Hellion, a New Adult Romance Novel (The Rebel Series) (30 page)

“Did you do something different to it?”

“I … uh … yeah … I, uh … brushed it.”

He laughs, dropping my hair.
 
“And usually you just … what?
 
Don’t?”

“No.
 
Yes.
 
I mean, I have frizzy hair so…”

He raises his eyebrows, waiting for my answer.

I sigh.
 
“Can we talk about something else please?
 
My hair is boring.”

“Fine.
 
What do you want to talk about?”
 
He signals the bartender for another beer, and Colin joins us when it’s delivered.

“You guys wanted to know what happened in the meeting, right?” I ask.

They both nod.

I take a big breath, collecting my thoughts so I can give them the highlights.
 
“Okay, so …
apparently
, Teagan’s step-mom is saying that her dad was bonkers or whatever before he died and that she was in the process of having him committed or something, so all that data that he sent Teagan was confidential legal stuff she didn’t have a right to have.
 
So it can’t be used in a lawsuit against them.”

“What?
 
That doesn’t make any sense,” says Mick.
 
I love how he’s getting all defensive over it.
 
It’s exactly how I feel, and now I know I’m not alone.

“I know.
 
But the lawyers said that maybe that bitch could convince a judge it was true.
 
And Teagan says the last time she talked to her dad on the phone, he sounded really out of it.
 
Like drunk.
 
But he never ever drinks.”
 
I look at them, wondering if their minds are going where mine is.

“So what’s the next step?” Mick asks.

I bite my lip as I consider whether to say out loud what I’m thinking.
 
It’s nuts.
 
It’s stupid.
 
It’s none of my damn business.
 
I am not Rambo, even though I can lay out a mean-ass boob punch when necessary.

“Out with it,” says Mick.
 
He looks over at his brother.
 
“I don’t know why anyone’s calling you Trouble these days. That should be her nickname.”

I hit him lightly with the back of my hand on the arm.
 
“Hey, watch it.
 
How do you know I’m planning any trouble?
 
I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“I know that look on your face, that’s how.
 
That’s what you looked like right before you got brainfried with that taser.”
 
He nods at his brother before turning his attention back to me.
 
“Go ahead.
 
Tell us.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “No.
 
Forget it.
 
You’re not invited.”

Colin leans in and talks softer.
 
“I want to be invited.
 
Tell me.”
 
Colin’s eager-beaver act earns him a punch from Mick.
 
Colin pretends to wind up to hit him back, but then he stops and smiles.
 
“You’re lucky.”
 
He points in his brother’s face. “I owe you one, punk.”

I breathe out a sigh of relief when Mick just shakes his head and looks me expectantly.

“Fine, I’ll tell you guys, but only because I don’t think I can pull it off myself.”
 
I reach out and take Mick’s left arm and Colin’s right arm, drawing them nearer to me.
 
“Come in closer.
 
I don’t want anyone to hear.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“YOU’RE NUTS,” MICK SAYS.
 
“NO way you can pull that off.”

“Let’s do it,” says Colin, holding his chest and rubbing it a little as he lets out a burp.

I lean back to stay in the safe zone.
 
He’s drunk way too much carbonation for my comfort.

“I’m in.”
 
Colin holds up a hand and gives his brother a challenging look before smiling way too big at me.
 
“We’ll keep the handicapped dude on the bench.
 
It’ll be just you and me.
 
Bonnie and Clyde.”

I smile and high-five him back.
 
Tag-team teasing Mick is way too much fun.

“Fuck that.
 
Neither one of you should go,” Mick says.
 
“First of all, Rebel’s going to tell you no way.
 
We have a schedule and those cars need to go out.
 
And second, it’s a bad idea.
 
Just bad all the way around.”

“We can be up and back in two days,” I say, my words coming out hurried.
 
“We’ll go Friday morning and be back on Sunday.”
 
I’m bouncing on my toes, praying Mick will change his mind.
 
“Come on … what do we have to lose?
 
Nothing!
 
It’ll be fun.”

“You better not say anything to Rebel about it,” says Colin, pointing a warning finger at his brother.
 
“This isn’t his decision.”

“And it’s not yours either,” Mick says.
 
I can’t tell if his admonishment is for his brother or me.

“Hey, if we want to help a friend, we can help a friend,” I say.
 
I brush away any misgivings that try to hammer their way into my bubble of awesome planning.
 
I am so going to do this, with or without them.

“You’re not going to help Teagan if you go up there and get busted.”
 
Mick is shaking his head.

“Busted for what?
 
Hanging out?
 
Asking a few questions?
 
Drinking some beers?”
 
I roll my eyes.
 
“Don’t be a lame-ass.
 
Come with us.”

He looks off to the side, shaking his head, his expression a mix of emotions.
 
I’m pretty sure I see anger, frustration, and worry there.
 
Maybe a tad bit of jealousy too.
 
I’m going to go ahead and work that angle.

“Or not.
 
You know Colin and I can share costs so it won’t be a big deal.
 
We can grab a couple double beds in a hotel somewhere, right, Colin? We can do it cheap.”

“Sure thing.
 
We don’t need two beds, though,” Colin says, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

“Fuck that,” says Mick, jumping back into the conversation.
 
“I’m coming, but
not
because I agree it’s a good idea.
 
I’m just going to keep you out of trouble.”
 
He’s looking at me, not his brother.

I smile.
 
“Do you mean that literally? Because if you do, just … ew.”

“What?” he looks at me, mystified.

Colin and I laugh.

He mumbles his last sentence.
 
“Keep you out of … Trouble … oh, shit.
 
That’s wrong.
 
That’s just wrong.”
 
Mick grabs a beer off the bar, but I can see the smile he’s hiding behind his mug as he takes a drink.

“Okay, so we leave this Friday,” I say, feeling very proud of myself.
 
I am not going to just sit around and let some asscheese take my best friend’s father or business from her.
 
Those lawyers aren’t doing crap.
 
It’s time for someone to do something real for a change.
 
I don’t mind taking a risk for Teagan.
 
She’s my best friend and she’d do the same for me.
 
So what if it’s a little harebrained?
 
I can’t just do nothing.

I ignore the thoughts niggling at the back of my mind that are telling me I’m biting off more than I can chew, that I’m doing something completely out of character for myself, that I could very well be doing stupid things just because I’m trying to prove a point - what that point is and who I’m proving it to, well, that’s a complete unknown.
 
And besides … it doesn’t matter.
 
I’m going to put my conscience in a time-out for the next seven days.
 
After that, it can come out and berate me all it wants.
 
Until then, I’m a free agent, baby.
 
And I’m about to have a little fun and take a few names while I’m at it.

Colin hands me a full mug of bubbly yellow awfulness and raises his in the air.
 
It hovers in the space centered on the three of us.
 
“Here’s to fighting crime.”

We all touch glasses.
 
Someone’s beer sloshes out onto my hand.

“Here’s to keeping your asses out of trouble,” says Mick.
 
“And not out of Colin’s dumb ass, but
actual
trouble … the kind people go to jail for.”
 
He glares at me.

“Here’s to making things right,” I say, refusing to acknowledge his bad fortunetelling.
 
Just before I take a drink from my mug, I finish my thought. “And here’s to raising a little hell along the way.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

ALISSA HAS HER NOSE UP in the air and is blinking her eyes.
 
“Like I said.
 
Either you take me with you or I tell Teagan what you’re doing.”

I huff out a burst of annoyed air, hoping Teagan and Rebel won’t get home prematurely from their house-hunting trip and catch me getting ready to kick a pregnant girl’s ass.
 
“God, this is so ridiculous.
 
You’re pregnant!”
 
I gesture at her belly with disgust.
 
It’s not that she’s ugly or anything, it’s just that I cannot believe someone carrying a baby around inside her thinks joining our adventure would be a good parenting move.
 
I can’t be in the middle of that bad decision.

“So?!
 
Pregnant doesn’t make me handicapped.”

“Uh, yes it does.”
 
I roll my eyes in Mick and Colin’s direction, but it doesn’t do any good; neither of them will look at me or her.

She hikes her backpack strap up higher on her shoulder.
 
“Whatever.
 
I’m packed and I’m ready to go and I know you are too.
 
So let’s do this.”

I glare at Mick.
 
“This is your fault.”

“How is it my fault?”
 
He finally looks at me, throwing his hands up in the air.
 
“You were the one blabbing every day this week about our plans.
 
Just cuz she was sitting there staring at her damn book reader thingy doesn’t mean she’s deaf.”

“Exactly,” Alissa says, very satisfied with herself. “So I know everything you have planned, and I’m totally on board.”
 
She changes her attitude in a flash, downshifting into pitiful pleading.
 
“Please, Quin?
 
I really want to help Teagan.
 
She’s doing all this for me and all I’m doing is spongeing off her.
 
I want to do something to contribute.
 
I want to help her get her life back.
 
Let me do this.
 
I could be very helpful, I promise.”

The pregnant pleading is getting to me. Round bellies are like Kryptonite.
 
I try to harden my soul and adjust my tone to make it meaner.
 
I need her to hate me so she’ll just drop this nonsense and go away.
 
“No.
 
You’ll just slow us down.”

Instead of scaring her, I think I accidentally gave her false hope.
 
She sounds way too excited.
 
“No, I won’t, I promise.
 
I’m perfectly healthy and everything is fine with the baby.
 
And I’ve been in drama club for six years. I can totally pull anything off you need me to.”

“What do you think, Colin?”
 
I look over my shoulder at him.
 
I know what he’s going to say, so I’m using him to bolster my arguments.
 
No one can stand having Colin angry at them.
 
She’ll run to the bathroom crying.

“I think it’s a bad idea,” he says.
 
He won’t look at either of us.
 
Something very interesting on the ceiling has his attention.
 
I think it’s a speck of lint. He’s so not intimidating when he does that.

“Who cares what you think?” Alissa says, the venom in her voice hard to miss.

I laugh without humor.
 
“Whoa, pregnancy hormones … have any of those, maybe?”
 
I’m hoping if I point out the obvious, she’ll see the error of her ways and stay home with her nose in another book.

She puts her second arm through her backpack straps.
 
“Say what you want.
 
I’m going, and you can’t stop me.”

“Wanna bet?” I say, walking towards the door.
 
I really, really don’t like being strong-armed by a pregnant girl wearing argyle socks.

The three of us are nearly all the way out and the apartment is almost closed up again when her voice comes through the crack in the door.
 
“I’ll tell!
 
I’m calling Teagan now!”

“God
dammit!”
I growl in a very loud whisper, shutting the door not quite all the way.
 
“She’s going to fucking blow this before we can even get it started.”
 
I give Mick the angry eyebrow.
 
“This is your fault.”

“
My
fault?
 
How is this my fault?”

“You’re the one who’s been all nicey-nice to her. She probably likes you.” I hate that a spark of jealousy flames to life over that little observation.
 
He’s not mine.
 
I don’t have any claim on his fine ass because my life sucks massive donkey dong at the moment.