Jaded (36 page)
“What’s wrong with her?”
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“There’s nothing really wrong with her, but…she witnessed some trauma when
she was younger and I think it altered who she grew up to be. Mix in some fancy neurotransmitter language and poof—the psychiatrists gave us a handy mental diagnosis for her.”
“What is it?”
“Does it matter?” Denton asked, more to himself than towards me. He shook his head, saddened, “It’s just a label that she got slapped with. That’s all the therapists look at for them to figure her out, but…she’s more than some psychological assessment that was dictated by some graduate intern.”
“I think if I got my assessment done, they’d say I’m a psychopath,” I remarked, dryly.
Denton laughed and shook his head, “No. You’re fine. You just have trust issues.”
“Is that my problem? My only problem? I thought I was just a bitch. Is that a mental disorder? They can write progress reports on me.”
His laugh was genuine as he tipped his head back.
It brought a smile to my face.
“See,” Denton pointed out. “This is why I want to hit on you and why I want to take you into the backseat of this car and peel down your—”
I interrupted him, before I was tempted, “I have said the sacred word. The ‘l’
word and I can’t take that back.”
Denton quieted and asked, “Is it…Brian?”
At my pointed look, he shrugged and said, “Mena’s told me all about you guys.
It’s petty of me to pretend that I don’t know his name.” He sighed and straightened from Tijan
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the car. “Another time, without a Bryce in it, I’d have you on my arm for every gala and Hollywood party.”
“That would’ve been fun.”
“It might be. You tend to have a charisma that can’t be squashed. People hate you, but they also love you.”
The Queen of Geneva…
I sobered and noted, “So I’m told.”
“When you and Bryce break up—call me?” Denton requested.
“It might be sooner than you think,” I remarked. “Bryce is going pro-sports. He won’t be around for much longer.”
“Well…even though I have a hard time believing that you’d let him go without a fight, if that does happen—you have my number.”
I nodded and asked, “Is she going to be okay?”
Denton sobered instantly, the flirting vanished, and he remarked, heavily, “This just means that her progress isn’t as far as we’d hoped. She might have to go back to a group home and she’ll need weekly counseling sessions.”
“Is she…can you cure that stuff?”
“Therapy can work wonders. I think so—if the person is willing to do the work.
I’ve witnessed some miracles with Mena so far, but…she’s had a relapse that she needs to go through again. We’ve got some work ahead. She crumbled when she wasn’t approved by your two guard-dogs, but she’s convinced that you liked her.”
“I did.” I didn’t know why. I remembered Grace and murmured, “She should let Grace Barton visit her.”
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Denton looked up, confused.
I shrugged and gestured outside, “That girl outside, the blonde. She’s kinda loser-ish, but…she really cared about Mena. She even risked her neck and came to me a few times about Mena because she was concerned.”
Denton nodded. “I’ll tell Mena that you think so.”
“And maybe I’ll come too,” I offered, though I needed to make it through the night first.
“That’d be good. Mena would like that.” Denton smiled kindly.
I wrapped my hand in a circling motion and asked, “So is our talk done? Because we’re going to get interrupted anytime soon.”
Denton smiled dashingly as the garage opened.
Corrigan stood, smirking on the pavement, as a crowd formed behind him.
Denton Steele’s name was whispered with revenue and awe and I laughed, “Oh
god. I forget half the time that you’re a celebrity.”
The first rush of fans swarmed him, but Denton threw over his shoulder, “That’s another reason why I want to…” He looked to the car’s backseat, but Bryce strode to my side and plucked me off the ground. As he carried me inside, Corrigan smiled and shook his head behind us. He followed Bryce back up the stairs. We walked back into my dad’s office I saw that the television screens had now switched back to the doorways. I asked,
“What happened to the other stuff?”
“We saved it all on a hard drive, but erased it on the network system,” Corrigan answered me.
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“What does that mean?
He shrugged and gestured towards the tech, who stood up and walked towards us,
“So…what that means is that the feed, everything, originated here and was sent to an off-base account, this guy’s computer. I can’t cut the feed that’s automatically transmitted without losing the signal all together, but I was able to erase all the data and video recorded here at ground zero. That means that he can have downloaded the same input and still have it at his place. So he can still…”
“Watch us having sex,” I murmured.
“Yeah, but he won’t get anything new. The signal’s still transmitting, but the data is dead.”
Bryce cleared his throat and told me, “When you ordered the new alarm system, they didn’t install an alarm system. They installed these videos.”
The tech asked as he readjusted his coveralls, “Who’d you call for this?”
I didn’t want to know why a tech would wear coveralls so I shrugged, “I just opened the phone book and found someone to do it. I wasn’t really thinking rational at that moment.”
“Do you think it’s possible that this guy ordered the breakin so that Sheldon would get freaked and get a new alarm system?”
“It is, but how do you know which system she’d pick?” Bryce mused.
“Sitting right here,” I snapped, irritated. “And he’d know. He’s obsessed with me enough—I’m sure that he’d know.”
“You don’t remember what their names were?”
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I shrugged, but something pricked at my memory. Something…I murmured,
“Williams Alarms? Is there a place like that?”
“When did they install it?”
“It was after the breakin, the next day. I ordered it. They came and installed it.
They gave me the instructions and then I went to bed. I wasn’t paying attention to them. I went downstairs until they were done. I haven’t thought about it since.”
“Didn’t they bill you?”
“I…I gave them my credit card number. I suppose it’d be on my statement?”
The tech snapped his fingers and said swiftly, “I can do that. Give me the account number.”
I did and I noticed that his name badge said Kevin. As he brought up my last statement, I murmured, “Thanks, Kevin.”
He smiled a genuine smile and swung around in his chair, “Thank you, Sheldon.”
Bryce frowned, glanced between us two, and moved the computer screen towards him.
“Williams, Martels, and Alarms.”
“That sounds…not at all familiar,” I said. “Sorry.”
“How much did they charge her for?” Corrigan asked.
“$35.50”
“Are you serious?” Corrigan pushed his way to the screen. “That’s the cheapest alarm company ever. The cost alone would’ve steered me to another company.”
“Thanks,
Corrigan.”
“It’s not your fault. You were all traumatized and stuff.”
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Bryce pondered, “So maybe this guy didn’t work for the company, but showed up and installed all the stuff himself.”
“And maybe that’s even scarier. He would’ve needed to take her phone call and forward it to his own phone…”
Kevin pointed out, “He’s got the skill to do it. He did all of this.”
“Is a window open? I’m cold.” I glanced around, but none of the guys looked for an open window.
Bryce caught my gaze and nodded solemnly. The goose bumps hadn’t come from
the outside temperature. My chills weren’t circumstantial. I turned away, and then moved to the farthest couch where I curled my legs underneath me. Bryce and Corrigan sat on either side of me while Kevin took the desk.
“Can I just ask,” Kevin started. “Why are you guys doing this? Isn’t this police business?”
“Police that aren’t doing a whole lot,” Corrigan growled.
Bryce murmured, “Someone else died and the guy’s obsessed with Sheldon.
We’re not…”
“I’m not waiting any longer,” I said firmly and looked up.
I saw the tech for the first time. He was leanly built with intelligent green eyes and brown curls that gave him a boyish innocent look. That look alone would earn him the nickname of ‘Pretty Boy’ for the rest of his life. He was young, but when I looked into his eyes—he wasn’t young.
“Thanks for helping us,” I said again.
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Kevin nodded, glanced at Corrigan and Bryce, and murmured, “Mark said to
come and help, to do everything possible so that’s what I’m doing.”
“Mark?”
Corrigan
asked.
“Sorry.” Kevin rolled his eyes. “Hoodum. That’s what you guys call him.”
“What do you call him?” I asked, throatily.
“Brother.” Kevin smiled. “He’s my big brother.”
“So…you’re
not….”
“I’m not a part of Mark’s stupid gang. I go to MIT, actually. I’m post-secondary by, like, four years.” Kevin chuckled and shook his head. “I’m their secret. I help them out. They get me a nice car every now and then, some ‘nicer’ things like diamonds or…I don’t know—I get favors like protection if I ever need it.”
“That’s gotta be sweet.”
“It is, but the cops know about me. One of them, in particular, is on my rear all the time.”
“Which one?” Corrigan asked casually with an easy grin. “They’re not fans of mine either.”
“Officer Milon. He’s such a jerk. I swear, I think half the time he’s the one who breaks the laws and just tries to set us up. I’m surprised he’s not here to bust me. He’s that obsessive sometimes. I feel like I have a homing device implanted in my skin or something sometimes.”
I straightened and looked at Corrigan. “The same officer who was pretty adamant that you’re behind all of this,” I poked him.
Corrigan lifted an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and grunted his agreement.
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“No way,” Bryce shook his head. “No way.”
The same thought crossed all our minds.
Bryce continued, “He’s a cop. There is no way he would’ve set all of this up, just to…”
“He’s a vigilante cop,” Corrigan corrected him. “They can do pretty ‘grey-area’
stuff, Bryce. I’ve been arrested enough. I’ve met a few of ‘em.”
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Kevin added his two cents. “I mean, he might not have set it up, but…he probably didn’t share all his evidence either.”
“Are you for real?” Bryce snapped and glared at no one in particular. “This
is…this is a nightmare.”
“He could’ve been behind Sheila’s attack today,” Corrigan suggested.
It did make sense. Partners listened to partners. And partners could be coerced by partners.
“He was really nice to me when I met him,” I murmured.
“Yeah. He is. He’s great to the victims, pretend or real.”
“I don’t know, guys…” Bryce shook his head again and started to pace.
“It doesn’t hurt to go and ask, does it?” Corrigan ventured and held my gaze.
Kevin and Bryce looked at me too.
“They’re parked right across the road,” Corrigan added.
“I might have an address by then for this feed,” Kevin added.
“I think this is stupid. You can’t just go up to a dirty cop and ask them if they’re dirty,” Bryce cried out.
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“That’s exactly what you do,” Corrigan disagreed. “You don’t listen to what they say. You listen to how they act, what they don’t say. That’s how you know.”
“This is stupid!”
“No. This is the best lead we’ve got.”
“Guys.” I stood between them.
“You’re not going out there with Sheldon,” Bryce said firmly.
“What?” Corrigan asked, tensely. “You don’t trust her with me?”
Bryce froze in place.
I stood between the two, stiff as a board.
“Guys…” I murmured. This would not end well.
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“Are you insane? You can’t just accuse a cop of being dirty!”
“Why not?” Corrigan smirked. “They accuse me all the time.”
Bryce shouted, “You’re not a cop!”
“I protect my own law.” He glanced my way and smiled, “And I serve to protect those I love.”
I closed my eyes.
“This isn’t funny!” Bryce cried out, aggravated.
“Yeah…kinda…okay, not really, but…it’s not like…”
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Bryce pushed, firmly, “You’re all eager to jump on this bandwagon because you have serious issues with authority. You always have, Corrigan.”
“It
is
the anti-social quality in you,” I murmured softly.
Bryce dropped beside me and cried out, “I give up.”
“Fine. Let’s go.” Corrigan grinned and extended a hand.
Bryce slapped it away. “You can go, but she’s not.”
“Oh my god!” Corrigan cried, “I thought you surrendered.”
“On trying to get through your head, not on Sheldon going out there.”
“No! No. No. Are we twelve, fighting over a girl?” Corrigan laughed in disbelief.
“No,” Bryce said calmly. “She’s my girlfriend and she’s not going out there.”
I slapped both hands on my ears and cried out, “Don’t say that word!”
Bryce ignored me and said again, “The line’s drawn, Corrigan. Step over.”
Corrigan smirked in his best friend’s face and drawled, “So we’re playing who has more credibility? Are you serious? You’re pulling the boyfriend card?”
“Not that word either!” I shrieked.
“I guess I am,” Bryce said clearly.
“Fine. I’m her best friend.”
“So am I—and I’m the guy she’s in love with.”
“She loves me too,” Corrigan debated.
“Not in your bed.”
I slumped over and dropped my forehead on my knee.