by Cari Quinn
“It’s not your fault.” I covered one of his hands with mine. “Right from the start, she felt off to me. I couldn’t understand why. I figured it was the emotional, exhausting day, but it wasn’t. She didn’t know anything I was talking about. Obviously, she’d done some research about our connection but not enough to get the backstory down. Maybe she didn’t think she had to. She probably found out I was a former cheerleader and current rocker and assumed I had the brain power of a block of Swiss.”
“Her mistake,” he said lightly, winding one of my damp curls around his finger. “And that whole cheerleader thing has to happen now, since you dug the uniform out and brought it here. You can’t keep taunting me.”
“I have pictures. Well, my parents do. Someday I’ll get brave enough to actually try it on. Hopefully, my Cheetos habit hasn’t made wearing it out of my reach.”
“You’re perfect as you are.” He pressed a light kiss to my forehead. “Every inch and ounce.”
“You’re good for my ego.” I stroked my fingers through the ends of his hair. “She thought I stayed home every night junior year.”
“Did you?”
“No. I liked dating. It was fun. And back then, nothing was too serious, so we just partied and had a good time. Partying for me, mind you, was one drink. I didn’t get drunk until I was like twenty. Too much of a goody two-shoes. Pretty sure that’s how Ricki saw me.”
“Being mindful doesn’t make you a goody two-shoes.”
“Good, because I didn’t deny that I was. I never wanted to go too far. Not with substances or sex or anything else.” I frowned. “Do you think I’m making too much of this? That maybe she’s exactly who she says she is, and her memory’s just spotty? And maybe she wasn’t the one to roofie the drink, or whatever the hell was done to it?”
“She forgot a lot. You gave her ample chances. Better question, why did she say not to bring me if she’s so innocent?”
“Because men are mouthy?” I laughed for his sake when he poked my side. “Yeah, all right. All my instincts are saying she’s off, so I need to face it. Even if I don’t understand why I’m a target.”
“Newest member of the band, maybe. Could think you’d be an easy one to get to.”
“You poison anyone’s drink, you can get to them pretty well.”
Again, I thought of Pat. Could he be this diabolical? What would be the point? Just to get revenge?
Then again, we didn’t know the point to any of this. I wanted so badly to make it logical, and the missing pieces were making me crazy.
“There’s another thing we haven’t considered enough.”
“Don’t we already have plenty?”
He kept speaking as if I hadn’t said anything. “If she’s not Priscilla then the real one is out there.” His brows drew together. “Assuming she’s still alive.”
Sixteen
I reeled back to stare at him. “You’re saying she could be dead? That this chick what, stole her identity?”
He shrugged. “It’s a theory. One we should pursue.”
“How? Set Lila and Donovan’s dogs on her to try to find her?”
“If it comes to that. We can do a preliminary search on our own. I’ll go get my laptop.” He grabbed his still half-full wine glass and pushed it into my hands. “You like it more than I do.”
“This is your version of a wine sippy cup,” I grumbled as I clambered off him and returned to my chair.
“I’ll bring the bottle.” He flashed me a quick smile before he disappeared inside.
I finished off his glass and grabbed my phone off the table. It was past ten, which for us rocker types was like five pm for those with normal jobs.
I pressed the speed dial for Ricki.
She picked up on the second ring. “I was going to call you tonight. How are you? How’s your place? Ugh, I wanted to see you last night, but everything went nuts.”
I smiled. She was my oldest friend, and just hearing her voice settled the jumble of emotions inside me. “I hear that. I’m okay. Water main break, was it? How random.”
“Yeah, especially since our apartment was the only one that got the notice. We hunkered down for like no purpose last night. We found out this morning that the building doesn’t even own that number that texted us, so it must have been freaking spam. I mean, can you imagine?”
With the recent insanity in my own life, I could believe just about anything. But I filed that away under stuff to discuss later with Cooper. Things were flying so fast and furious that I’d need a notepad soon.
“Did you make good use of your time at home?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light.
Ricki snorted. “Girl, we always make good use of our time everywhere. As far as marriage slowing us down, not so much.”
“Good for when that baby practice kicks in.”
“Yeah. Soon. I just went on prenatal vitamins, actually.”
“Pre before the natal?”
“It’s a good idea to make sure all your levels are where they should be. Anything to help it along. Since, you know, no guarantee of how long it could take.”
“Yeah.” I rested my cheek on the fist. “Lila’s still trying, right?”
I couldn’t imagine trying to have another baby with a stalker after me. But there had been so much drama surrounding Ripper Records for so long, Lila and Nick had to try to find some semblance of normal amidst chaos, I supposed.
“Yes. Which is another reason I’m wary. I don’t know if it’ll be quick or take a while, so I’m just trying to pace myself.”
“Or you could end up with twins right away.”
She laughed. “I could handle that, but I’m trying not to scare Mal off the process first thing. Though he mentioned getting something for the nursery at the farm yesterday.”
“Whoa, that’s huge for him.”
“It is. Taking it slow has been the way to go for him. I want him to enjoy being a dad, and I think he will once he gets over his fear of breaking the kid. He’s a great uncle.”
“So, you’re really going through with living on a farm outside the city?”
“Not yet. We’re doing some renovations. And we’ll probably never live here full time, but with it being so close to Happy Acres, we’ll have family nearby for the kids.” She sighed. “As you can tell, I’m doing really great at the not getting my hopes up and taking things slowly.”
It felt good to smile. “I was just telling Cooper how we thought we’d be single cat ladies.”
“Yeah. Neither of us sat home on Saturday nights, but finding a forever someone is a different story than Mr. Right Now.”
“Ain’t that the truth. But music saved our bacon in more than one way.”
And may have brought chaos into our lives as well. But wasn’t that life? Bad with the good. Danger with the amazing sex, that may or may not soon involve chains.
I pressed my thighs together. That was a line of inquiry we’d definitely have to pursue later.
After possible arson and drugging and assorted other mayhem was handled.
“It did. How’s your place? Were you able to go by it yet to see the extent of the damage?”
“Yeah, we went over this afternoon. It’s a fucking mess. Some of my tapestries and other favorite things are destroyed.” I huffed out a breath. “The important thing is my place can be fixed, and there’s insurance. My instruments and some of my other stuff was in storage already, because I was about to do the remodel. Most of the rest is just things and can be replaced.” I picked at the edge of my thumbnail. “Didn’t stop me from melting down from seeing my belongings turned into ashes. Or so smoky that I could never use them or wear them again.”
“Aww, honey, that’s so awful. Losing your things like that is a gut punch, but I’m glad at least some of your most important items were in storage. Do they have any clue what happened yet?”
“Nothing definitive.” And I didn’t elaborate on our theories, because Ricki had enough on her plate right now.
“You know you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you want. I know we hit the road in a few days, but even until then or between gigs—”
“Your husband finds me as annoying as mosquitoes.”
“That’s not true.” She sighed. “Well, really, he finds everyone annoying. Including me for multiple years. He was born grumpy.”
“I heard that,” came from the background, making us both laugh.
“Seriously, my place is yours. You gave me one to stay in when I was in a bad spot, and I’m happy to do the same. Not that we need that excuse to crash together. It’s been far too long since we’ve had an adult slumber party.”
“It has. Did I say I miss you? I do. Just hearing your voice makes me feel better.”
“Same. So, come sleep in my guest room, would you? I insist.”
I smiled. “I’d love to, but I’m staying with Cooper. His pad is like a hotel. Totally swanky.”
Understatement of my life.
“Cooper, huh? I saw an interesting photo today of you two outside the jail.”
“Oh, goody. Now the paps are focused on us too? I mean, it was only a matter of time.”
“You guys looked hot.”
“Hot?” I had to laugh. “Physically, sure. It’s humid as hell.”
“Hot for each other. So, what’s up there?”
“You know we’re close.”
“Uh-huh. Real close, apparently. Also, jail? What the hell happened? They mentioned Zane got into trouble. I wanted to call then, but I figured your phone was probably already blowing up.”
I could see Cooper moving around inside, his long, rangy body rippling with those sexy muscles I couldn’t get enough of. And if I wanted to tell my girlfriend how my life had changed—outside of Priscilla’s style of mayhem, which I’d get to—I’d better do it now.
“Yeah, some shit went down last night.” Hard to believe it was only a day ago. “But um, yeah, I kind of slept with Cooper.”
She screeched. “I knew it. I saw those naked vibes in the photo. You better spill.”
I laughed loud enough for Cooper to glance toward the patio with a grin. “It was totally unexpected.”
“Not by anyone with eyes. The guy is always looking at you like you’re a bowl of whipped cream.”
“No way.”
“Girl, yes way. Trust me. Now details. Let’s go. Don’t leave out a single orgasm.”
I leaned back in my chair, well aware that Cooper was still looking at me through the glass doors—and that I conveniently had on very tiny panties. He was standing at the counter typing away on his laptop and was obviously giving me privacy for my phone call, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t looking.
“Whipped cream,” I said under my breath. “Maybe I am clueless.”
“There’s no maybe. You clearly missed those signals big time. Probably because you were too busy swooning over Noah. Speaking of, ouch. Does Cooper know you had a thing for him?”
“Yeah. We talked about it. I explained it was a chemical reaction.”
“Oh, so being super horny for another dude cooled Cooper’s jets? Why didn’t I think of that?”
“So not the case. More like kinda horny. And believe me, I haven’t been thinking of Noah like that for a while now.”
“Good thing, since you have a new turbo engine to enjoy.”
A giggle rolled out of me. “God, I’ve missed you. I’m so glad you’ll be in New York more often now. Even if you’re going to be round and pregnant and insanely happy, and I’ll be stupidly jealous.”
“Emphasis on round, especially if the twin thing actually happens.” She chuckled. “But I don’t care. I’ll be happy, regardless. I’ve wanted this for so long. And um, I still haven’t heard about those orgasms. What kind of stamina are we talking here?”
“V-8 horsepower?”
“How many times?”
The wine was making me a little fuzzy, and I’d actually lost count. “Multiple times. Even more multiple orgasms.”
“Starting last night?”
I grinned smugly despite her not being able to see me. “Yuh-huh.”
“Damn. You did good.”
“I know.” I sighed wistfully. “My only regret is not hopping on that stallion a year ago.”
“Been there, have the baseball cap. But it happens when it’s meant and not a minute sooner, no matter how we want to rush things along.”
“I know. And look how it turned out for you. Waiting was exactly right.”
“It was.” She paused. “You’re not rushing into anything, are you?”
I let out an uneasy laugh. “No?”
“You sound very sure.”
“It’s just a really intense time.”
“And all your emotions are heightened, and he’s a sexy guy who wants to sweep you away and protect you from all of it. I know how powerful that is.”
“Yeah. But you and Mal were different. You basically couldn’t stand each other. Coop and I… Well, we have this foundation. It has cracks here and there, and of course, there are things we’re just learning about each other, but most of it is rock solid. We spend time together all the time. He makes me laugh. And he accepts me as I am. Plus, he’s into music just as much as me and—”
“Uh-oh.”
“What?”
“You’re on your way already. Those must have been some orgasms.”
“They were pretty damn amazing,” I admitted. “But that’s not it. I trust him with everything. After Pat, I can’t say how important that is to me.”
“You never said his name before.”
I pulled my knees up to my chest on the chair and pulled Cooper’s shirt down over my legs. “It’s getting easier. I need to stop letting him have power over me. Especially if he’s not behind any of this crazy shit going on at Ripper.”
So much for just telling her what she needed to know.
There was a long pause. “All right, you’re going to have to backtrack and explain that to me. And while you’re at it, you can fill me in about why you and Coop and Zane ended up at the jail today. Those tabloids never get the story even half right.”
“It’s even worse than they assumed. They figured Zane just had a rockstar gone wild sort of night. It was so much more than that.”
“Go on.”
I started from Coop’s call from Zane and worked my way backward, trying to ensure I hit all the important details. Somehow it was easier than starting with Priscilla.
“Okay, wait a second. You’re saying some girl we went to school with a lifetime ago sold you a spiked drink? Did she hit on you? You are pretty cute but that’s a lot.”
“First, I was hot. Now demoted to cute. Is this because I’m short?”
Ricki didn’t laugh. “I don’t get this. Any of it. Why would someone who used to be a friend do that? And to you, not one of the guys in the band? Not that that’s kosher either, but we occasionally get some wacked out fans. Unless she played for the other team, but still, I’m at a loss.”
“We are too. But Cooper bought the drink for me. She knew it was mine. She talked to me while I was holding it. Zane drinking it instead was just bad luck. Normally, I suck those down in a minute, but I was sucking on Cooper instead, and he was way more delicious.”
“You’re sure someone else couldn’t have tampered with it while it was on the table before Zane drank it?”
“No. I wasn’t there. But he seemed pretty certain. I don’t know if she was trying to get my defenses down for some reason and it didn’t play out the way she intended or if it was just to show she could get close. That they could.” I swallowed hard. “She called me tonight. And I swear, Ricki, maybe I’m being paranoid, but my gut tells me she isn’t Priscilla Jones at all. She didn’t remember things she should have. Like about her dog she doted on.”
I connected the dots on the rest, and then Ricki exhaled. “I barely reme
mber her. I didn’t hang out with cheerleaders. My crowd was more the stoners.”
“You hung out with me.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t know I was a stoner.”
“I wouldn’t have cared, anyway.”
“Another reason I love you. And another reason I could wring this Priscilla Fake Ass’s neck if she’s really doing half the shit your gut says she is.”
“If I’m wrong—”
“Trust yourself. I do. When are you meeting her? I want to get a look at this chick.”
I filled her in on the meeting time and place.
“Okay, yeah, I can make that work. I can swing by Cooper’s place—hold on.” She covered the phone while she had a conversation with Mal, and then came back on with a dramatic sigh. “Grouchy Mr. Clean is insisting on accompanying me. We’ll meet you guys around the block from there at Angel P’s fifteen minutes before. Along with our bodyguard.” Another sigh.
Cooper looked like he was done stalling inside. He crossed the room in long strides to the glass doors, toting his laptop as if it weighed nothing.
I bit my lip. He probably was not going to like making this a party. I wasn’t sure I did either, but Ricki had good instincts, and I wanted backup on my feelings about this girl.
If we even got a look at her again. She’d ghosted at the last mention of Ricki, so I had a feeling she’d probably do it again, which would suck if it meant we couldn’t get all necessary information from her.
On the other hand, I’d had quite enough shit lately, thanks, and did not mind one bit having an army around me.
“Sounds good. See you tomorrow. I love you,” I said impulsively as Cooper slid open the door.
“Love you back. Let that hunk of hot manflesh soothe what ails you.”
I smiled at his puzzled expression as he set down the laptop on the table. “I plan on it. Tell my favorite grouch I said hi.”
“Will do. Bye.”
I hung up and did not inquire about what Cooper had found. I did not pretend-pout over the lack of more wine. Instead, I rose and went to the small bit of railing beyond the gravity pool to stare out at the city skyline twinkling in the darkness.
When he came up behind me, I leaned into him. “I came here at almost seventeen with my folks, and I thought I could do anything. Be anything.”
