Perfect Enemies

19

Near the end of the exercise, Kane pulled out his phone when he received a text. Phones weren’t allowed out during class, but something silly like rules didn’t seem to hinder Kane Easton. He texted a quick response, then set his phone on the desk, concealing it from Mr. Barnard by stretching his arm outward. Kane was reading our next discussion topic aloud when a follow-up text came through, the notification appearing on the screen. My eyes shot to the phone from instinct, enabling me to catch the short message before Kane turned the phone facedown and continued to read from the iPad. I, however, had lost all capacity to concentrate on political science as the short series of words danced in my head. Encontraste a la chica todavía? My stomach steadily rose higher and higher in my throat as my mind raced, and I tried to make sense of the message. Chica was Spanish for girl. Why would Kane be receiving a message in Spanish? The language was used relatively frequently in the city, somewhat less so in our area, but it wouldn’t be unusual enough to raise a red flag … if we hadn’t been in the middle of a war with a Mexican cartel. Holy s**t! Was I totally paranoid to worry that Kane had ties to the cartel? Could they have planted him to get at me? I wasn’t sure that made sense. Why not just take me if they wanted me? Although, my eldest sister had been tricked into running off to Mexico by one of the cartel men. Was Kane part of an elaborate scheme to get to me? If that was the case, he was s**t at his job. No, that didn’t make sense. I was missing something, but I had no clue what. I needed to know what those other words meant so that I could understand the whole message. He was from Texas, so maybe it was a text from an old classmate. Maybe Kane had learned Spanish at school and had told a friend about our kiss. There were plenty of explanations for him to receive a message in Spanish, right? I was overreacting. Surely, I was just overreacting. “Earth to Val. It’s your turn.” I blinked at Kane and debated asking him about the message, but something held me back. “I’m sorry, I totally spaced.” On the off chance the text was cartel-related, the last thing I wanted to do was let him know that I was on to him. “You okay?” He studied me with increased scrutiny. “Yeah, just got lost thinking about plans for tonight.” I hadn’t intended to invite him to the movie night I’d thrown together earlier in the day, but so much had changed in the span of a half hour. I needed to know more about Kane and fast. “We’re going to see the new Chris Hemsworth action movie—hotties for the girls and guns for the boys. You’re welcome to join us if you want.” I tried to sound indifferent. I figured that was the proper tone, considering the awkwardness between us, but inside, I silently urged him to agree. “We?” he asked smoothly. “The crew—me and Reyna, Bryson, Chloe, Presley, and I think Elliot is coming.” “That sounds cool. What time?” “I’m not sure exactly when we’re meeting up. I can text you if that works.” I could have told him the plan, but it was a great excuse to get his number. I wasn’t sure how knowing his number would help me, but I wanted any information I could get. He listed off his digits just before Barnard called for our attention and led the class as a whole through each exercise until the bell. Once I slipped from class, I went to the nearest bathroom and entered the text I’d seen into Google translate. Did you find the girl yet? Find the girl? What did that mean? I wasn’t exactly hidden. Could he have been after Reyna? Maybe he worked for an enemy cartel. She wasn’t any more hidden than I was, though maybe from another cartel’s perspective, she would seem hidden. Hell, I was more confused than ever. Was I being absurd to even entertain that he was working for a cartel? Maybe. Maybe not. I definitely needed more information before I jumped to conclusions and went running to my dad. A night out with Kane would be the perfect opportunity to start my investigation. I had expected Chris Hemsworth would be enough eye candy to keep me entertained, but the military movie about US troops in Afghanistan was not my thing. I’d already debated a dozen times whether I could pull out my phone without getting fussed at. My friends and I had met at the theater. Kane had shown up just minutes before the movie started, so there hadn’t been time to talk to him, and Chloe had weaseled her way into the seat next to him. I was sandwiched on one end between Reyna and Bryson, counting down the minutes until the damn movie was over. Unable to take any more, I slipped from my seat and fled the theater toward the lobby where I could sit and kill some time people watching. The place was buzzing with the Friday night crowd. I propped myself against the wall, leaning my head back wearily and taking in the various moviegoers as they bought popcorn and talked with friends. As my eyes flitted from one group to another, they eventually collided with an amber stare locked on me. Kane stood just like myself, leaned against the opposite wall some fifty feet away. He wrapped his full lips around the straw in his drink and took a long pull, eyes never leaving mine, then slowly pushed off the wall. My skin heated and buzzed with awareness as I watched him stroll casually closer. Once he reached me, he relaxed back against the wall next to me, both of us facing the busy room. “You’re missing the movie,” he murmured. “I could say the same to you.” I couldn’t help a glance up at his chiseled profile beside me. He was sexy as hell in ripped jeans and a long-sleeved shirt scrunched up above his forearms. He towered over me by about eight inches. I was only five-three, so it wasn’t unusual for guys to be taller than me. But with Kane, it wasn’t just his height. He was broad and solid. His sheer mass made me feel tiny. “Not my thing, I guess.” “I’m surprised. I thought all guys loved movies with fighting and explosions.” I sensed his gaze fall toward me and lifted my own. “Guess I’m not like most guys.” He tore his eyes from mine, sipping from his drink to settle the sudden increase in electric tension between us. “What about you? I thought all girls drooled over Chris Hemsworth.” Was that a tiny smirk I detected? “Totally. An hour of Chris and my panties were soaked. I was going to run to the restroom and change them, but I forgot to bring another pair.” My turn to smirk. Kane bit his lip to keep from grinning.