The Moth and the Flame (When Rivals Play #2) - B.B. Reid Page 0,140
inside. The longer I stared, the more disbelief gave way to confusion.
The safe was completely empty.
Had Jamie not known Barbette’s father was broke?
I took a look around and shook off the thought. Maybe he’d decided safes were old fashioned and gone digital. Hearing Wren warning me to mind my business, I pushed the Montgomerys’ finances aside and drifted from the house.
Ten minutes later, I was so lost in my head that I didn’t notice Jamie coming until he was hopping inside the Wrangler.
He didn’t speak, and neither did I.
I watched him pull something white and lacy from his pocket, press it to his nose, and take a deep sniff. Once done, instead of stuffing them back into his pocket, he carefully arranged them around his rearview mirror. He then glanced my way and caught me staring.
“What?” he asked as if his actions were normal. His eyes were low as if he’d gotten an actual high from sniffing his cousin’s girlfriend’s panties.
“You took me on a panty raid…”
“You had something better to do?” he shot back.
I pressed my lips tight. “I hope those are clean.”
He smiled wickedly as he started the truck and sped down the long driveway. “I hope they aren’t.”
“You fucking stole them, didn’t you?”
“It wouldn’t be as fun if I asked her nicely.”
“Do me a favor,” I drawled as I eyed the panties hanging over the dash. “Count me out of the next panty raid.”
“What are you complaining about? We both got what we needed.”
“I’m going to ignore the obvious and insulting fact that you used me to rob and piss off your girlfriend’s father and tell you that you were wrong about the safe.”
He took his attention away from the road and turned to me with a frown. “What do you mean?”
“The safe was empty. No cash, no bond, no jewels. Not even the back to an earring.”
He blinked and hit the brakes, coming to a stop in the middle of the road. “That’s impossible.”
I shrugged. “There’s a plausible explanation.”
“Like?” he prodded.
“Aaargh!” I said mimicking a pirate. “Mayhap he moved all of his booty to another treasure chest, matey.”
Jamie seemed to think it over before hitting the gas, and taking off again.
Thinking of treasure, I slipped the gold coin Fox had given me on Halloween from my pocket. A token of my debt was what Fox had called it. On one side was the head of a Fox and the other the head of a Crow—Exiled’s other founder. I flipped the coin in the air and caught it against the back of my hand. Heads. I did it again. Heads. No matter how many times I flipped that damn coin, the outcome was always the same.
“It’s a good thing you’re loaded,” I said as I shoved the coin back into my pocket. The father of the bride might not be paying for your wedding after all.”
“Knock it off,” he growled.
“Why? You’re the one stalking her.”
“At least I’m not too stupid to realize when I’ve been friend-zoned.”
I froze and let the humiliation Jamie wrought wash over me. Was he right? Had I been friend-zoned? Had all the emotion I glimpsed in Wren’s eyes and the passionate way his hands and body explored mine been a figment of my imagination? My body temperature rose, and I couldn’t tell if the heat was from embarrassment or anger. “You’re right,” I mumbled. “I’m pathetic.” Grabbing the panties from the mirror, I waved it like a white flag. “Truce?”
He snatched them from me with a laugh. “Sure.”
Staring out the window, I felt my claws slowly unsheathe as I hummed along to the song playing from Jamie’s speakers. I’d never heard it before, but the lyrics seemed to speak to my stupid but hopeful heart.
Wren certainly did play it like a grand piano.
“So don’t get mad, but I eavesdropped on you and long legs,” I said after a couple of minutes.
His face twisted into a scowl. “What?”
“I said don’t get mad!” I yelled as if he were the one in violation.
Blowing out air, he relaxed but kept the scowl. “How much did you hear?”
“Before it got weird? Not much. You two are pretty intense. I’ve only seen stuff like that on TV. Is there something—”
“Lou,” he said in that same warning tone Wren used when he meant business. And like always, I ignored it.
“I heard you tell Barbie that you have your cousin to thank for keeping her company,” I rushed out. It wouldn’t have been a big deal if he hadn’t sounded