All That He Loves(10)
“Yeah.”
Sebastian looked at me from head to toe. “And you were wearing this when you saw her?”
“Yeah, so?” I asked defensively.
Sebastian held up a single finger. “So that should have been your first clue something was wrong.”
“I looked better before I got all hot and sweaty,” I snapped.
“Aah! Aah!” Sebastian said, wincing and waving me away like I’d offered to show him my lady parts. “Don’t want to hear about it.”
“Well, actually, if you must know, I thought she was hitting on me.”
“…reeeally,” Connor said, his eyes widening. His tone was a whole lot more… mellow and accommodating.
I could almost hear the porn music playing in his head: bow chikka BOW BOW.
Now it was my turn to get angry. “Are you actually thinking about me and her together?!”
“Well…” Connor said, with the tiniest of shrugs.
“Oh God, PLEASE, make it stop,” Sebastian said as he put his head in his hand.
“That’s so – UGH!” I fumed.
Connor looked over at Johnny like, Hey, come on – RIGHT?
In silent ‘bro-speak,’ Johnny shrugged and grinned like, Yeah, that would be pretty awesome.
“That’s DISGUSTING,” I snapped, then looked hurriedly over at Sebastian. “Not because it’s two women, that’s fine, I just – ”
“No, I agree with you on this one, IT’S DISGUSTING,” Sebastian said, staring down Connor. “We have enough problems with Miranda trying to destroy you and Lily, please keep your See You Next Tuesday ex out of your private little fantasies. Because that’s just twisted.”
“Thank you,” I said to Sebastian.
“Don’t even,” Sebastian said, eyes half-closed, waving me off like I shouldn’t have to thank him for saying what was so patently obvious.
Connor threw his hands up in the air. “I’m a guy,” he protested, like that was some sort of excuse.
“Yes: a stupid straight guy. Which is why you’re in this mess,” Sebastian snapped. “So – wait. Wait, wait, wait. Lily – did she give you anything?”
I paused. “What do you mean?”
“Did she give you anything like an electronics device, or – ”
“No, she just stopped by my table and made chitchat for a minute.” As I recalled what she’d said, I closed my eyes in pain. “Oh my God, she kept asking about my boyfriend and if we were together in Vegas…”
My eyes snapped open and I looked over at Connor in panic. “Not that I – you know, I wasn’t assuming – that we’re – she was the one that said ‘boyfriend’ – ”
Sebastian snapped his fingers twice. “Lily. Focus. You can have the DTR talk later.”
“DTR?”
“‘Determine the Relationship.’ Could she have put anything on you, or inside your purse?”
“No, I don’t…”
I trailed off as I recalled where Miranda had been standing.
“…oh my God,” I murmured. “My purse. My purse was on the chair next to me… and she was standing next to it…”
“Bring it to me,” Sebastian commanded. “Now.”
9
Sebastian dragged a glass coffee table over between us, and I put the purse on top of it. Johnny came out of his bedroom with a small briefcase, opened it up, and produced a metal rod that looked like something TSA agents wand you down with at the airport.
He held it over the purse, and it gave out an electronic squelch.
“What does that mean?” I asked, alarmed.
“Nothing good,” Johnny growled. “Dump it out.”
Sebastian upended the purse and spilled the contents over the coffee table. Johnny wanded the empty purse, which was now quiet, and then started examining my cell phone, my wallet, my makeup case –
“That,” I said, my stomach turning as I pointed my finger. “I don’t… that’s not mine.”
It was a black plastic pen, the kind you might buy at Office Depot for 79 cents. Shiny clicker at the top, and a metal clip to pin it to a pile of papers.
Johnny wanded it.
SQUUEEEELLLCCCH.
My stomach dropped.
He unscrewed the plastic halves of the pen and shook them.
A small strip of metal with a miniature circuit board fell out on the glass.
“Oh shit,” I whispered.
“GPS unit,” Johnny said as he picked it up and inspected it.
“Microphone?” Connor asked.
“I don’t think so,” Johnny said, then dropped it on the floor and crushed it under his heel. “Especially not now.”