Deception Read Online Free PDF Page B

ago. A smirk spread across my face.
    Mum’s eyebrows drew together. Then a second later, her eyes widened with what I could only assume was realisation that my key to getting to the other side of the walls was already on the other side.
    “No more secrets,” I said, then disappeared.
    “Whoa.” The guy who had been sitting at the desk with my mum jumped back from the bathroom sink in surprise.
    “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry.” I quickly turned my back to him as my whole face turned red. I was pretty sure he had only been washing his hands, but I was way too embarrassed to turn around and see if I was right. But I was not embarrassed enough to leave. Maybe I was, but I wasn’t going to let a small thing like popping into a bathroom while a complete stranger was using it stop me from finding out what my mum was hiding.
    “You can turn around, Jade,” a calm voice said from behind me.
    “Are you sure?” I asked, still feeling embarrassed as hell.
    “Hang on. Let’s see.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Yep, my zipper’s up.”
    “Oh, God.” I cringed, thinking just how close I must have come to seeing way more than I ever should have. I had never transported myself to someone while they were in the bathroom, and I hoped I never would again.
    “Jade?” Mum called from the other side of the bathroom door.
    “Crap.” I wasn’t going to let this opportunity get away from me, and I knew it would if Mum joined us. I quickly turned around and found myself face-to-face with a guy in his mid-twenties, which didn’t mean much. I should have just referred to every next gen as an “adult,” because for all I knew, the person could be over a hundred years old. He was about six inches taller than me, with short blond hair, blue eyes, and a devilish smile. At least he didn’t seem to be pissed at me for invading his privacy, which was something.
    “Hi, I’m Jade… but you already knew that, didn’t you?”
    He picked up a towel and wiped his hands on it. “I was wondering when I’d finally get to meet you.” He put down the towel, took a step towards me, and held out his right hand. “I’m Harry.”
    “I’m sorry, what did you just say your name was?” I asked, thinking there was no way I’d heard him right.
    “My name is Harry,” he repeated, his hand still outstretched, waiting for me to shake it.
    A knock sounded on the bathroom door. “Jade,” Mum called out. A second later, she appeared inside the bathroom. She looked back and forth at the two of us. “I see you’ve met Harry.”
    “Yeah, we were just doing our introductions.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “So tell me, is this the same Harry you told me was your boss?”
    She shifted from one foot to the other. “Jade, there’s a lot of things I have to tell you about, and I don’t think the bathroom is the best place to do it.”
    “You didn’t answer my question. Is this the same Harry who used to call your phone all day and night?” I yelled.
    She sighed. “Yes, it is.”
    A man suddenly appeared beside my mother. “What’s going—” He stopped short the moment he laid eyes on me. “Oh…” He ran his hands through his short, wavy, dark-brown hair.
    “And you are?” I asked. I knew I probably sounded like a rude bitch, but I didn’t care. My mum seemed to have a whole other life I wasn’t privy to, and I was sick to death of the deceit. And as far as I was concerned, every person in that bathroom was guilty of hiding the truth from me, especially since they all knew who I was.
    Mum placed her hand on his back. “This is Jack.”
    “Nice to finally meet you, Jade,” he said with a very formal tone. He turned to Mum. “I’ll just be outside if you need me.” He gave her an affectionate look that told me he was longing to reach out and touch her. To my horror, she returned it.
    “What was that?” I spat as soon as we were alone.
    “Like Jack said, they thought it would be best to leave us alone to