Dead Girl Dancing

could do this and make my grandmother proud.

But Sadie’s proximity to Warren was a problem. I had to get her out of the way before I contacted the DD Team.

“Sadie!” I called, but I could hardly hear myself over the rush of noise. She didn’t even turn my way.

“I’m going to get her,” I told Eli.

“No!” he shouted, loud enough for me to hear.

“But he might hurt her.”

“Or you,” Eli said. “I’ll go get her.”

“Wait. I know what to do,” I said, although I wasn’t sure he could hear me.

I shook my head and pointed to Sadie. Her braids were swinging like black ropes as she rocked to the rousing beat, slapping into anyone unlucky enough to be within her range. Even Warren kept his distance, swaying his shoulders but keeping his tell-tale gloves close to his side.

Cola had warned me to stay away from Dark Lifers. Grammy wouldn’t be happy if I got too close to Warren, either. Okay, I’d play by the rules.

So I reached into my pocket and pulled out the GEM.

Despite the noise of ocean and music, when I opened the book and said I’d found the Dark Lifer, an excited rush of words streamed across the page.

Great work! DDT is on the way.

I’d hardly read the message before there was a startling flash.

Right in front of me, three people appeared: two men in business suits and a woman in a dignified, navy-blue skirt with a button-down white blouse. Surrounded by bikinis and casual jeans, they looked completely out of place. But only a few people seemed to notice them.

The woman bent close to me but didn’t ask me any questions. She pointed to the GEM and then at me, her look focused with an intensity that made me a little dizzy.

Then the trio advanced on Warren, slim silver whips draped over their arms.

He was just bending his knees to boogie down to the sand when the DD Team surrounded him. Sadie kept dancing, waving her hands as she twirled. But Warren stopped dancing, jumping back like he’d been clawed by a sand crab. When the DD Team closed in on him, panic crossed his face.

But before they could lasso him with their silver ropes and take him back to the other side, Warren let out a scream and pushed past them.

Then he took off, running for his life … his Dark Life.

17

“Warren! Come back!” Sadie cried, staring after him with dismay.

With the danger gone, I rushed over to her side and wrapped my arms around her. “Sadie! I’m so glad he didn’t hurt you.”

“Are you insane?” She pushed me away angrily. “Warren would never hurt me.”

“Thank God he didn’t get the chance!” I stared off down the beach where the running figures grew smaller, smaller … until they were only a smudge on the horizon. There was a glint of silver that could have been one of the ropes, and then nothing.

All four had vanished.

Sadie adjusted a shoulder strap of her bikini and wrapped a towel around her waist, covering the shiny red jewel in her belly piercing. With her hands on her hips, she glared at me. “What the hell is going on? And who are you?” She jabbed a finger at Eli.

“My brother. He just arrived.”

“So ruining my life runs in your family.” Sadie turned from us, staring off down the beach anxiously. “Is Warren going to come back? And who were those suits chasing him?”

“I really don’t know.”

“What do you know?” she demanded.

“Only that Warren was bad news,” I said, raising my voice to be heard over the music. “I’ll tell you what I know, but not here where I can hardly hear my own thoughts.”

She nodded, complaining all the way from the beach to a shady area with benches. “This so sucks. Just when things are working out with Warren, these people show up and ruin everything. Warren was going to take me out tonight to a romantic, private resort.”

“You wouldn’t have liked it,” I told her ominously.

“Says who? You’re just jealous because I got Warren and you’re hanging out with your little brother.” Her words were sharp, but her lower lip quivered as we sat down on the cement bench farthest away from the jogging path. “Why did Warren run?”

Eli raised his brows at me as if to say, What are you going to tell her? I answered with a small head shake: As if I know! I ran all kinds of answers through my mind, but each one sounded more and more ridiculous. While I was racking my brain, Sadie’s eyes welled up like she was going to cry … but not because she was worried about Warren. She was worried all right — for herself. And I had a good idea why.

“Sadie, this might be hard to believe,” I said carefully, placing my hand on her arm. “Those people after Warren were undercover cops.”

“You’re right — I don’t believe it.”

“It’s true,” Eli added.

She turned on him, glaring. “How do you know?”

“They showed us their badges when they questioned us.” Eli sounded so convincing I almost believed him.

“You were questioned and didn’t tell me?” Sadie exclaimed with an accusing look at me.

“Sworn to secrecy,” I said gravely.

“Oh. My. God! This is ridiculous! Why are they after Warren?” She clutched her hands around her bead- fringed designer handbag. “What did he do?”

“Identity theft,” Eli said.

“Shoplifting,” I said at the same time.

“Which one?” Sadie demanded.

“Both,” I replied before Eli could say something completely different.

“So everything he’s told me … is a lie?” Sadie rubbed her reddening eyes. “Is his name even Warren?”

“Doubtful. He’s had lots of names,” I improvised. “Mark, Bradley and Alejandro were some I remember the police mentioning. That’s why I warned you to stay away from him.”

“But stealing isn’t that big of a deal,” Sadie insisted. “Everyone’s done it at least once.”

“Not everyone,” Eli said.

Sadie put her hands on her hips and faced Eli skeptically. “Like you’ve never stolen anything?”

Eli shook his head. “Never.”

“Not even from your parents? Not candy, money or a car?”

“Well … ” His shoulders sagged a little. “I’ve borrowed a car without asking a few times.”

“Borrowing is just another word for stealing. So don’t come off like you’re better than Warren because he’s made some mistakes. It’s not fair how they chased him like some animal. What can they prove, anyway?”

“They’ve had him under surveillance since he used a stolen ATM card yesterday,” I lied.

“Yesterday?” Sadie’s mouth dropped open. “But I’ve been with Warren … do you think they’ve been watching me, too?”

“Sure, but all you’ve done is hang out at the beach and the shops, so there’s nothing to worry about. Right, Sadie?”

“Right,” she said too quickly, gnawing on her pink-frosted thumb nail. She shifted her handbag to her shoulder