Free Liar by Francine Pascal

in Tom’s mind that Loki had been behind Gaia’s bizarre little … encounter. None at all. In fact, it was confirmation of George’s suspicions: that Loki wanted Gaia for himself. This fake fight was Loki’s way of making sure that Gaia was everything she’d been brought up to be. Oh, yes. It had his foul name written all over it.
    Tom couldn’t prove this, of course. But in his profession, proof was almost always impossible to find. He’d always relied on instinct. And instinct had never let him down. Not once. Now Gaia was slumped in the arms of that boy, the one he’d almost killed earlier today….
    Sam Moon.
    Right.
That
was his name. Of course. God, it
frightened
him the degree to which his emotions shredded his mental capabilities whenever his daughter wasinvolved. He certainly should have made the connection earlier. It was the boy who’d been slashed trying to help Gaia once in the park. The boy who had been kidnapped in order to teach Gaia a lesson. Tom had always assumed he could be trusted. Yes, in fact, Tom had left a package for Sam Moon a couple of months ago—and it had ultimately saved his daughter’s life.
    Or so Tom had believed.
    But maybe Gaia’s life had never been in danger at all. And maybe the whole kidnapping act had been a clever ruse. Wouldn’t that be just like Loki? To arrange a sequence of events over a long period that would virtually
prove
Sam’s loyalty to Gaia? To plant someone so convincing that even
Tom
would believe his innocence? Yes. Loki was ingeniously deceptive. Besides, all Tom needed to do was look at this fight. Sam Moon conveniently disappeared just before the fight started, then reappeared at its conclusion.
    Nice coincidence, wasn’t it?
    Tom slumped back in the driver’s seat. Okay. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions. But he reviewed what he knew for certain. He
knew
that Loki had planted somebody near Gaia—somebody with easy access to her. Somebody whom Gaia trusted. Possibly somebody her age, even. A close friend. A boyfriend.
This
boy.
    Tom couldn’t prove his theory, of course. But then, he seldom could.
    To: L
    From: BFF
    Date: January 12
    File: 780808
    Subject: ELJ
    Location: WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN
    Update: Gaia Moore approached and engaged, per instruction. Performed within acceptable parameters. ELJ did not interfere. Nor was ELJ in vicinity. Subsequent surveillance failed to pin-point subject’s location. Cell phone trace indicates one outgoing phone call to NYU dorm. Advise.
    To: BFF
    From: L
    Date: January 12
    File: 780808
    Subject: ELJ
    Directives: Continue to monitor cell phone use. Await further instruction.

GAIA
    Well, I finally got my answer. Dinner with Sam definitely wasn’t a date. If it was, I probably would have
had
dinner. I wouldn’t have regained consciousness on the stoop of the Nivens’ house, cold and alone, after some crazy fight that didn’t make sense.
    But that’s my life. One senseless event after another.
    For all I know, Sam wasn’t even the one that carried me home. For all I know, it could have been one of the guys who attacked me in the first place. Or maybe Ella. Yeah, right. Now
that’s
funny. Ella comes strolling down Waverly Place, adjusting her hair and smoothing her pleats-and then, oh, no! Horror of horrors! She sees me in a heap on the ground.
    If Ella saw that, she’d probably crack open a bottle of champagne.
    Whatever.
    I just wish Sam would call.
    I’ve tried calling him, but there’s no answer. He should have at least pinned a note to my jacket.
Dear Gaia. Sorry to bolt.
    Tonight is one of those nights when I really hate being such a freak. My lame-ass condition (or whatever you want to call it) knocked me out for ten minutes after that fight. I should have known it was going to happen, too. The harder I fight, the more energy gets sapped. It’s like the act of fighting is a giant leech that sucks away