Chapter 15 Zander #2
With each idea that doesn’t stick, I can feel the tension rising.
Rick stands up and begins pacing the small area in front of the island, taking him close enough to Jade that I expect her to step away, but she doesn’t.
I don’t know what was going on with her earlier, but whatever it was seemed to have passed.
She’s no longer jumpy and avoiding us, and I can’t fight the relief I feel seeing her back to normal.
While I can tell that she’s frustrated with us and this situation, at least I know she isn’t going to bolt.
A snort of laughter pulls me from my thoughts, and I know without looking that it’s Spencer.
I’ve never heard anyone else make something sound so opposite of what it was intended to be.
Laughter is meant to be happy, but more often than not, Spencer’s is an extension of his sarcasm or his fuck everything attitude.
Great, somehow I feel like this is about to get worse.
Spencer and Jade might not have been at each other's throats this last week, but I have a feeling they're about to fall back into that.
“So are you telling me you would trust Jake with this but not Amanda?” he asks, sarcasm dripping from every word, and I can’t help but feel like he’s trying to poke at her.
Jade doesn’t take the bait, instead rolling her eyes before crossing her arms in front of her again.
“Do I trust Jake, the guy who’s been in Vengeance for at least a few years now, who runs the streets where people talk and think nobody’s listening?
The same one who also hates his father and would probably be more than happy to see his ass behind bars?
The one who doesn’t lose out on his precious ‘daddy I want’ way of life? ”
When she says it like that, Jake does sound like he’d be a better choice. Judging by the fact that Spencer hasn’t bitten back at her yet, I think he probably sees that too. It’s too bad I can tell that every person in this room is unhappy with this line of thinking.
“No, I don’t trust Jake,” she says, and it’s almost as if we all let out a breath of relief.
Nobody called her out on her assessment, but everyone stopped to listen.
“But given the two, I trust he would be a much more valuable asset and a hell of a lot more competent than the girl who wanted to fight because she couldn’t understand personal boundaries. ”
I chuckle at the memory of Jade putting her in her place. I can’t help it. That shit was amazing. Amanda and I might have fucked around a few times, but as far as a person goes, the universe probably owed her that and then some.
“Desperate octopus,” I murmur, not intending anyone to hear me. Jade does anyway, and when her gaze catches mine, her lips pull up in a smile that loosens up the knot in my chest that’s been there since she took that step away from me earlier.
Kratos's phone rings, and he lets out a sigh before answering it.
“Hello,” Kratos answers. His tone is just nice enough that I can only assume it’s Dom on the line.
Dom and Kratos have been friends for a long time, from what I’ve heard, though I’m not sure it’s true.
I’d like to imagine that if they were actually friends, Dom would have a better job than just running around doing errands and security, but I also don’t pretend to understand Kratos, so who knows?
“Shit. I’ll be there in fifteen,” he says before ending the call without so much as a goodbye. Yeah, Jade might make him soft, but it’s only for her. The guy is still just as rough around the edges where she’s not concerned.
“I have to go. I’m supposed to go down to the docks to check the last shipment before it heads out to the clubs.” He looks at Jade as he stands, waiting to see what she has to say.
Fucking weird.
Even knowing she has him wrapped around his finger, I never thought I’d see the day Kratos answered to anyone else, much less this adorable, tiny spitfire.
“Go, it’s fine. I think we’ve talked in circles long enough,” she says with a wave of her hand, but he doesn’t move.
She sighs, and her posture sags just slightly as they look at one another over the island counter, as if having a silent conversation.
“You're going?” he asks, cutting to the chase because we all know what he’s referring to.
“Yes, I’ll go to dinner, and we can get an idea of what's going on and go from there. I also think I need to get out more, beyond just the club and school. We could’ve been on this much sooner had I known Randall was a player on the board here.”
Kratos nods before he turns to face us. “I want Jake in my office tomorrow after classes; I don’t care what you have to do to get him there.” He turns away without waiting for our response.
He knows we’ll do it.
As he moves to walk past Jade, he pauses in front of her.
Jade’s small, even next to me, but Kratos towers over her.
So much so that she has to crane her neck back just to meet his eyes.
He pushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear before leaning down and kissing the top of her head, and I get the pleasure of watching her eyes go wide.
“Be safe, Killer,” he whispers before he’s gone, the sound of the front door clicking shut a moment later, letting us know he’s left.
Jade doesn’t move as if she’s frozen to the spot. After a moment, she finally snaps out of it, standing straight and glancing around the room as if she just remembered we were here. The most beautiful blush colors her cheeks, embarrassed to find us all watching her.
“I…” Her voice squeaks, and she clears her throat before trying again.
“I’m gonna go study.” She points back towards the living room as if we don’t know where she’ll be.
Watching her stutter and stammer has got to be the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and it’s taking every bit of self-control I have to stop myself from reacting.
I know if I smile or laugh at her reaction, she’d probably take it the wrong way.
“I’ll be in the library if you need me,” she says in a rush before she turns and all but runs from the room.
None of us says a word. I’m not really sure what's left to be said. I know none of us are happy about the way this played out. One look at Spencer lets me know he’s pissed.
He’s not even trying to hide it. Rick’s harder to read, but from the hard set of his jaw, I’m pretty sure he’s not happy either.
Knowing him, he’s still probably trying to think of an alternative.
Fuck, I hope he can find one.
I’m not happy with this, but I’m also not as upset as they are.
If anything, I’m concerned. I can’t imagine this is going to be safe.
Nothing to do with these damn rings ever is, and the fact that it’s Jade putting her neck on the line only makes it worse.
If we were sending one of us in, it would be different, and as sexist as that sounds, it’s the truth.
Jade has been through hell and back, and while she’s tough, maybe even tougher than we are in some ways, I don't want her to have to be.
Letting her go in feels like I’ve failed, even though it has nothing to do with my ability.
I take a deep breath and stand. Both of them are so deep in their own heads that neither of them so much as glances my way.
That’s fine. I don’t need them right now. What I need is Jade. Being away from her so much this week has me feeling like a fucking addict. And after all the shit I heard about last night, the need to be around her is worse than it was before.
I can hate her decision and still stand by her. That’s what Kratos is choosing, and if he can do it, so can I.