Page 16 of Crew Girl

Everyone was watching. Josh glared at Baloo.

“Yup,” Baloo said, all serious, like he was a doctor diagnosing him. “You’re mad.”

He stepped closer to Josh, his huge form towering over him menacingly.

“Well, there’s only one way to end this…” said Baloo. He grinned. “BEAR HUG!”

Everyone was circled around them so there was no escape. Baloo scooped him up and spun him around until Josh started laughing. “Enough!”

Baloo dropped him to the ground.

Britney hooked her arm into Josh’s and whispered, “Let’s dance. I’ve got Amber doing a little fact gathering to see if we can remind our newest Eastonian how things work here.”

“Stay out of it, yeah?” Crew was his thing. He didn’t need his girlfriend fighting his battles. He spotted Teagan talking with Cam and some other townies nearby.

What’s your deal, New Girl? he thought. What makes you think you can stick your fingers into pies you have no business touching?

Britney grabbed his chin, turned his face to hers.

“Why are you staring at the new girl?”

He shook her off. “I’m not.” He was. He needed to understand why she’d said what she had and what made her think she was right.

Brit gave a huff of irritation. Before she could launch into one, he held up a hand. “Look. I’m not… It’s not you. I just need some space.”

Britney stormed off. He saw her go over to Amber. Their heads were together as they whispered, looking at something on Amber’s phone. No doubt planning a takedown.

Maybe he did feel like having some tequila…

Too many shots later, Josh and everyone protested when the music stopped. Britney wrestled the microphone away from the DJ.

Shit.

Britney in a bad mood was as full-on as one of her brother’s bear hugs. Not in a good way. Josh had looked at another girl. So what? It wasn’t because he liked her. It was because she’d hit a nerve and he wasn’t exactly going to admit that, was he?

“Attention, everyone. Attention,” said Britney into the mic. “This is a public service announcement. I just wanted everyone to be aware that there is a thief in our midst.”

Okay. Not exactly what he’d been expecting.

A screen flickered to life behind her. A news anchor was talking about some nationwide hunt the FBI was doing.

He leaned in. What was she up to? Britney wasn’t a public service kind of girl.

“David Tao,” the newscaster said, “the owner of a boutique chain of hotels in California, allegedly defrauded his investment group of millions.” An image of the fugitive, with his wife and daughter, flashed onto the screen.

Teagan.

Teagan Tao was the daughter of one of America’s most wanted fugitives.

Josh took it all back. Brit was a genius. He’d dance with her for the rest of the night if she wanted.

The newscaster continued, “The fund was believed to have been embezzled to pay for Tao and his family’s lavish lifestyle. To date, authorities have been unable to locate him.”

Britney tapped the mic, her smile triumphant. “Where’s your dad, Teagan? Where’s the money?”

Everyone was staring at the new girl, backing away like she had a contagious disease. She might as well have. Living large at someone else’s expense did not go down well with the locals. For people like him? They all lived large at someone else’s expense. But they hadn’t been caught.

Teagan froze like a deer in headlights. Then, looking horrified, she fled the scene, stealing a bottle of vodka from the bar on the way out.