Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty-Six

GREY

Zane calls Cadence and Dutch back down to view the glorious moment when Finn opens the flash drive. I must look nervous because Cadence clutches my hand and squeezes it, giving me a calming smile.

I return it.

The both of us look at the laptop again.

The computer beeps, accepting the device.

This is the moment.

Everything I've worked for…

I look up at the empty corner. Sloane's not here yet. I wish she was. I can't wait to tell her when she finally shows up again. What should I do with the evidence first? Go to the cops? The media? Should I drop it on social media so it goes viral?

I've never gotten this far in my investigation before and the plan I've built in my head for years seems all jumbled up now.

The laptop makes a little ‘error' beep, shaking me from my thoughts.

I freeze.

Zane frowns from behind his brother's shoulder.

Sol looks up from where he's brazenly chomping on a muffin while the dawn splays orange and pink light from the conference room's giant windows. It's a truly magnificent sunrise, especially from this high up.

Too bad my heart is stuck in my throat and I can't appreciate the view.

Finn taps more keys.

The error message beeps again and again.

"Something wrong?" Sol asks. Every muscle in his long, lean body is coiled as if he's ready to spring up and go after Hall.

Finn doesn't respond. He hunches over his laptop, typing furiously.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"The flash drive is damaged," Finn answers.

"Damaged? What do you mean damaged?"

"Maybe Hall gave us a dud?" Dutch looks up at Sol.

"He wouldn't. He knows better than that," Sol says darkly.

"No, the flash drive is legit," Finn clarifies.

"How do you know that?" I ask, wringing my hands.

"Look." Finn opens a file. "This folder works."

I want to bounce Cadence out of the way so I can look closer. Thankfully, she steps aside for me and I'm able to bend over Finn's shoulder to peer at the laptop screen. He scrolls across the page and I see bank transactions.

"These are Slavno's bank records," Finn says.

"But he told us he was paid in cash," I argue. "Unless he lied to us."

"No, I don't think this is the evidence on your friend's case. It's just proof that Hall delivered the right flash drive." Dark eyebrows bunching over his almond-shaped eyes, Finn adds, "If the evidence is here, I'll get it."

"How long do you think it will take?" I ask, my nerves jumping.

Finn stretches his hands and gets to work. "Let me see what I can do."

Three hours.

That's how long I pace in front of Finn until he finally picks up his laptop and stomps back to his hotel room, claiming I'm ‘distracting' him.

Zane drags me back to our suite where he insists I get more rest.

"But I'm not tired," I argue. In fact, I could run a mile.

"The drool on my shoulder says otherwise," Zane murmurs, pointing to the sleeve of his T-shirt where there's a dark spot.

I cringe in embarrassment. I made the choice to sit next to him earlier, even though we're still, technically, in a fight about Hall. It was instinctual to be near him. He was a siren song in the midst of a storm and I clung to that, even if it meant I'd crash against the rocks.

Now that I have to wait for news again, it's killing me. I'm not the girl who sits around and twiddles her thumbs while the big, strong men handle business. I've been running point on this investigation for years. I like being in control and right now, my world feels very out of control.

"If you can't sleep, you might as well get dressed so I can drive you to school. It's Friday. I'll take you out on a date after your last class."

I proceed to reject both Zane's chauffeur offer and the date.

And then he makes it clear that if I choose to stay in the hotel room with him, he'll find other ways to distract me. Ways that include my clothes landing on the floor and my fingers wrapping around the headboard, holding on for dear life.

I decide to heed his warning and now I'm in the passenger seat of Dutch's car, fully dressed and heading to Redwood.

"You should let me out here," I mumble, staring despondently out the window at the striking blue sky.

Zane keeps driving.

I frown at him. "You can't take me all the way to Redwood, Zane. Everyone will talk if they see me climbing out of your car."

"They saw you climbing out of my car yesterday. Jinx even posted a video."

My heart seizes. "Oh my gosh. I meant to check that."

"You sure you want to see it?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"It's a bit… graphic."

I gasp and grab my phone. When I see the footage, I breathe out in relief. Someone did film the car, and the windows are definitely fogged from all the steam happening inside. But because other trucks are driving by at warp speed, the car's rocking movements doesn't seem all that damning. If anyone brings up this video, I can easily deflect the conversation.

"What's the verdict?" Zane asks with a grin.

"This isn't too bad. When you said ‘graphic', I thought there was footage of us…" I stammer, " you know ."

"What?" He smirks.

" You know , Zane."

"Spell it out, tiger."

" Doing it? "

One corner of Zane's lips curves up.

My cheeks are on fire. "Stop looking at me like that."

"I can't. You're cute."

"I'm older than you."

"Mm-hm."

"By six years."

"Yup."

"You can't call me cute."

"It's what you are." He flicks the indicator. "Sometimes, I forget you're pretty much a virgin."

I bristle. "I'm not a virgin."

"I said you're pretty much one. Your body doesn't lie, tiger." He glances at me, looking roguishly handsome with the sun splaying behind him and his blue eyes sparkling. He got even less sleep than I did yesterday, but one would never tell. His skin is still smooth and supple. Not a hint of a dark circle under his eyes. Oh, the gift of youth.

"There's nothing wrong with being inexperienced," I answer earnestly.

"I didn't say there was."

"Sleeping around doesn't make you superior. It just opens you up for STDs and unwanted pregnancies. Not to mention the effects on your mind. The crippling anxiety. The hit to your self-esteem. It can make you stay way too long with douchebags just because they have good?—"

"Are you calling me a douchebag?"

"I'm just saying." I flounce back in my seat.

"Tiger, I really don't mind that you're inexperienced." Zane sees me roll my eyes and adds, "But it's obvious you're the one with the problem. Not me."

" You're the one with the problem ," I mock his voice and fold my arms over my chest.

"Miss Jamieson, are you sulking?"

"Mr. Cross, do you know the definition of sulking? Because I am definitely not doing that."

"And suddenly, I'm the mature one." He chuckles. "I'll remember not to call you inexperienced in the future."

" Thank you," I mumble harshly.

Zane barks out a laugh.

The car slows at a red light and I notice him watching me in the reflection of my window. Stubbornly, I stare outside. To my surprise, Zane turns my head, brings me forward and plants a hard, firm kiss on my forehead.

Eyes hooded, he looks at me with that familiar, barely restrained obsession. It's a glint in his eyes, a possessive tilt of his mouth, an aura that expands like a black shadow around his shoulders.

"I've been with a lot of girls. A lot." He stresses, exhaling deeply like he's purging all the other women from his skin. "But they all pale compared to you. Your body is like poetry to me. Your groans, your whispers, the way you say my name?—"

"Zane," I whisper, feeling on the verge of a heart attack.

"Like that. Just like that." He closes his eyes and tilts his chin like he's hearing a tempting song. "The way you bring order to the chaos in my head is like magic, Grey. I don't need you to be anything but what you are. In the real world. In the bedroom. Your being, your strength, your innocence… it is perfectly indecent."

I feel a thrill. Like I'm plunging down a roller coaster. The weight and sincerity of his words are collecting in my stomach. I'm suddenly overcome by a powerful lust. The kind that struck Othello's wife when she heard his story. Purely carnal.

It makes me want to kiss, touch, please him in the most filthy, depraved ways that my unskilled, inexperienced brain can think of.

A horn honks behind us.

Smoothly returning to his seat, Zane notices the light turned green and keeps driving.

I sit, frozen and unseeing while my heart gallops like a runaway horse on the set of a Pride and Prejudice remake.

Get it together, Grey. What are you thinking right now? You want to enter your hooker era in the Redwood parking lot?

Zane gives me his signature smirk, which isn't helping to stop the wild thoughts at all . He offers me his phone, driving with one hand. "The password is your birthday."

The device is heavy in my hands. I stare at it in shock.

He arches a brow. "You haven't subscribed to Jinx's app, have you? You can use my phone. I'm a premium subscriber. I will warn you though, there are a lot of stories about me in there. Not all of them are true. Feel free to ask me whatever you want. I won't hide the truth from you."

I cough and hand him his phone back. "I-I have Jinx's app."

The phone makes a clanking sound as he drops it into the cup holder.

"Why is it so hot in here?" I mumble, pressing a hand to my cheek.

Zane turns up the air conditioning.

I shift in my chair.

The silence is as filled as I suddenly want to be.

Fidgeting in my purse, I take out a mirror and pretend to re-do my lipgloss. Unfortunately, I catch a disappointing glance at my outfit. Zane had the hotel wash my Redwood Prep uniform, but it doesn't change that it's yesterday's uniform. My hair is still begging for a proper wash-day routine, and, being a guy, Zane didn't bring a set of comfortable underwear. This lace is not what I usually wear beneath my teacher's uniform.

At least my face doesn't reflect how tired I am. Viola did my makeup today, hiding all the dark circles and even managing to lessen the severity of my scar. The girl's got talent. I'll give her that.

Still restless, I replace the mirror in my hand with my phone. "You think Finn's made any progress with the flash drive? Maybe I should call?—"

Zane's hand captures mine. "You've called five times since we headed out."

"He might have news."

"If he does, he'll text."

I study the hand that's wrapped around mine. My fingers itch to hold on but, since he's only driving with one hand, Zane quickly returns to the steering wheel.

I lean back against the head rest. "I don't know why I'm bothering with school today. Judging by the walk outs yesterday, no one will attend my lectures anyway."

"I can turn this car right around now. Just give me the word," Zane says, his beautiful fingers flirting with the indicator.

"You'll really let me play hooky?"

"Baby, I'll have you playing any game you want."

"With my clothes on?"

"Nope."

"Then I'm not going back to the hotel room."

He laughs. "You realize we had our honeymoon in the back of a car, right? I don't need a hotel room to part your pretty legs, Gracie."

Heat singes my spine.

I ignore that comment because it's very true. "Don't call me Gracie."

"Fine. I don't need a hotel room to part your pretty legs, tiger. "

I scowl.

He laughs.

My lips curl up and I study him.

"What?" he asks as Redwood Prep rises in view.

"I've been curious about this for a while but… how are you taking all of this so well?"

"What do you mean?"

"Someone broke into your house last night. The flash drive you did everything to find isn't working. Your evil dad is running for governor and your best friend came out as a stalking psychopath. Most people wouldn't be this," I gesture to him, " okay. "

"Who says I'm okay?"

"Aren't you?"

"No." The smile shifts and he reveals a somber expression, one I get the feeling few are able to see. "No, I'm about this close to a mental breakdown. I don't know what's coming next. I don't know how I'm going to protect you. It drives me crazy."

"But you're still smiling."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not staring at your back anymore."

I give him a puzzled look.

"You were always walking away from me. Every time we met, it always ended with me staring at your back and you getting further and further away." His fingers flex on the steering wheel. "But now I'm looking at you and you're looking back at me."

My heart squeezes tight.

Zane smiles with eyes so blue they hurt to stare at. "Who wouldn't smile if they had you beside them? And Sloane, of course," he adds.

Shyly, I glance in the backseat. "Now that you mention it, Sloane hasn't been around since yesterday."

"I thought she only disappeared when we touch."

"She does."

Zane clears his throat and I can tell he's approaching me delicately. "When exactly did you start seeing her?"

"I'm not sure. I've always felt her presence, you know? And sometimes, I'd see things?—"

"Things like what?"

I swallow hard.

His voice remains gentle. "Things like what, Grey?"

"Blood." I wait a beat. "On my hands."

Zane inhales sharply.

"But it stopped that night."

He quirks a brow.

I admit quietly, "The night I met you. I just recently started seeing things again. Seeing her ."

"Do you think it's something you need to talk to a professional about?"

The knot in my chest—the one I felt when mom begged me to leave Redwood, Zane, and my investigation behind—returns. It throbs painfully.

"Looks like we're here." I let out a nervous laugh. Fingers hooking on the door handle, I undo my seatbelt. "I need to prepare for my first class. I'll talk to you later."

Before he can park the car properly, I hop out of the truck and shuffle to the stairs. Students stare at me and then stare at what is obviously The Kings' vehicle with Zane in the front seat.

I barely notice them, too preoccupied with my thoughts. Zane was looking at me like I'm crazy. Like I'm Sol. Like I'm the fragile one in the group.

But I'm not crazy.

I'm not traumatized.

And I don't need to talk to anyone about Sloane.

I'm fine.

As soon as I find my best friend's killer, the visions of her, the blood on my hands, the guilt, it'll go away. And everything in my life will be perfect.

I'm sure of it.

Jinx: The Snare King and Queen Share A Royal Steed

Whether you ship them as a couple or as step-siblings, the Snare King and Queen of Redwood are no longer hiding their connection. Today, they were seen sharing a royal carriage, yes, the same carriage that was bouncing around on the side of the road yesterday.

I wonder what made them so bold and brazen? Perhaps it has to do with the wedding ring beneath our Snare King's sling?

One thing's for sure. Our passionate prince has found a lover, but the question stands. Can his Queen bear the weight of the crown?

Until next time, keep your enemies close and your secrets even closer,

Jinx