"Where are we going exactly?" Keeley asked as she took an exit off the freeway. Her fingers thumped against the steering wheel in beat to the James Bond theme music playing in the background. Nicky insisted the music would help them get into character. Personally, she thought they'd already done that.
When Nicky had initially shown up at her house with a black suitcase she'd been worried—especially because it had yellow tape with the word "explosives" printed on it—but after seeing the contents, her concern eased. There was nothing dangerous in the kit; only walkie-talkies, night vision goggles, laser pens, rear view glasses, audio enhancing gear and a whole slew of other things.
However, her anxiety quickly returned but for an entirely different reason. After arming themselves with the gear, Nicky filled a martini glass with water and the pair toasted to a successful mission in a horrible British accent. All that was good and well, but it was when her best friend pulled out a huge wad of cash to use as bail money that Keeley started to question the validity of the operation.
"We're meeting my contact. He should know where Tal—I mean the Black Peanut lives." They planned to stake out Talon's house and follow him when he went to meet with the mysterious texter.
After overhearing the boys' conversation at The Shack, Keeley subtly interrogated Talon. She slipped in questions throughout their visit, asking Finn and Mitch alike so as not to seem too suspicious. They happily answered, never growing wary or questioning her motivation. All in all, her hard work paid off. She found out he was having dinner at his house that night and then hanging out with his "family." Unfortunately, his address was unlisted online so they had to use other unsavory means to find the answer.
"Turn in there," Nicky said, pointing to a parking lot in front of a popular toy store.
As Keeley parked the car she kept her eyes peeled for any shady looking characters lurking in the darkness. She kept expecting someone with a black trench coat and an oversized hat to pop out and knock on the window, but so far all she saw were parked cars.
"What are you doing?" she asked as Nicky pulled out a bag with five batteries, an aspirin bottle and twenty dollars. Unceremoniously, she dumped out the pills and stuffed the money inside the empty bottle.
"Paying our contact." She tore off a piece of paper and wrote:
What is James Talon Harrington the Fourth's address?
After grumbling about him having such a long name, Nicky rolled the paper and pushed it into the bottle with the money.
"Now what?" Keeley asked. The parking lot was empty except for a few shoppers getting into their cars.
Nicky stepped out with the bag hidden in her purse. "We go inside."
"Your contact is in the toy store? Please don't tell me we have to follow a yellow brick road to a windup doll named Oz."
"Don't be ridiculous." Nicky shut the door and started walking. "He's not a fictitious character. He's an employee."
Because that's so much better? Keeley thought to herself as she grabbed one of the aspirin pills. She hesitated then grabbed another one. "Just in case," she muttered as she trailed after her best friend.
"Our cover story is that we're looking for birthday present for my five year old cousin," Nicky said in a hush tone as they walked through the double doors. "Remember to act normal and when you meet him, no talk of money or contacts or anything personal. He's just an employee and we are just a couple of customers."
"An employee who works at a toy store. Can we really trust this guy?"
"He's the best in the business." When Keeley rolled her eyes, Nicky added, "Maybe it would be better if you let me do all the talking. Your charm is a little....lacking today."
Nicky steered them to the electronics section and down an aisle lined with toy robots. She stopped in front a remote control one that had a range of buttons and features. Reaching into the shelf, she dragged out a box from the very back. It looked worn down and old as if it had been handled numerous times. Nicky took out the robot and crouched to the ground. Pulling out the batteries, she inserted all five and powered it up. Fascinated, Keeley leaned in and watched as she pushed various buttons, entering in some type of secret code. A minute later, the robot's eyes came to life. It glowed a bright green, flashing five times.
"He's willing to see us in five minutes," Nicky whispered.
"Where do we meet him?"
Nicky held up a finger as the dots on the robot's chest lit up in a pattern. She counted the lights, first going vertical, then horizontal. "We have to go to the stuffed animal section—second story, third aisle."
Keeley's heart raced as they put the robot away and slowly walked up the stairs. She had a hard time acting casual. She felt too jittery, too on edge. When a customer passed by, she nearly toppled over in response. It took a swift, firm pinch from Nicky to regain her composure.
When they finally reached the stuffed animal aisle it took all her strength not to glance wildly around. Was the contact watching them? Waiting for the perfect time to approach? Would he know where Talon lived? Or was this all in vain?
She kept the questions to herself as Nicky examined the animals one by one. She would pick it up, inspect the toy and then put it back down. Not exactly sure what she was looking for but needing to appear busy, Keeley did the same.
"This one," Nicky said at last, her face shining with delight. She held up a blue teddy bear with glass eyes and a button nose. It was a fairly average looking bear until Nicky turned it over. A zipper ran down the back, starting at its neck and ending near the bottom.
"A secret compartment," Keeley whispered. She watched as Nicky quickly place the aspirin bottle inside and zip it back up. Whoever this contact was, he certainly had a clever system.
"Can I help you ladies with anything in particular?"
Keeley looked up to find a pale, blonde boy standing before them. He wore khaki pants and a navy blue shirt with the name "Frankie" pinned to the collar. He wasn't anything like she had imagined. Instead of a hardened, mafia-type male, he looked like a porcelain doll—dainty and fragile. He had large brown eyes with sweeping lashes and chubby cheeks. The only color to his face was the light sprinkling of freckles dusted across his nose.
"Yes, it's my cousin's birthday this Sunday and I'm thinking of getting him this cute teddy bear," Nicky told him in earnest. "The problem is that poor little Cliff is allergic to blue."
"Blue?" Keeley sputtered in disbelief. "The color?"
Frankie's mouth quirked in amusement. "I've never heard of that particular...allergy."
"Yes, it's awful. Just awful," she said shaking her head. "Can you imagine never being able to sleep on Cookie Monster sheets or never being able to eat blue raspberry flavored popsicles? We even had to forbid him from watching The Smurfs so he wouldn't get any ideas for Halloween."
"What a tragedy," Frankie concurred.
"That's why I was wondering if you had this bear in the color green?" Nicky inquired, holding it out to him.
He snagged the stuffed animal and gave it a good squeeze around the middle. Apparently satisfied with what he found, he said, "I'll have to check in the backroom. Please give me a couple minutes."
"Smooth," Keeley said dryly after he strode off.
"Don't judge me. I was under a lot of pressure," Nicky sniffed, pointing her nose in the air. "Besides, I'd like to see you try and come up with a better excuse on the spot like that."
"Umm how about your cousin just doesn't like the color blue?"
"Pfft! How droll and mundane. At least my reason had character. It had drama! Excitement!"
"And completely implausible." Knowing they could wait awhile, Keeley sat down on the tile and leaned against a display case. "I can't believe that is your contact. He looks like he just graduated from middle school."
Nicky made sure they were alone before answering. "Supposedly he's in college."
"How do you know him?"
Nicky shrugged and picked up another bear. "I don't know him personally. One of the girls in my community college class told me about him. She said he could get you any type of information you need as long as you paid in cash."
"How does he find the information?"
"A good spy would never question her source," Nicky argued.
"A good spy wouldn't need a source," she countered back. Dropping her head back against the metal bar, she sighed and said, "I hope this doesn't take too long. My dad wasn't thrilled I would be out late on a school night."
"If you're that worried we can abort the mission and go home."
"You would give up the mission?"
"Of course! Now that I actually think about it, this might be a better solution. We go home and you break up with lover boy. Perfect end to a perfect day."
Keeley pursed her lips at the animosity in her voice. "I thought you were going to play nice? Ever since the football game you've been grouchy again. In fact, you've been that way a lot recently and not just about Talon."
"I know," she admitted grudgingly and sat down.
"What's going on? You seem fine one second and then next you're spitting out barbs of steel."
Nicky opened her mouth and then closed it. She seemed at a loss for words, which was uncharacteristic of her best friend. The seconds dragged on as Nicky played with the frayed ends of her black jeans, seeming absorbed in the task.
Finally, Keeley said, "You don't have to tell—"
"My mom is dating again."
"Wait. What?"
"Some guy she met online. Can you believe it?" Her voice held a trace of bitterness. "Remember those bi-weekly dance classes she's been taking for the past two months? Well, apparently in single mother language that's code for going on dates."
"Nicky...." As far as she knew, her mother hadn't dated anyone since her father died. "Is it serious?"
"Evidently." Nicky ripped out a black thread and threw it down the walkway. "She wants me to meet him next week. Him and his kids."
"Kids?"
"He's divorced. Has two girls."
She looked so forlorn Keeley wrapped her arms around her. "Maybe it won't be that bad. They could be really nice."
"Maybe," she said her voice filled with doubt. She leaned her head against Keeley's shoulder. "I'm sorry about being a grump. Whenever I wanted to spend time with you he was always there and..."
"It's okay. I understand." It explained so much. Nicky adored her father and having her mother date after all these years would be a huge shock. So she threw all her anger and resentment toward Talon. "If you ever want to spend time with just the two of us all you have to do is say so. I can easily find another good-looking, conceited, Texas boy but there's only one you."
Nicky hugged her back. "Yeah, not many people would put up with your crazy schemes. Good thing you found me so early on in life."
"Best friends?" Keeley asked.
"Best friends."
"Ladies, am I interrupting?"
They both looked up to see Frankie walking towards them. He had the blue teddy bear in one hand and a folded piece of paper in the other. Scrambling to their feet, they stood just as he approached.
"Sorry this took so long."
"No problem," Nicky said, waving her hand. "My cousin Clyde—"
"Cliff," Keeley coughed.
"—is worth the wait. He's turning five and I'm determined to give him the perfect present."
Frankie's eyes twinkled. "Yes, we wouldn't want him to break out in hives over a blue teddy bear. Well, I have some good news and so bad news. The bad news is that we are currently out of stock in the green. The good news is that I found a store that does sell it." He handed the slip of paper to Nicky. "I wrote down the address for you. It shouldn't be too hard to find."
"Thank you so much for your help."
"I'm sure Cliff-Clyde will love his present. Hopefully they'll find a cure for his allergy soon. No kid should be deprived of blue popsicles. It's a rite of passage."
"It's hard but he endures," Nicky said solemnly, clutching a hand over her heart.
Eager to get on the road, she grabbed Nicky's wrist and began dragging her away. Maybe that bail money wasn't such a stretch of the imagination after all.
****
"I'm bored," Nicky complained.
"We've been here ten minutes." They were sitting in the car parked ten houses down from Talon's. He lived in a picturesque two-story house with a beautiful front lawn and a white picket fence surrounding it. She could see his black truck parked in the driveway alongside a dark blue SUV.
"Ten minutes too long. When is he going to leave?"
Keeley lowered her binoculars and blindly reached into the backseat, pulling out a plastic bag. "Here," she said, thrusting it into Nicky's lap. Hopefully it would keep her occupied for a few minutes.
"Snacks!"
With a satisfied grin, she returned her attention back to the house. Through the binoculars she could barely make out the front door. Suddenly, it opened and a head full of blonde hair emerged.
"I think he's on the move," she exclaimed.
"Let me see." Nicky grabbed the binoculars and aimed it towards the house. "He doesn't seem very dressed up—only jeans and a sweatshirt. Maybe he isn't meeting a girl like you thought."
"I heard them correctly. He's definitely meeting a girl."
They patiently waited as Talon started his engine and backed out of the driveway. Maintaining a good amount of distance, they tailed him down the street and onto the freeway. It was trickier than the movies made it out to be. There was no way Keeley could have done it by herself. So while she concentrated on driving and not getting into any accidents, Nicky kept her eyes on Talon's truck and instructed her where to go.
"It looks like he's heading where we live," Nicky said as Talon took an exit.
They followed him as he made his way through the town. He drove with confidence, not slowing down or hesitating before a turn. It was obvious he'd been here before. Finally, he stopped in front of a small park not more than five blocks from where Nicky lived. They drove past the park and made their way down a side street that was hidden from view.
"Well this is...unexpected," Nicky said, pulling out their spy gear. "I never figured the meeting would happen where we lived. Do you think we know this girl? Go to school with her?"
"I don't know. He's never mentioned it."
Of course he hadn't mentioned a lot of things, she thought darkly. It seemed he was always telling her half-truths till she found out otherwise. She didn't understand why he couldn't be honest and upfront with her to begin with. Truth had a nasty way of coming to the surface no matter how much you tried to cover it. It seemed that was a lesson he missed while growing up.
"Here's your earpiece and walkie-talkie." Nicky handed it to her and put in her own. "We're on the same radio frequency so we're all synced up. I don't think anyone else is using it but you never know. So from this point forth, we only use code names. Got it Green Bear?"
"Roger, Blue Cookie."
Excitement pulsed through them as they grinned at each other and put on their night vision goggles. They walked in the darkness with ease, stealthily maneuvering toward the park. It was a relatively small park with a jungle gym, a few benches and a couple of tables. Trees and bushes were scarce and scattered far apart.
As they neared, Keeley could see Talon leaning against a table. It was the only one that had a lamppost near it, casting a dim light onto the area. Unfortunately, there weren't any trees or bushes nearby they could hide behind.
"We should split up," she whispered to Nicky. It would be easier to conceal.
"Good thinking. I'll be hiding by those couple of trees over there." She pointed to a spot near the parking lot where Talon's truck sat. "That way I can be on the lookout in case anyone else shows up. You try to get as close as possible to him so you can overhear the conversation."
After parting ways, Keeley bent low to the ground and crept around the park, darting from one bush to another. Her heart beat loudly in her ears, drowning out all other noises. She'd just moved behind a tree when someone approached the table. She took off her goggles and grabbed the binoculars hanging around her neck.
A tall, willowy girl stood next to Talon. Keeley couldn't see her face but she see her long wavy hair that was the color of light caramel. She moved around as she talked, walking to and fro, waving her hands wildly about as she made a point. A couple of times she pointed her finger at Talon, wagging it in front of his face as if he was a naughty school boy.
As Keeley inched closer, she could tell the girl was in her early twenties. She had a striking face. Razor sharp cheekbones, deep-set eyes and a mouth that was little too large for her face. She wasn't beautiful, not by today's standards, but she had a certain quality that drew a person in.
A noise buzzed in Keeley's ear. "Green Bear, come in. Green Bear, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear Blue Cookie," she whispered into the walkie-talking.
"I've got some movement over here by Black Peanut's truck. Stand by while I investigate." The radio went silent then crackled as Nicky came back on a few moments later. "It looks like someone's trying to open the door."
"They're breaking into his truck?"
"It looks like they have a key. They just opened the passenger door."
"What are they doing?"
"They're taking something out." She paused. "It's a bunch of grocery bags. I can't tell what's in them. The person is heading toward the park now."
Keeley's forehead crinkled as she tried to process the new piece of information. It seemed another dimension was added to this mystery. It was no longer a flat jigsaw puzzle. No, it was starting to become a Rubik Cube and she couldn't see the whole picture till she lined up the colors.
Suddenly, there was movement to the right of her. Startled, she dropped to the ground and crawled for cover. Hiding under an oversized bush, she watched as a match was lit and dropped into a pit filled with dry leaves and branches. As the spark started to grow into a roaring fire, she saw the other person for the first time.
It was another girl, and by the looks of her she was related to the first. She had the same caramel color hair, deep-set eyes and sharp cheekbones. But while the features on the first girl were merely arresting, the features on this girl they were absolutely stunning. It was as if nature had made a second version and fixed the errors from the first.
Voices started to draw near. She peeked her head out and saw Talon striding toward the fire with the first girl leading the way. He looked peeved but relaxed. His arms swinging back and forth as he looked around, lips drawn into a crooked line. His relaxed state ended quickly when he saw the second girl.
"Fancy seeing you here, cousin," she said with a wicked glint in her eye.
The girl bent down and rummaged in one of the grocery bags she'd stolen from Talon's truck. There a ripping sound and then she held up a handful of peeps. Talon's face paled as she moved to the fire pit.
"Look, let's be rational here," he said holding up a hand. His voice was smooth and steady but his eyes were wild with fear. "You're an adult. I'm an adult. Let's talk and work something out."
The first girl walked over and grabbed a peep. She dangled it over the burning flame. "Hello. My name is Corinne Harrington. You hurt my brother. Prepare to die."
"Princess Bride? I'm really starting to like this chick," Nicky commented over the radio. Apparently, the audio enhancing device really did work for her to hear that all the way from the parking lot.
"Corinne," Talon said, his voice sounding slightly panicked. "There's no need to involve innocent bystanders. They had no part in what happened."
The other girl held her handful of peeps over the fire and said, "Hello. My name is Reese Harrington. You hurt my brother. Prepare to die."
With both hands up in the air, Talon inched closer like he was approaching a dangerous predator. "I know you're mad, but this isn't going to solve anything."
"No, but it'll be sweet revenge for our dear little brother."
Talon reached behind and grabbed his phone from the back pocket. He hit a button and then showed the two girls the screen. "I have Uncle Alan and Aunt Irene on speed dial. One button and they'll know what's happening. So why don't you just down the peeps and no one gets called."
Corinne smirked. "You'd be in just as much trouble if you make that call. So go on, I dare you."
"The Nut is starting to crack. I repeat, the Nut is starting to crack," Nicky said.
It would have been funny if it hadn't been true. He was starting to sweat now, realizing—maybe for the first time—how serious his cousins were.
"Any last words, JT?" Corinne taunted, dangling the blue peep over the fire.
Aggravated, he ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm sorry for what I did! But is this really necessary? There's a line that shouldn't be crossed and this is one of them! A man's peeps are sacred damn it!"
"Unfortunately the decision isn't up to me." Corinne cocked her head to the side and called out, "Bro?"
Out of the shadows, stepped a boy. He was wearing a blue Edgewood sweatshirt with the hood covering his face. As he walked towards the fire, he pulled it down.
Nicky whistled. "Holy crap. Do I need glasses or is that...?"
"You're seeing correctly, Blue Cookie," Keeley confirmed, barely moving her lips. "That's Zach's freshman football buddy and the boy who currently shares my locker."
"Gavin, you're in on this too?" Talon asked, taking a couple steps forward till he was in front of the flames. Orange and red burned in his eyes as he glared at his cousin.
"You used me to get onto Edgewood's campus so you could play a prank." Gavin's commanding tone surprised Keeley. This was not the nervous, slightly shy boy she was used too.
"I didn't use—"
"You asked me all those questions in guise of helping me when really you were just ferreting out information."
"That's not true and you know it," Talon argued, the angles of his face turning to stone. "Who worked out with you every day this summer? Who gave you tips so you could throw farther? Who taught you new drills to improve your speed?"
"You did," Gavin conceded, shifting back and forth on his feet.
"Damn right I did."
"But you also promised me at the beginning of the year the Edgewood/Crosswell rivalry wouldn't get in between us. You promised that family would come before football."
"You saw what Zach did to my truck. It took me three days to get it back to normal. I had to retaliate."
"I don't care about that," he shouted, throwing his hands up. "Retaliate all you want. But don't use information I gave in confidence to accomplish it. That's not fair to me or my teammates." Calming himself down, Gavin took a deep breath. He squared his shoulders and then asked, "And what about Keeley?"
Talon's eyes narrowed as his voice dropped into a low growl. "What about Keeley?"
"I told you information about her because I believed you really liked her. Now, I'm not so sure."
"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Talon snapped, echoing her own thoughts.
"It's something Finn mentioned the other day." Gavin crossed his arms over his chest. "Something about a foolproof plan to get back at Zach involving his sister."
Keeley's pulse quickened. Noise crackled in her ear and she knew Nicky was going to speak. Not wanting to miss a word she took out her earpiece.
"He's an idiot. You know that. Half the time he doesn't know what he's talking about," Talon protested hotly. His posture was rigid; each muscles tight and taut as if he was preparing for an attack.
"No?" Gavin said his mouth lifted in disgust. "Then why did he say the plan worked? Why did he say the only reason you went on that trip to Santa Barbara was to get her to fall for you?"
Keeley's pulse stopped as her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Her hands started to grow damp and clammy as a sheen of sweat broke out over her brow. Loud squawking noises came out of the earpiece but she ignored it.
"Is this true?" Corrine interjected, her lips set in a firm line. "Did you use this girl to get back at her brother?"
Talon jammed his hands into his pockets and stared at the flickering flames. The fire cast a warm glow over his angular features, softening some of the harsh lines.
"JT?" Corrine prompted.
Something akin to fear flashed in his eyes. Taking a step back, he deliberately plunged himself into the shadows. His shoulders rounded as he dropped his head. "I did," he admitted softly.
Blood roared in Keeley's ear as the truth smashed into her heart. She couldn't breathe; couldn't move. She felt as if the world had tipped on its axis and she was barely holding on by a thread.
All this time he'd.....
She couldn't finish that thought. Not yet. Not when her heart was breaking. A tidal wave of emotions swelled inside of her. She tried to block it, tried to fix the dam, but it was too damaged. Her defenses lay shattered at her feet. She'd let him in her heart and now she was paying the price.
A silent sob welled up inside of her. It caught in her throat, making it hard to breathe. Her hands clawed into the dirt, desperate to hold onto something real. Something solid. Something true.
She didn't know how long she lay in the dirt like that—maybe five minutes, maybe five hours—but when she came too a pair of arms were surrounding her. Holding her gently, the person whispered soft words of comfort in her ear.
"It's okay. He's gone," she said quietly, rubbing her back. "You can let go now."
She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was the gut-wrenching sound of anguish. Sobbing, she clung to her best friend knowing that she was finally safe to fall apart.
****
A/N I don't know about you but I think true stick-with-you-through-think-and-thin best friends are hard to find. I was luckily enough to find 2 of them when I was in my teens. We may not live in the same city or even the same state anymore, but I know they would be there for me at the drop of a hat. I hope you all are lucky enough to have that type of friend. Cherish it because I can tell you popularity and all that crap fades, but true friends? Well, they last a lifetime. :) Please don't forget to comment and vote!