Page 109 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 11

Wednesday

I adjusted the picture of me, Axel, Jacob, and Sophie on my new nightstand. I was pretty sure this was the first time in my life I wouldn’t have someone watching my every move. Which was good. Because I had a feeling I’d be coming and going a lot through the trapdoor under the carpet.

Uncle Rob and Mr. Tanner had designed it perfectly so that the edge of the carpet was connected to the trapdoor.

So I could leave my bedroom door unlocked, disappear through the trapdoor, and anyone who came to check on me wouldn’t notice a thing.

Other than the fact that I was mysteriously missing.

“Bed check!” Sophie collapsed backward on the bed in the guest room. Or rather...my room now. “Definitely comfortable enough,” she said.

I fell backward on the bed next to her. “I’m pretty sure it’s the same mattress.”

“Do you think we should paint the walls or something? The gray is a little...gray, don’t you think?”

“It kind of works with my decorations though.” I had white picture frames and a big poofy white comforter.

“And the décor works pretty well with the view.” I pointed out the window.

The gray and white almost matched the buildings encircling Central Park.

It felt more sophisticated than my old room. More grown up.

The only thing this room didn’t have that I needed was a desk. Sophie and I had managed to lug mine down here just the two of us. The closet was a teensy bit smaller too. But Sophie was really good at organizing stuff and she’d made it all fit.

“It still feels like a guestroom though instead of your room. Oh! I have an idea. Let’s just get Mr. Tanner to decorate this room like your secret lair.”

The secret lair was pretty awesome. But there was one big problem with Sophie’s idea.

“I think it looking exactly like the secret lair would be very suspicious if we ever get caught. It’s fine the way it is.

Well, maybe it needs one more thing.” I grabbed the star that Jacob had given me and stood up on my bed.

“What are you doing?”

I stuck the star to the ceiling and smiled.

“Jacob gave it to me. When I went over to his house the other day, I mentioned how much I used to love these stars when I was younger. He plucked one off for me to have.” There was more to the story.

The stars reminded Jacob of his father. It used to be how he said goodnight to his dad after he passed away.

But it didn’t feel right to tell Sophie about that.

I was pretty sure that story was meant just for me.

“You two are so ridiculous,” Sophie said.

“What are you talking about?” I sat back down next to her.

“He’s giving you cute little presents. Even though you’re only fake dating.”

I shrugged. “He gave this to me before we agreed to make it fake. And I tried to give it back. But he said it would be strange if Axel came over and I didn’t have anything of Jacob’s here.”

“I guess that’s true. But he did get awfully jealous yesterday when we were talking about the kiss thief.”

“He did not.”

She laughed. “Yes he did. He was all like: Don’t send pictures like that to people you don’t know,” she said in a deep voice. “And how long were you talking to the kiss thief for? And you let him get to second base?”

“That is a terrible Jacob impression, Soph. And he wasn’t jealous. He was just being protective.”

“Gah. I hate how blurry the line is between someone acting boyfriendy versus brotherly. Why have we never realized this before?”

I shrugged.

“But I still think he was jealous.”

“I think he was just annoyed about how all this makes him look. Since everyone thinks we’re actually dating.

” Axel didn’t seem jealous either. He’d shown up to school today totally fine.

Like he hadn’t gotten high yesterday and skipped half the day or anything.

I’d even seen him give Jacob a high five in the hallway.

Everything was back to normal. Operation Too Hot to Handle was looking like an epic failure. Again.

Sophie slowly nodded. “Okay, fair. That definitely checks out. You’re probably right about Jacob being annoyed. Just think...everyone is going to think Jacob’s bad in bed if you step out on him.”

I laughed. “Yeah, maybe.”

“I can see how that would be a bit embarrassing. He’s being a real trooper about this. But gah, Scarlett. Every time he calls you love my heart melts a little.”

I smiled. “I know, it’s really cute isn’t it?”

“Absolutely. I wonder what nickname Mr. Halifax will give me when we start dating.”

“Well, if he’s my kiss thief, he likes calling his women baby.”

Sophie gagged.

“I actually kind of like it. Not the Mr. Halifax thing,” I quickly said. “The nickname. Obviously.”

“It is a classic. Mr. Halifax can call me baby anytime he pleases. Hopefully soon. Speaking of the kiss thief...has he responded?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think he’s going to take the bait.”

“He will. You left the perfect amount of breadcrumbs so that it wouldn’t be suspicious.

We’re going to unmask him tonight, I’m sure of it.

” Her phone buzzed and she glanced down at a text.

“Practice is over. I have to go help RJ with a few disguises if we’re going to make it in time for Operation Trap. ”

“Disguises?”

“Just wait for it.”

I groaned. “You and your brother are the worst.”

Sophie laughed. “You know you love us.” She stood up and grabbed her backpack. “Oh, and before I forget. RJ gave me this to give to you to wear.” She pulled out a little black box.

“I’m not wearing an exploding camera.”

“I would never ask you to wear a V21. Besides, I think they’re all gone now after the kissing booth incident.” She opened the box. “It’s an earpiece. We can talk to you and you can talk to us. But you probably shouldn’t talk to us...or your mom will be wondering why you’re talking to yourself.”

I laughed. “I really need an earpiece?”

“Absolutely. If anyone gets eyes on the kiss thief, we all need to know so we can rush him. We’re going to catch him at his own game.”

I really hoped they weren’t still planning on beating him up.

She handed me a folder. “Study the suspects as much as possible before you leave.”

I shook my head but opened the folder. We’d taken all the guys’ headshots off the bulletin board in the secret lair. Just in case Axel visited again. I stared at the pictures of the different suspects. I had no idea who my kiss thief was. But I was about to find out.

***

The car was eerily quiet as Porter drove us to Odegaard.

My mom had barely said two words to me since she’d gotten in the car. But she’d sighed a few times while staring out the window.

It seemed like she was disappointed in me for some reason.

“Scar, can you hear me?” RJ’s voice sounded in my earpiece.

I jumped.

“If you can hear me, say: ‘Baby doll’s a go.’ ”

I reached up and touched the earpiece that was hidden beneath my hair. “Baby doll’s a go,” I said.

“What?” my mom asked.

I cleared my throat. “Nothing.”

She just stared at me.

“I wanted to tell you that I got rid of some of my baby dolls. While switching rooms.”

“Oh. I wish you’d told me. We could have given them to Nora and Chloe.”

I laughed. “Mom, Nora and Chloe are too old for dolls.” They’d be going to high school next year. And just because I’d still played with dolls until I was 13 didn’t mean everyone did. Uncle Matt and Uncle Mason’s daughters seemed way cooler than me when I was their age.

“Well Alora then. Or Nigel’s daughters.”

“I didn’t throw them out. I have them in a bag. I’ll drop them off at Uncle Matt’s sometime soon.”

My mom smiled. “Perfect. But it feels like just yesterday that you and Sophie were still playing with dolls. Making them run around the room. And if I recall correctly, your dolls always dated boys named Axel.”

“Yeah.” I shrugged. “It was all make-believe.”

My mom’s eyebrows pulled together.

And then I heard RJ clear his throat in my ear.

I turned away from my mom and stared out the window.

“According to your earpiece’s GPS you are two blocks away from Odegaard,” RJ said. “Is everyone ready? Don’t respond, baby doll. I already know you can hear me. And you made that conversation very weird with your mom. But everyone else. Are you guys ready and in place in your disguises?”

Seriously...what disguises?

“Ready,” Sophie said.

“Ready,” Liam said.

And then there was silence.

“Jacob, are you ready?” RJ asked.

Silence.

“Jacob, are you there?”

Silence.

“Jacob, come on. I have eyes on you. You’re taking this mime thing too seriously.”

Mime thing?

Jacob didn’t respond.

“Seriously, Jacob,” RJ said. “You’re not a real mime. Say something.”

Jacob sighed. “I am a real mime. Mr. Nigel taught me.”

“He taught you to wear makeup and pretend you’re in a glass box? Cool.”

“It’s a classic French art, RJ. Now stop talking to me so I can perform. I’m actually making some decent money out here. Who knew mimes were such lucrative street performers?”

What the hell is happening?

“You’re supposed to have eyes on the door,” RJ said.

“I do,” Jacob said. “I have eyes on the exit on the sidewalk. No one is getting in or out without me seeing.”

“Just pay attention during your performance,” RJ said. “Ah! It’s time! Baby doll is landing. I repeat, baby doll is landing.”

Porter pulled the car to a stop outside of Odegaard.

And I could already see the chaos that my friends were causing.

I climbed out of the car before Porter opened the door for me.

I stared at Jacob dressed up as a mime. He had a small crowd around him outside and he was miming pretty perfectly.

I mean, I’d never seen a mime perform in person before.

But I’d seen it in the movies. I didn’t remember mimes having big fake curly mustaches though.

Jacob saw me and winked.

“Oh, a mime!” my mom said. “Let’s go watch.”

I couldn’t risk her seeing that it was Jacob. “I was looking forward to shopping with you,” I said.