Jaded (Jaded #1)(106)

“It’s not you, dude,” Bryce clipped out and I looked up to realize there was a fourth presence in the room. A fourth person that had been there the whole time.

He was supposed to have left, but he hadn’t…he’d been there the whole time.

Marcus stood behind Corrigan and as I shifted to the side—he brandished a lethal knife in his hand and an insane glint in his eyes.

It wasn’t Corrigan. It wasn’t Bryce.

It had been Marcus the entire time.

And the knowledge that he had put doubts between me and my friends—that

pushed me past the brink. I shoved off the chair, up and fighting, and I snarled, “You little bastard!”

“Sheldon,” Bryce urged, quickly, and tightened his hold on the gun again.

“What?!” Corrigan exclaimed, hands still in the air. He jumped from the force of my voice, but he saw that I was intent on something behind, someone behind, and he whirled around.

Marcus grabbed him and warned, “Put the gun away, Scout, or your buddy’s insides are going to get spilled.”

“Corrigan will live. Shoot him,” I ordered.

Bryce’s eyes widened, but he didn’t say or do anything.

“No! Don’t shoot, man! Please—don’t shoot!” Corrigan said frantically.

“Shoot him!” I barked with clenched fists.

“Don’t shoot!” Corrigan cried out.

Marcus’ laugh halted everything and it was a heinous evil sound. It sounded unnatural, but then again—he was insane. I saw it, plain as day, and I wondered how I hadn’t noticed it before.

“You didn’t come for the Party Packs this morning, did you?” I asked.

Marcus turned his attention towards me and pretended to slice and dice the air. He still held Corrigan as a shield.

Bryce distracted him, “You have no chance, man. It’s three to one and I’ve got a gun to your knife.”

“And I’ve got a back to my knife.” Marcus nudged Corrigan ahead, a jerking step.

“I think you might have some penance to pay, you know, since you thought he was the killer.”

“I didn’t—”

“What?!” Corrigan asked sharply.

“Well—I didn’t know,” Bryce said just as sharp.

“I’m your best friend!” Corrigan cried out.

“I know!”

“And you thought…” Corrigan glanced at me and cursed. “That’s low, dude.

That’s really…messed up.”

“There were reasons.” Bryce gestured towards the computer screen.

I stepped closer and murmured, cautious and dangerous, “You were here last night.”

Marcus held my gaze.

“And you saw what we were doing.”

“It was pretty ingenious,” Marcus admitted, but smiled victoriously. “I have to admit that. Finding the feeds in the first place was your lucky break.”

“And you routed the feed to Corrigan’s home, didn’t you?”

“Why are you asking when you already know?” Marcus whispered smoothly.

“I notice everything.”

I lashed out, “You notice everything, pervert, because you install videos to watch!

You don’t notice anything—you violate everything!”

Marcus chuckled and relinquished, “The hours I’ve watched you, Sheldon Jeneve, Ruling Queen and Princess Entwined.”

This wasn’t a fairytale and I wasn’t some dark princess. “Shut up!” I snarled.

“You’re so cool and cold to the world, but in the bedroom—that’s where you’re hot. Passionate. That’s where the real Sheldon Jeneve lives and I knew…I had to see the real Sheldon Jeneve. I had to see who she was.” He smiled, tenderly, “And you knew, didn’t you? I felt it. You knew I was watching and you performed for me.”

Corrigan grimaced, disgusted.

Bryce’s jaw was locked in place.

I waited and watched the end of the gun barrel. I was looking for the smoke to uncurl itself and to feel Marcus’ dead body slump to the floor.

It never came.

Marcus wasn’t done.

“You need a lover’s touch,” he whispered, silkily. “You’re left unsatisfied. That’s why you sought solace by Denton Steele, but he didn’t last. He didn’t satisfy you and you returned to him, but he’s not the touch that you want and yearn for. It’s not his touch.”

“I’m going to puke,” Corrigan muttered.

Marcus touched the tip of his knife to Corrigan’s back and he smiled at me, “You weren’t like the others.”

Disgust competed with rage inside of me. I didn’t know which would win.

“You were the only one who came to me. All the others never came, like I was beneath them, only there for them to walk on, but not you. You always came and you smiled. You were nice.”

“Yeah,” Corrigan cracked a joke. “Look where all the niceness got you now, Sheldon.”

“Shut up,” I whispered. I asked Marcus, “What are you talking about?”

Bryce answered instead, intense, “You’re the only girl that goes to the Eatery.

None of the other girls go there. It’s why we go there, Donadeli.”