Page 48 of Claimed
The front-desk clerk was more confused about what had just happened than I was.
“Who’s subject one?” I asked Jasper. There was a fifty-fifty chance he would answer.
“We’re ready to follow,” he said to the clerk.
The girl looked at me then at him and said, “This way.”
She came from around the counter. The way she walked reminded me a lot of the girl at the grocery store the previous morning. She was trying to show off for Jasper’s eyes. I didn’tknow why, but neither girl’s actions had made me jealous, perhaps because I understood where they were coming from. Jasper was at the top of the food chain. I had never been that brash when seeking a man’s attention, but heck, I gave the girls kudos for trying. All they wanted was a little acknowledgment from the demigod that was Jasper Christmas. But just like the girl from the grocery store, theclerk hadn’t gotten a grain of what she was seeking—not even with her tight, skinny pants and swinging hips.
She stopped at a closed door and turned to wiggle her eyebrows at Jasper. “They’re in here.”
He nodded firmly. “Thank you.”
It must have been instinct that caused her to take two steps back as he walked briskly in her direction. Once again, I disappeared from her universeas her gaze stayed on him.
Jasper opened the door. “What the fuck is going on?” he barked.
There were lights, cameras, and all the people operating both, along with Bryn and Katie sitting at a table across from a woman dressed in a navy-blue suit. Dale and a guy who I supposed was Zach were standing by, watching. My curious gaze landed on the small woman with deep pockmarks on herface, her eyes red and dead even though she was a living human being. She was so underweight that it seemed that with one blow, her bones would break. She had a hacking cough, and her front teeth were either missing or rotted. I had to stare at her for longer than usual to find the resemblance to her children. But it was Beth McConnell. Her name was embroidered on the right side of her blousy maid’sshirt, which she wore with ill-fitting polyester pants.
“Speak of the devil,” Bryn said, narrowing her eyes at her brother.
Jasper bared his teeth. “Whatever you’re doing, stop.”
Bryn shook her head. “It’s too late, big brother. It’s a done deal. We were live.”
