Twisted Palace
Page 44
“Okay. I’ll text you later.”
He wanders off to where his Rover is parked, and I wait until he’s driving away before calling Val. I put the phone on speaker as I pull out of the parking lot.
“Tell me the downside of this deal,” I say the moment she picks up. “What kinds of favors would Jordan ask of me? Like, I don’t want to tape any girl up to the side of the school because she talked to Jordan’s boyfriend.”
“I’ve been thinking about this since lunch,” Val answers.
“And?”
“And I think just because she asks you to do something doesn’t mean you have to do it. You owe her a favor, not a specific one.”
“Good point.” I press down on the gas, even though I hate driving fast. Well, I hate driving, period. But I especially hate driving fast. If I don’t hurry, though, I’m going to be late. “I like the way you’re thinking.”
“Let’s say she asks you to do something you’re not comfortable with. You just tell her to come back with something else.”
“Right. So I’m going to keep my word, if I give it, but it’s within the spirit of the agreement to exercise a veto over shitty acts.”
“Right,” she confirms. “So you gonna do it?”
“I think so.”
Jordan’s proposal does solve all my problems. Steve wants me to be involved in activities so I’ll be less interested in spending time with the Royals. I like dancing. The only downside is that I have to spend time with Jordan.
“This thing is only temporary until that other girl gets back,” I say. “So really, I’ll just be an alternate.”
“Do you want me to tell her yes?” Val asks.
“Is she there with you right now? Blink twice if you’re in danger,” I tease, pulling into the hotel’s parking garage.
Val laughs. “Nope, she’s at practice. Actually, you’ll appreciate this. Jordan scheduled all the dance team practices at the same time as the football team workouts.”
“Even better.” I grin to myself. “Okay, tell her I’m in, with payment to be made later.”
Val chuckles again. “Gotcha. I’ll relay the message when she gets home.”
* * *
The elevators don’t appreciate that I’m five minutes late and take forever to arrive and carry me up the forty-plus floors. However, when I walk in the door ten minutes after four, Steve isn’t even home. It’s just Dinah.
“Well, look at you,” she sneers from her perch on the leather sofa. “You’re surprisingly obedient. Like a little dog that comes when you’re called, sits when you’re told, and stays when you’re ordered to stay.”
In her hand is another stemmed glass, or maybe it’s the same glass from this morning and she’s just been refilling it all day.
I’m tempted to snark at her to get a job, but then I remind myself that she’s just lost her best friend and that Steve’s brutal to her. Then again, he thinks she tried to kill him, which doesn’t seem all that far-fetched considering what a witch she is.
“I’m going to my room,” I mutter as I walk past her. “I have homework.”
Her taunting voice tickles my back. “Your father brought you a gift, Princess. It’s lying on your bed.”
By the way she says that, I know I’m not going to like whatever Steve got me.
Sure enough, when I dump out the contents of the shopping bag on the bed, I find three pairs of cotton khakis.
Too bad there isn’t a fireplace in this hotel suite.
“I hear there’s an away game this weekend,” Dinah drawls from the door.
I look up to find her leaning against the frame. Her long legs are encased in a pair of loose-fitting pants and she has a sheer floral top on. It’s kind of a dressy look for hanging around the suite, and I wonder who she’s been visiting.
“How do you know that? Are you blackmailing some poor high school student, too?”
She smirks. “Is that why you think Gideon’s in my bed? Darling, you are delightfully naïve. Have you ever heard of a Royal doing anything he doesn’t want to do?” She drags her hand down her body to settle at her waist, emphasizing the tininess of it. “Gideon can’t get enough of me.”
I hold back a barf. “I know you’re blackmailing him,” I reply coldly.
“Is that the excuse he uses?” She juts her delicate chin forward. “He sleeps with me because he wants to. Because he can’t stay away.”
Ugh. I don’t need to hear another word of this.
“Why are you still married to Steve, then? It’s obvious you guys don’t love each other.” I sweep the pants back into the bag and set it onto the floor.
“Oh my goodness. Is that why you think people get married? Because they love each other?” She starts to laugh. “I’m here for Steve’s money and he knows it. Which is why he treats me like shit, but don’t worry, he pays for each word he says to me.” She waves a hand over her outfit. “Like this? It cost him three thousand dollars. And every day that he’s an asshole to me, I’ll spend a little more. And while I’m with him, I’m fantasizing about Gideon.”
“That’s beyond gross.” I walk to the door, pushing her out. Dinah’s my favorite for the killer, mostly because I can’t stand her. Finding evidence against her is the problem. “I’m going to study now.”
I slam the door in her face and pull out a sheet of paper that I title Dinah. Underneath, I write means, motive, and opportunity.
Then I stare at it for an hour without writing another frickin’ letter.
* * *
I’m still hiding in my room, doodling all over the Dinah page while Orange is the New Black plays on my laptop, when Steve knocks on my door.
“You decent?” he says.
I shove the paper under my laptop and hop to my feet. “Yeah.”
“How was school?” he asks, poking his head inside.
“Good. How was work?” I grab a sweatshirt from the chair near the window and slip it on.
Steve eyes the top with a smidge of unhappiness, guessing from the size that it’s not mine but Reed’s. “It was good. The R&D team is getting close to having a prototype finished of a hypersonic delivery vehicle.”
He wanders off to where his Rover is parked, and I wait until he’s driving away before calling Val. I put the phone on speaker as I pull out of the parking lot.
“Tell me the downside of this deal,” I say the moment she picks up. “What kinds of favors would Jordan ask of me? Like, I don’t want to tape any girl up to the side of the school because she talked to Jordan’s boyfriend.”
“I’ve been thinking about this since lunch,” Val answers.
“And?”
“And I think just because she asks you to do something doesn’t mean you have to do it. You owe her a favor, not a specific one.”
“Good point.” I press down on the gas, even though I hate driving fast. Well, I hate driving, period. But I especially hate driving fast. If I don’t hurry, though, I’m going to be late. “I like the way you’re thinking.”
“Let’s say she asks you to do something you’re not comfortable with. You just tell her to come back with something else.”
“Right. So I’m going to keep my word, if I give it, but it’s within the spirit of the agreement to exercise a veto over shitty acts.”
“Right,” she confirms. “So you gonna do it?”
“I think so.”
Jordan’s proposal does solve all my problems. Steve wants me to be involved in activities so I’ll be less interested in spending time with the Royals. I like dancing. The only downside is that I have to spend time with Jordan.
“This thing is only temporary until that other girl gets back,” I say. “So really, I’ll just be an alternate.”
“Do you want me to tell her yes?” Val asks.
“Is she there with you right now? Blink twice if you’re in danger,” I tease, pulling into the hotel’s parking garage.
Val laughs. “Nope, she’s at practice. Actually, you’ll appreciate this. Jordan scheduled all the dance team practices at the same time as the football team workouts.”
“Even better.” I grin to myself. “Okay, tell her I’m in, with payment to be made later.”
Val chuckles again. “Gotcha. I’ll relay the message when she gets home.”
* * *
The elevators don’t appreciate that I’m five minutes late and take forever to arrive and carry me up the forty-plus floors. However, when I walk in the door ten minutes after four, Steve isn’t even home. It’s just Dinah.
“Well, look at you,” she sneers from her perch on the leather sofa. “You’re surprisingly obedient. Like a little dog that comes when you’re called, sits when you’re told, and stays when you’re ordered to stay.”
In her hand is another stemmed glass, or maybe it’s the same glass from this morning and she’s just been refilling it all day.
I’m tempted to snark at her to get a job, but then I remind myself that she’s just lost her best friend and that Steve’s brutal to her. Then again, he thinks she tried to kill him, which doesn’t seem all that far-fetched considering what a witch she is.
“I’m going to my room,” I mutter as I walk past her. “I have homework.”
Her taunting voice tickles my back. “Your father brought you a gift, Princess. It’s lying on your bed.”
By the way she says that, I know I’m not going to like whatever Steve got me.
Sure enough, when I dump out the contents of the shopping bag on the bed, I find three pairs of cotton khakis.
Too bad there isn’t a fireplace in this hotel suite.
“I hear there’s an away game this weekend,” Dinah drawls from the door.
I look up to find her leaning against the frame. Her long legs are encased in a pair of loose-fitting pants and she has a sheer floral top on. It’s kind of a dressy look for hanging around the suite, and I wonder who she’s been visiting.
“How do you know that? Are you blackmailing some poor high school student, too?”
She smirks. “Is that why you think Gideon’s in my bed? Darling, you are delightfully naïve. Have you ever heard of a Royal doing anything he doesn’t want to do?” She drags her hand down her body to settle at her waist, emphasizing the tininess of it. “Gideon can’t get enough of me.”
I hold back a barf. “I know you’re blackmailing him,” I reply coldly.
“Is that the excuse he uses?” She juts her delicate chin forward. “He sleeps with me because he wants to. Because he can’t stay away.”
Ugh. I don’t need to hear another word of this.
“Why are you still married to Steve, then? It’s obvious you guys don’t love each other.” I sweep the pants back into the bag and set it onto the floor.
“Oh my goodness. Is that why you think people get married? Because they love each other?” She starts to laugh. “I’m here for Steve’s money and he knows it. Which is why he treats me like shit, but don’t worry, he pays for each word he says to me.” She waves a hand over her outfit. “Like this? It cost him three thousand dollars. And every day that he’s an asshole to me, I’ll spend a little more. And while I’m with him, I’m fantasizing about Gideon.”
“That’s beyond gross.” I walk to the door, pushing her out. Dinah’s my favorite for the killer, mostly because I can’t stand her. Finding evidence against her is the problem. “I’m going to study now.”
I slam the door in her face and pull out a sheet of paper that I title Dinah. Underneath, I write means, motive, and opportunity.
Then I stare at it for an hour without writing another frickin’ letter.
* * *
I’m still hiding in my room, doodling all over the Dinah page while Orange is the New Black plays on my laptop, when Steve knocks on my door.
“You decent?” he says.
I shove the paper under my laptop and hop to my feet. “Yeah.”
“How was school?” he asks, poking his head inside.
“Good. How was work?” I grab a sweatshirt from the chair near the window and slip it on.
Steve eyes the top with a smidge of unhappiness, guessing from the size that it’s not mine but Reed’s. “It was good. The R&D team is getting close to having a prototype finished of a hypersonic delivery vehicle.”
