Tell Me What You Hate About Me

44: P!ATMS

Talisman, I know you don't normally work this quickly and under such extenuating circumstances, but if you could—

But as Harvey turned around, it was too late for me to finish my conversation with the talisman. Even though no one was in his line of sight, given the whole kidnapping situation, he had to be on high alert. Sneaking and hiding weren't going to help us anymore. We were screwed unless we got out of there.

"Run," I tried to whisper, but it came out as more of a shout. But what did it matter anyway? He was definitely going to notice that something was up.

No one asked questions as we took off for the door, and I didn't even listen to what Harvey shouted at us as we took off. The back door was locked, but Jack flipped the little latch to open the door. There was nothing in the way of our escape except a short run around the house.

A small smile snuck onto my face as the thought of my happily ever after with the talisman came to mind. There had to be some strategic wish I could make that would cut Harvey out of my life for good, and Dr. Reed would be a good person to discuss it with. She was pretty smart.

As we all climbed into my car, Harvey didn't even follow us all the way out and to the car. How stupid was that? I started the car and backed out onto the street without even checking for cars. It was a quiet road, and I had no time to waste.

"That had to be the world's laziest kidnapping. He literally just gave up once we headed out the door." I laughed. "I didn't think people could get any worse than me in that way. What an idiot."

Jack smiled and shook his head. "See? I've been telling you—"

I cut him off before it could turn into a self-improvement motivational talk. "Don't lecture me right now. I saved you, and you can thank me by not telling me all about the ways I can make myself a better person."

Jack didn't reply to that. I was sure he would mention it again later when everything had calmed down, though.

"How'd you know where we were anyway?" Sierra asked.

I hesitated for a moment. There was the text from Harvey, of course, but that only gave away the culprit. I just somehow knew all the rest.

I was right all along about Harvey. Even if I just thought he sucked as a frontman for a band, Jack always told me that I didn't know him well enough to judge him that way. Who was the bad judger now?

Instead of saying that, I just shrugged. "Maybe it's the talisman. Maybe it's Maybelline."

"We still haven't circled back to how that whole kidnapping thing happened, though. I really think we need to discuss it so it doesn't happen again," Dominic said.

I was sure it was an interesting story that Jack and Sierra didn't want to talk about (or one that they didn't even remember—Jack would have been difficult to kidnap while conscious). But both Sierra and Jack were a little more trusting than someone like Dominic or me.

"No circling unless it's back to Tiffany, the homewrecking whore," I said. "I'm about eighty percent sure that's one of the reasons you are the way you are, not to mention the impending doom of your he—"

Dominic crossed his arms as he interrupted me. "And what's your excuse for how you turned—never mind. It actually makes complete sense."

He was probably trying to be rude and defensive, but I didn't take it that way. He must have been the only person on the planet who didn't think I had every reason to be an all-star at everything I ever did, and somehow that made me want to be a little better every day.