I could have kissed Felix’s sneering, well-moisturized face. I’d been caught in the wrong lie. Again. “No,” I admitted, trying to sound filled with remorse instead of glee. “He doesn’t.”
Felix turned to Arlo and jabbed his thumb at me disgustedly. “Figures. This whole trip was a fucking joke. I should have known better than to trust a guy dressed likethat.”
If I ever saw Lemaya again, we would have to have a talk.
Felix turned back to face me. “You’ve got two seconds to explain yourself before I kick your ass across the goddamn street.”
“Relax, okay?” My heart rate slowed. This I could handle. Sort of. “You think I haven’t taken every precaution? He won’t find out.”
“Yeah, he will.” Felix pulled out his phone and waved it wildly in my face. “Because I’m going to call and tell him everything.”
I would have bet all of my remaining money that Felix didn’t have Langer’s direct number, but I still didn’t want to test him.
“And, with any luck, it’ll only be you who gets fired for this. I’ll get Employee of the Year.”
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Listen,” I said slowly. “If you don’t tell Max about any of this, I swear it’ll be worth your while.”
Felix raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.
Arlo, meanwhile, had finally put his phone away and had just been standing there looking vaguely intimidating. But now his interest was clearly piqued. “Why should we believe anything you say?” he asked.
“You know Max has millions upon millions. You already know he has access to the best shit in the world, whenever he wants it. The best food, the best booze, the best everything. All at his beck and call. Day or night.”
“Yeah, but—” Arlo began.
“Well, why should it be any different with girls?”
They were listening, so I went on.
“The only problem is, like most rich guys, he’s fucking selfish and doesn’t want to share. Well, tonight, thanks to me, that changes. Do you know how fucking lucky you are that I’m even letting you be here for this?” Felix didn’t move, but I continued, my confidence buoyed. “You pick up that phone, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
Neither of the other guys moved.
I barreled onward with the sales pitch of a lifetime. “What’s the dirtiest, kinkiest, most insane thing you’ve ever seen a girl do in a porno? Name it.”
“But—”
“Hey, shut up, man,” broke in Arlo, leaning closer. “Let him finish.”
“Name. It.”
Felix rolled his eyes. Leaned in. Mumbled something.
Look, I prided myself on having a mind as filthy as anyone’s. But even I blushed a little at that answer. “Well then, get ready to have something to brag about at every party for the next thirty years.”
Felix put his phone away, his perversion and greed winning out, as I had known it would. “The second I think you’re bullshitting me again, this comes out.”
The Porsche pulled up. And the whole right side of my body shuddered in one long column of pain and exhaustion as I took the keys, settled into the driver’s seat again, swiped more damp hair out of my face, and forced myself to shift into gear rather than collapsing in a heap on the wheel.
Well, the easy part of the night was over.
I trudged up the walkway to 211 Cholla, with Felix and Arlo trailing silently behind me like vultures circling their next meal. Langer’s old neighborhood—lined with cottonwoods and midcentury homes that nevertheless seemed ancient—was silent as I zeroed in on the entry keypad at the back door. I’d memorized the code Lemaya had given me—34562—in an effort to look cool and confident. Unfortunately, my chances of looking either coolorconfident had been dwindling for the past few hours, and the fact that nothing happened when I put in the code—not even a blinking light—quickly finished them off.
Luckily, here was where it came in: my insurance policy. I’d also memorized the code from Corey’s tablet, in the off-chance Lemaya’s code didn’t work. In fact, I was pretty damn pleased with myself as I punched it in.
Until that didn’t work, either.
Okay. Proceed to Plan B.I must just have it wrong. Ignoring the fact that Felix was clearly seconds away from reaching out and bashing my head into the doorframe, I reached into my pocket, fumbling for a sticky note that was very clearly no longer there.
