The voices she heard belonged to her brother and Jess. Last night at happy hour, Nadia had mentioned wanting a new outfit to wear on her date with Reid. Jess had gotten excited, and quickly wrangled her into going shopping the next day.
When Nadia reached the kitchen doorway, she saw Nelson and Jess leaning against the counter together, laughing and drinking coffee. Jess looked gorgeous as usual in a fitted pink jumpsuit with stylish wedge heels. Her long hair was swept to one side, falling in loose curls down over her shoulder.
Nelson had already been to the gym that morning. His gray tank was ringed with sweat around the neck and underarms. After weeks of working out with their cousin Lennox, his biceps were getting bigger and more defined—a fact that hadn’t escaped Jess’s notice.
“Look at you getting all cock diesel,” she said teasingly.
“That’s right,” Nelson bragged, lifting his arm to flex his muscles. “Check out these guns.”
“Ooh.” Jess reached up and curled manicured fingers around his bicep, grinning appreciatively. “Very impressive.”
Nadia’s eyes narrowed, an unsettling suspicion taking root in her mind. Deciding she’d seen enough, she walked into the kitchen with a breezy, “Good morning.”
Startled, Jess snatched her hand from Nelson’s arm and smiled brightly at Nadia. “Hey. You’re up.”
“I am.” Nadia gave her an amused look. “Sorry to interrupt…whatever that was.”
A guilty flush spread over Jess’s cheeks. Suddenly she couldn’t meet Nadia’s gaze.
“Mornin’, sleepyhead,” Nelson greeted her. “Jess brought coffee and breakfast burritos.”
“So I see,” Nadia drawled, approaching the counter. “How thoughtful of her.”
“I just figured since I was coming over anyway, I might as well pick up breakfast.” Jess handed a covered cup of coffee to Nadia and gestured to a white paper bag on the counter. “You should probably heat up your burrito.”
“Thanks.” Nadia sampled the coffee. It needed to be reheated as well. “You’re two hours early. What gives?”
Jess shrugged. “I had a couple errands to run. And I figured you’d already be up and about. You never sleep in this late on Saturdays.” A sly grin curved her mouth. “Were you and Reid up all night sexting?”
Nadia’s cheeks warmed. “Of course not. He has a game tonight. He needs his rest.”
“I’m sure he does,” Jess drawled wickedly. “Especially since he probably didn’t get much rest the night of your sleepover, as evidenced by your bowlegged walk the next day.”
Nadia blushed harder. “No comment.”
Jess and Nelson laughed.
As Nadia stuck her cup into the microwave to nuke the coffee, Jess said conversationally to Nelson, “So why aren’t you in Boston? Now that you’re covering the Rebels, doesn’t that mean you get to travel with the team for away games?”
Nelson sighed. “I wish. But the paper doesn’t have the budget to cover travel expenses.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Jess commiserated.
“Tell me about it. Anyway, I invited a few friends over to watch the game tonight. You’re welcome to come too. That is, if you’re not too worn out from shopping all day.”
Jess laughed. “I’ll be fine. And I’d love to come over and watch the game. I have to hold your sister’s hand to keep her from having a heart attack every time Reid gets into a fight.”
Nadia grinned sheepishly. “I wasn’t that bad.”
“Uh, yeah, you were,” Jess and Nelson chorused, then laughed.
“Whatevs.” When the microwave chimed, Nadia removed her reheated coffee cup and took a careful sip, letting the caffeine infuse her system and wake her up.
“Where’s Bianca?” Jess asked Nelson. “Are you two hanging out today?”
“Yeah,” he said with a smile. “She wants to check out some new exhibit at the art museum. Then I thought we’d go for a drive through the mountains and stop for lunch along the way.”
“Wow,” Jess exclaimed. “Sounds romantic.”
“Doesn’t it? Bianca brings out the Romeo in Nelson.” Nadia grinned at her brother. “When are we going to start planning her surprise birthday party?”
“Soon. Definitely.” Nelson drank the rest of his coffee, then set the empty cup down on the counter. “I’m gonna hop in the shower.”
“Good idea,” Nadia teased, wrinkling her nose at him. “You smell like a men’s locker room.”
“How would you know?” he retorted with a grin. “Does Reid know you’ve been hanging out in men’s locker rooms?”
“Ha ha.” Nadia flipped him the bird.
He laughed and then winked at Jess. “Thanks again for breakfast.”
“No problem,” Jess said with an almost shy smile.
Nelson sauntered out of the kitchen, playfully bumping Nadia’s shoulder on the way out.
As soon as he was gone, she raised an eyebrow at Jess. “Something you wanna tell me?”
Jess blinked. “Like what?”
“Like why were you flirting with my brother?”
“What? I wasn’t flirting!”
Nadia’s eyes narrowed. “Sure looked that way to me.”
“Well, you’re wrong,” Jess insisted. “I wasn’t flirting with Nelson.”
“I hope not. Because he has a girlfriend, whom I happen to really like. I don’t want to be caught in the middle of any drama.”
“There’s not gonna be any drama,” Jess assured her. “I’m not interested in Nelson. He’s like a brother to me. Always has been.”
Nadia studied her friend a moment longer, then took another sip of her coffee.
“So,” Jess said brightly, “did you talk to Reid about Viggo?”
“I did.”
“Well? What did he say? Did Viggo ask about me after we met the other night?”
Nadia hesitated, reluctant to admit that Viggo had actually asked about her cousin Scarlett, whom she probably shouldn’t have mentioned to Reid.
“Nadia?” Jess prompted. “Did Viggo ask about me?”
“Um…Reid didn’t say.”
“Really?” Jess looked surprised, then baffled, then disappointed. “Well, didn’t you tell Reid that I think Viggo’s hot?”
“I did. I asked him if Viggo was seeing anyone special and he said no, but he’s always looking. So I told him about how you’re really interested in Viggo.” Nadia paused. “But now I’m not so sure about that.”
“Are you crazy?” Jess exclaimed. “Of course I’m interested in Viggo! Why wouldn’t I be?”
Nadia gave her a long look. “You tell me.”
Jess blushed, her gaze sliding away to the counter. As if to give herself something to do, she threw Nelson’s burrito wrapper and empty cup into the trash, then washed her hands at the sink and grabbed a paper towel. She took her time drying herself off and examining her French manicure before she cleared her throat.
“So…about today…”
Nadia leaned back against the counter. “What about it?”
Jess hesitated, then reluctantly turned around to face her. “Caitlyn’s coming with us.”
Nadia blinked, her cup halfway to her mouth. “Come again?”
Jess bit her lip, looking guilty. “My cousin Caitlyn’s in town visiting her parents this week. Aunt Sheridan told my mom that she’s been moping around the house feeling sorry for herself and snapping at everyone. Mom thought a girls’ day out would do her some good. So she asked me to let her hang out with us today.”
“Oh, God, do we have to?” Nadia groaned. “No offense, but Caitlyn isn’t the most pleasant person to be around. She’s like the queen bee of mean girls. She has no filter whatsoever, and she always ends up rubbing me the wrong way.”
Jess sighed heavily. “I know.”
“I mean, the last time we were with her, she couldn’t stop throwing shade at black women who wear weaves. Then she doubled down by bragging about her rich white husbands and saying how white men don
’t want ‘regular’ black women. Despite the fact that, quiet as it’s kept, white men have been lusting after black women since the days of slavery—pre weaves, pre relaxers, pre colored contacts, pre cosmetics. Despite the fact that it was a white man’s love for a black woman that brought about Loving v. Virginia. Despite the fact that several prominent white men are married to black women. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Caitlyn would have us believe that no white man desires black women. What next? Aliens ain’t checking for sistas either?” Nadia snorted in disgust. “Sorry, but I’m not here for her bullshit.”
“I know, girl,” Jess said grimly. “Offending people is Caitlyn’s MO. She takes after her mother. And she’s even worse these days. Twice divorced, got rejected by her childhood crush, lost custody of Ally. She’s angry and bitter as hell.”
“All the more reason to avoid her like the Ebola virus,” Nadia retorted.
“I know.” Jess sighed. “I wish I could.”
Nadia snorted. “I can. She’s not my cousin.”
Jess stared at her. “What’re you saying?”
Nadia set her cup down. “I’m saying I’d rather go shopping by myself than with you and your catty cousin.”
“Please don’t be like that,” Jess entreated, grabbing her shoulders. “If you bail on me, I’ll be stuck with that miserable bitch all day, and we’ll probably end up killing each other. Is that what you want?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Please don’t ditch me, Nadia. I’m begging you.”
She groaned. “C’mon, Jess. I really don’t—”
“Pleeeaaase. I need you!”
Nadia rolled her eyes in exasperation, then heaved a resigned breath. “All right, all right. Caitlyn can come with us.”
“Oh, God, thank you!” Jess gave her a relieved hug. “I owe you big time!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Nadia drew back and wagged a warning finger at Jess. “But I’m telling you right now. The second that chick says something outrageously offensive, I’m outta there.”
Jess laughed. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“Uh-huh.” Nadia gave her a knowing look. “Now I know what the coffee and burritos were for. You were trying to bribe me.”
Jess laughed, looking sheepish.
At that moment the doorbell rang.
Nadia and Jess traded questioning glances.
“Expecting company?”
“Not that I know of.” Nadia left the kitchen and made her way to the front door. When she opened it and saw who stood there, her eyes widened in shock.
“Scarlett!”
Her cousin laughed. “I’m back, baby!”
Nadia squealed excitedly, then pulled Scarlett into her arms and hugged her long and hard. “I missed you!”
“I missed you too!”
Nadia drew away, beaming from ear to ear. “What’re you doing home? You said you wouldn’t be back for another week!”
Scarlett grinned. “I know. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, mission accomplished!” Nadia grabbed Scarlett’s hand and pulled her inside the loft.
As she closed the door, Jess emerged from the kitchen and waved. “Hey, Scarlett.”
“Hey, girl. Good to see you.”
“You too.” Jess grinned. “Welcome home.”
“Thanks,” Scarlett said warmly. “It’s good to be home.”
Nadia snorted. “For now. It won’t be long before you’re feeling restless and itching to get back on the road.”
Her cousin laughed. “Probably.”
With her rich brown complexion, sultry dark eyes and pouty pucker, Scarlett Warner was one of those natural beauties who looked stunning without even trying. Her thick, curly hair had a purple streak that hung over her right eye. It was styled in a funky Frohawk, the sides slicked upward with gel. She had four rings in each ear and a tiny diamond nose ring. She wore a fitted leather jacket over a cropped black T-shirt with the word Conformity crossed out in white. Her tight ripped jeans clung to her every enviable curve, and the ice-pick heels of her studded ankle boots added several inches to her five-six frame.
“When did you get home?” Nadia asked her.
“Last night after nine.”
“I was just about to eat. Have you had breakfast?”
“Yeah.” Scarlett grinned wryly. “My parents woke me up at the ass crack of dawn to take me out to eat.”
“The nerve.” Nadia grinned. “You know they’ve missed you like crazy. So have your brothers.”
“I know, girl. I missed them too.” Scarlett winked. “But don’t tell ’em I said so.”
Nadia laughed and hugged her around the waist.
She and Scarlett had always been more like sisters than cousins. Their fathers were twins, so the two girls had grown up together. They’d attended the same schools, joined the same clubs, and were inseparable during family vacations and reunions. At sleepovers, they’d stayed up late swapping secrets, playing dress up and dancing to their favorite songs. As members of a pretend girl band, they would sing into hairbrushes and make their own music videos with Nelson acting as director. Even back then, Scarlett had been the better singer and performer.
When she was nine, she’d come across a drum set while attending a friend’s birthday party. The set belonged to the host’s older brother, who played in a rock band. He’d graciously allowed Scarlett to tinker around with his drums, showing her how to hold the sticks and where to strike them to produce cool beats. She was hooked. When her music teacher at school introduced her to the work of Sheila E., Scarlett was so awed and inspired by the electrifying female drummer that she’d begged her parents for drum lessons.
It was money well spent. Scarlett proved to have a natural talent and went on to play the drums in her middle and high school bands, eventually receiving a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. That was where she met the four guys who would later help her form Off The Grid.
For the past three months, the band had been in Europe performing in concerts and festivals to promote their second album, which had been climbing up the indie charts.
“I want to hear all about the tour.” Nadia grabbed Scarlett’s hand and ushered her over to the sofa, plopping down next to her while Jess sat on the loveseat.
“So how was it?” Nadia asked excitedly.
“It was awesome. Exhilarating. Exhausting.” Scarlett grinned, her eyes sparkling. “We had a big crowd at every performance, so that was pretty amazing. Even though it was our second tour, it still felt surreal to look out into the audience and see people singing the words to our songs and screaming our names. There’s nothing like it.”
“Sounds exciting,” Jess said with a touch of envy.
“It was,” Scarlett confirmed, propping her feet up on the coffee table. “Being onstage is the biggest fucking adrenaline rush. But the rest of it isn’t as glamorous as you might think. Staying in cheap hotels, eating bad food and dealing with jet lag can take a serious toll. And since we’re not signed with a major record label, worrying about money can be hella stressful.”
“Wow,” Jess commiserated. “I didn’t even think about all that.”
Scarlett shrugged. “Most people don’t.”
“So other than performing for screaming fans,” Nadia asked, “what’s the best part of going on tour?”
Scarlett smiled. “Being with the guys.”
“Aww. What’s the worst part?”
Scarlett wrinkled her nose. “Being with the guys.”
They all laughed.
“Your bandmates are fine as hell,” Jess declared. “How could you ever get tired of being around them?”
“You’d be surprised,” Scarlett said with a wry smile. “I love the fellas. They’re family, and I’d do anything for them and vice versa. But after traveling together for months, we get on each other’s nerves and need a damn break.”
Nadia grinned. “Totally understandable. That’s how Nelson and I get sometimes.”
> Scarlett chuckled, glancing around. “Where is Nelson?”
“Taking a shower. He’s hanging out with Bianca today.”
Scarlett grinned. “Of course. What else?”
“Right?” Jess laughed.
Nadia smiled. “How was Sweden?” she asked, thinking of Viggo.
“Oh, I loved Sweden. The beautiful scenery, the food, the culture, the music scene.” Scarlett sighed, placing her hand over her heart. “Stockholm was my favorite stop on the tour. I can’t wait to go back next year.”
“When do you guys hit the road again?” Nadia asked.
“Not until February. In the meantime, I plan to relax, catch up on sleep and just enjoy my downtime.”
At that moment Nelson emerged from the back. “I thought I heard your voice out here.”
Scarlett’s face lit up in a wide grin. “Nelson!”
Beaming, he crossed the room in two strides, lifted her in a big bear hug and swung her around. “’Bout damn time you brought your ass home.”
Scarlett laughed, hugging him back before he set her down and grinned at her.
“You’re back early.”
“Nah.” Her eyes twinkled. “I told you guys I was coming home later so I could surprise you. Damn, son,” she exclaimed, squeezing Nelson’s biceps through his shirt. “Someone’s been hitting the gym hard.”
Nelson grinned. “You noticed that too, huh? Jess was just saying the same thing.” Showing off, he puffed out his chest and struck a pose, flexing his biceps like a bodybuilder.
As Scarlett and Jess pretended to swoon and fan themselves, Nadia rolled her eyes. “Please stop gassing the boy’s head up. I’m the one who’s gonna have to live with him and his massive ass ego.”
Everyone laughed.
Nelson tweaked Scarlett’s nose. “I’m having some friends over tonight to watch the hockey game. You’re coming, right?”
“Of course. Wouldn’t miss it.” Scarlett, unlike Nadia, had always shared Nelson’s love for hockey. She knew players’ stats, watched the games and could talk shop with the best of them. “I hear our Rebels are off to a great start this season.”
“Yup,” Nelson confirmed. “Everyone’s healthy, and they won the first game pretty decisively.”
Wicked Games (Denver Rebels) Page 15