Drink Me

69. GO OUT, MAKE SOME FRENEMIES!

GO OUT, MAKE SOME FRENEMIES!

"Alice," Riley repeated, one eyebrow raised to convey his stupor and hide his shock.

Caroline kept her stubborn eyes on him; a defiant and proud look on her face dared him not to take her seriously.

"I think your jealousy has reached new heights..." Riley said, brushing her off with a tease as he took a sip of lager.

"I'm not jealous," Caroline replied, so adamant that Riley couldn't but believe her. "But I think that right now we need to explore all options."

"Caroline, Alice doesn't even know Noraid exists," the man tried, placing his glass back on the table. "We should concentrate our efforts where it's worth it."

But Caroline didn't back down, her chin lifted even higher as she declared, "Everyone is a suspect right now."

"Is that so?" Riley replied cockily, squeezing his fingers around his glass.

"Yes, everyone," Caroline confirmed.

Riley didn't like where the conversation was going; he didn't like where it had started either, but he forced himself not to cross the line between smug and confrontational. Leaning slightly towards the woman, he smirked. "And who's going to check on you?" he asked, keeping the tone light and playful.

Caroline smiled, then her lips wrapped around the straw of her drink, her eyes never leaving Riley until she placed her glass back on the table.

"Do you want to check me out?" she asked; her tone was neutral but the faintest of smiles curved her lips.

"Oh, trust me, I do," Riley replied, immediately hiding behind a sip of beer.

"I'm glad to hear that," Caroline said. "Wariness is what makes us good at what we do," she added, gesturing between the two of them. "On this note, where were you yesterday evening?" she asked nonchalantly, focusing on her almost empty glass.

Sneaky bitch.

Riley instinctively thought about lying but immediately changed his mind; Caroline rarely asked questions she didn't already know the answer to.

He took another sip of beer to buy himself some time, trying to read the woman's expression and hopefully her mind, but her eyes remained impenetrable, with only a hint of stubborn amusement that made them shine with the help of the gin and tonic in her hands.

"I went to see a friend," Riley revealed eventually. "He's just returned from a tour and asked me to catch up." He leaned a little closer. "Do you want me to introduce you? You could add him to your list of hot picks of the month..." he added with a wink.

At that, Caroline sneered, for the first time averting Riley's gaze.

"Does it match your records?" he asked, trying to keep his annoyance under control.

"If it didn't, you would already know," Caroline retorted and took a final sip of her drink. When her glass returned to the table she sighed and her look softened. "Riley I know you hate me but this goes beyond our personal differences," she said and suddenly appeared dispirited. "We're walking a very thin line, we can't afford any missteps."

In that moment, Riley realised Caroline would never let it go; her radar was on Alice, and any attempts at diverting her suspicions would have only made her more determined to find out the truth. He needed a new strategy, and he found it in the gleam of Caroline's eyes as she wet her lips and whispered, "Please."

Riley made a show of sighing and relaxing his shoulders, then he leaned closer and his face softened. "I don't hate you, Carol," he lied. "Quite the opposite." He produced a sheepish smile as he continued, "I think you're strong and determined, and I admire you for that," he said. "It's probably not easy for a woman to establish her leadership over so many men," he scoffed. "God knows I had to be harsher than I wished to my men to gain the respect I deserved. It must be even harder for you..."