You'll Be Okay

Chapter 11

"Why can't you just let them enjoy a weekend together?"

Reid shot me an annoyed look. "Why do I need to explain myself to you?"

"I'm just saying - whatever you're looking for is not here." I dusted off my jeans, sighing. "We should, you know, let Tyler and Bree have a good time and then maybe he'll be in a good enough mood to hand it over."

Jarred, unlatching the sliding door, half-laughed and half-scoffed. "I like your... diplomacy."

Reid, however, obviously wasn't convinced and ignored me. He seemed to have a habit of ignoring things he didn't want to hear.

Defeated, I glanced around the room, spotting Bree's Gucci purse and picking it up off the bedside table. I opened the clasp, shuffling through credit cards, a packet of gum, keys, some makeup bits and pieces, loose change – and there it was, a red USB flash drive hidden underneath it all.

I had half a mind to slip it into my pocket but resisted, holding it up. "Hey - is this it?"

Reid dropped the mattress back into place without bothering to fix the pillows that were strewn everywhere. With an approving nod, he plucked it out of my hands.

"Tyler's car just pulled in," Jarred announced, joining us again.

Dennis looked up from where he had been for the past half hour, lounging on the settee. "Great. Can we leave now?"

As Reid pocketed the flash drive and headed for the door, I paused, wondering whether we should return the room back to its previous pristine condition. However, we were short on time so I hurried after Jarred. On my way out, I made sure to step on Reid's white Jordans just so he knew how annoyed I was to be caught up, once again, in his bullshit.

"We should take the stairs," suggested Dennis. "We don't want to run into them."

Going down twelve flights of stairs was a numbing pain that I didn't deserve to endure. Especially since the boys were all athletes and compared to them, I could barely run a mile. It was humiliating and I tried to breathe quieter so they couldn't hear me puffing. I was sure Reid hid a smile, though, catching his eye down the ninth flight.

Jarred had the audacity to laugh at me, while clutching a stitch in his own side. "Lex, what happened to your state champion days?"

"I was a swimmer."

He grinned. "I remember. You were the only one who didn't give me shit for not being able to swim a lap of the pools. Good thing I decided to stick with soccer, right?"

Reid and Dennis were a few steps ahead but I could tell they were both listening.

"You were awful," I remembered with a laugh. "I can say that now. And I'm glad you found something you're good at."

Reid waited for us at the bottom of the stairs, ready to make some snarky comment but eventually deciding against it. We stayed hidden as Tyler and Bree checked back in with bags of shopping. I couldn't hear what they were saying but they seemed to be arguing, which was nothing new. As they disappeared into the elevator, the coast was clear for us to leave. On the way out, Reid nodded to the security guard and valet who arrived with his car right on time.

"I'm going to call my chauffeur," said Dennis, frowning down at his phone. "My godfather is in town apparently and wants to have lunch."

"Great," Jarred immediately piped up. "I'll ride with you, Sinclair."

I panicked, a little alarmed at the prospect of being left alone with Reid. Of course, he knew this and smirked tauntingly as he opened the passenger side door for me. Dennis was now on the phone, leaving Jarred winking and making kissy faces at Reid and I. After flipping him off as discreetly as possible, I got inside the car and Reid closed the door.