Page 13 of Wrong Turn

“To freedom,” Harry said.

“To escaping,” Kelly said.

“To the sword,” Lei said.

They laughed, nervous giggles with darting glances, but no one was near their spot at the free-form pool, turquoise as a gem in the midday sun. Lei sat back and sipped her mojito, gazing unseeing at the pool.

Her body was sore from the struggles of the night before, with bruises marring her legs, arms and shoulders, and her muscles were stiff from running with the backpack of gear they hadn’t used. Gradually the combination of alcohol, warmth, and a sense of safety relaxed her, and her eyes grew heavy. She set the empty glass down, rolled over, and fell asleep.

Someone was coming. A hand was grabbing her.

Lei started, awakening with a cry.

“Lei. Your shoulders are getting burned. Let’s cool off.” Kelly pulled back from touching Lei, clearly concerned by her jerky overreaction.

Lei sat up and swung her legs to the side. “You said you did something like last night before,” she told Harry. “How do you just move on from it?”

Harry eyed Lei from where she sat on a lounger, holding the infant on her lap with a bottle tilted to the baby’s lips. “Meditation helps. And working out. Cruz says training the mind is as important as training the body.”

“I don’t really know how to do either.” Lei stood up, tugging her tank suit into place. With her history, she didn’t feel comfortable uncovered—body self-confidence was one more thing Charlie Kwon had stolen from her.

She couldn’t remember most of what her mother’s boyfriend had done to her; it only came in bits and flashes, but that was just as well. She didn’t want to remember; she just wanted to be free of it.

Around the pool area, several college-aged men were sunning, drinking, and shooting pool at a nearby table, obviously here for the same kind of fun they were. Granny suit or not, Kelly wasn’t the only one getting looks. One of the guys raised his drink to her with a smile, and Lei made herself smile back.

“Shake it off,” Lei muttered. “Murder was yesterday. Today we party.” She dove into the pool and drowned her troubled thoughts.

* * *

“This is goingto make your eyes really pop. They’re such an unusual color.” Harry tipped her face up obediently and let Kelly daub glittery purple shadow on her eyelids.

“Eyes popping doesn’t seem a very good thing,” Harry said drily. “I can get a guy to do that, but it usually involves a chokehold.”

Lei, whisking on mascara, almost stabbed herself in the eye with the wand. “I can imagine that too well.”

“You two need to allow your inner goddesses out to play. You’re way too serious. I tell Lei that all the time. At least you agreed to wear my dress, Lei.”

“What there is of it! I had more coverage in my bathing suit.” Lei looked ruefully down at the sleeveless tube of black stretch material that covered her from breasts to crotch, and not much farther. She wriggled her breasts a little deeper into the dress, but that made the skirt come up higher, cupping her bottom. She wasn’t sure which to let hang out. “I look like a hooker.” Lei viewed herself in the mirror. Her legs were tanned and endless in tall Lucite heels she’d planned to wear with a much more conservative garment.

“If you don’t get some action tonight, I’ll eat my hat.” Kelly gestured to the discarded sombrero, hanging off the corner of the chair. “And it’s big.”

Clearly Kelly was determined to resume her life as if that stretch of rough road that ended in murder and fire had never happened.

Harry glanced at the door, a line between her dark brows. “I hope the baby is okay with that hotel sitter.”

“Be careful. You’re getting awfully attached to it,” Lei cautioned, worried for her new friend.

Harry frowned. “She’s not an ‘it,’ she’s a beautiful little girl.” Both women turned to stare at Harry, who looked drop-dead gorgeous in a sleek silvery dress of Kelly’s. Harry glared right back at them. “She’s special.”

“Um. Okay. But that special child’s an orphaned Mexican citizen with no name,” Kelly said. “You can’t just keep her, Harry. She’s not a puppy.”

Harry looked away, glowering. “Let’s just go, already.”

The three of them linked arms and went down to the dance floor: Lei all in black, Kelly in red, and Harry shining in silver. Pulsing retro eighties music was easy to get moving to after a few drinks. Determined to shake off their brush with death, Lei began to relax and have fun as the three of them got moving on the dance floor. Within minutes, guys moved in to dance with them.

Lei smiled at the blond, blue-eyed surfer dude who did a hilarious chicken dance in front of her. Clearly, he wasn’t someone who took himself too seriously, and he was easy on the eyes, with a mop of salty-looking curls and a lot of nice tan muscle.

“You’ve got interesting moves,” she laughed. Lei glanced over at Harry. Her new friend was doing some dirty dancing with a tall, dark, and handsome man, while Kelly was handling two guys with no trouble at all.

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