"You know what would be even more awesome?" he added. "An army of samurai."
I thought he was going to suggest an army of robots. Maybe one screw was still in place. Barely.
"Everything that's going to happen is going to happen inside." I pushed out of the car and adjusted my earpiece. "Can you guys hear me?"
"Loud and clear," Forrest's voice came back. "We'll be leaving the house in a few minutes. It won't take long to get to the party."
He didn't sound out of breath. Either he was hiding it well, or they hadn't stopped to fuck before they got into their fancy clothes. Of course, any fucking had to happen before that or they'd wrinkle their outfits.
That was the one upside to all of this: I didn't have to wear a suit. Leif had looked like he couldn't wait. For some reason I couldn't understand, he seemed to enjoy wearing one. Forrest wore one to work every day, so he probably didn't think about it much.
Me, I felt ridiculous. Okay, Ilookedamazing, but I felt stupid. Give me jeans and a flannel shirt any day.
"Is Sable okay?" I asked.
At first, I thought he didn't hear the question, but then he said, "As well as can be expected."
He must have hesitated, trying to find the right response. Possibly considering whether or not to tell me it was a dumb thing to ask. Of course she wasn't all right. Knowing your father was a piece of shit, and realizing the extent of it? That would fuckanyone up. She was tough though. Strong. She'd get through this.
I might too, someday.
I never said I wasn't fucked up in the head because of my father. Or my sister going missing. Or my mother dying. I could have used it as an excuse to be a complete prick, but I had some restraint.
Yeah, okay, laugh, but I did. I hadn't burned the world down.
Yet.
"Stay out of sight," Forrest said, as if he hadn't told me that before I left. We'd gone over all of this already. Accounted for as many variables as we could. Hoped like hell not to find any nasty surprises waiting for us. Every detail written down on Leif's wannabe murder board.
So far, I saw no signs of trouble. Nothing but a bunch of rich people dressed in expensive clothes, dripping in diamonds. They approach the door, laughing about whatever the fuck people like that laughed about.
Group after group swept inside, the door closed behind them. Security lurking around, making sure no one tried to enter that wasn't on the guest list. If you could call them security. They hadn't noticed me yet. Of course they wouldn't, I was too good at staying out of sight.
Christmas music sounded from inside. The same old ones that were recycled year after year. Under my breath I sang, "All I want for Christmas is fuck this shit."
No Whamageddon yet. Give it time. They'd drag that one out sooner or later.
Was it too late to grab Sable and run away to the North Pole? Santa would be too busy getting presents ready to notice a couple of more people turning up. Sable would look cute as a Christmas elf. A red outfit with white faux fur on the hem.
I slipped into the shadows under a tree and watched as three guys, all a bit younger than me, step out of a car in front of the Kohls’ house. Stride for stride, they headed up to the door. Each wore a suit that was worth a year or two of wages. Tailor-made to fit like a black silk condom. They all looked like they were born with a silver spoon up their asses.
They probably wore 'Entitled Prick for Men' so they could stink pretty.
I mentally flipped them off. I didn't know who they were, but I could tell they were pricks. They said that in every step they took. The gazes they slid over the house like it was barely worth their time to come here. As though it was a brick toilet block covered in graffiti and the stains from fuck only knows what all over it. Not a three-story mansion a block from the beach, with perfectly manicured and maintained gardens and a huge pool in the back.
Leif would love it here. I bet it had one of those ice plunge things he wanted so much. A sauna too. Not to mention an extensive wine cellar worth millions.
Hell, I was starting to want the place myself. Not that I needed anything this big. What would I do with it anyway? Apart from holding ridiculously expensive, exclusive parties. I had Leif to do those for me without having a huge house.
"We should have—" the only blond amongst them started to say when the door was opened and they were welcomed inside.
I was curious what theyshouldhave done, but didn't give that much of a shit. Chances were, we'd find them firmly on the same shit list with Sable's parents. If that was the case, I'd happily ruin their fancy suits with their own blood.
"This was the first house in Saltgrave Cove." Noah's voice came out of the shadows behind me.
Lucky for all of us, I managed not to startle. The guy was good at sneaking, I had to give him that. He might be almost as good as me.
"The place was originally settled by the Rivers family," he continued, like a professor giving a lecture. "They owned all the land around here, miles and miles of it. They started selling off parcels a hundred years ago. The place went from private farmland to a coastal town. The house has been renovated a couple of times, but it's still in its original style. From the outside at least. It's on the historical register, so it has to be." He peered up at it.
