AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t know what’s going on with your friend,” I told her. “I haven’t heard anything from Alistair, which means there’s nothing for me to sweep under the rug. If I heard something, I suppose I could let you know… although, if Gareth is connected to your friend as you suspect, I’ll be going against Alistair by informing you.”
It came to me quickly now, all of a sudden, an idea. Something I never could’ve done myself, but now that Brianna was in the picture… well, maybe things could change around here.
Brianna was smart enough to know I wouldn’t do something for her for free, and she asked, “What do you want?” She sounded willing to do anything I wanted, to give me anything—and I couldn’t lie, there were quite a few things I could’ve asked for. The feel of her lips on mine again wouldn’t be so bad.
But that’s not what I had in mind.
I ran a hand down the side of my face. “I want you to do some research for me. There’s a reason I can’t go against Alistair. Search that house, top to bottom if you have to. Agree to help me, and I’ll see what I can do for you.”
Her eyebrows furrowed, but she didn’t say no. “What do you want me to look for?” At least she understood it was a quid pro quo kind of arrangement. She wouldn’t get anything from me if she didn’t help me in return.
“Anything. If you can find what he has on me, that’d work. Or maybe you can find something else, evidence of something he would prefer the world not to know.”
“You want to blackmail him back.”
Again, I shrugged. Honestly, I’d take anything at this point. I’d never had an in at the house. I’d never been welcome in it, not after I’d killed my brother. Hell, after Gareth had murdered Veronica, the last place I ever wanted to step foot was Montgomery Manor.
But it was time. More than enough time had passed.
Brianna thought about it for a minute. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
I had to smile at her. She was so gung ho about it, so uncaring that she might find herself in loads of trouble doing this for me. “Needless to say, if you’re caught, you can’t tell him or Gareth why you’re snooping around. This arrangement between us is strictly confidential.”
She nodded. “I understand. It might take me some time to go through the house—I’ll have to be careful. In the meantime, if you hear anything about Erin, I want to know.” She leaned forward, plucked a pen off my desk and found a stack of Post-It notes sitting in front of my computer. She jotted something down, then pushed the small pad toward me.
Her phone number.
“Of course.” I tore off the top post-it and folded it up, sliding it into my pocket. “Now, unless there’s anything else you want to discuss, maybe I should drive you home.” I could let her walk, but seeing as how I wasn’t doing anything currently, why not?
Why not spend a little more time with this interesting girl?
I could tell she wanted to deny me, but she simply stood up and said, “Fine, but you’ll drop me off down the street so no one sees me getting out of your car.” She said nothing else, turning around and giving me her back as she headed for the door, her bookbag slung over her right shoulder. She wasn’t waiting for me.
I grabbed my coffee cup, downed the rest of it, and hurried after her.
Well, this day had turned into a very interesting day. I had no idea if Gareth was involved with her friend’s disappearance, or if her friend had even truly disappeared. If her parents hadn’t called her in missing, then… I couldn’t say what was going on, but if looking into it behind Alistair and Gareth’s back got Brianna to do some snooping for me, I’d consider it a win-win, regardless of what the truth was.
Chapter Five – Brianna
I’d be the world’s biggest liar if I said I was okay with all of this. Saying I was fine knowing Rick was Eastcreek’s head sheriff would be the biggest lie, I think, followed shortly by me saying our little make-out session didn’t hang heavy in my mind.
Rick was a good-looking guy, and I hated the fact that he was just as attractive in his sheriff’s uniform as he’d been in a suit at the wedding.
I got in his squad car, not saying a word. He let me ride in the front passenger seat. The car was an older vehicle; it didn’t even have a touchscreen on its center console. I didn’t see a camera on the headboard, either. The car was stuck in the nineties; although, given how old the computer in his office had been, that didn’t surprise me.
Rick said not another word to me as he backed up out of his parking space and got us on the road. I tried not to stare at him, but it grew harder and harder as the seconds ticked by. Eventually, I threw a glimpse at him, letting my stare travel along his body with an unhurried pace.
This was the man that had gotten my first kiss. I couldn’t believe it.
After a while, I couldn’t keep quiet anymore. I had to ask, “Was that your plan at the wedding? Seduce me and get me to snoop around Montgomery Manor for you?” The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I was used. It wasn’t a random hookup like I’d thought. He’d known exactly who I was, hoping he could use me.
Rick chuckled. “Seduce? Please. I wasn’t trying to seduce you for anything.”
I glared at him, not believing it for a hot second. “Then what would you call what you did?”
“WhatIdid? Come on. It wasn’t just me. I didn’t throw myself at you and hope for the best.” Rick tossed me a quick look. “You made it clear the feelings were mutual at the wedding, Brianna.” Now that we weren’t in his office, he could call me that and not Miss Dent or Miss Montgomery.
“You didn’t tell me who you were—”
