“Let’s go,” a low voice hissed. I looked to my left to see Chloe approaching, a scowl firmly planted on her overly painted mouth.
I was shaking so badly, I was afraid I might pass out. I steadied myself against the wall. Christian reached out and put his hand on my waist.
“Hey,” he whispered. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I promise I’m not going to tell anybody, but I think we should talk about it.”
Keep breathing, Tessa.
“I’ll see you later, okay?” And he did look sorry. That meant that he was either actually sorry or I was incredibly pale and he thought I might faint. Maybe both.
I glanced at Chloe. Her eyebrows were pulled together, but she didn’t look too concerned with me. She was ticked about something else entirely. I wondered if it had to do with Aiden.
Christian was still touching me, and there was a sick turn in my belly. What now? Was he going to expose us? Try and blackmail me? I backed away from him, letting his hand fall.
He nodded, almost like he understood my dread. Then he turned around, took his sister by the elbow, and walked through the party and out the front door.
When he was gone, I ran to the bathroom and threw up.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Aiden said, kissing my neck as we lay together on the leather sofa in his basement. Normally I’d have made a squeak or two by now (he found that adorable), but my body was too numb. I was still in shock.
“Tessa,” he mumbled, running his hand down to the bottom of my dress, tugging at my hem like he was dying to pull it off. “You’re a bit ... unresponsive, baby.” He nibbled at my ear.
This could have been a good night. It felt like Aiden and I were getting back on track; and now, suddenly, the whole flipping train had derailed. And I didn’t know where I was stranded.
“Sorry,” I said, shifting my position under him, trying to refocus on the task at hand.
Aiden pulled my knee over his hip as he brought his mouth to mine again, kissing me deeply. But all I could think about were the Smitten Kittens. We’d lose everything. If everyone found out that we were SOS, we’d be shunned from high school society. Oh, my word. We’d be dead meat.
My boyfriend pulled away, breathing heavily, staring down into my face. I realized I wasn’t panting at all. That might have hurt his ego.
“Tessa? What’s up?”
He was still on top of me, but there was nothing frisky going on anymore. Aiden looked pretty annoyed as he tried to catch his breath.
I wanted to trust him with our secret. I wanted so much to be free of it, but what if he couldn’t forgive me for lying to him? What would I do then?
“Nothing’s wrong,” I said quickly. Lincoln Memorial! All I did was lie.
Aiden stared at me before clenching his jaw and climbing off. He leaned over the edge of the sofa, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his palms. He looked dejected.
“Aiden?”
He turned to me, his green eyes glassy but not from alcohol.
“I don’t understand you anymore, Tess,” he said seriously.
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.” He rubbed roughly at his face. “You’re so distant. Distracted. Half the time, I don’t even know if you’re listening to me.”
“Sweetie, I always listen ...”
Aiden raked his fingers through his hair, staring across the room, pressing his lips together like he was trying to stop them from trembling. “Tessa,” he said, sounding miserable. “Maybe my mother’s right. Maybe we should—”
I jumped forward and grabbed his face, kissing him hard. I didn’t want to know what he was about to say. There was nothing to talk about. There was nothing I could talk about. He just had to understand how much I needed him. Wanted him.
“Baby,” he breathed, tangling his hand in my hair. “We don’t have to ...”
But I pushed him back on his couch, and we hooked up right here, in his basement. Without talking.
Aiden exhaled, snuggling closer to me, his face resting against the back of my neck. “I love you,” he said.
I smiled. “I love you too.” We were quiet for a minute, our heartbeats mixing together. I bit the inside of my cheek. Right now, I felt safe being here with him, so warm. At times like this, I felt like I could talk to him about anything—even SOS.
“Why did you invite Christian and Chloe to your party?” I asked. My boyfriend was the biggest sweetheart in the world, but he wasn’t dense. If I knew about Christian’s interest in me, Aiden had probably read it even sooner. So why would he invite him here?
Aiden sighed. “I’m not telling you. You’ll be mad at me.”
I rubbed my back into him, letting him wrap me up tighter. “I won,” I whispered. “I promise.”
“I ... thought he should know.”
I scrunched my nose. “What did you need him to know?”
“That you’re with me.”
Talking about Christian was making me tremble. Did Aiden feel it? “He knows I’m with you,” I said, but my voice cracked.
“Does he?”
I didn’t like Aiden’s tone. My paws had no intention of wandering anywhere else. “Yeah.”
“Because by the way he was playing with your hair, Tess, he didn’t seem to get the picture at all.”
My face stung. Was he accusing me of something? I sat up, letting Aiden’s arm fall off of me. “What are you saying?” I asked, glaring at him.
He scoffed. “I’m not a chump. The kid watches your ass every time you walk by. You telling me you haven’t noticed?” Aiden pulled himself up, and I wished he’d put his shirt back on. It was very distracting when I was trying to be royally PO’d at him.
“I’m aware that Christian has a crush on me,” I said. “But I’m trying to fix him up with Kira.” Though now I had to rethink that. We’d all been compromised.
Aiden grabbed his T-shirt off the back of the couch and slid it over his head, pushing his arms roughly through the sleeves. “And how long have you been aware of it, Tessa?”
I tilted my head. It was nice to see Aiden get jealous, but I didn’t need him to be unreasonable either. I’d still have to handle Christian somehow without exposing the Smitten Kittens. I straightened my posture. “At lunch detention he made it clear. And at miniature golf—”
“Wait. What?”
Gingersnaps! I’d let that one slip out.
“It was nothing.” I waved my hand. “Leona and I—”
“Did you go on a fucking date with him?” Aiden’s voice boomed through the room, bouncing off the cement walls of the basement. My face burned with shame.
“Absolutely not! How could you ask that?”
“I don’t know, Tess. I never know where you are anymore. You’re quiet all the time. You’re like a different fucking person lately. . . .”
My mouth fell open. He was being crude.
“And don’t tell me not to swear,” he said, holding up a finger. “I’m really angry, and I have every right to swear.”
“Aiden.” I reached out to touch his hair, but he moved his head away.
“Would you rather I didn’t give a shit? Would that be better?”
“No!” Hadn’t I wanted Aiden to get a little jealous? He should be. Christian was after me. But I had to diffuse this situation because now, Christian had the power to ruin my life. To ruin Aiden and me.
I twitched my nose, trying to channel the sweet, peppy cheerleader everyone loved so much. I met Aiden’s eyes.
“Forget Christian,” I said in the cutest voice possible. “You’re more than I can handle, Wildcat. And you’re the only one I purr for.” I leaned toward him and kissed his cheek, believing my words.
“Tessa,” he whispered, but I could tell he liked it. He liked me like this.
“Come on, point guard,” I said, standing up, taking his hand. “It’s late. And I think my feet are still a little sore from practice. You...” I licked my lips. “You want to rub them for me?”
It was true. My toes did feel a little cramped, and Aiden liked to make them feel better. I’d deal with Christian later. Right now, I had someone else to cheer up. I could be like this. Energetic. Positive. Even if I was so very tired.
Aiden got up, looking at me doubtfully. Then, “Did you bring any polish?” he asked off-handedly, like he didn’t care either way.
“Passion pink.”
He growled. “Baby, that’s my favorite.”
“I know.”
We stood together, smiling at each other, and it felt right. The way it’d been before SOS started getting so many cases. The times before new students came to Washington High to mess with my life.
Aiden and I were the real deal. We could get past this. If we loved each other, we could get past anything.
SOS BACKGROUND CHECK RESULTS FORM
RESULT: 004
CLIENT: Madeline Haskel
SUBJECT: Roger Stanvick
Dear Ms. Haskel,
We are sorry to inform you that Mr. Stanvick’s background report has not ended positively. SOS does not endorse him as your next boyfriend.
It was determined that Mr. Stanvick spent his 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift in Mini-Golf Mania’s back room with an unidentified accomplice. We believe his name was Mark.
We are terribly sorry that it’s not better news. SOS would like to offer you an extension on your certificate. Please let us know if you find another potential boyfriend. But we do advise that for your next subject, try to avoid the drama club.
Thank you for your continued support, and SOS truly hopes that your dating needs are eventually met. Have a great day.
Keep smiling,
SOS
Text: 555-0101
Exposing Cheaters for Over Two Years
CHAPTER TWELVE
ON SUNDAY, KIRA SHOWED UP WITH THE BLUE prints for the next assignment. She’d spent half the day in the library while she mapped out Mitch Angley’s house and charted our course. It was a rough one. Scaling walls, roof tie-downs. I hated second-story bedrooms.
I debated telling her about Christian, but Kira would get really shaky. That wouldn’t work if she was going to be supporting my weight as I snapped some photos. No. This was my problem to handle. After all, I was the captain.
The night was quiet and cool as I started descending the wall of Mitch’s house. The siding was slippery under my sneaks, and I tried my best to get a foothold.
“Tessa,” Kira whispered from the roof above me. “I’m losing my grip.”
Not good. If Kira (a very dependable base) did indeed lose her grip, I would end up in a pile on Mitch Angley’s rosebushes. Ouch.
“Just one more second,” I whispered. Placing my feet against the sill of Mitch’s second-story bedroom window, I tried to take some of my weight off of Kira’s short and compact frame.
I reached into my backpack, glancing down once to see that I would probably miss the rosebushes and instead land on the side yard fence. Silk pajamas! That would be painful.
“Hurry,” Kira grunted, the rope shaking under my weight.
I found the night scope for my camera and snapped it on. It didn’t take me long to find the figures in the dark room. Through the slats in the blinds, I aimed my camera at the bed. I swallowed the metallic taste in my mouth. There were some things a lady should never do, and one of them was to see another girl on her hands and knees and take a picture.
My stomach turned with anxiety. This was the part of the investigation I hated. The actual witnessing. It was worse than relaying the bad news, in truth because the bad news didn’t come directly from me. In fact, Leona wrote up all the reports. But this, out here, hanging from a bungee on the side of Mitch Angley’s house—this was me.
I snapped a few pictures, careful to make sure the shots would show their faces. It was a bit difficult at first, but thankfully, they eventually switched positions. After my last picture, I had turned to slide my camera into my backpack when I felt the first tug. I nearly dropped the camera.
“Kira,” I whispered. Thank goodness Mitch’s parents invested in those double-pane windows. The added sound barrier was essential right now, since getting caught dangling would be a very bad idea.
“I’m trying,” she grunted.
Suddenly, I dropped down about five feet. My backpack slid off my shoulders and landed on the bushes below. Huh. I guessed I could make the roses after all.
I looked up. I wanted Kira to ease me up or set me down, but ... I wasn’t even sure where she was anymore. And I was just swaying.
Glancing around as I spun, I tried to find something to grab onto, but I was too far off the house now. I was afraid to swing on the rope because it might cause her to further lose her grip. Fiddler on the roof! I was going to break my leg.
“Drop down,” a voice whispered from below me. My eyes widened.
“Christian?” This could not be happening. I was so busted. Christian had concrete proof now. I looked down at him and he smiled. He was wearing a black beanie and a dark, long-sleeved tee. Was he in disguise too?
“Hurry up.” He laughed. “Just drop down. I’ve got you.”
Got me? Hm. I didn’t like the double meaning. Looking up the length of the rope, I considered trying to climb up it, but that was a physical fitness test that I had certainly failed. Rope climbing—not my thing.
“Tessa,” Christian whispered loudly, holding his arms up like he would catch me. Not likely. I was still at least a dozen feet up.
“Kira,” I called to the roof again. She squealed.
And then she dropped me.
“Holy shit,” Christian said as I tumbled on top of him and, indeed he did not catch me. But he did break my fall.
We’d been loud. I saw the bedroom light flick on as Christian grabbed me by the sleeve and pulled me against the wall under the bedroom window. I was breathing heavily, terrified and still pumping adrenaline. I could hear Kira’s sneakers scurry across the roof. Ouch. I might have sprained my ankle.
And there were Christian and I, panting, shoulder to shoulder against a house. I looked sideways at him.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered fiercely. He grinned.
“Saving your life.” He looked away. “Obviously.”
Well, that was sort of cute. But ... peanut butter sandwiches! How did he find me? This was highly alarming.
I stepped away from the wall to glare at him. “Have you been following me?” Maybe that was how he’d found out about SOS in the first place. He was a flipping stalker!
“Following you?” he asked as if he didn’t understand the question.
Oh, right. It was just a coincidence that he showed up, all covert-like.
The second-floor window slid open. My stomach dropped. Suddenly, Christian grabbed me around the waist and covered my mouth with his other hand, pulling me against him, pinning us to the wall.
Not good. We were pressed together, face to face, and I was unable to move. We listened, and Christian moved his hand away from my mouth, making my lips much more accessible to him. His breath smelled like spearmint. I narrowed my eyes.
“Who’s out here?” Mitch called from the window.
Butterscotch! I pressed closer to Christian and tucked my head into his neck. He smelled really good. We couldn’t get spotted now. Mitch was just above us. Christian’s hand slid up my back to hold my neck under my hair protectively, inappropriately.
The night air was filled with the chirping of crickets, and I waited. I waited for the sound of the window, but all I could hear right now was the sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I was in a very compromised position. And I did not like it.
There was a thump that I recognized as a pane closing, and I exhaled, straightening up. I looked up and saw the light flick out. Apple dippers! I thought I’d be against Christian for the rest of my life. I moved back, eyeing him.
He was smiling, no doubt still smelling my perfume. But he knew. Christian knew something about me that no
one outside of the Smitten Kittens knew. Not even Aiden. We were spies. I’d have to find out how he’d compromised us, but first, I needed to skedaddle before Mitch found me hiding among his rosebushes.
“Now what?” I asked, jetting my glance around the property. My face was tingling. I hated that I needed to ask Christian anything, but I knew that boys didn’t unmask a secret society of snooping cheerleaders, catch one falling off of a roof, and then just keep their mouths shut about it.
“We should get out of here,” he said. “Let me take you home.”
I groaned. Sure, it sounded simple, but this Kitten wasn’t born yesterday. Christian wanted to offer me more than a ride home. Did I have a choice? That was the better question.
The SOS cell phone vibrated in my pocket. My eyes flicked to Christian’s. He was grinning madly. I turned away and put the phone to my ear. It was Kira.
“Tess.” She was frantic. “Oh, my, are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” I whispered, although my ankle did feel a little sore. “You guys go to Leona’s, and I’ll meet you there later.”
“What?” She was freaked out. The second rule of SOS was never to leave a Smitten Kitten behind.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I have to take care of something. I’ll see you in an hour.”
I could sense her worry. Poor thing, she wasn’t good at making split-second decisions—like that time she let Mike Rambler get to second base.
“K, I have to go. Wait for me there.” I hung up. That was bad manners, not saying goodbye. But I needed to get this little rendezvous over with, and I couldn’t let my squad have a chance to talk me out of it. I was the leader. I needed to cut the red wire. Or was it the blue wire? Dang it!
“You ready?” Christian asked like he was picking me up for a date.
Right. Ride home, my rear. I felt sick. It felt unnatural to be getting in another boy’s car. I just wanted Aiden. I wanted my sweetie.
Instead, I nodded and led the way through the overgrown side yard to the street. Christian jogged ahead of me to the car and opened the door for me to get in.