Chapter 4
I Dare You
Jake
I walk into the room first and start inspecting for bugs, cameras, and anything else suspicious.
The living room and kitchen are easy. The sliders to the patio are locked.
I check the bedroom and under the bed—no dust bunnies or recording devices.
The blankets aren't terribly plush. Everything is white and smells slightly of bleach. There’s a strange plant in the corner by the door that looks like a pink praying mantis, and Bible in the nightstand drawer. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Yet, Marnee is standing in the doorway, staring.
I can see on her face that something is wrong. Her brow is furrowed. Not angry, but concerned. “What’s the matter?”
“This room is… it’s the biggest fucking hotel room I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s the honeymoon suite, I believe. Skye booked it. She thinks she’s funny.”
I watch Marnee scan the connected rooms as she steps slowly through them, taking it all in. She stops in the bedroom, staring at the one and only bed.
It’s a large enough bed, but I can see her face as she realizes it. Her concern at the prospect of sharing it with me. My heart sinks a little. It’s not that I want to sleep with Marnee. She and I aren’t like that. But it’s clear on her face how much she does not want to sleep next to me.
Truthfully, she’s not over her ex, and I’m not over Nina.
So I will offer to sleep on the couch, but not until I mess with her for a bit.
After losing her husband and her dog, well, humor is what gets her back to baseline.
She’s got a great, genuine laugh that crinkles the corners of her eyes and reminds me that the world is both real and beautiful.
I walk up to the bed and flop myself down on it. “Dibs on the left side. Come on, pookie, we can take a nap.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What’s the big deal? It’s a king-sized bed. We could fit three more people in here. Go get your book. Let’s test my theory.”
She leans back and crosses her arms.
“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Relax, Flapjack, I wouldn’t dream of breaking your no bed-barrier. Even if I don’t understand it, and even if you did ask me to be your wingman on a couples vaca.”
“This is not a couples vaca. It’s a recon mission. Like you said. And the no bed barrier is a practicality. I don’t sleep well in the same bed as someone else.”
“For the record, I’m fine with this setup. I’m an excellent snuggler.”
“Of course you're fine with it. You’re a sex-crazed maniac.”
“Thank you. Seriously though, how many times in the past few weeks have we both fallen asleep on my couch and slept there?”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“Basically, though, it is. But if you really have a problem with it, I’ll just call Skye and tell her you want a second room.”
I’m really fucking with her now. Marnee always gets cagey when it comes to my sister.
“No, you do not need to bother her. It’s fine.”
“It’s not a big deal. I’ll just call her.” I pull out my phone. “Eh, no service. We need to get on the hotel Wi-Fi.”
“No, nevermind. It’s fine. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
I pick up her suitcase and pop it onto the rack next to the closet. “You're afraid of Skye, aren't you?”
“I'm afraid of the rabid-looking dog they keep in the house. Your sister fucking terrifies me.”
“You love dogs.”
“I love my dog. And my husband is a dick for taking her.”
“Ex-husband.”
“Right. Ex.” She stumbles and looks sad for a second.
“I can go get your dog in a heartbeat. I have told you this again and again. Just say the word.”
“No. Meatball knows her house. I don’t want to upset her.”
Thunder rumbles somewhere off in the distance. Outside the palms bend in the wind, the sky darkening behind them. Our phones beep in unison and we both glance at them.
The hurricane warnings have been going off since we landed.
It’s due to hit Martinique tomorrow morning and then bank out to sea.
We should be fine, here. Might get a little wind and rain, but nothing damaging.
Also, our hotel has a generator. The island loses power frequently so we are prepared for that.
I made sure of it before we came down. I wasn’t about to put Marnee in danger.
“Let’s just go over the plan for lunch this afternoon.”
Marnee steps into the bathroom to shower and change, and I step into my vacation pants. In another life, I was made to wear linen.
While she’s gone I run over some of the hit points for today’s lunch.
According to our intel, he has lunch at Mira’s every Friday afternoon.
A business meeting of sorts. I need to find out how many guards Bingham has.
Find out what they talk about. And if possible, find out his true intentions for Meredith Falls. This is going to be a shit show.
Marnee emerges from the bathroom in a white dress that makes me forget my list.
“Okay, how’s this for a formal lunch?”
I whistle. “That dress.” I clear my throat. Jesus Christ. I know Marnee is beautiful. I have eyes. But this is different. For a second I just stare at her. “You know, I’m supposed to be able to focus at this lunch.”
“Don’t be too nice to me, Monroe. It’ll ruin this good thing we’ve got going.”
“There’s only one way to ruin this friendship and we are not doing that. I’m almost sure of it. I mean, probably not. I was a hundred percent sure before the dress. Hand to God.”
She walks over to the couch and sits. “You’re poking fun.”
“I promise, I'm not. And I'm not going to ruin our friendship. But that ex of yours was an ass and never appreciated you properly. That I can and will do. Try and stop me, Flapjack. I dare you.”
“Yeah yeah, what’s the Wi-Fi password?”
“It’s palmtrees. No capitals. It’s in the binder there.”
Marnee puts her phone on the Wi-Fi and it rings immediately.
She looks up from her phone. “You’re already on the Wi-Fi, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So, why is Van calling me?”