It Takes Three to Fly (13 page)

“Yes, you do,” Leila declared. “I think it is high time Shane and the rest of the goddamn town knows about your insipid double life.”

Katie-Anne’s head started to pound, and her palms sweated as she reached for the bottle of cherry-flavored lube with trembling hands. She hated cherry-flavored anything, but it was the closest one to her. “Go ahead, Leila. It isn’t like he or anyone else will believe you.”

Angie glanced from Katie-Anne to Leila and back again. She did it over and over so many times that it probably made her fat head dizzy. “Double life?”

“Yes. Katie-Anne has a lot of secrets that will destroy the perfect little bubble she lives in. Unfortunately for her, I know them all,” Leila gloated. She grabbed the bottle out of Katie-Anne’s hand and tossed it down. “If she tells, well, so do I.”

Katie-Anne moved closer to Leila, towering over her menacingly. “Go ahead. No one will believe what you say about me, except for Landon. He already knows bits and pieces of
my
secrets so fill in the blanks for him. It won’t change a thing between him and me. Speaking of Landon, why don’t you tell him about your relationship with the
nasty old fucker,
as you called him? He would take care of telling everyone for you, and they would all believe him.”

“Landon isn’t going to do a thing,” Leila spat. “That piece-of-shit grease monkey is stupid like you. He wouldn’t want to be the one to hurt Shane.”

“First of all, if you so choose to call
my
man that again, I will knock you flat on your ass,” Katie-Anne threatened. She reached around Leila and picked up another bottle, but this time she chose a lotion. Popping the lid open, she inhaled the flowery scent as she tried to calm herself before her fantasy became a reality and she punched The Bitch.

“Secondly, Landon would
not
keep his mouth shut for you. He would be the first person to tell Shane. Trust me, Shane will believe anything that Landon says.
Anything,
” Katie-Anne emphasized. She closed the lid to the bottle and placed it back onto the table carefully.

“If I were you,” Katie-Anne said. “I would forget all about Shane and your
big plans
. We both know he won’t touch you once he knows the truth. Knowing him, he will warn every man in town about what a home-wrecking slut you are, and you will never get a date with a real man again. It is in your best interest to just leave him alone and move on.”

Katie-Anne sighed. “I am going to be the bigger person here. I will forget this conversation, and you will forget what you know. I think you are getting the better deal since my secrets are tiny blips compared to yours, and people will forgive me. Somehow I don’t think they will feel the same way about you.”

Leila paled, her porcelain skin looking pasty white, and she cowered as her bravado faded a bit. She, apparently, knew that Katie-Anne had her. “Fine,” she snapped. “You win—for now—but, if I were you, I would watch my back.”

On that note, Leila spun around and marched toward the front door with Angie nipping at her heels. Neither of them seemed to remember that they had lingerie flung across their arms. But that didn’t last long. As soon as they crossed the threshold, the alarms went off.

“Son of a bitch,” Leila cursed.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Angie muttered. “I cannot go back to jail.”

Katie-Anne wanted to laugh, and she would have but Ella charged into the front with Shannon and Jaycee close behind her. Ella went straight for the phone and dialed a number. “What in the blue blazes gave you two the impression you could steal from my shop?” She turned her back on everyone in the store and started rambling into the phone. “Yes, Belle, I have a little situation over at the store. Can you send someone over? It seems that Leila and Angie were shoplifting.”

“I was not,” Leila contradicted shrilly. “I forgot all about the trash on my arm.” She threw all the merchandise on the floor. “There. I wouldn’t want it anyway.”

Ella didn’t even look at her. She continued to speak into the phone to Serenity’s sheriff. “I want to press charges. She was harassing one of the customers who is too nice to report her, and she attempted to steal from me. Well, I’m not such a nice girl, and I am not the bigger person. I want someone to come get her, please.”

Katie-Anne shouldn’t have been gleeful, but she was. Hauling the two women to jail amused her to no end, and she laughed. “Sucks to be you two.”

Leila launched herself at Katie-Anne, taking her nearly to the floor in one shove. But Sarah and Shannon caught her before she hit the tile. Leila obviously hadn’t anticipated that Katie-Anne would counter her attack. She tripped and fell to the floor when Katie-Anne kicked out.

Instead of continuing the fight, Katie-Anne stood up regally and shook off pretend dirt from her clothes.

“Leila just assaulted one of my customers as well,” Ella informed Belle through the phone. “She just keeps adding onto her list of infractions. Yes, I understand. Yes. Okay. See you soon. Bye.”

Ella smiled smugly at Leila and Angie. “That’ll teach you two. I’m sick and tired of you going around and pulling your shit then getting away with it. I suggest you stay the fuck out of my store and the hell out of my way. I don’t take kindly to people who would steal from me and insult people I care about.”

Ella placed her hands on her curvy hips. “The sheriff is coming. If you want to run, feel free. Keep in mind, though, it will only get you into more trouble. If you plan to be like good dogs and stay, go over there and sit down.”

Angie clamped her jaw shut and crossed the room before sinking down onto the plush chairs with a huff.

Leila remained behind, her disgustingly gorgeous face pinched in anger. “You messed with the wrong girl, Ella Dawson,” she warned. “I will make you pay for this.”

Ella smiled easily at her, not looking the least bit daunted. “Start a war with me, honey, and you will lose. Katie-Anne is letting you off easy, but I won’t. Push me, and I will take you down in the most painful, most embarrassing way possible.”

“I’ll help,” Jaycee interjected. “I need to cash in the revenge IOU I sent her when she tattled on me to Gray and Cade.”

“Me too,” Sarah said, getting in on the action.

Katie-Anne giggled. Sarah didn’t have a mean bone in her body. The woman was kind, innocent, and gentle. She wouldn’t hurt a fly. Hell, the girl didn’t even curse, unless someone counted
pickles and donkeys
as profanity
.
No way could she help, but it was terribly sweet of her to offer.

Sticking her tongue out, Sarah insisted, “I could.”

“Every woman will help her,” Shannon said. “We’ve all been looking forward to the day that The Bitch gets her ass handed to her, literally and figuratively.”

“Between me and other women in this town, we will ruin you,” Ella threatened, her easy smile turning into a big, brilliant smile. “Why don’t you just head on over there and join your friend. My chairs are more comfortable than the ones in the slammer. You might as well relax and enjoy it while you can.”

Leila sniffed but turned and did what Ella had told her to do. She sat down with Angie, the two women whispering passionately.

“Ella,” Sarah said with a chuckle. “You are a bad, bad girl.”

“Now, Sarah,” Ella replied. “We’ve discussed this a million times. I’m a naughty woman, and I plan to make everyone around me naughty, too.” She added, “Especially you.” Snatching a video off the wall, she handed it to Sarah. “I think this will do for you. It covers a wide variety of BDSM concepts.”

Sarah gasped before covering her red face. “Oh my Gosh!”

All of the women giggled, except Katie-Anne who figured out what had happened. “You eavesdropped.”

Ella responded quickly. “No, I have cameras everywhere, and we heard everything
.
”

“
Everything
,” Jaycee announced, emphasizing the word.

Aw, hell. Lucy, you’ve got some ’splainin’ to do!

Shane was in a shitty-ass mood. Even breakfast with Deke and Adam in the best, and only, diner in town wasn’t helping his foul temperament. All he seemed to see were the negatives of the small-town, fifties-themed restaurant.

Lou’s Café smelled greasy, and the food tasted off. People chattered obnoxiously, but somehow, the jukebox managed to drown them out with a song that he hated booming from its speakers. Silverware clattered, and metal chairs scraped the floor as people came and went. A waitress dropped an entire tray—twice—spilling food everywhere, which sent an irate Lou flying out of the kitchen.

Yeah, I am without-a-doubt in a shitty mood.
Shane had been pissed off since last night when Katie-Anne had pranced out of the room with her friends and then Landon had stormed out behind her and left the damn party. Nothing had gone according to plan, and this morning wasn’t looking much better.

Shit.
Shane was right—today was going to suck, and it got suckier before his eyes when Brett Monroe shoved his friend, Ethan Bartlett, through the front door of Lou’s Café with a barked laugh. Shane had a serious problem with Ethan and Brett along with their other friend, Sam Carrington. They were too fucking close to Katie-Anne, and he didn’t like it one damn bit.

The three men didn’t hide their feelings or lust for his woman. They chased after her shamelessly, and she seemed to enjoy their attention. He knew they didn’t love her, and she didn’t love them. He also knew that they’d never slept with her and never would—he’d make damn sure of that one. But he still wanted to kick them in the nuts every time they entered the same room as him
or
Katie-Anne. It was completely irrational, but what man in love was rational?
None that I know of.

“Stupid motherfuckers,” Shane grumbled under his breath.

Deke and Adam, who had been arguing over Sarah and the plumbing problems at her salon, quieted down and turned their attention toward him. They scrutinized him then followed his line of vision and spotted Ethan and Brett heading straight toward them.

Predictably, Adam flashed his pearly whites and chuckled. Mr. Suave
would
find this amusing.
Asshole.

“Come on. Katie-Anne’s taste isn’t that good,” Adam ribbed him. “After all, she loves you, my brother.”

“Fuck you,
my brother
,” Shane sneered, flipping him off rudely.

Shane and Adam had an unusual relationship. They were, truly, like brothers. They constantly bickered and fussed, but when the chips were down, they always had each other’s back. Right now, Shane needed someone like that in his life. Adam provided Shane with a normalcy during a time where nothing felt right
or
natural.

Deke, ever the adult, said, “She is in love with you, and they are chasing after Brooklyn Sokolov’s best friend, Josie Martin.”

“I know that,” Shane snapped. His foster brother’s high and mighty attitude really pissed him off, and he was ready to throw something at his too-damn-big, overbearingly superior head. That would shut his fucking mouth for a while. “But I’m a jealous and possessive asshole.”

“I’ll second that,” Adam continued to tease. He swung his head to the right and gave Deke a smart-alecky smile. “Deke knows all about that, don’t you?”

Deke gave Adam a look that would have fried an egg in the middle of winter. But, instead of looking nervous, Adam smiled calmly at his lover. “It’s in the blood,” he commented when Deke appeared to tune them out and look away from them to follow Ethan and Brett’s movements.

Shane pretended to not see the two banes of his existence. Rolling his eyes at Adam, he quipped, “We aren’t blood related, Adam.”

“Might as well be,” Adam remarked with an easy-going laugh. “You two are way too much alike. It’s
almost
sexy, except I have to put up with way too much bullshit from both of you at the same time. Thank God you two don’t share. I would end up dead or in jail.”

Shane smacked Adam on the back of the head before he could stop himself. “I have the two people that I want to share my life with, and
you
are not one of them.”

“So you have finally opened your eyes.” Deke smirked, his eyes twinkling merrily. Or as merrily as Deke got. “Have you?”

“Yes,” Shane stated simply before he reached for his coffee-filled mug.

A deep, masculine voice sounded out of nowhere. “I knew you weren’t as dumb as you look,” Ethan commented as he and Brett entered the picture.

Startled, Shane’s hand bumped into his coffee cup. The scalding hot liquid sloshed out and landed on the side of his wrist before dribbling onto the Formica tabletop. “Son of a motherfucking bitch!” He grabbed several napkins, dabbed his burned skin and then wiped the countertop.

“Nope, my mama wasn’t a bitch,” Ethan smarted off with a crooked smile that Shane would enjoy putting his fist through. “Now, my daddy was a male-whore. Does that count for anything?”

Beating the shit out of Ethan looked better and better. He was damn proud when he didn’t jump out of the booth and pummel his arrogant ass. Katie-Anne would be fucking pissed off if he hurt Pretty Boy or his badass best friend. And, right now, the last thing he wanted was a mad Katie-Anne. He had to win her over before he pissed her off again.