licorice, peeling off an even thinner strand to nibble. “What’s this thing all about?”
Jolene looks at me for a second and then relents. “He’s got this device that can jam transmission signals. Video feeds, radios, even cell phones if you set the right frequencies.”
“And?”
“And I need it,” she says simply.
I nod, beginning to understand. “To get into your dad’s office.”
“Yup. It’s kind of the electronic version of an invisibility cloak. In and out, no trace left behind.”
“Hmmm.” I twist the strip around my finger, watching the blood pool in the tip. “It’s a lot of effort, just to steal something.”
“Says the girl who had us dressed like a Victoria’s Secret catalog, like, an hour ago,” Jolene snaps back.
“Fair point.” I watch her, curious. “What did he do? Your dad, I mean.”
I expect her to clam up and get defensive, but instead, Jolene just exhales again. “He took something from me — the thing I wanted more than anything. So, I’m going to do the same.” She pauses. “At least, I was going to.”
“It’s not money, or anything like that?” I ask, struck with sudden panic.
“No. It’s . . . a painting,” she admits, her voice quiet. “Just a stupid painting.” But I can tell it means way more than she’s letting on, because her lower lip begins to tremble. She turns quickly and begins to rifle through the fridge, like she’s still pretending this is no big deal, but the careless act isn’t fooling me anymore.
This matters to her.
The strange and secret desires of Jolene Nelson should be the least of my problems, but despite all the glares, sarcasm, and general hostility she’s thrown my way tonight, I can’t help but feel some weird debt. She helped me out with my revenge, so aren’t I honor-bound to help out with hers? Besides: if I deal with this, she won’t ever tell about Cameron.
Sometimes, I hate my conscience.
“OK.” I decide quickly, figuring I’d better get moving if I’m ever going to see that after-party. “I’ll deal with Eli. You . . . just relax.”
“I’m fine,” Jolene mutters, glaring. “It’s just . . . all this, and Dante showing up, and —”
“No problem!” I back away. “It’s late, and we’re all tired. Find some caffeine!”
“So what’s it going to take?” I burst into Eli’s office without any warning, sizing him up over the three different computers he’s got lined up on the desk. He gives me a blank look. “For the gadget thing Jolene wants?”
Eli begins to smirk.
“A hundred bucks?” I offer, even though I have no idea where I’d get the money at this time of night. This isn’t exactly the kind of area I want to stroll around in search of an ATM. He doesn’t look impressed, so I try again. “One fifty?”
“No deal.” Eli leans back, clasping his hands behind his head. The red light behind him glows through his bleached hair, making it look as if he’s got a creepy halo. “You can’t just buy your way out of everything, you know.”
Taking a deep breath, I give him one of my most charming grins, “C’mon, Eli. . . . Don’t be like this. We really need your help.” I tilt my head down and then look up through my eyelashes, leaning over the desk a little. “There must be something.”
He looks me up and down, eyes lingering on my chest. “Maybe a couple of things . . .”
“Eww!” I cut him off before he can say anything else. “Not that. Seriously?”
“Depends how bad you want this thing.”
I shudder at just the thought of his pale, clammy hands on me. “I promise you, nobody will ever want anything that bad.”
It’s the wrong thing to say: right away, Eli’s face goes hard, and he narrows his eyes. “Yeah, it’s been kind of hard to get a girlfriend recently. They just google me and bam! Suddenly, they’re busy.”
“Hey, at least you’re famous,” I offer, trying to show him the bright side. “Some people kill for that kind of exposure. I mean, Licia Devlin’s been doing YouTubes of herself singing forever, but all she gets is creepy guys sending her naked photos. People all over the world know who you are.”
“I didn’t want it!” Eli scowls. “It was a stupid freaking dare, and now there’s no way I’m ever going to live it down, thanks to you and your stupid friends. Do you realize what you did to me?”
I pause. “Look, I’m sorry, OK?” I admit, reluctant. “But it’s not like I