Page 88 of Sinners Reunion

Chef laughs into the mic. “Ha! So he was telling the truth? I’m glad I lied about you, then. Enjoy the repercussions of my actions, you deviant food freak.”

I place the mic back into its holder. Then I turn to look at the two of them. “There you have it, straight from the jackass’s mouth. He lied to Blayne, and then Blayne tried to destroy me. Probably to throw suspicion away from him.”

Ice Pick drops into the passenger’s seat. He places his elbows on his knees and his large melon head in his hands. “I didn’t want to believe it was you, but I don’t want to believe it’s him, either. I don’t think he’d do something like that. Not now, of all times. He’s always been the one to watch over Charity when I had to go on the road.”

Josie and I share a look.

“How long had the two of you been dating?” she asks. “And how often were Charity and Blayne left alone?”

“We were together for almost three months, and he looked after her for more than half that time, but I’m telling y’all, it wasn’t like you’re thinking. Whenever she tried to cheat on me, he’d punish her.”

“Punish her how?” I ask.

Ice Pick rubs his chin and looks up at the ceiling. “One time she had welts all over her ass because he had to paddle her hide for flirting with the mailman. Another time, he left bruises on her throat from choking her, but she really shouldn’t have let the next-door neighbor watch her take off her underthings. The choking was consensual, by the way. He was kind enough to let her pick her punishment.”

I think I’ve heard enough.

“Well, you’ve certainly given me a lot to think about, Ice Pick. I’d prefer if you kept what happened between us. For now, allow Blayne to believe I’m still suspect enough, and don’t mention what you overheard between Chef Maurice and me, understood?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, King,” he says. “You’ll help me figure this out, won’t you?”

I hold out my hand. “Just remember to keep this between us, and you have my word.”

In fact, I think I’ve already figured it out. And if I’m lucky, the plan forming in my mind will prove my suspicions correct in front of everyone.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Josie

We rolled into Arizona late last night after entirely too long on the road. Jim and King pushed everyone through the night, mile after grueling mile. This next event comes with a very strict timeline. Jim could only stop air traffic over the Grand Canyon for so long.

I hold a set of glittering pink racing coveralls against my body. The metallic finish on the helmet matches, as do my racing goggles. There’s just one problem.

“Isn’t Jim concerned about heatstroke?” I run the thick fabric through my fingers. “It’s summertime in Arizona. We’ll die, dude.”

King grunts as he steps into a set of glittering black coveralls. “This event happens in two parts. The first part is our racer construction. We’ll be in an air-conditioned facility, so not to worry. The second part happens at the canyon tomorrow. We’ll change into more agreeable attire before we race our Cattle over the cliff.”

The event sounds fun, but it’s not enough to get my mind off everything else. Like the fact that I’ve set a date with the girls and can’t back out of telling them my secret now. Or the mystery of which of us ruined Ice Pick’s life.

Then there’s the whole King issue. I’m discovering new breaches to my defenses on a daily fucking basis. If I’m not careful, I’m heading toward a loss of epic proportions. I’ll lose not only the bet, but my sanity as well.

“What’s on your mind?” King brushes my hair out of my face and sets the helmet on my head, and I wish he wouldn’t look at me like that. So kind. So caring. “You look miles away. Do you need release before the event?”

I shake my head, wishing it were as simple as needing an orgasm.

“Would it be okay if I sat this first part out?” I say. “I kind of need some time to think.”

He eases the helmet off my head, tosses it to the bed, then raises my hand to his mouth and kisses it. “Too much peopling?”

I nod.

“You take all the time you need to recharge. I can’t skip it, I’m afraid. We’re paired with Bennett and Cat, and I’d hate to see what the two of them come up with without supervision.” He grimaces. “That’s if they can pull themselves away from the pantry long enough to stop fucking our lunch.”

I sit on the edge of the bed and pull the helmet into my lap. “That’ll be good for Bennett. I bet he never got to do stuff like this with his dad.”

“So you’ve heard about their absentee father in detail?”

“I have.”