Chapter 48

That night ended better than it started. Wanting air thanks to my continuous perspiration, we sat outside on the front porch swing. The rain stopped, allowing the soothing sounds of crickets to hit our ears as we talked. I gave him details about my dream, talking about Jackson and leaving out the way it ended with him. I also hated admitting to him that I've had several nightmares in a row and that they were getting worse each time. Apparently, I wasn't the only one.

Ironically, Luke admitted that he's been experiencing nightmares this past week too. He said the intensity of his has also been increasing. Unlike the content of mine, his dreams reflected the guilt he felt when he's conscious.

Rubbing his palms together from where he sat beside me, staring out into the damp and dark front yard, he sighed. "They are about me... killing people," he said. "Anyone. Just strangers, but still people. It's vivid and the images don't leave my head after I wake up. It looks so real. The worst part of it is I don't get punished in any way because I'm a police officer. Being a cop somehow makes it okay to kill people," he said, disgust growing with a scowl on his lips. "And then yesterday, my dream was reversed and I was the victim. I dreamt of being shot down by a version of myself. And I remember the look in my eyes... of no worry or remorse. The dreams are either killing or being killed. Equally horrifying and I wake up feeling like shit about myself."

Luke's words helped me relax more about my own dreams. While I wished he wasn't going through it, it was comforting knowing I wasn't alone in my nightmares. It made it easier to talk about my own dreams with Jackson. He knew better than to push me on the subject, but I did give him insight about my mentality on the matter. How I wouldn't forgive him, that I hated him, that I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to find peace on the subject. It was the first time really talking about Jackson and letting my thoughts be said. Did it piss me off, talking about Jackson? Damn straight. But by the end, I felt better to have ranted about him.

Despite sharing details and gaining closure knowing we weren't alone in our nightmares, things were still awkward the next day.

We acted normal around each other, but moments existed where tension pulsed back into the air. Luke was more observant, careful and supportive. If it was because he wanted to be my crutch over my issues with Jackson again or if it was the personal secret he informed me on, I didn't know. Probably both. I mean, I was still reeling from what he revealed about the ring; I'm sure he was adjusting to my knowledge of it too. Thankfully, since my questions were answered about it, I managed pushing it out of my mind more than before.

The next few days passing helped too. The awkwardness faded more and the information Luke dropped on me wasn't at the forefront of my mind. My everyday business of watching Chrissy helped and was fun while Luke was enjoying his time going on longer jogs. And what was even better was the fact that my bad dreams weren't as severe as the last one. Still there, but nothing vivid enough to leave me screaming. We even started talking about doing different things. More specifically, how we should soon check out the land and start searching. We brainstormed different ideas of how to disguise ourselves better. I even asked Luke if he could teach me a few fighting or shooting techniques. I wanted to be ready, which he agreed with.

Those few days of low tension and normal life didn't last.

"Thanks again for understanding. Sorry I was unable to call like the other time to give you a heads up," Grace said after her daughter calmed down over her mother's arrival.

Every time Grace gets here, Chrissy runs up and gives her mom the biggest hug when she arrives. I remember doing that with my mother. Except I wanted to hug my mom every time she left the fucking house and was away from me.

"It's no problem," I chuckled, standing before the mother and daughter in the foyer near the front door. The end of Grace's short hair was curled up, sitting on the tops of her shoulders. Her professional wear made her look older, daughter's hand in hers. Her eyes were tired, but focused in mine with appreciation.

Raising her free wrist and looking at her watch, she smiled. "No truly, thank you. My boss is unpredictable and I appreciate this, even though I'm only fifteen minutes late."

"It's really no issue." I guess she was strict about it. I didn't even notice that she was later than usual. Not like it mattered. I rarely had plans or anywhere else to be. And though today Luke and I did have plans later to go to Carter's, that was hours away. "Don't worry if you're a little late, I completely understand. And I enjoy spending time with Chrissy." Most of the time anyway.

"Except when you refused to hand over the red crayon," Chrissy mumbled, a mischievous smile reaching her lips when I looked down to her.

"Red crayon?" Grace asked sweetly, looking between me and her daughter.

"Yeah!" Chrissy said, smile growing as she tilted her head up to her mom with excitement. "We drew some pictures today and Peggy said we can turn them into a book when we're finished with them. But she was drawing a big apple and used the red the entire time."

"Just like you hogged the green," I smirked down to her. Though she was quite different and could be stubborn – and a freaking snitch – she was growing on me.

"Well, it sure sounds like...." Grace started, words trailing off as she heard approaching footsteps against the porch and behind the front door. We all glanced up towards the door. For me, there was no questions of who was here. Each day when Luke goes running, he usually gets home around this time.

Watching the door swing open, a fresh breeze rushed into the house that the open windows couldn't compete with. Luke stepped inside, sweat glory and all, breathing hard and exhausted. With Grace getting out of work late, he didn't expect to see them here.

Since they only live a few doors down, Grace gets home from work, parks in her driveway, then walks down to get Chrissy. She does this because she would pass by her house first and she enjoys walking with Chrissy. So, the lack of a vehicle in our driveway, as well as the time, led to Luke's surprise. And an interesting initial reaction at their presence.

After walking through the door, Luke froze at seeing them. Looking between Grace and Chrissy, he cut his hard breathing off by clenching his jaw. He also shifted his eyes down, all within a millisecond. You could mistake it as a second of only surprise. Before I could wonder if I was looking too much into one second, he looked up and allowed his hard breathing to continue.

Lips shaping upwards in a smile, fast air moving between them, he rested his hands on top of his head. "Oh, hey guys," he said with a cheerful tone.

While I was trying not to admire his attractive state, Grace's light voice hit the air. "Hey! Haven't seen you in a while."

"I know," he said, sighing through his hard breath. "I think we've just been missing each other. Anyway though, how have you been, Grace?" he asked her, arms dropping to his sides as he glanced down to his shoes. Stepping on the heels, he kicked them off.

"Things have been good! Work is just a hassle, you know how it is," she said, running her fingers through Chrissy's hair as she looked between me and the heavy breathing man. "I really don't have much to complain about though. The pumps have been working wonderfully with this crazy rain. It was honestly about time the city had something done about it."

Should I know what she was talking about? Maybe I'm just stupid. Luke matched my raised eyebrow though and noticed I was confused too. "I'm not sure we are familiar with what you mean," he said. "Excuse me, just one second, I'm going to get some water. Do you want anything? Or you Chrissy?" he asked louder, having already entered the kitchen and out of sight.

"Juice!" Chrissy shouted.

"No, that's alright Kyle, we don't need anything. We'll be leaving soon," she laughed and said loudly. Patting the top of her daughter's head, Chrissy scowled.

Luke came back into the little cluster of us near the door, sipping at his big cup of water. Catching my eyes before glancing back to Grace, he lowered the cup and said. "Sorry, you mentioned pumps?"

Grace went on to explain that a few months ago, the city installed pipes and pumps under the ground and houses along this road. It was to help control the river from flooding if the rain became too much. The water in the river would get too high if there was nonstop rain and flood the basements. Apparently, the folks on this road finally got the city to install pumps to stop the river from rising as fast as it did before. Yes, I know. Super exciting neighbor talk. I think by the time she was finished explaining, Luke and I were ready to shoot ourselves. I was as fidgety as Chrissy and could have hugged her when she spoke up.

"Can we go now?" she whined, spinning back and forth.

Grace chuckled. "Yes, honey," she said, looking between us with a hopeful smile. "We should get together soon. Like I mentioned, I'm willing to have you folks over for dinner sometime. I know you Peggy said you were excited about trying some of my deserts," she said, eyes stopping on mine.

Her smile turned amusing, but I wasn't joking. The first time Grace brought up having dinner at her place, she mentioned her killer deserts. You can bet your ass I was on board with that. Luke on the other hand... not on board.

Glancing to Luke, she continued. "You and Dwaine would get along great I think. He and our other daughter are excited to meet you both. Oh, you know what," she said, eyes lighting with a glint as she glanced between us. "If you guys don't have much going on, how about we get together for dinner this Saturday?"

Grace was chatty, sometimes overbearing, but I liked talking to her. She was also persistent and it wasn't like I was against having dinner with her family. However, just as I was about to agree to it, Luke grabbed our attention. He crossed his arms with one hand still holding the cup, sighing and earning our eyes. "Shoot," he started, eyebrows dipping with sympathetic eyes. "We would love to, but this Saturday we'll be gone all day visiting my mother. I'm sorry, Grace. Do you think we can do it another time? It's just I already told mom that—"

Holding her hands up, she stopped Luke before he could justify any more. "Of course! Don't even worry about it. You guys enjoy your day with her. We can do dinner another time. How is she anyway?"

"She's hanging in there. She's strong," Luke nodded, smiling sadly.

What the hell was that? I felt completely thrown out of the loop. We didn't have anything planned for Saturday. Why would he say that? Unless... did we? No, we are boring people, living amazing normal lives. Watching Luke as he engaged Grace, telling her a few more sad details about his mother, I held up my front and hid my confusion. After 'Kyle' gave her all the details, Grace shared her caring and sad gaze between us.

"She's not the only one strong. This has to be hard for you both," she said.

Well, I haven't joined in on the lie yet. Might as well. Despite my confusion over Luke's excuse, we needed to keep up our act as a couple. And talking about his dying mother would make Peggy want to comfort him. Albany's needs would be met too; I couldn't get enough of acting out a life that wasn't mine. It was a wonderful escape.

"It is," I said, sighing and walking over to Luke. The man avoided my eyes and kept them on Grace. I also noticed just how tense he was when I reached him. Wrapping my arm around his back, I sighed and looked up to him with a smile. "Kyle and his brother are handling the entire thing as best as they can though. It's hard enough for me – and it's not even my mother." Jesus, he needed a shower! Looking more than sexy after running came at the cost of a terrible smell.

Luke's pursed lips and lost eyes were very convincing. With a sigh that was only audible to me, he tensely wrapped his arm around my back in return. When he glanced down towards me, his eyes refused to meet mine and hit the floor. "Yeah, we try as much as we can."

Grace nodded. "I'm sure it helps that you have each other for support."

"True," he said, smiling to Grace. I was the only one that could see his clenched jaw following his words.

He was convincing to Grace and Chrissy, but at this point, not me. I had a feeling his tense nature wasn't just his acting skills shining through. Tight jaw, sighs, pursing lips, avoiding eyes.... My hand on his back could feel how tight his muscles were through his damp shirt. Why was he so uncomfortable?

I was already confused by Luke's quick excuse to get us out of having dinner with them. Because between me and Luke, I was the non-social one. I hated people, not him, and yet I was game for Saturday. When I mentioned it before to Luke, he said it sounded nice. So why did he lie? Why did he lie to get us out of having dinner with them? And now, why was he acting so uncomfortable?

When Grace and Chrissy left, shutting the door behind them, it was just us. Taking a deep breath, he offered me a smile and turned around to enter the kitchen. As if he was oblivious to my confused nature. The guy had to know I would question him.

I slowly followed, propping my shoulder against the door frame. The sweaty man set his cup next to the sink as he began to speak. "So, what did you and Chrissy end up doing?" Turning around and facing me from across the kitchen, he leaned against the counter. Luke ran hand through his hair, the dampness causing it to stay slicked back.

"We visited your very sick mother. She said she's excited to see us this Saturday," I said, raising an eyebrow.

Allowing his shoulders to slump back along with his body, he chuckled and half rolled his eyes. "For your information, I did have something in mind for Saturday."

Something in mind for specifically Saturday? Yeah, right. I watched him in interest. A small and relaxed smile sat on his lips. In fact, his entire body seemed more comfortable than he did a few moments ago. "Really? And what must we do on Saturday that we can't do any other day?"

Shaking his head, his eyes aimlessly moved away from me. Waiting for an answer, it became clear he was struggling to answer. "I-I guess you will just have to wait and see."

"Oh yeah?" I chuckled. "I'll see once Saturday is here?"

"That's right," he said, smile growing into a sweet and flirty grin when his eyes reached back up to mine.

Ignoring the spasm it sent through my body, I bit my lip and looked down. Obviously, he didn't want to reveal why he didn't want to go. Maybe it was just because he wasn't feeling up to it. Regardless, I didn't mind not knowing for now. Him scrambling for an excuse sounded like Saturday was about to turn into a day of fun. "So... a surprise?"

"Sure," he scoffed.

"A surprise that will be fun and exciting?" If he's going to avoid answering the question, he was going to pay for it.

The man paused for a long moment, afraid to answer because the guy had no clue what he was going to come up with. Sighing, he leaned up and away from the counter. Walking towards me in the doorway, he stopped in front of me, eyeing the limited space left in the narrow kitchen entryway. "Excuse me, I need to take a shower," he said, trying to stifle a smile.

"You want me to move? So you can get through? When you didn't answer my question...?" I said lightly, straitening myself from my propped position, fully blocking his way out. "Come on, Luke. You are going to surprise me, with a fun and exciting day this Saturday, aren't you? After all, we are apparently going to be busy that day," I smirked, loving this moment.

Don't get me wrong; I wouldn't forget the strangeness that occurred earlier. But I was in no way looking for answers if it meant more awkwardness. We dug into each other's personal affairs enough. Not to mention, it wouldn't be worth it. For all I knew, he just wasn't in a social mood. Hell, it was probably because he just didn't like the people. Regardless, it didn't matter, especially when Luke shot his eyes into mine and answered my pushy question.

Green globes lighting up in sweetness for me, his bright white grin returned with a groan. "Yes," he finally said. "A surprise, fun, exciting day."

Matching the width of his own grin, my chest fluttered with anticipation. "Great," I said, moving out of his way, sweeping a hand for him to continue through the doorway. "Now, go take your shower. I want to go to Carter's and get it over with."

Luke and I planned on quickly stopping by the guy's place unannounced. We were hoping to see the progress he's made with the four grand Luke gave him. If he did what he said, we also would probably snag a special device Carter said he would buy to help us locate the headquarters if it's in range. I know, who knows what that's supposed to mean or how it will work. The only way we were going to find out is if he bought it. Luke and I wanted to begin preparing for searching the land. And our stop at Carter's was going to show us if he took Luke's orders seriously.

Damn. If only we knew what was coming.

***

The apartment complex consisted of several long buildings, each three floors high. Each building was crammed closely together. The first floor was pale brick while the two above were decorated in grey siding. The area was surrounded in a thin wall of trees, a small cheap fountain in front of each block of apartments. The rippling water in the contained cement glowed a faint blue when we walked passed, reflecting the dimming sky. The summer sunset was nearly gone, welcoming the first few stars and fresh night air.

Thankfully for my lazy ass, Carter was on the first floor. Even though we had to park a little way down in the visitor parking spots, it wasn't long until we were in front of his apartment block.

Walking up the narrow and cracked sidewalk to his door, I couldn't help but smirk. "You want to make a bet?"

Luke snorted, coming to a stop with me when we reached the door. Tucking his hands into his pockets, his alive eyes filled with caution. "What kind of bet?"

"Whether he buckled down and actually bought the equipment. Do you think he did as you said?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, there's no doubt. I pushed him hard to do it. Even when I stopped by and gave him the money, I made the point again that he needed to do it. Otherwise, I would make him pay."

"Make him pay? What did you threaten him with?" I chuckled, folding my arms behind my back as I searched his playful eyes. This would be interesting. It wasn't in his nature to threaten, but sometimes Carter was the exception.

"No, I just threatened him and told him he will do it. Otherwise, I promised him he will regret it," he said, shrugging.

Laughing under my breath, I raised my hands in mock fear. "Whoa, he must have been shitting bricks and crying when you told him that." If Luke threatened to fart in his face, that would have been a better threat in my opinion. Carter would at least know what's at risk.

He shook his head in defense. "It might sound weak, but I'm confident my lack of details helped get my point across."

A soft breeze swept around us, causing Luke's clean hair to ruffle slightly. It caused strands of my loose hair to fly around my face. It was still hard to get used to having my hair down, but I didn't mind. The change was nice. Pushing my hair back and behind my ears, I stared up at him with teasing eyes. "20 bucks worth of confidence?" I asked.

Raising a brow, he was caught off guard. Crossing his strong arms over his faded red plaid shirt, he studied my face with a growing smile. "You actually think he doesn't have the equipment? You're willing to put 20 dollars on that?"

It might sound silly, but Carter didn't give a shit about anything. No threat would make him follow our orders. He would do it when he wants. "Yeah, 20 bucks," I nodded, holding out my hand.

Stifling his amused smile from breaking into a laugh, he shook my hand. "Deal. Might as well pay me now. He's going to have everything done," he said, turning towards the door and knocking.

Turning and facing the door next to him, I scoffed and mumbled, "You might have had a better chance if you threatened him while in uniform. Cops are always more intimidating."

"I am a cop," he chuckled.

I smiled at his words. "Yeah, but people don't know until you are in uniform. Even though Carter and I know you are a police officer, it's the intimidating look that can sell it."

"What are you talking about?" he laughed.

Before I could elaborate on my stupid comments, we finally received a response from Luke's knock. Faint footsteps came from behind the door along with the sliding of the lock. When the door opened, the soft twilight lit up Carter's bare chest, loose black shorts, and his ruffled brown hair. Shooting his lazy eyes between us in confusion, he rested his hand high against the doorframe, allowing it to take his weight.

"What do you guys want?"

"Well, I want 20 bucks," I mumbled, smirking up to Luke.

Ignoring my words, Luke nodded behind Carter. In a soft voice, he said, "We wanted to see the progress you've made with the new equipment. And we wanted the maps and detectors. We plan on searching the woods soon."

I watched him closely, looking for any sign of which one of us was right. Honestly, it would be worth losing the 20 bucks if I was wrong and Carter finished his task. After all, that man's job of finding a clue on one of the cameras was crucial to finding Reid's headquarters.

Sighing, he tapped his fingers against the frame. His extended arm and being without a shirt showed off his strong but lean figure. There was no missing the massive white bandage he still had covering his bullet wound below the top of his shoulder. I'm sure it was just to keep it from being irritated. The skin bordering the bandage was bruised, fading by now with a yellowish blue color.

Carter seemed irritated by our presence. Brows lowered, he stepped aside with a groan. "Alright, hurry up."

"Why, were you in the middle of sleeping?" I scoffed.

"Sure," he sighed, shutting the door once we walked inside the dim apartment. For all the times Carter has intruded by visiting us, Luke and I had no reason to hurry. Especially once we noticed the guy did in fact have a much larger set up than he did before. No 20 bucks for me.

"What the fuck is this?" I laughed after approaching his 'work space' in the corner to the right of the door. I could hardly see his expanded set up, but there was one thing that stood out. Squinting and fighting the darkness, I could see an outline of something the size of a minifridge on the floor. "Can someone turn on a light?"

The lamp in the other corner was flicked on a moment later. It flooded the room with a soft light, just enough to take in everything. And yet, it didn't make much of a difference when it came to distinguishing some things. Like the big square mass I noticed.

I wasn't a computer nerd. I didn't know much about them at all, but you guys wouldn't even be able to tell what this was. It was a plain tan metallic box and look heavy as all hell. There was nothing on it besides a few buttons with little lights. Several cords were plugged into the thing. They led to something in this overwhelming mess.

Luke came to stand beside me, taking in everything with me. Next to the weird tan thing on the floor was the rest of the set up, starting with the dipped table that was here before. It still held the two massive monitors, but there was much more now. Under the table were the two severs from before, but it was surrounded in a forest of cords. Angled in the corner next to the shitty table was a foldable dinner tray, supporting an old TV with numbers and dials on it. You know, the shit that was around a hundred years before you were born! I mean Jesus Christ, what was this?

If it couldn't get any more ghetto, along the other wall next to the tray was a kid's sized air hokey table. It supported two more massive monitors along with a few rectangular devices stacked on top each other. There was also one keyboard and a mouse, adding to the chaotic sight. And yeah, everything looked to share the same birthday as the TV. Oh, and don't forget about the cracked fucking chair captain Carter would be using.

I was blown away. What was this?! Did we go back in time? Did Luke not give Carter thousands of dollars? This was bullshit. I didn't know how much more of Carter's shit we could take.

My cheeks were heating from my growing anger. And what pissed me off more was the fact that I wanted to laugh at this set-up! I wanted to laugh because it looked ridiculous – and I was mad because I shouldn't laugh. This was fucking serious. I wouldn't ask for it, but Luke should be owing me 20 bucks at this point. This was worse than Carter doing nothing.

"Alright, you've seen it. Don't let the door hit you guys on the way out," he said, shooting his thumb towards the door.

"This... is where my four thousand dollars went?" Those slow and menacing words Luke said beside me were justifiable.

"Hey, hey, don't get all worked up," Carter said, coming to stand beside me and where we were still taking in this cheap mess before us. Glancing up to him, he wore a smile, as if this was something to be proud of. "This took a lot of time and it works just as good as other expensive equipment."

"I somehow doubt that," I mumbled, shaking my head. I was starting to think Carter's sole mission was to just piss us off.

"Oh darling Peggy. Tsk tsk," he sighed, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me against his bare side. "You were more fitting as a blonde. I doubt you know a thing about what you are looking at."

A natural blonde had no right to make a blonde joke. Pushing him roughly away, I scowled. "I know cheap shit when I see it."

"I doubt you know what you are doing," Luke said in a hard voice. Staring up to him as I crossed my arms, his wide eyes shot over my head to Carter. "You wasted my money on junk!" he growled.

"I wasn't kidding," he exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "I needed most of the money for the cameras! Those were expensive. So I spent as little as possible on everything else – which is fine. Just because I used a few old CRT monitors and a few dinosaur servers, that doesn't mean this shit won't work." Taking two steps forward and leaning down, he turned on each screen before stepping back.

The four monitors and one TV came to life, each showing a different location. It was live feed from those locations too. Most were positioned up high, shooting down towards a specific public place. Half were gas stations, looking out at all the pumps and far enough to the road. There was one clearly on a stoplight. One was low to the ground and aimed close to a road. Another was inside what looked like a small store.

"Each camera is showing a different town?" I asked.

"They are villages," Carter corrected, drawing my eyes. "When I went to each place, there was hardly anything there. What you are seeing is one of only a couple public places. If anyone leaves the base, they will most likely end up in one of these spots."

Luke's tone didn't hold the same venom as it did a moment ago. Leaning forward and resting his palms against the table, he scanned over each screen with low brows. "How did you end up mounting the cameras? Are they wireless?"

"Yeah. And it wasn't hard. Each place has a population of like five," he laughed.

"Live feed 24/7 with, what, batteries? How?" Luke asked, stepping back and beside me.

"They are home security cameras that have extremely powerful batteries. They can go for 30 days without needing new batteries. And since I managed to tap into a wireless hotspot and get great internet, it's all possible." Pausing, the man smirked between us. "I don't think either of you understand that I used to be employee of the month material. I knew how to do my job, which included extensive stalking, following, and spying. I know what I'm doing." Sighing, Carter jutted his hand up and towards the door. "If I passed the inspection, you may leave now."

Luke and are were quiet for a moment. I wasn't sure where Luke was when it came to this, but I was still confused. Not over all the computer talk I didn't understand; I'll bore to death over technology talk before I give a shit about how any of this works. But what I didn't understand was how all of this equaled four grand.

"You said home security cameras? Those cannot be that expensive." I said, standing a little taller. Carter wasn't getting rid of us so soon. I might not know shit, but I had a good memory.

Carter smirk faded, shifting and becoming fidgety with impatience. "And why not?"

Glancing up to Luke, his face filled with consideration. Searching my eyes with curiosity, he turned more towards me as I asked. "You remember those cameras we set up for capturing evidence against Clare?"

His arched brow jumped, a light hitting his eyes that matched the one that struck me. He remembered that time like I did, and I could see the gears working in his mind. "Yeah, they weren't that expensive, were they?" he mumbled, looking down in deep thought.

"Not that expensive," I nodded, shooting Carter a glare. When Luke and I set up those security cameras in the house, I specifically recall that they weren't more than 200 dollars for each.

I'll give the bitch credit. Carter did know what he was doing, but that added credibility to the point I was getting at. The fact that he managed to throw together a bunch of junk and make it work for his set-up said he could pull it off with cheap cameras. And I knew he didn't need to pay much for security cameras like that.

"Did you not hear me? The reason I basically went junk picking at thrift stores for this stuff was because I knew how expensive the cameras were! You don't know the brand I bought, the battery power needed, and I needed to pay a lot for sturdy cameras too," he said, shaking his head. "Now that you've doubted me and seen it, you both can leave."

Luke and I were both unsure and confused over this because it didn't add up. Searching Luke's suspicious eyes, he sighed and shrugged. Unfortunately, I had to side with his gesture. I didn't understand it, but what can we do? Carter did follow through and did as he was supposed to.

Luke gave him a reluctant nod. "Alright," he chuckled. "How often are you going to be watching the cameras? It needs—"

His words along with our focus was cut off at the sound of a door opening from down the hall and out of sight. Luke and I looked behind us to the hallway against the right wall. Sharing confused looks, I then noticed Carter. His eyes were stuck on the ground, lips tight and body tense. Who was here?

Oh shit! His girlfriend must be here! Just as I realized it and glanced back to the hall, a woman emerged and into sight. She stopped upon seeing us, surprised by our presence. Not nearly as shocked as Luke and I were though. And it wasn't just over the fact that she was here.

This woman was wearing the smallest top you could imagine, showing more skin than hiding. Her unnaturally large breasts on her small figure were basically falling out. And the top itself was more than suggestive; the small bit of fabric there was was ripped horizontally several times, showing her skin. It barely covered her nipples. The girl was wearing only pink lacy panties as well.

I wasn't sure what to think, but you guys better believe there was no wishful thinking. This bitch wasn't showing off her slender figure and big boobs because she was proud of working out. The entire picture screamed whore. For a woman basically exposed in front us, she sure didn't seem to mind.

When my eyes finally fought away from her shockingly revealing body, they found her thin face. She looked young, maybe mid-20s, and had straight brown hair reaching far down her back and shoulders. Full lips tilting up in a smile towards us, her feisty eyes took Luke and I in.

"Hello," she said, smirking and resting her hands with long pink nails against her hips. Shifting her gaze to Carter, she asked, "Will they be joining us?"

What?! My wide eyes slowly tilted up to the two men next to me. Luke's eyes were just as big as mine, pinned on her with low eyebrows calling her nuts. He looked to the floor, jaw clenching. They shot up and found mine, unsure of what to think or where to look. We were on the same page. What in the hell was this? I suppose it made more sense. I knew it – I fucking knew Carter wasn't capable of landing any sensible woman. Girlfriend my ass; he's just having fun.

We were about to find out it was much worse than just having fun though.

"No, Suzanne," Carter sighed, his hungry eyes glancing away from her up to me. "Unless you would like to join us, Peggy," he teased, winking to me.

Attempting to keep this as civil as possible, Luke cleared his throat and tilted his head towards Carter. "I-I'm assuming this is your girlfriend?" he asked in the most casual voice possible.

Carter grinned and patted Luke on the shoulder. "Calm down, Kyle. It's okay. There is no need to get all flustered; you can look at her if you would like," he said, waving a hand in the direction of slut whore.

While I could manage to ignore Carter's teasing and his suggestive words towards Luke, this woman, Suzanne, didn't ignore what he said. A realization hit her face and she laughed. "Oh, this is your brother?" she asked Carter, walking towards us.

Our eyes drawing back to her, Luke and I focused on her face and only her face. You look down, it's hard to come back. Her massive boobs and revealing body were screaming for attention. And with each step she took closer, I could feel my disgust increase. Especially at seeing how focused she was on Luke. Jesus, her eyes on him pissed me off big time. With her comment about us joining, I realized that her commitment wasn't just to Carter.

Luke noticed instantly too. He immediately wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer and to his side, displaying where his loyalty was. If that gesture didn't say it, his tense body did as well as his eyes that shot to the floor.

It didn't stop Suzanne from moving close to Luke's other side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders that tensed even more. I would have punched her right then and there. However, the next words she said... erased everything in my head and everything in Luke's. Our assumptions over anything were gone.

The woman completely shocked us.

Staring up at Luke's aggravated and avoiding eyes, she spoke in a teasing tone. "I suppose if you are Trent's brother, I should thank you. He told me that without you, he would be unable to afford me."

_________________________________________________
___________________

So... how do you guys like that cliffhanger? :P Been anxious to get to this part so what do you guys think? And why do you think Luke was acting weird and made an excuse to get out of dinner with the neighbors? Let me know and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!