Perfect Betrayal

by Season Vining

  There was no future with Levi. There was only the here and now. There was only the unyielding, intense need to be in his arms and the unexpected desire to know more about him. She woke up this morning wanting to see his face and kiss those lips. Since she’d met him, Taylor thought it was the thrill of the chase that held her to Levi. She realized now that there was something deeper and more powerful pulling them toward each other.

  Even though those feelings frightened her, she was willing to embrace them and throw caution to the wind. It seemed that Levi was not on the same page. Her only option this morning was to take those cutting words and slink away, because she deserved it. Taylor had hit him with hurtful words too many times to blame Levi for the attack. She recognized it for what it was—a defense mechanism.

  “Why are you being so emo? I haven’t seen you in, like, a week and you show up all sad faced.”

  “It’s nothing. PMS I guess.” Taylor shrugged. “Speaking of being MIA, where have you been?”

  Reese smiled and pushed her curly hair behind her ear, displaying large diamond earrings.

  “Whoa, those are nice. I assume you’ve found a new sugar daddy?”

  “You assume right.”

  “Is this one married?” Taylor asked.

  “Does it matter?”

  “Not to you.”

  “Spare me your judgmental attitude, Taylor. At least I don’t want to fuck the help.”

  Taylor crossed her arms and frowned at her friend.

  “I’m sorry. That was harsh. It’s just … this one is different. He’s so passionate and strong. He listens when I talk, totally interested in what I have to say. And he does this thing with his tongue that—”

  “Stop! Eww. TMI!” Taylor shouted.

  Reese laughed, dispelling the tension between them, and Taylor smiled back. While she would never understand it, she could see how satisfied her friend was.

  Hanging out with Reese and her brother proved to be just the distraction Taylor needed. It was light and fun with no pressures or expectations. They went to a picnic at one of the frat houses, where Taylor and Reese joined a volleyball game and promptly got their asses handed to them. Still, being surrounded by strangers and having the pleasure of anonymity kept her smiling. While Taylor was happy to flirt with some of the boys, she didn’t touch a single one of them. She didn’t even want to.

  They were almost home when Reese finally brought up Taylor’s earlier pouting.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

  “Talk about what?”

  “Whatever had you so pissy this morning.”

  “No,” Taylor answered, shaking her head.

  But she did want to talk about it. She wanted to confess. The words formed themselves on her tongue and she tried to spit them out. But the fear of her best friend’s rejection made her chicken out.

  “You’re not still pouting because maintenance man won’t sleep with you, are you?”

  “No, that’s definitely not it,” Taylor said, hiding her guilty face.

  “Good. He’s not worth it.”

  Taylor glared at her friend but kept her mouth shut. Reese didn’t know that Levi was totally worth it. She didn’t know that he was strong and smart and kind. Taylor had only seen small glimpses of those things, but she knew they added up to make him a great man. Reese didn’t know how passionate he was or how much he missed his parents. She didn’t know that he was funny and could easily put Taylor in her place.

  As Taylor crawled into bed that night, she thought of nothing but Levi. She thought about his hands and what it felt like to be kissed by him. She thought about learning more about his childhood and his surprising love of poetry and music. She thought about his beautiful ink and the stories hidden behind those images. But most of all, she wondered if Levi thought about her at all.

  12. false bottoms and friday

  Levi threw himself into his work. After a couple of hours, he did a quick sweep of the house and pinpointed each employee’s location. With Taylor gone and everyone else occupied, he let Crystal and Kyle know they were on for office infiltration.

  Approaching the office door, he checked the hallway one last time. Levi reached into his pocket, pulled out a pair of latex gloves, and slipped them on. Yesterday, as hard as it had been, Levi’s fingers had touched nothing in the office besides Taylor. His fingerprints were legitimately everywhere else in the house, but he had no excuse to be in this room. He wanted to leave no evidence.

  “You guys with me?” Levi asked.

  “We’re both here,” Kyle answered.

  He punched in the code 1-9-8-9 to the keypad and exhaled when the light switched from red to green. He checked the hall one last time and slipped into the office.

  “Damn, what happened in here?” Kyle asked, seeing the mess of papers and the knocked-over lamp on the floor.

  “That’s from Taylor and me,” Levi said, chuckling.

  “Oh, did you guys play sexy librarian? That’s hot!”

  “Can we focus on why we’re here?” Crystal piped up.

  Levi scanned the room and gave them the measurements before turning to his right and facing the first wall.

  “Okay, Levi, start the detail work. We’ll be your second and third set of eyes,” Crystal said.

  “Copy that.”

  He slid his hands over every inch of that wall, pulled artwork down, and checked behind and under each piece of furniture. It was a slow, tedious process, but he knew that they needed to be especially meticulous with this room.

  When the first wall was clear, he moved to the next. Kyle and Crystal had no comments or conversation while Levi searched, but he knew they were still there, probably holding their breath. This wall held two bookshelves and a large flat-screen monitor mounted between them. It took awhile for Levi to check and recheck each space. Again, he slid the books aside, and when he found nothing, replaced them exactly as they were.

  The monitor was tricky to pull down. It was heavy and awkward, but it did not hide a safe. Once that was mounted back in place, he turned to the third wall. It was the easiest, with only two large windows and a framed print. Levi’s rough hands ran over the expensive drapes and he checked behind the canvas. Still, no safe.

  The final wall held more shelves and a small closet. He continued his exploration, checking the closet closely. There was nothing inside but a few suit jackets.

  “What the fuck?” Levi growled as he shut the closet door. “You guys didn’t see anything?”

  “No,” Kyle said. “Nothing.”

  Levi dropped to his knees and pulled back the antique rug covering the floor. He found nothing beneath it, not even dust. He moved around the mess and eyed the large desk with fondness. He could almost see Taylor now, lying across the top with her blond hair hanging over the edge while her fingers clawed at the smooth surface.

  “Hello? Levi? You haven’t moved for a while. You okay?” Crystal asked.

  “Sorry.”

  He stepped to the desk and pulled open each drawer, searching for hidden panels or a release button. The first drawer was useless, filled with fancy pens and monogrammed paper. The middle drawer was a flat tray that held a laptop. Levi powered it up, but it was password protected. He shut it down and placed it back in the drawer.

  The third drawer contained a few receipts for hotels, restaurants, and airline tickets. As Levi pulled the items from the desk, he noticed that the drawer seemed shallower than the others. He pushed on the bottom. When it didn’t budge, he knocked on it.

  “What’s up, Levi?” Kyle asked.

  “I think this drawer has a false bottom,” he said as he tried to pry the edges up.

  “Push down on the corner,” Kyle suggested.

  Levi followed his instructions and the bottom popped up, revealing a small compartment below.

  “Sweet!” Crystal yelled.

  “Let’s not get too excited, Crystal. There isn’t anything in here but a file folder,” Levi said.

/>   He flipped the folder open to find an old label across the top that read HUDSON, JULIA. He flipped through the stack of papers, finding what looked like medical records, receipts, letters, and an old black-and-white photo of a young girl.

  “Again with this Julia,” Levi said. “You guys ever find information on her?”

  “Nothing,” Kyle answered. “Maybe you should take it.”

  “And what if Henry goes looking for it before we find that safe?” Crystal asked. “I say leave it. We can always come back for it.”

  Levi agreed with her and replaced the folder. He put the false bottom back into the drawer and returned the papers before slamming the drawer shut. He pulled off his hat and tugged at his hair.

  “Nothing!” he growled. “We found nothing.”

  * * *

  After a quick lunch, Levi found it hard to concentrate on the rest of his work. He left in the early afternoon and waited for that inevitable call to come in. Two hours later, it did.

  “Levi, the Boss wants to meet tonight. Usual place. Eight o’clock.”

  “What’s the verdict, Kyle?”

  “I’m not sure. I’m just as much in the dark as you are.”

  Being the last to arrive, Levi took a seat at the table and greeted each of them. There was a tense, choking air surrounding them. He knew it would get worse before it got any better.

  “What’s the update?” the Boss asked, not one for pleasantries.

  “We completed a detailed search of the Hudson residence this afternoon, including Henry’s personal office. We found nothing,” Kyle answered as he shifted in his seat.

  The Boss glared at Levi, as if he was personally responsible for the safe not being there. He held his own, not wavering against the gaze, but he felt transparent.

  “If you’re positive the safe cannot be located, then we move to Plan B. I’ll still need you on the inside, Levi. You may be able to orchestrate a suitable setup for a simple kidnapping and ransom scenario. But I’ve got my own guys for this.”

  Levi frowned, slamming his hand down onto the table. “We weren’t prepared to be involved in something like this.”

  His friends eyed him as though he’d lost his mind. Levi knew he was taking a risk challenging the Boss, but he also knew he had to.

  “It’s too late for that, Levi. I suggest you check yourself before I cut you out completely.”

  “Give us until Friday,” he countered. “If we don’t find the safe by then, we’ll move on to Plan B.”

  “It’s just a few more days,” Kyle hedged. “We’ll figure out a plan to get inside with Levi and triple-check the entire house. It could work.”

  It was dangerous to tread on the Boss’s toes like this, but Levi had to risk it. The thought of Taylor being in any kind of danger sent his mind reeling. The Boss eyed each of them at the table before nodding.

  “Friday.”

  The Boss stood and left them without another word. When the door slammed shut, they all exhaled and relaxed into their wooden chairs.

  “You are either the dumbest son of a bitch that ever lived, or you’ve got balls of steel,” Kyle said as he slapped Levi on the shoulder.

  “The Boss won’t do anything to us. We know too much,” Levi said, though he wasn’t sure he believed his own words.

  “Do you really believe that?” Crystal asked. “If we screw up, we’re cut out of the deal. I don’t know about you, but after six months of working on this, I’d like a damn payout.”

  “I know. We’ve got to find that safe,” Levi said.

  “What if there is no safe? What if we’re just wasting time here?” Kyle asked.

  “The Boss said this information was reliable,” Crystal said. “I’ll go over the layout one more time, but I don’t think we’ve missed anything.”

  Levi nodded and scratched the back of his neck.

  “Well, I’ve got to go. It’s my turn to referee at the Center. Let’s meet tomorrow to work on a plan,” Kyle said, hopping up from his chair.

  “How’s that going?” Levi asked.

  “It’s good. These kids remind me a lot of us, man. They just need direction, you know? Someone to tell them, ‘Just say no to drugs,’ ‘Wrap it before you tap it,’ ‘No drinking and stealing your mom’s car to go to Disneyland in the middle of the night because you think Donald Duck needs to be called out on his no-pants situation.’”

  “Wow. That last one is specific,” Levi said.

  “Well, it’s best these kids learn from my mistakes.”

  “You sound like a damn after-school special,” Crystal said, chuckling.

  “Yeah,” Levi answered, “but I wish we had had that.”

  “Maybe we wouldn’t be thieving criminals now?” Crystal chimed in.

  “Hey, we’re not thieving criminals. We’re aspiring thieving criminals,” Kyle said. “Livin’ the dream, baby. Later, guys.”

  “See ya tomorrow,” Crystal replied.

  Kyle gave them each a fist bump before pushing his way out the door.

  Crystal looked at Levi. “What on earth led you to believe negotiating with the Boss was a good idea?” she asked.

  “I have no idea. I panicked. My mouth seems to be functioning without any assistance from my brain lately.”

  “Does it have anything to do with a certain blonde at the Hudson house?”

  Levi blew out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “You know it does.”

  “You’re falling for her,” Crystal said.

  “Whoa!” Levi jumped up and leaned over the table. “I’m not falling for anybody. She keeps things interesting. And she’s the best piece of ass I’ve had in a while. That’s it.”

  He felt guilt seep into his mouth with those words. Levi knew that he was trying to convince himself more than anyone. Crystal called him out on it.

  “The sooner you admit it, the better off you’ll be. It’s a dangerous game you’re playing now, Levi.”

  These violent delights have violent ends.

  Levi shook his head and dropped his chin to his chest. “I’ve got two fucking days to find that safe, Crystal. If I fail, she’ll be in danger and I can’t protect her. Why is the Boss so determined to get over on this family? Seems like there may be more to this job than just the money.”

  Crystal shrugged and the two said their good-byes. Levi pointed his truck toward Mavericks, where he knew he could find solace and a strong drink.

  * * *

  Thursday morning, Levi woke to the feeling of a two-ton weight on his chest. With their new deadline, the pressure was inescapable. He supposed they always knew this was an option, though they never fathomed it would actually happen. The team had been overly confident coming into the house. They’d underestimated Henry Hudson, and now, if they failed, Taylor would pay the price.

  “Good morning, ladies,” Levi greeted Mandy and Suzanne at the kitchen counter.

  “Levi,” they answered in unison.

  He gave them his best smile and took a seat while Mandy poured him a cup of brew.

  “Oh, I saw a celebrity yesterday at the Plaza,” Suzanne said, bouncing in her seat.

  “Who?” Mandy asked.

  “Ice T Cube.”

  Mandy and Levi stared at Suzanne, wearing matching blank expressions.

  “You mean Ice-T?” Mandy asked.

  “Or Ice Cube?” Levi added. “Because that’s two different people.”

  “Oh, you know, the one who’s on that crime television show with the initials.”

  “That clears it up,” Mandy said, her face squished up. “SVU? CSI?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Suzanne said flippantly. “I don’t watch that stuff.”

  “What does he look like?” Mandy asked.

  “Tall, bald head. Nice lips. Handsome guy.”

  Levi rolled his eyes. “LL Cool J?”

  “Yes!” Suzanne exclaimed. “That’s what I said, right?”

  Mandy laughed and poured herself another cup of coffee. “Hey, Le
vi. Saturday is Suzanne’s birthday. We’re going to do a small dinner party here at the house. Would you come?”

  Her eyes held so much hope, Levi felt helpless. “You’re having the party here?” he asked, gesturing to the house.

  “Yeah. We figure the residents never use it, so we can.”

  “It’s not a big deal if you’re busy,” Suzanne said.

  “I’d love to come.”

  “Great!” Mandy exclaimed, a bit too enthusiastic. “It’s at seven o’clock. No gifts. And bring your guitar.” She winked and left the kitchen before he could reply.

  Levi turned to find Suzanne red-faced, her hand over her mouth as her shoulders shook. “I’m glad you find this amusing. And how does she know I play the guitar?”

  “She may or may not have Googled you and found your name on an open mic night list at some bar. She also may or may not have watched a video of you singing on YouTube. Several times. Back-to-back. At full volume.”

  Suzanne shrugged and mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key. Levi shook his head before sliding off his stool and grabbing his work list from the laundry room.

  The list consisted of his normal weekly maintenance chores and a loose tile on Taylor’s balcony. He groaned and read over the list again before leaving the room.

  Levi prioritized his work in order to get things done as quickly as possible. He decided he’d put off the safe search until after lunch. He was hoping to avoid Taylor completely.

  As he made his way to the garage, Levi shook his head. If he was being honest with himself, he wanted nothing more than to see Taylor. The hurtful words he’d thrown at her circled his head. He had wounded her, and he knew Taylor would make him pay for it.

  * * *

  When Beau Upton’s name appeared on Taylor’s new phone, she couldn’t believe his audacity. Fueled by insecurity and anger and more unidentified feelings, she felt compelled to take it out on him. So she answered.

  “You’ve got some fucking nerve, Beau.”

  “You sound upset,” he said. His voice was light but cautious.

  “You ratted me out to Henry, you asshole! You haven’t even seen angry yet!”

  “That’s why I’m calling, Taylor. I want to apologize.”