Page 56 of Brutal Kingdom

That rolled off her tongue way too quickly to be a meaningless phrase. What the hell is she up to? “Why not?”

“Oh, I just mean, she hasn’t released any of that information yet, so as long as we don’t come straight at her, we have nothing to worry about.”

Straight at her. The deal was not to come at her, period. “You trust her to keep her word?”

“On this, we have no choice. If she tries to double cross us, then her sister and mother get pulled into our little war. Jordanna’s a sucker for her family. She won’t risk it.”

Bella says the blackmail folder is no longer an issue, which I already knew, because Jordanna admitted the file was damaged, when I had her tied to the rack. But nobody but me should know that, unless Bella has something to do with its disappearance.

There’s a war between Bella and Jordanna going on alright. And I’m about to put myself smack dab in the middle of it.

TWENTY-THREE

LOGAN

Bella’s been uncharacteristically morose since I mentioned Jordanna’s interest in probate court. I’m giving her a few days to digest the news while I look into Jordanna’s claims. I’m heading to Garonet in the morning. If there’s something there to prove or disprove her story, I’ll find it.

The trees are changing colors with the first hint of fall. The girls on campus are still holding on to those last moments of warmth, wearing midriff shirts, tube tops, and barely there shorts. Jordanna crosses the grass in front of me, wearing ripped ankle length jeans, wedges and a pale pink knit sweater. Her pony tail, swings gently as she walks.

She walks up to the tree Rocco has claimed as his own. I’m too far away to hear what she’s saying, but whatever it is, he finds it amusing. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him do anything other than look pissed off at the whole world. He climbs to his feet, towering over her. Her head tilts back to look at him. Her hands move around the way they do when she’s excited about something.

She looks over her shoulder and frowns. I follow her gaze to see a guy walking their way. She and Rocco move from under the tree. As they start to move this way, the guy continues to approach.

Tabitha sounds happy when she says, “Bella’s gonna be pissed when she sees Rocco’s getting chummy with Jordanna.”

Bella will be pissed. I don’t like it either, but the enemy of my enemy and all that.

The guy they’re ignoring is speeding towards them. One of the guards creates a barrier between them, another snatches Jordanna behind him.

“Did you see that?” Tabby tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes wide as she turns her head to look at me.

“Yeah, I saw it.”

She chews on her thumbnail. “Okay, so riddle me this batman. Are they protecting her or him?”

That’s a good damn question.

* * *

I’ve got ten missed calls and messages from Bella when I get into my car to drive back to campus. My phone was off while I was at the Garonet town archives. I didn’t get a good look at the town, but I imagine Jordanna did, since she’s always talking about her mother’s love of antiques and old world charm. Geography isn’t my strong suit, but knowing where to look for information is. How did I not know that there was a place in New York that had records going back to the inception of our town?

The lady behind the desk mumbled something about twice in one year when I told her where I was from and what I was looking for. Not hard to guess that Jordanna was the first person.

How did she even find this place? I smile, thinking about the way her mind works. Her research skills are top-notch. She should be doing investigative journalism, instead of taking basic pictures. I let my pride get the better of me and refused to let her write to punish her.

I should probably retract that decision.Maybe.

I connect my phone to the car and call Bella. “Where the hell are you?” She asks as soon as she picks up.

So much for this being a pleasant conversation. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“So all the missed calls and messages are because you missed me and wanted to hear my voice?”

“In your dreams.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

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