Briar
Ifinish my cigarette before I can force myself to watch the last video. As it is, I almost decide against it. Marcus’s actual depiction of a crime scene didn’t give me any fucking clues — what would another fake interview with my dead ex-girlfriend help? But it’s not as if I have anywhere to go. Any other leads to follow. I could scour the entire town of Lavish and not find him in time before he—
Thumping my hand on the table hard enough to rattle the ashtray, I let out a long breath and stab the spacebar.
A shaky camera focuses on Jessica’s sleek hair. She turns her head, and grins wide at whoever’s holding the camera.
“What’s up, princess?” Marcus asks.
Jessica’s eyes go wide in surprise, and then she slaps playfully at him. “Don’t call me that.”
“Why not?”
She tilts her head, lips pursing. “’Cos you know Briar will catch a fit if he hears you.”
“Why? I’m just protecting you from scavengers,” Marcus says. The camera phone zooms in on Jessica’s face. “Shouldn’t have left such a fine specimen by herself.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’re the scavenger, Marcus.” She’s jostled to the side as a pair of arms encircle her, each hand holding a red Solo cup. My face comes into view, eyes glassy and unfocused, hair a mess.
Christ, I’m drunk as fuck.
I give Marcus a lopsided smile and lift a cup for Jessica to take. Her eyes narrow at Marcus as if in warning, and then she spins in my arms and kisses me. Beer sloshes out the cups, but I don’t even seem to notice.
The longer the kiss goes on, the emptier both cups get, but then a bottle of vodka appears in the camera’s view. Marcus pours a few solid glugs into one of the cups — the one I’d been about to hand to Jess before she kissed me.
The bottle disappears. “Drink up, guys!”
I come out of my kiss wearing a wide, sloppy smile.
I was so happy. I can see it in my own face watching this now, and my heart squeezes before I can push away that unexpected swell of emotion.
Jessica peeks at Marcus over her shoulder. “He’s had enough,” she says, and then snatches the red cup from my hand as I’m bringing it to my mouth.
“It’s his birthday, Jess,” Dylan says as he appears in the shot wearing his white baseball cap and slings an arm over my shoulder.
“Yeah, Jess,” Marcus parrots. “It’s his fucking birthday.”
Jess scowls at Dylan, and then her gaze returns to Marcus as she drains what’s left of my cup. She staggers a little and then takes a few gulps from her own.
She’s just as drunk as I am — perhaps even more — but how couldn’t she have tasted the vodka in her cup? It must have been strong as fuck. Jess never liked hard liquor. Beer was always her first choice, then wine. But she’s throwing back her drink like it’s watered-down beer.
“I hope you’re gonna put out for my buddy tonight,” Marcus says, handing a lit cigarette to me. Smoke briefly obscures the video. “Seeing it’s his birthday and all.”
Jessica’s mouth drops open as she turns to me. “You told him?”
My grin widens.
Christ. I’m so far gone, I don’t even realize how much shit I’m getting into.
Marcus lets out a low chuckle and reaches for Jessica’s shoulder. She shrugs him off immediately, throwing him another heated glare.
“Ssstop it,” Jessica slurs.
“Think your girl’s a bit fucked,” Marcus says. The shot focuses on Jessica’s face, and she swats him away as she twists her mouth in disgust.
The camera jolts and noise stutters through the laptop’s speakers. I hurriedly lower the volume, glancing over my shoulder at the closed door behind me. It’s ridiculous to feel paranoid in an empty house, but I can’t help it.
Thisis the video Addy sent me. It’s much higher quality, but there’s no mistaking where this was taken.