Page 62 of Wicked Games
Beside me, Ryder laughed heartily. I couldn’t imagine what he found so funny. Carmen’s laughter join Ryder’s, and I realized the aliases she’d chosen were significant somehow.
“Felix and Oscar,” Ryder repeated, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Oh, that’s a good one. You have a delightful sense of humor.” Ryder looked at me and said, “Felix and Oscar are the names of the lead characters inThe Odd Couple. I think the original movie came out in the sixties, and they released a sequel in the nineties.”
“Oh, how perfect,” I said. A person didn’t need to see the movie to understand the reference.
Percy gave me the middle finger then looked around the property in awe. “Your home is stunning. I could get used to this.”
“Consider this your home during your stay,” Carmen told him.
“You’re going to regret saying that, my dear,” Dev said, hobbling through the door on his crutches. “You’ll never get him out of here.” Carmen gave Dev the same air kisses as Percy then introduced both men to her mother.
“You didn’t write; you didn’t call,” Percy proclaimed dramatically. “Lucky for you,Lucky, I already had this magnificent outfit in my suitcase. I was saving it for the perfect occasion.” Percy put his hand on his hip and turned around for us to see him in all his glory.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a flamingo-pink suit,” Carmen said.
“Linen for warm climates,” Percy replied then gestured to the white T-shirt he wore beneath the open jacket. “When in Miami…”
“You dress like Sonny Crocket and Elton John’s love child?” Ryder asked.
“Oh, that’s a good one,” Dev said to Ryder. He wore a polo shirt, jean shorts, and one boat shoe since he still wore a cast on his other foot. “It’s good to see you, mate,” Dev told me, dropping onto the vacant chair on the other side of me.
“I should’ve let you know we were leaving,” I told him. “My lack of communication had nothing to do with not trusting you.”
“I’m sure you’ve been busy,” Dev replied, winking at Ryder. “A lot has happened since we last talked.”
“How much does Dev know?” I asked Carmen.
“She promised me a free vacation and a sexy cabana boy, so I hobbled onto the first plane to Miami,” Dev teased.
“Lucky for you,Lucky, I just happen to have the perfect cabana boy ensemble.”
“Damn, I’ll have to hide in my room the entire time,” Ryder groused.
“I packed an outfit for you too when I learned you were going to be here,” Percy teased.
“I don’t fucking think so,” I said, reaching beneath the table to place a possessive hand on Ryder’s knee. I recalled the cartoon-heart-eyes Ryder made at Dev when he first met him.
“I guess you better hurry back then,” Dev challenged playfully.
“What’s the plan?” I asked Carmen.
“We are—”
Manuela tsked and held up her hand. “Breakfast first.”
“Listen to your mama,” Percy said to Carmen.
After we ate, Manuela excused herself from the table so we could talk privately, and Carmen brought Dev and Percy up to speed. Hearing Carmen share her mother’s story and mention the attempt on Dev’s life and Hiram’s murder was just as painful the second time around.
“Why obsess over him?” Deverish asked, hooking his thumb in my direction. “I’m much better looking.”
It was exactly what I needed to dispel the rising tension. “I’m just as perplexed, Dev. I have no idea how the hell I even landed on the man’s radar, but you can bet your sweet ass I’ll find out.”
“I do have a very sweet ass,” Dev admitted.
“We need to assume all your electronics were bugged and tracked prior to stepping inside my home. I had you guys leave your devices in Cincinnati so Banks doesn’t know you left,” Carmen said to Dev and Percy. “Inside these walls, Banks’s childish attempts at espionage won’t stand a chance against my state-of-the-art technology. I’m providing us with new phones, laptops, and tablets so we can communicate without worry of discovery until we want to be found. Lucky, be sure to pack the phone Banks provided you. We’ll use it to our advantage.”
“Um, Carmen,” Ryder said hesitantly. “I know it’s safer to stay here, and I have no problem being a prisoner in paradise, but I’m concerned about getting zapped if I accidentally touch something I’m not supposed to.”