Chapter 23 Spencer
“We’ll be just down the road. If you need us, just call.” Roderick reminds me for what has to be the fifth time tonight. I grunt in way of an answer, and he shoots me a glare.
“This is serious,” he bites out, and I roll my eyes.
“I’m aware of how serious the situation is, Rick, and I’m also aware of the plan. You’ve told me this five times in the last hour. I haven’t forgotten. Calm down.” I lean back on my stool, balancing it on two legs.
He runs a hand through his hair in frustration before walking over to the stool at the end of the counter and collapsing onto it.
“We don’t know enough about Randall, and this whole thing has me on edge,” he admits, and I can hear the strain in his words.
“I know that. None of us like this, but at least she won’t be alone.” He nods, his shoulders loosening a fraction at the reminder.
One thing we could all agree on was that we didn’t want to send her to Randall all but gift-wrapped. Even with Jake supposedly on our side, it felt wrong, and after damn near a week of trying to keep her from going, we settled on the next best thing.
I’ll be going with her.
None of them wanted it to be me, and I can’t say I blame them.
It’s no secret that Jade and I have our differences, and while we haven’t tried to kill each other in a while, that doesn’t mean we can’t snap back to that at any time.
Too bad for them, I’m the only one with close enough ties to Randall’s family to get away with just showing up.
All of our parents went to high school and later college together, and while most of our parents were friends, my father has always been quite close to Randall, much to my dismay—just another reason I didn’t want to be anything like the asshole.
Regardless of all that and our differences, I would still keep her safe.
I didn’t have to be drooling over her to see that Randall was a fucking threat to her, and a threat to her was a threat to Vengeance.
Neither was okay with me, but the guys know I care about Vengeance, so they settled when I reminded them of that fact.
“Are we sure she has to do this?” Zander asks as he walks into the kitchen without so much as a greeting. He’s been running around the house all day, jumping from one thing to the next, trying to stay busy. Judging by the anxious energy that's all but radiating off of him, it’s not helping.
“Yes,” Roderick says, the strain in his voice showing his apparent displeasure at that fact. We spent the entire week trying to find a way out while gathering any possible intel he might have, but we got nothing.
That was on us, and I know we’re all feeling the weight of it.
Zander nods before he heads to the fridge and grabs a beer. He looks at it for a moment before putting it back and snagging a water bottle instead. Twisting the top off, he downs half of it before looking up at the clock on the wall.
I follow his gaze and see that it’s just after three.
Randall told Jade he would have someone pick her up from the Sharps at five.
We plan to just be there at five instead, bypassing the ability for him to get her in a car that could take her, God knows where.
Not to mention we’d like to keep Rick’s parents out of this, if at all possible.
“I’ll go see if she’s about ready,” Zander says, pushing the fridge closed. His shoulders sag a bit, and he heads back out without another word.
I let the front legs of my chair drop with a thud and stand up to go get myself dressed as well.
Tonight is going to be bullshit, but I’ll keep her safe no matter what.
Jade walks down the stairs to meet us at the door, looking like she belongs in our world for the first time since she fell into our laps a few weeks ago.
She has a form-fitting black dress that falls to her mid-thigh with a small slit up her right leg.
The neckline is a deep V that shows off a decent amount of cleavage without looking tacky.
Her hair is down, falling loose around her shoulders and down her back with large curls that bounce a bit as she walks.
She has some light makeup on and a pair of heels.
They aren’t ridiculously tall, but tall enough to make her legs look like they go on for miles.
She looks stunning, and I don’t have to like her to admit that. She’s never been unattractive, just a pain in my ass.
Kratos told us before that she was contracted out a lot as an escort.
Purchased as fucking arm candy, but I didn’t really see that until she walked down the stairs tonight.
She could easily fit into any kind of gala, banquet, or high-scale party that someone like Randall loves to attend with all his money to show off.
And with her on your arm, you would definitely be the center of attention.
A blind man couldn’t miss how she commands the room without saying a word.
We pile into Rick’s SUV, with him driving and me riding shotgun while Jade and Zander take the backseat. Jade sits behind Rick, and Zander behind me.
Nobody says a word, and the radio isn’t on to break the uncomfortable silence that falls over us; not even Zander tries to break it. The drive to Randall’s house is about twenty minutes, yet somehow it feels like an eternity and the blink of an eye at the same time.
I steal a glance at Jade out of the corner of my eye once we pull onto his street.
She sits straight and appears unbothered, but I catch the way picks at her nails, almost absentmindedly.
Zander’s hand rests on her thigh in what I assume is a show of comfort, but she doesn’t seem to notice as she continues to look out the window.
Rick parks outside the door in the circular drive, and I swear I can feel the tension in the car as I move to get out.
Zander exits with Jade, walking around the car to get into the front seat I just left, with her hand held in his as he moves. Before he climbs in, he wraps her in a tight hug, tucking her head under his chin.
“We’ll be right down the street if you need us, and Spencer is here. Just get through the night, and it’ll be over,” he whispers with his lips pressed against her hair, so his words don't carry.
He pulls back, and she gives him a slight nod and a forced smile before she steps back, and Zander hops into the passenger seat. He gives me a stern look before he pulls the door closed, and I don't need him to tell me what it means.
I know.
Rick pulls away, and I move to her side slowly before I lift my hand to place it on the small of her back, guiding her toward the door.
“How about a one-night truce, Demon?” I ask her as we reach the stairs. She sucks in a breath and stumbles over her feet for a moment before correcting herself. Turning to look at me, she watches me for a moment as if she expects me to take my words back. When I don’t, she nods.
When we reach the door, I knock, expecting one of the many staff members to greet us.
But when the door swings open, it’s Randall who stands on the other side.
My hand is still on Jade’s back, years of manners that my mother drilled into my very being, coming out again.
I don’t miss the feeling of Jade tensing up at the mere sight of him.
“Daddy!” Amanda’s obnoxious voice rings out from behind Randall as we stand outside the door, waiting to be let in.
I can't see her, but I can only imagine her face pinched in disgust at seeing Jade here at her house as a guest of her father. It would be cosmic fucking justice if not for the fact that Jade’s clearly suffering just being in this asshole's presence, and we haven't even entered the house yet.
"What is she doing here, Daddy?" Amanda screeches as she steps around him, looking between Jade and her father.
"Now, honey, you know I have certain things that are required of me as mayor.
And making sure that our resident hero is being taken care of and adjusting is just one of those many things," he tells her.
His tone is the closest thing to nice I've ever heard.
Of all the people to bring that out of him, it just has to be the bitch that can't stand us.
Not that we can stand her either, but this would be much easier if we could just turn her against him and bypass all this bullshit tonight.
I know better, though. Nothing is ever easy, especially when it comes to Jade.
Amanda huffs but doesn't comment further. She turns to face Jade with a venomous glare before flipping her hair and stomping back down the hall without another word.
"I apologize. She's not great with new people.
Perhaps you would like to go talk to her, Spencer?
I know she's always been quite fond of you and your friends," he says, and while his tone is friendly and his request might seem pleasant, the wicked gleam in his eyes lets me know it's anything but.
He's trying to get Jade alone, and I'll be damned if he gets to her on my watch.
"I think I'll pass. Amanda and I don't get along. She has a thing for Zander and Roderick, but if I go to her now, I'll probably just make it worse," I say with a shrug.
It's not a lie. I would make sure to piss her off if I got the chance, but it doesn’t matter what I say. Randall isn’t listening.
His entire focus is on Jade. It has been from the moment he opened the door, and there's no better way to describe it than creepy. I watch him as he watches her, and the longer we stand there, the more I want to just haul off and hit him.
“Thank you for having us, Mayor Ross. I hope you don’t mind that I brought Spencer with me tonight. He told me you and his father are close, so I didn’t see the harm when he asked to join us,” Jade says. Her voice comes out strong and sure, though I’m sure she feels anything but.
Randall smiles at her, but there's nothing nice about it. This isn’t his usual smile, the one he uses to win crowds and votes. No, this is the smile of a predator who just found his next meal.