“Gummies?” Courtney asked, stealing the bag from me and ripping it open. Before I could stop her, she tossed two in her mouth.
Jack bit his lip on a cringe. “Well they'retechnicallygummies. Just special ones.”
Courtney stopped chewing. “What the fuck does that mean?” she demanded, staring at Jack before turning her wide eyes on me.
I carefully pried the bag from her, taking one of the little green gummies and rolling it between my pointer finger and thumb.
“They’re edibles.”
She slapped a hand over her mouth. Miranda snickered as Serina stole the bag.
“Oh god, I ate two- am I going to be sick?” Courtney gasped.
I chuckled, grasping her wrist and pulling her into my lap.
“You’ll be fine,” I murmured, kissing her temple. The little line between her brows deepened with her scowl. She smacked my chest.
“It’s not fine- I’ll bestoned.”
“Yea you will.” Jack cackled. She shot him a death glare over her shoulder. He raised his hands in surrender and backed up. “Which is great because- uh- you were so stressed,” he squeaked.
Her eyes narrowed to slits.
“Plotting to track down and murder my father for his probable involvement with Merit’s attempts to cage us like animals is a valid reason for stress.”
Jack winced. “Consider it a mental vacation from doom and gloom,” he mused. Serina stifled a giggle. Miranda turned away, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.
“I really want to punch you in the face right now,” Courtney grumbled.
He flashed her a bright smile. “But you won’t because we’re besties.”
Her lips brushed the shell of my ear. An involuntary shiver slid down my spine. “Can you hit him in the balls with something for me, love?”
“Oh, hell no, you two are no ganging up-Motherfucker!” he howled as my phone connected with his crotch. Reclining on the couch, we gave him twin smug smirks. Miranda and Serina failed miserably at stopping their laughter. Jack shook his head. “You two are twisted.”
“Oh, we know,” Courtney purred.
“Alright, stop stalling and get changed, we’re wasting the sunshine,” Miranda ordered.
Courtney peeled off my lap, extending her hand back to me.
I took it, holding her in place, searching her face. We didn’t need telepathy for her to read the question in my eyes.
“A little sunshine can’t hurt.”
47
Courtney
Asquealandastreak of red hair burst from between the chairs, launching into the pool.
Hannah.
Attention seeking as ever.
I expected the edibles to mellow me into a state of lethargy while the sun turned me into soup. Instead, I was twitching, my entire body flaring between intense burning and shivering cold as I honed in on face after face. Everyone was out to get us.
Out to getOllie.
