Lies I Told Read Free Page A

stood around, talking and goofing off inthe warm September sunshine. School had only been in session for a few weeks, but most of Playa Hermosa’s student body had probably gone to kindergarten together.
    Parker made a show of backing smoothly into a spot next to a sleek BMW. Several kids were leaning against the car and standing around it, the girls subtly tan in the way people are when they spend a lot of time on the beach—complete with SPF 50 as protection against the aging effects of the sun—the boys all sporting versions of a familiar haircut, a little bit long, slightly sloppy, totally surfer.
    Parker knew his stuff.
    The parking spot was no accident, either. I recognized a couple of the kids, including the dark-haired boy, from the subject files we’d read while preparing for the job.
    This was the group Parker and I were assigned to infiltrate. They were all seniors, like Parker, but I wasn’t worried about doing my share. Parker and I were only eighteen months apart, and I spent most of my time with him. Besides, I hadn’t had the luxury of acting my age since, well, ever.
    He cut the engine and surveyed the crowd. Some of the kids glanced over, trying to be sly, because everyone knows there’s nothing more pathetic, more desperate, than being too curious about anything.
    â€œThere’s your mark,” Parker said quietly, his eyes drifting to the dark-haired boy.
    I nodded. “Yeah.”
    He glanced at me. “You good?”
    Parker was tough. Some would even say hard. But he hadlooked out for me since the day he’d joined the family, even when it seemed he needed looking after more than anyone.
    I smiled. “Yeah.”
    It was the only possible answer, because it didn’t really matter if I was good or not. This was why we were here.
    â€œOkay, then,” he said. “See you on the flip side.”
    He got out of the car and started across the parking lot without a backward glance. We had to act like other siblings now. We couldn’t afford to display our closeness, born of all the times we’d moved, all the cons and near misses we’d weathered together when there was no one else we could trust.
    I dug through my tote bag like I was looking for something, trying to stifle a wave of panic. I always got a little anxious before a new job, but I usually rallied at the last minute, remembering the payoff of doing my part, of keeping the family together.
    Now I had the feeling that there were things I didn’t know. Things I hadn’t anticipated. I should have studied the subject files more thoroughly, should have taken a couple of days to get settled before starting school, just to get a feel for the place.
    But it was too late. The group—especially the girls—had watched with interest as Parker sauntered toward the school.
    Now their focus was on me.
    I took a deep breath and opened the door. Walking to the front of the car, I avoided eye contact with the guys. Instead I cast a hesitant smile at the long-legged redhead standing atthe center of the crowd. Her name was Rachel Mercer, and I knew from our research that she was the unofficial leader of Logan’s social circle.
    A bell rang somewhere inside the building, and I walked purposefully toward the entrance, their eyes on me every step of the way.

Four
    I picked up my schedule from the main office and headed to Precalc, fingering the Chandler High ID card in the pocket of my capris. It was way out of line, and I knew it. Not just a random memento that could be picked up at any souvenir stand in any big city, but a photo ID with my picture. I wasn’t sure why I’d chosen something so incriminating, but I couldn’t stand the thought of destroying it. I promised myself I would only keep it for a while, just long enough to let go of the people I’d met in Arizona, the life that had been on loan. Then I’d put it back in the wooden box with all the other stuff I