want to grow up. I just want to be me."
What the heck was going on?
Maybe... just maybe... Maybe Ginny was right and he should just come out and ask her.
But if she said no, it would humiliate him. If it destroyed their friendship, he'd never forgive himself.
His hands sweated, and he rubbed them on his jeans. Before he could debate whether or not this was a good idea, he blurted, "Will you go to the dance with me?"
Too terrified to look at her, he stared at her heels, which jumped off the floor one, two, three times. "Yes!" she squealed, and threw herself into his arms.
"Oof," he breathed. He wrapped his arms around her and whirled her in a circle. She threw back her head and giggled.
When he opened his eyes, he still heard her giggles in his ears. Only it was Julianna. She walked toward him, Ginny beside her. When Julianna's gaze fell on him, her laughter died, and her lips pinched.
He thought about jumping to his feet but refrained and, instead, leaned back with his arms folded behind his head. Her chair groaned in protest. "Ready for me?" he asked.
Julianna scowled at him. "We won't be long," she promised Ginny.
Ginny looked from Julianna to Nicholas to Julianna again, a smirk on her face. "Take your time."
Nicholas glared at her. "We have dinner to get to, so the quicker the better."
"I do own an oven, and food can be reheated," Ginny said sweetly.
Julianna flicked her hand impatiently.
Nicholas made a show of taking his time getting up. She rolled her eyes as he sauntered toward her.
"Move it," she growled as she passed him to the small interrogation room.
Still not bothering to pick up his pace, even pausing some until Ginny grunted, he entered the room thirty seconds after her. He knew he was being childish, but he didn't care. He was here for Ginny, not Julianna, and he wished one of the other deputies was working tonight.
"Tell me what happened." She folded her slender hands on top of a legal pad, a few lines already written on it.
"Well, after..."
"After?" she prompted.
He wiggled his eyebrows.
She flushed and narrowed her eyes. "Get on with it."
Pushy little thing. "I was about to leave town when I drove past what used to be the lab." He stared at her, hoping to see some kind of emotion to clue him in on the strange happenings there, but her face was a mask. The only hint of emotion was annoyance. She could not be colder toward him than if she was on top of Mount Everest.
"Just stick to the pertinent facts. Did you or did you not witness the burglary?"
Hearing her voice filled with such bitterness churned his stomach. Justina had never talked to him in such a way. The twins shared the same voice, and he felt as if he had been slapped.
If she was going to be an ice princess, he could be a cool cat, too.
He drummed his fingers onto the table and stared at the wall above her head. "Yeah."
"And..."
Nicholas began to count the blocks behind
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