Page 94 of Reckless
Something didn’t sit right with me. All the gusto of what she’d done, arriving during Archer’s mother’s funeral, and she’d just disappear again, after a little over twenty-four hours later? Suspicious didn’t seem to cut it.
Dante didn’t think it was right either, for he said, “You seem awfully happy, considering that bitch is somewhere out there, wanting to kill you.”
“I’m not happy about that,” she said. “Bobbi’s coming over. I guess Archer needs some things from his house, so Jacob’s taking him over there after school. It’s best, since the bitch is out there, looking for blood. I don’t trust her not to try to go after him. You know—” She lifted her hand, curling her fingers like she was holding onto a knife. “—the if I can’t have you, no one can kind of thing. Jacob will keep him safe.”
“When is that meeting with your mom, by the way?” Dante asked, smirking.
I tuned them out. This wasn’t right. None of this was right, and yet no one else saw the signs. It could very well be paranoia, but I couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t.
“Not anytime soon,” Jaz said, sighing as she got out her lunch. “I’m just happy Bobbi’s dad doesn’t think I’m a killer anymore. I missed hanging out with her.”
“Be careful,” I said, causing Jaz to give me a questioning look.
“Ignoring the fact that I’m always careful—” Jaz paused, letting her sarcasticness seep in. “—what do you mean?”
I looked down at my lap, knowing I would sound crazy to Jaz. She liked to see the best in people; she certainly saw the best in me. Some days I wondered if she knew how dark my soul was. Sure, she knew I’d killed Ryan, knew I’d told Dante to take care of the others, but knowing it and seeing it firsthand were two different things.
Finally, I said, “With Bobbi. Please be careful with Bobbi.”
Jaz suddenly appeared uneasy. “Why would I have to be careful with Bobbi?” When I said nothing else, she said, “You’re being weird today, Vaughn, and that’s saying something. Are you okay?”
I coughed. “I’m fine.”
No, I wasn’t fine. I wasn’t fine at all.
The rest of lunch, I was quiet. I texted Markus after the bell rang, and after an hour of silence on his end, he finally responded. Brittany’s parents were freaked out, they had the cops trying to track down where she went after the hospital, but so far, no luck. No one had spotted her in Midpark at all today. It looked like she literally walked out of the hospital wearing the same dirty clothes she’d arrived in, limping on security footage, due to the injuries on her feet.
A girl like that couldn’t have gone far. Someone had to pick her up.
When the last bell rang, I headed right outside. I didn’t go to my locker, didn’t grab my bag; I did nothing except head outside into the sunlight and step off the main pathway, waiting for the crowd to leave the school.
Dante was one of the first to stroll by, blissful in that he never brought home classwork or anything involving his classes. He was literally only here to spend time with Jaz.
When students began to exit in a more rapid, hurried pace, I scanned them. Their faces blended in with each other’s, but I was able to see Archer’s face among them. He headed through the crowd, to the back parking lot, where Jacob sat, his car idling in the spot. They drove off, leaving me to prowl.
Soon enough, I spotted Jaz and Bobbi walking along, talking and laughing. Jaz looked genuinely happy, but Bobbi… there was a facade surrounding her I feared I was starting to see through.
I saw what car Bobbi was driving, and I headed to the vehicle waiting for me. I got in the backseat, telling the driver, “Follow that car.” And, because he worked for my family and did as I asked, he did.
He followed that car all the way to the Fitzpatrick’s house, though I told him to park on the side of the road.
“What now, sir?” the driver asked, his eyes on me in the rearview mirror.
I got out my phone, debating on calling Jaz.
Now, we wait, and hope that I was wrong.
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Jaz
“I almost feel like this is exciting,” I said as we pulled past the gate, “you coming over again.”
“Yeah,” Bobbi remarked, slow to park her car before the front door. She unbuckled her seatbelt, tossing me an annoyed look. “Brittany messed that one up for a while. I mean, I guess I could’ve come over—” We got out of the car, both our bags around our shoulders. “—but that would’ve involved me lying to him, which I just don’t like to do.”
We stopped before the front door, and I met her hazel eyes.
“I’ll lie to put Brittany in her place, but not to my dad,” she said. “My dad has been through so much, you know?”
Sighing, I nodded. Anyone whose wife upped and left went through a lot. I knew I hadn’t met her dad on good circumstances, but he seemed like a good enough guy, someone who was only trying to do his job. I couldn’t fault him for trying to put me away for Brittany’s fake murder. I mean, somehow all of the evidence pointed to me.
