Double Cross Read Online Free PDF Page A

for your nonsense this evening, I'm really
not.'
    'Tobey, what you need to do is submerge yourself in
Lake You,' said Jess, following me. 'Get to know your
true self . . .'
    Lake You . . . Godsake!
    'Jessica, get away from me,' I said.
    'What's the matter, Tobey? Girlfriend giving you
trouble?'
    'Feel free to drop dead at any time.'
    'Ooh! Sounds like you didn't get any under or over the
clothes action today,' Jessica laughed.
    I glared at her, but from the huge, moronic grin on my
sister's face, she still didn't get the message. It took a lot to
bring Jess down.
    'Just how far have you two gone anyway?' she
asked.
    I went over to the fridge. If I ignored her, maybe she'd
take the unsubtle hint and bog off.
    'Come on, Tobey. Tell all. Inquiring minds want to
know,' Jessica teased.
    I opened the fridge door. 'Jess, what can I get you?
Orange juice? Lemonade? Your own business?'
    'Your business is my business,' Jessica informed me.
    I grabbed a can of ginger beer and pushed past her.
    'Tetchy!' Jessica called after me. 'Someone isn't getting
any.'
    Godsake! This was all I needed. First Dan. Now my
sister.
    'Jessica, go away,' I told her.
    'Definitely not getting any,' Jessica called after me.
    I headed out into the hall just as the front doorbell
sounded. Being closest, I opened the door.
    'Hi, Tobey. Ready to work on our history project?'
    I frowned, moving out of Callie's way as she swept past
me. I sniffed silently. Callie was wearing the cinnamonspice
perfume I'd given her last Crossmas. She never
wore anything else now. Damn, but I loved the way she
smelled.
    'I thought you didn't want to do it until tomorrow.' I
frowned. 'And what happened to your singing lesson?'
    'Mr Seacole is ill today so my lesson was cancelled. I
tried to find you at lunch time to tell you, but you were
wearing your cloak of invisibility.' Callie graced me with
an accusatory stare. 'I just got home and Nathan is round again, and he and Mum are making cow eyes at each
other, so it was stay at home and be sick down my blouse
or come and see you.'
    'I take it I only just won?'
    'It was close,' Callie agreed with a smile.
    Callie wore her dark-brown hair tied back in her usual
plaited ponytail. She'd changed out of her school uniform
and into denim jeans and a light-pink, tight pink, long-sleeved
T-shirt. A figure-hugging, curve-clinging, lightpink,
tight pink, long-sleeved T-shirt. Dark-blue sandals
showed off her unpainted toenails. She was five feet seven
and most of it seemed to consist of legs. Legs and boobs. I
forced myself to focus on Callie's face before she decked
me. She started up the stairs to my bedroom.
    'You got our history notes?' she asked, turning back
to me.
    I dug out my memory stick from my trouser pocket and
waved it at her. I didn't go anywhere without it. 'It's all
on here.'
    'Hi, Callie. You OK?'
    'I'm fine thanks, Jessica.' Callie smiled at my sister.
'Tobey and I are doing our history project together.'
    'Enjoy,' said Jessica. 'Just remember to keep the
bedroom door open and at least one foot on the floor at
all times.'
    'Ha frickin' ha,' I called out as I followed Callie up the
stairs.
    Jessica cracked up laughing. She really thought she was
funny. My sister was older than me by only eighteen
months and although she worked part-time as a hairdresser,
she still lived at home. On her wages, she'd be at
home until she was a pensioner. I wasn't going to settle for
that. No way.
    There'd come a day when I'd have money dripping out
of cupboards. I'd promised myself that from the time I
started at Heathcroft. Success was all a matter of mental attitude.
And I had the right stuff. I was going to be rich – by
any means necessary. Any legal means, of course. No way
was I going to make my money with the shadow of prison
hanging over my head. At least the shadow of the noose had
now been permanently removed. And about time too.
    Callie turned at the top of the stairs to grin at me. I was
well aware of how much me and my sister amused