Page 16 of Lethal Beauty

Keene studied me, and I could see the wheels turning as he looked at the countless empty bottles of liquor Boone had pulled out in his quest for alcohol before landing on the remaining bit of whiskey. Awareness dawning, he placed his bottle of water carefully on the table, studying it as if it were a coiled snake.

“Want to take your chances, or should we get takeout?” I asked with a smirk. No way in hell would I eat there. I needed to be in top form for whatever tomorrow brought, and I had a feeling staying at Boone’s was akin to rolling the dice on that outcome. Keene rose quickly, snatching the bottle as Boone began pouring more whiskey into his glass.

“Hey,” Boone cried as Keene dumped it unceremoniously down the drain.

“You should thank me,” Keene said over his brother’s outrage. “You really think she missed a bottle?”

Boone straightened. “Well, shit.”

I snickered. If he was lucky, that’s all that would happen to him.

Keene chucked the glass into the recycling. “If you’re planning to eat that,” he pointed to the oven and the dinner bubbling away, “then you’re either braver or stupider than I am.”

Boone frowned sullenly. “Housekeeper was just here an hour ago. It’s safe. And I only had one small drink.”

I shook my head, following Keene to the door. I was going with stupid over brave. “Suit yourself,” Keene called as we walked out the door. We’d just got into the car when his phone rang over the speakers, the SUV’s Bluetooth taking over as he answered.

“That little witch,” Royce said, his voice full of aggravation. “She put an entire bottle of bubble bath in my front fountain. Pink bubbles! It looks like a fucking princess cloud party in my front yard!” he practically yelled the last, and I lost control. Laughing, I tilted my head at Keene, who, despite himself, looked amused and intrigued.

“This isn’t fucking funny.” His voice boomed over the speakers. Keene winced, turning down the volume on the controls. “The police and fire department showed up.”

“We’re heading to pick up dinner. Want us to get you something?” he asked casually as he backed out of Boone’s driveway.

“No, I don’t fucking want dinner!” He was still swearing when Keene cut the call, the silence ringing in both of our ears.

“You afraid to go home yet?” I asked with a grin, loving Alessia’s brand of justice. Keene grunted, clearly not about to admit it. “Can we make a quick stop before grabbing something to eat?” I was grinning like a fool, my cheeks hurting from the workout I was putting them through, the muscles weak with lack of use. He looked at me, seeing the humor in my eyes. It took a moment and was slow in growing, but a smile crossed his face as well. “Want to do a drive-by?” I asked, and he snorted.

“Fucking princess cloud party? Hell, yeah,” he replied. I had a feeling my life just got a hell of a lot more interesting.

A few minutes later, after snapping a picture of what apparently was Royce’s front yard, I grinned. He was right—the bubbles were so thick you could barely see the house, rising high enough to touch the roof. The pink color added more comedy to the whole thing, and even the police and firefighters were laughing from where they stood on the road beside the driveway.

Taking a picture of them as well, I pulled up my contacts, attaching both to the number Alessia had given me that afternoon.

ME: HAD SOME FUN THIS AFTERNOON?

ALESSIA: WOW! THAT’S AWESOME. WHY ISN’T IT SHUT OFF?

ME: MY GUESS … TOO MANY BUBBLES TO SEE THE SHUT-OFF VALVE.

ALESSIA: LMAO, THE COPS AND FIREMEN BEING THERE IS ICING ON THE CAKE.

ME: PRINCESS CAKE??

ALESSIA: DON’T TEASE ME, CAKE ISN’T IN MY DIET PLAN.

ME: SHOULD I BE WORRIED BUNKING WITH KEENE TONIGHT?

ALESSIA: JUST STAY IN THE GUESTHOUSE AND YOU’LL BE FINE.

ME: IS BOONE GOING TO NEED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TONIGHT?

ALESSIA: HOW SHOULD I KNOW? I’M THE INNOCENT ONE, REMEMBER?

I snorted at that but pocketed my phone. The enchilada at Boone’s must have triggered cravings in Keene because he pulled into a Mexican restaurant a few minutes later. We both ordered a beer, sipping the cold brew appreciatingly when the server dropped them off with a basket of chips and salsa.

“Putting off the inevitable?” I asked, taking another pull of my beer.

Keene winced, shoving his bottle aside. “Let’s just say I’m not in a hurry to get home today.”

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