Jaden Read online

  Paparazzi swarmed around them. I couldn’t believe it. There were television camera crews and reporters everywhere. The limousine couldn’t even move. A few men climbed on top of the limousine. Some tried to take pictures through the blackened sunroof.

  My throat went dry at the sight. They were there for me, because I was linked to Bryce and Denton. And because they thought I killed my friend.

  The lawyer beside me handed me a newspaper. He spoke in a bland voice, “You’ve been nicknamed already. You’re ‘The Queen Bee Killer.’”

  I took the paper and saw the headlines. In bold capital letters was what he said. I saw a picture of myself from school, one of Bryce at one of his games, and one from the latest movie premiere Denton had attended. My stomach twisted, and I crumpled the newspaper into a ball. I glanced at him, disgust in my gut, and asked, “You think that’s funny?”

  He shrugged. “You’ll get a lot of coverage from it. It’s a good name.”

  “It’s a lie.” I lifted my mouth in a snarl.

  The grin didn’t leave, and he shrugged again. “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”

  My eyes went flat. “Or maybe it’s true. Maybe I did kill her. You want to piss me off? I might gut you here and now.”

  His head whipped to mine, and the smirk vanished.

  Finally. I relaxed against my seat. That was all I wanted.

  He paled. “You wouldn’t. I’m your lawyer.”

  I shrugged and smirked this time. “I’m sure there’s more where you came from.”

  The other lawyer beside me shifted in his seat, but no other words were shared. After we drove for a while, I lost interest in where we were going. I wasn’t stupid. I knew we wouldn’t be going where I considered home, and I was right when we pulled up to a gate an hour later.

  The gate was large, black, and imposing. It was a complete wall. The driver got out and pushed a button near it. A buzz was heard, but the driver bent down and spoke into the button. A moment later, he returned to the car, and the gate slid up. We rolled underneath it, and it went back down. It landed with a thud, and we had to drive another mile before the driveway curved to the right and a clearing opened for us. Everything was covered with a forest, but then we got a view of a mansion.

  It looked like a castle, and my eyes couldn’t help but go wide. Whose was this?

  The front door opened, and I jerked forward in the seat. My seatbelt tightened, and I was shoved back, but I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t close my mouth. Everything stopped in that moment.

  When we slid to a stop and the lawyers got out of the car, I was slower. My body had trouble moving, and my legs were stiff. My arms shook, and my heart raced as I pulled myself up outside the car. I had to hold onto it or I would’ve fallen. I heard my knees knocking against each other. I couldn’t feel them, but I heard them.

  “Hello, Sheldon.”

  The man before me was in his forties. He was dressed in a black business suit, which fit him like a glove, and he gazed back at me. He waited for my reaction. There were no words.

  “Dad?”

  He still had his thinning hair, but it was darker than I remembered. A rush of air left me. I lifted my hands and watched how they shook before me. I was detached from my body. Nothing made sense, but my dad was in front of me.

  He had left for Europe. I never heard from him again and now . . . he was in front of me.

  I stepped closer and studied him. There were crease lines at the ends of his eyes, like he had to squint a lot. There were worry lines on his forehead. His shoulders were the same, maybe thinner, but his eyes . . . I couldn’t look away from them. They studied me as much as I studied him.

  He blinked. A shine of tears was there, but he managed a small grin. “How are you, Sheldon?”

  “Not good.”

  Then he laughed. The corner of his lips curved in. His two dimples flashed at me, but then he shook his head and wiped at the corners of his eyes. “No, you’re not doing well right now, are you?”

  “You bailed me out of jail. Those are your lawyers.” Not Denton’s. Not Bryce’s. I twisted around and looked them over again. Another car pulled up behind us, and four more lawyers got out. All black business suits, all with bland features. And then I looked at the house, around the estate. “Who the hell are you?”

  Neil chuckled and reached forward.

  I cringed and ducked out of his way. “Don’t. Don’t touch me.”

  The grin fell away, and he sighed. He looked so tired then. “You’ve had a shock. I can see that.”

  “I want to talk to my friends.”

  “Your friends?” He frowned at one of the lawyers, the douche bag who had spoken to me in the car. “I thought you said her mother was at the police station?”

  He clipped out a nod. “She was.” His gaze slid to me. “She refused to see her.”

  Neil reared back an inch. His frown deepened, and he studied me again. “You didn’t want to see your mother?”

  I snorted. “Would you?”

  A glimmer of a smile flirted across his face, but he ended on a solemn note. “No. I wouldn’t.”

  I swallowed thickly. My mind still raced. “I want to see Bryce and Corrigan.”

  His shoulders sagged, and a sense of disappointment flared inside me when he murmured, “You’re still friends with them.”

  “Yes.” Though he hadn’t said it as a question.

  My father jerked his head in a nod and rubbed at his jaw. “It seems that some things have not changed in four and a half years.”

  “Except you.” My shoulder twitched. What was that about? “What happened to you? I’ve had people ask where you were, but I didn’t know.”

  “I left you money.”

  “That’s not the question.”

  His eyes widened a slight inch, and he stepped back. He grew quiet, and his hand stopped rubbing his jaw. Then he laughed on a rueful note. “My god, you’ve grown up, Sheldon. You were confused and hurting the last time I saw you, but now . . . look at you. You’re a woman. You’re all grown up.”

  My jaw clenched, and my hands slammed against my sides. “I’m also accused of murder.”

  “Yes, I am aware. That’s why I reached out to you.”

  Everything was wishy-washy for me. I knew I spoke how I always did, calm and strong, but my insides were twisting and churning. My stomach was doing constant somersaults, and I felt like a massive army of worms were slithering their way through my body. But at his words, everything stopped. A stone dropped in me. It all clicked into place.

  My voice was hoarse. “You wouldn’t have come forward, would you? If I hadn’t been arrested, you never would’ve let me know where you were.”

  He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to.

  A wall went over me, and I turned away from him. This was a stranger in front of me. This wasn’t my father anymore.

  Then I looked around. “I’m right when I assume I’m going to be staying here?”

  He nodded. His jaw clenched.

  “Then I need a bag of my stuff. I need my clothes. And homework, I can’t get behind.”

  “You won’t. We’ve arranged for all of that, but you’ve been let go from the university. You can reapply after all of this is over. That’s what their representative told my assistant, anyway.” His voice was business-like now. He was the professional diplomat I always knew he’d been with his companies. “My assistant was able to get all your clothes, too.”

  “Well.” I pressed a hand to my stomach. I would process all of that later. “Your assistant must’ve been very busy in the last five hours.”

  “She was. Beth is the best.”

  I felt a kick to my gut. I heard the admiration in his voice.

  “I’ll introduce you two, if you’d like to go inside.” He shifted toward the castle.

  I grabbed the backpack the police gave back to me and threw it over my shoulder. As we climbed the two levels of stairs and passed both tiers of plants and flowe
rs, I felt like I was marching to my doom. And then my father stepped inside first, and I was transported to some English palace of royalty. Everything was gold and old. It might not have been a fair assessment, but I expected to see a butler emerge from the shadows along with two maids dressed in black dresses with white ruffles. When none emerged, I was relieved, a little bit.

  And then we went farther inside, down the long hallway that extended from the foyer, and he turned into a large room. Windows were placed all around the wall. They extended from the ceiling to the floor, and white sheer curtains draped over them. They all had gold bordering on the ends, and I sighed again.

  The place was cold and impersonal.

  “Neil?” A soft feminine voice came from behind us.

  He turned with a wide smile on his face. He held a hand out, and she came forward with a graceful smile. Her feet barely touched the floor as she glided toward us. As she took his hand in hers, she looked at me and stopped short. The lively mirth in her eyes fell away, and her smile vanished. She looked down to the floor.

  I snorted.

  Even her blond hair was pulled into a classy-looking bun. Fucking Mary Poppins had arrived as my father’s glorified secretary. When his hand skimmed down her arm and fell away, I was pretty sure they were sleeping together, too.

  “Sheldon.” He didn’t disguise the admiration in his tone. “This is Bethany Maller. You should be very nice to her. She’s going to be your best friend here.”

  “Really?” My tone went flat.

  She looked back up, but jerked her head to the side.

  I sighed on the inside. She couldn’t even meet my gaze. I held back my snarl, but this was going to be my best friend? This was going to be my jailor.

  “Yes.” His chest puffed up with pride. “She’s a machine, Sheldon. She’s the one who arranged everything for your stay with us. She has been in touch with the university, and she’s the contact with the police as well. They know you’ll be staying with us and have allowed it, but you mustn’t leave the gate. You can explore within the gate, but you can’t leave.”

  “Am I on house arrest?”

  “Your bond was five million. I was able to post it so soon with the promise you wouldn’t leave the estates. Don’t make me lose five million, honey.”

  I folded my arms. “Don’t call me that.”

  He drew upright. “I’m sorry. Sheldon.”

  I fixed Beth with a stare and stuck out my chin. “I want to see my friends. Denton Steele. Bryce Scout. And Corrigan Raimler. You got those names in your steel-encased brain?”

  “Sheldon!” My father’s voice whipped at me. “You will not be rude to her. I will not tolerate that attitude.”

  Then I turned my dead eyes to him. “What are you going to do, Pops? Send me back to jail?” I shrugged. “I’ll get someone else to post my bail then. You’re not the only ‘Daddy’ Warbucks I know.”

  “Sheldon. My god.” He grasped my elbow. “Maybe you haven’t grown up—”

  “Excuse me? You show up out of nowhere, post my bail, and bring me to some reclusive hiding place you’ve got going on. Then you tell me what I’m allowed to do and not do? Pretty sure I can go back to jail, get bailed out by Denton or Bryce, and I’ll still have a life. This isn’t a life. This isn’t a country where you can dictate my every move.”

  I spun on my heel and started to march away, but his words stopped me. “You’re not safe.”

  I froze and remembered the paparazzi mob at the police station.

  His voice was gentled. “You’re a hit, Sheldon. My little girl got famous, but you’re hated along with that. People think you killed your friend. They think you killed Marcus now. They think you’re behind all of it.”

  I whirled around, pale. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “I didn’t kill Grace. And Marcus stalked me. He killed two of my friends.”

  Beth cleared her throat; it was dainty. “Uh, well, I talked with the detectives assigned to your case, and they’re pulling all those cases back up. They re-examining everything, Sheldon.”

  My chest rose up and down. I had a hard time getting air. “You’re saying they think I killed them? That I killed Leisha and Bailey?”

  “You have a history of bullying people.”

  “I bully bullies. Never them, never people who can’t protect themselves. That’s despicable.”

  My father came forward. His eyes were sad. “You have a history of doing that very thing, Sheldon. You and Corrigan. Both of you were very hurtful to other students in high school. I received a lot of calls from the school’s administration. I just never told you. I paid many of those parents to remain quiet, and they have been, but it’s different now. The rules have changed.”

  My chest hurt. Something was pressing down on it.

  “All your ghosts are going to come out. Everyone who’s been hurt. Everyone any of you hurt—you, Corrigan, and Bryce included. All three of you ran your school harshly, and you know it, Sheldon.”

  “I protected myself.” My voice was a whisper now. Something grabbed my heart and squeezed it. I felt it crumpling as I tried to breathe. “If they tried to hurt me, I hurt them back. That was it. That’s all I did.”

  “That wasn’t it and you know it. All three of you are to blame.”

  My mouth dropped. Who was he to judge? I snapped it shut. “I’m sorry. Are you my freaking God now? What place of holy hell are you at where you can judge me? You donated your sperm to Mom. Thanks for that. Did you raise me? Did she?” I narrowed my eyes and felt my blood start to boil. “No, I raised myself in spite of you two.”

  “Sheldon.” He sighed and rubbed his hands together. They fell down against his suit next. “I’m not here for a family counseling session, though that might be helpful in the future. I’m here to help my daughter and to protect you. The estates are not a prison to you. You were brought here for your protection.”

  Beth edged forward. Her eyes glimmered with hope. “I have a room readied for you. You could wash up, if you’d like. I also have a phone for you to use. I guessed you’d wish to converse with your friends, and I sent them each a phone as well. They will be untraceable. There will be no records of the calls.” She frowned. “Though I wasn’t aware you were close with Denton Steele.”

  My dad snorted. “He grew up next door. His folks were best friends with Sharon and me.” He shuddered. “That was a big mistake.”

  I thrust my hand out. “I want that phone.”

  Beth sucked in her breath, and her eyes went wide again.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Are you okay?”

  I had the phone pressed to my ear when Corrigan answered. Before answering, I turned and skimmed the hallway. I needed to make sure there were no lurkers. When I saw it was empty, I shut my bedroom door and sighed. “If you were to guess?”

  “I’m sorry, Sheldon.”

  I sighed. A pounding headache was pressing against my temples, but fuck it. When I saw the room Beth had prepared for me, I laughed to myself in disbelief.

  “What?”

  “My dad’s girlfriend must be really scared of me.”

  “What?”

  I didn’t pay attention to how his voice had sharpened. I was too busy scanning the living area, with a sectional in one corner, positioned toward a wall that had a large flat screen television mounted from it. Beside the sectional were two patio doors, and I could see a large table and chairs set up out there. An impressive view of the lawns was beneath the patio, and then I turned toward the rest of my room. Behind the sectional was a king-sized bed, located on top of a platform. Two closet doors were on one side, and there was a hallway—a freaking hallway—that led to a bathroom. “Shit,” I muttered when I saw the tub. It was big enough for a three-person orgy to happen in there. Corrigan would crawl in with floaters and a snorkel. I had no doubt.

  “What?”

  I heard Corrigan’s question and remembered I was on the phone. “Huh?”

  “You said ‘shit.’ What
’s going on?”

  “Oh. Nothing.” I plopped down on one of the couches. I could still see the lawns from where I sat and even got a glimpse of a fountain. Toeing off my sandals, I sunk down on the cushions and wished I could sleep, but I knew I couldn’t. I wasn’t even going to try right now. I said into the phone, “I was saying that my dad’s new girlfriend must be scared of me. The room she gave me is an apartment. For real.” I scanned the room again. “The only thing I don’t have is a kitchen, but hell, I bet she’s got a mini fridge stuck somewhere in this room. I have a freaking hallway in my room. Can you believe that?”

  “Okay. Back up. Your dad?”

  I sighed. That’s right. He had no idea so I told him everything. The surprise reappearance, how he posted my bail, the forest fortress, and the magical secretary/girlfriend that seemed too familiar around my dad for me to believe it was a new development. When I was done, Corrigan grunted. “Shit. I was going to brag that Denton, Bryce, and I all came together to storm the jail and demand your bail, but we got upstaged. I can’t beat that.”

  All three of them were together? Right then? “Wait, you mean Bryce is there?” I suddenly felt a weight pressing down on my windpipe. A suffocating sensation was building within me.

  “Yeah.” His voice softened. “You want to talk to him?”

  I did. “No.” Later. I wasn’t ready right then and there. “Listen, I’m going to demand for you guys to come here.”

  “I have a feeling your dad won’t be on the Corrigan and Bryce bandwagon. I don’t think it’ll be a go, unless you can reenact the drive there and give us directions? Then we’re all about that.”

  A low growl started from my throat. He was right. I cursed under my breath.

  Corrigan chuckled. “I know he liked Bryce, but that was a long time ago. And him stepping in and getting bail before we could, that has to mean something.”

  And it did.

  I found out an hour later when I was standing in his study and demanding my friends be given directions. I was met with a firm and final. “No.”

  “Why not?” My arms were crossed so tight over my chest, my breasts felt constricted, but I couldn’t loosen them. I was holding myself back from lunging and putting him in a headlock, then trying to force the address out of him. It would’ve looked ridiculous, but it would’ve been fun at least.