“Nope,” Alex said. Her dad poked at his lettuce with a fork.
Alex screwed up her face and stared at his plate. “Dad, since when do you eat salad as a main course? What is going on?”
Jim looked sheepishly at his daughter and gave a tiny shrug.
“What?” she demanded.
His expression bordered on guilty when he finally spoke, his voice low. “There’s someone I want to introduce you to.”
“Okay…” She looked at him blankly, waiting for the full explanation.
“Her name is Karen.” A beat passed. Then, “She’s my girlfriend.”
Girlfriend? She stared at him for a minute. “Aren’t you too old for a girlfriend?” she blurted without thinking, trying to overcome the shock that her dad was dating someone. Someone other than her mom.
“We’re going for lunch tomorrow, and I really want you to come.”
“Does Mom know?” Alex asked.
“She’s not invited to lunch.”
“No, Dad. I mean does she know about your girlfriend?”
“Oh. Well, yes. She does.”
“About Karen?” It was weird to say the name.
“Yeah.”
“And what does she think?”
He turned a shade redder but then straightened himself in his chair, throwing his shoulders back. “It doesn’t matter what she thinks. It’s none of her business who I date.”
Alex stared at her father for a minute, trying to look at him from a stranger’s perspective—to see how a woman might see him. He wasn’t too bad looking, she guessed. Still had a thick head of hair. Pretty trim, with only a hint of a gut that vanished when he corrected his posture. And he had a yacht.
She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this, Dad.”
“Come on, Freckles,” he said, giving her arm a squeeze. “Don’t be afraid. I think you’ll really like her.”
How could she? She sighed again. “Okay, I’ll come. But this whole thing is just so weird.”
Jim gave his daughter a winning smile and dug into his salad. He’d suddenly regained his appetite, and Alex felt like she’d lost hers. She grudgingly plucked her fork and stabbed at her quiche. So this is why I really came out here?
~
“It’s so great to have you back,” Elei Solomon told Alex without opening her eyes. She was sitting in the beach chair next to Alex, her olive-toned face tilted up to receive whatever rays the early-November sun could provide. Ocean Beach offered a pretty good dose of vitamin D, and even this late in the year it had to be in the high seventies outside. Alex missed the warm weather.
“It is great.” She nodded and grinned without looking up from her knitting.
“Can you believe you picked college over this?” Elei asked.
“Well, yeah, actually. I can.”
Elei arched a brow. “But you never mentioned wanting to go to college back when we were in high school.”
Alex shrugged.
“It’s those new friends of yours, isn’t it?” Elei’s eyes narrowed. “The ones that you met this summer.”
“My roommate, Chloe?”
“Yeah, and her brother. That really hot blond guy.”
Alex smiled. “Cam? No, it’s not about him.”
“Uh huh.”
“Really. Besides, he doesn’t live in Denver. He’s in Colorado Springs, remember?”
“Isn’t that basically the same thing?”
Alex rolled her eyes. “You’re such a Californian.”
“And you’ve suddenly stopped being one?” Elei cocked her head. “So why’d you move, then?”
“I guess Chloe got me thinking about other options besides just chillin’ here all year long. It wasn’t just about school. I moved to get away from all the crap in my life. To just start fresh, you know?”
Elei shook her head. “Whatever. You could’ve moved without entering a four-year nightmare. I mean, more school? No way. Man, after graduation, I was gone. No more studying for me.”
“To each his own. And Chloe has two brothers, not one.”
“Oh yeah? I don’t remember another guy.”
“He played volleyball with us that day—remember? Taller, lanky, kinda hipster-looking…”
Elei frowned and shook her head. “Nope. Don’t remember him. Only the hot blond one. You ever get anywhere with him?”
“You mean did Cam ask me out?”
“Or did you ask him out?”
Alex shook her head. “You know I’m not like that. I only know how to be friends with guys…and maybe some mild flirting here and there.”
“Ha. Your version of flirting is more like guy talk. Which is why you don’t get dates,” Elei said matter-of-factly. “So I take it he didn’t ask you out?”
“No. But I don’t care about that. I’ve been hanging out with Josh a lot lately.”
“Who’s Josh?”
“Chloe’s other brother.”
“Oh. The hipster one?”
“Yeah.”
“Is he blond, too?”
“No, he has dark hair, and it’s always in his face. And he has mysterious, dark eyes.” She looked wistfully into the ocean, letting the cool breeze blow her tangled curls whichever way it wanted, her mind back in Denver for a moment.
“Uh oh. Sounds like you’ve got it bad.”
Alex pretended to ignore Elei’s comment.
“Come on, fess up.” There was a grin in Elei’s voice.
“Nah, we’re just friends.”Alex couldn’t take another Ferno.
“Right. Of course you are. You, Alexandria Hailey, are friends with every male in the universe.”
“And date none of them.” Alex couldn’t keep the slight tinge of bitterness out of her voice.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Elei said, softer now. “Kinda goes with the territory though, don’tcha think? Guys don’t really see friends as date material.”
Alex sighed. “I know.” But friends was the only thing she knew how to be. It was easy, natural. The whole don’t-you-think-I’m-cute-and-want-to-date-me attitude would be nothing but phony on her.
A burst of whoops and yelling shot across the beach, interrupting their conversation. She looked up to see a trio of guys heading toward them: her old band buddies.
“Alex!” Aiden yelled, the sun shining off his dark skin and the muscles of his bare chest and abs rippling as he ran to her. He’d played football and basketball all through school and looked the part of the jock down to his clean-shaven head. Shorter and leaner, Travis followed close behind, his spiky skater hair even blonder than she remembered. He seemed to be sporting a new tat on his bicep. And there was Ferno, bringing up the rear. Taller than the other two, his wavy, black hair shorter than when she’d last seen him. His eyes crinkled in a smile when he saw her. Her heart stuttered, dragging up old feelings she thought she’d left behind.
Aiden grabbed her first, nearly knocking her down with a giant hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever!”
“Yeah,” Ferno said, pounding fists with her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming out to visit?”
“I didn’t know I was until a few days ago. My dad made last-minute plans for me.”
“That’s awesome.” Travis grinned and punched her in the arm.
Elei rolled her eyes and went back to sunbathing. Alex knew her friend viewed the guys from the band as lame, but that was okay. They had their differences, but Elei had been Alex’s one female friend until Chloe had showed up.
“So how’s Denver?” Ferno asked.
“It’s great. Cold, but great.” Alex smiled at the guys she’d grown up with. She’d never gone three weeks without seeing them, let alone three months. She’d really missed them.
“You up for volleyball?” Aiden asked, throwing a ball at her.
She caught it and nodded. “Definitely.”
“They ever play out there in the mountains?” he asked with a grin.
“Denver isn’t in the mountains,
doofus,” she said, smacking him on the back of the head. “And even though I’m a Colorado girl now, I can still kick your butt.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“You bet it is.”
“You gonna play?” Travis asked Elei.
She lowered her sunglasses and gave him a look. “In your dreams.”
Good-natured Travis laughed.
Alex hid a smile. Elei probably didn’t want to break a nail. Plus, she was horrible at sports.
Aiden looked back at Alex. “Okay. You and Ferno against me and Travis.”
“You’re on!”
~
369 Windsor Hill Avenue was dark and silent, but Nic knew Jessica was home from her date because her car sat in the drive next to the tiny house. The black Porsche hadn’t been there earlier when they were filming at Rooney’s. He knew because he’d come to scope out her place right after leaving the bar, pulling the pieces of his plan together.
After she’d had plenty of time to pick the winning slab of beef, wrap up filming, and return home for the night, Nic was back at her place, this time ready to do some damage. Those full, red lips taunted his mind with echoes of her earlier jeers as he crept through the backyard, picked the lock on the back door, and entered the house. It was as silent as death, convincing him he’d given her plenty of time to fall asleep.
The Wilson sat bulky and hard against his spine, shoved into the waist of his jeans. Tremors of anticipation shot through his fingers at the thought of pressing its shiny barrel into her mouth, ensuring those lips would never taunt again. Exactly what she deserved.
The back door opened into the small kitchen where an empty bottle of wine sat on the counter. Her heavy drinking at the bar earlier in addition to this evidence suggested that she’d be sleeping in something akin to a drunken coma. That worked well for him.
Nic crossed the room but stopped at the hall when a thought occurred to him. He turned, his attention snagged on the corkscrew, and made an impromptu decision. He grabbed the corkscrew, his veins pulsing with renewed eagerness. Why use his pristine new weapon when he could kill her with an instrument of her own pleasure? This method was more creative, and it would be more fun.
His gloved fingers curled around the handle of the corkscrew, familiarizing themselves with its shape and weight. Yes, this would work nicely.
On the left was an empty bedroom with its door standing open. He passed by and continued to the end of the hall. To the right was another door, probably the bathroom. To his left the last door stood open. White stripes of moonlight shone through the vertical blinds, creating jagged shafts of light and distorting any objects they touched. It was enough light to make out the lumps of twisted sheets and the form of a woman sleeping beneath them.
Nic crept up to the bed, eyes skimming over her mussed makeup and disheveled hair and fixing on her bare neck. He crouched closer and touched the tip of the corkscrew to her flesh, poised to kill, yet waiting for a response. A rumbling snore escaped her mouth, but other than that, she didn’t stir. Repulsive, he thought. Still, he hesitated. Something was missing. Anticipation raged inside him, but he momentarily held it at bay. His revenge couldn’t be complete until she was made aware of her punishment.
Grabbing the back of her neck with his other hand so she couldn’t turn away, Nic pressed the corkscrew into her throat, just hard enough to puncture the skin. Her body tensed and her eyes went wide, finding him and locking on his own with terror.
That’s right, it’s little, ol’ me, here to pay you back. That short moment was enough to satisfy him. Just as she drew in a breath to scream, he plunged the corkscrew deep into her jugular, twisting it as he did so. All she managed was a faint gurgle.
As he pulled out the instrument, Nic’s gaze lifted, landing on the nightstand where two wine glasses sat.
Two.
Nic’s pulse spiked. This wasn’t something he’d considered.
A sound came from behind and he spun, face to face with a bulky shadow. The hall light flicked on and Nic saw that the groggy, boxer-clad man was one of the guys from the bar.
“Pudgy? Really, she picked you? And brought you home?”
The man’s eyes flicked to the bed behind Nic, then flew wide. “What are you doing? You’ve hurt her!” He lunged, his wide, hands clamping around Nic’s neck.
Nic tried to twist away, but was held firmly in the man’s firm grip. He realized that Pudgy was, in fact, made mostly of muscle and possessed an iron fury to match his own. Nic struggled against the hands while grappling behind him for the Wilson. His throat burned and his eyes watered as his thumb dug at the butt of it. If he could just get it…
Thud. The gun dropped out and landed on the floor.
Pudgy’s eyes were wild and flaming with hatred. His hands squeezed tighter, seeking to end Nic’s ability to breathe once and for all.
Nic felt his head growing fuzzy, and he swore mentally. Then remembered the corkscrew still held firmly in his right hand. The man hadn’t noticed it. Pudgy might be thick and strong, but he wasn’t tall. If this guy had been either of the other two men, Nic wouldn’t have had a prayer, but he was only a few inches taller, giving Nic a chance.
With all of his remaining strength, Nic flexed his arm and drove the corkscrew hard into Pudgy’s eye. The man screamed, and his hands immediately loosened around Nic’s throat.
Air rushed into Nic’s lungs and he took advantage of the distraction to shove Pudgy down. Before the man could clamp on to Nic again, Nic was on top of him, forcing the corkscrew into the eye as far as it would go. It wasn’t until his fist was pressing against the Pudgy’s eye socket that the man stopped struggling.
Nic crawled off the body and took a moment to catch his breath, eyes traveling between the two victims. He flicked off the hall light, leaving a bloody stain from his gloved hand. After wiping his hand clean on one of the bathroom towels, he grabbed his gun and shoved it back into his pants.
This one had been a close call—too close. Next time he’d use Ethan’s help, if only for backup.
Saturday night Alex sat on the darkened beach, huddled near Ferno in front of a blazing bonfire. The slight chill in the air plus the smell of burning wood created a soothing blend of sensations. It was almost as if since moving she’d been homesick and not realized it until just now.
“Glad you could stay,” Travis said, leaning over Ferno. “Why didn’t Elei?”
“She had something else going on,” Alex said.
In the flickering light, Ferno smiled sideways at her. He met her eyes for a second, and she thought there could be something deeper there, but before she could decipher it, he turned back to the fire. She felt so comfortable with him. They’d known each other since fourth grade, through the awkward period of middle school and then high school, remaining friends through it all. Travis and Aiden had come along several years later, and things had settled into a comfortable friendship.
She couldn’t remember when her feelings toward Ferno had blossomed. He’d flirted back, though she never really knew if he knew he was flirting. That accent was sexy enough by itself, and she wasn’t sure how much of the long looks and lingering eye contact between them had been intentional. She’d never tried pushing things off into the deep end, because she didn’t want to damage their friendship.
She stole a glance at Ferno. No, that wasn’t the real reason. Actually, she had been scared to death of the outcome. How horrible would it be to get turned down by your best friend?
Although the bonfire had been spontaneous, a small crowd had already gathered, and someone had picked up some marshmallows. They passed the bag around the circle. Ferno took a stick and loaded it with marshmallows, handing the bag on to Alex.
“Thanks!” she said, skewering her own marshmallow. “Man, this is so nice.”
“Yeah, nothing like a great bonfire.”
“No, I mean being home. Being back with all you guys.”
“Homesick?”
“Maybe a little.
I didn’t expect it.”
“Didn’t expect you’d miss home?”
“Not really. I’m not that close to either of my parents.”
“Yeah, but what about us?” he asked with a grin.
The band? Or did he mean him?
“I don’t know how you survived for three months without me.” Ferno’s dark eyes crinkled at her. He bumped her with his shoulder, setting her off balance for a moment.
Alex chuckled. “It was a challenge.”
“Maybe you should move back.” He spoke casually, not looking at her. His attention was on his marshmallow, which was turning black in the fire—just like he liked them. He pulled the stick back to blow it out, and without eye contact she couldn’t get a read on him.
She cocked her head. “Why? Do you think moving was a bad idea?” What was he trying to say? Did he miss her? Was he wishing he’d made a move when he had the chance? She stared at her marshmallow as the questions flooded through her.
“Oh, I dunno. Just sounded like you weren’t having a good time there. That’s all.” He shrugged.
Was that an I-was-just-making-casual-conversation shrug or an I-don’t-want-you-to-see-how-torn-up-I-am-by-your-absence shrug? Alex took a deep breath and slowly blew it out, twirling the stick in her hand.
“Aren’t you going to cook that?” Ferno had already eaten his; meanwhile her own marshmallow was still untoasted.
“Uh, yeah.” She jammed her stick over the fire.
He touched her back, making a warm spot just below her shoulders. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to Colorado. Just give it time.”
She remembered the mysterious news he’d mentioned. “Hey, when we talked a while back, you said you had some big news. But you never told me what it was.”
“Oh, right.” His face brightened. “I’m moving to Seattle next semester.”
“You’re leaving Ocean Beach?”
“Yeah, I found a school that specializes in game design. And I found out that I qualify for financial aid, so I’ll actually be able to afford it. Isn’t that awesome?”
Outsider: The Flawed Series Book Two Page 14
