Page 98 of White Hot Kiss
I tried to smother my giggles with my hand, but failed.
Stacey’s jaw hit the floor.
Roth’s brows rose. “Sex on the brain, bud?”
Sam mumbled something and cleared his throat. “Anyway, did you know bananas are radioactive?”
“Wow.” Stacey shook her head, but she was grinning. “You are just full of random stuff.”
“Yeah, the banana thing is really...” I jerked up straight, spine rigid. Roth sent me a weird look, but I ignored it. Sam really was a fountain of random knowledge. How had I not thought of this before? Excitement shot through me like an arrow. “Hey, I heard this riddle on the radio the other morning and it’s been bothering me ever since.”
Interest gleamed in Sam’s eyes. “Hit me.”
“Okay. I think it’s referencing somewhere in the city, a place where a monolith is cast back.” I was practically bouncing in my seat once Roth caught on. “Any idea what it could be?”
Sam stared at me for a moment, and then he laughed, smacking his hands off the white table. “Are you serious?”
I didn’t get what was so funny. “Yeah, I’m serious.”
Roth picked up a plastic fork. “I’m assuming you know where this place is?”
“Of course! How can you not know? It’s so obvious. Only a...” Sam trailed off when it looked like Roth was going to turn the fork into a projectile. “All right, maybe it’s not that obvious.”
“Sam,” I said, growing impatient.
He pushed his glasses up his nose. “Look, the riddle is worded obliquely to throw you off track. So clearly the key lies in deciphering more common meanings for some of its clues. For example, what’s another word for a monolith? A monument. And a synonym for cast back? Reflected. So what you’re really being asked is to find a place where a monument is reflected. And we all know where that is.”
“Dude.” Stacey eyed him peevishly. “Not all of us.”
Sam sighed. “Do I have to spell everything out? It’s the Washington Monument. And its reflection is in the...reflecting pool. See? Kind of obvious, right?”
Roth muttered, “Obviously not.”
I wanted to hug Sam. “You’re awesome! Thank you so much.”
“I am awesome.” Sam grinned. “I know.”
Glancing at Roth, I grabbed my tray. “Hey, guys, see you in English?”
“Sure,” Stacey murmured, still staring at Sam.
I’d bet twenty dollars she was back to thinking about burning two hundred calories. Roth and I dumped our food and sneaked off to our stairwell by the old gymnasium. Flecks of paint peeled around the rusted handrails.
“I’m so hoping you’re wanting to test out that two-hundred-calorie thing.”
I shot him a bland look. “No, Roth. Good try.”
“Ah, a demon can hope, can’t he?”
“We know where the Lesser Key is now.” I tucked my hair back. “God, I can’t believe we didn’t figure that out. Hello! This is good news.”
“I know.” He caught the piece of hair I was messing with and wrapped it around his finger. “But I’m really stuck on the two-hundred-calorie idea.”
I slapped his hand away. “Roth!”
“Fine. Fine.” Roth caught the wild strand of hair again. “Who knew all that useless information Sam has up in his head would actually be...useful.”
“I know.” I laughed. “Now we just need a full moon.”