Page 140 of Sweet Temptation

“Would you like a love bomb?” one of the girls asked me. She wore sparkly makeup and what looked like a custom-made pixie costume. It was elaborate, fluttery layers of pink and silver, with glittery wings.

“What is it?” I asked her.

She leaned closer to me and put a finger on my chest, lingeringly. “You’re not a cop, are you?”

“Nope.”

“You look like one,” she said, looking me over, with a big smile on her face.

“Thank you,” I said.

She laughed, and Mia appeared, slipping her arm through mine again. “He’s here with Justice’s sister.”

“It’s pomegranate juice,” pixie girl said. “With agave nectar and ecstasy.”

“It’s pure pharmaceutical grade MDMA,” Mia corrected her. “I mixed them.”

“We’re giving out hugs, too,” pixie girl offered.

“I’m thirsty,” I said. “I think I’ll grab a beer.” I glanced at Mia. “Kitchen, right?”

“Help yourself,” she said, her arm slipping from mine. I could feel them watching me as I headed back up to the house.

Fortunately, I was pretty sure they were checking out my ass more than anything.

As I climbed the steps to the back deck, I found Andre hanging out in the corner, watching over the party in the yard. He was doing his duty to try to blend in, holding a beer in his hand.

“Eyes on Summer,” I told him.

“Glued,” he said.

“I’ve got a weird feeling.”

“About what?”

“Don’t know yet. I’m gonna take a look around.”

He nodded and I headed into the house.

* * *

I ran into Summer’s brother inside, and I talked to him for a bit. He was definitely a music/tech geek, kind of like Summer in that way, maybe. Seemed like a good guy. Was totally friendly with me.

But by eleven o’clock he was openly snorting lines of what I assumed was coke in the living room with some of his buddies.

One of them had walked in and dropped a baggie of white powder right on the coffee table before he even said hello. Dealer, maybe. He had that vibe about him.

Justice leapt up to shake his hand. I noticed he didn’t hug him, which stood out.

A few other guys piled in with the coke fairy, and they all looked sketchy as fuck. A space was cleared on the coffee table as they talked, and lines were cut right on the varnished surface of the table with someone’s drivers license. I got to my feet and edged out of the circle around the table before someone invited me to partake.

Justice didn’t seem to notice.

More people flowed in as I made my way through the house. It was getting crowded inside.

Eventually, I helped myself to a beer from the kitchen.

When I headed out back again, Andre was right where I left him, keeping an eye on Summer.

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