by Lucy Smoke
As a group, we walked up the front steps. A skinny, pale guy with flame red, slicked back hair, stopped us at the door. "Whoa, whoa!" he said, laughing and stumbling a bit. "Who the hell are y'all?" His eyes landed on me and widened. His grin widened too, and he put one hand high on the doorway leaning down despite the three pairs of obviously irritated eyes watching him. "Pardon the manners, darlin'," he said, eyeing me the rest of the way up and down. "What I meant to say was who are you and how can I possibly get on your good side?"
A blush rose up my cheeks. Fuck insecurities, I reminded myself. I forced a smile. "Hey," I said, "we're just here for the party."
The guy's eyes flicked up to the three men at my back. I knew without even looking that none of them had eased their expressions. I forced myself not to roll my eyes. The guy in front of me frowned at them and then shook his head. "Sorry, darlin', frat members only." He lowered his gaze once more to the impressive length of leg I had on display. "And pretty girls."
He leaned harder into the doorframe. I couldn't tell if it was because he was too drunk to keep himself steady or if it was because he thought it looked cool. To be honest, I didn't care. The dress Marv had picked out made me feel hot, but there was cool air in places I was pretty sure there shouldn't be since those specific places needed to be covered. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that those places were covered because if they weren't Knix, Marv, or Grayson would have said or done something. That still didn't alleviate the paranoia that I was about to flash or moon someone at any second with nothing more than an innocent misstep.
“So…” I blinked up at him, “does that mean I can come in?” I asked.
“Yeah, but your buddies have to stay,” he said.
“What the fuck?” Grayson’s tone cut through the distant sounds of the outside fight behind us.
“Sorry, bro,” the guy shrugged—not seeming sorry at all. “Those are the rules.”
“No fucking way,” Grayson growled.
“I’m in the fraternity,” Marv said. My head whipped around as the red-haired guy straightened and narrowed his eyes.
“Nice try, but I don’t recognize you. And I should know,” he said leaning back down into my personal space, “I’m the treasurer.”
Is that supposed to impress me? I wondered. Judging from his tone, it was. I batted my eyelashes and the giggle that escaped my mouth—though it thankfully sounded genuine—was nauseating. I could feel the guys’ stares on my back, but we needed an in to this party. I could feel the slender outline of my phone tucked into my bra cup. All I needed to do was get past this guy, get in, and then I could call Texas and have him talk me through who I was trying to find.
“I’m a pledge,” Marv said, sounding far more confident. “Of course you haven’t seen me.”
The guy had returned to eyeballing my legs, but at Marv’s words he sighed and dragged his gaze back up. “Pledges were supposed to be here for the setup hours ago. Where’ve you been then, pledge?”
I twisted my head to see Marv’s reaction to the obvious mock. Marv didn’t even bat an eye as he dropped his shoulders and turned his eyes downward. “I left early because I had to go back for my inhaler, man. I was told to come back as soon as possible. I’m gonna get in trouble if I don’t meet up with the rest of the guys.”
I stared at Marv in shock. Somehow, he had managed to go from incredibly sexy casual college boy, to demeaned, un-intimidating fraternity pledge underling in the span of ten minutes. The way he now held himself was discrete, but to someone like me—someone who knew why we were here and who he really was—I was impressed with his acting ability.
“Jesus, fine,” the guy in front of me snapped. “Go, get back there with the rest of them and bring me another fucking beer.” Marv dashed off before he could protest, but as the redhead’s gaze came back to me, over his shoulder, I watched as Marv winked my way and then made a left, sprinting up a flight of stairs before anyone else noticed.
“You two, though, are out.” He reached to the side and effectively snapped the screen door shut. Grayson and Knix had no other choice but to back up or be hit. And though, I didn’t think the flimsy screen door would hold up against one of them, much less two, we were already drawing too much attention from the inside crowd.
Already I felt eyes on my face, as the redhead slung his arm over my shoulders and gestured towards the house. “Shall we, darlin’?”
I faked another giggle. “I’m Harley,” I said, sliding back into the alias I knew and used so well in the past.
“Kevin,” the guy said with a leer. “It’s real nice to meet you, Harley.”
I just bet it was.
Thirty minutes—give or take. That’s how long it took for me to get away from Kevin the Creep. From the moment Knix and Grayson had been shoved outside—ungraciously refused entry—and Marv had disappeared somewhere in the Frat house, I had been fending off Kevin’s unwanted attention.
Oh sure, for the first ten minutes, I had certainly acted interested in his position as the Fraternity Treasurer—a position given only to those who could be trusted—insert eye roll—and how he had single-handedly won the organization’s annual battle of the brains. Debate teams. These guys were on debate teams. Not that debate teams weren’t cool, but with the way this guy went on, one would think that he could turn out to be a professional debater and make millions. Then again, maybe he could, he would just have to wait a while since the government seemed to prefer their members middle aged or older.
The moment he had let one of his hands wander down from my shoulders, to my waist, I had wanted out of the conversation. Unfortunately, Marv was nowhere nearby and everyone else in the party was too absorbed in whatever they were doing—like doing a handstand while chugging from a keg or making out against the wall of the hallway. When I tried to squirm out of Kevin’s grip while still maintaining a smile, I noticed Marv crossing through the room behind Kevin, heading towards the back of the house. My brow furrowed as I watched him slide through the sliding glass doors and into the backyard.
Noticing my distraction, Kevin began to turn his head towards where I was looking. “No!” I gasped, grabbing his face in my hand. I stood there for a split second as he stared at me in shock.
“No?” His eyes narrowed. “What—”
And I got the best idea ever. The most brilliant plan known to woman. When you can’t get away, don’t even try.
“You’re not looking at another girl, are you?” I asked sharply. “Because I’m here. I’m with you. You can’t look at someone else. That’s like cheating.”
Kevin visibly paled and I did a mental fist pump. “Cheating?” he croaked, trying to take a step back. But I crowded closer, loving the feeling of my own new-found power.
“Baby? What’s wrong? Don’t worry, I know you’d never cheat on me. I just…I don’t want you looking at other women, okay?”
He put both hands up as if to ward me off. “Whoa, hold up there, dar—Harley. We’re not dating.”
“What?” I blinked, pushing confusion into my tone. “What do you mean?”
“Listen, you’re pretty and all, but I’m ahh…I’m not looking for—”
“Oh, don’t worry, I know you weren’t looking.” I smiled at him and moved closer, wrapping my arms around him in a hug—using the opportunity to steal another glance over his shoulder. Marv slipped in through the sliding glass doors and darted somewhere else.
Kevin pushed me back. “N-no,” he said shakily. “What I’m saying is that—”
“You want to take things slower?” I asked, raising my hand and pushing a finger against my lower lip. “Do you want to like hold hands and stuff first? I can do that.”
He shakes his head. “No. No way. I don’t—”
His denial was cut off as someone from farther in the house called out his name. Kevin exhaled and started backing away. “Listen, why don’t you, uh, find a friend to hang with. I’ve got stuff to do and um…people to see—have fun with the party.”
Kevin turned his back and began striding away, muttering under his breath. This time I knew what I was hearing. I distinctly heard him say, “Crazy bitch,” and honestly, that was one of the best compliments I had ever been given by a strange, horny frat boy even if it was the only one.
As soon as Kevin was out of sight, I turned and found myself the subject of several interested parties. I felt eyes on me and it made my skin flush red hot. Ducking my head and feigning disappointment, I rushed from the room and found myself scrambling towards an open bathroom doorway. I closed the door behind me and flipped the lock before sliding my phone out of my bra.
Immediately, I was thankful that I had put the ringer on silent because there were already several calls and text messages from the guys. I ignored the messages and redialed Knix before putting the phone to my ear and pressing towards the back wall, as far from the door as possible. Even sequestered away, the music was incredibly loud.
"Harlow," Knix's voice was tight and gruff. "What's happening?"
"I'm fine," I said. "I got away from the guy at the front door. Marv made it out towards the backyard, but I don't know where he is now." I relayed the information as quickly as possible, hoping it would not only help him to calm down—because I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was not at all happy with how this party had fallen apart almost immediately—but so that he could tell me what to do next as well. I was here, practically on my own, and I was floundering.
"Where are you now?" he demanded.
"First floor bathroom," I said, taking a glance around.
I grimaced at the dark slime around the bottom edges of the toilet where the base met the floor, but there wasn't anywhere else to step. It was one of those half-bathrooms with only a toilet and a sink. I turned and noted that the window above the toilet looked out across the side yard. The house next door had light blue siding and all of the lights were turned off. Briefly, I wondered if anyone lived there, and if so, did they care about the obviously loud party going on at their neighbor's house. Living next to a frat house must have been hell—I was sure there was a movie out there about it or something.
"Okay, I'm going to hand you over to Texas," Knix said. "He has a layout of the house and he'll let you know how to get out."
"Out?" I pulled the phone away from my ear and checked the screen. Nope. I was definitely talking to Knix. I put the phone back to my ear. "What the hell do you mean by 'out'?" I asked sharply. I had not just been manhandled by a frat boy just to sneak out of here with no more information than we walked in with. "What about the informant?"
"Let Marv handle it," Knix said. "If he can't find the informant then we'll regroup."
Fury lit up my insides. "No," I snapped. My hands shook, a fine tremble that echoed up my palms and into my arms. "No more regrouping. I'm not useless, Knix. Tell me what I can do. Send me a picture of the informant if you have to. If I'm in Iris, then I'm in. I'm a part of this team, right?" I didn't even give him a second to think about contradicting me. I kept speaking even as my heart thundered in my ears. "Stop thinking about me as a girl you like for two seconds and start thinking about me as someone who can pull their own weight. Whether you realize it or not, I can be both. If you don't want to use me then there's no use in me even being here. Why would you bring me if you weren't going to use me?" I was panting by the time I finished my rant. When I realized what I had just said, I paused and held my breath for a long moment. But I wasn't wrong. Maybe I hadn't realized it until that moment, but that was exactly what they had been treating me like.
I got it. They liked me. Hell, I fucking liked them too. I loved them. And yeah, that made my chest clench and my throat close up, but that didn't give them the right to treat me like I was a child. They kept using kid gloves until I pushed them to stop and it needed to come to an end. Right now.
Knix blew out a breath and I heard the phone move away as he spoke in low tones to the others. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but when he was back, my heart jumped from my ribcage up into my esophagus, waiting for what the results of my blow up would bring. If he ordered me to come back anyway, I didn't know what I would do. If they couldn't trust me with this, how could I continue to work with them? How could I even consider a relationship with any of them?
I held my breath.
"Little Bit..." His words slid through my ears and I squeezed my eyes closed. "Harlow." I swallowed against the emotion blocking my airways.
"Yeah?"
"Okay," he said. "You stay. I just had Bell text you an image of who you'll be looking for. We don't have a clear picture of the guy, it's from CCTV cameras, but hopefully, it'll give you a clear enough idea." He didn't sound happy, but he also didn't sound angry. Knix's voice was clearly resigned, but that was better than an absolute denial. Anything else, we could talk about and work through. I just needed a chance. As much as I cared about the guys, no matter who I was or what I had been through, I deserved that much at least.
"What do I do when I find him?" I asked.
"I'm going to hand you off to Grayson. He received information from Josh about this guy; he'll tell you how to approach."
"Okay." Even though he couldn't see me, I found myself instinctively nodding.
"And Harlow?"
"Yeah?" I bit my lip.
He cleared his throat. "Be careful. If you get in trouble, press my speed dial as fast as you fucking can. I don't give a shit about anything but your safety. Do you understand me?"
I inhaled sharply, my hand gripping the phone so hard, I was scared I would shatter it in my palm. "I'll be safe," I choked out. "I promise."
The sound of his breath in my ear was impossibly loud and then it was gone as the phone supposedly passed hands. My chest caved in, air rushing out of my mouth in a torrent as Grayson spoke next.
"Harlow?"
It took me a moment, but I managed to gulp down some more air before answering. "I'm here."
"Okay, so I assume with Marv there, he'll be keeping an eye on you. But just in case, I want you to approach this guy gently—okay?"
"No problem." Once again, I nodded even though he couldn't see me. Nervous habit? Perhaps.
"He's not a violent guy, so you really don't have anything to worry about. The biggest worry is the guy running. From what Josh said, he's a bit jumpy."
I snorted. "Maybe that comes from working for drug dealers and then betraying them to the authorities."
Grayson chuckled. "You could be right."
My eyes rolled. "You know I'm right."
"Yeah, yeah, smartass. Come on. Get your head in the game."
"I'm there," I said. "My head's in the game. Just tell me what to do and it's done."
"Alright, so here's the plan." I listened intently as Grayson told me everything that his brother had relayed to them about this informant. Across the bathroom, my eyes focused on the slow drip from the loose faucet as water dribbled into the sink bowl. I could do this. I handled Ms. Enders' camp and Margarie just fine. This would be a piece of cake. The only difference here was that someone I cared about was on the line and I couldn't let anything happen to her.
I focused on those dripping water droplets once more. "Got it," I said when Grayson was done.
"I believe in you, Babydoll," he said.
I smiled and just before hanging up, I replied, "Good."
Chapter 16
The image of Mark Kaval on my phone screen was secured back in my bra as I ran the water in the sink and then shook out my hands even though I really didn't need to clean them. Once I stepped out into the hallway and back into the fray it was as if earlier, with Kevin the Creeper, had never happened. Or perhaps everyone had gotten even more intoxicated while I was in the bathroom.
Whatever the case, I snagged a red solo cup filled halfway with beer and then teetered through the crowded rooms, plastering a loose smile on my face as though I, too, were just as drunk. Hands grazed my arms, touched the dark brown locks that fell around my shoulders and a few bolder ones even m
anaged an ass grab or two. I grimaced when that happened, flicking glances back, but every time the perpetrators were always already gone by the time I looked.
I plunged further and further into the crowds of drunken frat boys and girls dressed similarly in tight cocktail numbers that showed more skin than they hid. Marv had been right, despite my discomfort with the dress and the heavier makeup I had donned, I did fit right in.
As I made my way into the kitchen, my eyes scanned the open space for Mark's face. There were several guys in pastel colored polo shirts and khaki pants. More than one had a thin, light-haired girl plastered to their side. Was I the only brunette? I wondered. It sure seemed that way. In fact, it felt like everyone at this entire party kind of looked alike. All of the guys dressed the same and all of the girls appeared to be stick thin with bleached hair. Was it just my imagination? I shook my head. It didn't matter. I wasn't here to critique their lack of originality. I was here to find Mark, and as I passed by the back door, I found him.
Stepping outside, the warm air assaulted me. I hadn't realized how cold the air conditioning inside had been running until stepping outside felt like falling into a humid swamp. The fraternity's backyard lawn was immaculate despite the wavering guys attempting to toss tiny bean bags through holes carved into tilted boards. There was more than one couple in the midst of heavy make out sessions on both lawn furniture and the actual ground. Averting my eyes, I made my way through the small cliques of people standing around holding red solo cups like my own.
Just as I reached the guy with a light green polo shirt that had a horse logo on the breast and navy-blue pants, my ankle gave out and I went flying to the ground. My red solo cup flew out of my hands, splashing whatever the contents had been—a yellowish liquid—down his back. He jumped and whirled around.
"Ohmygosh!" I cried, quickly regaining my feet. "I'm so sorry!" I blinked big, innocent eyes up at him and grimaced as I touched his soaked sleeve. "That's so my fault," I said.
