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“Look at me, Cara,” I cajole, rubbing her cold hands affectionately. “Don’t stress out on me now. You’re not exactly lying to Layla and Alaric, just omitting some facts.”
She chews on the corner of her naturally plump lip, still looking like she might puke instead of going through with my plan.
The thing is, I need Cara.
I need her to be my alibi.
Gray might be adamant about not wanting me to help him bring down a pedophile ring, but I’ll wear him down. He’ll see that I can be an asset sooner or later. It’s just a question of time. But for me to actually help, I have to make sure that my sister, and especially my father, are none the wiser about what Gray and I are up to. If Alaric gets wind of my plans, he’d lock me away someplace and chuck the key into the Hudson River.
Hence why I need Cara. She’s as wholesome as apple pie. Never one to speak out of turn or get herself involved in anything shady, Cara is the very definition of a good girl, and I need a bit of that wholesome charm of hers to trick Layla and Alaric long enough for me to help out Gray.
“I’m pretty sure omitting and lying are the same thing, Zoey,” she retorts anxiously, her soft, silky voice a stark contrast to my rough, quick-spoken one.
It takes Herculean effort for me not to roll my eyes.
“You sound like Gray,” I mumble, feeling disheartened.
Her big blue eyes soften as she squeezes my hands. “You like him,” she observes, making me pull my hands away from her.
“I like the challenge,” I retort on a huff. “You know as well as I do that I don’t do feelings. Just sex. And something tells me that sex with Gray will be life altering. So until he gives it up, I’ll do everything in my power to get him into my bed. That’s it, Cara. Don’t go seeing things that aren’t there.”
Her forehead furrows, and her gaze falls to the pavement for a split second before it locks with mine again. I see something akin to hurt in her eyes. “Don’t do that, Zoey. Don’t lie to me. Not you, never you.”
This time, I’m the one who starts fidgeting. “Fine,” I blurt out, throwing my hands in the air. “I like him. He’s the most interesting man I’ve ever met, and I can’t stop thinking about him. Happy now?”
The coy smile on her lips seeps into my black heart, warming it from within.
That’s Cara for you.
She has this way about her. She makes even the lousiest of people believe that there is some good inside them. I guess that’s one of the reasons we’ve been best friends for so long. She accepts me for who I am and doesn’t judge me for it when I’ve given her plenty of reasons for her to do so.
“Have you told him how you feel?” she asks, bringing me back to the conversation at hand.
“And scare Gray off? Not likely,” I scoff. “He’s skittish enough. That’s why I need you to do me this solid, Cara. All I need is a little time. Please.”
I know it’s the please that gets her in the end.
Cara has always had difficulty saying the word no, especially to the people she loves.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” she finally agrees, looking more confident in her ability to pull this off.
“Thank you, babe! I’ll owe you big time,” I gush.
“I just want to see you happy, Zoey. That’s a reward all in itself,” she replies tenderheartedly. I still have no idea how a shark of a politician can be this soft, caring person’s father.
I plant a fake smile on my face so my best friend doesn’t see how her words just pierced right through my heart and left a big hole in the middle. Happiness isn’t in the cards for me. I don’t think it ever will be. Happiness is letting your guard down, and once you do, it can easily be ripped away from you.
I’ll settle for adrenaline.
For the rush.
That’s as close as I’ll ever let happiness get to me.
These are the thoughts that play around in my head as Cara and I walk up the stairs to my childhood home. After one ring, my sister opens the door with little Sophie on her hip.
“Zoey! Cara! What a lovely surprise,” she says excitedly. “You girls should have called to tell me you were dropping by, and I would have made something special for dinner.”
“Auntie,” Sophie shrieks, stretching her arms out for me to grab her.
