Breaking Away (Assassins, #5)(15)

It seemed weird to her. Her sister wasn’t one to take in strays.

“Yes, Phillip is family, and he needed help,” Harper said, while giving Reese a pointed look. “She’s really quiet, stays to herself, but don’t bother her. She has only been here three days, and I’m trying to give her space. Phillip comes home tomorrow, and then she’ll be back in three days. I plan to try to talk to her then. Right now, I just make sure she is okay, feed her, and all that jazz.”

“That’s weird. You’re weird.”

“Oh, shut up. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay,” Reese said as she left.

Reese cuddled beside Ally and turned her attention to the TV. After about an hour of the crazy blue dog’s owner, Reese was about to pull her hair out, but Ally seemed completely happy with the show. Getting up, she told Ally she was going to use the bathroom, when she was really curious about Harper’s houseguest. Heading down the hall, she found that the door to the guest room was open and music was playing. “We are Young” by Boyce Avenue washed over Reese as she peeked into the room. Her eyes widened in shock when she found Harper’s houseguest dancing. And boy, could she dance. Long, strong legs carried her across the room, where she moved at just the precise moment to heighten the meaning of the song. It was as if her body was the music. It was mind blowing, and Reese had never seen anything so beautiful, except when she was dancing. Reese was an amazing dancer and knew it, but this girl. Wow.

She was beautiful too, pale white skin and bright red hair that fell down her back. She had luminous blue eyes that only opened when she needed to see where she was going before she pulled another move. She wore a pair of shorts and a tank showing off her stunning body. When she pulled her leg up into a scorpion, releasing and whipping her leg up, and falling back into a fall out, Reese almost passed out in shock.

Where the hell did this girl come from?

She was doing a triple turn when she noticed Reese. Stopping in her tracks, she moved her hair out of her eyes before saying, “What are you doing in here?”

“Watching you. You are incredible. Where have you trained?”

She shrugged her shoulders. Reese entered the room, stopping in front of her. She was almost the same height as she was, the same build, but there was nothing but hurt and anger swimming in those crystal blue eyes. Reese remembered Harper saying the girl hadn’t had an easy life, and it showed in her eyes.

“Are you the therapist?”

Reese looked down at herself before looking back up at her.

“Do I look like a therapist?”

She was wearing sweatpants and a ripped-up tee shirt that hung off her shoulder, showing her sports bra.

“No.”

“I’m Harper’s sister.”

“Oh, yeah, you are watching Ally while she goes to some appointment.”

Reese smiled. “Yup, my name is Reese. Can you tell me who you train with now?”

She shrugged her shoulders as she looked away.

“I didn’t train with anyone specifically; I just took private classes with different instructors for cleaning the mirrors at their studios in Minnesota.”

For some reason, Reese’s heart skipped a beat when the girl looked up at her. Behind all that anger and sadness was someone really special. Reese could tell that this girl not only didn’t think she was special, but that she completely hated the world. That made Reese want to help her. Why? Who the hell knew, but she did.

“What’s your name again?”

“Why?” she sort of snapped.

“Because I’d like to know,” she snapped back.

“Claire.”

“Okay, can you show me that fall out again?” Reese asked, taking a step back.

“Why?”

Reese rolled her eyes. Claire was hiding behind the shitty attitude, but that wasn’t going to scare Reese off. She wasn’t a bitch—she was hurt. She had raw talent, and Reese knew she could make her a star. Looking back down at the ground, Claire shook her head.

“I don’t want to.”

“Why? I want to see it again. I think if you strengthened your foot, you’d get better balance.”

“How do you know?” she asked with a glare.

It was obvious the girl didn’t like to be corrected, but then again, it could be because she didn’t know Reese. So, with the patience of a saint, she said, “I own a dance studio. I’m a dancer too. I know my stuff. I think that you could be something amazing, if you’d let me help you.”

“How do I know you’re qualified to help me?” she snapped.

Reese laughed.

“Wow, you’re a little bit of a brat, you know that?”

“I’ve been told, but it’s better than being a bitch.”

Reese’s laughter stopped as she held Claire’s gaze. She was challenging her, and trying to push her away, but little did Claire know, Reese loved a challenge. When Ally screamed that Mommy was home, Reese turned around and left the room without a word. Going down the hall, she found Harper hugging Ally close.

“Everything looks great. We are going to have a baby in eight months!” she said with a bright smile.

“Awesome! Listen, when do you have Claire again?”

“Claire? Why? Did you talk to her?” Harper asked, surprised.