Nightingale

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Revelation

I stood beside the couch fuming. I was so mad I wanted to scream and knock the smug grin right off Eddie's face. What the hell could he be thinking? He knew about the house all along. He wanted Michael to bring me here. Was this all about rubbing my nose in the fact that Michael wanted Darcy? What was the point? Michael and I weren't together, hadn't been together in years, and I wondered why I was so flustered. Guess the old saying is true; there is a fine line between love and hate.

Eddie was supposed to be my friend. Why would he put me through this? I felt Michael's hand clench into a fist as he glared and shook his head at Eddie. Michael looked mad enough to rip Eddie's face clear off! Then something occurred to me. Maybe this didn't have much to do with me at all. Maybe this was between Eddie and Michael, and I got caught in the crossfire. It was no secret that Eddie was hopelessly in love with Darcy. Although Michael refuted my accusations, I pretty much figured he was enamored with her, too. So that's what this was all about. Eddie was calling Michael's bluff. It was time for me to fold.

"Unlock the cuffs, Eddie," I said solemnly. "I don't want to be a part of this."

Eddie's smile faltered as he looked from Michael to me. "Too late. It's time you know the truth," he said as he paused the video and stood up.

"Eddie," Michael growled, "don't!"

Eddie reached into his pocket for the keys to the handcuffs. "You don't get a say in this anymore. This is between me and Sam. Samantha, I'll make you a deal," he said as he slipped the key into the lock. "I'll unlock the handcuffs, but you have to stay here and watch the movie."

I looked at him, puzzled by the offer. "And then I'm free to go?"

"Yep," he said and grinned widely. "If you still want to."

"Fine," I said bewildered. "Give me my car keys."

"Nope," he laughed and shook his head. "I'm not stupid. Nice try, though. You can have them after the movie."

"Whatever!" I sulked and plopped on the couch beside him.

Michael sat stiffly on the other side of me and slid his hand under my knee. I jumped and glared at him. He rolled his eyes as he lifted my leg and gently placed my foot on the coffee table. "Prop it up," he sighed, "it's swollen."

"Oh," I said chagrined. I had forgotten about my ankle. I winced as I looked down to see the ankle of an eighty year old woman resting on the table. Purple and blue weren't exactly my favorite colors. Probably should've gotten an x-ray. That's alright. As soon as movie night was over I'd head into town to the ER. No way I was going to stay here any longer than I had to.

"So before we start, I should give you a little bit of an introduction," Eddie began. "You know I've always wanted to be a detective, right?" I nodded my head. "When you guys first started college, a lot of stuff came up missing from Michael's fraternity house. So during Thanksgiving break, Michael snuck me into the house, and I set up the surveillance equipment I had compiled. I ran a 24-hour feed to my computer so we could find out who was stealing. We never did catch the thief, but I got some great footage!" he grinned and winked.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "You are such a perv! That better not be some sex tape, or I swear..."

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Give me a little credit, please. I only recorded from the common areas," he said and pressed play.

Michael leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and put his face in his hands. "Eddie...I'm telling you this is not gonna go well," he warned.

"You might be surprised," he said and sat back against the couch to watch the video. I looked from Eddie to Michael with confusion. They both stared straight ahead at the screen and didn't say a word. So I crossed my arms and sat back to watch.