Page 104 of Don't Bet On It
And that was the best thing he could’ve ever said to me. I didn’t want to be the thing that dragged him down. I wanted to be the person who lifted him up.
We would finish this. Together.
28
TWENTY-EIGHT
Was I worried my father was up to something? A little. Seeing him with Ryder Stone had been jarring. Deep down, I didn’t believe my father was doing anything evil. Was that wishful thinking? Maybe. In truth, it came down to my father being too smart for something this stupid.
Still—still—a small seed of niggling doubt flared to life when Zach, Rex, Ruby, and Olivia strolled into the lounge.
“I feel as if I’m about to go in front of a firing squad,” Tallulah muttered.
Even though it was a serious situation, I burst out laughing. That was such a Tallulah thing to say.
“See, I feel as if I’ve been called to the principal’s office,” I admitted. “That’s somehow worse to me.”
“You think getting called to the principal’s office is worse than being put in front of a firing squad?” she challenged.
“Um, yeah. With a firing squad, it’s over quickly. At the principal’s office, it could linger for days.”
“Wow.” She gave me a long once-over, genuine fondness shining in her eyes. “You’re kind of a geek. Have I ever told you that?”
“I’m fine with it.” I meant it. “That’s not a deal-breaker for you, is it?”
“No.” Her voice was soft. “It’s not a deal-breaker. It’s … a pretty cool deal.”
“Good.” I leaned in and rested my forehead against hers for a brief moment. At the sound of someone clearing his throat—my guess was Rex—I lifted my head and found we were the center of attention. “I guess you want an explanation,” I said lamely.
Zach crossed his arms over his chest. “We closed down the lounge because Candy said this was important. I guess you could say that we want an explanation.”
“It might take a little time,” Tallulah hedged.
“We have time,” Zach said. “Just tell us what’s going on. We can’t help until we know what it is.”
I forced a tight smile. “Okay, but remember that you asked for it.”
THE STORY TOOK LONGER THAN I THOUGHTto relay, mostly because Tallulah and I kept backtracking to make sure we had all the pertinent details correct. When we finished, Zach seemed flummoxed, which resulted in him being contemplative.
Olivia, however, was ready to start busting heads. “I’ve always known that Sharon is a snake,” she hissed. “Didn’t I tell you?” she demanded of Tallulah.
In my opinion, that was a rude question to ask Sharon’s daughter. Tallulah might have no respect for her mother, but despite everything, there was still some love there. It might have been buried deep—so deep it was almost invisible—but it was still there. Tallulah didn’t seem bothered by Olivia’s statement, however.
“You did tell me that,” my girlfriend—because she was my official girlfriend, finally—acknowledged. “I believe I told you that first, though.”
Olivia grumbled something unintelligible under her breath. Then she straightened. “How do we kill them and get away with it?” she asked with a straight face.
Rex shot his sister an incredulous look, and Ruby jolted. Only Zach and I laughed, knowing it wasn’t a serious question. Olivia was simply venting her emotions.
“Killing them is not on the agenda, baby,” Zach replied, his hand landing on Olivia’s back. He seemed conflicted. “Although I do have some questions about how you would want to do something like that, even if it’s just a fantasy.”
There was no hesitation when Olivia responded. “I’ve seenCasino. I know exactly how many bodies are buried in the desert. We have a plan.”
Confusion had me glancing over at Tallulah when Olivia gestured toward her. The “plan” obviously involved my girlfriend. “You have a plan?” I challenged.
I expected Tallulah to laugh or even be embarrassed. Maybe this plan was something they’d talked about when they were kids. She didn’t look bothered in the least, however.
“Of course we have a plan,” Tallulah replied. “We’ve been amassing enemies since elementary school. If someone ever goes nuclear, we know exactly how to deal with them. It’s going to be glorious.”
