Kiss at Your Own Risk Read Online Free PDF Page B

boy, so I tapped a vein before he left. Just in case.”
    “Excuse me, sir.” A tuxedo-clad maitre d’ lightly brushed Elijah’s arm. “I’m afraid you’ll have to leave.”
    “There!” Her dad pointed across the room, and Trinity whirled around.
    She saw Martin right away. Nearly bald, he was wearing a black suit and a red bow tie. No wedding ring, but he was dining with an attractive woman in a dress that matched his crimson pocket handkerchief.
    Pressure began to build in Trinity’s heart instantly. She closed her eyes and imagined a purifying glow filling her chest cavity.
    “What are you doing?” Reina’s voice was right next to Trinity’s ear.
    “Meditating.” But she couldn’t concentrate. All she could think about was Martin, less than a room away. Of his kiss. Of the way he’d come to her cheerleading tryouts and taken her out for ice cream after she’d crashed into the captain and been banned from ever setting foot on the field again. He’d been so sweet that day.
    Okay. That was not the smartest memory to be having right now.
    She tried to clear her mind. Empty it of anything but a white light. This was her opportunity to prove she could withstand the curse. To show herself she wasn’t the monster she was so afraid she was.
    “Trinity!” Her dad yanked her so hard she had to grab a chair to keep from falling over. “Let’s go. We’ll head out the back entrance.”
    “Yes, sir, that would be a good idea.” The maitre d’ was hovering, and Trinity felt the heat from his presence.
    Uh, oh. She shouldn’t be sensing him when he was still several feet away. Warily, Trinity opened her eyes. The room seemed so bright. The lights were glaring. Hypersensitivity to heat and light meant one thing: the curse was coming to the party.
    Her body was tingling like there were thousands of beetles racing across her skin. She clenched her jaw. “I can do it—”
    “Trin!” Reina was in front of her now, her face pinched with concern. “You have seven days! Don’t blow it now!”
    “Losing the curse means nothing if I can’t prove I’m stronger than it.” Trinity twisted out of her father’s grasp and faced Martin. She allowed the fullness of his being to flow over her. Embraced her feelings of affection for him. Let his worth settle deep in her heart. “He’s a good man. He deserves to live. He’s a good man—”
    A rainbow prism appeared over his heart. It was sparkling as if the sun was shining on it.
    “Oh, man.” That was a really bad sign.
    She stepped back, unable to rip her gaze away from the glittery diamond that was her guide. Her unerring map on how to kill him.
    As she watched, a holographic image formed in front of Martin. The semi-transparent glittering prism took human form but it was amorphous, with neither a gender nor an identity. The 3-D figure slammed its palm onto Martin’s heart. A holographic Martin clutched his chest and fell to the ground. Dead.
    Again and again it killed him, repeating the move like an endless loop of murder.
    It was showing her exactly how to kill him. Martin had a weak heart. If she hit his chest with enough force, it would stop his heart. Instant death.
    Her muscles began to contract, little convulsions as they flexed, preparing themselves for the assault. Thirty more seconds and it would be over for her. The black widow would be in residence.
    She’d failed to contain it.
    Tears filled her eyes and she lunged for her purse. She tore it open and yanked out her new present that she’d bought for herself yesterday. Her heart sank when she saw the black gun sitting beside her wallet. How had she fallen this low? But she had. There was no way to deny it.
    The curse was building fast and strong, faster than she’d ever felt before. Another few seconds and she’d be gone. She gritted her teeth and pulled her last resort out of her handbag.
    “A stun gun? Are you kidding?” Reina gaped at the small black weapon.
    Trinity’s body was shaking