Dirty Little Liars (2 page)

The brevity of the note was all Covington. One line, nothing else. No mention of why or how. No mention of the bigger job at stake, and there was most definitely a bigger job on the line.
What use would Covington have with a college coed?

A tone rang out and the train driver mumbled something garbled into the intercom about the next stop. How tourists managed to get around using the metro when conductors barely spoke a coherent word into the microphone was beyond her.

Juliette shoved the papers back into her bag and moved toward the sliding doors. When the train came to a stop and the doors slid open she was the first one onto the platform. She used her New York City walk to brush past the casual onlookers and slightly weary travelers who were already dreading the heat of the hot August summer. She bypassed the tourists, took the middle of the three escalators, and trudged up the left side with the other overeager pedestrians—who used the hike as a good excuse to skip the gym.

When the escalator stairs curled around the sidewalk and leveled out with the pavement Juliette stepped out into the welcome sunshine. She spotted her destination immediately. It was hard to miss, actually, with the red, white, and blue balloon arch that spanned over the lower entrance to McPherson Square. A large banner hung a foot beneath the highest point in the arch and it read, “Tyler Chase for U.S. Senator”. The name was unfamiliar. The photo beneath it was not. The brown curls, the dimpled smile, and those godforsaken blue eyes.

Chapter 3: Meet the Mark

Juliette stared back at those familiar blue eyes. There had to be some explanation. Tyler Chase was a U.S. Senator, running for re-election in November. The man she had slept with was a bike messenger named Terrence.

Her stomach clenched. She never asked him what he did for a living; she just assumed he was a bike messenger or intern because of his dress. And he was way too young and dreamy to be a politician. She couldn’t remember the last time she saw any politician on the national stage who wasn’t well into their forties or fifties. And Terrence—well, Tyler, she supposed she should use his real name—looked at least a decade away from hitting the big four-oh.

There had to be an explanation, she argued with herself again.

Well of course there was. She was drunk, he was horny. They did what drunk and horny people do—lied to each other and had hot sweaty sex on the kitchen counter.

She wanted to be mad at him for keeping his true identity a secret. But then again she hadn’t been completely forthright about her identity either. Who was she to get her panties all twisted up in a bunch?

The more she thought about Tyler—with his smooth smile, charming words, and the ability to completely woo her back to his apartment within a matter of hours—the more certain she was. Tyler Chase was either a politician or a crook. They were really one in the same.

Juliette was half tempted to skip the event altogether. But then she remembered the real reason she had come to the park. She was supposed to be looking for her mark, Courtney Anderson. She must have been attending the event with the governor.

One deep breath and a few shoulder rolls later, Juliette was pumped up and ready to go. She stepped under the sea of balloons and entered the world of politics.

Before she could even scan the area a handful of volunteers accosted her. “Vote for Chase,” two blonde sorority girls said as they thrust a stack of stickers and postcards her way. Juliette took the swag without thinking and shoved it into her bag as she continued on with the crowd. The last thing she needed was another reminder of her one-night stand.

The event appeared to be well underway. There was a makeshift stage to the right of the McPherson statue where a podium, more balloons, and several men in dark suits had gathered. To the left of the stage, standing near some not-so-safe looking stairs, was her girl. Courtney Anderson looked every bit the part of a politician’s daughter. She could have been plucked right out of a Ralph Lauren ad in her sheer Carolina blue blouse, cream slacks, and navy flats. Her hair was knotted up in a loose bun. If she had a rebellious streak, she hid it well. There was no sign of a party girl in her past, present, or future.

Great. Getting to know this girl was going to be loads of fun.

Courtney turned and stepped into a crowd of guests. Juliette kept her distance, choosing instead to let the girl come to her. That meant Juliette needed to blend in. Everyone else seemed to be toting around water bottles with red and white “Chase for Change” labels. So she made her way to the coolers. They were also red, white, and blue.
Because any other color might be unpatriotic.
She reached into the cooler and flinched at the ice-cold water.

Another person reached in after her. “Crap, that’s cold,” he said, and Juliette looked up.

Crap was right.

She was standing next to the mystery man who witnessed her naked bout around the senator’s hotel suite.
Could this day get any more awkward?

His eyes grew wide when he recognized her. “What are you doing here?”

“Me? I’m attending a political rally for class,” she lied. “Clearly I don’t have to ask what you’re doing here.” She gave a nod to the Tyler Chase sticker on his t-shirt.

“That’s right, we weren’t properly introduced this morning.” He gave her a knowing smile as if she was supposed to be proud of the senator’s late-night conquest and her early-morning walk of shame. “I’m Winston. Senator Chase’s campaign manager.”

Juliette frowned. He didn’t look like a Winston. And though he was dressed in dark pants and wore a Tyler Chase t-shirt over his much nicer button-down shirt, he didn’t look like any campaign manager she had ever met.

“Is he here?” Juliette asked and then instantly felt like a moron.

Winston smirked at her. “Of course he’s here. This is his event.”

Crap, crap, crap. What the hell are you doing, Juliette?

“Look, we need all the votes we can get, but I’m not sure your being here is wise.”

“Oh, so sleeping around with young coeds is not part of Mr. Chase’s platform?”

Winston nearly choked on his water. “No, it’s not. I’m afraid you just caught him at an off moment.”

“Right.”

Suddenly her mouth was a bit too dry.Juliette twisted the cap off her own bottle of water and took a swig. “You don’t have to worry. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

Winston didn’t look convinced, but Juliette wasn’t prepared to stand there all day and reassure him.

“I’d like to believe you, but I can’t afford to take you at your word.”

What did he want, a signed confidentiality statement?

Winston reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded-up envelope. Juliette’s jaw scraped the ground. “Please tell me you’re not trying to pay me off.”

“Why? Can your silence be bought?”

“No.”

Winston opened the envelope. “You should sign this.”

“Excuse me?”
Did the guy really carry around confidentiality statements? How many girls could Chase have slept with that he had the legal documents on hand?

“Relax,” he said. “Just a precaution. It basically says that you won’t speak to the press about the senator or matters of the campaign without our express permission.”

“Why would I speak to the press?”

He gave her a wary look.

“Right,” she said and took the paper from him. “How about I have my lawyer look over this and get back to you?”

Winston looked as if he wanted to argue more, but she didn’t give him the chance. Juliette turned and ran right smack into her mark.

Courtney smiled at Winston, immediately spotting the folded envelope in his hand. “Don’t tell me you’ve got another new volunteer lined up,” she said to Winston.

“What can I say, Tyler loves the college vote.”

Winston gave Juliette one last look before backing off into the crowd.

“Ignore him,” Courtney said. “He’s well on his way to joining the cynical and bitter politicians roaming the streets of D.C.”

Courtney extended her manicured hand. “We’re glad you could make it out today.”

“Thanks.” Juliette shook the girl’s hand. Her grip was surprisingly firm and confident.

Something darkened on Courtney’s face. “Oh, my.” Her voice became throaty. “You seem to be missing a Chase for Change sticker…” She reached into her pocket and produced a handful of the large blue and white circles. Before Juliette could stop her, Courtney peeled away the back and placed the sticker on her chest, patting it a few times to be sure it stuck.

“What a nice shirt,” she said. “I could swear I’ve seen one just like it.”

Juliette shrugged, distracted as her gaze slipped over to the stage. “I borrowed it from my roommate this morning. I spilled syrup on mine at breakfast.”

She tried to force her eyes back to Courtney but it was impossible. Tyler Chase was on the stairs of the stage, staring back at her. She couldn’t tell if he was happy or terrified to see her. Then Winston leaned over his shoulder and whispered something into his ear. The reminder of the confidentiality statement was enough to make her nauseous. She tore her eyes away from Ty and focused her attention on Courtney, who was going on about difficult stains.

Courtney looked up on stage. “Oh it looks like we’re ready to start. Don’t forget to tell your friends to vote Chase.”

Juliette watched as Courtney made her way to the stage, pausing to shake hands with a few supporters and volunteers as she passed by. At the foot of the steps Governor Anderson pulled her close and kissed her on the cheek. He made his way past Ty, but not before patting him on the back and wishing him luck.

The crowd cheered as Anderson made his way to the podium, but it wasn’t the governor Juliette was interested in. Courtney climbed the remaining stairs to stand directly behind Ty. She placed both her hands on his shoulders and then gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. Her mouth lingered near his neck as she whispered something into his ear. Most of the crowd had probably missed it, but Juliette couldn’t look away. Not with Tyler Chase staring right at her.

Chapter 4: The Candidate Surprise

Even after Courtney pulled away from the embrace, Juliette couldn’t take her eyes off the stage. Governor Anderson called out to Tyler. The crowd erupted into cheers. Tyler gave her one last longing look before turning to the rest of the crowd and lighting up the stage with that killer smile.

The noise of the crowd was the perfect distraction. Without his gaze beating down on her, Juliette was once again able to think straight. And everything inside her was screaming to run now. Fast. Nothing good was going to come if she stayed here pining for Tyler Chase. And more importantly, if she wasn’t careful, she would ruin her chance at getting close to Courtney and thus winning over Covington enough to join his inner circle.

Juliette backed away, tossing the bottle of water in the first trash bin she saw. It landed with a hard thud. She imagined whopping Tyler over the head with the same force. But the memory of those piercing eyes and sweet lips coming down on hers…

Crap. She was so completely screwed.

“Hey,” a voice called out to her.

Juliette looked up. Winston was standing a few feet away. He raised his arms in a surrendering gesture when he saw the fury in her eyes. “You okay?”

“Of course I’m okay,” Juliette spat. “I’m not some silly girl who falls to pieces because she had an unfortunate run-in with some lying, cheating dick-wad.”

Winston took a step backward. “Hey, that dick-wad you’re referring to is a U.S. Senator. Have a little respect.”

“Excuse me?”

“Come on. You really expect me to believe that you had no idea who he was? Didn’t you think it odd when he brought you back to a hotel room? That probably should have been your first clue.”

“Clearly I was off my game,” Juliette snapped.

“Right. Well don’t pin all the blame on Terrence. I doubt he expected to see you again.”

“Did you just call him Terrence? What is that? His ‘I wanna get dirty’ code name?”

For the first time since this morning Winston looked flustered.

Juliette barely choked down a bitter laugh. “You aren’t just his campaign manager, are you?”

“Tyler Chase is a good friend.” He stressed the name Tyler.

“Yeah, well your friend is an ass.”

He nodded, not bothering to argue.

“Does he do this often? Sleep with random women?”

Winston shook his head. “He’s a good man.”

“And what about Courtney? How does she fit in?”

“Her father is important. The governor single-handedly launched Tyler’s political career. He appointed him to fill the vacant Senate seat after Senator Reis’s death. His endorsement not only gets him political cred, but generates hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.”

“So are you telling me that the thing with Courtney is all an act to appease her father?”

“No.” Winston took a few steps closer. “I think they care about each other. I hope they do.” He hesitated as if doubting his next words but in the end trudged on. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but no one wins if you go public. Courtney will get hurt. Ty will lose the election. And despite what you might think about him, he’s done amazing things for the state of Virginia.”

Jules didn’t want to agree with Winston, but she did. Nothing good could come out of spilling her secret with the world. She needed to be friends with Courtney, not sworn enemies. The only way to do that was to forget about Ty. To act as though the other night had never happened. And to start over.

“I’ll keep his secret,” Juliette said and pulled out the confidentiality statement. She reached into her purse, took out a pen, and then scrawled her signature at the bottom without a further glance at the statement above. “You can have this back. If it makes you feel better.”

He hesitated before taking the paper and tucking it back into his pocket. “You’re doing the right thing.”

“Trust me. I don’t need you to tell me that.”

Winston headed back toward the rally. Juliette leaned back against the tree and watched him go. She should leave too. There was nothing more she could do here. But she wasn’t ready to leave yet. Juliette glanced down at her shirt,
Ty’s
shirt, and pulled off the Chase for Change sticker. There was no point dreaming about the impossible. Tyler Chase was not hers to have. Her energies were better focused on finding the truth about her parents’ murder. And that meant doing a perfect job for Dean Covington.