Page 6 of The Ruthless Note

* * *

Jinx: Hell hath no fury like a mermaid without her legs.

Turns out, New Girl and water aren’t the best of friends.

Not surprisingly, New Girl and Pompoms aren’t chummy either.

So why did our resident Cinderella tell the cops her little make-out session with Redwood’s chlorine-soaked pool water was a ‘little misunderstanding between friends’?

And you thought rock legend Jarod Cross’s surprise visit to Redwood would be the talk of the decade? Turns out, all it took was a little shakedown from the boys in blue to usurp the strongest star in the Redwood sky.

Speaking of Redwood stars, our resident Prince Charming is yet to make a move now that his father and his rebellious Cinderella are in the spotlight. I wonder… why is he hesitating? Is it true love or is our king losing his golden touch?

Until the next post, keep your enemies close and your secrets even closer.

- Jinx

CHAPTERTWO

DUTCH

I shred my pick on the guitar, slamming my fingers so hard against the strings that it’s a miracle they don’t snap in my eye. The music screams my frustration in complex, intricate riffs that mean nothing to anyone, not even me.

Cadence is Redhead.

Freaking hell.

The music clips when my pick breaks in half. The two edges sail down to my boots, looking frayed. I fish around in my pants for another and when that doesn’t reap anything, I fish around my wallet.

Still nothing.

“Finn!” I roar. Head whipping up, I latch onto my quiet brother. He’s leaning against the bench that’s pressed right next to the window.

Finn squints at me. I’m not sure if that expression is because of the sun blasting his face or because he’s pissed.

Honestly, I don’t give a damn either way.

“Gimme a pick.” I hold out a demanding hand.

“You don’t need a pick, Dutch. You need to calm the hell down.”

“Screw you. Just say you don’t have one.” I pick up my guitar again.

Finn’s eyes burn two holes straight into my skull.

“Damn it.” My hands shake when I pluck the strings with my fingers. It’s different now. The music doesn’t have the same timbre. It’s lacking something. Missing something. It’s hollow.

I play anyway.

In my head, I retrace my steps to that night in the lounge. The night I first talked to Redhead.

Jinx told us that Cadence worked at the lounge, but we didn’t find her. Instead, Redhead was perched behind the piano, eking out melodies that set my heart on fire.

Right after, I chased Redhead down and found her in the changing room.

She kissed me.

Then she slapped me.

---