19. Liar
Chapter Nineteen
LIAR
T he hotel had six pools and more hot tubs.
I was determined to lounge by a different pool every day for the next week, because, you know, a girl’s got to have goals.
When I woke up, Nix was gone, but he’d left the bed covered in yellow tulips, which made me feel like I must be the heaviest sleeper in the world, because how had he gotten up and covered the big bed with tulips while I snored blissfully away?
Oh well. I really did love tulips, I just liked Nix more.
I hadn’t brought a swimming suit, so I wore a pair of Nix’s exercise shorts and a sports bra for the pool. I’d have to go shopping eventually, but it seemed like such a waste of time when I could lay in the sun and doze off instead.
The pool I chose was on the roof, and it wasn’t as functional as the other lap pool on the roof, because it was more of a garden oasis, so it felt private because the pool wasn’t one big square, but several branches that came into the surrounding pavement with tons of potted plants between each little semi-private patio.
I was lying there, drinking my three different kinds of waters, when I heard a huge splash and then shortly after, a guy came out of the pool, tripped on my lounge chair, and then kept running.
A girl in a bikini came out of the pool a second later, but she didn’t trip, no, she was like a gazelle, leaping after him with the grace of a ballerina. He had no chance. Should I interfere?
“You said that we’d have breakfast together!” she yelled, but they were out of view behind a screen of plants.
“That’s a pick-up line. It’s not a literal thing.
And I don’t even eat breakfast, ever. I’m on a liquid diet.
I don’t actually remember picking you up, but how about I give you some money so you can get your own breakfast?
How’s a thousand? I don’t have more than that on me cash, but if you ask at the front desk… ”
I got up and peered around the palm tree, because I knew that voice, and that flash of blue eyes was making me suspicious.
“Trevor?” I asked while he was going through a pair of pants that he wasn’t wearing. He was wearing underwear, or maybe that was a swimming suit. It was awfully tight and small for a swimming suit. Maybe it was one of those French ones.
He looked up at me, panicked. “Did I say I’d get breakfast with you too?”
I laughed. It really was Trevor. He was one of Beastie’s rich, worthless friends who we’d spent time with last summer, boating, hiking, jumping off of things. “You don’t remember me? I’m hurt.”
The girl whirled around on me and grabbed my hair, her brown eyes bright with malice. “How dare you cut in while I’m getting what I deserve?”
The next second, she was off me, and Trevor threw her in the pool with a satisfying splash. He didn’t look at her, instead he was studying me. “Morphine, right? Beastie’s bestie? Sunshine Ray Wilson.”
I beamed at him while I touched my hair, trying to see if she’d yanked any out. It hurt. “You remember me. I don’t remember your last name.”
His eyes were duller than usual and he leaned close to whisper, “I’m sober. That means that my memory is terrible. I can’t forget anything. So, Morphine, are you going to give me an inside on your supplier?” He nudged me a little bit. Ow.
I laughed and shook my head. “No way, then my prices will go up. To each his own.”
“You’re a monster.”
“Thanks. You too.” I turned and went back to my lounge chair, because being attacked by that girl had worn me out. Fine, I’d woken up tired. This was a slow day, not a rumble with crazy chicks day.
He sat down on the end of it, crossed his foot over his knee and smiled at me. “What brings you here? Where are we?”
“Las Vegas.”
“Beastie’s here?”
“No. I haven’t seen him all summer.” So much honesty, but Trevor could find out the facts if he wanted.
He raised a brow. “You’re solo? Do you want a travel companion? We can swap needles.”
I laughed. “I’m not traveling, I’m lounging. And the way you treat women is terrible.”
“That wasn’t a woman,” he said dismissively.
I made a face at him. “You might want to take that back. You don’t use someone’s body and then discard them afterwards as not a woman.”
“Literally, he’s not a woman. Why do you think I was running away from him?
I passed out last night before I could discover the shocking truth, but this morning, all was revealed.
” He raised a brow. “And I was going to pay for his breakfast, because his drag was really impressive, but then he pulled your hair, and that’s just uncouth. ”
“So uncouth,” I agreed, smiling. It was good to see Trevor, even if he was Beastie’s most flaky drug addict friend. “What are you doing in Vegas?”
He pointed a finger at me with a serious expression. “First, you answer my question. What are you doing in Las Vegas.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m lounging. I already told you.”
“Right, but why Las Vegas, on the roof of the Providence, and wearing men’s exercise shorts instead of a more revealing bikini bottom. Hm? If you’re with someone who isn’t buying you appropriately inappropriate swimwear, I offer to take his place.”
“That’s very generous of you, but I actually always buy my own inappropriate swimwear.”
“But are you with a man?” he asked, more persistent than I remembered him being, probably because he was sober.
I nodded and squinted at his tiny shorts. “I’m pretty sure I am, but after my earlier mistake, I’m not certain. Well, Trevor, are you a man?”
He made a face at me and then lay down on my lounge chair, squishing me until I moved over. “You’re avoiding answering. It makes you incredibly suspicious. Did Beastie finally manage to set you up with a worthless rich boy or are you lonely and vulnerable?” He smoldered at me, which made me giggle.
“You’re even sillier sober than you are drunk. I didn’t think it was possible.”
He took my hand, his finger outlining my wedding band. “Is this for real?”
I sighed heavily. “Fine. I’ll tell you all about him, but don’t laugh or make fun of me. Or him. Promise?”
“I solemnly swear,” he said, then took a drink of my salt water and made a face. “Why doesn’t this have alcohol?”
“Because I don’t drink alcohol. You should remember that much.”
“Ah, the virgin virgin. Now I remember. Tell me, tell me. I’ll be ever so polite, I promise.”
I gave him a skeptical look, but then I beamed at him because I kind of wanted to talk about Nix to someone. “Well, he’s a workaholic with three jobs, and they’re all seasonal.”
“A workaholic? That sounds like it could be money. That’s promising.”
“I’m not all about the money, Trevor. My mom was disowned from her filthy rich family when she married my dad. It’s not something I’m looking for.”
“So, he’s not rich? Then why are you at the Providence? Does he work here?”
“He’s not poor, he’s just not a billionaire playboy, okay?”
He nodded with pursed lips. “Oh, he’s an honorable man. Okay. What are these three jobs?”
“Well, he does home health care, you know, like a nurse, but only when it’s not the season for shows. He does support for a lot of things, like the fight tonight, him and his team will be working backstage for it.”
“Fight tonight? At the MGM?” he frowned at me looking downright sober. “And the third job?”
“He teaches self-defense classes.”
“Huh. And you met, how?”
I wrinkled my nose at him. “How did this get to be an interrogation? Why are you in Vegas? Where’s Rog? Why are you sober? Why are you suddenly so interested in my companions?”
“Your Beastie is fighting tonight. Seven PM at the MGM.”
I stared at him and shook my head. “No, he isn’t. He’s getting a degree in medical law. He’s not wasting his time, and if he was in Las Vegas, he’d come and see me.” He’d better, or I’d really kill him.
He propped his chin on his elbow as he studied me. “What’s the husband’s name?”
“Why?”
“Because I’m betting that it’s Nix Death-Hammer.”
I stared at him while my heart did weird things. “And if it is?”
“How did you meet him?”
I shook my head at him. “Why are you sober? How do you know my husband? Oh. Your dad’s a judge and his dad’s a senator. But how would you know that he’s the one I married?”
“Who else would Beastie set you up with?”
“Beastie doesn’t know Nix.”
“Weird, because I’m pretty sure they’re first cousins.”
“They’re not…” They had the same eyes. Nix said he went to find a nice girl from his mother’s alma mater. Was that a lie? “I don’t understand,” I whispered, and suddenly the pool and garden weren’t nearly so enchanting.
“Why did you marry Nix?” This time the tone was just as hard as the question. He wasn’t pretending to be the fun easy-going drug addict anymore.
“He’s like, super hot. If this is some political thing between your fathers, it has nothing to do with me.”
“Sunny, Nix has a deep-rooted fear of marriage and women exactly like you. How did you get him to marry you? What does Beastie want with the Prince of Beasts, or is someone else behind this play?”
I stared at him while every encounter in our past took on a new light, tinged of shadow. “You’re friends with Beastie to spy on him?” I shook my head, stood up and walked away. Of all the despicable things… Maybe Beastie was a psychopath, but at least he was honest about it.
Trevor didn’t follow me, but his words did. They echoed on and on. Maybe he was just having a psychotic break, seeing conspiracies in everything, even marriage.
I pulled out my phone and texted Beastie.
Saw Trevor this morning. He said you’re fighting tonight.
I stared at his picture for a long time, but he didn’t respond.
“Miss, are you lost?” a waiter or porter asked and I realized I was just standing in the hall in my swimming suit, staring at my phone and feeling lost.
“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” I hurried back to our room, colder than I’d been in a long time.