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I pat his arm. “Thanks, dude. I really appreciate that.”
He shakes his head as he backs away. “Hadley Harlyton, you are by far the most amusing girl I’ve ever met.”
Smiling, I wave to him then turn toward my next class, but then I frown when I spot Austin leaning against his locker with a book tucked underneath his arm and a cocky smile plastered across his face.
“Hadley, Hadley, Hadley, what’s a pretty girl like you doing walking around with a frown on your face?” he says as I pass him.
“I was smiling until I saw you,” I respond as I push through a crowd of people blocking my way.
He strolls after me, his shiny-ass shoes squeaking against the linoleum floor. “You know, I’d be offended if I didn’t find it so hot when you smarted off to me.”
I roll my eyes so damn hard they nearly get stuck in my head. “I’m seriously not in the mood for your preppy, hairy-chested presence right now.”
“My chest isn’t hairy,” he argues. “I thought we already established that yesterday.”
“No, you tried to convince me it wasn’t. But I have eyes, and your chest is like one step away from looking like a fur coat.” I throw him a snarky grin. “Makes me wonder how hairy your back is.”
“Why don’t we skip class and go back to my place so I can show you?” He grins, leaning closer to me. “Because I assure you it’s not hairy. Just like my chest isn’t. I just think you’ve never been around a real man before.”
“You said that yesterday, too,” I remind him, inching away as his arm brushes mine. “You need to start coming up with better comebacks.”
“I’m trying.” He sweeps strands of hair out of his eyes. “But you’re really hard to go up against. Give me some time, though. I’ll be able to hold my own.”
I elevate my brow. “Is that your way of trying to compliment me?”
A smile curls at his lips. “That all depends.”
“On what?”
“On if you see it as a compliment.”
I want to say no, but truthfully, I kind of like the idea of being hard to go up against.
Badass Hadley. I’ve worked really hard to be her.
I lift a shoulder. “Not really.”
“Liar,” he says, his gaze scanning my face. “What’s up with you today? You seem stressed out.”
I give him an insinuating look. “Like you don’t know why I would be?”
“I really don’t. My dad let you off the hook, so I figure everything’s all good in Hadley Land.”
“He didn’t let me off the hook.” I come to a stop in front of the door of my next class. “I still have to find those bags that my dad took, and since I have no clue where the hell my dad is and where the hell he hid the bags, I’m pretty sure I’m screwed.” I give him a half-ass wave then step toward the classroom when he wraps his fingers around my arm, stopping me.
“Careful,” I warn. “I don’t like being grabbed.”
He releases his hold on me and holds up his hands. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to tell you something.” He slips his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Something that might be able to help you with the bag situation.”
Considering how Austin was the one to make me go see his father, I’m not sure I trust him. And he doesn’t seem that trustworthy. However, I’m also pretty damn desperate at this point, so I decide to hear him out.
I cross my arms. “All right, I’m listening.”
His lips quirk. “I think I might know a guy who can help you find the bags your dad stole.”
I assess him, trying to decipher if he’s full of crap. “Who’s this guy? And how would he know where the bags are?”
“He’s someone who works in surveillance for my dad, and he could know if he was doing surveillance on him when he hid them.”
