Wicked Games (Hartley Grace Featherstone Mysteries Book 3), Gemma Halliday [free ebooks romance novels txt] 📗

split up when I was ten, and Mom and I moved from my native Los Angeles back to her hometown of San Jose, California, smack in the middle of the Silicon Valley, in an effort to put her degree in programming to use for a tech start-up. At first, it had been an adjustment getting used to the suburban style of my fifth grade counterparts and this odd Northern California phenomenon called "fresh air." But thankfully Sam and I had bonded right away, and I'd eventually found a way to fit into the school society hierarchy.

Mom, on the other hand, had a harder time adjusting to being a single mother. While I loved her to death, she sometimes tended a little toward the overprotective side.

A side that Detective Raley brought out in her in spades.

Thanks to Raley's work-related horror stories, Mom now had me living in a near police state. After hearing about a girl who was almost abducted on Lark Avenue near the freeway entrance, Mom forbade me to walk on the main streets, mapping out my route to and from school through back streets that added another fifteen minutes to my commute. After Raley told her about the incident where ten teenagers got hurt when rabid Drake fans rushed the stage at a concert at the Pavilion, Mom only let me attend events at venues that held fifty people or less. And when Raley detailed how a girl was stalked by a guy on social media, Mom had friended me on every platform so she could keep an eye on me and insisted on posting dorky memes on my timeline. I wasn't sure how much more my social life could take of Mom dating Detective Raley.

"Have fun," I said to her, hoping she didn't elaborate on what exactly she and the detective would be doing.

No such luck.

"Thanks, Hart. We're going to a movie, but I may be a little late because we're going to his place afterward so he can…"

"Stop! Please. Say no more unless you want to pay for my future therapy."

Mom shot me a look. "I may be a little late because he wants me to look at his wallpaper in his bathroom. He needs a woman's opinion on color."

My psyche did a mental sigh of relief. "Right. Cool. Enjoy that, then."

Mom shook her head at me, though I could see the beginnings of a smile tugging the corners of her mouth. "I intend to, Hart. You girls enjoy yourselves here."

"Thanks, Mrs. Featherstone," Sam told her.

Mom closed the door, and Sam sniffed at the plate. "Do you really think this is edible?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I usually wait until she's not looking then flush them down the toilet. We can go grab a burrito later."

Sam nodded. "Genius."

I turned my attention back to the Gamer Con website. "So, it looks like they open at ten tomorrow. The first event is at two, where they'll be unveiling a—"

"—life-sized Yoshi? Ohmigod, too cool!" Sam squealed like a three-year-old again.

I gave her a raised eyebrow.

"What?" she asked. "Hey, Yoshi is awesome!"

I couldn't help grinning. "You wanna come with me tomorrow?"

More squealing. "Dude, this is going to be the best weekend ever!"

CHAPTER TWO

The next morning I awoke to the sound of my Hello Kitty alarm clock meowing at me. It took me a full minute to remember just why my alarm was going off on a Saturday. I reluctantly rolled myself out of bed, showered, added a little mascara and eyeliner for good measure, then slipped into a pair of skinny jeans, Converse, and a hot pink T-shirt. After a little blow-drying and mousse action on my hair, I looked pretty presentable for a day roaming stalls filled with Nintendo characters and comic books.

When I slipped downstairs to grab a bowl of cereal, Mom was already in the kitchen, reading and nursing a cup of coffee. Water-processed decaf with nonfat soy milk, of course.

"Hey, Hart," she said, looking up from her Kindle. "You're up early."

"Got an assignment for the Homepage," I told her, throwing some cornflakes into a bowl. It would have been nice if they'd been sugar frosted, too, but I was just glad they weren't made of tofu.

"What kind of assignment?" she asked, eyeing me over the rim of her coffee cup.

"A perfectly safe one," I assured her, trying to stave off her SMother mode. Though in her defense, I did have to admit that a couple of my past assignments had ended up a little on the worrisome side. I'd even been in actual danger once or twice. So while her concern might have been a bit warranted, I was 99% sure I was going to be fine. The worst thing that could happen today was that I'd be overcharged for soft pretzels and soda. Which is what I told her as I detailed our outing to Gamer Con.

"Hmm," Mom said when I was done. "This is at the convention center?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Downtown?"

"Sorta," I hedged, spooning flakes into my mouth, hoping Detective Raley hadn't told her about any downtown investigations last night.

Mom pursed her lips together. "I'd give you a ride, but I've got yoga-lattes in twenty minutes."

"The bus service is perfectly safe," I told her. "It's going to be daylight, and I promise I'll be home by dinner."

"And Sam's going with you?" Mom asked, the frown still burrowing between her eyebrows.

I nodded again. "Absolutely. Safety in numbers, right?"

She opened her mouth to protest again, but as if on cue, the front doorbell rang.

"That's Sam," I shouted, popping up from my stool at the kitchen counter. "Gotta go!"

"Be careful!" Mom called after me as I dropped a quick peck on her cheek and bolted for the front door.

Only, as soon as I pulled the door