speaks. O, speak again, bright angel!”
August was so angry that he wasn’t really even enjoying his revenge. It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.
“O, Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy…boss?”
Heather said, stumbling over the change to the text. She shook her head and continued.
“And refuse thy…profession! Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be your student.”
Heather put down the page, rage and fear warring across her features.
Kyle hesitated, glancing at her, but then gamely continued.
“Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?”
Heather stood as still as a statue.
“You have to finish your scene,” August said. “Or…no casting agent. No ingénue role. And that’s what you live for, isn’t it?”
“We’re almost done,” Kyle said softly.
For a moment August didn’t think she would finish. Maybe a shred of decency lurked inside that vapid blond head. He didn’t want her to have any decency. It would be much harder to hate her then.
“ ’Tis but thy profession that is my enemy. Thou art thyself, though not a teacher. O, be some other name! What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
“Whoa,” Kyle said as she tore up her page and threw the pieces to the floor.
“Happy? Happy now, August?” Her voice cracked.
He had no idea why he felt a pang of remorse. He really, truly hated her.
She’s an actress,
he reminded himself.
She goes for emotion. She knows how to play people as well as Beth.
“Bravo!” August cried, clapping his hands.
“Moving right along,” Kyle said, clearly trying to smooth things over. He ripped open their next envelope and read the clue. When he was finished, he tsked. “You outsmarted yourself this time. I know what this is.”
“Don’t count on it,” August said.
Then Beth, Thea, and Robin burst into the warehouse. Flirtatious energy zinged between Kyle and party-crasher Robin as they caught sight of each other. August’s heart constricted. He didn’t want to see nice people being happy. He needed to keep his rage hot so he could follow through with his plans.
“You know what, Kyle?” Heather said. “I’m done. This party sucks.” Her big baby blues glittered. That was more like it.
“No, wait, Heather. I’ve already figured out our next object. It’s a gas can,” Kyle said.
August hid his surprise. Kyle was on the nose. Larson had slipped through his dare, and it had taken Kyle all of ten seconds to decipher his clue. He had underestimated these people. Again.
“A gas can that we will try to find first,” Beth declared.
“That’s cheating,” Robin reminded her.
“Well, I’m not looking for it,” Heather said.
She stomped over to where the girls had set their purses down and grabbed one. Unzipping it, she began to dig inside her bag for something, stopped, and exhaled loudly. August figured she was looking for her keys and that she just remembered she’d driven there with Morgan. It was difficult to make a grand exit when your ride was nowhere to be seen. Swearing under her breath, she rezipped her purse, grabbed a bottle of red wine and a lantern off one of the tables, and disappeared down the hall stage right.
“Nice rope,” Kyle said. “I love what you’ve done with it.”
August registered the surprise on the faces of the three penalty babes as they looked to where Kyle was pointing. The end of the rope was fashioned into a hangman’s noose. A nice detail, if he did say so himself.
“Morbid,” Robin said.
“All the better to lasso a gas can with, my pretty,” Beth said.
“Or hang it high,” Kyle shot back, smiling again at Robin before he left.
HANGMAN
HEATHER’S RULE #1: Do as Mother says.
Halfway down the hall, Heather took a slug of wine and reconsidered her decision to bail out of the scavenger hunt. The TV pilot she had said she was in? A total lie. She had nothing going on career-wise.
August was so angry that he wasn’t really even enjoying his revenge. It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.
“O, Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy…boss?”
Heather said, stumbling over the change to the text. She shook her head and continued.
“And refuse thy…profession! Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be your student.”
Heather put down the page, rage and fear warring across her features.
Kyle hesitated, glancing at her, but then gamely continued.
“Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?”
Heather stood as still as a statue.
“You have to finish your scene,” August said. “Or…no casting agent. No ingénue role. And that’s what you live for, isn’t it?”
“We’re almost done,” Kyle said softly.
For a moment August didn’t think she would finish. Maybe a shred of decency lurked inside that vapid blond head. He didn’t want her to have any decency. It would be much harder to hate her then.
“ ’Tis but thy profession that is my enemy. Thou art thyself, though not a teacher. O, be some other name! What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
“Whoa,” Kyle said as she tore up her page and threw the pieces to the floor.
“Happy? Happy now, August?” Her voice cracked.
He had no idea why he felt a pang of remorse. He really, truly hated her.
She’s an actress,
he reminded himself.
She goes for emotion. She knows how to play people as well as Beth.
“Bravo!” August cried, clapping his hands.
“Moving right along,” Kyle said, clearly trying to smooth things over. He ripped open their next envelope and read the clue. When he was finished, he tsked. “You outsmarted yourself this time. I know what this is.”
“Don’t count on it,” August said.
Then Beth, Thea, and Robin burst into the warehouse. Flirtatious energy zinged between Kyle and party-crasher Robin as they caught sight of each other. August’s heart constricted. He didn’t want to see nice people being happy. He needed to keep his rage hot so he could follow through with his plans.
“You know what, Kyle?” Heather said. “I’m done. This party sucks.” Her big baby blues glittered. That was more like it.
“No, wait, Heather. I’ve already figured out our next object. It’s a gas can,” Kyle said.
August hid his surprise. Kyle was on the nose. Larson had slipped through his dare, and it had taken Kyle all of ten seconds to decipher his clue. He had underestimated these people. Again.
“A gas can that we will try to find first,” Beth declared.
“That’s cheating,” Robin reminded her.
“Well, I’m not looking for it,” Heather said.
She stomped over to where the girls had set their purses down and grabbed one. Unzipping it, she began to dig inside her bag for something, stopped, and exhaled loudly. August figured she was looking for her keys and that she just remembered she’d driven there with Morgan. It was difficult to make a grand exit when your ride was nowhere to be seen. Swearing under her breath, she rezipped her purse, grabbed a bottle of red wine and a lantern off one of the tables, and disappeared down the hall stage right.
“Nice rope,” Kyle said. “I love what you’ve done with it.”
August registered the surprise on the faces of the three penalty babes as they looked to where Kyle was pointing. The end of the rope was fashioned into a hangman’s noose. A nice detail, if he did say so himself.
“Morbid,” Robin said.
“All the better to lasso a gas can with, my pretty,” Beth said.
“Or hang it high,” Kyle shot back, smiling again at Robin before he left.
HANGMAN
HEATHER’S RULE #1: Do as Mother says.
Halfway down the hall, Heather took a slug of wine and reconsidered her decision to bail out of the scavenger hunt. The TV pilot she had said she was in? A total lie. She had nothing going on career-wise.
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