Sariah dries her hands on a paper towel, her brow creased as her mind works overtime.
I’m so glad I told her and the guys and that they are solidly behind me. It helps to have someone to bounce stuff off.
“Maybe you could play a different angle,” she muses, tossing the used towel in the trash.
“What do you suggest?” I ask, straightening the straps on my top.
“Maybe you should seduce them,” she says. “Get them to lower their guard and let you in.”
“I’ve considered that, but it won’t work.”
“Why not?”
I lean back against the wall with a sigh. “Because they’re already fucking with my head, Sar. I’m struggling to keep my emotions on lockdown around them, and getting closer could majorly backfire on me.”
“Please tell me you’re not falling for them?” she groans.
“Things are complicated between us. You know the backgrounds. And if Mom goes through with this wedding, which I think she will, then I’m tied to them more permanently. I need to find a way of getting the intel I need without falling into their trap.”
She taps a finger off her chin. “Focus on Caz. You don’t have shared history with him.”
I rub a hand across my chest. “Maybe, that’d work.” I push off the wall, slinging my arm around her shoulders and tucking the little pint-sized beauty into my body. “It’s worth considering at least.”
“Whatever it is you’re planning, it won’t work,” a whiny voice says, pushing into the bathroom, and I stifle a groan. It’s too fucking early to deal with Parker’s shit.
She’s flanked by Beth McCoy and another girl I don’t know.
“Whatever it is you’ve come to say, say it.” I separate from Sariah, and we stand tall with our shoulders back, facing the three girls.
“Saint is mine.”
I burst out laughing. “So fucking delusional.”
Her mouth pulls into an unattractive sneer. “I have something he wants, and he’s willing to trade.”
“What does Finn think is happening?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Finn is none of your concern!” she exclaims, and I’m tempted to tell her.
“And Saint is none of yours,” Sariah says.
“If either of you stand in my way, you’ll be sorry. This is a friendly warning. Next time, not so much.”
Her threat holds about as much weight as Nicole Richie. “Gee. I’m quaking in my boots,” I deadpan, snatching our backpacks up from the floor. I pass Sariah’s to her, and she slides it over her shoulders.
“You should be, whore.” She steps right up into my face.
I smile. “Your desperation makes you pathetic and careless.” I let the smile slip off my face on purpose. I don’t have time for petty distractions, and Parker is as inconsequential as the dirt under my boot. “Trust me, you don’t want to make an enemy of me, and that’s the only warning you’re getting.”
CHAPTER 13
“WOW.” EMMETT WHISTLESunder his breath as I guide my friends into the house Saturday night. “Your place is something else.”
“I’m betting it’ll be fucking trashed by morning,” Sariah says, shedding her jacket and handing it to me.
“I’m betting it won’t.” I hang their jackets up in the closet and steer them toward the belly of the house where the party is in full swing. “This whole setup reeks of Neo’s involvement, and he probably has a cleanup crew scheduled to clean the house before Mom returns.”
“Fuck. You look hot,” Emmett adds, casting appreciative eyes over my short black leather dress.
