Willow’s smooth, but Piper gives herself away with an oh-shit expression.
“Hi,” she says, twisting her fingers together, her shoulders up around her ears. “What’s up?”
I approach the girls, my hard gaze on Willow, my hand out. “Give it to me.”
Willow steps back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You suck at lying,” I tell her.
She huffs an offended laugh. “You just suck, period.”
“Willow,” Piper scolds.
I move closer, and when Willow doesn’t move again, her gaze defiant and condescending, I get nose to nose with her. Or, okay, maybe forehead to nose, because Willow is quite a bit taller than me. “Get off this property, and if you ever come back, I’ll have the cops remove you.”
“Chloe,” Piper says, her voice thin with nerves. “Everything’s okay. She just—”
My gaze cuts to Piper, and the girl’s words evaporate. “Just picking up drugs? I can spot a drug buy from a mile away.”
“No,” Piper says. “It wasn’t a buy… It was, just—”
I ignore Piper, never taking my gaze off Willow. “Get off this property. Now.”
“Fine, I was leaving anyway.” She backs up a few steps, her gaze holding on me. Then she shoots Piper a look. “Later, losers.”
She’s not even at her car in the parking lot when Piper steps closer to me, discomfort and fear radiating off her. “I’m sorry about what she said. She can be a bitch, but she doesn’t mean it.”
I cut a look at Piper. “The hell she doesn’t.” I grab Piper’s wrist and bring her hand to my nose, then throw it back. “Weed? Are you fucking serious
?”
Piper’s eyes go wide. “It’s not mine, I swear to God.”
“A lot of good that’s going to do you when you’re with Willow when she’s arrested.” I know for damn sure Xavier explained the guilty-by-association ramifications to Piper by now. Numerous times. “Or worse, you’re arrested with the pot before you hand it off. You’re on a damn slippery slope here.”
“It was just this one time,” she says, talking fast, eyes pleading for me to believe her. “Smith brought it to my house last night and told me to give it to Willow today.”
Smith. Of course. “Didn’t you wonder why he didn’t just give it to her himself?”
“I swear, it was only this once. Please don’t tell Z.”
“I won’t.” I cross my arms, envisioning how livid Xavier will be when he finds out. “You will.”
Her breath streams out, and her shoulders drop. “What?”
“You heard me. I’m not lying for you, and I’m not keeping this from him. But it’s your story to tell, so that’s what you’ll do. Tonight.” I would call him right now if he wasn’t working. “As soon as his shift is over.”
Her face crumples. “He won’t understand.”
“That makes two of us. You have no excuse to be doing this kind of shit.”
She exhales and stares at the ground, looking dejected, then edgy, and I get a very distinct feeling she’s hiding something.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she says. “Fine. I’ll tell him tonight.”
I want to fire her. Right now. But I’m not sure if that would help or hurt. Probably better to have her where I can watch her. I feel something more going on beneath the surface, but I can’t figure out what. “I should fire you.”