“What happened?” Jackson crossed his arms. Matt didn’t say anything.

Jackson looked at his brother and motioned toward the door. Without a word, Nicholas carried the tray outside to the backyard and closed the door behind him. He was glad his brother wasn’t the type to take offense. They were all great friends but he knew how Matt was. He’d have a much better chance of finding out what was bothering him if they didn’t have an audience.

“You look pissed off. You were in a decent enough mood when you got here, so what’s happened in the last hour that has you looking like you’re ready to spit nails?”

“It’s nothing. I think I should go. I don’t want to ruin your party for everyone else.”

“Let me guess, Trent and Mara just arrived, right? Man, you have got to let it go. She’s a grown woman. She’s had boyfriends before and you haven’t been this crazy.”

“He’s going to ask her to marry him. He just told me.” Matt growled and then in a sudden move turned and punched a hole in the wall next to him.

The sliding glass door opened again. Trent and Mara stood on the patio gaping at them. Nicholas walked up behind them and peered over Mara’s shoulder.

“Damn! Cleanup on aisle four,” he joked.

Matt stalked into the living room and Jackson ran his hands over his hair roughly. How had a simple family cookout turned into a soap opera?

CHAPTER TEN

“WHAT DO YOU mean you won’t give me the code?”

Ridley bit her lip and hoped no one downstairs could hear her. Not that they needed any more evidence of the crazy town her life had become.

“Exactly what I said. I am not giving you the code,” Raina pronounced. “I am so sorry about what happened to David. I didn’t like the idea of him poking around in our past but I wouldn’t have wished him dead, especially not in a fiery car crash. But if the police think it wasn’t an accident, then that means he was mixed up with some pretty shady people. And if they’re looking for you, the first place they’ll look is my house.”

“I told you, I never told David about you.”

“I know but if he had any investigative skills at all, he would have figured out that you were a twin. It wouldn’t have taken much for him to figure out who I am. And if he figured it out, then someone else could have, too.”

She paused and took a breath. “Plus, if the FBI really does think you’re involved in David’s accident, you need to stay hidden. They can’t arrest you if they can’t find you. At least at Jackson’s house, I know you’re safe.”

Ridley mentally counted backward from ten. “Raina. I cannot just stay at some guy’s house that I don’t even know. What am I supposed to tell Jackson?”

“All I want you to do is stay safe until I can get home. Don’t worry about Jackson. He owes me a favor. I’ll talk to him.”

“No! You can’t do that!” Ridley bit her lip.

There was silence on the other end of the line.

“Okay, what is going on here?” Raina asked. “Why wouldn’t I talk to Jackson?”

Ridley groaned and flopped down on the bed. She wasn’t sure what kind of outcome she’d been envisioning, but she’d never expected for Raina to want to call Jackson and explain everything. Now she had to come clean and, considering how many times she’d chastised her sister for lying, Raina was never going to let her hear the end of it.

“Because he thinks you’re here. When he saw me outside, he thought it was you. And I didn’t tell him otherwise.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! You’re pretending to be me?”

Ridley gritted her teeth at the howls of laughter coming through the phone. “This isn’t funny, Ray. I didn’t know what else to do! I needed a place to stay and I figured I could get in contact with you and get the money to get out of here without anyone ever being the wiser.”

“I know, I know. Miss Honesty telling a lie. It’s probably killing you having to pretend to be me.”

“I hate lying to him. That’s it. I’m telling him the truth. Hopefully he won’t throw me out.”

“No, don’t do that! As soon as you tell him, he’s part of this. He’s harboring a criminal. Is that what you want?”

“That’s not fair, Raina. Of course I don’t want that. I never wanted any of this.”

“I know you hate keeping secrets but he won’t be able to resist looking you up and asking questions.  We can’t afford that right now. I’m sure the police have no proof against you but I’d still rather no one knows where you are. The shoot is wrapping up in less than a week. Once I’m home, we can figure out a long-term plan. You’re going to stay with me, right?”

Ridley shrugged, then remembered that her sister couldn’t see her. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. But I’ll probably stay for a while. Until I figure out what to do, anyway.”

“Are you okay, Ridley? Really? He’s being nice to you, isn’t he? I’ll kick his ass if he hasn’t been.”

“Raina! Of course he’s been nice. He even stayed up to watch a movie with me, so I wouldn’t be alone. He’s been great. I just feel bad that I’m taking up all his time. He probably has a girlfriend or something that he’s neglecting because he feels obligated to stay here with me.”

“I don’t think he has a girlfriend. Or at least I’ve never seen any evidence of one. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen his ex-wife either.” She was quiet for a moment. “So, you guys stayed up late last night? Just watching a movie?”