Jaden (Jaded #3)

“Oh.”


They both nodded, knowing what dots had connected in my head. “Yep,” Corrigan murmured. He nodded again to Carolina. “See ya, Smalls.”

“For real? You guys are just taking Sheldon and leaving me here? I ran here.”

Bryce opened his mouth, but I shot a hand up. Flashing him a grin, I winked. “I got this one.” I turned around to my friend. Yes, my friend. She was my female friend, but she wasn’t a part of our family. The only person who’d been allowed in was Denton, but since he wasn’t in the car waiting, I knew serious damage was going to go down.

Carolina was a friend, but she wasn’t my family.

A delicious shiver worked its way up my back and through me as I thought that last statement. Family. I could call Bryce and Corrigan family again. It felt damn good.

But Carolina. She had to be let down in the gentlest of ways so I said, “Uh, Miss-Professional-Marathoner-that-was-just-bragging-how-one-mile-is-a-walk-in-the-park-moments-before,” I gave her the sweetest of smiles, “a walk back to your house won’t put you out.”

She stiffened. “Sheldon,” she hissed. “Seriously?”

“Okay, seriously.” All jokes aside. “Like Bryce said, the less you know the better.” I emphasized, “For your sake.”

“Oh.” She moved back a step, frowning.

Corrigan pounded on the roof of the car, turning for his door. “All right then. We’re off. See you at the mixer this weekend.” Then he placed his hand on the top of my head and shoved me into the car before he hopped in himself. Bryce got behind the wheel, and all doors shut in an instant.

That was the end of the exchange.

I knew what was going to happen next, and I didn’t ask questions. I didn’t need to know where they had Ritt, but the farther we drove to the outskirts of the city, the more my adrenaline was kicking up.

I wish I could’ve gone on that run now. I had a feeling the one mile would’ve been a cakewalk for me, too. Then Bryce turned into a storage facility and wound the car around a bunch of tall warehouses. He pulled up to one on the end. When we got out, I asked, “Whose is this?”

“Denton’s.”

“He knows what’s going on?”

“He.” Bryce shared a look with Corrigan as we headed for the door. Pocketing the keys, he said, “He offered it if we needed privacy.”

Corrigan opened the door and said as I passed by him going inside, “He said these warehouses are owned by a few other celebrities, and they hardly ever come out here, if we knew what he meant.”

“He said those words?” The inside was dark, but I could feel the emptiness of it. The air was stale, and our voices echoed all around us.

“He did.” Then Corrigan came in, shutting the door after Bryce followed me inside. We were in complete darkness for a second, then the light was switched on and my heart dropped.

Michael Reveritt was tied up to a chair in the middle of the warehouse. The only things in the place were a private plane and a car. Storage shelves lined up one end of the warehouse, but that was it.

The plane. The car. The shelves. And Michael Reveritt.

“Guys,” I murmured, stepping backward. I just evaded going to jail. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to risk it again.

Bryce and Corrigan weren’t listening, though. They started forward. Bryce ripped off the duct tape on Michael’s mouth.

I cringed, hearing it pulled off and the cry of pain from him. Then he gazed up at them, moved as far as he could to the side so he could see me.

I jerked my gaze away. If Guadalupe and Maria hadn’t killed Grace, he was our best shot for answers. This had to be done. I closed my eyes and prayed to myself. We’d figure a way out of this. We had to. I had to trust Corrigan and Bryce. They wouldn’t have taken him if they didn’t have an out.

Then Michael began laughing. “This is hilarious.”

Corrigan smirked at him. “Your tone says otherwise.”

“Oh, really?”

“Really.”

Bryce circled to his side and folded his arms over his chest. “How long have you been stalking Sheldon?”

“What?” A look of panic was settling in his eyes and he swallowed, glancing from Corrigan to Bryce. Then he found me again. A pleading tone entered his voice, along with a slight tremble. “Sheldon, come on.”

Corrigan blocked me. “Don’t look at her. We’re asking the questions.”

“Guys,” Michael choked out now. “Come on.”

Bryce barked at him, “Come on, Ritt. Start talking. We know you have surveillance photos of her.”

“You what?”

“The cops told us.” Bryce began circling him, talking in a low voice.