just let me at her . It would make what I did to that Humvee back in Joshua Tree look like tossing a pancake.
7
‘Oh, Nate, if only you could see what I’ve just seen!’ Suki sighed, dropping down onto the bed Nate was stretched out on. We were in the room next to mine and Alex’s. The others were all outside, sitting under some palm trees, talking. We could see them through the open door, but couldn’t hear them over the roar of the surf outside and the whir of the fan overhead.
Nate rolled over sleepily and smiled widely as he saw me.
‘Hey,’ I said.
‘Hey,’ he answered, rubbing his eyes. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Oh, just Alex half naked, that’s all,’ Suki smirked.
Nate sat bolt upright. ‘I missed it?’ He sighed and lay back down. ‘Oh well, I’ve seen him completely naked already.’
I leapt off the bed. ‘Please don’t tell me you were following us the entire time, Nate?’ I begged. Oh God, what had he seen? I squeezed my eyes shut, recalling some of the more graphic moments Nate might have been witness to, and let the blush swallow me whole. A loud gasp from Suki made me cover my ears and scrunch my eyes even tighter shut, as if that might somehow stop her from getting a visual on the images running wantonly through my mind.
‘La la la la la la la la la,’ I started singing, trying to picture a blank white wall instead of Alex in all his naked perfection.
‘Nate has been following you all the time,’ Suki said, cutting through my la-ing, ‘and yes, he has seen everything. And reported back to me. So I’m all up to speed.’
I opened my eyes and started scanning the room for something to launch at her head.
‘Nice work, Lila,’ Suki continued, lowering her voice. ‘Shame you can’t get him to – you know . . .’
‘I can’t believe you guys!’ I yelled.
‘All in the name of duty,’ Nate beamed. ‘Someone had to make sure we didn’t lose you. If it wasn’t for me following you guys, we wouldn’t have known where you’d run off to and we might never have found you – and then what? Seriously? Who chooses a romantic beach getaway at a time like this?’
I glared at him. And at Suki. A serious talk about the concepts of privacy and invasion was going to be occurring when I had calmed down.
‘We’re sorry, please forgive us,’ Suki said, nudging Nate, who nodded, the corners of his mouth turning down as he attempted a contrite look.
‘Well, don’t do it again, OK?’ I hissed. ‘You’ve found us now. There’s no more need to spy. Agreed?’
Neither of them said a word. They just shot each other a look out of the corner of their eyes.
‘Agreed?’ I growled. Nate opened his mouth to argue, but Suki elbowed him in the ribs and he shut his mouth quickly and nodded.
‘And you,’ I said, turning to Suki, ‘stay out of my head, OK? It’s really starting to get annoying.’
‘Easier said than done, but I’ll try.’
I held her gaze, imagining in graphic, bloody detail what I would do to her if she or Nate spied on me again, or on Alex. Or on the two of us together.
‘OK, I get it!’ Suki yelled, throwing her hands up. She patted the bed and, after a few seconds, I relented and went and sat back down.
‘What happened to the bus?’ I asked, referring to the giant RV tour bus that they’d been travelling in up until now.
‘We had to get rid of it – it was kind of obvious as Batmobiles go. Harvey was very sad, but Demos bought him a BMW instead – actually, he stole it, he didn’t buy it. And he also stole a van, because we needed somewhere to put Rachel. You know, it’s not such a good idea driving around with a gagged girl in the front seat of a car. We didn’t want people thinking that we were trying to kidnap her.’
‘We did kidnap her,’ I reminded Suki. ‘So, where is she?’ I tried to sound like I didn’t care. I was itching to go and see Rachel right that second, but I also knew that if I did, I might not be able to control
7
‘Oh, Nate, if only you could see what I’ve just seen!’ Suki sighed, dropping down onto the bed Nate was stretched out on. We were in the room next to mine and Alex’s. The others were all outside, sitting under some palm trees, talking. We could see them through the open door, but couldn’t hear them over the roar of the surf outside and the whir of the fan overhead.
Nate rolled over sleepily and smiled widely as he saw me.
‘Hey,’ I said.
‘Hey,’ he answered, rubbing his eyes. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Oh, just Alex half naked, that’s all,’ Suki smirked.
Nate sat bolt upright. ‘I missed it?’ He sighed and lay back down. ‘Oh well, I’ve seen him completely naked already.’
I leapt off the bed. ‘Please don’t tell me you were following us the entire time, Nate?’ I begged. Oh God, what had he seen? I squeezed my eyes shut, recalling some of the more graphic moments Nate might have been witness to, and let the blush swallow me whole. A loud gasp from Suki made me cover my ears and scrunch my eyes even tighter shut, as if that might somehow stop her from getting a visual on the images running wantonly through my mind.
‘La la la la la la la la la,’ I started singing, trying to picture a blank white wall instead of Alex in all his naked perfection.
‘Nate has been following you all the time,’ Suki said, cutting through my la-ing, ‘and yes, he has seen everything. And reported back to me. So I’m all up to speed.’
I opened my eyes and started scanning the room for something to launch at her head.
‘Nice work, Lila,’ Suki continued, lowering her voice. ‘Shame you can’t get him to – you know . . .’
‘I can’t believe you guys!’ I yelled.
‘All in the name of duty,’ Nate beamed. ‘Someone had to make sure we didn’t lose you. If it wasn’t for me following you guys, we wouldn’t have known where you’d run off to and we might never have found you – and then what? Seriously? Who chooses a romantic beach getaway at a time like this?’
I glared at him. And at Suki. A serious talk about the concepts of privacy and invasion was going to be occurring when I had calmed down.
‘We’re sorry, please forgive us,’ Suki said, nudging Nate, who nodded, the corners of his mouth turning down as he attempted a contrite look.
‘Well, don’t do it again, OK?’ I hissed. ‘You’ve found us now. There’s no more need to spy. Agreed?’
Neither of them said a word. They just shot each other a look out of the corner of their eyes.
‘Agreed?’ I growled. Nate opened his mouth to argue, but Suki elbowed him in the ribs and he shut his mouth quickly and nodded.
‘And you,’ I said, turning to Suki, ‘stay out of my head, OK? It’s really starting to get annoying.’
‘Easier said than done, but I’ll try.’
I held her gaze, imagining in graphic, bloody detail what I would do to her if she or Nate spied on me again, or on Alex. Or on the two of us together.
‘OK, I get it!’ Suki yelled, throwing her hands up. She patted the bed and, after a few seconds, I relented and went and sat back down.
‘What happened to the bus?’ I asked, referring to the giant RV tour bus that they’d been travelling in up until now.
‘We had to get rid of it – it was kind of obvious as Batmobiles go. Harvey was very sad, but Demos bought him a BMW instead – actually, he stole it, he didn’t buy it. And he also stole a van, because we needed somewhere to put Rachel. You know, it’s not such a good idea driving around with a gagged girl in the front seat of a car. We didn’t want people thinking that we were trying to kidnap her.’
‘We did kidnap her,’ I reminded Suki. ‘So, where is she?’ I tried to sound like I didn’t care. I was itching to go and see Rachel right that second, but I also knew that if I did, I might not be able to control
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