Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
FINN
After stopping J from being dragged off, I don’t expect thanks, but I do expect her to follow me.
She’s a smart girl, and the next step she should have taken was obvious.
But J is not easily controlled.
It takes mere seconds to realize the only footsteps I hear thudding through the hallway are mine. A glance over my shoulder confirms I am completely alone.
Just then, the door leading to the emergency stairwell bangs shut.
My little puppet thinks she can run from me?
Annoyed, I change directions and follow J into the stairwell. The door slams loudly behind me, and my eyes adjust to the darkness.
Where did she go?
Below, I hear the thud of footsteps and peer over the edge of the staircase. To my surprise, J hasn’t gone far. She’s right below this landing. Her thin arms are looped around the railing, and she presses her cheek against the top casing as she catches her breath.
“Dammit,” she hisses. “I’m not even going that fast.”
My lips quirk.
Who would think I’d have such fun with an injured mouse? To be fair, though she’s handicapped in some ways, she more than makes up for it with her cunning and wit.
What your opponent sees as your weakness, forge it into your strength.
Sensei would like her.
J looks up at that moment. She jumps back at the sight of me and then winces. “What are you? A ghost? I didn’t hear you come in.”
That’s her own fault. The door was loud when I entered.
My eyes slide over her. Her hair is loose and flowing over her shoulders. She’s wearing a simple sweater and jeans. Her cheeks are flushed, not because of me this time but because of the exertion from taking the stairs.
I jerk my chin upward. “I’ll take you back to the hospital.”
“Thanks, but I’m fine,” she says in a syrupy sweet voice.
My eyes narrow. This subservient persona is so obviously fake and disingenuous that it annoys me.
J continues smiling. “Don’t you have class?”
“I don’t attend classes unless I want to.”
“Oh well”—her eyes dart to the bottom of the stairwell—“good for you. Why study when you’re rich, right?”
I ignore the taunting in her words and move down a step.
She moves away. “I’m sure you have other things to do. Band practice, maybe?”
She doesn’t want me near her, which is reason enough to stick around.
“What are you doing at Redwood?” I demand.
“Am I not allowed to be here?”
“You have a job to do,” I remind her.
“I have a program running. It’s sweeping the encryption as we speak.” J’s voice climbs an octave as she coos sweetly. “I promise you I’m doing everything I can to find them. I’m on your side, Finn.”
She’s on her own side. Does she think I’m an idiot?
“I want to see that program for myself.” I hold out my hand for her phone.
She doesn’t move a muscle. “It’s on the computer back at the hospital.”
“Then I’ll take you there.”
“Okay,” she answers chirpily, but she doesn’t move a muscle.
I sigh in exasperation. “Let’s go.”
J lifts her face slowly. I know what’s coming next, and I brace myself for the batting eyelashes.
On cue, the blonde tips start fluttering.
“You know, Finn, you can come to my room any time. You don’t need an excuse.” She gives me a hungry once over, and the attracted glint in her eyes doesn’t seem as fake as her words. “I really, really like seeing you in the Redwood Prep uniform. Your arms are so big. Do you lift weights?”
I pause, studying her. What’s she playing at now?
J takes my hand. “You don’t have to be shy, Finn. I heard what you said to the teacher.”
I frown. What did I say?
“You told her I belong to you.” She places my hand against her cheek and nuzzles it. “I like that. I really want to be yours, Finn.”
The twisting sensation that I felt last night when I touched her returns, but I still can’t tell what it means.
J pushes her act further.
She pulls out my hand and presses a line of kisses up to my elbow.
Muah. “I really like you, Finn.” Muah, muah, muah. “You’re so hot. I think about you all the time.”
I pull away in disgust.
But something strange happens.
J’s smile curls wider in victory.
Why would she be that smug unless…
Damn. She’s playing me.
Jinx has been following my brothers and me for a long time. She knows what we like, what we dislike. What drives us out of bed in the morning and what drives us to our knees.
She knows we all hate clingy women. Desperation to be loved by us is the fastest way to run us off.
But she wants that.
She wants me off her back.
Not bad, Jinx.
“What’s wrong, Finn?” J asks, still batting her eyelashes. If I didn’t study expressions for over a decade, I would probably miss the way her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “Did you change your mind?”
“I haven’t.”
J’s head whips up.
“I agree,” I say.
“W-with what?”
“You can have me.” I take her hand in mine.
Her fingers turn stiff. “W-what?”
“You’re mine.” I gently push her hair behind her ear, grazing my thumb over her lily-white skin. “And I’m yours.”
The pupils at the center of her blue-green eyes shake slightly.
“I’ll take you completely,” I breathe out. Tracing a line down to her pulse point, I arch a brow. “In exchange for your life.”
She sucks in a violent breath.
The watch beeps, but I’ve gotten so used to it that it barely registers anymore.
J blinks a few more times, calculating her next move.
And then she shakes her head and inches away from me. “Last night was great. Really, but you’re right. I couldn’t handle having you as my boyfriend.” She pretends to sniff and wipe at her eyes. “I guess we just weren’t meant to be.”
A snort of laughter gets trapped in my throat. What an actress.
J’s eyes dart to the bottom of the stairwell again, and she takes a step down. I’m enjoying myself too much to let the mouse go, and I suddenly don’t want this conversation to stop.
“Why deny yourself the opportunity to have what you want?” I ask her.
Her voice carries a ring of impatience. She wants to be rid of me, and I’m sticking to her like glue. It must be driving her crazy.
“We can’t always get what we want, Finn. That’s life.”
“Don’t think about the consequences. Did you enjoy yourself last night or not?”
Her nostrils flare, and I see her calculating behind her smile. “Very much. Yeah. Really fun. I especially liked the heart palpitations. And having my doctors scold me for hours about not overdoing myself? That was my favorite part.”
I stop and rub my forefinger over my bottom lip. The mask is starting to crack. If I push a little more on her…
A strange thudding noise stops me in my tracks. I look below and notice someone with their arms up, a phone in hand, taking a video of me and J.
The Grave City Crew articles are fresh on my mind, so when I see the tattoo of the crew on his arm, I recognize it immediately.
What are they doing here?
Our eyes connect.
The guy suddenly sprints down the stairs.
Without thought, I take off after him.