After widening my eyes at her to telegraph my understanding, I face the front windshield. My toes tap inside my sneakers while I chew on this new tidbit.
All these people work with Reed’s twin brother and would probably freak if they saw him. Earlier, Kri told me only two other people at Redleg are aware Sawyer has a sibling, let alone one who looks exactly like him. She also mentioned being confused why Reed doesn’t want to meet him.
Same here, sister.
Reed must have his reasons. And I bet they’re dumb.
Not to put him down, but he can be pigheaded when it comes to handling his feelings. One of our many similarities.
I’m bummed Sawyer wasn’t one of the ones assigned to shuttle me across town. I bet it was engineered that way by whoever the other people are at Redleg who are keeping Reed’s secret.
Shep tears his studious gaze from his window to eye down his wife. “Are you gonna share with the class?”
Kri’s only response is to scratch her nose with her middle finger, while steadfastly avoiding his glare. Marriage goals.
“It’s like that, huh?” He drags his palm roughly over his scalp. “We’ll see if your attitude changes when I get you alone.”
Inspiration strikes, and I toss out something guaranteed to shut him up. “She was ensuring I brought tampons. There’s blood happening. So much blood.”
Maybe whimsical nonsense would have made me seem cooler.Oh well. I’m probably never gonna see them again after this.
His nose crinkles with disgust. On my right, Kri snickers into her cupped hand, then brushes my arm with hers. I flash her a wink. Her returning smile says I might have a chance at making her my new BFF after all.
Aaron finally breaks his suspected vow of silence. “Since Kri and I are staying with Ms. Kent, who wants the keys to the SUV when we get there?”
There’s boring talk about who will drive and how they’ll move their vehicles around after they drop us off. But I’m unable to focus on any of it.
Because holy crap on a cracker.
Aaron’s voice.
He sounds so smoky he must be a lung cancer risk. Someone slap a surgeon general’s warning on his forehead.
Buried in his smooth, whiskey-soaked timbre is a subtle accent from another part of the country, with added Latino flair.
I give him a closer look in the rearview. There’s something familiar about him beyond his panty-dropping voice. He seems like a bad boy with short black hair, dark, mysterious eyes, and a tattoo of angel wings around his neck, like they’re holding up his head. He’s the kind of guy your mother would warn you about. But you’d do it anyway.
Realization smacks me upside the face.
Bouncing in my seat, I snap my fingers, interrupting their fascinatingly boring car movement discussion. “Eureka! I got it.”
Shep’s hands shoot out in front of him at waist level, fingers spread like he’s ready to pounce. The others flinch as well.
Okay, lesson learned. Don’t spook the bodyguards. They startle easily.
“Didn’t mean to alarm you. That was on me.” I giggle, my cheeks flaming. “I figured out who Aaron reminds me of. It’s been bugging me.”
Aaron stops at a red light, puts his head down, and sighs. Loudly. With some extra rasp layered in for emphasis, which only proves my case.
That sound is classic Rio. And now I just gotta hear the line from the show. It’s aneed.
“I’m not saying it. So don’t ask,” he husks out.
Chuckling softly, I ask, “I take it I’m not the first to make this request, huh?”
Kri peeks at me out of the corner of her eye.“What are you talking about?”
“Aaron’s a dead ringer for a character named Rio from the showGood Girls. Voice and all. A few of Rio’s lines from the show went viral. It’s a whole thing.”
