Four Letters (The Lust List: Devon Stone #3) (9 page)

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I can’t help him if I can’t be open about everything, right? “She’s a drug addict. She doesn’t consider anyone else when all she wants is to get high. Her entire life is a mess because of it.”

“So you think she’s another version of me? That my life is a mess?”

“No…yes…I don’t know. I watch her, and it scares me. Last week, you showed up here in the same state I’ve had to see Lex in. I believe in us. I think what we have matters. And I wish you felt the same. I wish you’d see yourself the way I see you and just
try
to get better—to get help.”

Devon closes his eyes, and I’m afraid I’m annoying him rather than reaching out and letting him know my honest feelings.

Then he laughs. Now I’m confused.

“Migraines, uncontrollable shaking, constant exhaustion, feeling like shit. Yeah, I’m not trying. That’s why I’m fucking going through withdrawal.” He opens his eyes and looks at me, a mix of sadness and sincerity in them. “I’m doing it for you. For
us
.”

“I had no idea.” I lay my head on his chest, feeling like a jerk. He isn’t just sick. He’s not using. Did he get rid of his stash? That stupid little tin box?

Instead of interrogating him, I let his confession fill the room with a new hope. How do I support him through this? Just trust him to take care of himself on his own? That doesn’t seem fair. Just because it’s his battle—

No, it’s our battle.

“
Where’d Devon go?”

Maddie and I sit in the living room, feeling about as useless as we can with this whole Nat ordeal.

“He went to meet up with his security guys. The ones who are supposed to be catching Nat. Between you and me, I doubt their competence.”

She laughs, and the bathroom door opens to reveal Lex. She’s wearing nothing but her black tank top and underwear, but she has something in her hand. Her pants lay on the floor by the couch she’s been sleeping on, and she tucks her mystery item into one of the pockets while sniffing loudly and repeatedly. Without a word to us, she collapses onto the other couch and stares at the spinning ceiling fan.

Maddie and I give each other a frustrated glare. It’s not like Lex is good at concealing her drug use, and now we get to watch her doped-up antics while we twiddle our thumbs.

“You know what’s bothering me?” I ask the room.

Maddie’s eyes go wide as though she expects me to tell off Lex, but that’s not it at all.

“Nat got to me through the YOUTHelp Foundation. How can somebody so awful be a part of something so beneficial? And if the foundation is a fake, that means everyone else who works there is just as bad…”

It’s sickening to think about it—that they’d exploit real victims for their own pleasure.

“Then let’s find out.” Maddie stands up. “Devon’s off doing his part. We can do ours.”

With everything Devon’s going through? I don’t want to do anything to upset him, and he asked me to stay out of it. “I can’t. I agreed I wouldn’t go after Nat.”

“Who said anything about her? No, we have every right to check on the foundation itself. Who’s that woman in charge of it?”

“Rhyanne?”

“Yeah, her. Let’s go have a chat with her.”

An hour later, Maddie and I are sitting across from the founder herself. Rhyanne Phoenix had been so kind when I met her at the gala. It had seemed like the foundation really mattered to her. I don’t know what I’ll do if she knew the truth about Nat all along.

“You have an employee here, Natalia Vorhees.”

“I do,” Rhyanne beams. “She’s one of my newer assistants, but she’s fabulous. Why do you ask?”

I try to speak, but choke on my own words.

Maddie does it for me. “Her real name is Natasha, and she’s certifiably insane.”

Rhyanne laughs.

Oh no, she does know the truth. I can’t handle this.

“I’m sorry, girls. Maybe you should start over. Why are you here?” Rhyanne leans back in her chair. I look around at the walls and shelves covered in awards, certificates, and photos from charity events.

I find my voice this time. “Natasha has a restraining order against her due to stalking charges from a couple years ago. She’s been following me to get to Devon Stone. After the gala, she…she attacked me. She knocked me unconscious, and when Devon found out what happened, she fled. Since then, she’s sent threatening messages, she caused me to wreck my car, and she set her workplace on fire.” I point to Maddie. “I know this sounds crazy, but I can show you proof.”

And I do. I show her the messages, play the voicemail from the mechanic, and I pull up a news article about the fire at Brecken’s.

“But this doesn’t make sense,” Rhyanne says. Her voice is quieter, and she holds her hand to her mouth. “This doesn’t sound like the girl I hired at all.”

“She had me fooled too. And she’s really clever. There were a handful of times she was in the same place as Devon, and if he’d seen her for even a second, none of this would’ve happened. But she’s sneaky and puts on a believable act. All the trouble she went through just to get me to the gala, making me believe my brother’s death mattered—”

“Oh honey. His death
does
matter. Don’t doubt that for one second. Natalia may be leading a deceptive double life, but the rest of us? This foundation? We’re here to make sure
you
know what happened to your brother matters.”

I can’t stop the tears once they start. An enormous weight lifts as I hear her speak.

“When we hire people here, we go through a thorough review. We’ve had several in the past try to bring us down from the inside. There are awful people out there who don’t agree with our values or who have a problem with social equality or a problem with,” she smiles, “me. I thought we’d found a foolproof application process, but I guess not. It’s a shame, but maybe there’s a bright side.”

“Like what?”

“Like…we have a charity party tomorrow night. Natalia’s been one of the head coordinators, which means there’s no reason she won’t be attending.”

What sort of stealthy, investigative scheme is this? Rhyanne gives us the details where and when the party is taking place. It’s a celebrity thing, so we have to be careful to not bring attention to ourselves. But if we can be discreet, we can catch Nat.

Sounds like we have a plan.

“
I specifically asked you not to do anything. How can I keep you safe if you keep intentionally putting yourself out there?” Devon paces through the living room.

Maddie and I are both amped up now that we have information that can put an end to all this. Unfortunately, Devon doesn’t share our enthusiasm, and Lex…Well, Lex found a second to put her pants on while we were gone, but she’s still camped out on the couch as though there’s nothing else to do with her life.

Oh well, her issues are on the back burner for now. We have a solution to the Nat problem, and I’m not letting Devon talk us out of it.

“It’s safe, and it’s a guarantee. Have your guys found her yet? Because you’d think it wouldn’t be that hard, but apparently she’s smart enough to live a double life without getting caught.”

Devon thinks for a second, stopping his manic pacing and running his hands through his hair. “It’s not a guarantee. She’s been watching us. She’ll see you coming. She’ll see me coming.”

“Then we call the police. We tell them everything and have them go pick her up.”

Devon laughs, shaking his head. “No way in hell am I making this a public spectacle. My guys can keep it discreet. The LAPD? The media would know in a heartbeat. The Stone family doesn’t need more scandal.”

“I’ll do it.”

We all turn to the sound of her voice. Lex, lounging on the couch, is watching us with interest.

“Right,” Devon says, “and all this can come down to us relying on you? No thanks. Tell me, when was your last hit? Judging by the glazed look in your eyes and your slow speech, it’s probably about time for another line, right—to amp you back up?”

“Apparently, you know as well as I do. But you said you need help. I’ll help.”

Before Devon berates her, I stand up. “It’s okay, Lex. We can take care of this.”

“Whatever,” she says, her voice lacking inflection. Does she think this is all a game? “She’s not watching me though, that chick you’re talking about. Unless she’s been staring through that window.” She points to the window next to the front door.

“She’s got a point,” I tell Devon. “We have proof she’s been following me and you and Maddie. But Lex. No one knows Lex.”

“You’re right.
We
hardly know Lex. She’s unreliable. She’ll fuck everything up.”

Lex gets up and storms out of the apartment.

I glare at Devon. “Come on. I get you’re angry about us going to Rhyanne, but don’t take it out on her.”

“It’s not about that,” he says through clenched teeth.

And then I get it.

He’s trying to give up drugs, and Lex is…She’s the mirror version of him if he wasn’t stopping.

Devon retreats to my room, and I follow.

“You want to get out of here?” I ask him. “I know it can’t help you to be around Lex, especially when she’s…” I won’t point it out. He knows.

“She can help. I guess it’s our best option.” He laughs at how ridiculous this is—that the most unstable of us all is our best bet. “But after, she’s got to get out of here. I’m going to lose my damn mind if I have to be that close to…you know.”

It’s become the darkness we cannot speak of. Is that a healthy way to get clean?

“We’ll talk to her after tomorrow. One thing at a time, alright?”

“
Tell me the plan one more time,” Devon demands.

All four of us are piled in the back of the black Escalade that belongs to Devon’s security detail. His two guards sit up front waiting for our cue. Outside, the hotel across the street is crowded with a line of cars waiting for valet, a red carpet lined with media, and groups of fans waiting to see their favorite celebrities. My heart pounds in my chest. This is it.

It’s all up to Lex who’s getting more defensive every time Devon speaks to her. “I know the plan. I’m not an infant.”

She’s dressed in the red Calypso Day gown Maddie was given. Her hair is styled and smoothed with spray, and she wears a simple gold necklace around her neck. The only one in heels, she swears she can pull this stunt off without tripping. All we need is for her to act natural.

“Amuse me.” Devon glares at her until she gives in.

“Fine. I’m heading toward the red carpet. I’ve got the cell in my purse, and you’ll be on speakerphone. The woman on the…” She squints out the window, making sure she has the details right. “The one on the left with the clipboard. Rhyanne told her to expect me. So I go to her. Give her the name Alexandria Rogue, and she’ll let me in through the staff entrance. From there, I find your crazy stalker lady, I follow her without her noticing, and once she’s somewhere easily accessible and discreet, I give the secret code to unleash the guards.”

“There’s no secret code, Lex.” Devon won’t take a joke to save his life right now.

“I think there should be one. This is like some action movie or something. There should
definitely
be a secret code.” She thinks for a second. “The donut shop is open.”

“The what?” Maddie asks. “That’s far more suspicious than,
We’re ready. Come and get her.
”

“I don’t know,” Lex says. “I’m hungry. But now we have our secret code.”

Devon shakes his head, irritated. “Just get out there.”

She double checks to make sure the phone she has—Devon’s—is connected to the one we have—mine. All that’s left to do is cross our fingers and hope this works.

Lex opens the door and climbs out as I whisper a good luck. Once the door’s closed behind her, Maddie, Devon, and I glue our eyes to the window, watching Lex until she’s lost in the crowd.

I nervously tap my fingers against Devon’s leg, waiting for her to say something. So far, the only noise we hear is the muffled sounds of the crowd and a shuffling from the phone being pressed against the inside of her clutch.

I’m still tapping my fingers, when Devon’s hand slides over mine and squeezes. “Everything’s fine. Calm down.”

But I can’t. This is really it. If we fail…how will Nat retaliate? “What if it doesn’t work? She came after Maddie over a voicemail. What will she do to us over this?”