Jaded (Jaded #1)

We had already gone to the grocery store and were in route to Donadeli’s when Corrigan brought it up, “So…you and Bryce are together, huh?”


I looked at him and he shrugged, “He told me. He said that I couldn’t label you anything, but…you guys are together now?”

“Guess so.”

He nodded. “That’s good. That’s really good.”

I grinned, “So you’re not hoping for a threesome?”

Corrigan cracked a smile and shook his head, “Nah, but I give that lady cop her props. She had to say it and she had to say it to you. Me, it would’ve just rolled off me, but you—she needed to know what you thought about a buddy that might a hold a torch.”

“So do you?” I held my breath, but my eyes didn’t move an inch.

“Do I love you or do I hold a torch?”

“Are they different?”

“They are,” Corrigan relinquished. “You’re the only girl in my life that’ll always be in my life. Yes, I love you. If I held a torch—you’ve always been Bryce’s. I knew that from seventh grade.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

Corrigan started to speak, held his breath, and then said, “Let me put it this way, if there was no Bryce? What then?”

I got his point. “Okay.” I nodded.

Corrigan changed the subject when he asked, “So tonight is a snipe hunt?”

I laughed, “Snipe don’t exist. This psycho does.”

“He needs to die. No one messes with the Queen and gets away with it.”

“Don’t call me that,” I said quickly, startled.

“It’s what he’s thinking,” Corrigan remarked. “If you’re going to find him, you need to think like he does. He thinks you’re some Queen and everyone else is a lowly subject.”

“You guys aren’t. He’s gone after Leisha and Bailey. If he’s going after people who I love, he’d have gone after you guys. He doesn’t consider you guys lowly subjects.”

“I’m anything other than lowly,” Corrigan cracked a joke. Smug.

“Corrigan.”

“Shutting up.”

As we walked into Donadeli’s, Marcus flushed brightly behind the hosting table.

Corrigan nudged me and whispered, “He found the body. See if you can find out more about it.”

“No,” I hissed. “I told you.”

“Come on. There was a note, right? Maybe he saw it. Maybe he read it.” He flashed a smile, “Hi, Marcus!”

The kid tensed immediately, but he replied back, terse, “Raimler.”

“I’m going to go sit…and wait for my drink.”

“I’ll put your orders in,” Marcus mumbled automatically.

“No, no,” Corrigan stopped him, charmingly. “Stand. Talk to Sheldon. We can wait. We’re in no hurry.”

I snorted in disbelief, but I murmured, quietly, “Hi, Marcus,” He flushed again and fidgeted, “How are you, Sheldon?”

“I’m okay.” I shrugged. “As good as can be with some loser killing people, you know.”

“Yeah…”

“How are you? Everyone’s saying that you’re the one who found Bailey Umbridge this morning.”

He gulped and looked away, but his fidgeting worsened.

I took pity, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you or anything.”

This was such a rarity for me. For some reason, I took pity on the social defect. I have no idea why…

He looked back up, surprised and cautious, but I gestured towards Corrigan, “I’m throwing a party at my place tonight. We were wondering—I was wondering if we could order three Party Packs and get them delivered to my place?”

“Uh…sure.” He blushed again and busied himself with the cashier. “Do you, um, do you want anything else?”

“I think Corrigan wants to actually eat here. I’ll pay for the Party Packs now and Corrigan’s order with two pops.”

He rang the total and stammered, with another blush, “I can get you a free order of breadsticks, if you’d like…?”

“Sure. Thanks, Marcus.” I smiled kindly and moved to our table.

Corrigan lifted an eyebrow and I shook my head. “He didn’t want to talk about it.

I can sympathize.”

Marcus brought over the drinks quickly, along with the breadsticks, and Corrigan flashed a smile. “Thanks, man.”

Marcus stood, uncertain what to do, but Corrigan had already hunched over his food and drink.

“Thanks, again,” I murmured and Corrigan swiveled in his chair as the social defect left.

“What?”

I asked.

“What? Are we nice now?”

“I kinda feel bad for him. He works eight jobs. He puts up with our abuse and he found someone dead…I feel for him.”

Corrigan snorted and dramatically checked his forehead, “Am I sick? Or are you sick? Or…is this what the new Sheldon’s going to be like?”

“New Sheldon?” But I didn’t want to know.

“Yeah. The one in touch with her feelings, saying things like ‘I love you.’”

Abruptly, I announced, “Bryce is leaving.”

“What? No, he’s not.”

“Yes, he is. His parents are divorcing so he’s skipping college and going straight to the pros. He has to support his mom and family, I guess.”

“What?” Corrigan froze in his chair.

“Yeah.”

“I mean…where?

When?”