Page 37 of Endless Anger
“I seriously doubt that.”
“Would you just come on? Jeez. Act like you miss your big sister, you little rat.”
Biting back a smirk, I get up and shrug into my jacket. Foxe hasn’t come back out, so I tell Aiden and Riley where I’m going, and head down to the lobby.
My sister stands at reception, twirling a piece of her long, dark brown hair around one finger.
“…you can’t beat LA views, but New York does come pretty close,” she tells a short, stocky bellhop behind the counter. “NYC wasn’t quite far enough from home though, you know what I mean? Sometimes, you just have to fly across the country and start fresh.”
He’s not paying attention to a word she says, too busy staring down the plunging neckline of the dark green romper she’s wearing.
If she notices, she doesn’t seem to mind. Attention is currency to her.
I mind though. It’s fucking weird.
Snatching her hand, I tug her away from the desk before she can say any parting words, and she lets out a small yelp, jerking out of my hold.
“Hey!” She tenses and whirls on me, her hazel eyes wide and handoutstretched as if to slap me. When she realizes who I am, she lets that arm fall, breaking into a smile instead. “Oh yay! You’re here!”
Throwing her arms around my neck, she launches against me, giving the tightest hug I’ve ever received. Even from her, the most touchy-feely person I’ve ever met.
I pull back, holding her away with both hands on her shoulders. She seems thinner than before, and there’s something off about her smile, but I don’t say that.
“What are you doing here?”
Her lips form a perfect pout. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“I just saw you at Q’s birthday party.”
“Months ago! Don’t you miss me at all when I’m gone?”
I’m not really sure what to say to that, so I don’t reply to it. “You seem weird.”
“How so?”
Squinting at her, I note the mascara smudged beneath her eyelids. The shallow curves of her cheeks, the way she can’t seem to fully maintain eye contact, instead volleying between mine like she’s vibrating.
Quincy’s the calm and collected one, and Noelle is the glamorous one, but there’s nothing glitzy about the way she looks right now. Like Los Angeles has somehow sucked the soul right out of her body.
“I don’t know,” I say finally. It doesn’t feel right to pry.
I’m sure if something were wrong, she’d have told our parents anyway.
“All right, whatever.” She grabs my hand, yanking me toward the front entrance of the hotel. “Let’s go.”
“This is kidnapping,” I mention as she drags me outside into a waiting SUV.
“Kidnapping is our family legacy,” she says simply, shoving me into the passenger seat. “Shut up andenjoy the ride.”
Several blocks past the Carlyle,she stops at a gas station, turning the engine off and hopping out. She extends her palm across the console, waiting.
I arch an eyebrow.
“Gas money please.”
My other eyebrow hitches as well. “You’re asking me to fund my own kidnapping?”
“Well, just the trip.” She reaches behind her head, rubbing the back of her neck. “I’m a little strapped for cash right now.”
