Page 68 of Seducing Jenny
“Yes. Mal’s rescue was challenging.”
Drug her or something, Surge!
“Anyway, stress can make people exhibit minor personality changes, bring on headaches, all of that,” he said calmly. “So we can’t be too surprised that you’re a little out of it. You’ve gone through a lot of trauma in a short period of time. It can be unpredictable, to an extent.”
I cried out in my head,Don’t give up on me now, Surge, please! She’s not me! You have to know this!
“Then that must be all it is,” Grass agreed quickly. “Stress, lots of…stress.”
He glanced down at her, giving me the chance to see the perceptive look in his eyes. “But stress doesn’t make you hit on your boyfriend’s best friend, and it doesn’t make you eat things you hate,” he said, clearly calling her out on her inconsistent behavior. ThingsJennywouldneverdo.
“No?” Her voice wavered, just a touch.
“No,” he replied, and his eyes narrowed. “Whoever you are, you aren’t Jenny.”
My arm whipped out, and Grass slashed Surge’s throat with a scalpel before I even realized what was happening. As his blood sprayed on my face, she sneered, “You’re too smartandtoo stupid to stay alive, Surge.”
I stared in horror as Surge slumped to the floor, trying to scream for help, but unable to.
CHAPTER 20
Mal
“Do you think they’ll be gone long?” Sam asked, glancing toward the terrace doors.
As far as humans go, Sam was pretty and she did indeed look similar to Jenny. But I was not comfortable with her around. Not that I had anything against her—we had only just met. However, she was an outsider, and the rest of us were criminals with secrets to keep. There was no trust between us.
“Could be,” Tiger answered her. “Since she’s human, it will probably take Surge a while to examine her.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” She look between Tiger and I, hesitating a moment. “And the three of you, you’re together?”
I nodded. “For a while now, yes.”
Tiger placed his hand over mine on the table and gave me a sweet smile. “Feels like much longer, and I mean that in a good way.”
“You’re very cute together,” she said on a wistful sigh, like she wanted the same thing.
I hoped she did not want one of us. Or all of us, and quickly clarified our situation. “Yes, well, we are a closed loop. Just the three of us.”
“Sounds nice,” she said, and looked toward the door.
I followed her gaze, but no one was there. “Are you anxious about something, Sam?”
She smiled a bit sheepishly. “No. I just…no.”
“You’re waiting for someone,” Tiger said, watching her carefully. “Surge?”
Her cheeks flushed pink. “No,” she insisted, too adamantly.
“Oh. Okay.” Tiger let her off the hook with a kind smile, but clearly, the girl had a crush on the magician.
Done with breakfast and idle conversation, I leaned toward Tiger, sliding one of my hands up his hard, muscular thigh and putting my mouth near his ear so only he could hear me. “Any chance I can make use of the alone time afforded to us by Jenny’s absence?”
We’d been so exhausted by the past few days events, that last night we’d both fallen asleep the moment our heads hit the pillows. It had been too long since I’d enjoyed Tiger, and right now, I wanted him.
Tiger immediately stood. “Sam, we have some business to handle,” he said, almost too eagerly. “Come on, Mal.”
She smiled knowingly before she teased, “He’s a slave driver, isn’t he?”
