I grinned.
“It’s true. You know, I like to add commentary every once in a while,” Jayden explained. “But for some reason people be all upset over that.”
“I can imagine,” Rider replied drily.
“I like to think what I’m addin’ actually enlightens the experience,” Jayden said.
Paige snorted. “I don’t think enlighten is the right word.”
“My entire presence is enlightening,” he replied.
Hector looked over his shoulder, eyebrows raised. “I can come up with a few words that describe your presence. Enlightening is not one of them.”
Jayden grinned at his brother. “You know what they say.”
“What?” Hector waited.
He winked. “Hate the game, not the player.”
Hector shook his head as he squinted. “That don’t even make sense in this conversation.”
“That’s because it’s too highbrow for you,” Jayden retorted.
His brother rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Did you fill out the application?”
Jayden nodded. “Yes, Dad. It’s on the coffee table at home for you to take in tomorrow.”
“Application?” I repeated, hopeful.
“Hector can’t stand to be one minute without me, so I’m going to be workin’ with him at Mickey D’s,” Jayden said. “Got to get a permit and stuff.”
“Yeah.” Hector laughed. “That’s exactly why I want you working with me.”
Happy to hear that he was doing something that his brother had been asking him to do, I smiled up at Jayden. “That’s awesome.” His gaze met mine. “Really,” I repeated.
“Yeah.” Jayden dipped his chin as his cheeks deepened in color. “Gotta start somewhere, you know?”
“It’s a good...place to start,” I told him, meaning it.
We ended up hanging out for another hour, and any earlier nervousness vanished with Jayden there, making fun of himself and cracking jokes in between messing with his phone. His texts were going off like crazy, and by the time we said our goodbyes and walked outside, I’d swear he’d sent about two dozen. Jayden followed us out, his fingers flying over the keyboard.
Rider draped his arm over my shoulders as we started across the street. “Any idea of what movie— Whoa!”
He yanked me back against a parked truck as a car roared down the street, seeming to come out of nowhere. There was a squealing sound and I caught sight of the passenger window rolling down.
Fireworks went off, the kind that snapped and popped when you threw them at the ground. Except they weren’t fireworks. That sound. It wasn’t—
Air punched out of my lungs as I hit the ground, a heavy weight settling over me. Horror seized me as my brain registered what the sound was.
It was gunshots.
Chapter 30
Tires peeled, kicking up loose gravel. Tiny pebbles sprayed into the air, pelting my cheeks. My palms stung from sliding across the asphalt, but the pain barely registered. I started to lift my head.
“Rider?” I whispered.
“I’m here.” The weight shifted off me, and he said something else, but the blood pumping in my ears caused his voice to fade in and out. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Adrenaline coursed through my veins, pushing the disbelief aside. My gaze flew across the parking lot and then stopped on the person lying on his side. “Oh my God...”
Rider rose swiftly. “No. No.” He shot across the parking lot.
I froze, not believing what I was seeing. I couldn’t afford to believe it. My heart stuttered in my chest. My stomach twisted painfully. Oh, God, this hadn’t happened. This wasn’t happening. These kinds of things didn’t happen in broad daylight. They didn’t happen right in front of me. They didn’t happen to someone I knew. They didn’t...
Those thoughts were so stupid, because it did happen.
That was Jayden.
That was Jayden lying on his side.
That was Jayden lying on his side with dark liquid pooling on the ground beneath him.
“Oh, shit. Oh, shit.” Rider dropped to his knees beside Jayden. “Holy fuck. Jayden? No. Goddammit. No!” His voice broke on the last word and he shouted it again, the word ripping out from him, tearing through all the noise. “No!”
With shaky arms, I pushed to my knees and then stood. Swaying, I stumbled forward, my mouth moving, but there were no words.
Rider looked up at me, his eyes wide. He lifted his hands. The same dark substance covered his hands. I lurched to the side, pressing my palm against my mouth. Horror slammed into me with the force of a freight train, bowling me over. A million thoughts raced in my head as I looked around. People were gathering, coming out of the nearby row homes. Someone was crying. Screams still tore through the cold air. Everything was rushing around us but standing still at the same time.