Stealth Moves Read Online Free PDF Page B

videos.
    “Ask Cam to do it,” Eric suggested. “He’s closer to high school age than I am.”
    “Do what?” their brother Cameron asked. Not waiting for an answer as he struggled to maneuver a mini-fridge down the porch steps, he asked Holly, “Where do you want this—van or car?”
    “Car. That’s going to Boston with us. I don’t want to raid the Smallwoods’ kitchen for snacks.”
    During the drive to Boston with Cameron in the passenger seat, Holly did all the talking. To say her nineteen-year-old brother was “the silent type” was an understatement. You could enter a room and not know he was there until you heard the crunch of potato chips. Unlike Eric, an adorable kid who grew into a certified hottie, Cameron spent his early years shy and fat. When he turned eighteen, everything changed. Holly didn’t know why he suddenly made diet and exercise his new religion, but Cameron finished high school fit, buff and at least as stunning as Eric.
    “So, Cam,” Holly began, “how’d you like to star in a video on YouTube?”
    “I wouldn’t.”
    Cameron’s shyness hadn’t disappeared along with his weight. Convincing him to act in the video would take a serious hook. “What if I give you this car? It’s on its last legs, I know, but you’re learning auto mechanics. You can keep it running. You’ll have wheels , Cam—your very own wheels.”
    Holly had planned to give the car to Cameron when she was done with it, but using it as a bribe was an even better use of her resources. She went through the project explanation again, inserting more enthusiasm than she had with Eric. By the time they were closing in on Beacon Hill, she felt she’d done a good sales job. Cameron’s reply was, “To do these videos, I’d have to drive down from Portsmouth. Costs beaucoup bucks for the run to Boston.”
    “I’ll pay for your gas,” Holly promised as she double-parked in front of the Smallwood house. “Here. Take over the wheel. If the cops come by, move the car.” Test-drives enticed new car buyers, didn’t they? Holly hoped the driver’s seat would work similar magic on Cameron.
    Rushing down the lower steps of the house, Holly rang the bell. Jen Barnes, the housekeeper, told her to use the direct corridor to the terrace. Holly passed The Rocket, which was temporarily parked in the passageway. She would ride the bike home to Portsmouth on Sunday, her day off.
    When she unloaded the car, Holly felt like an urchin moving in on a well-heeled cousin. She didn’t take her gear to the terrace room but just piled it in the corridor. A few minutes later, she told Cameron, who was standing in the street sizing up the car, “Well, that’s it. You in on the videos?”
    “How much time will they take?”
    “I don’t know.” Holly scratched her head. “We’ll have to ask the girls.”
    “Girls?” Alarm made his voice go up. “More than just that kid you’re guarding?”
    “At least two. They’re very pretty.” As soon as she said that, Holly winced.
    Cameron’s face turned stony. “Pretty girls eat guys like me for lunch.”
    “You seriously need to update your self-image, Cam. You’re not a fat kid anymore. The video will show you how other people see you. You can do this.”
    “Maybe.” Cameron slammed the trunk lid.
    “Wait a minute.” Holly pulled out her phone to take his picture.
    “What’s that for?”
    “Publicity shot.” Holly mock-punched Cameron’s shoulder. “Thanks for helping today. Have a safe trip home. I’ll give you a call.” She hugged her brother before he drove off.
    Holly’s room had a bed by one wide window and a built-in desk by the other. Next to the desk was a closet, and beyond that, the door to the bathroom. A chest of drawers and a half-table with two chairs took up most of the windowless wall. She set her mini-fridge and micro beside the table, then put her other things in drawers or closet. Only when her grandmother’s faded rose trellis quilt lay on the