Chapter 20
I’ve spent a lot of time in this library, mainly when trying to stay away from the guys and anyone else in the house. That’s even more true now that Jade is a constant here.
Just like with our own library, I don’t really care about books. Occasionally, I’ll pick one up, but mostly, this room is forgotten, which means I can bring my laptop down here and get work done.
Froggie has been using my computer skills since Kratos learned about them.
I also handle most of our bookkeeping and drop-offs for our section of the city and the clubs we manage.
I’m happy to help when it cements our worth to the boss.
Well, usually, I am. Helping with Jade isn’t my favorite, but I did it anyway.
Right now, I'm elbows deep in looking into her actual past, not the one I had to create for her to go to an elite school that she doesn’t deserve to be at. No, that past I know everything about because I made it. It’s what I don’t know that’s driving me crazy.
I reach for my coffee and go as far as to take a sip before realizing it’s empty, again.
Shit.
I don’t feel like going upstairs right now and running the risk of seeing Jade, or anyone else for that matter. The small clock on my screen says it’s only just after eight, which means she could be anywhere in the house right now.
I put my cup down just a little more forcefully than necessary, my temper getting the best of me as I think about just how far under my skin this girl has managed to get in such a short time.
I don’t care what Rick or Zander says. I know she’s hiding something, and while Kratos being in her corner should have helped me to feel relieved, all it did was push me farther.
We’ve known Kratos for years, and he’s never given anyone the time of day, but somehow, after two meetings with Jade, he’s acting like a regular guy.
It wouldn’t be so odd for anyone else, except maybe Rick, who I also might add is less broody around her than usual, but that’s not as crazy as Kratos.
And while Zander isn’t at all shocking in his behavior, it’s still annoying the ever-loving hell out of me that she has every one of them under a spell.
As if my thoughts have summoned them, I hear none other than Zander and Jade enter the library. I swallow down a groan of frustration and almost choke on it. Why here, of all places?
My eyes fall closed as I rub a hand down my face, making me realize, not for the first time, that I’m exhausted.
I didn’t sleep last night; I was too busy digging into her background.
I had hoped to get some sleep today while she would have been busy with Zander, but Kratos killed that plan when he called Rick early this morning so we could bring Jade to the club again.
When we got back, Jade headed down the hall to her room, and since I already had my laptop on me from the work I did, I chose to go anywhere that she wasn’t, hence being in the library now.
I’m not dumb. I know that I need to leave Jade alone.
I can’t afford to piss Froggie off after everything we’ve done to get where we are.
Hell, I don't want to get on Kratos' bad side either with how he seems to not only tolerate her but like her, and honestly, I would rather not be arguing with the guys.
But I know, I know there is more that she isn’t telling us, and unknowns are dangerous in our line of work. I won’t be taken advantage of again.
So I need to stay away from her until I know what I’m up against because seeing her sets me off in a way that I’m not used to, and I can’t afford to go off at the mouth with her every other day.
Opening my eyes, I half expect to see them here in my space, but when I look around, they’re nowhere to be seen.
They must have decided to stay in the main room or one of the other little hidy holes.
I’ll take it, though, with my lack of sleep and annoyance at this situation, I’m not sure I can handle going toe-to-toe with either of them, let alone both of them right now.
I sigh as I reach for my coffee again before remembering it’s empty. Fuck, going to get more is so far out of the question now.
Instead, I refocus on my laptop. It sits in front of me on the table, and I realize it’s exactly what I need to keep me distracted. I dive back into my so far fruitless searches on the tiny demon who has entered our homes and lives.
After a while, I’m so far into my work that I forget they're even in the library. Every once in a while, I can hear them whispering together, her giggling at something, pages turning, and furniture being rearranged, but mostly, they are quiet.
The next time I pull myself away, I check the time only to see that it’s been much longer than I realized.
It's now closer to midnight. I sit and listen for a moment, but I hear nothing, not the slightest hint that they are still in the other room, and really, I’m not surprised with how long it’s been.
I stand up and stretch, my bones and joints popping in protest at having sat in the same spot for so long, but it feels fantastic on my stiff muscles.
I snatch my cup up on the way around my small table and head out to find more coffee and hopefully, a quiet house.
I probably should get some sleep at this point, but I still have nothing, and going to bed empty-handed feels too much like failure to me.
I just need something, anything.
I make my way around the corner from the little nook I’ve claimed as my own over the years and almost drop my mug in shock at the sight in front of me.
The library's main area is a vast circular room, with bookshelves built into every wall and oversized chairs scattered around it. The area may be used the least in the house, but Clair is nothing if not thorough in her design and wanted people to have the choice to sit if they wanted to.
A few nooks, like my own, lead to tables for research, and one leads up to a loft with a low ceiling.
It still has children's books from when Rick was small.
We used to build forts up there when we were younger, but we hardly ever read the books—well, Rick did.
Zander and I were more likely to chuck them at one another or build towers with them to see who could make a bigger one before they fell.
I shake myself from the memory and focus again on the sight in front of me.
Zander’s lying on one of the large chairs upside down, his feet hanging over the back and his head hanging off the edge of the seat.
His hair is damn near touching the floor beneath him, and honestly, it looks like it should be hella uncomfortable, which isn’t that outside the realm of normal as far as Zander goes.
What is abnormal is that he appears to be reading the book in his hand, like actually reading it, not just looking at it.
In all my years of knowing him, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Zander read a book, and I’ve known him pretty much my whole damn life.
Hell, he hardly reads his school materials.
The closest I’ve seen him come to reading is when he studies a car or motorcycle manual.
At this point, he’s been working on them for so long that he knows what he’s doing. So even for that he hardly reads now.
Jade is only a few feet from him. It appears he pulled the chair away from the wall to be closer to her.
Again, not shocking.
What is shocking is that books absolutely surround her. I stand there for a moment, letting my eyes wander from book to book as I try to understand why, but nothing adds up.
She has books in every genre by a bunch of different authors. Most are fiction, but not all of them. It’s almost as if she couldn’t choose just one book.
Right now, she is nose-deep in an enormous book that I can’t see the cover of.
It rests on the floor in front of her; her chin propped up on her palms as she lays on her stomach, feet in the air like a child.
Her face is completely blank as her eyes track down the page before she flips it and continues.
She’s either a very quick reader or skimming; honestly, I can’t be sure.
There are two stacks in front of her, one on her left and one on her right, and my curiosity almost has me asking aloud what each stack is before I realize that they haven’t noticed me yet, and calling attention to myself is not at all what I want right now.
I make it as far as the door before Rick decides that paying attention to me is precisely what he wants to do.
I kept my eyes mainly focused on Jade as I made my way to the door, and because of that, I completely missed Rick.
He’s standing in the doorway, his shoulder leaning against it, the picture of ease as he also takes in the odd scene.
My focus was so completely on Jade that seeing him startles me enough that I’m left scrambling to keep hold of my cup.
This is the second time in less than ten minutes that I’ve almost destroyed my favorite mug, and I’m too tired and annoyed for that to happen without me throwing fists about it.
His lips turn up in the slightest smirk as he watches me try to collect myself.
Yeah, laugh it up, asshole, but he doesn’t pull his eyes away to look at me.
I huff out a breath as I ready myself to deal with them because even before Rick speaks, I know that sneaking out of here for coffee is no longer an option.
Obviously, Rick has a reason for being down here, and as odd as the display is, I doubt he came here just to watch them. He was probably just as surprised as I was.
“Kratos called,” he says as if he could hear my thoughts.