JERICHO "Are you sure about this?" Odette shifted uncomfortably next to me. We were tucked at the back of a coffee shop across town from where I lived. It seemed like the safest place to meet and, considering the dim lighting in the booth we were seated in, I was certain no one would be paying us any attention. "It's the best option we have. I trust him completely. There's no need for you to worry," I reassured, weaving my fingers with Odette's and squeezing. Her gaze dipped to our joined hands on her lap and a frown weighed the corners of her lips down. I wondered if she could feel my thumb caressing the top of her hand, tracing the scarred flesh, or at least feel the slight pressure of me squeezing said hand in assurance. By the grimace twisting her features, I knew the answer to my questions. I forced myself to withdraw from her even though I didn't want to. If I attempted to comfort her in some other way right now, I knew I'd only make her feel worse. She was doing better, th
ODETTEI softly padded into Jericho's room to find him hunched over his desk, two arms folded under his head while snores left his parted lips. He only ever snored when he was exhausted, otherwise, he was a pretty silent sleeper which made sleeping next to him comfortable. I remembered when we were younger I'd sneak him into my room through the back door of my house so we could have sleepovers. My dad would have never permitted him to stay over because—as cool as he was—he was a very conservative man. It was why he wasn't so thrilled about having me stay here with Jericho when I first came home from the hospital after my accident. Until the age of thirteen, my aunt—my dad's youngest sister—would babysit me whenever my dad pulled all-nighters at work. When I turned fourteen, I somehow convinced my dad that I was able to take care of myself and that I didn't need a babysitter. He hated the thought of leaving me alone and it went against his moral code but he caved and allowed me to ga
ODETTE"Don't you look happy," Miranda crooned, leaning in to kiss my cheek before taking a seat beside me. Her sister, Tory, and Quinn slipped into the seats opposite, greeting me with a chorus of 'hey'. "Want to tell us what's got you smiling like that?" Quinn prodded as she rested her elbows on the table and perched her chin on her hands. She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively with a knowing smirk curving her lips upward. For a brief moment, I wondered if Jericho had called her and said anything but then I shook the thought away. I was usually the first person he called when he had news. If it wasn't me, then it was Ace. He was probably talking to Ace right now about the kiss we shared. I shook my head when I realized I hadn't answered Quinn and bit back my smile, "We aren't here to discuss me. We're here because you said you have something to tell us."Quinn shrugged a shoulder, "We're just waiting on Priyanka."I had only met Priyanka a handful of times but she seemed li
JERICHO"Did you find anything useful?" Gunnar asked as he leaned back in his chair behind his desk. He had requested for Ace and me to meet him in his office at Astor Architecture but he hadn't given us a reason as to why. I couldn't tell if something bothered him or if he had good news to share because my brother kept his face neutral, hiding what he truly felt behind an ironclad wall. It had anxiety assaulting my mind, causing the cogs to turn at double the usual pace. I loved my brothers but they were unaware of the stress they occasionally put me under. I tucked my fists into the pockets of my jeans and clenched them until pain shot up my arms from my nails digging into my palms, "I'm not sure if it's useful but I did find something in the book."Ace glanced over his shoulder from where he stood at the window—the view over the city from my brother's office was aesthetically pleasing but I doubted he ever had the time to properly appreciate it, "Care to share, cub? If you've for
JERICHOI swerved into my designated parking and was out of the car in the next breath. Ace hadn't explained what the rush was but I couldn't ignore the trepidation which sunk in my gut after Ace had disconnected the call. All he said was that the girls were in trouble at my apartment. No one even knew how the girls ended up at my apartment considering they were all meant to be out for lunch. My first thought was Odette. I was petrified that something had happened to her and she had no way of defending herself. The thought of her injured yet again—looking as battered and broken as she did on that hospital bed a few weeks ago—had my heart thrusting against my ribcage in heavy, hard drum beats. The organ pumped with the ferocity of a jackhammer, determined to break through the confinements of my ribcage and land at my feet. No matter how much I willed myself to calm down so I could start thinking rationally, the foreboding feeling only intensified the longer I was away from her, and di
ODETTEI placed a daisy on Slash's grave and used the back of my hand to dry the wet which had collected beneath my eyes. Jericho had buried him at home in the garden. A massive rock served as a headstone with Slash's name engraved. Each day without Slash felt incomplete. When he died, he left a gaping hole in our hearts. I knew Jericho took it badly. He would wake up in the mornings, forgetting Slash was no longer around, and call out for him. Sometimes I would catch him retrieving Slash's leash to take him out for a walk only to realize he could no longer do that. The look of anguish which hijacked his face each time made the whole situation so much worse. I hated seeing Jericho in so much pain. "We miss you so much," I whispered, peering over my shoulder toward the massive house which towered behind me, "I hope, wherever you are, you're still watching over him. No dog could ever replace you but maybe send him another to be his companion again. One that can take care of him as well
ODETTEI glared at the piece of paper before me with my molars clamped painfully shut. The pen I was using slipped through my tired, trembling fingers and landed with a clang on the wooden table. Physical therapy was going as well as it could be but the nerve damage on my hands was irreversible. No amount of physical therapy would be able to help my situation. I just needed to get used to it. The ugly scrawl of my handwriting only had hatred simmering in my gut. No matter how much I wanted to feel bad or guilty for what had happened to Parker, it was times like this I was grateful he was dead. He couldn't do to anyone else what he had done to me. "You're getting better," the nurse placed another sheet of paper in front of me—it was the first time I had attempted writing again since the accident, "there is a vast improvement between the two."I analyzed both sheets of paper, acknowledging how one was barely legible while the other resembled the work of a first grader. Neither was good
JERICHOMusic blared from the speakers which hung above our heads, buzzing in my ears like an incessant insect. There were a million other places I'd rather be right now—like behind a keyboard or decoding that book I had spent so many sleepless nights trying to understand. Anywhere but here would have been a better place. The club scene was never my thing. Rowdy crowds, sweaty bodies, and horny teens and young adults groping one another never once appealed to me. Maybe that was another reason Ace constantly worried about me and taunted me about getting laid. His body count was probably the length of a novel while mine could barely fill one page. I was no virgin the way he assumed I was, but I was picky with who I spent my time and slept with. The cool rim of the glass was a stark contrast to the heat of my lips. I tipped my head back and allowed the brandy I had been nursing since I arrived to slide down my throat—the sweet notes reminded me of Odette. Maybe that was why I ordered it