Page 4 of Shattered

Unfortunately, we—meaning the feds—had to confiscate what was left of the money Jett had been paid as evidence, but as far as I knew, Jade hadn’t picked up any additional shifts at the diner.

“Umm.” His eyes swept the room, looking anywhere except at me.

Dropping my voice down an octave, I mimicked the same tone my dad used when we were in trouble. “Jett? What’s going on?”

“Listen,” he swallowed roughly. “If she hasn’t told you about her other job, then it’s not my place to do it either.”

Bingo.

“Other job?”

“Shit. Forget I said anything, okay?” He quickly secured his laptop and scrambled out of the booth, slinging his worn-out navy-blue backpack over his left shoulder, then made a beeline for the front door.

“Whoa, hang on.” I trailed behind him, exiting onto the semi-crowded street. “Anything you say to me stays between us, kid.”

“Right,” he scoffed. His legs churned faster in an attempt to put more distance between us, but my stride was longer. “You’ll do whatever you can to get in her pants.”

Without thinking, I clamped a hand on his shoulder, jerking him to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk. He spun out of my grip and when he turned to face me, I locked down the anger at the harsh words he’d spewed to glimpse the vulnerable teenager standing before me, reminding myself he was hurting. Not in a physical way, rather the kind of hurt which festered deep inside, chipping away at your confidence until nothing was left except a host of insecurities.

Cocking my head to the side, I narrowed my eyes. “If you truly believe that bullshit you just laid at my feet, then I’ve been doing a shitty job getting you to see your worth.”

“Oh, I’m well aware of myworthto the FBI,” he scoffed, readjusting the backpack, which had started to slide down his arm.

“Christ.” Inhaling deeply, I blew out a ragged breath and prayed I didn’t completely fuck everything up as I switched tactics. “For someone who has a genius level IQ, you’re not being very smart.”

Jett stumbled back a step, his body jolting like he’d taken a shot to the gut. Not exactly the reaction I was going for, nevertheless, I’d use it to my advantage.

“I’m not stupid.” Even though he spoke through gritted teeth, his voice was quiet, barely discernible above the roar of the engine as a car passed by on the street.

“Never said you were, kid,” I countered.

“Theywere wrong.”

His eyes were unfocused; lost to whatever memory I’d unintentionally evoked. Cautiously, I took a step, closing the distance between us.

“Who, Jett?”

“My parents,” he offered, shaking his head. When he looked up, I knew he was back with me. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“They called you stupid.”

My statement hung in the air for what seemed like forever until he finally nodded.

“Among other things.”

Obviously, there was much more in their background than the parts I’d been privy to from casual conversation; a deeper, darker story I was determined to uncover without using the resources available to me at the FBI. No. I needed to earn it.

“Let’s get you home, otherwise, your sister will call Henley for reinforcements.”

We walked side by side toward my mint-condition, cherry-red 1967 Chevrolet Camaro. It was one of two vintage cars my dad bought at auction the year before he was killed. The other, a silver 1966 Ford Mustang GT, was in Riley’s possession. Besides keeping drugs off the streets, bringing old cars back from the brink of destruction had been his passion. After we lost him, my brother and I worked tirelessly to restore the vehicles to their former glory; keeping our father’s memory alive in the process.

“Sweet ride,” Jett muttered, sliding onto the black leather seat.

“Yeah, she is.”

The engine purred to life, the vibration of it coming through the steering wheel as I pulled out onto the street.

“I’m sorry.” My apology broke the silence a few minutes into our trip. He sighed, but otherwise didn’t respond, so I continued, “I shouldn’t have insinuated you were anythingother than the brilliant kid you are. But, Jett, you need to hear me clearly when I say, I’m not them.”

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