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"You have my heart"

"Only metaphorically"

"If you want to drop the metaphors, you can have my hands," I said

Jack sers around ht ertip "What else can I have?" he asked

"H on the way his lips ainst ood rabbed ht need the rest of your arotiate those," I said

With a grin, he stood up and pulled ently until ainst the wall His hands moved up and over my elbows to my neck I looked past him to make sure no one could see us; but when he pushed the collar of my shirt aside and put his lips onif ere in anyone’s view I shivered

"Um, we never discussed the shoulders," I said, my voice ridiculously breathless

"Sorry," he said "I get carried away talking about elbows and things"

My head tilted so his lips could get better access to the base of my neck "Just wait until I tell you about my kneecaps"

He put his lips on ht about kneecaps again

A buzzing sound made us pull apart and catch our breaths Jack pulled out his phone and checked the screen

"Jules just texted She and Tara Bolton want to knoe’re up for a concert Apparently the Deads are doing a surprise gig in Salt Lake"

My eyes ide "Cole’s back in town That ht" He grabbed my arms and looked into my eyes "Cole would never leave your heart in another city He wouldn’t risk it being so far fro it with hiht we’re going to find your heart"

TWO

NOW

The Surface Hoh a dinner of pizza and wilted salad with ot back to nores of the nutritional variety around here

I shoved the last pepperoni into my mouth and put my napkin down on my plate

My dad froze with his full piece of pizza halfway to hisfor tonight?"

Too out with Jack," I said, pushing myself back from the table "May I be excused?"

"That’s fine But don’t be too late Suhed As if he didn’t know As if he didn’t eh rades weren’t exactly stellar

My dad still had hope for ht after I break into the Dead Elvises’ condo and retrieveheart

I stood up and ruffled Tommy’s hair as I walked out of the kitchen Jack would be waiting for me in my room toand entering

This was a first forlot of Cole’s condo

There were no lights on inside Cole’s place

At least I guessed there were no lights on I couldn’t see every angle froer seat of Jack’s car

Jack opened the brown paper bag at his feet and took out one of the black ski masks He tossed it onto my lap, and my feet literally went ice-cold

"What if it’s a trick?" I said

Jack froze, one side of his lips raised in a half smile "You mean like an ambush?"

I nodded

Jack turned fully towardthe Dead Elvises faked a concert tonight in the city, and fake sold tickets, and fake booked the venue, all so they could turn out the lights in their condo and wait, real quiet like, crouched behind the furniture, on the off chance ere planning to break in?"

I nodded again "Exactly That sounds reasonable We should just go ho this if we didn’t have to If it didn’t mean the best chance to cure you"

"I know," I said "But I can’t help wondering if it’s a trap"

"Cole needs you alive That’s e can feel safe doing this" At my concerned expression, he added, "Look, Jules is at the concert I’ll text her to see if the band’s really there or if they’re just holograms"

He pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen I stared at the darkened condo again and bit ?" I said

Jack continued to type while talking "We know they don’t have an alaro," I said, re the last tione to the Everneath to save Jack Before Cole had betrayed o

"You know the code to his door," Jack said

"One-four-oh-seven," I said I’d seen hih times to remember

"And we know Cole has a safe in his wall," Jack said

I nodded I re we’re looking for," Jack said

I nodded and frowned "A compass My heart"

If we could find it and break it,step toward ain

Jack reached over and squeezed et into the safe, you’ll know this orth it"

He took the cordless drill out of the bag next and held it pointed outward, like a cornered coould wield a gun

I stared at it "Explain the drill again?"

"Safecrackers always use drills," Jack said, exasperated, as if he’d told me this a hundred times

"Safecrackers in the movies," I clarified

"Yes, and all movies are rooted in so Greek muses?" Xanadu had been one of my mom’s favorite obscure ht face "Everyone has a roller-skating Greek "

I nodded "I’"

"It’s not a felony It’s self-defense"

I took a deep breath and then pulled the ski mask over my head "Let’s do this"

Jack’s phone vibrated with a text and he checked the screen "Jules says she’s loving the concert" He put the phone in his pocket "It’s not a trap We’re a go"

We left the car and crept up the stairs to the balcony where the front door was located There was movement in the frontof the condo adjacent to Cole’s, and I started to rethink the ski masks