The Bone Artists Read Online Free PDF Page B

by magical extra-credit projects wheedled out of exasperated teachers. He volunteered. He worked. His teachers could hardly blame him for missing an assignment now and again. Didn’t make much money so he found a way to get more. Wink and a smile. Sure, they were essentially grave robbers now but it was two grand. Things would work themselves out.
    Maybe Oliver could fix his attitude and whistle a merry tune for five thousand dollars.
    Maybe.
    A hard, quick tapping came at the driver’s side window. Oliver jumped and shrieked, not in a manly fashion, feeling his heart jam into his throat as he turned and saw a silhouette at the window. His pulse calmed a little when he found it was Diane, Sabrina’s older sister, leaning over and peeking in at him.
    “Hey, stranger,” she said as he rolled down the window to talk to her. “You waiting on Micah?”
    “Yeah. Hey, let me get out of this thing. Stuffy in here.”
    Great. Diane. Not someone he was hoping to meet here. He grabbed his phone and ducked out of the car, locking up and following her to the sidewalk outside the dojo. She leaned against the glass, smirking as she watched the mini martial artists inside. Taller and leaner than her sister, Diane also had way more hair. Sabrina tended to keep hers shaved or incredibly short, and she had piercings where Diane kept a neutral, almost preppy look. Diane was pretty, smart . . . Exactly Micah’s type.
    “Haven’t seen you in a while,” Diane said, sipping from a half-empty diet soda.
    “Been busy. Shop gets crazy this time of year. Dad gets me to take just about every shift I can,” he replied. “Aren’t you taking classes up at City Park?”
    “Culinary stuff, uh-huh.” She pulled her attention away from the kids. “Sabrina says you got into the school you wanted. That’s big. Congrats.”
    “Hey, thanks.” He grinned. “You know, it’s nice to hear that. Haven’t gotten to tell my old man yet. He was a wreck when I wasfilling out applications. I only got him to calm down because I said the whole thing was a long shot. Not sure he believed me.”
    “Ugh. I hear that. It’s always the same with that family business bullcrap,” Diane said with a roll of the eyes. “Mom woulda never gotten out of Baton Rouge if Granny hadn’t died. Family business? More like family cult.”
    Oliver nodded, feeling a little less like a tense mess with each chuckle. “Amen.”
    “Just see you don’t go takin’ my sister off to Texas with you. I like her where she is.”
    “No, ma’am, wouldn’t take her anywhere, not unless she wanted to come along.”
    Diane shook her head, reaching over to slug him playfully in the shoulder. “Who would keep me honest if she went off with you?”
    “I thought you and Micah were, you know . . .” Oliver cleared his throat. Lord, but this was not his favorite subject. He didn’t want to police his friend, even if Sabrina was asking him to do it. “Maybe he could look out for you.”
    “Yeah, ’cause we all know that boy’s just full of good choices.” She smirked and reached toward him again, but this time she just put her hand lightly on his arm. “I know Sabrina’s been giving you shit about this whole thing. Don’t you worry. I know who Micah is. I know what I’m getting myself into. It’s just for fun, anyway. He’ll go off to college, too, and then you won’t have to worry about me getting mixed up with his crazy ass.”
    Well, that at least was a relief.
    “Who are you calling crazy, woman?”
    Micah roared toward them from the door, pouncing on themboth, pulling them in close for a hug with each arm.
    “Man, you stink,” Oliver muttered, wrestling out of his friend’s grip.
    “Didn’t have time to shower, all right? Saw you two dawdling outside and thought it might be polite to hurry myself along.” He stuck out his tongue, still holding Diane with one arm. “And what are you doing here? Did I miss a text or somethin’?”
    Micah’s gaze sharpened,