chapter 11
Leona turned to one side and then the other as she looked in my bedroom mirror. “Is it on straight?” she asked.
I smiled. “Yep. And you look spectacular.”
“You think?”
“Definitely.” But something was bothering me. “Leona?” I asked as she tucked her hair under a wig. “Why didn’t you tell me that Aiden called you the night I went to the hospitial?”
She paused and then flicked her eyes up to meet mine in her reflection. “I guess I figured you’d want him there but would never admit to it. So when he called … I made the suggestion that he stop by to check on you.”
I furrowed my brow, unsure how I felt about that. I mean, he was my ex so I was free to ignore him if I wanted. Still—
Before I could think about it any further, my doorbell rang. The girls were here! A surge of pre-investigation excitement surged through me. “Be right back,” I said and crutched out of my pink room toward the front door. I’d gotten a supercute black one-piece jersey suit, but I had to cut off the right pant leg so it’d fit over my cast. It sort of ruined the look, but I went for it anyway. Black was such a tough color to pull off with white plaster.
When I answered, Kira and Izzie were there. Kira looked fabulous as usual, her blond curls pulled back in a tight ponytail, her black spandex skirt tight.
Izzie, on the other hand, looked awful. Her red hair was tucked up under a black trucker cap, pieces hanging down haphazardly. “Hi,” I said cautiously and then shot a glance at Kira. She seemed to realize that something was off, too. She raised an eyebrow questioningly.
I was just about to invite them in when Kira gasped, pointing behind me. “No way!” she called. “You’re joking, right?” I glanced over my shoulder into the living room.
Leona was standing next to the maroon sofa in what appeared to be a very masculine stance. Her legs were spread wide and her arms were crossed. She had a black mustache adhered to her upper lip, and the self tanner we’d applied tinted her skin just olive enough to change her look. Her hair was pulled under a dark shaggy wig, and her normally perky B cups were hidden under an oversized flannel.
“A guy?” Kira asked. “The brilliant disguise you two came up with was for Leona to be a guy? You really think that’ll fool anyone?”
“I’m wearing Axe body spray,” Leona said. “A lot of it. I plan for them to be so overwhelmed by my smell, they’ll look past my petite hands. And this better work! I had to take off all of my polish and cut my nails short for this.”
“It’ll work,” I said, a proud smile on my face. I had to admit, Leona was sort of a hot guy. Not really my type—my type was six two and athletic—but she could definitely get a date.
“You’re really handsome,” Izzie murmured from the doorway.
“Thanks, babe,” Leona said in her best guy voice. Izzie giggled.
“Oh, come on!” Kira threw her hands up in the air.
Leona sauntered over, doing her best macho-guy walk. “Hey, blondie,” she said, tilting her head. “By the end of the night, you’re going to be all over me.”
“Gross!”
We all started laughing, and my phone vibrated on the granite of my kitchen counter. I reached over to grab it but cringed when I saw it was Joel. I’d forgotten to call him earlier, and I certainly couldn’t answer with Kira here. I felt her look at me, so I just hit “ignore” and reached over to grab the nearest plate.
I turned back to the squad, holding it out. “Cookie?”
Kira drove as we headed toward Rick Sanchez’s house in the Richmond District. It was a small, cute house, which wasn’t great for parties (I’d been to a few there before with Aiden). But Rick had a massive backyard with a fire pit that was perfect for an undercover operation. Not much light.
“Park a few blocks away,” I said when we turned onto Cooper Street. “We don’t want anyone recognizing the car.”
“Good idea,” Kira answered and glided to the curb. Only she bumped it hard, and we all fell to the side.
“Ow,” Izzie said as her forehead smacked the passenger window. “Damn it, Kira!”
We all turned to stare at her. She looked back at us, irritation all over her face as she rubbed at her forehead. Then as if she’d just realized what she’d said, she apologized.
“Jeez, take a pill, Iz. I got us here alive, didn’t I?”
“I’m sorry,” she said again, shaking her head. “I’m just not feeling well.”
“Are we ready?” Leona asked, interrupting and sounding nervous. Making a mental note to check on Izzie later, I nodded.
“Think so.”
“Wait,” Kira said. “Come here.” Leona leaned forward between the seats, and Kira reached out to smooth down Leona’s mustache with her red-tipped fingers. “There. If you’re going to be a guy, you’ll want to make sure your facial hair is well-groomed and not, you know, falling off your face.”
“Thanks, babe,” Leona said in deep-toned male voice. Kira stared at her and then smiled.
“You know,” she whispered. “You’re actually kind of turning me on right now.”
“Told you!” Leona eyes lit up. “You’re so predictable Kira.”
“Oh, shut up,” Kira said, turning around in the seat. “I was only kidding.”
I wasn’t sure that was true, but at least, it would give Leona some confidence before going into the party. Smart thinking on Kira’s part.
“Izzie,” I said, reaching out to put my hand on her shoulder. “Did you bring the listening device?”
She fumbled through her backpack before taking out the small red box and opening it. I plucked out the device and pulled off the adhesive backing.
“Where do you want it?” I asked Leona.
She looked over her blue flannel for a second and then took the device from my hand, sticking it inside her front pocket. “Check the feed,” she said to Kira.
Kira slipped the earbud in and held her finger against it. We were all silent for a few seconds until she gave us the thumbs-up.
“Strawberry smoothie,” I said. “Now.” I turned to Leona. “You’re name is …”
“Rocco Roberto from East Washington. I’m here because I’m thinking of transferring.” She exhaled. “But no one will get a chance to ask me. I plan on sticking to the shadows and staying under the radar. Now,” she held out her hand, “let me have the phone.”
Izzie passed back the camera phone, and Leona clicked it on and tested it. “It’ll be tough to get clear footage with it being so dark, but the fire should provide some sort of light. I’ll stream what I can get though.”
My heart was racing. Even though finding the culprit would help the healing process for the squad, I was terrified that Leona would get caught. Queen of the Nile! People hated us a ton already. What would Blaze do if he caught us spying again? It might turn into a flipping stake burning.
I gulped.
“It’s going to be okay, Tess,” Leona said quietly, patting my leg. It was a little odd with her being dressed as a guy. It felt sort of tingly.
“I hope you’re right.”
“This is supersweet and all,” Kira said, “but we need to move out. Time is of the essence.”
“Wow.” I widened my eyes. “You got that saying right!”
“Obvi.”
“On that note …” Leona opened the back door and slid out onto the darkened street, having us check her over one last time to make sure everything was taped down and masculine. Then she started strolling down the sidewalk toward Rick’s house.
“This better work,” Kira murmured as we watched her. Her strut was a bit over the top as her boots clopped on the pavement, but overall, I’d say she was passing inspection.
A few tense moments passed when she disappeared around the corner and Kira held her finger to her ear. After another second, she looked up at me and smiled. “She’s in.”
I began to chew on my lip as I waited for an update. Had I just sent my friend to the slaughter? What if they spotted her as a fake the minute she stomped in? “She’s streaming video,” Kira said, motioning for me to get out my phone.
I quickly signed into our SOS account and sat back as Izzie leaned over to see. At first, the image on the small screen was grainy and at about crotch height. Leona must have been holding the phone at her side.
“There’s Blaze Harmon,” I said. “I’d recognize that belt buckle anywhere.” It was silver and said, “Badass Mother F”—well, it said a bad word. Not easy to miss.
“Score.” Kira laughed. “Leona just got hit on by Cecelia Penn!”
“Really?”
Kira’s smile was wide when she turned to me. “She asked if Leona wanted to”—she made finger quotes—“‘go someplace more private.’ But in her defense, she’s sounds pretty tipsy.”
“Told you it would work.”
Izzie reached up and pulled off her hat, letting her hair fall raggedly around her face. “Maybe I need a disguise,” she said.
“Nonsense. You’re beautiful, Iz. Remember to keep that positive attitude.” But I could tell by her blank expression that she wasn’t really listening.
“Pom-pom’s up,” Kira warned. “Blaze just said something to Leona.” I raised the volume on the phone and watched as the belt buckle came closer.
“Hey,” he said, his voice tough.
“Hey,” Leona replied, her guy accent thick. Kira giggled.
“Do I know you?”
Uh-oh. My stomach took a swift left turn. I hope she didn’t get beat up. Leona had great high kicks, but Blaze was pretty beefy. I was terrified for her.
“No, man,” Leona said. “I’m here with my cousin.”
Cousin? Me and Kira looked at each other. That wasn’t in the script!
“Cool,” Blaze said, distracted by someone offscreen as he waved to whoever it was. The party behind him seemed to be in full motion, and the bonfire was illuminating it all.
Leona shifted from foot to foot, making Blaze’s belt sway in front of the screen. She must have been nervous.
“I’m getting seasick,” Izzie whispered and rubbed at her eyes.
“You hear about the Smitten Kittens?” someone off camera asked.
We suddenly perked up and stared at the screen. The voice was too far away to recognize, and I couldn’t see who it was because only his khaki-covered thighs were visible. He was holding a bottle of beer low, occasionally lifting it to, I assumed, take a sip.
Hm. There was something familiar about those quadriceps.
“Aiden’s there?” Kira was leaning between the seats, her head just above Izzie’s as she glanced down at the screen.
“What?” My heart skipped a beat. I studied the way the person moved, the way he put his hand on his hip so casually. “Mamma mia, K! You’re right!”
“Aiden’s muscles are hard to miss.” She grinned and moved back into the front seat. “Looks like your hero arrived after all.”
What the heck was Aiden doing there? I thought he wanted to punch Blaze. Wait! Was he there to fight?
“Hey!” Blaze said to him, reaching out to slap his hand. “Didn’t know you were in town, player.” He stepped back. “Oh, shit. Sorry I didn’t ring you back. What’s up?”
“Just hangin’,” Aiden replied. “Heard you guys couldn’t keep your cheerleaders in line.”
My stomach did a tuck and roll, and I felt Izzie’s eyes flick up to mine, but I was frozen. In line? Was Aiden just … talking smack about us?
Blaze laughed. “Dude, don’t you still mess around with Tessa Crimson?”
“Naw. Ended a while ago. She was a liar.”
I heard Kira shift uncomfortably in the front seat. I, on the other hand, was unmovable. I was listening to Aiden unedited. I was getting a glimspe into who Aiden really was, and right now, he was discussing us as if we were never a big deal. Was this how he really felt? I felt my heart break.
“Too bad,” Blaze said. “She’s f*cking hot.”
Aiden lifted his beer for a long minute. When he brought his arm back down, Leona seemed to move away from them. Don’t leave now!
“Yeah,” Aiden finally said. “She’s a good-looking girl. Heard from Darrell that you caught her in the locker room. Did you do something to hurt her?” Aiden’s hand shifted on the bottle, wrapping around it like it was a club. I stopped breathing.
Blaze bent over, laughing. His black hair filled Leona’s lens for second, then he straightened. “No, man. Never touched her. They were sneaking around, and she fell doing some stupid shit. But I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on her.” He paused. “No disrespect, dude.”
“None taken.” Aiden stetched over to set the bottle in a cardboard box next to the keg. “Just wanted to make sure there wasn’t a problem.”
“It’s all cool.” Now Blaze was acting nervous, putting his hands up. “I’m really sorry she broke her leg. I didn’t mean for—”
“It was her ankle,” Leona interrupted in her man voice. Both Aiden and Blaze’s bodies turned toward her. The camera phone started shaking.
“Oh, no! Leona!” I called out. “Aiden will totally recognize her. Abort mission!”
Immediately Kira pulled out her phone and began punching in excape codes to inform Leona to exit. But nothing was happening.
“Right,” Aiden said, stepping toward Leona. “It was her ankle. Thanks… . What’s your name?” There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Walter.”
Kira snapped her head back to look at me. “Walter?”
“She’s supposed to be Rocco!” Leona was totally losing her disguise.
“My grandfather’s name is Walter!” Kira groaned and covered her eyes as she leaned back into the seat. “This is a disaster.”
“So how do you know our cheerleaders, Walter?” Aiden asked. Dang, I wish I could see his face! I couldn’t tell if he recognized her.
“Uh …”
“Hey,” Blaze thankfully interrupted. “Rhett is flagging me down over there. Wanna come say what’s up to the team?”
“I’ll be over in a bit,” Aiden said, lifting his drink again.
“Cool, man. I’ll check you later.” They slapped palms, and when Blaze was close, he spoke quietly. “And, hey, I wouldn’t mess with your girl. I was just joking about putting my hands on Tessa.”
“Yeah. You’d better be,” Aiden whispered back calmly.
They split uncomfortably, Blaze adjusting his vulgar belt. I was feeling pretty darn good. Aiden just totally threatened him in his smooth, polite way. I was … sort of turned on.
When Blaze’s backside was out of sight, Aiden’s body turned toward Leona. Sigh. His thighs really did look nice.
“Now,” he said, sounding a little annoyed. “Where’s Tessa?”
“Excuse me?” Only Leona’s maleness had worn off as her tone took on the high pitched squeak of a cheerleader that had just gotten busted. And then, the feed cut out.
SOS Inter-Kitten Communication
Dear Smitten Kittens,
Our suspension ends on Monday, and we were thinking of how to reenter the student population with a positive attitude. Yes, I know most of the boys are angry with us, but that does not mean we have to lose our spirit!
So during this time of crisis, I ask that we wear our uniforms daily to support the squad. Extra uniforms are available for those who need them.
We’re going to get through this, girls. All we need is the right sort of pep!
Go, Smitten Kittens!!!!
Keep smiling,
Tessa