Chase (8 page)

As long as Loki didn't resurface. As long as Tatiana didn't find Gaia first and put a bullet through her head.
As long as her father wasn't dead.

Gaia glanced across the street at the Village School and saw Jake Montone hanging on the steps with a couple of his meathead friends and a few Friends of Heather. Maybe one of them could help her find Tatiana. Maybe Tatiana had slipped up during one of their little gatherings and said something,
anything
that could give Gaia a clue. Of course, it wasn't like any of them were ever going to help her voluntarily. None of them would even
speak
to her voluntarily.

Unless she planned to intimidate each one of them, she was going to need a different in.

Suddenly Jake looked up and caught Gaia watching them. His amazingly light eyes grabbed her attention, even from that distance, and Gaia glanced away a second later than she would have liked.

“Damn,” she muttered under her breath when she noticed the self-satisfied smirk that crossed his face. Ugh! He thought she was checking him out. Just what she needed—Mr. Ego thinking he had yet another admirer.

Gaia turned and ducked into Dunkin' Donuts with a sigh. Her positive mood had lasted all of ten minutes. Now she needed a double-chocolate doughnut and a nice big black coffee to take the edge off.

She joined the long line of half-asleep workers and scanned the shelves behind the counter, making sure there were double-chocolate doughnuts to be had. She smiled when a guy came out from the back wearing his maroon-and-orange Dunkin' uniform and carrying a whole new tray of
chocolaty goodness.
Maybe this really was her lucky day.

“Hey, Gaia.”

Maybe not. She turned in line to find Jake standing behind her with that somehow constantly teasing smile on his face. So predictable. He thought she
wanted him, so he came right after her. He was wearing a dark blue T-shirt and no jacket, even though everyone else in line was bundled up against the morning chill. He was bending and unbending a tattered copy of
Atlas Shrugged
in his large hands. Gaia noticed this, scoffed, and turned around again to focus on the task at hand—doughnut acquisition.

“What? Surprised by my choice of reading material?” Jake asked, inching closer to her as the line moved forward.

“Surprised you read,” Gaia replied, her back to him.

Jake laughed. “Set myself up for that one.”

“At least you can admit it,” Gaia replied.

“So . . . you weren't in school yesterday,” Jake said, angling himself so that he could see her profile as she stepped up to the counter. He leaned in near the cash register and rested his elbow on top of it, earning a
fire-spouting glare
from the lady behind the counter.

“Thanks for the news flash,” Gaia said to him.

“Can I help you?” the lady asked through her teeth. She glanced at Jake again, but he didn't notice.

“I'll have a large coffee, black, and a double chocolate,” Gaia said. Her stomach grumbled. “Make that two double chocolates.”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jake smile but refused to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging it.

“And another black coffee,” Jake piped up suddenly as the woman turned to fill the order. She rolled her eyes, made a big show of punching the extra coffee into the register, and hit total before grabbing a couple of large cups.

“I'm not buying you coffee,” Gaia said to Jake as she fished in the pocket of her cargo pants for some cash.

“Nooooo,” he said as if he were speaking to a four-year-old. He pushed away from the counter and pulled a sleek black wallet out of the back pocket of his fitted jeans. “I'm buying you coffee. And a couple of doughnuts, apparently.”

He slipped out a brand-new twenty and tossed it onto the counter. Gaia could actually smell the crispy scent of
freshly printed bills.
What was this kid, a Soprano or something?

“That's okay, really,” she said, snapping up the twenty between two fingers and handing it back to him. “I don't really feel the need to owe you.”

“You won't owe me,” he said, throwing the money on the counter again. “God! I'm just trying to be nice. What are you, allergic to nice?”

Huh . . . maybe
, Gaia thought, mulling it over.
That would explain a lot.

The Dunkin' Donuts lady placed a waxy bag on the counter next to two steaming cups of coffee and, before Gaia could protest, picked up the twenty and
started hitting buttons again. Jake smirked as he leaned past Gaia to pick up his cup. His arm grazed her cheek and she turned away from him, the contact sending an unexpected thrill the skittering down her side.

For a split second Gaia held her breath, then her face flushed purple. Because against her will she realized she was wishing that little skin brush had lasted longer.

Okay, you are not attracted to Jake Montone
, she told herself, even though her fluttery stomach was insisting otherwise.
You're obviously just delusional from stress.

Gaia snatched up her bag of doughnuts, slid past Jake, avoiding the merest brush of contact, and pushed the door to the shop open so hard it almost came off its hinges. The second she was outside, she opened the bag and broke off half of one of the doughnuts, still warm from the oven. She stuffed it into her mouth as she crossed the street against the signal.

Maybe if she kept walking, he'd take the hint. Maybe if she kept walking, her skin would cool down and her brain would start functioning again and realize that Jake Montone was so not her type. Not only that, but even if he
was
her type, this was no time to be thinking about guys on any level—unless they were guys who could help her find her dad.

“Hey!” Jake called out behind her.

Just let him get hit by a bus
, Gaia thought.

“Hey! Don't I even get a thank-you?” He was closer now, coming up on her heels.

Gaia chewed and swallowed and turned to face him. “I don't remember asking you to buy me breakfast,” she said.
See! You're looking right at him and feeling nothing. It was just a blip.

He eyed that little white bag in her hand. “Using the term
breakfast
rather loosely.”

Gaia rolled her eyes and was on the move again. What was he going to do now, lecture her about the four basic food groups?

“Waitwaitwait,” Jake said, grabbing her arm. Gaia's heart thumped and she sighed. “I actually wanted to ask you something.”

Oh God, he's not going to ask me out on a date, is he? I look like a hellion. Does he not have eyes?

Gaia had, in fact, showered for the first time in a number of days that morning, but she'd only had time to wrap her hair up in a folded-over ponytail, with
straggly wisps sticking out in all directions.
Her cargo pants were covered with stains and her white ribbed sweater had such deep creases in it, she wasn't sure if they were ever coming out. Add that to the fact that she was, as always, makeupless and jewelryless and that her denim jacket smelled like street urchin, and she was sure she didn't paint a pretty picture.

“I . . . uh . . . I wanted to ask you if . . . you would consider . . .”

Okay, whatever it is, spit it out
, Gaia thought.

“If you would consider joining the karate team,” Jake finished.

Gaia's heart squeezed, and she felt her face fall.
What?
But no. She was not disappointed. She was relieved, right? Thank
God!

“You already asked me that and I already said no,” Gaia replied. She clumsily opened the little flap on the plastic coffee cup top, spilling droplets on her hands, then took a sip.

“I know, but one of the guys got sick and I really need someone to take his place or we'll have to forfeit,” Jake said. He raised his dark eyebrows. “Come on, Gaia. The team needs you.”

There
was a persuasive argument. “I don't think so,” she said. She started off toward school again, double time.

“Come on! How could you not want to do this?” Jake asked,
falling
into step with her. “You love to fight. I could tell that day you—”

“That day I kicked your ass?” Gaia supplied.

“I think there was mutual ass kicking there, but yeah,” Jake said.

“Look, I'm not a joiner,” Gaia said as she climbed the front steps of the school. “It's just not me. And I'm not only being selfish here. Trust me. I am not a reliable teammate.”

Or a reliable friend, or girlfriend or daughter . . .

“Okay, what's it gonna take to convince you?” Jake
asked, holding open the door for her. Gaia paused for a moment. Well, that was unexpected. Jake didn't seem like the door-opening type. She glanced at his unabashedly hopeful face, then slipped inside.

“What if I do your physics homework for a month?” Jake asked.

“Don't care about homework,” Gaia replied, fishing out the second half of her first doughnut.

“What if I . . . get you an excuse note for gym for a month?” Jake offered.

“Like gym,” Gaia replied, momentarily wondering how it was he could offer such a thing. She popped a piece of doughnut into her mouth.

“What if I . . .” Jake stopped in the middle of the crowded hallway to think. Gaia kept walking.

“What if I buy you Dunkin' Donuts every morning for a month?” Jake called out, his tone pleading yet confident. She was glad her back was to him so he couldn't see the sudden smile that lit her face. There it was again—that skitter of excitement.

Damn
, Gaia thought.
Jake Montone? I'm having . . .
feelings
about Jake Montone?

He was so the opposite of the guys she liked. So the opposite of Sam and his laid-back, unconscious sexiness. So the opposite of Ed and his self-deprecating humor and kindness. Jake was a guy's guy. He was confident and cocky and strong. In short, he was the kind of guy Gaia liked to take down a few pegs. But still,
there was something different about Jake.
Something that was causing these skitters.
And if she was going to be perfectly honest with herself, those skitters were something she wouldn't mind feeling more often. It wasn't like there were many pleasant emotions to be had these days.

Gaia took a deep breath, her mouth full.

Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it
, a little voice in her head chided.

But there were other reasons to say yes. The guy was offering a free month's worth of chocolaty goodness. Plus she'd get to kick the crap out of all those annoying guys on the team. Plus, skitters or no, Jake was pretty much the only person outside of Oliver who was interested in talking to her.

But she couldn't go to practices and meets right now. She had to focus on finding Tatiana and on finding her father.

“Gaia?” Jake said.

Then it hit her. The factor helped the pros edge out any cons. Jake and Tatiana. They'd been getting kind of buddy-buddy there before Tatiana had gone all
psycho assassin
on her. And he was friends with all the people who Tatiana was
really
close with. People who Tatiana might have confided in or at least slipped up in front of. Jake could be her in.

It was a slim shot, but it was still a shot. And maybe . . . Yes, if she started hanging out with Jake at
karate practices, she could also find out what those skitters were all about.

Gaia turned around and looked at Jake, waiting a few yards away. “Okay,” she said. “You've got a deal.”

Inexplicably Full

JAKE LEANED HIS ELBOWS BACK ON
the bleacher seat behind him, watching while Gaia made fairly short work of Erik Chin, arguably the best fighter on the team, after Jake of course. Jake was going for casual and detached, but in truth, he had to concentrate to keep from leaning forward and, well, salivating. He couldn't keep his eyes off Gaia.

She was unbelievable—so focused, so powerful.
She looked amazing out there.
She looked—he had to admit it—
sexy.
What was
that
about? Up until now Jake had thought there were three requirements for sexy: skin, red lips, and some kind of visible lace. Now all of a sudden he was attracted to a sweaty disheveled girl in huge karate whites who never wore lipstick and was undoubtedly a cotton-undergarments-only type. He really needed to snap out of it.

Gaia sliced her hand across the back of Eric's neck, he fell to his knees, and she elbow-dropped him flat on his face.

“Oh! Ooooh! Augh!” Carlos groaned animatedly next to Jake, wincing and shielding his face from the awful sight. “I can't even look,” he said, his left knee pulled up and away from the gym floor and the mat on which the fight was taking place. “Is he still fighting back?”

“He is,” Jake replied, absently digging his thumbnail under the nail on his forefinger.

“Poor bastard.” Carlos hazarded a glance again. Gaia picked Erik up over her head and tossed him behind her back.

“Is that even legal?” Carlos blurted as the rest of the team squeezed their eyes shut and muttered epithets.

“Not really,” Jake replied, his heart pounding.

“So should we stop them?” Carlos asked.

“I'll tell her later,” Jake said with a smirk. On top of the serious attraction he was battling, he was also having too much fun watching someone else get their nuts handed to them by Gaia Moore. He'd been
the victim of many mockings
after the first-day-of-school whupping he'd taken from the girl. Now at least he was no longer alone.

A couple of seconds later Gaia pinned Erik to the mat and held him there for a few moments longer than necessary. Erik's whole body was limp. It was
clear to Jake that he wasn't even going to try to get up. He looked over at the bleachers, his eyes begging someone to just call the match already.