Her phone vibrates from inside her tiny gold clutch bag and I grin. Revenge requires proof. Brie mumbles in her sleep and rolls over, her naked arse in the air as she snores away. I grab the clutch and practically run out of the room. I need to get to Luna Cabin right now.
The cool breeze and the night air calm my temper a little. Why am I even angry? Because Brie had something to do with David’s disappearance? Because Vivian is hiding things and I know Gabriella is at the centre of it? Or because I was cock-blocked by my current mark? I don’t know what the hell is happening anymore. This isn’t like me, none of it is. And I haven’t heard anything more from Hawkeye, which makes me antsy. I feel like I’m being played but I just haven’t figured it out yet. I have the blue diamond ring and now I want the girl. I ignore the small voice in the back of my head whispering, But the bad guy never gets the girl.
I reach the cabin and it’s in complete darkness. Have they gone to bed already? No, they couldn’t have. Have they gone to his room after all? I stand and think about what I’m going to do next, fingers digging into the satin fabric of the stupid purse I’ve carried all the way here like some symbolic offering.
“She’s gone to sleep,” a voice calls out in the darkness and I turn, peering into the trees. Swinging in a hammock, Roman Huntington grins. He gets up gracefully, which shouldn’t even be possible, and casually walks towards me. In the moonlight he’s even more attractive, his strong jawline sharper in the shadowy darkness.
Placing a hand on my shoulder, he smirks. “Don’t worry, we didn’t start without you.”
I don’t know why that comforts me, but it’s like the tension leaves my shoulders and I relax. It’s not jealousy, but something else, like I’m afraid of missing out or something ridiculous.
He nods at the gold clutch bag. “What’s that?”
“Brie’s bag. She left it at the bar,” I lie smoothly.
“Is her phone in there?” he asks as he looks at it wearily, as though I’m gifting him something dangerous.
I nod and he exhales slowly like he’s exhausted. Up this close, I can see how long his eyelashes are, but also how his mind seems like it’s constantly ticking over. He’s the same as me, planning, thinking, strategizing. He is the warmth while I am the cold, but we’re both just as dangerous and it’s taken me too long to recognise that.
Patting my shoulder, he walks away, calling out, “Well, I think Viv may need that.”
I watch as he disappears into the night with a wave. Roman Huntington is another one with secrets, but he’s so busy being carefree and easy, I never even noticed it. He’s the one who will slide up beside you and cut your throat before you even realise what’s happening.
Chapter Twelve
Vivian
“Viv, have you seen my phone?” Brie asks as she plonks herself down on the sun lounger next to me. She looks hungover with dark circles under her eyes and her skin has a grey tinge as she looks around half-heartedly.
“No, where did you last have it?” I ask, trying to act bored. I needed that phone. It was my only way of getting into Brie’s emails and texts. I needed to know which one of my friends was helping my father and why. Maybe I could find it before she did.
“Fuck knows,” she huffs, giving up and ordering an orange juice. “And if I did, it wouldn’t be lost, would it?”
“You don’t need to snap, Gabriella.” I roll my eyes behind my sunglasses. I was still wary of her after last night’s antics and I wasn’t about to let her talk to me like shit.
“I know, I know. It’s just . . .” she sighs, placing her head in her hands as her elbows rest on her knees.
“What?” I say slowly, inching away, unsure if she’s about to be sick or whether she’s having some sort of breakdown.
After a few minutes of silence, she straightens back up, a strange expression on her face as she whispers, “I think I’m losing the plot.”
“What do you mean?” I sit up and look around. Where the hell were the others when I needed them? Brie and I weren’t the tactile types and I wasn’t sure I could handle whatever she was about to confess. I wasn’t sure I could fake sympathy or comfort her if needed. I just wasn’t that good of an actress.
“I keep losing things,” she admits, sounding defeated. “I don’t remember leaving the bar the other night and last night I only vaguely remember James helping me back to my room. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going and it’s driving me crazy.”
“Losing things?” I tilt my head. Had he gone through with his plan then? How predictable. Why wasn’t I more surprised, angry even? “Other than your phone?”
She stretches and puts her feet in front of her so that they’re tucked under my lounger. “Yeah, some jewellery, a dress, my hairdryer. A pair of my bloody shoes.”
I shrug. “You have always been careless with your stuff . . .”
Having money and being a spoilt little daddy’s girl meant that everything was replaceable to Brie, even people. Running a hand through her unbrushed hair, she leans back, sunning her face. “I know. I’ve just never been this bad. I lost the blue diamond ring Daddy gave me. He’s going to be so angry.”
I look at her again carefully. She must be going through something because she actually does look like crap. Well, crap for Brie. Her hair is messy, she’s wearing a baggy t-shirt and some shorts, but they don’t match. One of her pristine nails is chipped, she doesn’t have a scrap of makeup on, and I don’t think she’s showered yet given the faint whiff of rum lingering around her.
“How? Have you even worn it here yet?” I know she hasn’t. That ring is ridiculously expensive and she never misses the opportunity to show it off, waving her hand around like the fucking Queen.
“I don’t know . . . I’ve been drinking quite a bit since we arrived. I’ve been all over the place. James takes up what space I have free in my head right now.” A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth when she says his name. She can’t be that clueless, can she? He was practically dribbling over every piece of jewellery she’s worn since she stepped foot on this island and now, mysteriously, some of it has gone missing.
“Oh,” I sympathise. Both he and Roman were taking over my thoughts and if I didn’t get the information I needed soon, I may end up doing something I’ll regret later.
Leaning in, I get a waft of rum as she confides, “I woke up naked. I think we did it last night.”
“You think?” I raise a brow. No girl should be that drunk that she doesn’t remember.
“I was really drunk . . .” I can feel my mouth tightening. Was James like that? Would he hurt her? No. I can’t imagine him forcing her, even if he was the type who could easily kiss her while pocketing her jewels.
“Brie . . .” I feel like I should say something, offer a shoulder to cry on or something, but this isn’t my forte.
Which she evidently agrees with as she crossed her arms. “Stop judging me just because I’ve found someone while you’re still sitting alone on your high horse.”
I guess my concern just comes across as condescending, which is fine. I don’t care. I lay back down and open my magazine, a magazine I’m on the cover of, and breezily say, “Fine. Whatever. I haven’t seen your phone.”
Standing, she shoots me an annoyed look as she wanders off, still half-heartedly looking under tables and chairs as she leaves.
I decide to take a dip in the pool, joined by Amelia, who appears not long after Brie leaves. As we swim, I tell her about Gabriella’s mini mental break, wondering if she’d noticed James the way I had. We lazily make our way up the length of the pool and back again. There’s an infinity edge to the pool that makes the view spectacular and a bar with stools in the water on the other end.
“Well . . . I may have had a hand in that.” She giggles as she bobs about.
“What do you mean?”
“C’mon, she’s been so bitchy the whole trip,” she says mischievously as she sinks until her mouth is almost below the water. “I just got a litt
le payback.”
“What did you do?”
“I may have paid the housekeepers to ‘tidy’ her room. Just a little, every time they go in.” With her confession, she sinks completely and swims away before emerging near the pool bar.
“They could lose their jobs, Amelia!” I call out, swimming after her.
“They bring her stuff to me. It’s all safe in my suitcase under the bed. Everything will be returned, I promise.” Of course, it would. Amelia was so soft; she couldn’t even pull a prank without planning to return everything nicely afterwards.
I order a cocktail and ask a question I already know the answer to. “Even the blue diamond ring?”
Amelia frowns. “The ring is missing?”
“Yeah,” I shrug. I knew it wasn’t Amelia, but at least now my suspicions were confirmed.
“I didn’t take that. I just took worthless things, her hairdryer, a pair of shoes, her hairbrush. I haven’t touched her jewellery or her phone.”
The ring and the other jewellery I understood, but did he take her phone too? Why did he need it? And would he be willing to share? It looked like my days of avoiding James Wickham were over. Now I needed him. At least, that’s the excuse I tell myself as I head back to Luna Cabin.
Chapter Thirteen
Lucas
I have miraculously managed to avoid both Brie and Vivian this morning. I need time to figure out just what the hell I’m doing here. The plan was to come, seduce Gabriella Astor, and run off into the sunset with my pockets stuffed full of her diamonds and rubies. Instead, I’m wandering around this gorgeous island, contemplating a threesome with a model who has daddy issues and friends who are just as likely her enemies. I can’t seem to get Vivian St. Clare out of my head, and I think that Hawkeye90 has something to do with it. I suspect he has his sticky fingers all over this. I don’t know why, but it feels like the radio silence is just to push me into doing something reckless.
After I returned to my room last night, I went through Brie’s phone and all my suspicions about her were right. She did help David St. Clare leave the country and flee to Thailand, not Tokyo. She managed to obtain a fake ID for him, gave him some money, and helped him cover his tracks, but I can’t see anything that referred to the Ponzi scheme. I genuinely don’t think she was involved. She couldn’t keep her mouth shut about it if she was. However, . . . that means someone else here was involved. They knew what David was doing and did nothing as he slipped away, either confident that it couldn’t be traced back to them or oblivious to the fact he’d done a bunk instead of handling his business in Japan. The unfolding drama was becoming more like a soap opera daily, and I was torn between staying and watching it all blow up or just slipping away unnoticed.
I walk along one of the small harbours, ice cream cone in my hand as I stroll and think about my next course of action. Should I leave the phone in her cabin? Give it to her the next time I see her? What if she tells Gabriella that I have it? If she does, then my cover is blown and I may as well go home empty handed. Well, not quite. The blue diamond and rubies are tucked away in my room safely behind the ornate grate for the air con. I know it’s an obvious spot, but it’s not like anyone has a reason to search my room, so they’re safe there for now. I head back to the beach, walking along the treeline where the grass fades into the sand.
“Wickham,” a voice calls out and I turn to see Viv jogging towards me wearing a short red sundress and a white wide-brimmed hat.
“Miss St. Clare,” I say in greeting, wondering why she’s looking for me today . . . unless . . . I look behind her but see no sign of Roman. There goes that fantasy.
She stands in front of me and holds her hand out expectantly. “I want it.”
I frown. Have I missed something? What does she want? “Excuse me?”
“Brie’s phone, I know you have it.” Her green eyes burn into me as she keeps her hand steady.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I shrug carelessly. Did Roman tell her? No. He wouldn’t have. He’s playing his own game here and exposing me doesn’t work in his favour just yet. It’s an ace card he’s holding tightly to his chest.
She crosses her arms, pushing her tits up and I can’t help but steal a glance. “Don’t lie to me.”
I tilt my head at her and smile smugly. “Can you tell when I’m lying, Viv?”
She rolls her eyes. “No, I just know that every word out of your mouth is a lie.”
“Then how do you know I have it? Theft is a pretty strong accusation.” I mock a hurt face.
She sighs slowly and looks exasperated as she explains, “I don’t want the jewellery, James, just the phone. You can keep the trinkets.”
“And what’s it worth?” I tease, only slightly unnerved by the fact that she just called me out.
Her eyes narrow suspiciously. “What do you want?”
I step towards her as she steps back. “You.”
“Why?” Another step back, a tremble in her voice.
Her back is pressed up against a tree now as I stand over her. I decide to be honest with my answer. “Because you’re not like all the other women here.”
Viv looks into my eyes as she asks, “And you think having sex with me will help you understand why?”
I lean in so that our lips are almost touching. “Maybe. Maybe I just want to hear my name on your lips as you come. It could be that simple.”
Trying to look away, she scoffs, “Pfft. Does that line ever work?”
“The blush on your cheeks tells me it does.” I chuckle as I run a finger down her cheek ever so gently. She is almost irresistible, her green eyes avoiding looking at me as her breathing becomes shallow. Her blonde hair tumbles down her shoulders as her mouth pouts ever so slightly.
“And there’s nothing else I could give you? Money? More jewels?”
It’s my turn to scoff. “Please, we both know that you’re broke, trying to keep up the image that you aren’t.”
She stills and I take the opportunity to place my hand on her waist. “I want you. Naked. In my bed.”
She lifts her chin up at me, a stubborn look on her face. “I don’t think Roman will like your terms.”
Is she hoping to scare me off? I don’t care which way my bread is buttered as long as it feels good. I’d have to be blind not to think Roman was attractive, and besides, we both wanted her. We didn’t have to fuck each other unless we wanted to.
“Bring him too. Three is always a party.” I wink.
Her mouth drops open for a split second before she recovers herself. “And you’ll give me the phone?”
“After.”
Her hands snake around my neck. To the outside world, we look like lovers having an intimate chat, not two people negotiating for something we each want.
“No, now.” I can feel the warmth of her breath against my cheek as she tiptoes up and whispers into my ear, “I don’t trust you and you’ve never given me any reason to.”
“No reason? You’re the only one I’ve been honest with here.” I pull away slightly so that she can see the truth on my face. She is the person I’ve been myself with since I arrived. Even if the name James isn’t mine, the things I’ve said to her have been all me.
She places a hand gently on my cheek. “And you still lie to me. What does that say about you?”
We stare at each other for a moment before I finally agree to her terms. “Fine. But if you don’t deliver on your end, you’ll regret it.”
She flutters her eyelashes before mumbling, “I know.”
I slide the phone out of my pocket and place it into hers, keeping my hand there for a second, feeling the heat of her skin through the fabric. This woman was going to ruin me. I was desperate to touch her in any way possible and we hadn’t even kissed yet. But I was going to rectify that.
Chapter Fourteen
Vivian
James is looking at me like he wants to kiss me, so I take the first move and tiptoe, pressing my lips gently against his.
This seems to be all the permission he needs as his arms come around my waist and he pulls me into him. My breasts are pressed against his chest and I can feel the hardness of his muscular body through the thin fabric. As his tongue invades my mouth, it’s like the very feel of him takes over my senses and my brain turns to mush. Why was he getting under my skin? What was it about him?
I finally pull away after a wolf whistle from some onlookers, and James grins at me, looking as smug as ever.
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, lips tickling the skin on my neck as he whispers, “Tonight, seven p.m. My room.”
I don’t say anything. I just nod and slip out from underneath him. I need some breathing room, some space to think, because being around him meant nothing made sense anymore. James was calm and chilled to the core, but even ice burns, and that’s what it felt like being near him.
As I head back to my cabin, I feel an arm drape across my shoulder and the smell of coconut and beach tells me that it’s Roman.
“Where’ve you been hiding?” he asks as we walk in sync with each other. Being with Roman is easy, natural. It doesn’t feel like I’m balancing on a precipice when I’m with him.
I shrug and answer honestly, “With James.”
“And where was my invite,” he asks, leaning into me. There’s something about his tone that makes me wonder if he’s a little jealous. Roman doesn’t do jealous. He has always been too carefree to be that invested in anyone.
I stop and turn to face him. “This is your invite. Tonight at seven, his room.”
Web of Lies Page 50