Fool Me Twice

by Lilliana Anderson

  “Wow,” Alesha breathed, her jaw dropping as we watched them larking about. “That is too much hotness for one group of men.” She slipped her phone into her pocket.

  The SUV they walked towards started its engine before they’d even gotten to it. “There’s a fifth person,” I noted as they all piled into the car.

  “Another hot guy, I hope.” She craned her neck to try and see through the tinted windows as they pulled out of the parking lot.

  Is she drooling?

  “Follow them,” I insisted, leaning over and pressing the button on the dash to start the car.

  Her hands gripped the steering wheel, and then she put the car into gear, but we didn’t move anywhere. “Wait. This is crazy. Call the cops, Holland. Give them the plate number and let them handle this.” She handed me her phone.

  “OK, I will. But please, Alesha, they’re getting away. Just follow them. I only want to see where they go.”

  She stared at me a moment then released the parking brake with a sigh. “Fine,” she said, pulling out and following the SUV into traffic. “But we call the cops the moment we see where they go.”

  “Of course.”

  People often called watching TV a waste of time, but this was one instance where all that television watching finally paid off; because of spy shows like Burn Notice, we knew to keep a couple of cars back at all times, and not change lanes unless there was an exit coming up. We followed them like pros.

  As I expected, they led us to the city I’d found him in: Torquay, a city synonymous with surfing and beaches. It was pretty much a straight shot down Surf Coast Highway until they turned off on Combes Road, then took an immediate left onto Jetti Lane.

  “Shit, keep driving,” I told Alesha as we watched them turn.

  “Why? We could lose them.” She craned her neck but drove on like I asked.

  “They just turned into a lane—a lane. That means dead-end street. If we followed them straight in, they’d notice.” I kept my eyes on their car for as long as I could before it disappeared around a bend. “Chuck a U-ey up here. We’ll double back and park before the bend.”

  “And do what?”

  “Look for their car on foot.” It felt like an obvious next step.

  “I don’t know. I really think we’ve narrowed it down enough. We could call the cops now and be done with it.” She indicated, then turned into their street despite her protests.

  “Call them with what information? They’re hiding stolen goods in one of hundreds of storage containers, and we think they live on Jetti Lane. We need at least one thing specific, Leesh. They’ll never even know we were here.” I really wanted to see where they went. We were so close.

  “All right,” she said, trepidation in her voice as she parked on the side of the road. “But give me back my phone. I’m keeping the emergency services number on my screen in case things go bad.”

  “They won’t. Reconnaissance only. Trust me.”

  She hit the power button on her phone enough times to bring up the SOS slider. “Doesn’t hurt to be prepared,” she said, slipping the phone back in her pocket. Then we got out of the car and looked around the long gravel road lined with towering eucalyptus trees. Cicadas sang their ear-piercing excuse for a song against the midday sun.

  “Their car went that way,” I said, squinting towards the bend in the road.

  “OK. Let’s go find out what kind of place a group of sexy-as-sin thieves like to gather at.”

  Chapter Nine

  Maybe You Drank Pee

  “Jesus. Robbing people must be lucrative. This place is huge,” Alesha stage-whispered as we crept along the tree line that surrounded a large white-rendered two-storey house. So far, we’d circled the property and noticed a three-car garage that was separate from the house, an in-ground swimming pool and a tennis court—pretty swanky. It was on a private block of land, well-shielded from street view by the trees we were currently taking cover in. The gardens were well maintained, and the surroundings were so quiet that I doubted any of the neighbours could hear you if you screamed. An unsettling thought.

  “They must clean out a lot of apartments,” I said. And some of them twice.

  “They must. I wonder how many rooms it has.” She held up her finger and started to count windows.

  “Enough for five brothers, I guess.”

  “You think they’re all brothers and they all live here?”

  “They look like brothers. And why have such a big house otherwise?”

  “Maybe this is where they grew up? Or maybe—” Her mouth made an O shape as she sucked in her breath. “Maybe they’re robbing it.”

  “They wouldn’t fit much in that SUV,” I stated, trying to see if there was any sort of movement in the house. “At most they’d be casing it.”

  “Oh wow. I’m going to find out.”

  “Reconnaissance only,” I hissed as she darted out into the open. What happened to the cautious girl who wanted to stay in the car and call the police? Suddenly she was Veronica Mars willing to risk it all on a case.

  With my heart in my throat, I dashed after her, keeping my head down and moving in a half crouch, as if that would make me look less conspicuous as I ran across an open space.

  “Are you insane?” I gasped, heaving from the exertion. Even after all my recent gym visits, I was not even a tiny bit fit, and it was possible that I was in the midst of a heart attack. I pressed my palm against my chest and tried to catch my breath.

  “Like you said, we need to know exactly what’s happening before we call the cops. If they’re only casing the joint, they might not be here when the cops arrive, right?” She twisted around, placing her hands on the windowsill and pulling herself up to peer inside.

  “Do you see anything?” I asked, keeping my eyes on our surroundings.

  “It’s too dark in there, and the sun’s reflection is getting in the way.” She cupped her hands against the glass to cut out the glare. “Wait, I see movement. They’re in the kitchen, I think. Looks like they’re—”

  Yip, yip, yip, yip, yip!

  With an ear-piercing squeal, she fell back on the grass while a Boston terrier attacked the window from the other side, barking and scratching, spit landing on the glass.

  “What is it, Rogue?” a male voice asked from inside.

  “Shit,” I hissed, grabbing Alesha’s wrist and pulling her against the side of the house. We were crouched under the window, holding our breath and trying to be as two-dimensional as possible when the curtains moved and the dog pawed the window, still barking.

  “We need to get out of here,” Alesha whispered, to which I nodded and pointed to the corner of the house. The detached garage sat maybe six feet away and would provide our best chance for cover and escape.

  “If we crawl, they won’t see us.”

  She gulped, then nodded and closed her eyes in silent prayer.

  Say one for me too.

  Watching the window carefully, I waited until the curtains closed again and heard, “I can’t see anything. Maybe it was a magpie or something?”

  “Nah, mate, there was a squeal. Someone’s there.”

  “Go, go!” I commanded, pushing Alesha’s shoulder before crawling after her as fast as I could. They had heard her. It wouldn’t be long before they decided to do a thorough search.

  Yip, yip, yip, yip, yip!

  “Faster,” I gasped, pushing Alesha on the bum. The barking sounded like it was outside now, and for some insane reason we kept crawling, only faster. I supposed it was the same logic that girls in horror films subscribed to: they knew they’re about to get caught, so they just lay there screaming while the killer stabs them to death. In this case, we kept crawling, butts in the air while a small, angry dog ran to catch us. Big mistake. Huge. The second his teeth sank into my arse, I face-planted in the grass, howling in pain.

  “Run, Alesha! Save yourself!” I screeched.

  Leaping to her feet, she sprinted for the tree line. I’d never seen
her move so fast. Go, you good thing, I silently urged, lying prone while a terrier tore the butt out of my pants.

  “Rogue. Down.”

  The dog obeyed, sitting on the ground with his mouth open and his tongue hanging out, smiling. Is that my blood staining its teeth? I felt faint.

  Just as I thought I might swoon, large hands wrapped around my middle and hauled me to my feet. “What do we have here?” a deep voice asked, laughter in his tone. It wasn’t Nate. This guy was a little bigger, if that was even possible, and a little more tanned, with fairer hair. Same blue eyes.

  Hanging from his hold, my feet off the ground and my heart beating so hard I thought it might crack my ribs, I released a nervous laugh. “Would you believe that my car broke down and I need to use your phone?”

  He shook his head.

  “I’m looking for my dog?”

  He shook his head again.

  “How about—I live next door, and I’d like to borrow a cup of sugar?”

  “Nice try.” He carried me towards the house, and I had little choice but to hang there while my butt cheek bled out from the dog bite. Classy.

  At least Alesha was going to get away. She’d call the cops and I’d be out of here in no time—if these guys didn’t kill me first. But were they killers? That was something I didn’t know. Stealing was one thing, murder a whole other kettle of fish. I hoped they’d just let me off with a stern warning after I agreed to let them keep everything I owned and not tell anyone I knew where they lived. But that was probably wishful thinking on my part. No, I was in serious shit.

  “Go, Toby!” One of the brothers stood just outside the entryway laughing as another—the one I’d seen at the gym—sprinted after Alesha. He was fast.

  My eyes went wide. “Noo!”

  The body behind me chuckled as the one called Toby flew through the air and collided with her midsection, tackling her to the ground where they rolled over a couple of times from the momentum.

  Alesha had spunk. She tried to fight off her assailant, succeeded, broke free, ran two more steps and then got tackled to the ground again.

  “You need some help, mate?” the guy who had me asked. “That tiny girl giving you trouble?”

  “Fuck you, Sam,” Toby snapped as he picked Alesha up by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. She kicked and hit, but he held her steady.

  We were both carried unceremoniously into the house and set on the tiled floor in a light and airy entryway. All five brothers crowded around with Nate standing in the middle, an imposing bunch. I’d be forgiven if I peed a little. They did not look pleased to have drop-in visitors.

  “Duchess,” Nate said, his arms folded across his middle as he glared my way. “Care to explain what you’re doing here?”

  “You know this one?” the guy holding me, Sam, asked.

  “I know her,” Nate stated. “You can let go.”

  I shook my arms free the moment Sam relaxed his grip.

  “What about this one?” Toby asked, still holding tight to Alesha’s arm. “You know her too?”

  Nate looked at Toby for a long moment, something unspoken in their exchange. Then he nodded once. “Let go of her.”

  Alesha jumped almost a metre away when released. “Fucking jerks,” she yelled, shoving at Toby, who laughed like she was a cute kitten with no claws.

  “We’re the jerks?” Sam started. “We’re not the ones skulking around your windows.”

  Alesha’s hands went to her hips, her cheeks bright red as her wide eyes absorbed the giant man standing before her. “No, you’re just the arseholes robbing my friend of everything she owns—twice.”

  “Shit. I thought the big one looked familiar,” one of the others said. He was a slimmer version of Nate, with golden-brown hair that hung loose to his shoulders. He had surfer written all over him.

  “Who are you calling big?” Alesha snapped. “You look like a girl with your stupid long hair.”

  The brother closest to him snorted out a laugh. “Told you, bro.”

  Alesha curled her lip in a way that said, ‘See?’ I’d never seen her be so forthright before. I suppose her fight or flight had kicked in, and she was definitely a fighter. I, on the other hand, was completely mute. I had no idea what to do or say, and just kept sneaking looks at Nate to try and gauge what he was thinking. His expression gave away nothing. And my butt is killing me.

  “You’re a fucking idiot,” Sam said under his breath, directing the comment at Nate as he ran a hand through his thick dark hair. It curled a little at the ends, needing a cut. But the extra length totally worked on him.

  Nate worked his jaw in response, his light eyes landing on me, somehow getting darker. “I know,” he said finally.

  Toby moved towards Nate and shoved him on the shoulder. “You’d better fix this. I told you to leave her the fuck alone, and now she’s here.”

  He told him to what?

  Nate clenched his teeth. “I will, OK? Just take that one into the other room.” He indicated Alesha. “Holland and I need to talk.”

  “Don’t let her leave,” Toby commanded through clenched teeth as he jabbed a finger into Nate’s chest.

  “Come on, darlin’,” the big burly Sam said, taking Alesha by the arm. “Seems you’re gonna be here awhile. You drink beer?”

  “Ahhh, yeah,” she replied with trepidation as she tottered along beside him. She needed to crane her neck to see his face. The others followed, filing out of the room in a long line. Lord, I hoped they didn’t do anything to hurt her.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” Nate hissed after they’d gone. “I gave you what you wanted. Our business relationship has concluded.”

  “Then maybe you shouldn’t have stolen all my shit again. It’s like you were begging me to come find you.”

  He looked away and shook his head. “I was actually hoping I’d never see you again.”

  “Tired of my snug pussy all of a sudden?” I bit back, his words causing a slight sting to my ego.

  His eyes, previously filled with annoyance, shone with amusement as he shook his head. “I never said that. How did you find us, anyway?”

  I thought about not telling him, but there was little point. It’d all come out eventually. “There’s a GPS tracker in my handbag.”

  He laughed, but the amusement had left his eyes. “Jesus. So you expected this? What are you, a cop? Is this a sting?”

  “Maybe.” I shrugged, acting coy.

  “Maybe,” he repeated, the tip of his tongue running over his bottom lip as he stepped towards me until we were toe to toe. I could smell him, that manly scent mixed with the sea tickling my nostrils and making me heady. I fought to keep my eyes on his, to keep my breathing even, wary because I wasn’t sure if he wanted to fuck me or kill me. He was a man who loved sex, but I had yet to see any sort of tenderness from him. I hadn’t thought he was capable of hurting someone, but you could only push a man so far before he did things he hadn’t considered for self-preservation. Me being there meant I had enough information to send him and his brothers to prison. I was a danger to him.

  He was a danger to me.

  Suddenly he sprang to life, wrapping his hand around my throat and squeezing. I made a choking sound as I struggled for air, grabbing at his fingers in panic. Oh God. He’s going to kill me. No more singing, no more teaching, no more good times with friends. It would all be over. Aunt Maya would be beside herself.

  His face was right in mine. “You’d better be real fucking honest with me right now, duchess. Are. You. A. Cop?”

  I shook my head and tried to say no, but there wasn’t any sound besides some strangled gurgling.

  He released me roughly and I coughed repeatedly, trying to fill my starved lungs with air. “Shit,” I gasped, tears burning my eyes.

  “Explain,” he demanded, his voice gruff and angry.

  “My… my aunt was worried.” I paused to cough and clear my throat. “She knew I was looking for the hairpin and bought me the tra
cker for safety. When I woke up to an empty house this morning, I used the app to find you.”

  “But your bag isn’t here.”

  “I know. We tracked it to the storage facility in Geelong. You were leaving when we arrived, so we decided to follow you.”

  “Then you decided to snoop?”

  I nodded. “Yes. But we didn’t call the cops. No one knows except me and Alesha, I swear to you. Just let us go and no one will ever know anything.”

  He looked at me long and hard, then took a breath. “Abbot. Kristian,” he called over his shoulder, and two younger-looking brothers appeared in the doorway. Twins, perhaps? One had long hair, the other’s cropped close to his scalp, but their faces were the same.

  “What’s up?” the long-haired one asked.

  “I need you to drive back to the storage facility. Find the handbag. Inside is a… what does it look like?” he asked me.

  “It’s small, square and blue.” I held up my fingers to show the size. “It’s in the pocket on the outside.” I felt so stupid explaining this to them. “Oh, and while you’re there, can I grab my mobile and wallet please? It was such a pain in the arse to cancel all those cards and pay for a new licence last time. I kind of don’t want to go through that again.”

  The boys looked from me to Nate with an expression that said Is she crazy? Nate rolled his eyes and sent them on their way.

  “So, five brothers, huh? That must have been crazy growing up.” I smiled as if it was a perfectly normal time to make conversation.

  “No crazier than most.”

  “It must be nice. I never had any siblings. What are their names?”

  Nate looked at me for a moment, then sighed. “Toby is the oldest. I’m next. Then Sam.”