Deception, p.24
Deception, page 24
“Dummy,” Sully says from my doorway. He’s leaning against the doorframe, smirking at me.
“Huh?”
“She thinks you’re a dummy.” His explanation has an edge of humor. “It’s her favorite insult.”
I turn my attention back to the girl. “You’re making fun of me?”
“She’s a bit of an asshole,” Sully reveals. “I’ve been through all this shit before with her. It’s your turn to be the object of her assholeness.”
“You can’t call a kid an asshole—”
Smack!
The kid, no, the asshole, grins evilly at me. She whacked me in the forehead. Mean little shit. Sully’s laughter grates on my nerves.
“You’re a brat,” I say to her, bitterness in my tone.
She sticks her tongue out at me before turning and scampering off the bed. I track her movement until she’s standing in front of Sully. Unperturbed by her rude behavior, he signs something to her. She signs back.
“What’s she saying?” I ask, sitting up on my elbows.
“That you’re better looking than me but dumber.”
“What the fuck?”
“Get used to it,” he says with a shrug. “She’s a monster.”
The girl—seemingly innocent with her chin-length golden-blond hair and tiny frame—shoots me a menacing look, baring her teeth at me.
“What did Scout get us into?” I grumble.
“Same shit he’s always getting us into. Something way over our heads.”
“Have you seen him this morning or…” Her. I leave that part off, but he knows.
He nods. “The door’s unlocked and they’re sleeping. She’s not tied up or anything.”
“I slept like shit last night.”
“Same. Too much fucking worrying.”
Worry and shame for the position we’ve put Landry infects my every cell. I hate how this feels. This is why I fuck chicks, not fall for them. Falling sucks. It’s messy.
Della slips out of the room and I wonder if we should go after her. I know shit about kids. I’m not sure if she’s at the age they get into everything or if she’s self-sufficient. It’s irritating that we’re in this position to begin with.
“By now, her dad’s probably going crazy with worry,” I mutter, reaching for the television remote. “I just don’t get how Landry ran away and ended up on our doorstep. Scout was meddling behind our backs. It’s disturbing.”
Sully scoffs. “His meddling is disturbing? How about the fact we’re now accomplices to kidnapping? That shit is disturbing. I’m just waiting for the Amber Alert for Della to come through on our phones.”
I flip on the TV and hunt for a local news station. Sully sits on the bed while we wait for any news on their disappearance. Nothing. No Amber Alerts or press conference or anything.
“Seems out of character for him not to report them missing.” I snap the TV off and slide out of the bed to throw on some jeans. “We’ve only got part of the story. I want to hear the rest.”
“Good luck getting it out of Scout. He’s cryptic when he wants to be.”
“We’ll find out from Landry exactly what happened so we’ll know what we’re working with.”
Sully sighs heavily and rubs at the back of his neck. “This ends with one or all of us going to prison. I thought about it last night. That prick isn’t going to roll over and take the fact his girls have left him. He’s too damn controlling and arrogant for that.”
“Which means he’s going to dissect every interaction she’s had with anyone she’s come in contact with.” I frown at this thought. “How long until he pieces together that Ford was a fraud and start sniffing our way?”
“Not long,” Sully admits. “And then Alexander will rope in the Constantines because that’s our shit luck.”
The thought of Winston aiding in that asshole’s quest to get his daughters back is nauseating. Winston, if he finds out we’re involved, will do everything in his power to help Alexander. He’ll see it as a way to take out the trash permanently.
“We could try and get Bryant to help,” Sully says, “but he’s such a dick. He’ll be pissed we disobeyed a direct order to stay away from Landry.”
We’re so fucked.
“Yeah, we’re not involving Bryant,” I grumble. “Maybe we can just load up the girls, drive them across the state, and dump them off at the Canadian border.”
Sully stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Great plan, dipshit. Because the authorities won’t be waiting there at all.”
“We’ll figure something else out.” It’s not like I was actually keen on the grand idea of dumping them anywhere. No, my best idea involves taking Landry and her sister away, but keeping her safe. Never letting her go.
Heathen bursts into the room, wailing out her usual warnings. Della chases after her, following her right into my open closet. The cat must find someplace to hide because Della comes back out, arms crossed over her chest and pouting. With her blond hair messy from sleep and her bottom lip jutting out, even I have to admit the brat is cute.
She signs something to Sully. I glance over at him, hoping for an interpretation. He frowns at her and signs something back.
The kid huffs in exasperation and then slowly signs, like Sully is too dumb to keep up. When she finishes, she throws her hands up in question.
“She wants to know if the maid will cook her something to eat.”
“The maid?” I scoff, lifting a brow.
“Spoiled,” Sully reminds me. “Their daddy is loaded.”
“Hmph. Better get to it, maid.”
Sully tosses me an incredulous look. “Seriously, dude? I’m not the only one who can order groceries and shit around here.” He angrily starts tapping on his phone, though, because someone has to do it.
This isn’t fun.
This is work.
Fuck Scout.
Heathen races out of the closet, whizzing past Della, and darts out the door. She chases after her, clearly having forgotten about being hungry. I’m sure the neighbors below us are hating the back and forth of her running through the apartment.
It won’t be long before someone complains and we’re found out.
“Can you make her sit still?” I grumble, motioning toward the door. “You’re already used to her. Make her behave.”
Sully snorts out a laugh. “She’s a tyrant. Nobody can make her behave, especially not me.”
He walks out of my bedroom, thankfully, and I’m hoping it’s so he can locate the kid. When Landry is allowed to leave Scout’s room, she can take over babysitting the little monster. Then, I want to know every damn detail about what Scout did to get them to run away. I’m working with half a picture here and it’s getting old.
After pulling on a white T-shirt, I saunter down the hall and make my way into the kitchen. Della is standing on the counter, with two cabinet doors open, surveying her options which are pretty limited. She plucks out a chocolate chip granola bar, studies it, and then tosses it back into the cabinet.
“Maybe you should make her some scrambled eggs,” I tell Sully who’s leaned up against a counter. “Kids like scrambled eggs, I think.”
“I ordered eggs,” Sully states. “And those juice boxes she drinks.” He signs something to her and she responds to which he smiles. “Oh, and graham crackers. She likes those.”
He knows a lot about Landry’s little sister. It makes my chest ache. While I was falling for Landry at school, he was imbedding himself in her world, learning things. I want to know things too. Even if she does call me a dummy. She said I was good looking, so I already like the kid.
“How long is Scout going to keep Landry holed up in his room?” I ask, irritated that they still haven’t emerged.
“Knowing him…forever.”
“Why are we letting him make the rules anyway?”
Sully crosses his arms over his chest as he studies me. “I don’t see you signing up for the job.”
“Fuck off.”
“You know she’s going to hate us now.”
Don’t I fucking know.
I sigh heavily, eyeing the kid who’s now rummaging around in a bag of cookies. “Maybe not…”
“There’s no maybe,” Sully grumbles. “There’s no coming back from this. At least you got laid.”
Problem is, I want to get laid again. I want Landry in my bed, naked and whimpering and writhing in pleasure. I’d have gotten my wish too had Scout not pounced when he did. She’s not going to willingly crawl into my bed anymore. Not when we’ve taken her and her sister, keeping them sequestered under lock and key.
Della throws a cookie at me and I barely dodge it. Damn, she’s feral. She starts signing frantically to Sully who frowns as he tries to keep up. Her face is turning red. Either she’s pissed or about to have a meltdown.
“What’s she saying?” I demand.
“She wants to know where Landry is and she wants real food.” He bites back a grin. “If we don’t give her what she wants, she’s threatened to eat the cat.”
“Does she know how much we hate that cat?” I ask, amused.
“I’m not going to spar with her. This kid can go all day. It’s best we give her what she wants.”
“What’s that?” a deep voice says from behind me.
Della is back to inspecting items in our pantry, so she doesn’t notice Scout’s approach. He’s dressed for the day and his hair is damp from a recent shower. While I feel like I slept like shit, he appears to be well-rested, missing the dark circles both Sully and I are sporting today.
“Landry and food,” Sully says. “Make it happen.”
Scout walks over to the fridge and pulls out some liquid eggs, cheese, and bacon. If we didn’t have him to cook for us, we’d probably starve or would have had to ask Bryant if we could have a maid to make us meals.
“Landry?” I ask as Scout locates a skillet. “Do I need to untie her from your bed?”
Scout smirks over his shoulder. “You’re the freak in this family, not me. She’s sleeping. Unbound.”
I don’t deny the fact I’m the freak because neither of my brothers have restraints installed on their beds. I may be the freak, but he’ll always be the psycho who takes everything just a little too far.
“Last night,” Scout says, his back to us. “She said some shit last night.”
My hackles rise. “What kind of shit?”
He tugs open a drawer and snags a massive knife. Turning slightly, he faces me and Sully, a creepily blank expression on his face. “We don’t need to worry about Alexander finding her.”
“Because…” Sully trails off, eyeing the knife warily.
“Because I’m going to fucking kill him if I ever see him.” He turns back to cooking as though he didn’t just threaten to murder their father.
What the hell did she say to him?
Chapter Five
Landry
His mouth is hot on my skin. On my neck. My ear. The curve of my shoulder. The scruff on his face scratches my soft flesh, making it burn. I don’t want to be here. This isn’t right. It’s easier to disappear inside my head, pretending we’re not doing things like this. Every time I retreat, he brings me back with whispered words and scorching kisses that feel wrong for so many reasons.
“Such a good, good girl.”
I wake with a start, my heart hammering in my chest. Tears sting my eyes and I can’t stop the full-bodied shudder that makes its way down my spine from the base of my skull to my sore tailbone.
Relief floods through me, momentarily, as I realize it was a nightmare. He’s not here. I’m alone in bed.
The relief is no longer a rushing waterfall, but it turns thick and sludgy like tar. I’m alone in Scout’s bed. One of three triplets who, up until last night, I believed were the same person—the guy I really liked.
Irritation chases away the disgusting remnants of my dream. I can’t afford to be terrified anymore. Sure, Scout is scary sometimes, but he’s not unreasonable. Last night, we slept together and he didn’t hurt me or try anything. This is good. It gives me hope. Like maybe, just maybe, I won’t be their prisoner forever.
I just need to see Della.
To hug her and regroup.
Then, I’ll make a plan to get one of these triplets to turn us loose.
But my head start will be long gone. Dad will know we’ve run away and will be turning this city inside out to find us.
Defeat fills me to the very brim of my soul. I want to drag the blanket back over my head and go back to sleep. Pretend this isn’t my life. Inhale the admittedly good scent Scout leaves behind on his sheets.
“You okay?”
The voice is just like Scout’s, but it has a smoothness to it Scout’s lacks. Sparrow. I recognize the soft purring sound from when he murmured sweet things while we had sex in his car. Goose bumps scatter over my arms.
I don’t want to see him.
To stare into the face that watched me last night as I was dragged away. Sure, he may have tried to beat the door down, after the fact, but he let him take me away. It’s not all Sparrow’s fault but fixating on being angry with him helps ground me.
Was anything we shared real? Or was I just someone to conquer and fuck with? A job. My chest aches and I have to chew on my lip to keep from crying. His stare bores into me but I refuse to look at him, confirming it’s Sparrow.
“Laundry.” His voice has a hopeful lilt to it, like saying his nickname for me will somehow forgive him completely.
It doesn’t.
Ignoring him, I slide out of the bed, dragging the sheet with me. The last thing I’m going to allow is for him to see me naked. I’m sure he’s imagining all sorts of stuff he thinks Scout and I did. Good. I hope it hurts him. I hope it makes him feel like he’s been abandoned—like what we did meant nothing.
Because, now that I know the facts, it meant nothing to me, too.
Forgettable.
“Della?” I ask, hating that I have to speak to him. I still refuse to make eye contact. “Where is she?”
He sighs heavily, like my frostiness is irritating to him. “Kitchen. We should talk—”
“Get out so I can dress,” I snap. “Unless I’ve lost that right, too.”
Sparrow remains, an unmovable statue, and for a minute, I think he won’t leave. Finally, he storms off.
My backpack I brought with me, filled with our barest essentials, having been brought into the room by someone, sits on an armchair in the corner of the room. I unzip it, finding the picture of Mom stuffed between a pair of jeans and Della’s pajamas. Pulling it out, I try not to let the emotions overwhelm me.
She’s gone.
Mom was everything to me—to my sister.
Sometimes, the hurt of losing her is such a gut punch, hitting me out of nowhere and debilitating me. Sucking in deep breaths, I blink back my tears of despair and frustration. I’m not going to cry today. I’m done being pitiful. Della needs me to be strong.
I stare at Mom’s beautiful smile, press a kiss to it, and then push it into the backpack for safekeeping.
Don’t worry, Mom. I’m going to fix this. I’m going to save your girls.
I grab some clothes and quickly dress. Hygiene can wait until I’ve seen Della, insuring she’s okay this morning, though I know—deep in my gut—Sully stayed true to his word and kept her safe for me.
I make my way out of Scout’s room and toward the sound of voices. The scent of bacon in the air makes my stomach grumble. It’s disorienting seeing all three men, identical copies of one another, moving about the space together. Della sits on the counter, her pink cat resting in her lap, as she watches Scout cook.
I know it’s Scout because he just stands differently than his brothers, favoring his bad leg. Sully is easy to spot because he’s doing something on his phone, making a face of concentration, much like whenever he’d try to teach Della. Sparrow sits at the bar, eyes burning holes into me, actually having the audacity to be annoyed, like I’m the problem here.
I had no clue they were three different people, but now that I know, it’s so obvious. Last night, I saw Scout’s incredibly tattooed chest, and it makes me wonder if the other brothers have ink or not. I never saw them undressed, and now I know why. I’d have been able to determine who was who because it’s doubtful they all have the same tattoos.
Walking over to Della, I cup a hand beneath her chin and lift her head to meet my eyes. She’s not crying and doesn’t appear to be upset, but I ask anyway.
Are you okay? I sign, frowning at her.
Three Fords, she signs back.
Don’t worry. We’ll get out of here soon. I stroke my palm over her messy hair. Promise.
She shakes her head. I want to play with Heathen.
You can play with Heathen, but when it’s time to go, I need you to be ready. Since she ignores that statement, I grab her attention again, forcing her green eyes to look at me. Did they tell you their names?
Sully is the real Ford, she says with her hands, as though that’s obvious. Sparrow is the dummy. Scout is the maid.
I bite back a laugh. The maid?
She gestures at him cooking.
Smiling at her, I pull her off the counter and kiss her head. Go find Heathen, sis.
As soon as she scurries off to terrorize the poor cat, I edge to the corner of the kitchen where I can keep all three men in my line of vision. Sully has pocketed his phone and now studies me intently.
“Tell us what happened,” Sully says, his words directed mostly at Scout, but he’s looking at me.
Scout turns slightly from his skillet and smirks at me. “Landry ran away from her prison tower and I gave her a place to run to.”
My blood boils at his stupid answer. “I thought I was meeting Ty. How did you manage this anyway?”
“Ty’s my new bestie,” Scout says with a shrug and goes back to cooking.
I glower at his back. “That’s not an answer. Was Ty in on this? Did he betray me, too?”
“Your sweet little Constantine was clueless,” Scout replies with a dark chuckle. “He doesn’t even know he’s been played.”
