Page 50 of Distorted Obsession

“Why?” he inquires, but I ignore his question.

“Come on… come on,” I mumble. “Don’t disappoint me.”

My brother follows my gaze to their retreating forms. “What are you grumbling?—”

“Yes,” I huff when Eva cranes her neck to look back at us. Then I turn to my brother. “She’s ours, Coop.”

Scrunching his brows in confusion, he states, “You got all that from her looking back?”

“Yes. Now, who the fuck is Jade Mallory, and how much of a pain in the ass will she be?” I retort, annoyed that we’ve put off investigating her background more.

Cooper whips out his phone as we head back toward our condo. “It’s not just Jade,” he huffs. “I have a feeling all of Eva’s friends here present a risk to our plans. Especially that fucker in her art class.”

“Markus—stupid Ken doll-looking asshat.” I hiss. “He’s not the problem.Jadeis.” I stop talking until we pass the campus police officer, and the ambulance finally pulls away with Portia’s body.

“It’s unfortunate the bitch died before we could question her,” Cooper mutters. “Anaphylaxis beat us to the kill.”

I pause at the reminder of her death. “Did anyone else report symptoms?”

“A few students, but their reactions weren’t as severe.”

I call bullshit.

“Add her death to the list of shit we need more information on,” I instruct. “It’s just too fucking convenient for a nut-free dorm to mysteriously end up with nuts, and specifically in her room.”

“Done. Now let’s hurry the fuck up and get back to the condo so we can get Teagan and Lev in on some of this shit.”

“Jade Katherine Mallory. Nineteen—she started school late because her parents wanted to travel. She’s five?—”

Interrupting Teagan, I state, “We got the initial stuff.”

“If you would like towaitand let me finish, I’ll share what else I found,” she retorts, scowling at me.

What is it with all the goddamn scowling today?

Lev snickers, “You should know better than to interrupt.”

And now it’s my turn to scowl—why not join the party?

Clearing her throat, Teagan continues. “Her father, Sylvester Mallory, is fifty-three and an investment banker who made a large share of their family’s wealth during the 2008 recession from subprime loans.”

I sneer at the information. Predatory bankers who offer loans to people they know cannot afford them are some of society’s scummiest people.

“Strike one,” I mutter before Teagan begins again.

“Bambi Mallory is a former Miss Nebraska, which catapulted her into a modeling career for ten years. She’s also appeared in some B-list movies but is primarily a kept woman, spending most of her time doing charity work.”

A picture of Jade’s parents sits on the screen—she’s a blend of both of them. Jade has her father’s eyes and platinum-blond hair while having her mother’s button nose and slight but tall frame.

“Is there anything suspicious?” Cooper asks.

Teagan’s eyes narrow to slits. “If one of you asshats interrupts me again, I’m going to leave Loki with you for the weekend.”

“You wouldn’t,” my brother argues.

That damn cat has a drug problem—as in any time he hears you open a bottle of medication, he comes charging into the room and tries to knock it out of your hands, or he’ll try to lick the cover. I’ve never seen anything like it.

“Try me,” she challenges, crossing her arms.

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