Girl Undercover 6 & 7: Emma's Secret & The Truth (20 page)

I was suddenly freezing and goosebumps formed on my arms as I imagined once more that Mr. Stenger and his cohorts were now so convinced there was nothing either Ian or I could do to stop them they’d simply begun to ignore us. But then I remembered that Jonah had just said that I would never have to worry again if he spoke to his father, told him to stay away from me, and felt a little better. I didn’t think he’d say that if they were already so convinced they’d succeed with their mission.

But who was Jonah’s father? The way Jonah spoke of him, he was clearly someone very important within the movement. Could it actually be Stenger himself? Of course, Jonah had once told me his last name was Green. Did I dare asking him about it? I decided that I did.

“You know,” I began. “I still don’t know who your father is. They insist on keeping it a secret from me. It’s really rude.” I huffed like I was offended.

Jonah looked stunned. “Really? Why would they do that? That makes absolutely no sense. Besides, Burt should have told you that along with everything else right from the get go. Didn’t he?”

Wait, what did he just say?
Burt?
I couldn’t help but stare at Jonah I was so taken aback.
He couldn’t be talking about Burt as in Burt, the trainer I believed was such a good man, could he? He had to be; what other Burts were there? If he was as friendly with Jonah as it now seemed, I must be wrong about him being so good.

“Are you talking about Burt, the trainer?” I ventured.

Jonah frowned lightly. “What other Burt would I be talking about?”

My heart sank.
Yes, I’m most definitely wrong about him being so good then.
Still, I made myself laugh as though feeling silly for having asked such a stupid question. “No, of course, you’re talking about our Burt. To answer your question, he didn’t tell me who your dad is. So who is it?”

“Otto Stenger of course.” Jonah shook his head. “No wonder you doubted me being an untouchable if you don’t know who my father is.”

I nodded. “Oh, right… But now I’m a little confused. Why did you tell me your last name is Green if Stenger is your father? You told me that the first day we spoke at the club.”

“That’s only because my father prefers that I use my mother’s maiden name. He’s a very private person. What with everything that’s in the works, I’m sure you can understand why he’s that way.”

“Uh-huh.
Definitely.
”

I allowed myself to relax. I’d been right in suspecting that Mr. Stenger was Jonah’s dad then, and now I knew what his first name was as well. That was some progress. Maybe I could also make Jonah tell me where his father could be found this very evening? I thought I might be able to, but I wasn’t about to ask him straight out though. The young man before me might not be the brightest bulb in the room, but even he must start to suspect that I was up to something if I kept asking questions about his father—who I apparently should have known about all along. Especially since Otto Stenger guarded his privacy to the extent that Ian had no idea what he looked like despite having searched for him for so long. In order to coax such delicate information out of Jonah, I’d probably need to do make him think I’d sleep with him.

The very thought of sleeping with the childish, volatile man before me made me ill. How could I have thought that I’d ever be able to even for one second, not to mention have talked about it so casually to Ian, so flippantly, like it would be nothing, even enjoyable? Unfortunately, it seemed I had no choice but to at least make out with Jonah a little to be sure he wouldn’t suspect I was only playing him.
Oh, God.

“Are you okay, Jamie?” Jonah asked, grabbing my hand across the table.

I swallowed back the sickness that threatened to rise up my throat. It wasn’t so bad; all I needed to do was make him believe I was going to sleep with him. I’d find a way to avoid going all the way and still get the information out of him. I wasn’t sure exactly how I’d do that, but surely it would come to me. It always did. I smiled at him, feeling a little better having come to this conclusion.

“Yes,” I said to him. “The chorizo on this pizza is just a little too spicy for my stomach.” I grimaced. “It’s kinda making me sick.”

A look of deep concern came over Jonah’s face. “Oh, no. I’m sorry. I should’ve asked if you liked spicy before I ordered the pizzas.”

I waved a hand dismissively. “That’s okay. I was the one who told you to order whatever you liked. It’s my fault. But I think I’m full now. I wouldn’t mind lying down, though. Would you mind taking me home?”

I had decided that I might as well set my plan in motion immediately. The sooner I could get the information we needed out of him, the better. I gave Jonah my most seductive smile.

Taking one more look at his half eaten pizza, Jonah nodded and got to his feet. “Sure, I’ll take you home.”

Standing up myself, I realized that he didn’t seem to think I’d meant for him to join me necessarily.
Well, in that case he’d be in for a “pleasant” surprise,
I thought.

As we walked out of the pizzeria, it soon dawned on me that it was far better if we went to Jonah’s house as opposed to mine. If we were at his house, chances were I’d find clues that revealed all kinds of stuff about his father. Crooking my arm through Jonah’s muscular one, I rubbed myself against him like a cat in heat. If that didn’t do the trick, I didn’t know what would.

“Why don’t you take me to your house?” I said in a sultry voice, batting my eyelashes at him.

He gazed down at me and smiled, instantly catching on, thank God. “Sure.”

He raised an arm to hail a cab. It didn’t take long before one slid up next to us. Jonah opened the door for me and I crawled inside, then he did the same. My companion quickly rattled off the address to his house to the driver. Apparently, he lived only about twelve blocks away.

The cab had barely taken off before Jonah’s arms were around me followed by his lips on mine, kissing me harshly.

I pushed him off me. “Please, Jonah. I’m not the kind of girl who makes out in public,” I whispered to him. “Let’s wait until we get to your place, okay?”

He gave me a dark look, clearly not pleased with my words. Only then did I remember what he’d told me when I asked him why he liked older women like myself:
“Well, for one, they’re a lot more confident than girls my age. More emancipated.”

Telling Jonah I was not “the kind of girl who makes out in public” didn’t make me seem emancipated exactly.
Damn.
Maybe I’d have to sleep with him after all then…
Oh, God.

The cab soon came to a halt and we left it. A tension that hadn’t been there before was suddenly filling the air between us. I needed to fix that immediately; too much was at stake for me to blow this now that I was so close to getting what we needed from Jonah.

As soon as we were inside the elevator that would take us up to Jonah’s apartment, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. I felt him jerk in surprise, but it didn’t take long until he caught on and his own arms were around me, pulling me close to him. I pretended like I was kissing Ian to make the kiss somewhat endurable, though it was hard to make my brain buy this when Jonah was such a poor kisser. Ian was masterful with his tongue, sensual, confident and above all masculine. Jonah was sloppy and clumsy, utterly unsexy.

I was relieved when the elevator dinged, having stopped its brisk ascent.

Jonah took my hand and led me out of the car and into a long, bright corridor. Walking quickly, he pulled me along until we had reached the end and stood before a light gray apartment door. He fished out a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door.

Pushing it open, he pulled me inside, stopping dead in his tracks at the sound of a woman’s cry. I stopped behind him, having almost crashed into his back he’d come to a halt so suddenly.

“I’m so sorry, Rosa,” he said, sounding exceedingly apologetic. “I forgot you were going to be here tonight.”

Coming up next to him, I saw who he was speaking to—a small, big-busted woman with black hair streaked with gray tied back in a knot. She looked like she might be from Mexico. She was holding a huge sponge in one hand and a plastic bucket filled with soapy water in the other. It must the cleaning lady.

“Ay, dios!”
she said, wiping her forehead. “You say you no be here tonight.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jonah said. “I changed my mind. Are you gonna be much longer?”

“Maybe forty minute.”

Jonah exhaled and I could tell that was not the answer he had wanted to hear. But he just nodded and said, “Okay.”

He turned to me. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Some water would be great,” I replied, relieved that we had bumped into Rosa so unexpectedly. That would give me a breather at least.
Before the next round of kisses,
I thought darkly.

Jonah nodded and led me into a big living room furnished with items much too expensive for someone who’d just graduated college and so thoughtfully picked out an interior decorator just had to have been in the picture at some point. He indicated the tasteful, burgundy leather couch placed along one of the walls. “Why don’t you have a seat while I go get the water?”

I did as I was told, hoping to get a chance to take in my surroundings while Jonah was busy getting me water. Unfortunately, he was back with a big glass that he handed me much too soon.

“I apologize about that,” he whispered and jabbed a thumb toward the adjacent hallway in which it sounded like Rosa was cleaning something. “I totally forgot that I’d asked my maid to come and clean tonight. I was supposed to go out drinking with the boys, so I told her I wasn’t gonna be here until much later.” He slung an arm around me and pulled me close. “Will you be okay if we just hang here until she leaves? I could tell you’re eager to get started…” He pressed a sloppy kiss onto my cheek. “But I just wouldn’t feel right about getting down and dirty with you while she’s here.”

“I totally understand,” I instantly replied. “No worries. I wouldn’t either.”

“Okay, great.” Then Jonah looked so lost I almost felt bad for him. “Um, wanna watch a movie or something while we wait for her to finish?”

I smiled. “Sure, what do you got?”

“I have my collection on my laptop. Hold on and I’ll go get it.”

“Okay.”

As soon as Jonah had left, I scanned the living room as fast as I could. I desperately wanted to find something, anything that would give me an indication where his father lived or at least what he looked like without having to make out with him again. My stomach clenched unpleasantly at the thought of his sloppy kisses. But nothing in the artfully decorated space appeared remotely personal or helpful. I couldn’t spot a single photo of anyone, not even one of Jonah himself.
Well, it isn’t so strange,
I told myself. Jonah didn’t strike me as the type who’d fill the common areas with pictures of his family. Didn’t he tell me once that he had a roommate? Yes, he had. Surely there would be photos of his family in his bedroom, however. Which meant I’d need for us to move over there as soon as possible.

Jonah returned then, plopping down beside me with a laptop in his hands.

“How about
Transformers 4?”
he asked. He looked so excited about his suggestion that I didn’t have the heart to say it wasn’t really my kind of movie. Besides, it was wiser to keep him thinking he made all the right choices.

“Sure, sounds great,” I said and smiled wide.

He grabbed the remote control from the elegant glass coffee table before us and switched on the huge flat-screen TV at the other end of the living room. Then he turned his attention to his laptop that he’d placed on his lap. Soon, the movie was playing on the TV.

Thankfully, it had Jonah entranced until Rosa stuck her head into the living room and informed us that she was leaving.

“Okay, thanks so much for coming tonight, Rosa,” Jonah replied, grabbing the remote control where he’d left it on the coffee table. No sooner had she left, than Jonah was all over me, groping, kissing me.

It was with the utmost restraint that I didn’t push him off of me and kick him in the groin. Soon it would all be over, I kept reminding myself. When Jonah finally removed his lips from mine, I murmured seductively, “Why don’t we continue in your bedroom?”

He grinned at me, his lids half-closed. “Sure. Whatever you want, just let me know… Nothing’s off limits for me, just so you know.”

Great.
That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. I cringed inwardly. For now, though, I needed to keep pretending like I was enjoying myself.

Pulling away from him,
I shot to my feet, giving him a challenging glance. “Let’s see if you can catch me.” I truly meant those words but not in the way he thought, having instantly brightened, excitement gleaming in his blue gaze. Spinning around, I rushed in the direction of the hallway where I expected his bedroom to be. I soon spotted a door that was ajar and ran toward it, praying I’d end up in Jonah’s bedroom, not his roommate’s.

The collision was so instant, so complete that I didn’t understand what had happened at first. I didn’t even feel any pain, only confusion. It took Jonah’s voice calling out behind me to realize who I had just ran into.

“Burt!” he said. “Hey… Aren’t you supposed to be out with the guys?”

“I was gonna go later,” Burt replied, grabbing hold of me. “But I needed a nap first.” The black, sinewy man lowered his gaze to me. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied, still collecting myself. It soon became clear to me that I’d been about to enter Burt’s room at the same time as he was about to exit it. “I’m sorry for running into you like that. I should’ve been more careful. Are
you
okay?”

Burt smiled. “I’m totally fine. It was no one’s fault. You couldn’t have known I was leaving my room right then.”

I nodded, a little embarrassed. “Yeah, I guess not.”

So Burt is Jonah’s roommate then?

I would never have thought so, especially considering that Burt was about ten years older than Jonah. And what was that about being out with the guys? Did Burt also hang out with Jonah and his buddies, all of who appeared roughly the same age as Jonah? Apparently so.