I let out a sigh of relief once the songended. “Sorry I was such a lame partner. I’ve never learned thesamba before. I felt like an idiot.” I breathed hard and brushed myarm across my forehead.
“We can’t be perfect at everything, but onething’s for sure, no one was critiquing your abilities,” he said,pulling me close to him. “I just like having you in my arms.” I sawa flash of his perfectly straight white teeth before he pushed awayfrom me, his hand sliding down my arm to my hand. “Let’s get adrink.” I followed him, my mind whirring with questions about thisguy.
Could he get me closer to Jericho and if so,how? Was he a player like Viktor, just smoother so that he didn’tseem like a parasite? He grabbed a clean hand towel from a stacknext to the sink and wiped his neck and face. I followed suit, butonly dabbed at my sweat. I took a long draw on the water shootingout of the drinking fountain, and Carson did, too. I hadn’t noticedhis beautifully bronzed skin until I saw him in the light of thatroom. His muscled arms looked like they could wrap around a girland keep her safe. Too bad we lived totally different lives. Toobad I didn’t feel for him what he apparently felt for me. I pulledhim away from everyone.
“Listen, Carson. You and me?” I moved myhands toward him and back to me several times. “It would neverwork.”
“What are you talking about?” Hefrowned.
I’d have to be totally clear and leave noambiguity. “I think of you as a friend. Nothing more. I mean, I seeyou in my life as a very good friend or best friend, just not as aboyfriend.” I bit my lip waiting for his response.
“You like someone else?” He leaned back.
I did, so I nodded. “Are we okay, then?” Iraised my eyebrows.
He curled his top lip over his teeth andthen, sighing, said, “Yes.” He nodded a few times. “I don’t likeit, but yes.”
I grinned. “Good, because you make me laugh,and I love to laugh.” I grabbed his arm and led him back to thedance floor for more practicing.
I was bushed when class was over, but Ididn’t want to miss the chance of asking Carson what I could expectat Jericho’s.
“So, Jericho lives out on Long Island. Is heone of the super rich in one of those amazing mansions out there?”I laughed quietly.
“Actually, yes.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope. They own something like sixty acres.You can’t even see the neighbors from his house. It’s crazygargantuan. I’ve been there a lot, and I don’t think I’ve even seenall the grounds. They even own a private island. It’s crazy.”
“Wow! And you’d never know it.”
“Uh. Have you met the same Jericho Iknow?”
“I mean, he’s not that different is he?”
“Trust me, he is. No one can have a bedroomthe size of most people’s houses and be normal.”
“If you don’t like him, why do you go to hisparties?”
“He didn’t used to be as psycho as he isnow. We grew up together. Not that we lived near him. We justhappened to go to the same preschool and have been in the sameschools ever since. I probably wouldn’t go to this party if it wasa regular one, but this is the senior bash. I wouldn’t miss it,even if it is held at Jericho’s family mansion.”
I wanted to ask about it being the seniorbash, but I had to stay on target. I needed more info on Jerichobefore tonight. “So he has a huge room huh?” Carson nodded. “So I’massuming he has servants and all that jazz, too?”
“At least a hundred of them. All at his beckand call.”
“Well—”
He didn’t let me finish. “I’d love to keepchatting, really, but I have guitar lessons in fifteen minutes, andit’s twenty minutes away.”
“Oh, sorry,” I said, giving him anexaggerated frown.
“Call me later. We can chat, asfriends, as long as you’d like.” He ran off.
The halls were practically empty. With noone to hit up for information on Jericho, I headed for the nearesthole.
***
I didn’t have a chance to rest when I gotback to our brownstone.
I found Ace in the back room on acomputer.
“Ace! I thought I was all alone. Where iseveryone?”
“Jeremy’s at headquarters, and Halluis isworking with a team on getting the repeaters that we need to set upfrom Long Island to get the feed from these little babies.” Hepointed to a bunch of little items on his desk. “Your wish is mycommand.”
“I guess it’s safe to say that Jericho’slife is about to be invaded. His secrets are our secrets.”
“You got it.” Ace taught me how to use thedevices he’d created, and we practiced different things I could doto gain access to Jericho’s room and what to do if I got caught—oneof which included me sailing onto his bed and pretending I wantedto hook up with him. I didn’t even give that option a secondthought.
“The best thing would be for you to get thislittle guy into his phone.” He held up a little metal disk. “Thisis the one thing that would really give us all his secrets.However, you have to open the phone back and set the disk on top ofthe SIM card, which also requires removal of the battery. And yes,if he opens the phone and removes the battery, he will see it. Itis the most risky bug to place, but also the most valuable.”
To get Jericho’s phone from his pocket, I’dhave to be very close to him. I’d also have to have an extendedamount of time with the phone in order to pull it off. Thatrequired me getting close to him twice. Very close. Had I the time,I’d practice on his exact phone until it became second nature tome, but time was one thing I didn’t have. I needed to meet
