Jaden (Jaded #3)

That had been my time, my territory. Corrigan had been in a car accident. Bryce was there with me. It was our family time, not hers. She had come, trying to take him away from me. Like always. I remembered the look in her eyes when I told her to leave. She had sucked in her breath and she had wanted to fight me. I could tell. I always recognized that look in others, then that assistant. She had come forward, casting her disapproval over Bryce and me.

He told them to go. I’d felt so much relief, but then that assistant snapped at him, making sure he would call them later.

Like he needed to check in with her, make sure she was okay. Like she was his girlfriend. He caved, saying he would.

The betrayal had been solidified in me with that one.

They left, but he might as well have gone with them. Now, remembering all of it, that had been the time when he could’ve cemented the separation. He said he ended things later, once his little brother’s trust fund was safe and his mother couldn’t hurt Luca. I remembered the whole explanation. Guadalupe had been a mistake, but he tried to end things right after she had teamed up with his mother, the same mother who hated me with a passion. Holding Luca’s trust fund hostage, Bryce’s mother forced Bryce into a relationship with Guadalupe.

He went along with it, working to find a way where his mother couldn’t hurt his little brother. Somehow he worked everything out. Luca’s inheritance wasn’t held hostage by their mom anymore and that meant Guadalupe had no leverage. He ended things with Guadalupe, but the damage was done. Now, remembering all of it again, hearing his excuses, envisioning her smug look of triumph, how that assistant acted like Guadalupe should’ve been reassured, not me, not Corrigan, not the ones who had really been hurt.

All of it was coming at me in waves as I covered the last three floors. By the time I reached for the door handle for the tenth floor, the flames had formed a nice fiery rage in me.

I almost felt sorry for them.

Rolling my shoulders back, I went to room 1014 and knocked. There was a slight pause, then it swept open and Bryce stood on the other side.

His eyes narrowed, seeing the mask on my face, and he nodded. He knew. He understood what was going to go down, and with that movement, I knew he would stand by my side. No wishy-washy bullshit this time.

“Bryce?”

I heard her voice from farther inside the room. Bryce and I were standing in a small hallway. He said to me, “You ready? It’s just the two of them.”

I nodded and started for where the bedroom was.

He was right behind me.

As we passed the bathroom, the door opened and a different voice asked, this one sharper, “What the hell is going on?”

It was her assistant. What was her name? I stopped and turned my icy stare on her instead. She was the one rumored to have cut the brakes. I couldn’t remember her name.

I sneered at her, looking her up and down. “I can see how you were able to slip under the car.”

For a moment, I saw the guilt there. It appeared for a split second, then it was replaced with her own icy look back at me. She asked, with gritted teeth, “What are you talking about?”

I stepped toward her. Her straight, black hair had been pulled into a tight bun at the base of her neck and head. She was thinner and shorter than I was. Funny. I didn’t remember her being this tiny. Then I continued sneering at her. It was probably because her crazy overcompensated for her height.

“You’re nice and tiny. You must’ve fit under my car just fine, you know, when you cut my brakes.”

I watched her. I wanted to know if she’d react, show anything, but she didn’t. Her face was a porcelain mask of nothingness. There wasn’t even a flicker of her eyelids. The only reaction she gave was a smug grin, but that formed as she delivered, with acid dripping from her voice, “Sorry, but no. My condolences to your friend that drove it instead of you. I’m sure you pissed off whoever had cut the brakes.”

There was nothing wrong with her statement, but there was everything wrong with it. The undertones were screaming at me loud and clear. Too bad it was your friend, not you. That’s what she meant.

I hissed and went for her.

“Hey.” Bryce intercepted me, stepping in front of me.

I pushed forward, pressing against him, but he held firm and his hand reached behind, resting on my hip to keep me firmly in check.

I growled. “Let me at her,” I snapped at her. “You put my friend in the hospital.”

Her eyes narrowed to slits at my words. I wanted her to hear those words. I wanted her to hear the violence there.

“That’s too bad.” She lifted her lip in a sneer. “Really.”

Too bad for Corrigan, too bad he ended up in the hospital. I could hear her taunting tone on repeat in my head—that was her message. Yes, too bad. Too bad for her when I would lunge for her and claim that I was only reaching for the phone behind her. Oops. My hand slipped and punched her in the face, but I was really only trying to call the front desk.

Oh yes. My own thoughts were sarcastic. Somehow, that made perfect sense in my mind, but I was seeing red. I wanted at her. “I’m going to hurt you.”

“Bring it.” She never faltered or reared back. Her gaze held mine steadily, and I knew it was her. If there’d been any doubt, there was none now. This bitch put Corrigan in the hospital.