Read Online The Shop by J. Carson Black - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: J. Carson Black
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quiet.
Maybe whoever killed Mars would come for him, too.
17
ZOE AND RILEY
Riley Haddox sat up. “Oh. My. God.”
Zoe McPeek knew that tone. She heard her mom’s voice: Uh-oh. Riley’s gone into crisis mode .
They’d been sunning on the dock since noon. Zoe wasn’t nuts about getting a tan; she knew all about melanoma and how sunning damaged your skin, but Riley was a tanning freak , so if Zoe wanted to hang with her, it was kind of required. She thought it was boring, though, and uncomfortably hot and sweaty. She could almost feel her skin turning into leather like Riley’s mom, who rode horses and looked like them, too.
Riley was busy scrolling through her midnight-blue Sidekick LX. “How could I forget that ?”
“What?”
“The video !” Riley cast her an impatient look, as if Zoe should know what she was talking about.
Zoe came this close to asking, “What video?” but she didn’t dare. She rummaged through her memory bank, trying to figure out what Riley was talking about.
Mr. Clean, far enough away to give them some privacy, looked over at them. He wore swim trunks, but that didn’t fool anybody; he still looked like a bodyguard. Scary looking, with his shaved head, dark glasses, and huge muscles—the reason Riley had nicknamed him Mr. Clean. Riley was no stranger to bodyguards—when her dad was attorney general, they’d had a security detail that went everywhere with all members of the immediate family. Riley’s dad told them two weeks ago he’d decided they should have more security, citing an incident where a high school girl in Panama City was kidnapped by a sexual predator. Mr. Haddox said it was better to be safe than sorry.
Riley took it all in stride, but Zoe saw it as an invasion of her privacy. Riley, who never saw a man she didn’t like, flirted with all three of the guys, even Mr. Clean.
Zoe just couldn’t see why they needed security when all they were doing was sunbathing on a private island.
“Earth to Zoe! You’re not listening!”
Zoe looked up. “What’s going on?”
“My whole life’s going down the tubes, that’s what’s going on! You see this?” She held up the phone, tapping one of the thumbnail photos. “See that red S? That means sent .”
“Sent?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Zoe, you can be so dense! Somebody sent a whole bunch of pictures from my phone, and I don’t know who!”
“I don’t see…”
“The video! It was sent from my phone to someone else.” She stood up, pulled her shorts on over her swimsuit, and reached for her shoes.
“Maybe we can figure out where it went. Who touched your phone?”
“I don’t know!”
“You’ve only had the phone for a couple months,” Zoe said. “Has anybody else used it?”
“No, nobody…except Luke. He was the only one who got near it.”
Zoe watched as Riley teared up again.
“I miss him so much!” Riley grabbed herself around the middle, as if she had a stomachache. Zoe was used to Riley’s breakdowns. She didn’t blame her. Riley’s boyfriend, Luke, was dead. He’d been shot after taking a woman hostage at a motel in Gardenia. Only the fact that Riley and Luke had kept their love affair secret had spared Riley from becoming a household name.
Zoe said, “You’re sure he was the only one?”
Riley stared daggers at her. “Yes, I’m sure! We were in love. We shared everything!”
“Then the video is probably still on his phone.”
“We’ve got to go over there right now.”
“Where?”
“Luke’s. Aren’t you listening? What if he sent it to someone? Oh my God, what if it’s on YouTube?”
Zoe said, “I think you’re blowing this thing out of—”
“It wasn’t just any video! Luke and I taped ourselves. You know, doing it. We used my phone.”
Zoe felt bad for Riley, but she was also curious how that worked—just how they had managed to have sex and take pictures at the same time. Although she had never had actual sex , she’d seen porn on the Internet
Maybe whoever killed Mars would come for him, too.
17
ZOE AND RILEY
Riley Haddox sat up. “Oh. My. God.”
Zoe McPeek knew that tone. She heard her mom’s voice: Uh-oh. Riley’s gone into crisis mode .
They’d been sunning on the dock since noon. Zoe wasn’t nuts about getting a tan; she knew all about melanoma and how sunning damaged your skin, but Riley was a tanning freak , so if Zoe wanted to hang with her, it was kind of required. She thought it was boring, though, and uncomfortably hot and sweaty. She could almost feel her skin turning into leather like Riley’s mom, who rode horses and looked like them, too.
Riley was busy scrolling through her midnight-blue Sidekick LX. “How could I forget that ?”
“What?”
“The video !” Riley cast her an impatient look, as if Zoe should know what she was talking about.
Zoe came this close to asking, “What video?” but she didn’t dare. She rummaged through her memory bank, trying to figure out what Riley was talking about.
Mr. Clean, far enough away to give them some privacy, looked over at them. He wore swim trunks, but that didn’t fool anybody; he still looked like a bodyguard. Scary looking, with his shaved head, dark glasses, and huge muscles—the reason Riley had nicknamed him Mr. Clean. Riley was no stranger to bodyguards—when her dad was attorney general, they’d had a security detail that went everywhere with all members of the immediate family. Riley’s dad told them two weeks ago he’d decided they should have more security, citing an incident where a high school girl in Panama City was kidnapped by a sexual predator. Mr. Haddox said it was better to be safe than sorry.
Riley took it all in stride, but Zoe saw it as an invasion of her privacy. Riley, who never saw a man she didn’t like, flirted with all three of the guys, even Mr. Clean.
Zoe just couldn’t see why they needed security when all they were doing was sunbathing on a private island.
“Earth to Zoe! You’re not listening!”
Zoe looked up. “What’s going on?”
“My whole life’s going down the tubes, that’s what’s going on! You see this?” She held up the phone, tapping one of the thumbnail photos. “See that red S? That means sent .”
“Sent?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Zoe, you can be so dense! Somebody sent a whole bunch of pictures from my phone, and I don’t know who!”
“I don’t see…”
“The video! It was sent from my phone to someone else.” She stood up, pulled her shorts on over her swimsuit, and reached for her shoes.
“Maybe we can figure out where it went. Who touched your phone?”
“I don’t know!”
“You’ve only had the phone for a couple months,” Zoe said. “Has anybody else used it?”
“No, nobody…except Luke. He was the only one who got near it.”
Zoe watched as Riley teared up again.
“I miss him so much!” Riley grabbed herself around the middle, as if she had a stomachache. Zoe was used to Riley’s breakdowns. She didn’t blame her. Riley’s boyfriend, Luke, was dead. He’d been shot after taking a woman hostage at a motel in Gardenia. Only the fact that Riley and Luke had kept their love affair secret had spared Riley from becoming a household name.
Zoe said, “You’re sure he was the only one?”
Riley stared daggers at her. “Yes, I’m sure! We were in love. We shared everything!”
“Then the video is probably still on his phone.”
“We’ve got to go over there right now.”
“Where?”
“Luke’s. Aren’t you listening? What if he sent it to someone? Oh my God, what if it’s on YouTube?”
Zoe said, “I think you’re blowing this thing out of—”
“It wasn’t just any video! Luke and I taped ourselves. You know, doing it. We used my phone.”
Zoe felt bad for Riley, but she was also curious how that worked—just how they had managed to have sex and take pictures at the same time. Although she had never had actual sex , she’d seen porn on the Internet
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