Chasing Secrets - Jessica Sorensen Page 0,29

at me, then Asher, Arrow, and conclusively back at Maxton. “I can see why that might be making Arrow and Asher a bit weirded out, but that doesn’t explain why you look a little uncomfortable, as well.”

Maxton’s grey eyes fleeting wander to me and across my body before he hastily looks away, his cheeks a bit pink. I cross my arms self-consciously as I remember how he saw what was underneath this shirt.

“Okay, what in the worlds happened while I was gone?” East declares amusedly.

“Nothing happened,” I lie with a shrug.

He steps toward me with a devilish grin on his face. “Liar.” He snags ahold of the hem of the shirt and tugs me toward him. “So, come on; give me all the juicy gossip, or I’m going to feel left out.” He juts out his lip.

I roll my eyes. “Stop pouting. It’s not gonna work.”

“Yeah, but the fact that you said it’s not gonna work means there is juicy gossip to be told.” Wicked delight shimmers in his eyes. “Come on; tell me.”

If we had been behind closed doors, I may have, but I’m not about to give a recap of how Maxton walked in on me Asher messing around while the two of them are around.

Thankfully, Asher offers a distraction. “Did you know it was her birthday today?”

East’s brows spring up. “No, I didn’t.”

“Neither did I,” Arrow says in surprise.

“I actually did,” Maxton states, reclining back in the chair.

Asher’s attention snaps to him. “How the hells did you know?”

“Yeah, how did you?” I ask, wanting to know myself.

Maxton lifts a shoulder, his eyes roaming to me. “I’ve been tracking her for a while, and you learn stuff about creatures when you track them.”

“True,” I agree, unsure why I hadn’t put that together myself, considering I found out all sorts of information about Asher, East, and Arrow before I tried to steal Asher’s lamp. “What else do you know?”

Again, Maxton shrugs. “That you had a best friend named Jason. You spent a lot of time living on the streets. You were known as an excellent thief.”

All of what he said is basic information, so I’m not too impressed at first. But then he adds, “You hate the color pink. Love the smell of rain. Love the taste of vanilla frosting, even though you’ve only tasted it once. You hate seeing people and animals get hurt. You’re tough when you need to be, but still kind. Stubborn. You hate the smell of rust, for whatever reason. And you think that cauliflower is a disgusting vegetable.”

“It is a disgusting vegetable,” I mutter, shifting my weight, feeling kind of exposed at the moment. “How did you find all that out about me?”

He merely shrugs. “I told you. I learned it while I was tracking you.” He stares out the window with his jaw set tight.

Asher looks at Maxton then gives a glance at East and Arrow. The three of them exchange an indecipherable look, leaving me to wonder what they think about this.

Asher moves over to the table. “Max, how long were you tracking her?”

Maxton looks at him. “For a couple of years.”

My jaw nearly bitch-smacks the floor. “A couple of years?”

“Don’t worry,” he tells me. “I didn’t tell my father any of that stuff I just said. I … I only know about that.”

“Oh. Okay.” But if he wasn’t collecting that information for his father, then why was he collecting it?

Asher studies his brother with his hands resting on the table and a strange, an unreadable look on his face.

Maxton glances at him. “What?” he asks almost defensively.

Asher shakes his head, his gaze boring into Maxton. “It’s nothing.” He presses his lips together for a trickle of a second before stepping away from the table and turning toward Arrow, East, and me. “We should make a plan to get that crystal ball.”

Talk about subject change whiplash. The question is: why? Why did he change the subject so quickly?

“What crystal ball?” East wonders as he sits on the edge of the bed.

“The one at the front desk,” Arrow explains, stepping away from the door. “It’s a security one.”

“You think you can get it away from the succubus?” East questions with a cock of his brow.

Asher looks at me. “Our little thief thinks she can.”

“Knows she can,” I correct him.

“I guess we’re about to find that out,” he tells me, crossing his arms.

I grin. “Yep, you sure are.”

He smiles, but worry fills his eyes as he turns to East again. “Did you find