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“So they definitely knew what they were doing.” Zander says, looking deep in thought. Jade continues to read her book as though nobody is speaking, and I don’t really know why, but it pisses me off.
“Yes, it would appear that way. However, Kratos also believes there is a reason they didn’t kill him quickly. He said that while the first cut was shallow, it doesn’t appear as though it was an accident. It was a clean cut in exactly the right spot.”
“So they wanted him alive?” I ask without pulling my eyes away from Jade. I’m not sure why, but something about her behavior has me on edge. I'm sure if the guys see how closely I'm watching her right now, I’ll catch some shit for it, but I just can’t make myself look away.
“It appears that way, though we don’t know why,” Rick says before he lets out a sigh, the first outward sign that this whole thing is under his skin. “And we probably never will, so it’s better just to let it go.”
Jade’s face changes for the first time since she cracked open the book, it’s just the tiniest hint, but with how closely I’m watching her, I see it all the same. As Rick tells us we will never have answers, her lip tugs up ever so slightly as though she’s holding back a smile and just can't keep it all in. My brows shoot up because I don’t know what it means, but it feels important, and this could be the first thing that I need to find on her. I blink, and just like that, her face is set in a blank mask once again, but I know what I saw, and I’ll be damned if I won’t be looking into this while I make it disappear because Jade knows something and that means I need to know it as well.
Rick turns his head to look at me, where I still stand just inside the door on my mission for caffeine. “Just get it cleaned up so we can go into this semester without issues.” He says to me, and I nod, finally pulling my gaze away from her to look at him. I’ve already gotten more from her than I thought I would.
He turns back to Zander, “Tomorrow, you’re in charge of taking Jade over to the college to get her schedule, show her around and get her stuff settled in.” He nods before his eyes dart to the clock that hangs above the doorway. He huffs when he sees the time.
Zander is terrible about mornings, and since he got put on school tour duty, he will have to be up hours before he’s used to.
He taps Jade’s shoulder to get her attention, and she looks up at him with a small, almost adorable grin on her face. If I didn’t think she was such a danger to us, I might even mistake her look for having the same feelings he has for her, but to me, it seems forced, fake.
He helps her stand after she sets her book down, then he takes her hand and begins to lead her out. I have no doubt they are headed to bed now that he knows how late it is and how early he will have to be up. It’s funny that he got stuck with this since he’s obsessed with her. It serves him right. I hope he hates every moment of being up before noon.
“Spence.” Rick calls out my name again, pulling my wandering mind back to the here and now. I’m usually more focused than this, and while I could easily blame lack of sleep and my need for caffeine, I know the real issue isn’t either of them, though I would deny it if asked.
“Just get rid of it. Kratos was very clear in his request. He doesn’t want anyone digging, just make it go away, and that's it.” He tells me once he has my attention.
“Of course. Why do I care about who killed the piece of shit or why?” I ask as he watches me. We’ve been friends all our lives, which makes it very hard for me to lie to either of them, just like it is for them to lie to me. We all have our tells, and while others might never pick up on them, we sure as fuck do. It takes everything in me to appear unfazed so as not to raise his suspicion.
He also knows I don’t trust Jade and love making the pieces fit, so I understand his concern. I have every intention of looking as deep into this as I can, with or without permission.
Whatever he sees in my eyes must be enough that he either doesn’t want to argue or he believes me, probably a mixture of both, honestly. While it makes me feel a little shitty lying, I easily reason the guilt away by telling myself this will keep them safe. I’ve taken a bullet for Rick. So looking into this will be nothing, and nobody will even have to know.
“Tomorrow, we are all going to dinner with Jade to see Charlotte, and Friday, we have to go to the club to meet with Kratos before the start of the semester. Jade will be going as well. He wants to make sure everything's set for school. If all goes well, we will have this last weekend to ourselves, but who knows what could change, so be ready.” He says as a way of dismissal as he also heads towards the door to leave.
I move over, more than happy to let Jade and Zander go ahead of me in hopes that they will go straight to their rooms for the night instead of stopping in the kitchen with me when I do. Rick gives me a nod as he passes me too.
I intend to follow them, but even having decided that I can’t make myself follow before, I can really put much thought into it. I head back to the space Zander and Jade just occupied. I look back once, just to ensure that Rick didn’t stick around to wait for me, before I crouch down and grab the book that had Jade’s undivided attention.
Shockingly enough, it’s a book I’ve read. I’m not sure why I expected it to be something dodgy or weird. Well, I do know why, but finding out that the tiny demon assassin is readingHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixjust wasn’t something I was prepared for. I chuckle at how dumb I sound, even to myself, because if it were so easy to pin her as a threat to us, I would have done it already.
“Can I have that, or did you need that to show the world just how evil I am?” Jade’s voice sounds from behind me, and I turn on my heel quickly enough that I almost lose my balance.
Holy shit, she’s quiet. Zander stopped being able to sneak up on us years ago, mostly, which means I either really need some sleep, or she’s fucking good.
I hope it’s not the latter.
It takes me a moment for my brain to process what she said, and I don’t really get it until she looks down pointedly at the book I still hold in my hands.
I shove it toward her with a little more force than necessary, but it doesn’t seem to phase her. Instead, she grabs it and gives me one of those fake smiles before turning on her heel and heading back out.
Before I can stop myself, my hand reaches out to grab her wrist. She stops but doesn’t turn. I see her head move as she looks down at the place where my hand circles her wrist, but she doesn’t say anything.
“Did you have anything to do with his death?” The words were out of my mouth so fast that I didn’t have time to process them. I didn’t really think that she did before this moment, but now that I’ve said it, I realize that’s what was bugging me about her smile earlier. The timing seemed odd. While she could have just been at a part of the book that she enjoyed, I highly doubt that's what it was after watching her read before and during the rest of the conversation. She seems to read with complete indifference, which makes me believe she was paying more attention than she was letting on.
Now she does turn to face me. She turns herself in a way that allows my hand to stay in contact, though she could have easily broken the hold if she had turned the other way. It unsettles me for some reason, and I find myself pulling my hand away.
“Why would you think that?” Her voice is even, with no hint that she knows anything or that she’s been caught. But among the things we have learned about her, I know her ability to hide things is top-tier, so it doesn’t mean much.
“If you did, I’m not going to let it go away. I’ll make sure to let Rick and Zander know, and I might even take it to Froggie.” I tell her, my voice coming out harder as my anger builds, but I’m talking out of my ass here. Froggie wants this gone, and even as desperate as I am to prove she’s not who she says, I don’t have a death wish. Which means I’ll be doing exactly what Froggie said whether I like it or not, and I have a feeling I’m not going to like it at all.
“Well, to do that, you’ll have to find proof now, won’t you?” She asks, and this time the smile on her face is not only real but a bit sinister. It pisses me off that she’s baiting me, but it pisses me off even more that something in my chest unknots itself at seeing her lose the mask, no matter what emotion she throws at me. It's better if it's real. This is the version of her I want to know, the real one.
