Page 88 of From the Start

“What do you know about the prank war?”

I turn to face him. “I know you’re losing.”

He bristles. “I am not losing.” I raise an eyebrow. “I’m not winning but I’m not at the bottom, losing either. Jaxon is always at the bottom.”

“Your brothers told me all about the prank war at the barbecue last week.”

He sighs. “I knew they were up to something when they kidnapped you.”

“They didn’t kidnap me.”

“They carried you away from me.”

I tap his nose. “No pouting or I won’t let you come with me to steal Rogue.”

His eyes light up. “What’s your plan?”

I hold up a bag of marshmallows. “Rogue loves these. We’ll lure him to us with marshmallows and then we’ll escape with him. Easy peasy.”

Kai laughs. “Let’s do this.”

We exit the car and he captures my hand. “Do you know where Rogue is or are we going to walk around town offering marshmallows to everyone?”

“Of course, I know where Rogue is. I own the most popular bar on Smuggler’s Hideaway. I know everything happening on this island.”

He freezes. “You do?”

I bite my tongue to stop my smirk. “Why? Is there something about you, you don’t want me to know?”

He groans. “You know, don’t you?”

“Know about the time you went running through a field of sheep without any clothes on?”

“I had shoes on.”

“Or about the time you got kicked out ofBootleggerfor starting a game of The Floor is Lava?”

“No one got hurt. I don’t care what Alaia says.”

“Didn’t you end up with eight stitches and a concussion?”

“It was only six stitches,” he mutters.

I giggle. “Oh, in that case.”

Kai dives after me and tickles my ribs. “Are you laughing at me, Slugger?”

I try to bat his hands away. “Stop! Stop!”

“What will you give me if I stop?”

I hold up the bag of marshmallows. “You can have a pink one.”

He reaches for the bag but I hide it behind my back. “After we capture Rogue.”

He motions me forward. “Let’s go.”

We begin walking again and Kai captures my hand. He squeezes it and smiles at me. My heart thumps in my chest. I want to see his smile every day for the rest of my life.