Snake Eyes

by Melissa Pearl

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “We fought about it for nearly a year and then one day, about two months ago, he suddenly surprised me with college applications.” She grinned, looking triumphant as she took another mouthful of beer. “He said I had to go to a school in either California or Arizona.”

  “Is that where you’re from?”

  “We have houses in several places, but we spend most of our time in the south-west.”

  “Nice. Your dad must be loaded.”

  Her grin was wicked and a little smug. I was starting to get a picture of her upbringing. This girl had never wanted for anything.

  “What does he do?”

  She shrugged, her face giving me nothing. Damn it!

  “Some boring job where he travels and meets with other businessmen. He does not talk much about his work, but I would say my father is an entrepreneur.”

  Okay, so she obviously didn’t really know.

  “Always looking for ways to make money, huh?” I smiled.

  “He is a smart man. Many fingers in many pies and it makes him mucho money, so I will not complain.” She giggled.

  I raised my beer, forcing myself to look impressed. “To wealth.”

  “To freedom.” She lifted her bottle and clinked it against mine, letting out a loud whoop. “Come, Caity. We must dance!”

  Her command was hard to argue with, especially when she grabbed my wrist and yanked me away from the table. We jiggled our way onto the squished floor and I tried to look as though I loved it.

  Quella was in her element, her hips swaying rhythmically. She was a damn good dancer and I had two left feet. It didn’t take long for the guys to swarm us. I inched back, not really wanting to get into their line of fire, but it didn’t work. I bumped straight into a tall guy with dark green eyes, short wood-dust hair and a well-manicured beard. It was short, like a fine dusting of hair on his face.

  He had an angular look about him, square jawline, prominent nose, but what really drew my attention was his intense expression. He was in a bar, surrounded by revelers, and he looked completely serious.

  Why the hell was he out on the dance floor when he obviously didn’t want to be?

  Moving to the beat, he forced a few subtle moves, but I could see behind his mask and he was hating it as much as I was, which meant he was either here because his partner was forcing him out of the house to have a little fun or he had something else on his mind.

  He smiled down at me, yelling above the music. “You seem pretty young to be in a place like this.”

  “Maybe I’m not as young as you think.” I didn’t know what made me get cocky, but I somehow wanted to prove myself.

  “I don’t know. You seem pretty out of your depth.”

  My eyes narrowed.

  Wait a second. The guy knew me.

  He wasn’t forced there by a girlfriend—he was there for work.

  I stopped dancing and resisted the urge to put my hands on my hips. “So which one are you then? Rex or Eddy?”

  His eyes rounded slightly and I threw his mask back on, realizing he’d actually been playing it pretty damn cool.

  I chuckled. He frowned.

  Placing his hand on my hip, he forced my body to get dancing again before finally muttering, “You can call me Rhodes.”

  It was hard to hear him, but I watched his lips and leaned toward his ear. “Rex Rhodes?”

  He made a face.

  “Eddy then.” I nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

  His green eyes turned a shade darker before flicking over my shoulder. His unmasked expression blanched and he threaded his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

  I started to push back, but he squeezed me to him and mumbled, “She’s looking at us.”

  I pressed my lips together and reluctantly swung my arms around his neck. “I thought you were supposed to be monitoring this situation from a distance.”

  “I would have kept my distance if I hadn’t been watching your underage self get drunk in a bar.”

  “I’m not drunk.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Either way, you’re supposed to be on the job.”

  “I am.” I scowled. “Look, Kaplan wouldn’t have asked me to do this if she didn’t think I was capable.”

  “If she knew what you were up to right now, she’d be seriously second-guessing her decision.”

  My eyebrows rose. I found it interesting that he hadn’t told her already. So it wasn’t Kaplan who had ordered him in here after me. If anything, he was breaking the rules to give me a lecture.

  Interesting.

  “I can see you don’t trust me.”

  He flinched, his eyes narrowing.

  “This is my in with Quella, okay?” I glanced over my shoulder and watched her cozy up to one of the bar guys. I’d have to break that up soon. She was having way too much fun, although underneath her mask I could see that quiver of uncertainty. I turned back to Rhodes, needing to wrap this up. “She wants to party and let loose. She’s not going to open up to some goody-two-shoes. She’s already told me a little about her over-bearing father. I’m telling you, I know what I’m doing.”

  He didn’t believe me. “You better not screw this up.”

  “Hey, I want to find those girls as much as you do.”

  A wave of agony coursed over his expression. The very idea of those girls suffering hurt him and I found myself softening toward the serious guy...until I kept reading him and noticed how little faith he had in me.

  I sighed. “I know you think this isn’t going to work and I’m just some shitty babysitting assignment.”

  His forehead wrinkled, his grip around my waist loosening.

  “And now you’re a little afraid because you thought you were hiding that.”

  He frowned and I took the chance to really prove myself.

  “The truth is, you are hiding it...from everyone around here, expect me.”

  The green of his eyes swirled with uncertainty and he licked his lips.

  “I know Kaplan’s told you about my ability and you didn’t believe her.” I gazed up at him. “But now you’re starting to, and that makes you feel vulnerable.”

  He let me go and I dropped my arms from around his neck. Very slowly his expression shifted, his disbelief ebbed away, replaced with a glimmer of awe.

  I grinned. “Thank you.”

  The awe scuttled into hiding behind his scowl. “I still don’t think you’re the right person for the job.”

  “I know.” I nodded, trying not to be irked. “But there’s nothing much you can do about it, is there?”

  His scowl deepened. I really had to end the conversation.

  “Thank you for watching my back.” I slapped his arm. “It’s nice to know someone so capable is close by.”

  He appreciated the comment. My smile grew as I watched him fight a small grin.

  With a little huff, he realized I could see it all and spun away from me before I could read anything else. I couldn’t help a small giggle before spinning back to find Quella. Her arms were raised in the air, her head tipped back with a laugh. She had three guys around her now, their hungry expressions making my stomach turn.

  I muscled my way in between them and tugged on her arm.

  “Let’s get out of here!” I yelled in her ear.

  “But I’m only just getting started,” she whined.

  “This place is getting boring.” I matched her tone. “There’s another place we can check out down the road. Let’s go!”

  Quella stumbled after me with a giggle. We collected our stuff and I pulled her out of the bar before the guys could follow us. I really didn’t want to go anywhere else, but Quella wasn’t drunk enough to let me get away with lying, so we hit one more bar before heading back to our dorm.

  It was a more sedate setting, but after another beer, Quella didn’t seem to mind. I certainly appreciated the calmer atmosphere. Unfortunately, I didn’t get too much more out of her. I tried to bring up her father a
gain, but she waved her hand and said she didn’t want to talk about him.

  “Let’s talk about that cute guy you were dancing with instead.”

  My chuckle wobbled with nerves; I couldn’t help it.

  “It was nothing.” I waved my hand, trying to keep my movements floppy. I didn’t want her to think I was still completely sober.

  “It didn’t look like nothing.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

  “Well, that’s what it was.” I shrugged. Nerves getting the better of me, I leaned across the table. “Hey, Quella, promise me something.”

  “What?” She frowned.

  “When we go out like this, whatever we get up to, has to stay a secret, okay?”

  “You live a double life or something?”

  I grinned. “I have a boyfriend who isn’t really into the party scene.”

  “Oh!” She tapped the side of her nose and pointed at me. “I understand.” Her head swayed slightly as she nodded. “Don’t you worry, Caity. I am very good at keeping secrets.”

  Awesome...and also not.

  I slumped back into my chair, confident she wouldn’t spill the beans to Eric, yet also a little discouraged. I wanted her to be a gossip queen.

  How the heck was I supposed to get the goods on her family if she was a first-class secret keeper?

  Maybe Rhodes had been right. For all my cocky proof on the dance floor, he was spot-on about one thing—I was way out of my depth on this one.

  15

  Eric

  I couldn’t help worrying about Caity. She was a little off when she arrived at the beach the day before, but then she perked up. The afternoon had been worn away with laughter and light chatter, but I couldn’t shake the odd sensation she was hiding something. I tried to call her later for a goodnight chat, but she hadn’t answered her phone.

  I was being stupid. She wouldn’t hide anything from me and I hated that I couldn’t shake the feeling.

  The toaster popped and I pulled out my two pieces, dropping them on the plate quickly and blowing on my fingers. I reached for the peanut butter and popped the lid, wondering what Caity had gotten up to the night before. I went to catch up with Mom and the girls. I’d invited Caity to join me, but she’d declined saying she wanted to meet her new roommate. I wondered what she was like.

  Checking my watch, I bit off a piece of toast and reached for my phone, sending her a quick text to see how it was going.

  “Morning.” Scott slumped into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and running long fingers through his spiky ginger hair.

  He pulled two mugs from the cupboard and placed them down beside the coffee machine.

  “So, sleep well?” I grinned at him.

  He threw me a dry look that was swiftly overtaken by a hot blush. His pale, freckly face was neon red while he cleared his throat.

  I laughed and lightly punched him on the arm.

  “How’s your mom?” Scott’s voice still had that morning croak. He pulled out a K-cup and popped it into his Kuerig. Steaming coffee poured from the spout and into his waiting mug. He pulled it from the machine and set it up for a second cup.

  I finished off my first piece of toast and brushed my fingers over my board shorts to clean them.

  “It was a good night. We just played a board game with the girls and watched a movie. Cliff wasn’t around so it was kind of like old times...just the four of us. We had fun.”

  “It’s cool that you still check in. I’m sure the girls appreciate it.”

  “Yeah, they were a little sad that Caity didn’t come with me.”

  “Didn’t she?” Scott moved to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of half and half, adding a little to each mug.

  “Nah, she wanted to go meet her new roommate.”

  A disgusted humph came from the doorway and I turned to see Piper tying her bathrobe. She adjusted the collar then reached for her coffee, giving Scott a quick peck before glaring at me.

  I rolled me eyes and turned back to my toast. “She did what was right for her. Would you drop it already?”

  “I can’t believe you just let it slide so easily...unless you don’t really want her moving in.”

  Spinning back with a scowl, I made sure she saw it before I relaxed my expression. “Of course I’d love her here, but she’s not ready. And to be honest, I’d prefer she didn’t move in, rather than her living here just to make us happy. You know what she’s like. It took a lot of guts for her to make that decision.”

  “Yeah,” Piper mumbled, taking another sip before slumping against the counter. “I just wanted her to come with. I hate that she’s living with someone else.”

  “She’s not gonna like her more than she likes you.” Scott rubbed Piper’s shoulder.

  “How do you know that? She’s probably been out partying all night.”

  I cracked up laughing, nearly spilling the glass of orange juice I was pouring for myself.

  “I’m sorry, are we talking about the same person?” I put the carton back in the refrigerator.

  Piper gave in with a small smile, running a finger over her eyebrow.

  “You know she’ll have a better chance at staying your best friend if you just call her.” Scott pulled out his phone. “Come on, invite her over for lunch or something. You can’t stay mad at her forever.”

  “She was kind of worried yesterday.” I backed up Scott.

  Piper huffed out a sigh. “Okay, fine.”

  She grabbed Scott’s phone and found the number, quickly texting my girl.

  Without saying anything, we all moved to the table to finish our breakfasts. Piper ended up grabbing a banana while Scott poured himself some cereal. He was really sweet with his girlfriend, asking if he could get her anything. They were so natural and easy around each other. I could fast-forward a few decades and still see them doing this as their morning routine, murmuring to each other as they ate, sharing secret looks and laughs no one else could decipher. I gazed down at my plate and wondered if Caity and I would be like that.

  A smile spread across my lips. Yeah, we could be.

  My phone buzzed.

  All good. Roommate is Quella. Seems nice. How was your night?

  I was about to respond when a new message popped up.

  Is Piper for real or is she being coerced by Scott?

  I chuckled and wrote.

  Real

  A few seconds later, I got back a big smiley face and...

  So relieved. Okay, will be over soon.

  “Caity’s coming.” I tucked my phone into my back pocket and finished off my toast with a grin. I couldn’t believe we’d been dating well over a year and I still got a small thrill at the idea of seeing her.

  An hour later, Caity’s Mini pulled up outside our place; I noticed her out my bedroom window as I was towel-drying my hair. I threw the towel in the laundry hamper and walked to the front door, opening it before she could knock. I was about to scoop her into my arms when I noticed a girl behind her. She had a long face, long nose, long hair. Everything about her seemed long...and tired. Her dark eyebrows shifted as she took me in, a small smile pulling at the edges of her mouth.

  “Hi there.” I spoke over Caity’s head after giving her a quick kiss.

  “Hi.” The girl swallowed, seeming nervous, and stuck out her hand. “I’m Quella, Caity’s new roommate.”

  “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Eric, Caity’s boyfriend.” I shook her hand and welcomed her in, trying to interpret the little smile on her lips. I let her pass us before looking at Caity.

  “Sorry,” she whispered. “She kind of had nowhere else to go today and asked if she could come. She doesn’t know L.A. at all and I felt bad for her. I couldn’t say no.”

  “That’s cool. I don’t mind. I just hope Piper doesn’t get shitty about it.”

  Caity’s eyebrows dipped. “Piper will just have to get over it,” she mumbled, dropping her keys and wallet on the side table.

  I smiled at Caity’s unusual show of feistiness and
gave her a proper greeting.

  She giggled against me when she tried to pull away from our long kiss and I wouldn’t let her.

  I’d missed her last night and damn it, I kind of wanted a breakfast like Piper and Scott had just had. I tucked my thoughts away and cleared my expression before letting Caity go. I didn’t want her reading anything on me and filled my mind with calm, supportive thoughts.

  She stepped past me before really looking anyway and walked into the living area just as Piper and Scott appeared. Piper stopped short when she saw Quella and her lips parted. A frown was forming on her face until Caity gave her the best set of puppy eyes I’d seen in a while. Piper’s expression was dry as she tipped her head, but then her lips twitched and she broke into a smile, rolling her eyes.

  “Hey, who’s this?” Piper’s voice was bright.

  Quella spun around and studied the company before breaking into a smile of her own. “I’m Quella.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  They shook hands and then Quella took a moment to take in Scott. Man, I wished I could read people like Caity did. Quella’s expression was so bland, like maybe she wasn’t all there, but I bet Caity saw something else. Scott’s bright orange locks and freckly face often drew some kind of reaction. People were shamefully obvious sometimes.

  “I’m Scott.” He stepped forward. “You’re new to L.A., right?”

  She nodded.

  “Welcome.” He grinned, his freckled nose wrinkling.

  Quella’s lips twitched and the room pulsed with an awkward silence I had to fill. “So, can I get you guys a drink?”

  “Sure, strong coffee would be great.” Quella winked at Caity who did a little laugh in her throat before looking at me. I frowned at her, wondering what their secret joke was.

  She cleared her throat. “Let me help you.”

  I followed her into the kitchen and quietly waited as she helped me get the coffees ready. I loved that she knew where everything was.

  “Something you want to tell me?”

  She spun to face me, her cheeks heating with color. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

  Her shoulders drooped and she leaned against the counter.