“When Hale's hand disappeared inside his tuxedo jacket, Macey wasn't exactly sure what he'd find inside the pocket. It could have been another phone or a breath mint. Really, nothing would have surprised her. Well nothing except..."Is that an earbud?" she whispered. He smiled. "Are you on comms?" "Shhh," he told her softly.”

“How nice for you. Now I want you to promise me that if I move, you won't do something stupid." Macey was just starting to protest when Hale stopped and brought his hand to his ear. "Besides, there's someone who wants to talk to you." He held out the extra earbud, whispering softly in the too quiet room. "It goes in your ear and---"But before he could finish, Macey rolled her eyes and placed the bud in her ear. "This is peacock," she whispered.She watched Hale's eyes go wide as she heard a very familiar voice say, "You're not getting extra credit for this. Now"---Macey's teacher took a long, easy breath---"whats going on in there?”

“She watched him stop to pat the mayor on the back. He stumbled a little in the crowd, and his left hand disappeared ever so briefly inside the mayor’s tuxedo pocket. It was over in a flash, a blink, a second. And Macey was quite certain she was the only person in the entire room to have seen it, but that was just as well. At least, Macey had seen enough. And at last, the boy made sense."— Double Crossed by Ally Carter”

“What is it?" When Kat's voice finally came into Hale's ear, it was cold and steady and even. All tease was gone. If she was angry at him for standing her up, she didn't show it. she just said, "Tell me what's going on.""Party crashers," Hale whispered. He watched Macey watching him. "Five, and they brought toys.""Guns?" Kat guessed."Big ones," Hale said. "You know this is what you get for doing a favor for your mother.""I know," Hale admitted."What are they after?" Kat asked."Hard to say," Hale said; again, he eyed the room."Who is that?" Macey asked."The reason I wasn't flirting with you,"Hale told her.”

“Could she kiss him? Would he allow her that? Was that something he could pretend was nothing? What about making love? Could she just open up her legs and pull him inside her and have him all she wanted and later give her assent that it was nothing?”

“He had seen her just hours ago, goddamn it, and he couldn't wait to fight with her again, to talk with and hear what ridiculous thing she said next, to cuddle and laugh with her, to pin her down and drive into her again until there was nothing left inside of him, nothing left inside of her except his name.”