Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
My face feels like it’s on fire and from the smirk on his face, it must be bright red.
He takes a step toward me, and I take one back right into the mirror. Jet reaches out a hand and brushes a lock of hair behind my ear then leans his face closer to mine. My heart races. I realize what he’s doing and feel my face go even redder when he straightens, eyes darker.
I don’t need him to say it to know what he smells.
Sex.
Cassian.
Cassian on me. Cassian all over me. It’s exactly what Cassian wanted. Did he know Jet would approach me? Why didn’t he send Enzo down with me? Because surely the soldiers out there can hear us. Surely Elenora can. Where is Elenora?
“I smell him all over you,” he says.
“Why are you here?” I ask, my throat dry, my voice hollow.
Jet’s eyes narrow as my heart races. He steps backward, reaches into his pocket and takes something out.
“I came as a favor to my new friend, actually.”
I’m not sure what he’s talking about, but he opens his hand and inside I see my phone. For a minute I don’t believe what it is. I think maybe I’m mistaken, but he touches the screen, and the wallpaper of Amal, Daniel and I confirms it’s mine.
“Where did you get that?” I ask, reaching to snatch it from him.
He pulls it out of reach. “Someone gave it to me. Actually, she asked me to give it to you.”
“Amal?” I ask, knowing there can only be one person, but how?
“Right on the first try.”
“What game are you playing?” I ask, hearing his words because my brain is slow to process. I came as a favor to my new friend.
“No game. She’s a tough one, Amal.”
I spring, fisting handfuls of his shirt, furious. He laughs. He just laughs, grabbing hold of my arms as if I could hurt him. As if I could ever actually hurt him.
“What the hell did you do to her? What the—”
“Whoa, whoa. Relax. I didn’t do a thing. She came to me.”
“No way. I don’t believe you.”
“Well, it’s true.” He shrugs his shoulders, and I drop my arms, step back.
“What do you mean she came to you?”
“I mean she showed up at the club.”
“Amal showed up at your club?”
“She’s resourceful,” he says with a grin I don’t understand. “She cut class and took an Uber.”
“An Uber?” I know I sound like a parrot.
“Wildcard, that one. She said you didn’t take the phone with you because you knew Cassian would search you and likely take it.”
I reach out and take my phone from him. This time, he lets me.
“Oh.” He reaches into his pocket once more for the charger. I take that too.
“She’s not your friend,” I tell him.
He just shrugs a shoulder.
“Why did she bring it to you of all people? And why would you give it to me and not Cassian?”
“Do you prefer I did that? I can, of course.” He reaches as if he’ll take the phone back.
“No! I just don’t understand.”
“I thought you and I were friends, Allegra.”
“I think you’re playing a game, Jet.”
“You’re not very trusting, are you? Well, no matter.” Again, he shrugs. “Nothing to understand,” he picks up on my comment. “Amal came to the club. She asked for Severin or me and she’s lucky I heard who she was before my brother did. He’d have tossed the phone out with the trash.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
He shrugs a shoulder. “I’m curious how things will play out, I suppose. Also, she’s cute. Young but—”
“She’s seventeen! You stay away from her.” I find I’m leaning into his face, his shirt bunched in one fist. “She’s not a part of this.”
“Well, with Malek Lombardi for a father, I’m pretty sure she’s in it up to her eyeballs,” he says with a casual chuckle as he peels my fingers off. “I took the liberty of adding my number to your contacts list.”
I unlock my phone and sure enough, there’s Jet’s contact. Amal knew my password to unlock it, so I guess she did that for him. I look up at him. “Is this some sort of trick? A test or something?”
“You are very suspicious. Can’t someone just do something nice for you? Haven’t I done that for you twice now?”
I study him, try to read him, but it’s impossible. “You and Cassian, are you his friend or his enemy?”
“That’s exactly the question I keep asking myself. What about you?”
That makes me pause because what about me?
As if on cue, the curtain opens just a little, just enough for one of Cassian’s soldiers to peek his head in and give Jet some sort of signal. Jet nods and the curtain drops. So, are they double crossing Cassian? Or did Cassian set this up to test me? No. Why would he? To test my loyalty? It could be, but I don’t think he’d do that.