The Prize: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Diamond Lake Romance Book 3)

by K. L. Middleton

  “The owner is going to be pissed,” Rory said, walking over to me.

  “Yeah. It wasn’t our fault though. He can’t be too upset with us.”

  He nodded. “I suppose we can paint over it later.”

  “Yeah.”

  We walked back into the house.

  “The cops are on the way,” Tony said, when we met him in the kitchen.

  “Nobody saw anything?” I asked.

  Tony shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Did anyone leave here early this morning? Maybe they noticed something unusual.”

  “I just woke up so I don’t know,” Tony replied.

  “I’ll go and see if that girl is still in my bed,” Rory said, disappearing down the hallway.

  “I think I might know who did this.” I told Tony about my confrontation with Terry.

  “That fucking asshole. I wouldn’t put it past him,” Tony muttered. He sat down at the kitchen table and began drumming his fingers on it. “He’s a racist, fucking, pig, too. I didn’t even invite him to the party. He just kind of showed up.”

  “His cousin wants to be on our web show,” I explained.

  Tony snorted. “Idiots.”

  Rory walked back into the kitchen. “She’s gone.”

  “Who’s gone?” Tony asked.

  “Vanessa. I think that’s what her name was.”

  “She’s the one who told me about the garage. She just left twenty minutes ago. She didn’t see anything,” Tony replied.

  “I think we’d better have a little chat with Terry.” I opened up the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of Gatorade.

  “He’s not going to admit to it,” Rory said.

  “I don’t care. I want him to know we’re not idiots,” I replied.

  “Just wait until after the cops leave,” Tony said.

  I took a swig of the Gatorade and recapped it. “I’ll go and check with the neighbors. See if they noticed anything.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Rory said.

  For the next half hour, we walked around the neighborhood, asking questions. Of course, nobody saw anything. I had a feeling that they wouldn’t, so it wasn’t a shocker. When we returned to the house, the police were there. They asked Rory and myself some questions and I told them about Terry.

  “So, you told him to leave and he got angry?” one of the cops asked, a guy named Dillon Hunter.

  “Pretty much.” I explained how his cousin seemed to have calmed him down. “I guess he was still pissed off.”

  “Do you have an address for this guy?” Dillon asked.

  I shook my head. “No, but I can give you his last name. It’s Jacobson. We went to high school with him.”

  The other cop smiled and scratched the side of his cheek. He looked at his partner. “That name rings a bell.”

  “Yes it does,” Dillon replied. “We’ll definitely be questioning Mr. Jacobson. Did any of the neighbors see anything?”

  “Not that they’ve told me,” I replied.

  “We’ll go around and question them, too,” Dillon said.

  “What about fingerprints?” I asked.

  “On the garage? We’ll see if we can lift any. Anything get stolen from inside of the garage?

  “Doesn’t look like they broke into it,” I replied. There was a side door, but it had been locked and still was.

  “What about the graffiti? Who’s going to pay to clean it up? We shouldn’t have to,” Tony said, looking frustrated.

  “If we catch the idiots who did this, you can try suing them for damages,” Dillon said, looking at the garage door. “I suggest taking a lot of pictures and keeping whatever receipts you acquire related to cleaning it up. You can also check with your insurance company. See what they have to say.”

  “We’re renters,” Tony explained.

  “Then talk to the owner of the house. I’m sure they’ll want to know what’s going on,” Dillon said.

  “Oh, yeah. We will definitely let him know about it,” he replied.

  The cops visited the neighbors, searched for prints, and left a short time later to question Terry and his cousin. Unfortunately, they didn’t learn anything new, but said they’d get back to us on the prints they’d lifted.

  “Terry isn’t going to admit to shit,” I said, when we were back inside of the house.

  Tony, who was frying eggs, agreed.

  “Hell no he isn’t.”

  “Maybe he didn’t do it,” Rory said. “I mean his cousin wouldn’t want him jeopardizing his chance at being on the web show.”

  “Yeah, but Earl might not have known about it,” I said.

  “Or those assholes just think they’re smarter than everyone else,” Tony said.

  “That could very well be,” I replied. “I’m still talking to Terry though. I’ll know if he’s lying.”

  Tony turned around. He pointed the spatula at me. “Don’t you dare get yourself thrown into jail. It’s not worth it.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “You’re not going to beat his ass or anything?” Tony asked.

  “I’m not planning on it,” I replied.

  He frowned like he didn’t believe me. “If you go over there, what exactly do you think you’re going to accomplish?”

  “I just want to see his reaction. Like I said, I’ll know if he’s lying.”

  Tony sighed and shook his head. “I seriously have a bad feeling about this. Rory, make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

  “He’ll be cool. I’m not worried about it,” Rory replied and then looked at me. “Because if he’s not, and ends up in jail, it’ll interfere with our work.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I changed the subject. “What’s going on with you and Robert? Are you two breaking up?”

  Tony sighed. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He’s been so moody lately. I can’t seem to do anything right.”

  Talk about calling the kettle black. “Maybe you two just need a break?”

  “Oh, we’re definitely taking a break,” he muttered, turning back to the eggs. “Mmm… hmm.”

  Rory and I looked at each other, smirking. It was always the same song and dance. Before the day was over, Tony would be calling Robert and they’d be making plans for the night. It was almost like they couldn’t function properly in their relationship without some type of argument or drama.

  Tony glanced at us over his shoulder. “Who wants toast?”

  We both answered that we did.

  “Well, it’s not going to make itself. One of you’d better grab the bread,” Tony replied.

  After breakfast, I took a shower and grabbed my truck keys.

  “Should I come with you?” Rory asked, meeting me by the front door.

  “If you want.”

  “Okay. I’ll be right out. I’m going to grab my wallet.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I walked outside and waited for him in the truck. He joined me a couple of minutes later.

  “You have any idea of where Terry lives?” Rory asked as we pulled away from the house.

  “No. I’m pretty sure he works over at Lenny’s Garage though. Or used to.”

  “Cool. Maybe he’s there right now.”

  “Yeah, and if not, Lenny will have his address.” Lenny and my father were long-time friends. I knew he’d give me the information, as long as I promised not harm the guy.

  We drove to the shop and Rory waited in the truck while I went inside. Unfortunately, Neither Lenny or Terry were around.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” the mechanic asked, a guy named Chase.

  “You wouldn’t happen to know where Terry Jacobson lives, do you?”

  “Yeah. I’ve given him a ride to work a couple of times. Why?”

  “I need to talk to him.”

  He hesitated. “I don’t think I’m allowed to give out his address.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll talk to Lenny.”

  Chase gave me a funny look. “What
he do now?”

  “Maybe nothing. I just need to ask him a few questions.”

  Chase glanced at the clock. “He’s going to be here in an hour.”

  “Good to know. Thanks for the info.”

  “No problem.”

  I walked back outside and told Rory

  “So, we wait?”

  “I guess. I’d rather question him away from the shop, though. I think I’ll try calling Lenny.” I located his phone number and dialed it.

  “Hello?”

  I cleared my voice. “Lenny? It’s Adam Knight.”

  “Oh, hey,” he said, a smile in his voice. “How’s it been?”

  “Good.”

  “You back on the track yet?”

  “No. Still having some back issues.”

  “That’s a shame. How’s your dad?”

  We chatted for a few minutes about the car accident and then I asked him about Terry.

  Lenny groaned. “What’d he do?”

  I told him about the argument and the graffiti. “I just want to ask him about it and would rather do it before he shows up for work today.”

  Lenny sighed. “Yeah, I’d appreciate that too. He lives over on the east side of the lake. Piper Lane. I can’t remember the exact address.”

  “Thanks. I should be able to figure it out from there.”

  “Just be careful. He’s a hothead.”

  “I will.”

  “You call the police?”

  “Yeah.”

  Why don’t you just let them take care of things?”

  “He’s not going to admit to the crime. I just want to ask him about it. Maybe warn him about the consequences if he tries that shit again.”

  “For the record, I think it’s a bad idea.”

  “Noted.”

  “Just do me a favor and don’t tell him I gave you his address. I could get into trouble myself. Employee confidentiality.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to murder the guy.”

  “That’s not what I’m worried about. His uncle is in town and he’s a sketchy dude.”

  “I’m not worried about him either.” I told Lenny about the web show and how he wanted to be on it.

  “Interesting.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, do you think you’ll ever race again?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I lost my sponsors and my back keeps fucking up.”

  “You know I’d sponsor you if I could afford it.”

  “I know.”

  “Where’s your car?”

  “In storage.”

  “You gonna sell it?”

  “No plans yet.”

  “You’re young. You might find yourself back on the track one day. I wouldn’t make any rash plans about your racing career yet.”

  “Yeah. You’re right.”

  “In the meantime, at least you have your ghost hunting job. You boys really making money off of that?”

  “Yeah. A decent amount.”

  “Crazy. Well, you take care.”

  “Yeah, you too. And thanks for the info.”

  “You didn’t get it from me.”

  “Gotcha.”

  After hanging up, I started the engine and we drove to Piper Lane. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find Terry’s place. The truck they’d been driving the night before was parked in the driveway. We pulled up to the house, got out, and went up to the house. As we were about to knock on the door, it opened.

  “I figured you guys would be stopping by,” Earl said, standing in the doorway with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. His eyes were red and the lines on his face seemed deeper. He looked rougher than I’d remembered.

  “Where’s Terry?” I asked.

  Earl let out a frustrated sigh. “Now look, I’m gonna tell you exactly what I told the police – Terry had nothing to do with the graffiti. We left last night, bought some beer, and finished watching the last three episodes of Ozark. He didn’t leave. Neither of us did.”

  “I’d like to talk to Terry myself.”

  Earl’s face darkened. “You don’t believe me?”

  “I just want to hear it from him,” I replied.

  Earl looked me up and down, as if wondering what kind of a threat I really was to his cousin. “He’s at work.”

  “We were just there. Didn’t see any sign of him,” I replied.

  He took a drag of his smoke and shrugged. “I just dropped him off. We must have missed each other.”

  “Apparently. I guess we’ll try him back there again,” I replied.

  He didn’t say anything.

  I looked at Rory. “Ready?”

  He nodded.

  We turned and started leaving.

  “Hey,” Earl called out.

  Rory and I turned around.

  He grinned. “See you in Cali?”

  “Probably,” I replied.

  He nodded and closed the door.

  Rory and I glanced at each other and then left.

  “They’re either not involved or he’s one hell of a liar,” Rory said as we drove away.

  “Or, Terry snuck out when he was sleeping.”

  He nodded. “So, what now?”

  “I don’t know.” I thought about my conversation with Lenny. He’d be pissed if I brought trouble to the shop. “We probably shouldn’t bug him at work. You know he’s not going to confess to it anyway.” I sighed. “Let’s just drop it for the time being. Wait and see if the police find anything.”

  He agreed.

  Rory’s cell phone vibrated. He looked at a message he received.

  “It’s Blair. She just wants to make sure we’re on for tonight.”

  I grinned. “Hell to the yeah. We definitely could use some distractions.”

  He smiled back. “I can’t think of a better one right now either.”

  11

  Chloe

  Rory and Adam were already at the diner by the time we arrived. We joined them at a booth, where I ended up having to sit next to Adam. Annoyingly, he had some cologne on that smelled very good.

  The waitress showed up right away. Her name was Penny and she’d waited on Blair and me many times before. Nice but a major flirt. At least that’s what Mackenzie had said. Apparently, Penny flirted with Chase all the time, which irritated her.

  “Oh, hey,” she said, recognizing us. “How’s it going?”

  “Good,” Blair and I answered in unison.

  Penny took all four of us in. “Aren’t you all cute. Is this a double date?”

  “No. We’re just friends,” I said quickly.

  Penny glanced over at Adam and I could see the news pleased her. “Hey there, Adam. You still racing?”

  “Not right now,” he replied.

  “That’s right. Your back went out. Do you still have a lot of problems with it?”

  “It’s fine as long as I don’t get into a car wreck,” he said, smiling.

  She laughed. “So, um, what can I get you girls to drink?” She looked at me. “Chloe? One of those strawberry and banana malts you like so much?”

  “Not today. I’ll just have water. Thank you,” I replied, picking up the menu.

  “Okay.” She looked at Blair. “What about you, Hon?”

  “Raspberry lemonade, please.”

  Penny nodded. “Sounds good. How are you guys doing? Need a refill yet?”

  “Nope. Not yet,” Adam said, swirling his straw around in the glass. “Thank you.”

  “Yeah, I’m good, too,” added Rory

  Penny smiled at Adam again. “I heard that you were part of the raffle contest last night at the college. Who was the lucky winner?”

  He smiled and rubbed his eyebrow, looking almost embarrassed. “Actually, I wouldn’t call her lucky. She’s going to have to spend the weekend with me around.”

  Penny gave him a flirty smile. “Oh, I’d call that very lucky.”

  Adam grinned. “Well, thank you.”

  “So, who was the winner?” she repeate
d.

  I raised my hand. “That would be me.”

  Penny’s smile fell slightly. “How fun. You all must be here making plans then?”

  “Yeah,” Adam replied.

  “I’m super thirsty. I hate to be a pain, but could you grab us those drinks?” Blair asked, smiling up at Penny innocently.

  “Uh, sure. Of course. Sorry,” she replied

  Blair waved her hand. “Don’t apologize. It’s all good.”

  When she left, Blair and Rory teased Adam about Penny.

  “She has the major hots for you, dude,” Rory said, looking amused.

  He shrugged and looked away. “She’s not my type.”

  Blair smirked. “And, what is your type these days?”

  “Someone closer to my age,” he replied.

  Penny was definitely a lot older. Maybe even in her thirties.

  “Are you dating anyone right now?” Blair asked him.

  “No.”

  “Why not?” she replied.

  He shrugged. “Too busy.”

  “He was dating this one chick a few months ago. A model. Talk about a hot mess,” Rory said, frowning. “Anyway, after his accident, she pretty much ghosted him. It was all about the money for her.”

  Even I thought that was shitty.

  Adam shrugged. “It is what it is. We weren’t serious anyway.”

  “Who was the model? Anyone famous?” Blair asked.

  “Have you heard of Giselle Lewis?” Rory asked, before Adam could reply.

  Neither of us had heard of her.

  “She was a Hawaiian Tropic model,” Rory said.

  “So, you’re into intellectual women,” Blair teased.

  Adam’s face turned red.

  Rory laughed. “She definitely had more going on here,” he pointed to his chest and then his head, “than here.”

  “Hey, she actually asked me out,” Adam said, playing with a sugar packet. “I didn’t go looking for her.”

  “It’s true. She sent him naked photos of herself on Facebook. At first, we thought it was some Nigerian guy trying to rip him off. But,” Rory laughed, “It was actually Giselle. Can you believe that shit? Who does that?”

  “Rory, don’t forget that you were the one who encouraged me to go out with her,” balked Adam.

  Rory grinned and shrugged. “I just wanted to know if those canons of hers were real or not.”