Chapter 2
Chapter Two
LIAR
“Sunshine,” Beastie said, his words punctuated by the impact of his body as he flopped onto the bed next to me.
“Go away,” I mumbled, trying to burrow into my pillow, which should be Nix’s shoulder.
Wait, where was Nix? I sat up and turned to stare at Beastie.
He was lying in Nix’s place with his hands behind his head so his arm muscles flexed impressively, like he had no intention of ever leaving.
I pointed at him. “How did you get in here? Did Nix let you in or did you do him in?”
His lips twisted. “Very funny. Like I’d hurt your husband before you seduced him. I picked the lock. Let’s do something fun today. I’ve got so much money from winning yesterday. It’s burning a hole in my pocket. We could blow it on the races, or we could rent a helicopter for the day, or—”
I put a pillow over his face to shut him up. “I’m sleeping. Why doesn’t anyone understand the sanctity of sleep?”
He threw the pillow over his face at me, but gently, like he knew I was delicate. He did. No one knew how delicate I was better than him. “It’s after ten. Are you going to sleep all day?”
“Yes. That’s the plan. I penciled it into my calendar and everything.” I threw the pillow back at him, but he just sat there and let it hit him in the face before it fell down on his lap.
“Sunny, you’re dying! How can you just sleep away the last few months of your life? Hm?” His blue eyes were alight with humor, because dying was the funniest thing ever.
I rolled my eyes and yawned. “Seriously, I plan on being super lazy today. If you can’t be lazy because you’ve got all this pent-up energy from getting smashed yesterday, I’ll have Tom throw you off the building.”
“Fair enough. If we’re being lazy, we can go to the hotel spa and get a couple’s massages.
” He winked at me and then frowned. “No, you can’t, because you’ll be black and blue afterwards.
Too bad Nix is at work, or he could give you a massage.
It’s awesome that you found someone who can touch you.
How are you going to seduce him? We could plan it out?
I’ll go get a big bulletin board and we can set up targets and everything. ”
I blinked at him, but there was something that I wanted to do with him. I leaned over so I was right in his face, and stared into his eyes. The creepy one had cleared up nicely, but that’s not what I was looking for.
“Whatcha doin’, Sunshine?” he asked, staring back at me.
“Tell me about the Crocodile of Alabama. Also, do you think it’s possible for people to change their genetics by taking a drug? I think it would kill you.”
“A lot of people would die while developing that kind of thing, but why not? They have been able to isolate certain genetic markers and change them to cure the linked disease. You’ve told me all about that.
You mean something stronger, something more immediate?
Also how long are you going to be breathing in my face? It’s weird.”
I ignored that last part and only inched slightly closer so I could really examine the striations of his eyes.
“Michael DuPre was really sick my whole childhood, but now he’s fine, better than fine.
He said he had some kind of treatment, but how would that give him so much muscle mass and such good reflexes?
” Was there really something to the whole serum nonsense Horse had been going on about? If Trevor knew, then so would Beastie.
He looked at me for a long time, his eyes narrowing only slightly, but it was enough for me to read him. “He said he was going to cure you?”
And there it was. I shrugged and pulled away from him.
He hadn’t denied it. He was an extremely excellent liar, but he hadn’t even tried.
So, he believed in this super serum thing, at least partially.
“It was implied, but I’d rather die than be with DuPre.
He wanted to make me his virgin bride.” I shivered at the memory of Michael’s hands on me, his weight, his pain.
“But if he could save you, you could put up with being with a psychopath for a little while. And then I could kill him for you.” He winked at me with an innocent smile that I’d helped him learn so he wouldn’t look so psychotic all the time back in elementary school.
The idea of me being with Michael for any reason was absolutely insane, so naturally it made sense to Beastie.
I patted his head. “No. I’m not losing my virginity to DuPre. I’d rather die, and also, it would probably kill me.”
“But Sunshine, to save your life—”
“I should do anything no matter how despicable it is? That’s not my philosophy. Is it yours? To save your life, would you do absolutely anything?”
“To save your life, yes. I would do anything.” He sounded like such a psycho when he said that, all ice in his eyes and threat in his voice, like he really had no scruples.
I harrumphed. He’d do anything to save me, but he wouldn’t date me?
He was too annoying. I put my hand on his face and pushed him over.
He obligingly fell backwards even though I’d applied hardly any pressure.
“You really think that DuPre has a cure?” I asked while he lay there, still staring at me with that warm smile that was his best lying face.
Also he was lying on the bed, so it was a double lie.
“If he’s cured, then wouldn’t that be the logical conclusion?”
“What kind of cure would change his body type so dramatically?”
“You’re pushing for specific information. What do you know?” He kept the smile, but his eyes were cold, calculating, exhausting. I’d push him over again, but he was still laying there, like he lacked the strength to stand. Nope, that was all me.
I sighed heavily. “What do you know? You’re saying that there is actually some fantastical super serum that messes with people’s genetics with various strains that can make you super strong or super dead? Seriously?”
He blinked at me and slowly rose up to his elbows.
“I didn’t say that. Who did? Yesterday when you went missing, what happened?
Trevor. He told you that I was in the fight.
Did he hurt you?” He reached out like he was going to touch me then pulled back at the last second while his eyes narrowed.
“He told you about the serum? What did he do to you? He took your blood. You look waxy every time you do bloodwork.” He pushed me over so I landed back on my pillow, him scowling down at me, but it wasn’t me he was thinking about.
I’d have a bruise on my shoulder from that.
He never touched me. Hm. He must be more than slightly upset.
It was so hard to tell with him these days.
I’d taught him too well the ways of the lie. And now I was lying on the pillow.
I pinched his nose where he hovered above me threateningly. “Don’t look like that, Beastie. Trevor’s always been an idiot. He can’t help it. It’s probably the super serum, messing him up. Also, it’s just a little blood.”
“You need your blood. All of it. Do you need a transfusion? I hate the mess they make of your veins, but…”
I pinched his nose harder before I folded my hands over my chest like a good little corpse. “It was only a few drops. If you run off just to beat up Trevor, I’m going to be so irritated with you. And you said you’d give me a wedding present.”
He blinked at me. “Ah. About that…”
I sighed heavily and shook my head. “Did you lose it or give it away to another girl?”
“It’s coming, but stuck in transit.” He rolled over to lean on his arm, head propped on his hand as he stared down at me.
He did that from time to time. It’s part of what made him seem so psychotic, the way he could just stare at you for hours, but I hadn’t taken it personally for years.
“You look happy,” he finally said, narrowing his eyes like that was so suspicious.
I patted his face. “I am. I’m so relieved that Nix and I got our relationship ironed out, and Trix, she’s so nice.
I was worried that they’d be a thing, because she is gorgeous, you know, with perfect breasts, but I think they really aren’t together.
And Jezebel, do you think they ever had a thing?
” How would it be possible for two people who were that beautiful and charismatic to not have had a thing, even if it was just casual?
“Nix hasn’t ever had a serious thing with anyone. You’re so special. Poor Sunny, have to be stuck with Nix for the rest of your life.”
I beamed at him. “I’m really happy about it. Dying is going to be positively delightful. Were you serious about helping me seduce him? What do you know about seducing people?”
“I think you should start with that painting you’re working on.”
“Does he like art?” I was doubtful about that. For him, the only art was in the martial art he did with so much brutal conviction.
“His ego is going to love seeing the way you see him, so heroic, so handsome. Your champion.” He raised a brow in a way that was almost but not quite mockery.
“He doesn’t seem to have much ego, to be honest. Otherwise, he’d take it personally when I pushed him away.”
“You pushed him away? Why? Was he moving too fast for you?” And now he was all ready to have a big fight with my husband. He loved fighting way too much.
I rolled my eyes. “No, I was having convulsions because I’d been putting off my injections. He translated that into pushing him away, but there was no anger or ego, just concern. He’s so sweet.”
“Ah. He’s really never hurt you?” There was weight to the question, and maybe not just because he was overprotective of me and wanted to get into a fight with his cousin.
It’s like he thought it was impossible, a miracle, and needed some verification.
No kidding. I was definitely going to have a bruise on my shoulder and he’d barely tapped me.
I beamed at him. “Never. Is he really some super serum person, and his superpower is not hurting me? That’s such a weirdly useful superpower to have.
Most superpowers are so pointless, like turning invisible, or being able to throw a hammer.
What’s your superpower?” He definitely had one, or he wouldn’t know about it.
“This is such a weird conversation.” Yep. He definitely had one or more. How could I get him to tell me? His superpower was probably keeping his mouth shut.
“Really? You don’t talk about your superpowers with the other serum psychos?
I think that’s weird. Supposedly I’m the ultimate weapon that Flowers, my biological father was developing.
” I studied him for a reaction, but there was only the faintest twitch of his cheek.
It was enough to verify the whole thing.
Woah. Trevor was on the level? I laughed, but felt more shaky, like everything was getting shaky.
“Like my dad wasn’t my dad. Now that’s the weirdest and most ridiculous thing ever. ”
He studied me thoughtfully before he nodded and leaned closer. “Nix always had the best superpowers. He’s impossible to defeat, except that you’re the ultimate weapon. He really can’t hurt you, so how are you going to deal with the virginity thing?”
I’d been holding my breath, ready for some super deep dark reveal, but the virgin twist at the end was like a dousing of cold water.
He wasn’t being serious about the super serum thing.
I made a face at him. “And I thought we were getting somewhere. You shouldn’t mess with me, it’s not nice.
Also, it’s not a virginity thing. But while we’re on the subject, have you slept with a lot of virgins?
What was it like? Did she cry very much?
Was there a tons of screaming and vomit?
” If he wasn’t going to take the super serum thing seriously, we were going to traumatize him.
He shivered just like I knew he would. “You’re trying to make me cry. Not nice, Sunshine. Are you really going to spend all day in bed, because if you are, I know what I’m blowing my money on.” His eyes gleamed diabolically as he rolled off the bed and started for the door.
“Who are you going to beat up?”
“I’m going to corrupt Nix’s virgin apartment.
I’m going to get you wall to wall screens and speakers, so we have video games and five different movies on at the same time, in his bedroom, where he never allows electronics.
Nix is so pure and undefiled, but we’re going to corrupt him until he’s as fallen as the rest of us. ”
I squinted at him. “You think Nix will really mind?”
“No. If it makes you a particle happier, he’ll be over the moon. You’ve seriously got him whipped. I saw the kitchen sink. He already would have done screens if he thought of it, but he didn’t. He’s more of a virgin than you when it comes to having a real relationship.”
“It’s not that real. And I haven’t had any relationships before, even casual ones.”
“You’re married. How is that not real? Also, we’ve been best friends forever. That’s the best kind of relationship. Nix never lets people get that close.”
But he had his whole team. They were close, weren’t they?
Way closer than we were, I mean, I’d only known him for a few weeks.
Was that super serum nonsense real? It couldn’t be, and yet…
It really was magical how Nix could touch me so perfectly right.
It had also been pretty impossible and terrifying how strong and capable Michael DuPre had gotten.
Beastie pulled out his phone, and started ordering screens while he left the room. He hadn’t been joking about that. It was nice that he could be serious about the important things.