Read Online Betrayal by Gregg Olsen - Free Book Online Page B

tow.
    Brianna’s and Mindee’s eyes met briefly, and Mindee waved from behind a rack of padded bras.
    Brianna pretended not to see Starla’s mother and hoped she wouldn’t turn her in for skipping school. She considered Mrs. Larsen a total loser, one of those moms who never understood that she was older and should stop trying to dress like her daughter. Her chance had come and gone. The way Brianna looked at it, over time hotness turns to lukewarm, then to cool, then to cold. Sadly, Mrs. Larsen had her home-manicured claws dug in, clinging to the lukewarm zone.
    â€œBuy one more and you get a free one,” said the clerk, who wore a top so sheer that some shoppers wondered why she bothered to wear it at all.
    â€œDrew,” Brianna said, “go fetch another apricot one.”
    Drew scampered off like a puppy and came running back.
    â€œHere you go,” he said.
    Brianna put a hand on her hip and shifted impatiently. “That’s not apricot,” she said. “That’s peach. I said apricot .”
    â€œSorry,” Drew said, “I guess I got my fruits mixed up.”
    Brianna turned to the clerk. “Thank goodness he’s cute, because he sure is dumb. Meet Drew-without-a-Clue.”
    â€œUmm,” the girl said, “you want to skip the freebie? I can give you a sample of this season’s signature fragrance, Hot and Juicy, instead.”
    Brianna laughed and shook her glossy dark hair in a can’t-be-bothered manner.
    â€œGross! It sounds like a hamburger,” she said.
    The clerk laughed. “I don’t name ‘em. But, yeah, it is gross.”
    Brianna took out a credit card to pay, then turned to Drew and gave him a kiss.
    â€œI know you’re trying your best, Babe,” she said. “I guess I have to teach you everything.”
    They walked to the front of the store, where Brianna stopped to check out a rack she had missed.
    â€œAre you still staying at the Silverdale Beach Hotel?” Drew asked.
    â€œOf course I am. My mom always stays there, and she took care of everything,” she said.
    THE SILVERDALE BEACH HOTEL had undergone a recent remodel, with a cadre of designers and carpenters coming together to yank the venerable hotel out of its mauve and taupe cloud and forest of oak and ferns and into a more modern vibe—the dark wood, cool glass accents, and the tasteful carpets of a modern hotel. Even so, the Silverdale Beach Hotel wasn’t the W, not by a long shot.
    Brianna sent a Platinum American Express card sliding over the black granite counter like a silver streak.
    The clerk, a chinless man, looked over his round-frame glasses.
    â€œI need to extend my stay. I’m an authorized user. Call if you have to,” she said.
    â€œUm, how long will you be staying?” the clerk asked.
    Brianna slammed her purse on the counter. “How the hell should I know? Indefinitely.”
    The clerk blinked. “That might be a problem. I don’t know how to put that in the system,” he said, scratching his head while pecking at the keyboard in front of him.
    Drew looked at the card. It had Bree’s father’s name on it.
    â€œYour mom didn’t set up the room for you, did she?” he asked.
    Brianna shot him a sideways glance, one that he’d seen plenty of times since they’d started dating last year. It meant back off. Now . She punctuated the look with a few words this time—in case Drew-without-a-Clue didn’t quite get it.
    â€œI don’t want to talk about it,” she said.
    â€œFigured it out!” the chinless clerk said. “You need help with your luggage?” He looked over at her purse and the little pink bag from Victoria’s Secret.
    â€œI can manage,” Brianna said.
    â€œOh, okay then. Enjoy your indefinite stay.”
    As they walked to the elevator, Drew nudged her, snapping her out of whatever was preoccupying her mind.
    â€œWhat’s the