Dirty Secret: A Bad Boy Romance (Bluefield Bad Boys Book 3) (10 page)

Chapter 23

Lenix

The clamor of voices downstairs didn’t seem to stem from anger or an argument. Something was going on. While I didn’t look forward to seeing Graham, or any of them for that matter, I was hungry enough to make the trip downstairs.

Duff was staring at his laptop and Brick, Graham and Rex were watching a news story of some kind on the giant flat screen television. I headed toward the kitchen where Axel was leaned over the kitchen island eating a plate of nachos. He didn’t look up as I walked in, but that was to be expected.

“You sure got lucky, Lennie,” Brick called from the couch.

I grabbed a banana and walked toward the room. The scene on television was some kind of murder scene, complete with yellow caution tape and a lot of official looking vehicles. “How’s that?”

Rex looked over the back of the couch. “You haven’t heard?”

“Went straight from bed to this banana. Heard what?” I stripped down the peel.

“Paula Nelson of Hangar Four was found shot to death in her house in the Hamptons. Number one suspect is Mix, her guitarist and husband.”

“Jeez, that’s awful. Why is that lucky for me? Were you guys plotting to kill me but now that Mix stole your headline, your plans are ruined?”

“Very funny,” Graham snarled. “It takes the spotlight off of this whole concert cancellation fiasco.” He held up the tabloid paper. “Not to mention your make-out scene on the porch. Every reporter will be on the east coast waiting to get the early scoops.”

“Vultures,” I muttered over a bite of banana. “A woman dies and it’s like Christmas for them.” I sat down on the easy chair to finish my banana.

There was a whirlwind of activity in front of the Hampton house. The reporters were already gathering like ants on a honey hill. I stared at the television and chewed slowly as something huge dawned on me.

I hopped up from the chair. “I’m going to the beach,” I announced, and headed to the stairs not waiting for an answer.

“No, you’re not,” Graham said.

“Yes, I am. There won’t be a reporter for miles around with this story breaking over on the opposite side of the country. I’m going to get some sun, and nacho king can stay behind.” I raced up the stairs, deciding to put a succinct end to the argument.

I picked my phone up off the nightstand and texted Dawson. “Where are you at?”

“I’m just heading down to the beach. Where are you?”

“I’m in my room getting ready to come down and join you. If that’s all right?”

“Hell yeah. What happened? How did you get free?”

“Someone got murdered. I’ll see you in a half hour.”

Chapter 24

Dawson

I slid the phone into my pocket and took hold of the ice chest. Wyatt and Megan were already down on the sand.

I looked over at Aubrey. “Think Meg would notice if we sat down the beach from them?”

Aubrey hit my arm. “Stop. It’ll be fine. Just eat that big, ole fisty sandwich and ignore the dick.”

“That’s what I’m planning on. I’m glad you see that he’s a dick too.” We stepped onto the sand. My outlook for the day had just improved. I was going to see Lenix. There just wasn’t a damn thing Wyatt could do to sour my mood.

“I talked to Kellan this morning. He’s getting married.”

“What?” Aubrey said with shock. “To who?”

I looked over at her. “Really?”

“Right. Rylan, of course. That’s exciting. Good for him. He found himself a rich girl. And a rich girl that he loves. We need to find someone like that for you, little brother.”

“Never mind. I don’t need any matchmaking help from my sisters.”

“I’ll bet I could find just the right girl for you. Only I’m still having problems finding the right guy for me. I’m happy for Kellan. Wonder if that means Tommy and Andi will jump into an engagement soon.” She ended the sentence just as we reached Megan and Wyatt.

Megan nearly fell out of her chair. “Andi is engaged?” she said it with all the anger and jealousy of an older sister thinking that her youngest sister was beating her to the altar.

Aubrey dropped the towels. “Jeez, Meg, don’t get your bikini in a bunch. Andi’s not engaged.”

“Now, Andi is your youngest sister who is dating the coal miner?” It was a simple enough question, only Wyatt added a sneer to the words
coal miner
.

“Yes, Tommy is best friends with Dawson,” Megan said with the same sneer as Wyatt. Megan lifted her sunglasses to look at me. “Saw you leaving your room last night in the cloak of night. Still hanging out with that woman? She must be a winner if she can only come out at night? Or is she a
lady of the night
?” That comment earned a laugh from Wyatt.

I dropped my towel and sat down on it, ignoring the charming couple. They both could think whatever the hell they wanted. None of it mattered to me.

Megan looked over at Aubrey, who was stretching out on her stomach. “So who is engaged?”

Aubrey perched up on her forearms. “Kellan and Rylan.”

Megan laughed as if it was something funny. “That doesn’t happen every day. A Highlander hooking up with a Trog. Kellan got lucky with that match. Not so sure about Rylan.”

I turned to look at Megan. She squirmed enough to know that she’d just blurted out enough stupid shit to piss me off.

She forced a smile. “Sorry, Dawson, I know he’s your best friend.”

“What’s all this gibberish about Highlanders and Frogs?” Wyatt asked.

“Trogs not frogs. It’s silly really.” Megan laughed. “There’s a train track that divides Bluefield into two halves. The rich people, or Highlanders, live on the north side of the tracks, and the Trogs live below the tracks on the poor side of town.” Megan twisted her mouth shut. She’d apparently forgotten which half she’d come from.

As expected, the overly curious and judgmental Wyatt looked over at Megan, who was now avoiding eye contact with him. “Well?” he asked. “What side do you live on?”

Megan scooted around on her chair. “Neither. I live in California.”

Aubrey cast a quiet smile my direction.

I decided to help Megan out. “We’re Trogs. Megan included.”

Megan shot a hard scowl my direction.

I shrugged. “You brought it up.”

Megan pretended to busy herself dusting sand off her legs. “They’re just stupid, meaningless labels.”

“Why Trogs?” Wyatt was too much of a fool to know when to end a topic.

Megan had no intention of answering but I, on the other hand, was happy to answer. “The miners, the workers who risk their lives every day to work underground, the only people who keep the mine productive and keep the Highlanders fat and happy in their mansions, live on the south side of the tracks. Troglodytes are prehistoric people who lived in caves. But it’s too long to say when you’re trying to land a good insult on someone. Trog is easier, cuts to the chase faster. The whole label thing sort of backfired on them though. Most of us are just fine with it. Without us, the mine and Bluefield wouldn’t exist.”

An annoying, condescending laugh shot from his mouth. “Proud to be a Trog?” He laughed again. “Of course, you know my opinion about the whole coal mining thing.”

Aubrey sat up and scowled, not at Wyatt but at Megan. “Are you really just going to listen to that?”

“What? Everyone’s entitled to their opinion,” Megan said with a little lift of her chin.

“Shit,” Aubrey muttered. “I’m going for a walk on the beach.” She spotted something in the distance and looked over at me. “I think your friend is walking this way.”

Wyatt grinned over at Megan. “This should be interesting,” he said it quietly, but I heard every word. Which I was sure was his intention. Fortunately, I already hated the guy enough not to give a damn about anything he said. And seeing Lenix walking across the sand to me in broad daylight made the rest of the world fade away into nothing.

I stood up. She was wearing dark sunglasses, no doubt, because we were on the beach, but there was no beanie, no scarf, no disguise. Just the girl who made my pulse race and my heart slam around my chest as if it was trying to break free.

“Is she coming here to sit with us?” Megan’s lip curled up in disapproval.

“Nope, Meg. She’s coming here to sit with me.”

I walked the last few feet to meet Lenix. Like always, she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. It was a habit I was getting used to and one I was going to miss . . . a lot.

Aubrey had walked up behind us. “Hi, remember me? I’m Aubrey.”

Lenix lifted her dark glasses and rested them on top of her head. Her eyes glittered gold as she greeted Aubrey. “Right, Aubrey and I’m Lennie.”

Aubrey didn’t respond. She held Lenix’s hand and stared at her in a mixture of confusion and shock. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

I took hold of Lenix’s hand and left Aubrey standing speechless in the sand. I led her over to Megan and Wyatt. “This is my sister, Megan and her friend.” I made a point of not saying his name. He was plenty pissed about it.

Lenix put out her hand. “Hi, I’m Lennie.”

Megan stared up with the same perplexed expression that Aubrey wore. “Hello,” Megan said hesitantly. Megan was rarely without words, but she seemed to have lost her tongue.

“Wyatt,” Wyatt said, throwing a scowl my direction as he offered his hand. He too seemed to have noticed the uncanny resemblance to the famous singer and fell silent.

Lenix ignored their curious stares and pointed at my towel. “Can I put my things there?”

“Yep.”

She slid off her shorts and sandals and put her sunglasses on top of the shorts.

Aubrey walked over and stood like a statue next to us. She stared at Lenix and tilted her head to the side as if it might confirm what she was wondering by looking at my friend from a different angle. She finally spoke up. “You know you look a lot like the lead singer of Ice Cake, Lenix Harlow.”

Lenix smiled at her. “I know. Uncanny right?” She turned to me. “I’ve been here for half a week and have not been in the water. I was hoping you’d go in with me and scare off any hungry sharks or icky things with tentacles and teeth.”

“I think I could handle that assignment.”

She took my hand, and we headed toward the water.

“How’d I get so lucky today?” I asked.

Lenix circled around and kissed me. “Today? Seems like you’ve gotten lucky for a couple of nights too.”

“Oh, I got way past lucky, Pixie. A winning lotto ticket doesn’t hold a fucking candle to a night with you in my bed. I just meant, how’d I get lucky enough to see you in the day, when the rest of the world can see you too.” We continued on our trek to the water. “You said someone died.”

“Yeah, it’s terrible even if it did work out for me. God, that sounds awful. The singer, Paula Nelson, was found murdered this morning. They think it was her husband.”

“Yeah, Aubrey was telling me something about the singer from the band Hangar Four. So the reporters are following that story, and Lenix Harlow is paparazzi free for an afternoon?”

“Ooh, you are as smart as you are hot. Winning combination, by the way. Especially when you drop in those amazing skills in bed.” We reached the edge of the water and she dipped her toes in. “Somehow, it looked much warmer and more inviting from the balcony of the beach house.”

“Summer’s sun might still be hanging in the sky, but the water doesn’t seem to be absorbing it. We can skip it. I won’t even make fun of you.”

“Darn, now I have to go in. And I believe in doing things fast.” She screamed as she ran through the water, dove into an oncoming wave and came up on the opposite side with a gasp. “So cold!”

I swam toward her, and she jumped into my arms. I cradled her against me and carried her through the water. “You actually got to leave the house without the beast behind you.”

She rested her head against my shoulder and kicked at the water with her feet. “Axel was busy drowning in a plate of nachos. And Graham just didn’t put up much fuss. He’s either tired of fighting me on my quest for freedom, or he figures, too, that there just won’t be anyone out here. I still don’t know who snapped that picture of us on the porch yesterday.”

I leaned back to get a better view of her face. Her wet bangs were smoothed back, giving me a clearer view of her face. She was spectacular. It took me a second to retrieve the question I’d lost when I looked at her. “There’s a picture of—of our
session
on the porch?”

“It didn’t show much except me wrapped around you. Why? Are you worried about your reputation with the ladies?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about. Don’t want ladies to get the wrong idea about me.” I laughed and floated back, carrying her with me.

She let her head drop back to rest on the surface of the water. “And what idea is that? That you’re so damn hot, you made me come without even taking off my clothes.”

“Shit, when you put it like that, screw my reputation. But what about your reputation, my famous lil’ pixie?”

“That ship sailed long ago.” She placed her head against my shoulder. “I’ve learned it’s much easier not to care what other people think. Makes living much easier.” She reached up and curled her hand around my neck, to bring my face lower for a kiss. Her eyes opened slowly and she gazed up at me. “Why does everything feel absolutely right when I’m in your arms?”

I tightened my hold on her. “Isn’t it obvious? I was put here on earth solely for the purpose of holding you. All this time I was living my life, and I had no idea that my real reason for being alive was to keep Lenix Harlow safe in my arms.”

“There you go again with the perfect answer to my question.”

Familiar voices drifted toward us. Wyatt and Megan had decided to join us in the water. Only, like Lenix, Megan hesitated once she reached the reality of the ice cold water. Wyatt seemed determined to take a dip, and he seemed just as certain that Megan would be going in with him.

He reached for her arm, but she backed up, laughing at what she thought was just a fun game. I could tell by the rigid set of Wyatt’s shoulders that he wasn’t considering anything about it a game or funny. Megan seemed to sense it quickly too. I knew my sister well enough to see the worry in her face, even from a distance.

Wyatt stomped out of the water and took a firm hold of Megan’s arm. She tried to pull away, but he held her tightly. Megan dropped back, trying hard to keep her feet in front of her, resisting him.

“I’ve changed my mind. It’s too cold,” Megan said on a near sob.

I lowered Lenix’s legs. She looked on in dismay at the way the jerk was acting toward Megan. “He’s kind of a prick, isn’t he?”

“That’s a light word for him.” I swam back toward shore.

Wyatt hadn’t seen me approach. He was pulling Megan toward the water, even as she continued to protest against it.

“Let her go,” I said.

Wyatt whipped his face around and took a deep gulp of air as he saw me emerge from the water. His grip remained firm. I could see the white spots on Megan’s wrist where he held her.

“We’re just having some fun here, Dawson. It’s not really any of your business.”

I walked up behind him but kept my distance because I knew if I got within striking distance, my fist was going straight for his sneering face.

“I’m going to say it again. Let her arm go.”

I heard Lenix walk up behind me. Wyatt’s focus flicked temporarily her direction. I knew my sisters, and they’d been Googling Lenix’s name the second we walked away. I had no doubt that they’d already concluded that my friend Lennie was Lenix Harlow. Wyatt was putting on a good show, trying to be a badass. It was about to backfire big time.

Megan looked close to tears. “I’m all right, Dawson. I’ll go in the water. It’s all good,” she said quickly.

I stared unblinkingly at Wyatt. “You might be an asshole, but you can’t possibly be stupid enough to ignore me when I tell you to let go of my sister.” I stepped closer. Wyatt flinched. He stood his ground for a few more seconds, longer than I would have expected, before releasing Megan. Then he stomped back toward the towels.

Megan pulled her arm against her stomach, either because it hurt or because she didn’t want me to see the marks his fingers had left.

“What the fuck, Megan?” I asked. “That guy isn’t good enough for you.”

She lowered her face. I knew she was crying, but she didn’t want me to see it. It was a self-defense mechanism she’d learned, all my sisters had learned, from living with our dad. He thought tears, even from a woman, showed weakness, and he would tease my sisters for it. For most of our lives, Dad was a supreme ass.

Lenix walked over and put her arm around Megan’s shoulders.

I walked up to her. “If you want me to tell him to leave, Meg, just say the word and he’s gone.”

She wiped at her tears and lifted her face with a head shake. “No, he’s my problem. Besides, I can’t trust you and your temper. I have to work with the man.”

She smiled politely at Lenix and turned to walk back up to the towels. Lenix and I stayed near the water. I kept an eye on Megan as she stood and said something to Wyatt. He grabbed up his stuff and marched off.

Lenix wrapped her arms around my waist and peered up at me. “That was so damn hot. As if I needed any other reason to adore you, my big sexy coal miner.”

I brushed her bangs away from her face. “You liked that whole tough guy thing, huh?”

“No, not that part. The way you showed how much you cared about your sister. Hunky, hot and sweet as a pot of honey.”

“First time anyone has ever called me
sweet
. But, what the hell. There’s a first time for everything.”