Read Online Heroes of Falledge Book One: Black Hellebore by Nicole Zoltack - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Nicole Zoltack
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her. One, two...
"Did you recognize the thief?"
He shook his head. Six, seven...
"What happened? Did you talk to him? Interact at all?"
Ten, eleven...
"Nicholas!" She pounded her fist onto the table.
He lowered his gaze to her. Julianna was getting worked up. She breathed heavily. Her lips twisted into a thin line. Her shoulder-length blond hair was falling out of its ponytail. She held a pencil in her hands. If she bent it anymore, it would snap in half.
"Julianna," he said coolly.
"You don't want to be here. I don't want you here. Answer my questions, and you can go."
He liked the sound of that but still refused to give many details. "I ran after him, caught up to him, forced him to give Ginny back her purse. Then he took off."
"Why did you let him go?"
Nicholas scowled. "I didn't let him anything. It ain't my job to keep criminals off the street." He shifted forward, ready to stand. "Any other questions?"
"Remember Mr. Davis?"
Nicholas blinked. "Yeah..." he said slowly, not understanding her point. Why was she bringing up their old government teacher?
"He taught us about the civilian arrest. You could have arrested the guy and kept him off the street for me."
Despite himself, his lips curled upward slightly. "Yeah, but I want you to earn your paycheck."
She rolled her eyes. "At least I have a steady--"
He did not want a lecture, so he changed the subject. "Remember Miss King?"
Her lips relaxed into the tiniest smile. "Ugh, she was the worst. Always droning on and on about speeches and writing."
He gasped and clasped his hands to his chest. "You mean you didn't care for one of your English teachers? You, the editor-in-chief of the high school newspaper as a sophomore?"
"No." She made a noise that almost sounded like a snort. "After all, she assigned us that group project."
Nicholas wrinkled his nose. "I'm just glad I convinced you we should do Poe."
"I know we got an A minus, but we would have had a flat A if you had listened to me and we'd written about Romeo and Juliet." Her eyes widened as she said this, and she looked away for a second.
Her reaction puzzled him. She had been quite passionate then about Shakespeare's play, but now she seemed... no, not embarrassed... almost petrified. But why?
"The least romantic love story ever," he explained.
"Least romantic? How can you say that?" She tilted her head to the side, open curiosity in her blue eyes, any hint of distress she had just shown gone. Maybe he had only imagined it.
"They died at the end."
She giggled. "How sweet. You didn't like that they didn't have their happy ever after." Julianna gasped and reached toward him but stopped before touching him. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Justina--"
"Stop."
"Nick, I just want to know what happened between you two. Why did she--"
"You know that kiss we had? Hadn't kissed a woman since Justina."
Julianna dropped her hands to her lap and hung her head. "I don't know what came over me," she murmured. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you."
"Look, let's just forget the whole thing. Let's not talk about the kiss--"
"Okay."
"Or Justina."
She squared her shoulders, and he knew she wanted to argue. Instead she nodded. "Fine."
"Good." He should feel relieved, but he didn't. A long time ago, he and Julianna had been friends. They'd had a blast writing that paper about how crazy Poe had been, even though they should have written about one of his stories or poems. Julianna had claimed Nick was just as crazy as Poe. He'd tried to get her to loosen up and act a little crazier.
Yes, they had been close once. Good friends. Best friends. But now, they weren't anymore. Because of the years spent apart? Because of the kiss?
Or because of Justina?
Julianna was the only living connection he had to Justina, and yet, as much as he wanted to be close to Julianna again, he wanted to increase the distance between them.
Julianna was a danger to him and his sanity. He needed to leave Falledge before he lost more
"Did you recognize the thief?"
He shook his head. Six, seven...
"What happened? Did you talk to him? Interact at all?"
Ten, eleven...
"Nicholas!" She pounded her fist onto the table.
He lowered his gaze to her. Julianna was getting worked up. She breathed heavily. Her lips twisted into a thin line. Her shoulder-length blond hair was falling out of its ponytail. She held a pencil in her hands. If she bent it anymore, it would snap in half.
"Julianna," he said coolly.
"You don't want to be here. I don't want you here. Answer my questions, and you can go."
He liked the sound of that but still refused to give many details. "I ran after him, caught up to him, forced him to give Ginny back her purse. Then he took off."
"Why did you let him go?"
Nicholas scowled. "I didn't let him anything. It ain't my job to keep criminals off the street." He shifted forward, ready to stand. "Any other questions?"
"Remember Mr. Davis?"
Nicholas blinked. "Yeah..." he said slowly, not understanding her point. Why was she bringing up their old government teacher?
"He taught us about the civilian arrest. You could have arrested the guy and kept him off the street for me."
Despite himself, his lips curled upward slightly. "Yeah, but I want you to earn your paycheck."
She rolled her eyes. "At least I have a steady--"
He did not want a lecture, so he changed the subject. "Remember Miss King?"
Her lips relaxed into the tiniest smile. "Ugh, she was the worst. Always droning on and on about speeches and writing."
He gasped and clasped his hands to his chest. "You mean you didn't care for one of your English teachers? You, the editor-in-chief of the high school newspaper as a sophomore?"
"No." She made a noise that almost sounded like a snort. "After all, she assigned us that group project."
Nicholas wrinkled his nose. "I'm just glad I convinced you we should do Poe."
"I know we got an A minus, but we would have had a flat A if you had listened to me and we'd written about Romeo and Juliet." Her eyes widened as she said this, and she looked away for a second.
Her reaction puzzled him. She had been quite passionate then about Shakespeare's play, but now she seemed... no, not embarrassed... almost petrified. But why?
"The least romantic love story ever," he explained.
"Least romantic? How can you say that?" She tilted her head to the side, open curiosity in her blue eyes, any hint of distress she had just shown gone. Maybe he had only imagined it.
"They died at the end."
She giggled. "How sweet. You didn't like that they didn't have their happy ever after." Julianna gasped and reached toward him but stopped before touching him. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Justina--"
"Stop."
"Nick, I just want to know what happened between you two. Why did she--"
"You know that kiss we had? Hadn't kissed a woman since Justina."
Julianna dropped her hands to her lap and hung her head. "I don't know what came over me," she murmured. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you."
"Look, let's just forget the whole thing. Let's not talk about the kiss--"
"Okay."
"Or Justina."
She squared her shoulders, and he knew she wanted to argue. Instead she nodded. "Fine."
"Good." He should feel relieved, but he didn't. A long time ago, he and Julianna had been friends. They'd had a blast writing that paper about how crazy Poe had been, even though they should have written about one of his stories or poems. Julianna had claimed Nick was just as crazy as Poe. He'd tried to get her to loosen up and act a little crazier.
Yes, they had been close once. Good friends. Best friends. But now, they weren't anymore. Because of the years spent apart? Because of the kiss?
Or because of Justina?
Julianna was the only living connection he had to Justina, and yet, as much as he wanted to be close to Julianna again, he wanted to increase the distance between them.
Julianna was a danger to him and his sanity. He needed to leave Falledge before he lost more
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