Jaden (Jaded #3)

She said from behind me, “Because they have to make sure it’s them.”


“I know it’s them.”

Beth came around with her hands full of wet napkins now. She was thin and frail looking, but I wasn’t an idiot. My father’s girlfriend had her own agenda. Disapproval was heavy in her gaze now as she raised her chin toward me. “You’re here for your own safety—”

I shot her a dark look. I had waited for another week after my Gandhi protests were victorious and Neil kept reassuring me they were coming. He explained they needed to take precautions, to make sure they weren’t followed, and to cover everything on their end, so they could stay awhile and not raise suspicion.

I didn’t know if I could hold back anymore.

Beth started again, “You’re not invincible—”

Fuck it. I started forward. I didn’t hear the car doors open, but I didn’t care. If they didn’t come to me, I was going to them. They were only a few yards away now.

“Sheldon!”

The two guards moved together. They were a six-foot wall of muscle and machine guns. I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t just my mother that tended to exaggerate. The amount of weaponry my father had was unnecessary. We weren’t in a drug cartel.

“Move,” I barked at them.

They waited for Beth’s command. A disgusted sound came from her, and she muttered, “Yes, move. Let her go.”

They parted, and I surged through them. Rounding the corner of the mansion, the doors on a black SUV opened. Even before the foot stepped onto the ground, I knew who it was. None of us had parted on good terms, but I didn’t care. I felt them both in there. Then his black hair cleared the door, and I saw Bryce’s startling blue eyes turn to me, and I launched myself. He took one step forward and caught me. His arms went around me, and my legs went around him. Shit. He was family. He was here.

It felt right. No matter the crap that happened, it was right.

“Sheldon.”

At the sound of Corrigan’s voice, I turned. My legs fell to the ground, and then he was hugging me, just as tightly as Bryce had been. Both of them were my family. He smoothed a hand down my hair and back and murmured, his head tucked against the side of mine, “Are you okay?”

I nodded. I couldn’t talk, but I was okay at that moment.

Bryce said, “I was coming to bail you out. Denton, too, but when we got there, they said it’d already been posted.” He gazed around, taking in the estate and mansion. “This is your dad’s?”

Corrigan grunted. “Not so missing now, is he?”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk about my dad.” I paused. “Or my mom. Is there any news on the investigation?”

“Yeah.” Corrigan’s tone was somber.

“What?”

“That you did it.”

I swatted at him. “That’s not funny. I’m not laughing. I’m pissed.”

He shrugged and stuffed his hands into his jean pockets. “That’s all that’s on the news. It’s you, you alone who killed her.”

“I didn’t kill her.”

Bryce said, “We know. I doubt they’d talk about anything else if it shed light on a different suspect. You’re a known name now. The police’s reputation is at stake if they find out someone else killed her.”

I groaned. A headache was starting. “I can’t handle this. I’ve been here for a month, and I’m already going nuts.”

“Your dad’s hardcore.” Corrigan sounded frustrated.

I wasn’t listening. The news was still all about me. What Bryce said was true. An anchor dropped to the pit of my stomach. They weren’t going to look for a different killer. They were going to pin it on me one way or another. I closed my eyes as a helpless feeling came over me. I was drowning, and I was going to die if I didn’t fight my way back to the surface.

I had to go back. I had to find who killed Grace.

Bryce had been watching me. He asked now, “Sheldon?” His eyes were narrowed.

I met them and shook my head. “We have to find who killed her. We have to, if they won’t.”

Corrigan let out a deep breath and raised a hand. “Can I make two suggestions?” He waited as we both looked at him. “One, we just got here, so can we wait a little bit? You don’t know what we went through to get everything cleared so we could even get in that car to come to you. I’d like to chill for the night, at least. And the other thing, can we not bait the killer to your house, and can someone else get stabbed this time? That really sucked last time.”

I grinned. A small chuckle escaped Bryce and me.

In that moment, that one split moment, it felt good. The three of us were back together. I took a little time to savor it, and then I decided, no matter what else happened, the three of us had to stay together. All the other shit was stupid.