Page 49 of Vengeance & Sin

Yeah, he hates her so much.

* * *

We checkthe whole main floor and upstairs before heading out the back door to the garage and out to the grounds since we still haven’t found her. We checked in Zander’s room just to be sure, but he was passed out, alone in his bed. I’m not sure why but I was relieved to see that, though I don’t voice it out loud.

When we reach the door to the garage, I stop before I open it as I’m hit by an idea of where she might be. I turn and head over to the door to the basement. Spencer doesn’t question me, and just follows me down the stairs.

I can hear the sound of someone beating on something even before we reach the door, and I have no doubt it's her. Nobody else would be down here right now.

We make it to the door, and my eyes land on her where she stands in the middle of the mats, throwing punch after punch at the BOB she’s positioned there with her.

As soon as I see her, I stop dead. Spencer is so close behind me that he almost plows into me but stops just in time.

There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s Jade because, first of all, nobody else has access to the house, let alone another female. Secondly, the way she moves is every bit the weapon we saw the other night.

But if I didn’t know better, I would think it wasn’t.

Her long blonde hair isn’t blonde anymore. Instead, it’s a deep brown, near-black color that fades into a rich green. It’s pulled up into a high ponytail but would be impossible to miss.

That’s not the only thing that’s different. The last time she was down here, she wore simple clothes that were loose but practical. This time she stands in the center of the mats with tight workout shorts that are so short they might actually be underwear and a sports bra. Her hands are wrapped up to avoid injury.

Her moves are precise and quick as a whip and try as I might, I can't make myself look away. The lack of movement behind me lets me know that Spencer is just as stuck as I am. I’m not sure how long we stand there before she stops and grabs her water, but the second she looks over at us, I feel like a creep. Of all the people that don’t need someone ogling her, Jade is probably number one on the list. And while I was watching primarily because of her skills, the only way someone wouldn’t notice how good she looks is if they were dead.

If she thought it was weird that we were watching her, she doesn’t show it. Instead, she downs some of her water before she wipes her face and heads towards us where we still stand in the doorway. I move over to let her through but still can’t pull my eyes away from her, even though I'm very aware I should.

When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she stops and looks back at us.

“Next time, you could join me instead of watching. I could always use some actual practice.” She says before she heads up the stairs again, not waiting on a response, which is good because I don’t have one.

Spencer scoffs behind me, and I take it he won't be offering, which is not surprising.

“Or don’t. If watching is more your style, that's cool too.” She yells back to us without stopping before she disappears out of sight. She must have heard Spencer, and I can’t stop the slight rise of my lips as I look over at him and see his face. He looks dumbfounded. I guess he wasn’t ready for her to push back.

“Fuck off.” Spencer growls at me before he shoves me and heads up the stairs now that Jade is gone. His reaction only makes this whole thing even funnier, and I can’t help the chortle that passes my lips as his face turns red with embarrassment.

“Yeah, laugh it up. Asshole.” He yells back, but the words lack any real heat, and I follow behind him as I shake my head at him.

Jade’s going to be a problem. I knew that from the moment she showed up. So the question here is, can we handle this because we are failing miserably so far. And failing isn’t something that's tolerated, either Jade is going to take us out, or Froggie will if we don’t get our shit together.

“Let’s go wake up, Zan. I need to talk to both of you before we head to the party tonight.” I tell him as I follow after him.

* * *

Spence,Zan, and I wait in the kitchen for Jade to come down so we can head out to the party. Zan is bouncing around like a kid waiting to open his presents on Christmas, and Spence looks like someone just kicked his puppy. But neither are arguing anymore, so I count that as a win.

Earlier, I told them that Kratos is allowing Jade to go to college with us if she should so choose. Zan was ecstatic by the idea. Spence was not. He suggested we don’t even tell her and act like she decided not to. Too bad I had already told my mother, and knowing her, she’s probably already told, Jade.

He backed his reasoning with facts. She’ll be harder to watch on campus. We don’t know who took her or why. She has no prior education, which could push her in a way that’s not healthy after just getting out of the lifestyle she’s known all her life. All of this is valid, and while I agree, I still think it’s a choice only she should be allowed to make. At the end of the day, none of us are dumb enough to go against Froggie.

Zan took every reason as a personal attack, though, because he knows how Spence thinks, and while it all made sense, he thinks Spencer's reason is that he dislikes Jade, which is also true. Hence them fighting for the remainder of the day.

Just before we had to get ready for the party, I let them both know that this shit had to stop. I explained that we would fail this mission at this rate and shut them both up. We have worked too hard to get this far, to fail over something that should be an easy task. They both begrudgingly agreed to let Jade choose for herself without trying to sway her one way or the other. After that, we will see what our next course of action needs to be.

Just thinking about them arguing gives me a headache, and I pinch the bridge of my nose as I lean against the counter.

There has to be an easier way to handle this. I just need to figure out what it is.

I’m pulled from my thoughts when I hear someone take in a sharp breath.

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