“I want a hotel room,” Cam demanded. “A nice one. With free breakfast and unlimited internet. And I want another Slurpee.”
“Deal.” It was a better idea than letting him crash on my couch. “Let’s go.”
We followed Cam through the emergency exit into the bright afternoon sunshine of the parking lot. Derek’s shouts faded behind us as the door drifted shut. Vero took a moment to orient herself as she clicked her remote. Her Charger’s lights flashed a few rows away from us. Cam hunched into his jacket, his eyes roving furtively over the parking lot as he ducked into Vero’s car. He sank low in the back seat as Vero started the engine. I twisted in mine. “Now, talk. Who is she?”
Cam clammed up, his eyes narrowed on his phone in his lap. Clearly, he had no intention of making good on our deal until he was safely inside his cushy hotel room with his Slurpee, I directed Vero to pull over at a 7-Eleven, where I bought Cam an extra-large bright orange beverage. He sucked down a few long sips, then pressed the frosty cup to his cheek.
“Where to now?” Vero asked.
“I’ll take the Ritz-Carlton for five hundred, Alex,” Cam muttered from the back seat.
“There’s a Holiday Inn Express across the street,” I suggested.
“Apparently my health and safety mean nothing to you.”
Vero shook her head. “We need a motel. Someplace that takes cash, where no one’s likely to remember him.”
“How about this? It’s not far from here.” I held out my phone, revealing a photo of a small single-story structure with a few dozen rooms that opened to a parking lot. There was a liquor store on one side and an adult novelty store on the other.
“Perfect,” Vero said. “Let’s go.”
Cam engrossed himself in videos on his phone, slurping slush through his straw with an annoying degree of force as I navigated the way to the motel. Vero pulled the Charger around back where it wasn’t easily spotted from the road. “I’ll go inside and get the whiz kid a room.” She held out her hand. I dug around in the messenger bag I’d borrowed from her the night before, shoving aside the brunette wig and dredging out my wallet. I slapped a few twenties in her palm and she got out, leaving the car running.
“We agreed you’d take me someplace nice,” Cam said. “This place is a dump.”
“Have you seen your face?” I asked, angling the rearview mirror to look at him. “And when was the last time you bathed? You look like a runaway. If we take you someplace nice, the front desk clerk will call the police. They’re looking for you, by the way.”
This shut him up. He sank lower in his seat, glaring out the window. “Can I ask you something?”
“Maybe.”
“You keep sayingherandshe. What makes you so sureEasyCleanis a chick?”
“Because it’s a women’s forum. You know, forwomen.”
“It’s also the internet. Anyone can be anyone. Who do you think convinced Derek to send his dick pics in the first place?”
“Wait,” I said, twisting in my seat, “you’re telling me you catfished your own friend into sending nudes, just so you could charge him to clean up the mess?”
“I know, right?” He actually looked proud of himself. “Never assume you know who you’re dealing with online.”
“I don’t have to assume anything. In a few minutes, you’ll have your hotel room and you’re going to tell me everything.”
“You going to get that?” Cam nodded at the ringing cell phone in my lap. Nick’s name flashed on the screen.
I killed the engine and pocketed the key fob. “Stay here,” I told Cam. “I’ll be back in a minute.” I carried my phone around the side of the building before connecting the call. “Nick?”
“Hey, have you heard from Steven?” A police sirenwhoopedtwice in the background and Nick leaned on his horn.
The hair stood up on my arms. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“He’s okay. But there was an accident.”
“What kind of accident?”
“A tire blew on his pickup. He managed to run it into a ditch. He hit a tree, but it doesn’t look like there was much damage. Joey and I just came from the site of the wreck. I couldn’t tell much from the tire that blew, but one of the others looked like it might have been slashed.”
Damnit!“Where is he?”
