Vampire Beach: High Stakes
Page 16
‘It’s not going to be any fun. The movie is pure chick flick. That was clear from the commercials,’ Jason complained as he drove down the PCH. Not that there was anything he’d rather be doing than hanging with Sienna pretty much anywhere. ‘There’s crying in it. I saw crying.’
Sienna looked over her shoulder at Belle and shook her head.
‘And there’s the wearing of cute pajamas,’ Adam put in. ‘That is one of the four horsemen of the chick flick, Cute Pajamas. All I can say is somebody better be buying me a large popcorn with a large Dr Pepper, and Goobers. I’m going to need Goobers mixed with the corn to survive this. It offends my film lover sensibilities.’
‘I just want explosions,’ Jason said. ‘And it wasn’t that kind of crying I saw. It wasn’t crying because there was just an explosion and somebody’s leg got blown off. It was I-got-my-feelings-hurt crying. This is the last night of spring break. I shouldn’t have to deal with crying.’
Actually watching some crying with Sienna was fine. Going back to school was fine. Normal was fine. More than fine – even if it was DeVere Heights normal, which was always a little less than.
‘You don’t have to go,’ Sienna told him as he pulled into the parking lot of the New Malibu. ‘Belle and I are happy to watch the chick flick all by ourselves.’
‘And we’ll enjoy it. Because we are chicks,’ Belle added. ‘Then we call one or two of the numerous cute boys we know, who will be more than happy to pick us up and take us home.’
‘Now that just sounds dangerous,’ Adam said. ‘And as the son of the sheriff, I should know. I’m going to have to insist that I accompany you.’
‘And I’ll have to accompany Adam,’ Jason said. ‘He gets scared in these kinds of movies.’
‘Hmm. What do you think, Belle?’ Sienna asked as Jason parked.
‘I think it might be acceptable. If someone buys me a medium popcorn with a large Diet Sprite.’
‘Fine,’ Adam muttered.
‘My parents got a letter of apology from the Lessards today,’ Sienna said as she stepped out of the car. Suddenly, the cool Malibu night felt cold, and the brilliant stars in the clear sky seemed much further away.
‘What did it say?’ Belle asked.
‘It just apologized for Marc’s behavior, without going into specifics. It also included a check to cover any “inconvenience” – a check that will exactly cover the money Zach lost,’ Sienna said. ‘Paige made some acceptable stuff up for my parents. They’d freak if they knew what really happened.’
‘Is Paige doing OK?’ Belle asked. ‘I know that on the trip back she was acting like her usual self, but I wasn’t sure if that was real.’ None of them moved toward the theater. They needed some privacy for this conversation.
‘I don’t know if it was real, either,’ Sienna admitted. ‘But that’s still how she’s playing it. Although, she’s not going back to school in Paris; she’s looking at colleges in London.’
‘With Marc back in Paris, I don’t blame her,’ Adam commented.
‘He’s lucky he has parents who can play the diplomatic immunity card,’ Jason said. He still felt a little spurt of anger at the way Marc had got away with everything. True, the fake money and the gun hadn’t been his, so he hadn’t technically deserved to be arrested. But he’d done so many worse things that he deserved to be punished for.
‘You’re going to miss Paige, I bet,’ Belle said to Sienna.
‘I am. For sure,’ Sienna sighed. ‘But I’m not going to miss the drama. Paige always brings the drama.’
‘And the fun,’ Belle added.
‘Yeah,’ Sienna grinned. ‘We should get inside,’ she said. ‘We don’t want to miss the beginning.’
‘God, no,’ Adam cried as they started for the box office.
‘I forgot, I’m also going to need Sour Patch Kids to mix with my popcorn,’ Belle informed him.
‘That is truly disgusting,’ Adam replied.
‘I was going to resign as your dating mentor after you pulled your disappearing act in Vegas,’ Belle said. ‘But you clearly need me too much. No matter what a girl does or says, you can never ever use the word “disgusting” in reference to her.’
Jason and Sienna laughed. Jason wrapped his arm around his girlfriend and pulled her close, taking a second to appreciate the fact that she was there with him. Unhurt.
The two of them always seemed to beat the odds and somehow work things out. All Jason could do was hope things stayed that way. He was certainly willing to take the gamble – to face anything and everything that being in love with a vampire brought his way – as long as he had Sienna by his side.
About the Author
Alex Duval was born and raised in Paris, before moving to California to pursue a career in fashion photography. Alex loves all sports, especially surfing. When not writing books, Alex loves watching movies, especially The Lost Boys, and visiting art galleries around the world. Alex has homes in both Paris and LA.
Also by Alex Duval
Bloodlust
Initiation
Ritual
Legacy
High Stakes
Hunted
Sexy, sinister and seriously glamorous …
Jason has just moved to Malibu – home to rich kids and fabulous parties. He’s flattered to be included – and very flattered by the interest of the stunning Sienna. But Sienna and her friends hide a dark secret – and soon Jason discovers that their parties involve a little more than the usual alcohol and music …
When the sinister truth about his new friends is revealed, Jason has to decide whether he can accept the situation. Everyone else seems to be able to … If he can, it might just mean he could get closer to Sienna …
An edgy new take on the vampire myth – with money, fashion and beautiful people!
ISBN: 978 1 862 30194 8
Don’t miss any of the titles in this brilliant series!
A sinister and glamorous tale of vampire life – with added sex appeal …
Malibu: a town full of very beautiful, very rich, very cool people – who just happen to drink blood. Jason has discovered the secret of the coolest clique at school, but has little time to worry about what it’s like to live alongside vampires – he’s too hung up on the sexiest girl in town, Sienna Devereux.
But when his old friend Tyler turns up and starts to mess with the wrong people, Jason begins to realize that there’s something weird going on in De Vere Heights. The boys have a huge problem that even Jason’s new vampire friends can’t fix …
‘As sharp as a wooden stake to the heart’
Bookseller
ISBN: 978 1 862 30197 9
Don’t miss any of the titles in this brilliant series!
A glamorous slice of vampire life – with a sinister edge …
Beautiful people, fabulous parties – life in Malibu is pretty cool for Jason. And now things are looking even better as Sienna, the most gorgeous girl in town, seems to be interested in him. Jason is learning to live with Sienna’s dark secret – that she and her friends happen to be vampires – but is she more trouble than she’s worth?
When he’s warned by a psychic of danger ahead, Jason dismisses it as rubbish. But after he’s attacked on the beach and another student is killed, he realizes that his and Sienna’s lives are in peril … A killer with a crossbow is on the loose.
‘As sharp as a wooden stake to the heart’
Bookseller
ISBN: 978 1 862 30195 5
Don’t miss any of the titles in this brilliant series!
The Hamilton triplets – Madison, Park and Lexington – are accustomed to living in the public eye. Heiresses to a billion-dollar media empire, they have been raised in New York’s most elite social circles and, at sixteen, know first hand the demands of being celebutantes. It isn’t always about designer labels and lavish parties. There are people to impress, appearances to make, and paparazzi to outrun. Not to mention high school to finish.
But wh
en fashion editor Zahara Bell is found dead in a one-of-a-kind frock from Lex’s unreleased clothing line, and then the priceless Avenue diamond goes missing, getting to class is as far from the triplets’ minds as their first pair of Manolos. One of the girls is a suspect, and the sisters find themselves in the middle of a scandal that could sink their reputations and their father’s companies for good. And the press is ready, willing and able to lend a hand.
The Hamilton sisters need to stick closer together than ever before – the killer is still out there, and if they don’t solve the case, their (sometimes) good name could become dirtier than a certain hotel chain. And their threesome could turn into a twosome quicker than you can say Cartier …
ISBN: 978 1 862 30462 8
Four best friends, one pair of jeans and a few important rules:
• You must never wash the Pants
• You must never double-cuff the Pants. It’s tacky. There will never be a time when this will not be tacky
• You must never say the word ‘phat’ while wearing the Pants. You must also never think ‘I am fat’ while wearing the Pants
• You must not pick your nose while wearing the Pants. You may, however, scratch casually at your nostril while really kind of picking
• You must write to your Sisters throughout the summer, no matter how much fun you are having without them
Funny, heart-warming and irresistible, this New York Times bestseller is an irresistible celebration of female friendship and self-discovery.
ISBN: 978 0 552 54827 4
VAMPIRE BEACH: HIGH STAKES
AN RHCB DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 446 49891 0
Published in Great Britain by RHCB Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Books
A Random House Group Company
This ebook edition published 2011
Copyright © Working Partners, 2008
First Published in Great Britain
Red Fox 2008
The right of Alex Duval to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.