Crest (Ondine Quartet Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

minutes late and I desperately wanted to see him.
    Not because I missed him.
    But because waiting with the Bessette sisters was an exercise in torture and I'd hit my limit nineteen minutes ago.
    "I still don't understand why you're here."
    Helene sat on a swing, keeping her camera steady on me. "Because I'm in the middle of filming."
    Renee straightened her arms on the jungle gym, dipped her body back, and rocked. "I told you. When they show up, Oriel will take Helene."
    "Do I really have to go?"
    "Yes," I said loudly.
    In the past fifteen minutes, she'd asked over two dozen questions ranging from my favorite color to current celebrity crushes. Ignoring her only fueled her persistence.
    "We don't need to wait for Julian," I repeated for the third time. "I can go in and find out what Peter knows."
    Renee pulled herself up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Or I could go in. A better bet since I actually know the guy."
    Which would leave me stuck out here with the Video Monster.
    "We don't know how dangerous he is or who else is in there. You have no means of protecting yourself."
    She flicked her fingers and energy whipped through the air. Metal groaned. A bar from a climbing ladder peeled off its rails and flew across the playground.
    "Real subtle. But it's not enough."
    She smiled. "It was enough for Edmundo last night. Either I go in or we wait for Julian."
    An impasse I had no hope in breaking.
    Helene lowered her camera and I breathed a small sigh of relief.
    She stared at me. Seconds passed.
    "What?" I finally asked.
    "Are you Julian's girlfriend?"
    "No," I snapped. "And that's none of your business."
    "It kind of is." Renee leaned forward. "I've known Julian longer than you."
    "So?"
    "So I want to make sure you're not playing him."
    "I'm not."
    "How do I know?"
    "Because there's nothing going on between us."
    "What's wrong with him?"
    "Nothing." I thought about it for a second. "If I'm not interested in someone, why does that mean something's wrong with him?"
    She ignored the question. "Unless there's someone else."
    That caught me off guard. "This is stupid —"
    "So there is someone." A slow smile spread on her face. "Does Julian know about him?"
    "Look, I've always been clear about —"
    "Not clear enough given the way he feels about you."
    For a moment, genuine concern reflected in her eyes. But amusement quickly replaced it. "Maybe you like the drama of a love triangle."
    If Julian didn't show up within the next five minutes, there were going to be dead bodies on the ground.
    "It's not a love triangle." Helene hopped off the swing, camera once again focused on me. "A love triangle means someone's caught between two choices. Seems like she already made a choice."
    "Now that's interesting." Renee pursed her lips and crossed her arms. Index finger tapped against her cheek. "Who could the mystery man be?"
    It was like being cornered by a tenacious tag-team.
    I turned my back on Renee only to bump up against Helene and her camera. My reflection took up the entire lens.
    "You should be with Julian."
    Oh, for crying out loud.
    I settled on the end of the slide and dropped my head into my hands. "Why do you think that?"
    "Because he's funny. And hot."
    I looked up. "Just because a hot guy likes you doesn't mean you owe him anything. You don't have to like him back and you don't have to feel bad that you don't like him back. Being friends is already pretty special because it means you trust him. If he's worth keeping in your life, he'll respect your choice either way."
    Helene lowered the camera. "My sister said the same thing last week."
    Renee smugly flipped through her sketch book. "Guess I beat you again, sondaleur ."
    Surely, the universe had laughed at me enough for a day.
    A dark blue sedan turned down the street and parked on the corner. Two familiar figures got out and hurried over.
    Oriel huffed. "Sorry we're late."
    "I wanted to check property records and financial background on the store before we — "