Foul Play (Barlow Sisters Book 3)

by Jordan Ford

  “What? Where?”

  “Cairo just got back,” Chloe answers from the hallway while Max rushes out the door, waving us a haphazard goodbye.

  “See you soon!” she yells before tearing out of the driveway.

  Her tires squeal as she takes off down the road.

  “Don’t speed!” Mom yells from the kitchen window, then gives up with a sigh.

  Holden and I glance at each other and crack up laughing as we step into the house and are soon enveloped by my family.

  Epilogue #2

  MAX

  This stupid car won’t go fast enough!

  I tear down the street, Cairo’s message burning a hole through my phone.

  He’s back! He’s back for the summer!

  I’ve missed him so much this year it’s insane. It’s not like I haven’t seen him at all. He’s been back every holiday, and I’ve even gone to Berkeley for a couple of weekends, but it’s not the same as day-to-day contact.

  Oh man, this next school year is going to be amazing.

  I’ve been working so hard with Mr. Hale, plus Mom got me a job at the store. It’s sucked, but I’ve tried to focus on the fact that it’s getting me money for college. Thanks to my practice plus hard work, I got accepted into Berkeley with a partial scholarship.

  Mom and Dad said they’d cover the rest of my fees, plus pay for my housing, so all I have to shell out for is books and resources. So yay! I’m going to study music at Berkeley. And I’ll only be a year behind Cairo.

  I put my blinker on and whip around the corner.

  When Cairo first left after last summer, I had my doubts.

  Could we make it?

  Or would he find some gorgeous college musician to replace me?

  But nope, the guy has stayed one hundred percent loyal. We talk or text every day, and he’s even let me help him with a few assignments, asking for my feedback. With Maddie gone, I’ve got my own room and we’ve stayed up on FaceTime until the early hours, talking music and working on his assignments.

  I’ve loved every second of it.

  But nothing beats being in his arms.

  Screeching to a stop in his driveway, a laugh punches out of me as I see him racing down the porch steps.

  He stops on the path, grinning while I sprint around the car and straight into his arms. My legs wind around his waist and he holds me tight.

  We don’t bother with words; our kisses say it all. I wrap my legs tighter around his waist as we walk and kiss our way to the front door.

  “I’ve missed you,” he murmurs against my mouth.

  I lean back with a smile. “That all ends today.”

  “Yes it does.” He leans in for another kiss and I happily oblige.

  Our tongues start a familiar tango that we’ve been practicing for months. It’s already the perfect dance, but we don’t mind spending the hours trying to make it even better.

  “Oh, all right, you two!” Mr. Hale barks from the porch. “I get that you’re in love and all that, but you don’t need to eat each other’s faces off. Get into the house!”

  I laugh at his teasing, then grin when he winks at me and waves his hand to usher us inside.

  Cairo reluctantly drops me to my feet, but keeps a secure arm around my waist as we walk into his house.

  “Hey, Max,” Mrs. Hale calls from the kitchen.

  “Hi, Avia! Ooo, smells good in here.” That woman has transformed my palette, I swear. I never would have touched curry before dating Cairo, but she’s taught me to love Indian food.

  She’s even given me a few cooking lessons, something my mother doesn’t have the patience for. But Cairo’s mom is just so relaxed and cool. I’ve spent so much time here in the last year. This is where Mr. Hale tutors me, and his wife always feeds me while he’s doing it.

  “Right, sit down.” Cairo’s dad pulls out my usual stool and taps it with his fingers. “Lover boy here was just telling us how his last week of school went.”

  I chuckle and grab an almond from the bowl as Cairo sits down beside me and regales us with the final week of his freshman year. It sounds like really hard work, but I’m so ready for it.

  This past year has been good for me. I’ve spent hours doing things I both love and hate, but it’s given me the discipline I need to cope with college life.

  Dad’s been going on about how focused I’ll have to be. Now that I’ve dropped baseball, he’s throwing his energy into making me the world’s best musician. Groan! The guy just doesn’t know how to do anything but push me. Chloe assures me it’s because he knows I could conquer the world if I wanted to and he wants the best for me.

  “He loves you, Max. If you don’t remember anything else, remember that. It might drive you crazy, but if he didn’t care about you at all, he’d leave you alone.”

  What’s the bet I’ll end up missing him once I’m away.

  I roll my eyes, but then purse my lips as I imagine how much he’s going to miss me.

  Poor guy’s losing all three of us after the summer.

  I hope he copes okay.

  “So, you’re staying for dinner, I assume?” Avia captures my attention.

  “Actually we’ve got a family dinner tonight. Maddie and Holden just got back.”

  “Oh, how lovely. It’s so nice that you can all be here for Chloe and Vincent’s graduation.”

  “We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “I’m so proud of those two.” Her warm brown eyes light with a smile I have to reciprocate.

  “And I’m proud of you.” Mr. Hale grabs me in a sideways hug, kissing the top of my head and reminding me why he’s my favorite adult.

  I giggle against his chest while Cairo complains, “Dad, stop suffocating my girlfriend.”

  “I’ve got to get my hugs in before she leaves and your poor mum and I will be left all alone.”

  “Yeah, like that’s going to hurt.” Cairo rolls his eyes. “You can’t wait for an empty nest.”

  “That is true.” Mr. Hale tips his head, then clicks his fingers and points at his wife. “Sex in every room, love!”

  Avia wiggles her eyebrows, putting on a sexy little smirk.

  “Aw, gross. You guys!” Cairo drops the piece of naan bread he was nibbling on and I crack up laughing.

  I love this family so damn much.

  Because Cairo complained, his dad’s taken it the next level, wrapping his wife in a hug and kissing her passionately in the middle of the kitchen.

  “Don’t eat each other’s faces off,” Cairo warns as he jumps off his stool and grabs my hand. “Come on, gorgeous, let’s hang at yours for a while.” I thread my fingers through his. “We’ll be back after dinner for a jam with the guys!” Cairo calls from the door.

  His parents fail to respond, which means they’re obviously still making out.

  “I wonder if they’ll do it on the kitchen floor,” I tease him.

  He gives me a deadpan glare and shakes his head at me. “Don’t ruin my life, please. I’ll never be able to step into that kitchen again.”

  I giggle and rest my head against his shoulder. “One day you’ll get to torture your own children in exactly the same way.”

  He stops in the path, turning me to face him while wrapping his arm around my lower back. “I’m going to enjoy that.” His brown eyes sparkle. “Do you think our kids will be musical?”

  The air in my lungs dries up for a second. It’s such a casual little question but it says so much.

  He’s picturing a life with me. He’s imagining making out in our kitchen while our children tell us we’re gross.

  I can’t answer him with words. All I can do is smile and tell him I love him with a searing kiss.

  CAIRO

  I strum the strings and grin as Max steps up to the mic and starts singing, “Ocean Avenue.” I lean in and add a harmony on the word ni-ght. Damn, we sound good together.

  Roman goes for it on the drums, pumping up the song until the walls of the garage vibrate. The be
at thrums through me, my spirit soaring as we take on the song and own it.

  Considering it’s just the three of us, we sound awesome.

  Max is actually on bass. Dad’s been teaching her both electric and bass. It’s cool that she’s so versatile, especially since we lost Latifa.

  Yeah, much to Roman’s heartache, our girl fell in love with someone new at college. And to make it even worse, she followed the guy to Nashville. They left a couple of weeks ago and according to Max, Latifa was so excited, she didn’t even pick up on Roman’s despair.

  Poor Rome.

  He’s been slogging it out at the community college in Cullington and been pretty damn miserable about the whole thing.

  I spin around and watch him go for it on the drums. That’s his salvation right there. I grin and strum the last riff of the song. He hits the final beat and I hold my note, dragging the song to a finish.

  Max whoops into the mic, tossing her hair back and giving us a goofy smile.

  She’s so cute when she plays.

  “What time is Austin getting here?” Roman flicks his stick in the air.

  Max pulls out her phone to check the time. “He’s probably still stuck at his family dinner. Kingston got back this afternoon, I think, plus his grandparents have come for the graduation too.”

  “Yikes.” Roman cringes.

  “I know.” Max nods. “They’re going to hassle him about his bleached hair and ask him why he’s not being a good Chinese boy and studying something boring.”

  “I bet they flipped when they found out he’s going to CCM,” I murmur.

  CCM is the California College of Music, and that place is freaking amazing. They know how to rock out, but it’s not exactly the formal education his family wants for him. I think it’s awesome that he’s following his heart on this one.

  Max bulges her eyes at me and then winces. “Poor guy. He came and hid out at my place for the whole weekend after he got his acceptance letter. My dad loved it.”

  I snicker at Max’s sarcasm.

  Her dad is definitely softening up, but it’s going to take a really long time to accept that any of his daughters have fallen in love. I think I’m the hardest pill to swallow. Holden is golden and he can relate to the guy easily. Vincent saved his life and there’s this protective fatherly thing going on. But me…I’m just the punk that dragged his daughter into a nightclub where she nearly got killed.

  I’m the jerk pulling her away to study music at Berkeley.

  I’m the idiot who drove all the way back to Fresno so we could try out for the Summer Rock Festival again. We missed out last year, and when the chance came up to audition again, I pulled an all-nighter to make it.

  This year, we were successful and we’re playing on one of the smaller stages for the Fourth of July weekend. We’re even playing the song Max and I wrote together—“Spell Caster.” We’re all pumped and have been working damn hard to pull it together without Latifa. But we have Max on bass now and it’s gonna be great.

  Both our families are coming to watch and then we’re going camping, apparently. Some surprise that Vincent’s been cooking up for Chloe.

  The internal door clicks and we all spin to watch Austin lope down the stairs.

  “Hey, Cai! Good to see ya, man.”

  “Hey, graduate.” I grin and hold up my hand. “You made it.”

  He laughs and I pull him in for a quick hug and back pat.

  “How was dinner?” Max lightly thumbs the bass strings.

  Austin groans as he sets up his keyboard. “Painful, as expected.”

  “Sorry, dude. Old people just don’t get it sometimes, right?”

  “Yep.” Austin flicks the bleached hair out of his eyes.

  “The main thing is you’re following your heart. And that’s what counts.”

  I glance over my shoulder to smile at Max’s words. I love that we’re so often thinking the same thing. I love that she found the strength to follow her heart as well.

  Shuffling back, I close the gap between us and lean in for a kiss.

  “Ewww, seriously!” Austin starts making gagging noises behind us so I deepen the kiss to rile him.

  Okay, maybe I deepen it because I’ve spent the last year pining for my girl and now she’s right beside me. And this time, I don’t have to say goodbye, because she’s coming to Berkeley too.

  I’m so excited for this new chapter I can hardly stand it. Max is going to love it there, I just know she is.

  And we’ll be together.

  An image of the first time I saw her flashes through my mind. Those big blue eyes staring at my guitar, her flustered words as she tried to get away from me.

  I grin against her mouth, my body sizzling with pleasure as I think about how far we’ve come, and how much further we’ll journey together.

  My beautiful spell caster. She owns my heart, just like I own hers.

  Epilogue #3

  VINCENT

  I clear my throat and cringe as Nick adjusts my tie. I’m pretty sure he’s going for some kind of chokehold knot.

  “Stop whining, you big man-baby,” he mutters.

  “I didn’t say anything!” I snap back.

  “Your face is saying it all, man.”

  “It’s just graduation,” I grumble. “Why the hell do I have to wear a tie anyway?”

  He slaps my shoulders and looks me in the eye. “Because it’s graduation, and you’re the first Mancini to ever get there.”

  My brother’s eyes sparkle with pride and I pull him into a quick hug.

  We never used to hug before, but since he got out of jail, everything’s changed. I have my brother back, and I never want to take that for granted again.

  Thanks to Chloe’s dad, Nick’s transition back into society has been as smooth as it can be. Not perfect, of course. The guy’s qualifications weren’t exactly stellar, so finding a job was tough. But thanks to one of the officers at Armitage PD, he managed to get an apprenticeship at the local garage. He’s worked like a dog and learned everything he possibly can. And now he’s got a job in San Jose working as a mechanic.

  I told him he didn’t have to come with me, but I think he’s just as keen to leave Armitage behind as I am.

  I didn’t find this out until after it happened, but Nick ended up giving Chief Barlow a few key nuggets of information that helped the Armitage PD bust Enzo’s drug operation wide open. My abusive uncle and cousin are now behind bars for at least eight years. I don’t know what the rest of the Mancinis are up to and I really don’t give a shit. Chief Barlow’s been keeping a close eye on them and making sure they leave me and my brother alone.

  Nick’s moving to San Jose in a few days. He can’t wait to be free of this place. He’s going to find us an apartment and start his new job over the summer so that by the time I arrive, everything will be set up.

  He’s really doing everything he can to look after me, and I’ve never been happier.

  My senior year at Armitage High was the best year of my life. I have the world’s prettiest, sweetest girlfriend, I’m living in a house I’m not afraid to go home to each night, and for the first time ever I’ve been able to focus one hundred percent on my studies.

  It meant I excelled in my course work and scored a scholarship. The guidance counselor worked overtime on my behalf. It’s been so bizarre. Everyone has gone out of their way to make my life a success. I had no idea people actually cared or could be so awesome.

  I smooth down my tie and look in the mirror, my lips curling at the corners as I picture Chloe and wonder what she’ll have on under her gown. Probably some pale pink summer dress that will fit her perfectly.

  “Here you go.” Nick holds up my gown for me and I slip my arms into it, adjusting my shoulders until it sits right.

  He stands behind me, his eyes glassing over. “Mom would be real proud.”

  I swallow, the sound thick and audible in our little apartment.

  With a wonky smile, he lightly smacks my arm with
the back of his hand. “Come on, you little jerk, let’s do this.”

  I grab my cap off the table behind the couch and play with it the whole way to school. Threading the fine red tassel through my fingers, I gaze out the window as we head down these streets that are so familiar, yet I’m not going to miss them.

  Armitage will never be home for me.

  I don’t know where home is. Not geographically anyway.

  I hope I’ll find it one day, a place that I can settle in, but right now, my home is in people. Or at least one very important person.

  As we pull into the parking lot, I spot her on the grass. She’s standing with Rahn, Max and oh hey, there’s Cairo and Roman. They’re all laughing together, Rahn and Chloe looking jittery as they fidget with their caps.

  A smile spreads my cheeks wide as I watch Chloe’s blonde hair dance in the breeze. She giggles and turns my direction just as Nick’s parking the car. The second she sees me, her face lights like a Christmas tree. She ditches the others without a backward glance and walks across to me.

  I jump out of the car as Nick cuts the engine and meet her halfway. My arms are spread and waiting so she can walk right into them.

  “Good afternoon.” I kiss the top of her head and feel myself relax as she rests against me.

  “Happy graduation day,” she murmurs into my chest.

  I lean back and smile down at her. “We did it.”

  “I knew we could.”

  Her blue eyes tell me they love me and I lean down to kiss home. My place of refuge, comfort, joy and inspiration.

  She always goes on about how I saved her life that night, but she has no idea. It doesn’t matter how many times I try to argue that she was the one who saved me, she just doesn’t seem to get it. She’ll always underestimate the power of her love, but I’m quite happy to spend the rest of my life convincing her that I might be a warrior, but she is my superhero.

  CHLOE

  Vincent looks so handsome in his graduation robe and cap. My insides are bursting with pride as Principal Sheehan calls his name.