“Whoa, ladies,” Rick said with a grin. “I didn’t know I was here on a date with anyone. But if you’re happy to share me for the rest of the party, I’m all for that.”
Vicky laughed while Aileen frowned.
Lexie sighed out loud. “Unfortunately, I don’t share. So I’m out.” Then she walked off.
She was incredibly bummed. She didn’t have the energy to openly watch two other women compete for Rick’s attention, especially since she’d been worrying a lot about Rick’s distant behaviour in the last few days. Her acting skills weren’t sharp enough, so it would be better if she stayed away from those three as much as she could. Wasn’t that what Rick wanted her to do anyway? Maybe he was right. She shouldn’t have come.
To avoid glancing at Rick all the time, she busied herself with conversing with the artists and checking out all the beautiful pieces they had on exhibit. She was happy to see that they were selling briskly. They were an amazing bunch of talented people.
They distracted her for a while but, unfortunately, only to a certain extent. She was getting more and more depressed that Rick hadn’t even tried to see if she was okay. In fact, he hadn’t spoken to her again at all.
Damn it. It hurt.
*****
Lexie entered the en suite in the master bedroom, feeling funny that she was invading Todd’s private space. But the guest bathroom was occupied, and Todd had assured her it was okay to use this one. She locked the door and became aware of hushed voices coming from outside.
She froze. It sounded like Rick and Aileen. She tiptoed closer to the window to hear better.
“You shouldn’t be so obvious,” Rick was saying.
“I’m sorry,” Aileen answered. “But that Vicky really gets under my skin. She’s so annoying. Shameless, actually, with the way she rubs herself against you in public. I just can’t help my reactions.”
“But you shouldn’t go around giving her deadly looks. People are starting to notice and—”
“I know,” Aileen interrupted, sounding contrite. “I really have to try harder. It’s just so difficult to bottle my emotions with Vicky practically throwing herself at you. But don’t worry. I don’t think Betty’s noticed.”
Rick sighed loudly. “It’s not Betty I’m worried about, Aileen. You have to act like you don’t care about me.”
Aileen chuckled. “What you’re asking is very hard to do, lover boy.”
“Aileen, please. This is no joke.”
“You said it’s not Betty you’re worried about. Who, then?”
“I can’t tell you right now. Please just do as I say.”
“Okay, bossy pants,” Aileen said teasingly.
“Good. Now, we better go back before anyone notices we’ve both disappeared.”
“Well,” Aileen said as they walked away, “I suppose we don’t want anyone thinking we’ve locked ourselves together in a room.”
“Aileen,” Rick said with exasperation.
Lexie heard their footsteps fade away in the distance.
And she was still rooted to the spot, her heart sinking like lead.
Had she just overheard the reason why Rick had been acting so strange lately?
Her breath left her as her brain made several connections.
Rick had been distant. He hadn’t wanted to see her as often as he used to these last two weeks. Even when they did see each other, he’d been preoccupied. He hadn’t wanted her to come here today. He hadn’t made a single attempt to flirt or even joke with her. He’d asked Aileen to temper her reactions towards Vicky’s flirtations, but not because he feared Betty might notice. If it wasn’t Betty who concerned him, then who?
Hot, stinging tears filled Lexie’s eyes, her heart squeezing so tightly she couldn’t breathe. Hadn’t her ex, who’d cheated on her, acted the way Rick had been acting lately?
She could only form one conclusion from the conversation she’d overheard.
She and Rick were over.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Rick let out a requisite chuckle at a joke Shelley delivered to a group of guests relaxing in the open-plan living and dining area of Todd’s house. He wasn’t listening, though. He was just mimicking others’ reaction to his sister’s humour.
Most of the visitors to the exhibit had gone but there were still a handful of people who hadn’t been directly invited by Todd or Betty. Since these strangers were supposedly friends of Todd’s buddies, Rick hoped none of them was the spy that Vince had warned Betty he’d send.
The wheels were already in motion with trying to find out who Vince really was and who he was connected with. Greg Carmichael had arranged a meeting with their private security team and a top-ranking detective in the New South Wales police force. To Rick’s horror, the detective had said that Betty was indeed a victim of an organised crime syndicate that they’d been investigating for a long time. The MO of the group was to keep blackmailing their selected targets by threatening the safety of their loved ones. Unfortunately, there had been a number of cases where relatives of the targets had died from what seemed like accidents. The authorities were having an extremely difficult time getting information that could help them move forward with the cases. Most of the targets, understandably, refused to divulge much for fear of repercussions.
There was one clear pattern that the detectives had uncovered. For those whose loved ones got attacked, it was apparent that the target had informed those loved ones of the blackmail. It would seem that the perps preferred not to hurt people unnecessarily—probably to stay off the radar as much as possible. But once their cover was threatened, they didn’t hesitate to act.
The detective and the Carmichaels’ security team had been in agreement about one thing: it was best for everyone to act “normally” so as not to trigger any suspicion on the part of the malefactors. Apart from Rick and Betty, they’d insisted that everyone else be kept in the dark to minimise the risks. What was more, they’d said it would be better if Rick showed he didn’t care about Lexie or Aileen or any other woman. The criminals would be more likely to leave the girls out of their plans, if that was the case.
Rick was happy to comply with the directives, seeing their necessity. Unfortunately, they had negative consequences.
He couldn’t dare tell Lexie what was going on. The less she knew, the safer she’d be. But it was driving a wedge in their relationship and he had no idea what he could to do to mitigate it.
He was missing her like crazy. He’d hardly seen her in the last couple of weeks for fear that someone might notice the amount of time they spent together. Now here they were, with him sitting in one end of the big room and Lexie in the other. She didn’t have to say it, but he could tell she was mad and hurting.
Damn it. He had to at least have a conversation with her. Avoiding her all day had been killing him.
He stood up and walked over to Lexie, who’d been chatting with Todd’s friend Ramiro for a long while now. He sat near them, close enough to hear their conversation but far enough to not appear rude. Neither Lexie nor Ramiro seemed to have noticed his presence—or they had both chosen to ignore him.
“You should come and visit my studio, Lexie,” Ramiro was saying, smiling engagingly at Lexie. “I’ll give you free lessons—as many as you want.”
Rick’s brows rose. Was this guy flirting with his girlfriend?
“I’ve always been interested in creating something with my hands,” Lexie said with a laugh. “But I don’t know if I have any artistic talent for it.”
“Well, you should find out, shouldn’t you? You’ll never know what hidden talent you might have if you don’t try. Besides, it’s fun, therapeutic, calming, exciting...”
“Sounds like exactly what I need,” Lexie said with a sigh.
“Great! Come then,” Ramiro said insistently.
“But you’re so far away. It takes at least a couple of hours to get here from my place—longer with traffic.”
“Then why don’t you come on a weekend and
stay overnight,” Ramiro asked, his tone dropping.
What?
Rick frowned at Ramiro, wanting to deck the man for his suggestive invitation.
“Hm,” Lexie said. “That’s an option.”
Are you kidding me? No fucking way! Lexie, look at me!
But she didn’t. And neither did Ramiro. It was as if the two hadn’t even noticed that he was sitting next to them.
“Hi, Rick.”
“Hi, Erin,” he murmured, still scowling at the two.
Erin sat close to him and patted his thigh to get his full attention.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Erin asked.
He smiled wryly. “As much as I can.” Which wasn’t much at all.
“Wanna dance?” Erin asked, already standing up and pulling him with her. “Let’s join Shelley and her friends.”
“Uh... I don’t think so, Erin,” he said hesitantly.
“Oh, come on, Rick.”
Cassie joined them. “Hey, I thought I was gonna dance with him,” she said with a grin.
“You don’t have to fight over me, girls,” he said dryly. “Because I don’t really want to dance.”
“Aw, yes, you do,” Cassie said.
Rick reluctantly allowed himself to get pulled by the women to the middle of the room, where Shelley and her friends were already bopping to the music. He positioned himself so he was facing the direction of Lexie and Ramiro. The two were laughing together about something. What the hell could they be talking about now?
Soon, other guests joined in, crowding the makeshift dance floor and forcing him to take his attention off Lexie and Ramiro. The next time he glanced their way, they were gone.
He looked around to see if they’d started dancing, but they weren’t around. Where the hell could they be?
He excused himself and went out the back door. They were nowhere to be seen. He sagged on a chair near the barbecue.
He was being stupid. If that thug Vince had eyes on this party right now, it was better that Lexie was seen flirting with another man.
But one way or another, he needed to talk to her. He could feel them being pulled apart by circumstances he couldn’t control. It was tearing him up inside.
Lexie and Ramiro suddenly appeared from the side of the house, startling him.
“Hey, Rick,” Ramiro said. “What’s out here?”
“Fresh air,” he answered.
Ramiro laughed. “I don’t blame you. All that loud music is making my head ache, especially the songs that your sister and her friends want to play.”
“Oh, shame,” Lexie said. “And I thought we could have a dance.”
“Oh, you wanna?” Ramiro asked. “I don’t mind.”
“You just said the loud music was giving you a headache,” Lexie said with a chuckle.
“Well, we could dance out here,” Ramiro joked, taking Lexie’s hand and twirling her around.
Lexie shook her head, but she was laughing.
Rick took a sharp intake of breath, his heart compressing. Was this what he put Lexie through whenever he pretended to flirt with other women? It hadn’t occurred to him how devastating it was until he was subjected to it, even if Lexie was only acting.
She was only acting, wasn’t she?
But why was she avoiding looking at him?
Get real, Rick. You did the same thing to her all day.
“Shall I get us a drink, Lexie?” Ramiro asked. “Do you want to stay out here?”
“Um, I want to go back in and rejoin the party.”
“Well, I think I’ll stay out here for a while,” Ramiro said. “I really do have a slight headache.”
“Do you want me to get you something?” Lexie offered.
“No, thanks, darling. I’ll grab another beer later.”
“Okay. See you inside,” she said, then walked in.
“I’m gonna go get something,” Rick murmured to Ramiro, getting up to follow Lexie. Hell, Lexie totally ignoring him hurt.
He spotted her walking through the house and out the front door. Throwing some caution to the wind, he went after her. He found her sitting on a patio swing on the front porch.
“Hi,” he said.
Lexie glanced at him in surprise. “Should you be out here alone with me?” she asked coldly.
He sighed. She was really mad. He walked over to the balustrade and leaned against it, facing her.
“Lex, I’m sorry,” he started, trying to decide what he should tell her. To his alarm, her eyes quickly watered.
“Lexie...” he croaked. He couldn’t stand to see her like this. Couldn’t he really go to her and hold her? This was crazy!
“Rick, I need for you to go back inside and leave me alone, please,” she said, clearly wrestling with her emotions.
He looked around, assessing if anyone could hear their conversation. He decided that the loud music would make it impossible for any hidden eavesdropper to make out any of their words.
“There’s a lot of things going on, Lex. But I can’t share them with you right this minute.”
“I get it, Rick,” she said dryly. “You’re back with Aileen and you don’t know how to tell me.”
“What?” he asked, incredulous.
She threw him an angry glare. “I’d rather you’re honest with me than spare my feelings. I can take it.”
He raked his hair, shocked by her claim. “You know why I’ve avoided you today, Lex. What on earth made you think I’m back with Aileen? If anything, I’ve flirted more with Vicky than her.”
Lexie huffed, looking more upset.
Argh! He battled with himself on whether to soothe her or keep her safe.
“I really just want to be left alone, Rick,” Lexie said.
“I can’t leave you looking like this,” he said softly.
To his dismay, fat tears rolled down Lexie’s cheeks. She wiped them away discreetly.
He shut his eyes. “Lexie...”
They were interrupted by the front door opening. It was Erin.
“What are you two doing?” she said. “I thought you shouldn’t be alone like this where Betty could notice.”
“Rick’s just going back in,” Lexie said, staring straight ahead unwaveringly.
“No. I’m not,” he said. “And if anyone asks, we’re just two friends having a chat at the front porch. Could you give us a minute please, Erin?”
With a sigh, Erin closed the door and left them alone.
“I don’t know why you think I’m back with Aileen, Lex.”
“Don’t you?” Lexie asked with sarcasm, still gazing at a faraway spot across the road.
“No,” he whispered emphatically.
“I heard you, Rick.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you and Aileen had a private conversation over there,” Lexie said, pointing to the side of the house where he’d taken Aileen for a quiet chat.
“How did you...?”
“I was in Todd’s bathroom.”
He inhaled deeply. He wasn’t familiar enough with the house to know that he and Aileen had stood outside of Todd’s bathroom. “That’s not—” His phone vibrated and he pulled it out of his pocket. It could be important. And it was.
*Someone could be watching you with Lexie. Be careful.*
His heart raced, chill passing through him. He wanted to look around, but he forced himself not to. No point alerting the spy.
He was relieved to know there was Carmichael security around, though. He didn’t know where they were, which was a good thing. That meant they were being inconspicuous.
But so were the thugs.
With an extremely heavy heart he stood up. Right this minute, Lexie’s safety was the priority.
“I’m sorry, Lex,” he whispered, unable to look at her. “I was gonna tell you, but...”
Tears rushed down her cheeks. “Did you cheat on me?”
“No! I didn’t! I swear to you I didn’t,” he whispered heatedly. “I’d never do that to
you, Lex. I’ve never been with anyone since we got together.”
Lexie let out a ragged sigh. “Well, you’re free now,” she said, her tone deadly quiet.
Something sharp slashed at his heart and he had to clench his fists tightly to stop himself from breaking down and telling her everything. Not here. Not now.
He forced himself to do what he believed was best for her. He shuffled to the door and walked back inside, leaving her silently crying by the patio.
He searched for Erin or Cassie. Fortunately, they were easy to find, chatting by the leaving room.
“Girls, could you go join Lexie outside?” he said quietly.
The ladies looked at him questioningly.
“Now, please.” He didn’t want Lexie sitting alone out there when there could be a thug watching her.
As Erin and Cassie hurried out to Lexie, he went and locked himself in a bathroom, burying his face in his hands.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Lexie got out of Cassie’s car, sweat breaking out of her body. It was a warm summer night, but it wasn’t the weather that was affecting her. It was Rick’s birthday, and she was here for his party.
She almost hadn’t come. It had only been two weeks since she’d found out Rick was back with Aileen. She was still too raw to be anywhere near him.
But her brother Brad was also invited and had been annoying her with his incessant questions about why she hadn’t planned to attend. She’d given him excuses, but they hadn’t been able to hold up to her astute brother’s scrutiny. In the end, it was easier to give in than to give Brad grounds to keep on poking into her business.
She couldn’t let Brad know that she’d dated and had broken up with his former schoolmate. It might lead to Brad discovering the contract. Rick’s complicated issue with Betty wasn’t Lexie’s secret to tell, no matter how much it had affected her life.
Another car was arriving, slowing as it neared them. “Hey, girls!”
Speak of the devil.
“Hey, Brad!” Cassie said.
“Nice timing!” Erin added.
Brad grinned, then cruised to a vacant slot further up the road to park.
“I’m surprised you’re already here,” Lexie said to her brother as he got out of his car. “You said you might be very late.”
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