Play The Part (Player Next Door Book 3)

84 | A Pact

Some of you guessed right about who's at the door... and others of you will be right by the end of this chapter.

Hehe nothing like a good ole riddle to confuse myself in the morning! Enjoy!

Chapter 84: A Pact

"Who's here?"

His question was left unanswered.

Who would come to the jake house in the middle of nowhere, at 9PM?

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Austin told him from over by the fireplace, getting up with an empty bowl of pasta in his hand.

He walked past us and headed into the house, wanting to accompany Charlotte so she didn't open the front door by herself.

Cearra's eyes locked with mine, fear visible on her face.

It wasn't too long ago that we had been in a home invasion. But then again, they didn't ring the doorbell.

And that time, we didn't have Luke and Austin.

Oma reached out for the remote and turned the music off.

Silence descended. All we heard was the faint crackle of the flames in the stone firepit, crickets in the surrounding forest and an occasional splash of a fish from the lake.

Luke raised his head off my lap and started to sit up. I tried to relax him, my hand gently touching his shoulder.

"Easy," I murmured, trying to ease him back, not wanting to strain his knee.

His weight shifted stubbornly beneath my touch, but I kept my hand there, hoping he'd feel the quiet plea in it to rest a little longer.

He got distracted, his hand slipping around my waist and sliding lower, until his fingers slipped through the belt loops of my jeans.

We heard the low murmur of a conversation inside. The newcomer entered the house. And then, Austin's voice cut through, raised loud and clear for us outside:

"It's Jake."

Everyone relaxed.

Luke tensed.

I didn't understand why.

Oma and Cearra instantly relaxed, turning the music back on and resuming conversation. I watched as the shadows in the house came into clearer view.

Jake walked through the living room towards us. I made out his moving figure and, behind him, a girl followed with auburn colored hair.

"Annika!" I exclaimed, jumping up, completely forgetting about Luke in that moment.

He flinched as I accidentally pressed down on his knee while jumping up.

"Millie!" she called back, the first one to cross the threshold into the outside area we were in.

She was wearing khaki shorts, a lose linen button-up knotted at the waist and leather sandals.

She raised her arms and took me into a warm hug, "Howzit?"

I grinned at the sound of her South African accent, "I missed you."

"You too," she said, "Look at us, reunited in the same place we first met."

Jake approached behind and extended his arm over her, pulling me into a one-armed, warm embrace. He had a heavy backpack slung on his other shoulder.

"How was the audition?" I asked him.

"We left as soon as it was done, I haven't heard anything," he answered, "But you're looking good, Millie."