Despite the tension in the room, Knix smiled. "We need to get you into college at some point, Little Bit," he said with a wink before turning back to the TV. "But you're right. We still can't figure out where the rest of the money would be going. Texas is looking for other avenues of payment he might be seeking to keep his nose as clean as possible. Wallace certainly has the information he needs on these girls and their families. He has access to all of Ms. Enders' files and it was clear that she trusts him completely when Marv and I visited thevilla."
I bit my lip, wanting to ask about it and why I hadn't seen them, but I kept my mouth closed and my thoughts to myself. They had probably been trying to keep a low profile. The only reason Marv had revealed himself today was because he had to. I bit a nail as Texas closed out the bank accounts window on the screen. I didn't even want to consider how illegal it might be to go through someone else's bank account information. I didn't want to ask how Texas had even gotten that information. Still, my eyes drifted over to him as his hands played across the keyboards behind his screens and wires. His head popped up oncemore.
"Okay, so here's the list of possible targets we've come up with," Texassaid.
I returned my attention to the TV and read through them. Some of the names I didn't recognize, others – like Delilah, Natalia, and Isador – I definitelydid.
"Okay," I said, "what's the planthen?"
"We're going to flush him out at the cotillion." Bellamy pushed away from the wall. Somehow, I had expected that and nodded. His jaw clenched, and I watched as he flicked a glance at my side before continuing. "Marv is going to escort you, and Knix will escort Delilah." That's why he looked so upset, I realized. There was nothing I could say. Even if I did know what to say, I certainly couldn't do it right here in front of the guys. I struggled to keep my gaze from falling to my lap. At some point, I knew, I needed to talk to the guys. I needed to tell them – Knix and Bellamy and Marv...maybe even Texas, he was part of the team as well. They all deserved to know what was going on. Maybe if I nipped whatever was happening between the guys and me in the bud sooner rather than later, it wouldn't explode in my facelater.
With that resolved in my mind, I knew that right before a major operation wasn't the right time to bring it up. It would have to be later, when we all went home. Maybeas soon aswe got home. Even with the riot of emotions inside my head, I listened intently as Bellamy and Knix explained the plan. My nerves were a mess and we were still a few days away from the cotillion. I knew it would catch up to me at anymoment.
When Bellamy dropped Marv and I back off in the same place, behind the Pineville Bed and Breakfast, he leaned out the window and called me over once more as Marv headed for the back door of the building. I stood outside of the car, nervously wanting to chew on my lips and bite my fingernails as he opened the driver's side door and got out. His dark, soulful eyes looked down at me and I felt like he could see me stripped bare. All the way down to myfears.
"Are you okay?" he asked, lowering his voice. I nodded once. "I mean it, Sweetheart. About lastnight..."
"I'm fine," I said quickly and then with a rush of expelled breath I looked at my feet. "I mean, yea, I'm embarrassed. I liked it...a lot. I've never...done that before, but things are complicated. I don't think we should have done what wedid."
"I don't regret it," he said. "I don't want you toeither."
I looked back up at him. "I didn't say I regrettedit."
His shoulders sagged, and he backed up, his hand reaching for the car door. "You didn't have to," he said. "I'm sorry. I won't do itagain."
"Bellamy–" I reached out. My hand touched his arm, wrapped around his bicep. "Stop it. I don't regret it," I snapped. "I like you." The words flowed from my mouth, shocking even me. "I like you a lot. I don't regret what we did, but I've never had..." I kept my voice as low as possible, "sexbefore..."
My hand fell away as Bellamy turned. "You don't have to be scared," he said. "I'd never hurt you. I'll wait." He gulped as he said that last bit and my lips twitched at his obvious discomfort. "I'll wait for you if you need meto."
"Harlow?" Marv called from the back door of the Bed and Breakfast. "Come on, we have to go. Bell, quit teasing her. We have a schedule tokeep."
"I have to go," I said, pullingaway.
"Can I call you later?" Bellamyasked.
I blanched. "Wait," I said. "Let's just get through this first and then we can...talk." We would all have to talk. He seemed to relax at my words and nodded. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to the top of my head before getting back in the car. Marv looked at me strangely, but took my hand anyway, fingers twining with my own. I felt like the worst kind of person – a liar, definitely – as he led me through the Bed and Breakfast's kitchen and lobby and back out on thestreet.
When we arrived, several minutes behind schedule in front of theLa Maison, Delilah was waiting out front. "Oh, thank goodness," she said. "There you are. Mr. Wallace has been asking foryou."
"Thanks for covering for her," Marv said with a wink, easily slipping back into character. He pulled me close for a quick hug and pecked me on my lips. It was chaste and barely there, but the kiss still sent sparks tingling throughme.
"No problem," Delilah replied with a dreamy sigh. For the first time, I was on the exact same page as her. First Bellamy and then Marv, back to back. I still needed to remember that I had kissed Knix too, or he had kissed me. Did it really matter who had kissed who? All I knew was that I was seriously confused and probably in love with multiple guys. My eyes widened. I did not just think the wordlove.
Before I could consider it further, Marv waved goodbye and Delilah grabbed my hand, practically dragging me into the restaurant. Mr. Wallace, it seemed, was quite upset that I had been missing for so long. When he saw me taking my seat with Delilah though – since we were permitted to sit with whomever we liked while outside the villa – he visibly relaxed and then continued to check through the rest of the girls before, finally, he sat down for his ownmeal.
My mind was mush. I couldn't remember anything I said to the twins and Delilah as they gushed about Marv and peppered me with questions about what we did and where we went. I couldn't tell them the truth even if I wanted to and I found myself desperately missing Erika and my mom. As soon as I got home, maybe before I talked with the guys, I wanted to talk to them – at least my mom. Maybe she would know what todo.