Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel Read Free Book Online

Pop-Tart, since you like them so much.”
    “I don’t think I like—”
    “Or Pop-Fart. Your choice.”
    “Please don’t make fun of me. It—it hurts my feelings.”
    “So I’ll call you Executioner. That better?”
    “Yes. Much better.”
    Apocalypse shrugged, fingers flying over the laptop keys. After several screens of bland, boring websites, an encrypted file was found and loaded. It popped open and caused Executioner’s breath to catch. “Is that … is that a diagram of a
bomb
?”
    “A thing of beauty, yes?”
    “You’re going to build a
bomb
?” Executioner asked, voice trembling.
    “
We’re
going to build a bomb,” Apocalypse said. “Together.”
    “But, I don’t know how to build—”
    “I have instructions.”
    “But a bomb …”
    “Not a huge one. Just something to make noise, mess up the atrium. You said you wanted people talking about us.”
    “But how will they know it’s us? I don’t want anyone to know—”
    “Man, you’re dense. No one will know it’s us but us. It’ll be talked about forever. Isn’t that what we want? Fireworks are nothing. But a bomb—no one will ever forget that.”
    “What if someone gets hurt?”
    “So what? You’re such an idiot. We don’t care about those people.”
    Executioner was flabbergasted, but the idea wasn’t a total turnoff either, not after one of the jocks had “accidentally” doused Executioner with chocolate milk earlier in the week.
    “But the stuff to build it …?”
    “I have a list. We’ll buy it a little at a time. Use cash. We can work in my garage, behind that pile of junk in the corner. No one will ever know.”
    Executioner stared hard into Apocalypse’s cold blue eyes. “You’re—you’re serious, aren’t you?”
    “Serious as a heart attack. I will do this.
We
will, ’cause now you’re in.”
    Morgan was steaming mad. The school halls were empty, the bus carrying the football team to the away game and the caravan of students’ cars following the bus were gone, and here she was stuck putting up posters for next week’s homecoming bash by herself. Where were the rest of her council and helpers? They had said they’d stay behind and help, but instead everyone had made a dash to leave as soon as the bell buzzed. Everyone, of course, except Morgan. Now she’d have to drive to the game alone,
after
she hung all the posters.
    She told herself to be grateful that they still had a football season to play after the fireworks stunt over six weeks before. The season had teetered on disaster for twelve days, but Coach, the players and their parents had rallied to save the season for the sake of the boys being scouted by college coaches. Mr. Simmons had also gone to bat for Edison, pleading before the school board that one bad apple shouldn’t ruin it for everyone.
    Morgan kept telling herself “Be grateful” as she hurried to staple posters on school-authorized corkboardswhen she heard a noise. Someone came up from behind, placed hands firmly on either side of her shoulders, trapping her in between. She yelped in surprise, spun and, with her back pressed against the wall, found herself staring into Roth’s electric-blue eyes.
    Her heart hammered and a ribbon of fear skidded down her spine. “What do you want?”
    “I hear you’re gunning for me,” he said.
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She looked right and left, but the halls held no one else and were silent as a tomb.
    “You’re asking questions. Spreading rumors.”
    “What if I am? Asking questions, I mean. What rumors am I spreading?”
    “You’re saying I did the fireworks stunt. Why are you telling people that?”
    “It’s what I heard. I want it confirmed.”
    “Why didn’t you come to me and ask?”
    Her heart slowed and her fear morphed into anger. “Like you would have told me the truth.”
    “You’ll never know now, will you?” He was leaning in toward her. His peppermint-candy breath felt warm on her cheeks.