Covert

by Natasha Preston

  "Thank you, Blake, I'll have someone look through it and return it as soon as possible."

  Blake snorted, shaking his head. "You really don't know anything, do you?"

  "I do know one thing," he said just as we were about to walk out of the room.

  "What's that?" I asked over my shoulder, expecting another stupid comment that would do nothing but piss us off further.

  "Your friend, Aaron, has been talking pretty loudly about Mr Harper's motives."

  My face fell. I spun around. Aaron's been talking to Wright about Blake? "What?" I whispered.

  "Not surprised. Aaron's not a huge fan," Blake replied and shrugged, showing Wright that he didn't care and it wasn't getting to him. It was getting to me though. How could Aaron do that? I would never start talking about what I knew about them just to help myself out. Aaron had no proof that it was Blake so he shouldn't be saying anything. I wasn't, and I knew he was doing drugs!

  Wright's smile faded so slightly I almost missed it. "Is there anything else you'd like to discuss, or are you all out of new--"

  "We're done," I snapped and stormed out of the room. I wanted to request a proper detective, but I had a feeling he wasn't technically doing anything wrong. He kept things from us until he wanted us to know - for whatever reason - but that wasn't a crime.

  "We're screwed, aren't we? They're going to pin it on one of us if they can't find out who really did it." I said once we were back in my room.

  Blake smirked. "If there's no evidence then no."

  "But innocent people go to prison. What if the jury do that beyond reasonable doubt thing?"

  His smirk widened. "Good thing you chose detective and not lawyer actually."

  I flopped back against my pillows. "You're not funny. I hope you know that."

  He rolled over, hovering above me. "Please, you think I'm hilarious."

  "Yes," I said, "but probably not in the way you're thinking."

  I wanted him to kiss me more than I wanted to breathe, which was ridiculous. How the hell could someone so annoying worm their way in and cause such a huge impact on my life and my heart in such a short space of time?

  "Really?" he whispered, inching closer. I was pretty sure if I continued teasing him he would get payback and pull away, so I bit my lip. There was plenty of time to take the piss; this was a time for kissing.

  "Blake," I moaned. The neediness in my voice made me want to hit myself.

  "Yes?"

  "You're being mean!"

  He gasped in fake shock. "I'm not doing anything."

  Narrowing my eyes, I gripped the sides of his t-shirt and pulled him closer. "If you're going to kiss me just do it or--" His lips sealed over mine, kissing me deeply, fiercely. His lips moved against mine with a desperation that made my toes curl.

  We didn't have long though. My mum was due home any minute, and I really didn't want her to walk in on us. She thought Blake was just a friend, and I wanted to keep it that way. Technically, that was all we were right now anyway.

  "Blake," I managed to murmur against his mouth. He groaned and shook his head, gripping hold of my hip and cementing my body to his. I pushed at his chest when I could barely breathe, and he pulled away smirking. "You're like some randy fifteen-year-old boy!"

  His eyebrows pulled together. "Kinda feel like it again."

  "Blake Harper, are you admitting you like a girl?" I teased.

  "Whatever," he muttered and sat up. I hated him being gone, and I knew that was stupid. He was under my skin now whether I liked it or not. "We should go back to mine and check on my mum."

  "We?"

  "Not sure if I've mentioned this but--"

  "'I don't do hysterical women'," I said, finishing his sentence. "You may have mentioned it once or twice. I'll come too."

  Blake was quiet in the car. I watched him drive for a minute and then decided since he wasn't filling the silence with anything stupid or sarcastic I would talk to him about something that had been on my mind. "Blake, will you tell me more about your relationship with Josh?" I asked.

  His lips thinned. "What do you want to know?"

  "You didn't have a good relationship?"

  "It wasn't the best, but then we had barely spent any time together. I think I saw him about ten times through our teenage years. We weren't really brothers, not properly anyway."

  "Did you want to be?"

  "I guess. I've not really thought about it much. We weren't a family; we were split up. That was fine though. Dad and I managed." He smiled at a memory. "Though we ate crap all the time. We should be at least double the size we are."

  "He wasn't a big cook?"

  "Not really. He can make a few things and so can I. It was more out of laziness."

  "Why do you think your mum loves him more?"

  "Because she does. If you have a son that you spent every day with and another you barely spent a week a year with, who would be your favourite? I don't blame her. I favour my dad, and I'm sure Josh favoured Mum. It's natural to love who you're with most, isn't it?"

  I frowned. No, not if you're the parent. "Maybe," I replied, not wanting to hurt him. "Why did you decide to come with us? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did, I just don't understand why."

  He turned into his street, biting the inside of his cheek. "My dad started working more and working away. When you come home to an empty house every day, your mind eventually wanders to the other half of your family. Josh and I had spent some time together a couple months before, and it was alright. I thought that maybe we could be brothers now that we could control where we went. Before it had always been our parents pulling the strings, and that was usually in opposite directions."

  So he really just wanted to reconnect - or connect - with his brother. "I'm sorry you lost him before you had a chance to do that." Blake gulped and nodded. His jaw tightened, and I knew I had to change the subject. He didn't do emotions well. "I'm going to cook for you and your mum tonight. What's your favourite dinner?"

  He blinked heavily. "Doing a conversation one-eighty. I like spaghetti bolognese. I think my mum does, too."

  "Sounds good." I smiled at him, and he smiled back. His eye twitched as if he was trying to figure me out. Or he was just confused that someone had asked him that.

  He pulled into his drive, and that was when I noticed the police car beside Blake's mum's. "What're they doing here?" Blake muttered, frowning.

  We jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped. It didn't look good, and I prayed Eloise hadn't done anything stupid. If she was dead, too, then what was Blake going to do? As much as he didn't think he needed her, he did.

  Blake unlocked the door, and I raced past him into the living room. Two officers sat on one sofa, and Eloise was on another. I sighed in relief as I saw she was okay, physically anyway.

  "What's going on?" Blake asked.

  The officers, who I didn't recognise, moved quickly, grabbing Blake's arms and twisting them round his back. "Blake Harper, I'm arresting you for the murders of Joshua Harper and Courtney Young. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?"

  "What?" I said numbly, in shock. "Why?"

  Blake's jaw was tight, tense. "I get it," he bit out.

  "They found it under his bed," Eloise cried, rocking on her chair.

  "Found what?" I asked, desperately looking between her and Blake to make sure I didn't miss when they took him away.

  "Rohypnol. He did it. He killed my Josh."

  My mouth dropped open at the same time my heart plummeted to my feet. I shook my head. "No..."

  The two officers shoved Blake forwards and out of the front door. It took me a few seconds to force my legs to walk. Shock planted me to the ground. When I did move, I sprinted back out the door. "Wait!" I shouted. There had to be some mistake. He wouldn't.

  The officers had just opened the back door
when I reached the car. Blake looked at me, and his expression - defeat - made my heart ache. "I didn't do it, Mackenzie," he said just before he disappeared into the car. He watched me as the car drove off, pleading with me to believe him, but I knew he didn't expect me to.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The car turned out of my sight, and my heart broke. This wasn't right. Even though there was Rohypnol in his room I didn't believe it was his. He was never on edge or nervous when I was in his room. He never so much as flinched when I got in his bed. I sprinted back in the house to find out what the hell was going on. He didn't even live here. Something was definitely not right. He was set up.

  "Eloise!" I shouted, gripping the door frame for support and to stop myself running.

  She sat in her chair, hugging her knees, sobbing. My frown deepened as I realised she was crying over her son being guilty. But Blake wasn't guilty. She had no faith in him at all. There was no my son would never do that. She sat there and told me he'd done it.

  I walked slowly over to her and perched on the edge of the sofa next to her chair. "What happened?"

  "They found that stuff in his room." She shook her head, wiping her tears. Her face was tear-stained and blotchy. "I can't believe it. I don't want to believe it."

  "Then don't. I don't. Blake didn't do this. How did they find it? Someone had to have tipped them off."

  She frowned. "They knocked on the door and asked to search his room." And you let them! Although if she hadn't, it would have looked like she was covering something up. No one would have known though. If it was true how would anyone have known?

  "Who else has been in the house?"

  "Um, I'm not sure. A lot of people have come by to check on me."

  My heart ached as I asked the next question, "Did Aaron, Megan or Kyle come?"

  "They were here at Josh's funeral."

  "But that was the only time?"

  She nodded. "Yes, that was it."

  I closed my eyes and tried to think back to that day. We were together most of the time, but I had flit between them and Blake. Who had gone off alone? None of them had really moved from the spot I left them in, and I was never gone too long, but they could have had enough time to get upstairs and back. Which one of them would be so bold as to bring Rohypnol to the wake and plant it in Blake's room though? I couldn't picture any of them being brave enough - or stupid enough - to do that.

  "Why would Blake want to hurt his own brother and uncle?" Eloise asked, breaking me away from my endless internal questions.

  "He didn't. This wasn't him, Eloise, you have to believe that. Think about it, someone tips off the police and they miraculously find Rohypnol in his room. No one's been in his room; he doesn't hang out with anyone here. Even if he did have it, no one would have known. Don't give up on him. He needs you."

  "I don't know what to do." She buried her head in her knees and gripped her hair. "I have nothing left to give him."

  I clenched my jaw as anger surged through my body. "He's your son! You have to find something inside." The same something you would have for Josh. "I'm serious, Eloise! He needs you. You can't honestly think it was him."

  She frowned, squeezing her eyes closed and shaking her head. "I don't know. I just... I don't know."

  Well, fuck you then! "Whatever!" I spat, walking out before I said something that I probably wouldn't regret.

  We came in Blake's car, so I had no way of getting anywhere other than walking. I didn't want to call either of my parents or any of my friends. I still needed to find out who put the Rohypnol in Blake's room, and I was going to start with Aaron.

  As I walked I kept thinking about Blake and what he was going through. It must be terrifying being arrested for something you hadn't done and not having your mum there for you. Aaron made no secret of the fact that he thought it was Blake, so hopefully Wright was looking into that too. I didn't want to believe Aaron would do something like that, but deep down I knew he had it in him.

  What was I going to say to him? If he did it, he would know that I was there to ask him. I had to just be blunt, come out and just ask if he did it. That was the only way. If he said no, and it wasn't him, I could possibly lose a friend.

  I knocked on his door and my stomach started doing somersaults. "Hey," Aaron said, his smile stretching across his face, lighting up his baby blue eyes.

  I returned his smile. "Hi." He stepped aside so I could walk in. "Can we talk?"

  "Sure. My parents are home so let's go upstairs."

  My heart was in my throat as we climbed the stairs. I wasn't sure if I wanted it to be him more than I didn't. Blake was innocent; I knew that. But I didn't know if I wanted Aaron to be guilty just to get Blake off. I shouldn't want that. Aaron had been in my life far longer than Blake.

  "So what's up?" he asked as he sat on his swivel chair by his desk.

  I lowered myself onto the bed, facing him. "Blake was arrested today."

  His eyebrows shot up. If it was Aaron he faked shock well. "For the murders?"

  "The police found drugs in his room."

  "Wow..." He shook his head. "Can't say I'm surprised."

  "No. You always thought it was him."

  "Well, I was right, wasn't I?"

  "No, you're not. They're not his drugs."

  "Mackenzie, come on! How long are you going to defend the guy for? Open your eyes! I know you don't want to think badly of anyone, but this is ridiculous. We barely know the guy. On the night he randomly decides to play brothers two people end up dead. How does that look?"

  It wasn't random. He just wanted a family. "I get how it looks, and I know you don't trust him, but please trust me. Blake didn't do this."

  "So the drug fairies left it in his room, did they?"

  I gulped. "No." Raising my eyes to meet his, I waited and then watched his mouth slowly drop.

  "You think it was me?" he shouted, pushing himself up and frowning, hurt and angry. "What the fuck, Mackenzie! How can you even ask me that? I think the guy is a creep and yeah, I think he did it, but I'm not about to go framing anyone!"

  "Okay, okay," I replied, standing and holding my arms up. "I'm sorry, but Wright said you've been telling everyone how much you think it's Blake and--"

  "So you believe that arsehole and not someone you've known for years? I thought better of you."

  My eyes stung. He was right. I shouldn't have believed what Wright was saying. I rubbed my forehead. "God, I'm sorry, Aaron. I don't know what to think anymore. I don't know what I'm doing or how to handle all of this stuff. Everything is already so messed up and now Blake has been arrested."

  Aaron grabbed my arms and bent down to my level. "You have to face up to the fact that it was him. You said the police found drugs in his room. How much more evidence do you need?"

  To believe he did it, I need a confession. "It wasn't him, Aaron."

  "Who was it then? Me? Kyle? Megan? We're your only other options so pick one."

  I yanked my arms from his grip. "Don't you dare ask me to choose between you."

  "I don't need to really. You came here asking me. I think it's clear who you think killed them."

  "I don't think it's you," I replied, only half lying. "Aaron, I'm sorry. I'm just looking for answers, and I just want to know what happened."

  "So do I!"

  "Alright. I was wrong, and I'm sorry. I don't want to lose you, too." My eyes filled with tears, and Aaron groaned.

  "Don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry." He wrapped his arms around me. "What you said hurt, but I don't want to lose you either."

  "I'm sorry," I whispered. "Forgive me?"

  "Sure," he replied. "Megan and Kyle'll be here soon. Wanna help me get the drink and snacks for Kyle together." He rolled his eyes, smirking.

  What I wanted was to check on Blake and make sure he was okay, but I knew Wright wouldn't let me see him. Maybe hanging with them would be a good idea? Maybe now I knew they all had secrets I would be able to see through them.

&
nbsp; We sat on the floor in Aaron's room with the snacks and alcohol in the middle. It was just like any other time we'd hung out together but the atmosphere was tense. We were all together because that was what we usually did. It was hard to stick together when I felt like I barely knew any of them.

  They looked haunted. I couldn't tell their expressions between a grieving friend who had been through so much and a guilty conscience anymore. Blake was right; I couldn't tell if they'd done it.

  Me and Kyle were probably the closest; he had always been an open book. And Megan, I thought had never kept a secret from me our whole lives. Aaron was the blue eyed boy, the loving sweetheart who was going to be the best husband and dad in the world one day.

  I opened a bottle of some pre-made tropical cocktail - the only bottle that hadn't had the seal broken - and took a large swig. They didn't seem to worry that one of us in that room was a murderer and had drugged the rest of us. It was clear they believed it was Blake and there was no danger of being spiked again.

  "To Tilly, Gigi, Josh and Courtney," Kyle said, holding his can of beer up.

  And to Pete.

  I raised the bottle, clinking it against the boys' cans and Megan's glass of neat vodka. "Getting drunk, Megan?" I asked after we had all taken a sip of our drinks. Being with them felt wrong. I wanted to leave.

  "It's over now, Mackenzie. Blake's going to prison for what he did. We don't have to worry about Courtney and Josh never getting justice. I kinda think that's cause for a celebration, don't you?"

  No.

  "It is," Aaron replied. "To justice and finally being able to move on."

  How many toasts were they going to do? They were toasting to something that was so screwed up and completely untrue.

  Megan giggled and nodded her head in one big movement. A drunken nod. She hadn't had much to drink, but she was drinking neat vodka. I didn't blame her for downing the alcohol. At least if I was drunk I could stop worrying for a while. I couldn't do that though. Blake was sitting in some holding cell so I couldn't have a laugh with my friends.

  "I can't believe it's just us four left. This time last year my room was filled with eight pissed, happy people. Remember you girls dancing around the room, singing into empty bottles," Kyle said and chuckled.