Play The Part (Player Next Door Book 3)

63 | Cheat Code

A picture of Millie and Austin??? They look like siblings!!  With cute Rudolph noses!  Thank you jurxavimiltin again for another amazing one! 

Chapter 63: Cheat Code

Being an almost professional athlete has its advantages.

Luke has a little cheat code to life.

Whenever he needs to, he can spark a smile that melts away no's or can jump into an insanely athletic chase to get the bad guy. Gal. The bad gal.

Isn't that Rihanna's thing?

Because the blackmailer is a genuine bad gal, and somehow bad gal sounds cool - or maybe weird when I say it - and I really don't want to glamorize the blackmailer.

"What are you thinking about?" Luke asked me, catching my face cycling through a series of expressions.

Do I tell him about Rihanna?

"I am really focused on what is happening right now," I decided on neither, "I'm inspecting the grass, the jacket and I'm still shocked you actually ran after a car. And kept up with it."

He sighed, raising a hand to the back of his head, almost like catching up to a car was not good enough, "I took a picture but it's a little blurry."

I tried not to focus on how his strong arm flexed as he raised it above his head. Whenever Luke wears t-shirts it's always so distracting. The way the material folds around his chest and his bare arms look so naturally toned.

"A blurry picture of the blackmailer," I asked, walking up to him and placing my hand softly on his forearm, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath my fingertips.

His muscles tensed slightly under my touch, but he didn't pull away.

He showed me the picture.

It was definitely blurry, caught in the chaos of his sprint. Through the open passenger window, a girl's face was partially illuminated. Her eyes were turned toward the camera, wide with a mix of surprise and something else. Maybe fear?

In her hand, she gripped the yellow jacket, its bright color standing out against the night.

The background was a swirl of shadows, but her face remained clear enough to see her. She looked real, not like a shadow or a ghost in the distance. Her hair, dark and a little messy, framed her face, strands blowing it int the breeze from the open window. It was shoulder-length, a little longer than a bob, and more unruly.

"The blackmailer?" I gasped.

Evil incarnate.

The devil's disciple.

"Who the f*ck is this?" Luke asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked back, staring up into his blue eyes.

He really did not look like he'd just run a marathon. Maybe his eyes shone a bit brighter, and his skin had a little glow, but that's it.

I had never seen this woman in my life.

"If this is the blackmailer, someone who is hell bent on destroying my life, wouldn't I f*cking know them?" he repeated, cursing again.

Someone should wash his mouth.

And yes, yes he really should.

"I see," I realized slowly, "So you don't know this person?"

"I don't know if I know this person."