Read Online Sins, Lies & Spies (Black Brothers #2) by Lisa Cardiff - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lisa Cardiff
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do.” I disconnected the call.
I sat in the car for nearly an hour before something compelled me to go inside. I needed answers, and somehow I convinced myself seeing her would tell me what I wanted to know.
Not long after, I stood at the foot of her bed watching her sleep. She had left her closet door cracked open and a bar of light lit the lower half of her face. One of her legs had slipped out from beneath the white sheets. She wore a faded black t-shirt that barely covered her panties. Her mink colored hair fanned her pillow. Her face was scrubbed clean of makeup, and a small smattering of freckles dusted her nose.
For a fleeting second, I pictured sliding into bed next her and stripping off her clothes.
I imagined what she looked like naked.
I wondered how her hair smelled.
I speculated how she’d taste as I explored every inch of her long, toned body.
Then I shut down the fantasy as fast as possible. I was treading a slippery slope. I needed to snap out of it and stay focused on the end goal.
Slipping out of her room, I quietly searched the house, investigating all areas I failed to check the previous time and double-checking others. Empty-handed, I snuck out the front door nearly an hour later.
CHAPTER TEN
Trinity
Sweat snaked down my spine. My thighs burned, and my chest heaved as the soles of my gray and orange sneakers slapped against the red brick sidewalk at six-thirty in the morning. Growing up, I always dodged the cracks. It was a habit I picked up as a kid after my mom disappeared. As ridiculous as it sounded, taking the silly children’s game to heart and avoiding the cracks was the only thing I could do to keep my mom safe. I’d never been able to shake the compulsion. The brick sidewalks of Capitol Hill made it impossible to play the game.
Faint pink and red brushstrokes still painted the horizon, softening the hard edges of all the buildings. It was my favorite time of the day. Some people loved twilight. Some people loved the night. I loved the morning, especially those few hours where the city was still sleepy and the day was filled with infinite possibilities.
I mouthed the words to “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten as they blasted from my earbuds for at least the sixth time since I started running. It seemed more than a little trite, but I needed all the courage I could get to show up on Miles’s doorstep this morning. Even though Derrick begged me to stay away from Miles and distance myself from his problems, I refused. I needed to help Derrick. He helped me start a new life in D.C., and I wanted to help him now. Besides, I didn’t want the media to drag me through the mud because someone revealed my connection to the Bentons.
It took me twenty minutes to jog to Miles’s house from mine. With my hands braced on the tops of my thighs and the wire from my earbuds draped over my shoulder, I stood in front of his lacquered black front door. When my breathing returned to normal, I rapped on the door. I could’ve used my key, but it would give him the impression that we’d get back together at some point. While creating that illusion might’ve been useful to help Derrick, I couldn’t bring myself to let it happen. After what Derrick told me, the thought of inviting his touch or kissing him made my stomach roll.
Miles’s daughter flung open the door. She propped one of her hands on her hip and flipped her long blonde hair behind her shoulder. Even though I had at least six inches on her, she managed to look down her nose at me.
“What do you want?”
“Hi.” I smiled brightly as I slid my chunky sunglasses onto the top of my head. “I need to talk to your dad. Is he around?”
“Yeah, but he’s not up yet. I’ll tell him you were here.”
As she moved to close the door, I shoved my foot into the opening and smacked the palm of my hand against the door. “It’s important. This can’t wait. Can you get him?” I peered over her
I sat in the car for nearly an hour before something compelled me to go inside. I needed answers, and somehow I convinced myself seeing her would tell me what I wanted to know.
Not long after, I stood at the foot of her bed watching her sleep. She had left her closet door cracked open and a bar of light lit the lower half of her face. One of her legs had slipped out from beneath the white sheets. She wore a faded black t-shirt that barely covered her panties. Her mink colored hair fanned her pillow. Her face was scrubbed clean of makeup, and a small smattering of freckles dusted her nose.
For a fleeting second, I pictured sliding into bed next her and stripping off her clothes.
I imagined what she looked like naked.
I wondered how her hair smelled.
I speculated how she’d taste as I explored every inch of her long, toned body.
Then I shut down the fantasy as fast as possible. I was treading a slippery slope. I needed to snap out of it and stay focused on the end goal.
Slipping out of her room, I quietly searched the house, investigating all areas I failed to check the previous time and double-checking others. Empty-handed, I snuck out the front door nearly an hour later.
CHAPTER TEN
Trinity
Sweat snaked down my spine. My thighs burned, and my chest heaved as the soles of my gray and orange sneakers slapped against the red brick sidewalk at six-thirty in the morning. Growing up, I always dodged the cracks. It was a habit I picked up as a kid after my mom disappeared. As ridiculous as it sounded, taking the silly children’s game to heart and avoiding the cracks was the only thing I could do to keep my mom safe. I’d never been able to shake the compulsion. The brick sidewalks of Capitol Hill made it impossible to play the game.
Faint pink and red brushstrokes still painted the horizon, softening the hard edges of all the buildings. It was my favorite time of the day. Some people loved twilight. Some people loved the night. I loved the morning, especially those few hours where the city was still sleepy and the day was filled with infinite possibilities.
I mouthed the words to “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten as they blasted from my earbuds for at least the sixth time since I started running. It seemed more than a little trite, but I needed all the courage I could get to show up on Miles’s doorstep this morning. Even though Derrick begged me to stay away from Miles and distance myself from his problems, I refused. I needed to help Derrick. He helped me start a new life in D.C., and I wanted to help him now. Besides, I didn’t want the media to drag me through the mud because someone revealed my connection to the Bentons.
It took me twenty minutes to jog to Miles’s house from mine. With my hands braced on the tops of my thighs and the wire from my earbuds draped over my shoulder, I stood in front of his lacquered black front door. When my breathing returned to normal, I rapped on the door. I could’ve used my key, but it would give him the impression that we’d get back together at some point. While creating that illusion might’ve been useful to help Derrick, I couldn’t bring myself to let it happen. After what Derrick told me, the thought of inviting his touch or kissing him made my stomach roll.
Miles’s daughter flung open the door. She propped one of her hands on her hip and flipped her long blonde hair behind her shoulder. Even though I had at least six inches on her, she managed to look down her nose at me.
“What do you want?”
“Hi.” I smiled brightly as I slid my chunky sunglasses onto the top of my head. “I need to talk to your dad. Is he around?”
“Yeah, but he’s not up yet. I’ll tell him you were here.”
As she moved to close the door, I shoved my foot into the opening and smacked the palm of my hand against the door. “It’s important. This can’t wait. Can you get him?” I peered over her
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