looking to have fun and
make the best of any situation.
Alice was much more solemn, much
quieter. She had this air about her, this sort of gravitas as though
she was the leader, the queen bee. It wasn't like she was a bitch or
wanted that mantle. It was just her. She held an inner power, this
confidence. I didn't think much would phase her.
And yet, she was full of
mysteries. That conversation I'd heard her have with Kyle at the
twins birthday. I wondered what it was about that place, about that
hotel that she hated so much. This girl was strong minded and
unflappable. What had happened there that shattered her calm?
I hadn't seen Tess since that
night. When she brought it up, I could sense Alice retreating back
into her shell a little bit.
“ So Elle,” Tess started, her
face smothered in this suggestive look, “I saw you leaving with
Crash Logan himself the other night. That was an interesting turn of
events?!”
Alice looked up at me as Tess
spoke, a look of slight surprise on her face. Clearly she didn't know
about it.
It was hard for me to answer her
while keeping my tone completely flat. I mean, that night had been a
disaster until Crash came along. I couldn't see what others had said
about him. This guy who plundered his way through life, not caring
who got in his way.
He had been made to sound a
brute, but that wasn't the guy I saw. Maybe he showed me a different
side. Maybe with me he had no reason to live up to the reputation
that had been built up around him. Maybe with me he could be himself.
“ Oh yeah” I said, “we just
had a drink upstairs in the hotel bar.”
“ Anddd?” Tess carried on,
dragging the word out, as if there was more to tell. There wasn't
really. Nothing of note.
“ And that's it.” My tone was
turning defensive. I did that when under the spotlight. It made me
seem guilty of something.
“ If you say so,” said Tess.
“I saw how you stared him down that first night you arrived. There
was a spark there. Something's going to happen between you two, I can
feel it.”
My mind turned back about an
hour. Yeah, right.
“ I wouldn't go there if I were
you.” It was Alice, her words carrying a weight.
“ Hey come on Alice, you went
there with Kyle. And Crash, he's solar hot, like supernova hot.”
Alice's voice remained heavy, a
warning to it. “Kyle and Crash are very different people. Tess, you
know Crash's reputation. The things I've heard about him from Kyle.
He's not someone you want to know, trust me.”
My interest was way too piqued
to leave it at that.
“ What's wrong with Crash? He's
always seemed really nice to me.”
Alice went silent for a moment,
thinking.
“ There are things about him
that you wouldn't even want to know. He's very much his fathers son,
let's put it that way.”
His fathers son. What the hell
did that mean? I'd never met his father, I had no idea what he was
like. I looked over at Lexi, her eyes pricking up. It appeared she
probably knew what Alice was talking about.
“ What do you mean though?” I
asked. I couldn't lay this one to rest. “What did his father do?”
“ Think about it Elle. Look at
the sort of businesses his father built. Casino's, bars, strip clubs.
They deal in vice. You know what happens in that sort of world.”
“ What, like murder.” I said
it quickly, without thinking.
Alice's expression changed
immediately, her eyes dropping a little, her face losing some of its
color. She nodded, her tone now completely dry. “Probably, yeah.”
I sensed a deep turmoil raging
inside her, like she was battling some deepset guilt or something.
She clearly wasn't letting on all she knew.
“ Charles Logan was a horrible
man,” she said quietly, “and Crash is no different.”
The table went silent. What had
started as a friendly natter and gossip had descended into some sort
of serious drama, one I was finding myself increasingly embroiled in.
Alice seemed to have a deep
resentment towards Crash's father and Crash
make the best of any situation.
Alice was much more solemn, much
quieter. She had this air about her, this sort of gravitas as though
she was the leader, the queen bee. It wasn't like she was a bitch or
wanted that mantle. It was just her. She held an inner power, this
confidence. I didn't think much would phase her.
And yet, she was full of
mysteries. That conversation I'd heard her have with Kyle at the
twins birthday. I wondered what it was about that place, about that
hotel that she hated so much. This girl was strong minded and
unflappable. What had happened there that shattered her calm?
I hadn't seen Tess since that
night. When she brought it up, I could sense Alice retreating back
into her shell a little bit.
“ So Elle,” Tess started, her
face smothered in this suggestive look, “I saw you leaving with
Crash Logan himself the other night. That was an interesting turn of
events?!”
Alice looked up at me as Tess
spoke, a look of slight surprise on her face. Clearly she didn't know
about it.
It was hard for me to answer her
while keeping my tone completely flat. I mean, that night had been a
disaster until Crash came along. I couldn't see what others had said
about him. This guy who plundered his way through life, not caring
who got in his way.
He had been made to sound a
brute, but that wasn't the guy I saw. Maybe he showed me a different
side. Maybe with me he had no reason to live up to the reputation
that had been built up around him. Maybe with me he could be himself.
“ Oh yeah” I said, “we just
had a drink upstairs in the hotel bar.”
“ Anddd?” Tess carried on,
dragging the word out, as if there was more to tell. There wasn't
really. Nothing of note.
“ And that's it.” My tone was
turning defensive. I did that when under the spotlight. It made me
seem guilty of something.
“ If you say so,” said Tess.
“I saw how you stared him down that first night you arrived. There
was a spark there. Something's going to happen between you two, I can
feel it.”
My mind turned back about an
hour. Yeah, right.
“ I wouldn't go there if I were
you.” It was Alice, her words carrying a weight.
“ Hey come on Alice, you went
there with Kyle. And Crash, he's solar hot, like supernova hot.”
Alice's voice remained heavy, a
warning to it. “Kyle and Crash are very different people. Tess, you
know Crash's reputation. The things I've heard about him from Kyle.
He's not someone you want to know, trust me.”
My interest was way too piqued
to leave it at that.
“ What's wrong with Crash? He's
always seemed really nice to me.”
Alice went silent for a moment,
thinking.
“ There are things about him
that you wouldn't even want to know. He's very much his fathers son,
let's put it that way.”
His fathers son. What the hell
did that mean? I'd never met his father, I had no idea what he was
like. I looked over at Lexi, her eyes pricking up. It appeared she
probably knew what Alice was talking about.
“ What do you mean though?” I
asked. I couldn't lay this one to rest. “What did his father do?”
“ Think about it Elle. Look at
the sort of businesses his father built. Casino's, bars, strip clubs.
They deal in vice. You know what happens in that sort of world.”
“ What, like murder.” I said
it quickly, without thinking.
Alice's expression changed
immediately, her eyes dropping a little, her face losing some of its
color. She nodded, her tone now completely dry. “Probably, yeah.”
I sensed a deep turmoil raging
inside her, like she was battling some deepset guilt or something.
She clearly wasn't letting on all she knew.
“ Charles Logan was a horrible
man,” she said quietly, “and Crash is no different.”
The table went silent. What had
started as a friendly natter and gossip had descended into some sort
of serious drama, one I was finding myself increasingly embroiled in.
Alice seemed to have a deep
resentment towards Crash's father and Crash
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