Dirty Power (13 page)

“I can’t see Lawrence DiGiovanni teaching you to hotwire a car.”

“I know. It’s weird, right? He had one of his guys bring in an old car. His whole garage is filled with these identical luxury sedans, all dark and masculine. And a couple sports cars that I’ve never seen him drive. And then there was this beat-up baby blue Toyota pickup. We were both crammed under the dash for about thirty minutes before I got it right. He was super excited.”

“It was fun?” I guessed.

“Yeah. I know that’s weird. But it’s one of the few times he actually spent time with me.” She gave another embarrassed shrug.

“Maybe you could teach me sometime?”

“Okay. Yeah. I could do that.” She pressed her lips against my skin again. “So anyway. I drove back to the train station. Caught a train to France.”

“You went back to the same train station?”

“It’s massive. Almost like there are five train stations all crammed together. Once I was on the train, I changed my outfit and shit. Put on the beanie to cover my hair. Flirted with some boy for the last hour. We left the station together. Then I ditched him and came south. You know the rest.”

“Babe.”

“What?”

“You’re a badass.”

“I know.”

Eighteen Months Later

I woke up to a half-naked Reese sprawled next to me. One foot was off the bed. The other was playing footsie with me. She had her hand under my ass. Like she’d put it there and fallen back to sleep. It was a common occurrence.

She was wearing a pair of boxer briefs and nothing else. The boxers were tight on her ass and thighs and looked sexy as hell. She was sexy as hell.

I leaned over and kissed her cheek. Then her ear, down her neck, and across her shoulders. She murmured in her sleep.

“Morning, peanut butter.”

“Mmm-hmm.” And she was out again.

I climbed out of bed and found a T-shirt. My pj pants were tangled on the floor with our blankets. Also a common occurrence.

I padded down to the kitchen. There was a carafe of coffee on the counter. I poured myself a mug and wandered out back. Christopher was reading the paper. Breno was on his laptop.

“Morning,” Christopher called.

“You guys want more coffee?” I asked.

“Please.”

“Sure.”

I went back in and brought the carafe out with me. Christopher held his mug aloft without taking his eyes off the paper.

“Thank you.” Breno smiled at me as I filled his cup.

“Whatever.” I put the coffee on the table between them. Then I snagged the chair opposite Christopher.

“Reese still asleep?” Christopher asked.

“Yep. Ryan?”

“Of course,” Breno said.

“So today’s the big day?” Christopher asked.

“Yeah, Ryan said he picked up the—” I stopped talking when the door opened.

“Is the coffee out here?” Reese asked. An empty mug dangled from her hand.

“Yeah, sorry.” I nodded at the carafe.

“Cool.” She sauntered out barefoot. Her hair was all messy and sexy. She’d thrown on a pair of her shorts and one of my hoodies. I was guessing there was nothing under the sweatshirt and I really wanted to find out.

Christopher pulled out a chunk of the newspaper and handed it to Reese as she sat down.

“Thanks.” Reese poured some coffee and blew across the top of her mug. Then she opened the paper and proceeded to ignore me for the next thirty minutes.

“Are you guys about ready for breakfast?” Breno closed his laptop.

“Mmm-hmm.” Reese was still reading the paper.

“I’m down. You want help?” I asked.

“Just go wake up Ryan.”

I rolled my eyes and followed Breno inside. He set down his computer and the empty coffee carafe.

“Should I make more coffee?” he asked.

“Please. Or I’ll never get him out of bed.”

“Tell him I’m making waffles.” Breno started measuring out more coffee.

“Got it.” I headed back upstairs.

Ryan’s room was dark. I pulled open the curtains and he groaned.

“Why do you hate me?” he asked from beneath a pile of blankets.

“I don’t hate you. The sun hates you.”

“Go the fuck away.”

“Are you talking to me or the sun?” I asked.

“Please, Coop. Fuck off,” he whined.

“You don’t have a girl under there, do you?”

“No. Close the curtains.”

“Nope. Gotta wake up and shit.”

“Why? I have absolutely no responsibilities.” The mound of blankets shifted a little and Ryan’s head poked out.

“Breno told me to wake you up.”

“There better be coffee.”

“And waffles,” I said.

“Fine. I’ll get up. But I don’t like you today.”

“Sure you do. We’re gonna be family today.”

“You’re such a fucking tool.” Ryan started giggling. “And she still has to say yes.”

“Oh, she’ll say yes.”

“Just because you’re all excited to face the day doesn’t mean I have to be.”

“Good point. But if you sleep, you will miss waffles.”

“Damn you and your waffles.”

“Whatever.” I found a pair of sweats on the floor and tossed them at him. “Your loss.”

“Okay, okay. I’m getting up.” Ryan sat up and grabbed the sweats. “You excited?”

“Yes. But I’m trying to be cool.”

He laughed again. “Let me know how that works out.”

“Fuck off.”

“Want to smoke?” Ryan leaned over and opened the drawer on his bedside table. He pulled out his cigarette case and chose a joint.

“Nah, man. I’m cool. Don’t light the blankets on fire.”

“Please,” he scoffed.

“I’ll see you downstairs, okay?”

“Sure.”

I went back down to the kitchen. Breno was stirring his waffle batter.

“Is he awake?”

“Sort of.”

“Christ. He’s smoking isn’t he?”

“Umm…”

“I told him. If he’s going to smoke, he needs to do it outside.” Breno sighed.

I didn’t know why he cared. He’d told Ryan not to smoke in the house almost every day since we’d moved in. Ryan hadn’t listened once.

“I’m sure if you ask him just one more time, he will listen.”

“Do you think?” Breno looked up from his heating waffle iron.

“Totally. The first five hundred times he probably just misunderstood you, but five hundred and one, he will totally get the message.”

“You are messing with me again, aren’t you?”

“Dumbass.” I shook my head and turned to go back outside.

“You don’t get waffles today,” Breno said.

“Sure I do.” I grinned. “Dad.”

Breno fought to keep his scowl in place and lost miserably. “Damn it.”

I laughed at him. “You’re a sucker, you know that?”

He didn’t seem to mind.

“Hey, Cooper?”

“What?”

“In case I don’t get a chance later, I just wanted to say good luck tonight.”

“Thanks.” I smiled at him and went outside to get Christopher and Reese for breakfast.

*

“Don’t screw it up,” Ryan said.

“Fuck you. Where is it?” I asked.

“Calm down. Your ring is right here.” He tossed me a little wooden box. “But don’t screw it up.”

“I got that the first twenty times you told me.” I turned back to the mirror I was preening in front of. Why did Ryan’s room have a better mirror than mine?

I had on a pair of jeans and a blazer over a T-shirt. The jeans were black. That and the blazer were my nod to propriety. ’Cause I was never putting on a suit again.

“You look fine.”

“I want to look more than fine.”

Ryan grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. He pulled me into a massive hug. Which totally messed up my jacket and probably my hair.

“Get off. You got me all messed up.”

“Well, clean, shiny Coop is weird. Reese’ll know something is up.”

“Something is up.”

“Dude.” He straightened my lapels, tweaked the front of my hawk just a little more to the side, and smacked my cheek. “Don’t screw it up.”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Ryan.”

“Love you,” he said.

“Same here.”

“Your ass looks amazing in those jeans.”

“I know.”

“Go get her.” And then he smacked my ass.

I scowled at him. He grinned back. I opened the door and went downstairs to meet Reese.

She looked fucking perfect. Standing there by the front door with the early evening light slanting through the windows onto her nearly bare shoulders.

“I don’t know what you guys are up to, but I don’t trust it,” she said.

“Keep your pants on.” I could have lied, but she would have known. “No, wait, don’t. Take ’em off.”

“I’m not wearing pants. This is a skirt, sweetheart. And we have dinner reservations.”

“Oh, yeah. That.”

“Come on.” She held out her hand.

“Have fun.” We turned and Breno was standing there grinning like a tool. Christopher was behind him doing the same thing. They’d probably been lurking in the hallway waiting.

“Don’t wait up,” I said.

Reese rolled her eyes and pulled me out the door. I brushed my hand over my jacket pocket. Ring was still there.

“Seriously, what is with all of you?” Reese asked.

“It’s not really a surprise if I tell you.”

She rolled her eyes again and got into the car. As we drove into the city, I tried to focus on the road, but it was difficult. Reese was like super hot. And she smelled really good. Driving was hard.

*

We were a course and a glass of wine in when I started to panic. After my second glass of wine, I calmed down a bit. I could do this. We’d finish dinner, take a walk, go to that park we loved. And I’d get down on one knee and ask the girl to marry me. No big.

I did another subtle check for the ring. Still there.

Reese smiled at me. Oh, yeah. I could do this. I was so going to marry that girl.

We were debating dessert—well, Reese was debating, I was nodding along—when I glanced away from her. Only for a moment. There were tons of people passing by on the street. It was a warm summer night. But one girl seemed to stand out, maybe it was the way she walked, or the way she brushed her long hair back from her face. I don’t know. But I knew it was her.

“Oh, fuck.”

“What?” Reese turned to see what I was staring at.

“I’m sorry. I’ll explain later. But I got to go.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have to go. I’m sorry.” I dug my wallet out of the inside pocket in my jacket. It caught on the ring box and I had a moment of pure terror. “Fuck. Really, really sorry.”

“Cooper, what is going on?”

“I’ll explain later.” I tossed a bundle of cash onto the table and vaulted over the railing onto the sidewalk.

She was a block and a half ahead of me already. I dodged around pedestrians, practically running to catch up. My legs were still longer than hers. It didn’t take long.

It probably wasn’t even her. It wasn’t her. It couldn’t be. How the fuck had she found me? No, she hadn’t found me. It was a freak occurrence. And it didn’t matter, ’cause it wasn’t going to be her. It was dark and I was seeing shit.

Reese would be pissed. I would tell her all about it and she would be pissed. But we would laugh about it later. This was what would make the story of proposing tellable. I was halfway through the night when I ran away. Ha ha.

But it was her. She turned a corner and I saw her face. Fuck. I kept going, overzealous stalker style.

What the fuck was Ade doing in Spain?

She crossed the street. It was darker here. Fewer streetlights. Fewer people. It was the only chance I’d get.

We passed an alley. I grabbed her and pulled her back into it. One hand clamped over her mouth, the other holding her tight against my body. She arched her back and tried to break my grip, but couldn’t.

“Shhhh, it’s okay. It’s me, it’s V.”

Ade stiffened. I let her go, but kept my hand on her arm. She turned around slowly, then threw herself into my arms.

“We thought you were dead.”

“No, no. I’m so sorry.”

And then she was crying.

“You disappeared. We looked everywhere,” she said. Her voice was so low it was practically a whisper.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Ryan, Reese. Are they okay? Are they with you?”

“Yeah. I was having dinner with Reese just now. We live about thirty minutes from here.”

“What?” she screamed. “You asshole. Do you know what we went through? Do you—no, of course not. You don’t give a fuck do you?” And then she punched me in the chest. I took a step back.

“No, that’s not it at all. I swear.”

“You fucking disappeared. Like gone. And I find you in Spain having dinner with Reese. You asshole.” She punched me again.

“Let me explain, okay? There was a lot going on.”

“Fuck you.”

“Seriously, Reese is a couple blocks back.” I pointed. “Let us explain.”

“Fine.” Ade marched out of the alley and turned back the way we’d come. I caught up to her and threw my arm around her shoulders.

“I missed you.”

“You’re a dick.” She sniffled and wiped her face, but she didn’t push me away or punch me.

“I know.” I figured it would be bad to linger on that detail. “So what are you doing here? In Spain, I mean.”

“I decided to do Europe before I start college in a couple months. Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me go before I turned eighteen.”

“Shut the fuck up. I can’t believe you’re eighteen now.”

“Fuck you,” she said again.

“Where are you going to college?”

“Davis.”

“Really? Damn. Smarty-pants. Congratulations.”

She shrugged. “Didn’t get into Berkeley.”

“No one gets into Berkeley as a freshman.” I squeezed her shoulders.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” At the sound of Reese’s voice, I looked up. She was standing down the street with her arms crossed. She looked livid. “You literally ran away from proposing to me to chase some girl. Fuck you.” Then she turned and took off the other direction.

“Reese, wait.” I let go of Ade so I could chase after Reese. This night was so not going the way I planned. “It’s not some girl. It’s Adriana. It’s my sister,” I called.

That made her stop.

Ade caught up with us just as Reese was spinning around. Ade threw herself into Reese’s arms and they hugged for a long, long time. Like, turning in circles, long time.

“Wait. You knew I was going to propose?” I asked.

“Don’t ever play poker, sweetheart.”

They spun in another circle while I stood there grinning like an idiot. But then I saw something that made me stop smiling, stop breathing, stop everything. High on Adriana’s back, between her shoulder blades, I could see the outline of a small box.

The bitch was wearing a wire.

Reese had her arms around Ade’s waist, which was pulling her top tight. That was the only reason I saw it.

I forced my smile back in place. “Can I get another hug like that?”

“I’m still pissed at you.” Ade let go of Reese. “But yes.” She launched herself at me again. I hugged her tight, tugging at the material of her shirt. Reese was watching us and smiling. I frowned and looked pointedly down. Reese was confused, but then she saw what I was looking at.

“Shit,” Reese said.

“What?” Ade asked.

“Nothing. Just I guess we have some explaining to do.” It was a cheap lie, but Ade fell for it.