Текст книги "Stalked by Death"

Автор книги: Kelly Hashway

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

“You couldn’t have known. I wouldn’t have figured it out either if I hadn’t gone looking for Ethan. I only knew he wasn’t Ethan because Mason has a tattoo on his shoulder. He got it from Thayer. He was working out when I found him. I saw the tattoo and realized something was wrong. He confessed everything to me.”

“Why did he go along with it?”

“Because he’s got to keep Serpentarius open to keep making money. He had no idea Ethan was up to something. He thought he wanted to check things out without people knowing he was Chase’s father.”

“Now what? Do we confront Ethan and Chase? Do we kick them out?”

“We play along. We have to find out what they’re up to.” He sighed and took my hands in his. “I’m going back to the school. I’ll tell everyone I got over you and that I want to go back to training. Do my part to fight Hades.”

“Then we head back.”

“No. I don’t want you back there. Not after what you told me about Chase controlling you. You can stay at Serpentarius with Mason, the real Mason. He’ll keep quiet. All he cares about is money and his precious club.”

I looked at Alex, ready to risk everything for me, even after I’d put him through hell. I couldn’t let him do it. “I’m going back with you. If we have to play along to figure out what Chase is up to, then I’m our best shot. I’m the closest to him.”

Alex shook his head. “Absolutely not. I can’t watch him control you, Jodi. I’ll kill him. It will be hard enough not to tear him apart without you there.”

“I know, but I have to do this. We’ll go separately so Chase doesn’t suspect anything. You can drive me to the path, and I’ll walk back. You show up in the morning. That should be enough time apart to avoid suspicion.”

“I can’t let you do this. He could hurt you.”

“I don’t have a choice. I’m the Ophi leader. I have to do it.”

He knew he couldn’t change my mind. As much as we both hated it, I was going back to the school. I was going back to Chase.

Chapter 21

I leaned my head back on the seat. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. Alex was right here. My old life was right here. Yet both felt so far away. I couldn’t have what I wanted. I had to do the job I’d promised I’d do, and that meant facing Chase. Figuring out what his end game was and regaining control.

Alex brushed a tear from my cheek. I hadn’t even realized I was crying. “What are you going to say?”

He knew I was worried about seeing Chase again. I sighed and met his eyes. “That I freaked. That I didn’t like him controlling me. That if he really wants to work with me and wants my cooperation, he’s going to have to stop using his power against me.”

“You think that’ll work?”

“I have no idea.”

He shook his head. “I can’t let you go in there alone.”

“You have to. If you come with me, Chase will know we’re up to something. He’ll hurt me for sure.”

“Why don’t you let me go back first? I could beat the crap out of him, and you wouldn’t have to worry about seeing him again.”

If any other guy had said it, I would’ve laughed, but Alex was serious. “We should get this over with. The longer I’m gone, the madder he’s going to be.”

Alex grabbed me and hugged me tight. “I’m sorry I left you. Maybe I could’ve stopped this from happening.”

I knew that wasn’t true. Chase had already gotten to me before Alex left. If Alex had stayed, he would’ve witnessed everything, and he would’ve hated me for it.

I turned my face toward his and kissed him, thinking it might be our last kiss ever. I climbed over the console so I was in his lap, and I kissed him until my lungs screamed for air. I leaned back, making the horn give a short blare. We both jumped and laughed. We needed something to break the tension.

“I need you to understand that you’re going to see a lot of things you aren’t going to like.” I didn’t move from his lap. This was the only way to make sure I had his full attention. That he understood every word I was saying.

“Like him touching you?”

I nodded.

“Could you do me a favor and not play along too well?”

I fidgeted with the ring on my pinky. “That’s just the thing. It’s not an act, Alex. Chase changes me when I’m with him. My blood responds to his touch, and I can’t control it.” I lifted my eyes, forcing myself to be brutally honest. He had to know what he was in for. It was going to kill him to see me with Chase. To see me happy with Chase and craving his touch. “If he uses his blood to fill me with life, I’ll want to be with him. At least, my blood will. Inside I’ll know it’s wrong, but I’ll be powerless to stop it. The only thing that’s going to get me through this is you knowing that I love you, not him.”

“It’s really going to be bad, isn’t it?”

This was killing me. I didn’t know how to make him feel better, so I went for the one thing that never failed. I kissed him. We stayed in the car for an hour, not wanting our time together to end. As much as I didn’t want to, eventually I pulled myself away from him. If I didn’t go now, I never would. I slid back into my seat and sighed.

Alex started the engine without a word. There was nothing to say. Nothing to make this any easier. He drove me back to the trail and most of the way to the school so I didn’t have to walk too far. I looked at him through tear-soaked eyes.

“Wish me luck,” I said.

“I love you.” He pulled my face to his for one last kiss, and then I walked away without looking back. Losing Alex the first time was awful. The thought of losing him again was unbearable. Why was emotional pain so much stronger than physical pain? When I reached the school, I wasn’t crying anymore. I was ready to face Chase. Sort of.

I walked up the back steps. It was dark and I figured everyone was probably getting ready for bed, but I heard voices out in the cemetery. I crept around the school and saw candles. A circle of them outside the mausoleum. The cemetery lights weren’t at full strength yet. They took forever to really light up the place. Replacing them was on my list of things to do, but I’d kept pushing it back, not thinking it was that important.

As I got closer, I realized the candles were held by people, all sitting on the ground. They must have been having a memorial for Lucas and Randy. I figured it was best to approach Chase when everyone else was around. Between the element of surprise and having to keep his feelings in check for the sake of the group, I’d be better off. Of course, I had been hoping to get a good night’s sleep and talk to him at breakfast, but my mom always told me it was better to face your problems sooner rather than later. I was about to find out if that was true.

I started down the hill as the lights gained more strength. Then I saw the corpses. They were lined up against the mausoleum. Every single one of them. I ran the rest of the way.

“What are you doing?” I yelled. “You can’t raise the entire graveyard. I don’t care if this is a memorial. Hades is going to flip!”

Chase smiled at me. Not an “I’m-so-happy-you’re-back” smile. A sinister “I-can’t-wait-to-get-a-hold-of-you” smile. “Jodi, right on time.” He stood up and walked toward me.

“What do you mean? How could you know I was coming back?” How far did our connection go?

“How did I know? Well, when all the bodies in the cemetery suddenly came out of the ground at the same time, I figured that was your way of letting me know you were on your way.”

I looked past him at the corpses. They immediately turned toward me, recognizing the one who’d raised them. I did this? It must have happened when I was kissing Alex. I thought I was happy to see him and sad to have to let him go again. My emotions were definitely conflicted, and they’d caused my blood to announce my return in true Ophi fashion—a massive raising.

“Personally, I like it.” Chase kissed my cheek. “It’s good to see you giving in to your powers.”

He thought I’d done it on purpose, and he was taking this as a good sign. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing, after all, if it got Chase off my back.

“We should send them back before Hades shows up. I thought you would’ve done that already,” I added, hoping it would cover up my previous outburst about the bodies being here.

“You’re right. Why don’t we do it together? I’ve been itching to mix our blood again.” He ran his hand down my arm, sending my blood into a frenzy. I wanted to throw my arms around him and pull him close, absorb all his power, but I had to stay in control. For Alex.

“I’m kind of drained. Can you just give me enough to release these guys all at once?”

“You got it.” He took my hand, and a tingling slowly crept up my arm. I hated that I loved the feeling.

I forced myself to focus on the corpses. “I release—” Chase squeezed my hand, sending a shot of concentrated poison to me. I winced in pain. Apparently all wasn’t forgiven.

“Jodi, I don’t feel like digging all those graves this late at night,” Chase said. “Have the corpses bury themselves before you release them.”

The searing pain subsided, and I struggled to stay on my feet. If I crumbled or appeared weak at all, the rest of the Ophi were going to question my abilities. They had no idea Chase was the one weakening me. Maybe Tony would figure it out after our talk, but I didn’t want him to lash out at Chase and ruin the plan Alex and I had come up with.

I tried to command the souls, but I was too weak now. “Please,” I said to Chase. Damn it! I hated that I needed his help.

He let his power flow to me. I turned back to the corpses. “Return to your graves; once you’re there, you may release your souls to where you were before I raised you.”

I expected the souls to return to the graves they’d dug themselves out of, but instead, they all went in different directions with their shovels. “What are they doing?” Leticia asked.

“Returning to their original graves,” Tony said. He looked at me. “Watch your wording. Now we don’t have them all together anymore.”

I was okay with that. I hated not even knowing the names of the souls I was raising. It felt wrong to treat the souls as nameless beings.

“Jodi and I will train together a little harder tomorrow to make sure no more slip-ups like this happen.” Chase put his arm around me, and I cringed, expecting to feel his poisoned blood enter my body. It didn’t. “Won’t we, Jodi?”

I nodded. “I think I need to go to bed. I’m really tired. It’s been a long day.”

Mason—well, Ethan pretending to be Mason—stood up. “It’s been a long day here, too. You would’ve known that if you hadn’t run away.”

He was angry with me, too. That wasn’t good. I couldn’t let him take the others and leave.

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Chase squeezed my shoulder. “Uncle Mason, I’m sure Jodi would be happy to take over the service.”

“Take over the service?” I looked around at the group in confusion.

“We just started,” Carol said. “We wanted to be able to say goodbye to Lucas.”

“And Randy,” Leticia added. “We never got to have a service for him. He deserves one.”

I knew Alex would want to say goodbye to Randy too, but I couldn’t postpone the service for him. I wasn’t supposed to know about Alex coming tomorrow. “Of course,” I said. “I’d be happy to say a few words.”

The service was pretty much a blur. I rambled on about Randy, and thankfully, when it was time to talk about Lucas, McKenzie asked to speak, so I didn’t have to say much. By the end of it, all the corpses were back in their graves, as I’d commanded them earlier. They released all around the same time, and I watched the souls float away. It would’ve been beautiful if I wasn’t at a funeral and Chase wasn’t hovering no more than two feet away. He stayed in arm’s reach. That way, he could easily control me if necessary, I was sure. I hated him. I hated that he could hurt me so much one minute and make me want his touch the next. He was evil, and he was making me evil.

Chase walked me up to my room after everyone said goodnight. He kissed me at my door, but this time he didn’t use his power on me, and I cringed. He wasn’t Alex, and I resented having to put on this charade. “Want me to come in for a little while?” He tapped his finger on my door, and I struggled not to show my disgust.

“No. I’m really tired. I want to go to sleep.”

“You left me, Jodi.” He raised his hand to my face, letting it hover there. I knew his next touch would be filled with the burning poison of his blood.

“I’m sorry. Chase, please. This is why I left. You can’t keep doing this to me. You can’t keep controlling me. It’s not right.”

“I’m only showing you what your blood wants.” His hand came closer to my face.

I closed my eyes and turned my head away. “No, you’re hurting me.”

“You think taking off didn’t hurt me?”

I looked at him, surprised he hadn’t used his power on me. We both knew he could.

“Alex never had to make you love him.”

“Are you saying you want me to love you?”

“You don’t have to love me, but choosing to be with me without me having to use my power on you would be a nice change.”

“I can’t choose you if you don’t give me the chance. You’re forcing me to feel things.” My mind spun with ways to work Chase’s insecurity into my plan. “I bet you didn’t know I really didn’t like Alex when I first met him. He scared me.”

Chase raised an eyebrow. “You expect me to believe that?”

“It’s true. He was so wrapped up in doing his job—getting me to come here because that’s what his parents told him to do. He followed me around and tried to make me listen to him. I only started to have feelings for him after he backed off.”

“So, you’re saying that if I back off, let you decide how you feel on your own, there’s a chance you’ll actually choose to be with me?” He stepped closer to me, but not in a threatening way.

“I’m not promising anything, Chase, but we do have a lot of combined power. I can’t say I’m not drawn to that. Maybe we could work well together and even be together like—”

“Like you and Alex were?”

Why did he have to make it so hard to lie to him? He and I could never be like Alex and I were—and hopefully would be again. But if I said that, I’d be right back where I was before. I nodded, unable to say the words out loud.

Chase laughed, but then his hand came slamming down on the door next to my head, making me flinch. “Come on, Jodi. How stupid do you think I am? You’re still in love with Alex. I can tell. You have no intention of falling for me. Not unless I make you. It looks like that’s exactly what I’m going to have to do.”

I tried to duck under his arm, but he grabbed me. The second his skin touched mine, I felt his power. It wasn’t poison like I’d been expecting. It was the energy I craved from him. He wasn’t trying to hurt me—at least not physically. Before I gave in to the power, I saw Jared and Lexi at the top of the stairs. Chase must have heard them coming, and now he was using his power to make it look like he and I were caught making out in the hallway. His lips were on mine in seconds, and without being able to stop myself, my arms were around his neck.

“Damn, Chase,” Lexi said, “I thought you had better taste.”

“Whatever, Lexi,” Jared said. “Way to go, man!” Jared must have thought Chase and I were making up.

They went to their rooms, and when both doors closed, Chase pulled away. “Why can’t you let us be this way all the time?”

I could’ve given him a slew of answers. He was evil. He was a manipulative prick. I wasn’t his little plaything. But the simplest answer, and the one I definitely couldn’t say, was he wasn’t Alex.

“Goodnight, Chase.” I reached for the knob, but he stopped me, taking my hand in his. His touch made my blood ripple under my skin.

“You sure you’re ready to say goodnight?” He moved in closer, and I almost gave in. Almost. But I saw Leticia’s door closing. She’d been watching us. I twisted the doorknob with my other hand and ducked into my room, locking the door behind me. I leaned against the door and relaxed my breathing. I pictured Alex’s face in my mind. He’d be here tomorrow. I could make it until then. Of course, having Alex here was only going to make all this harder on me. I was going to have to guard myself against Chase. I needed to block him, stop him from taking over my blood. I exhaled slowly, regaining control. My blood wasn’t surging anymore. I’d resisted the urge to give in to Chase. All thanks to Leticia. I hoped she’d seen everything. The way my mood changed so quickly. The way Chase looked like he wanted to kill me one minute, and make out with me the next. I hoped Leticia would figure it out. She wasn’t the most skilled Ophi, but she was smart.

Please, Leticia. I needed more people on my side. Before Chase took over my blood, and there was nothing left of me.

Chapter 22

Morning couldn’t come soon enough. I ran to the window and pushed back the curtains. The little girl in me had been hoping I’d catch a glimpse of Alex hiding in the woods, waiting to come rescue me. Life would be so much easier if those fairy tales they tell you as a kid were actually true. But in this scenario, I was the powerful one who was supposed to save the day. I’d saved Alex before. I didn’t mind being powerful. I loved it. But just once, it would’ve been nice to pretend I was a princess about to be saved by her prince.

“Jodi?” Arianna called from the other side of the door. “Are you awake?”

I went to the door and opened it a crack. I wanted to see if she was alone or if Chase had tricked her into getting me up so he could get his claws on me first thing.

She was alone.

“Yeah, come on in, Arianna.” I shut the door behind her and locked it again, which got me a wrinkled brow from Arianna.

“Trying to avoid someone?”

She was good. She knew I was having boy issues. “Kind of.”

“Sweetheart, listen to me. I know you’re still crazy about Alex, so why are you hanging all over Chase?”

My God, is that what it looked like to everyone else? He was chasing after me. Forcing me to be with him. Torturing me. But it came off as me hanging all over him?

“I’m not. I don’t like Chase like that. He’s—” If I told Arianna the truth, would she believe me? I still didn’t know if Leticia knew what was really happening. Maybe she saw the incident in the hall last night as me throwing myself at Chase. Ugh, the thought sickened me.

“Honey, you are torn. One minute you’re holding onto Chase for dear life, and the next you’re taking off. Don’t you see you’re clinging to Chase because Alex isn’t here?”

I wish. If things were that simple, they’d be fixed in a matter of hours, maybe minutes, when Alex showed up.

“Ari, things with Chase are very complicated. It’s hard to explain.”

“I can see that. Why are you hiding from him now?”

“I’m not hiding.” I opened my arms wide. “I’m in my room. It’s the first place he’d look. I’m just not ready to face him yet today.”

“Did you two have a fight?”

“You could say that.”

“Was it about Alex?”

“Somewhat.” I knew that she knew more than she was saying. “Did Leticia come to you? Did she say anything about last night?”

“No. I was in the library yesterday, and I checked the Internet log. Alex was logged in during lessons, and so were you. I’m wondering how that was possible. He’s not hiding out in the woodwork or anything, is he? Because my heart can’t take surprises like that.”

“No.” I couldn’t help smiling. I wished Alex had been hiding out here all this time. “I logged in under Alex’s name. I was trying to find out where he went.”

“Did you?”

I hated that I couldn’t completely trust Arianna, but giving away anything about yesterday was too risky. “Not really. Arianna, please don’t tell Chase about this.”

“Chase was under the impression you left before lessons.”

“I know.” I had a feeling Tony had mentioned finding me in the library and hiding me from Chase. It looked like Arianna and I were both tiptoeing around information we didn’t want the other to know.

She reached for my hand. “I know I’m not your mother, Jodi, but you can talk to me. If Chase does anything to you that scares you or makes you uncomfortable, you can tell me.”

Everything Chase did scared me and made me uncomfortable. “Thanks,” I said.

She looked like she wanted to say more, and I couldn’t help wondering about Abby and Lexi’s father. Had he been abusive? Arianna had already told me he was evil. Was she trying to reach out to me because she’d been in my shoes? She exhaled a shaky breath. “Sometimes even the strongest Ophi needs a little help. All you have to do is ask.”

That was all I needed to hear. I didn’t know Abby and Lexi’s father, but in that moment, I hated him. He’d hurt Arianna. She turned to leave. “Ari.” She looked over her shoulder at me. “You’re the best second mother I could’ve asked for. Abby and Lexi have no idea how lucky they are.”

I meant it. Even though I had to hide things from her, I still loved that she was willing to do anything for me—and the others. She was an amazing mother to all of us.

“That means a lot.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she left.

I got dressed and ready for breakfast. Every time I heard a noise in the hall, I expected Chase to come knocking at my door. He’d left almost too easily last night. I was sure he wasn’t happy with me slipping away like I had, and I was even more sure he was going to make me pay for it.

Finally, the knock came at my door. It had to be him. I slipped into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I couldn’t remember if I’d locked my bedroom door after Arianna left. I waited a few seconds before peeking out the bathroom door that led to the hallway. Chase wasn’t there. That meant he was probably in my room and the bathroom would be his next stop. I slipped out, running into Lexi.

“What’s your hurry?” She brushed off her pants as if I had dirtied them by bumping into her.

“Sorry.” I didn’t have time to get into it with Lexi. Besides, any commotion would draw Chase’s attention to the hallway. I ran past Lexi and down the stairs. I went straight to the dining room where everyone else would be. Safety in numbers. Leticia was already sitting down, and so was McKenzie. I slipped into the seat next to Leticia. Randy’s old seat. It felt weird to sit there, and everyone looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“I thought a little different scenery would be nice,” I said.

Arianna met my eyes and smiled. “I agree. I think I’ll sit by you, Jodi.” She put the coffee on the table and sat. I was safely wedged between two Ophi who might have seen a small glimpse of the person Chase really was. I struck up a conversation with Arianna and dug into the Belgian waffles she’d made. I barely noticed Lexi and Jared come in.

“Hey, what’s up with the seating arrangements?” Jared asked.

“I thought we should mix things up. Get to know different people a little better.”

“Then, why are you sitting by two people you’ve known for months?” Lexi had an evil smirk on her face.

Before I could answer, Chase walked in. He looked at my empty seat before his gaze traveled across the table to me. “Did I miss musical chairs?”

“I talked to Jodi this morning about mixing things up.” Arianna came to my defense. “She thought we should sit by different people at each meal. That way we can really get to know each other. We were falling into a rut with the old seating.”

“Hmm,” Chase said. “Well, actually I had just changed my seat.”

Yeah, he’d taken Alex’s seat to make sure he was by me.

“Well, then you don’t mind changing it again.” Arianna smiled. I squeezed her hand under the table.

Chase sat down in Arianna’s usual seat, and I did my best to avoid his eyes for the rest of the meal. I kept glancing at the door, expecting Alex to walk in at any minute.

“Expecting someone, Jodi?” Mason asked.

“Huh?” I nearly dropped my orange juice in my lap.

“You keep looking at the door. Were you expecting someone else for breakfast?”

“Yeah, like a few corpses?” Lexi said. “You didn’t raise the cemetery again, did you?”

“No, I—I was thinking about visiting Medusa before training this morning. That’s all.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Mason said. “Most Ophi only connect with Medusa once, when they first come to the school. You seem to do it on a regular basis.”

“Well, my powers are a little different than other Ophi’s. I have a more direct connection to Medusa, so it seems only natural.” I struggled to keep my tone friendly, but that was tough considering I knew the man calling himself Mason was really Chase’s father.

He stared at me, contemplating my explanation. “Well then, why don’t you take Lexi, Jared, and McKenzie to the statue before training, too? They haven’t been formally introduced.”

I nodded. I’d completely forgotten that they had never connected with Medusa. I couldn’t help smiling, remembering the first time I’d connected with the statue. “Great idea, Mason. I will.” I looked up to see Chase was still eating. Now was the perfect time.

I stood up. “Well, it’s almost time to start training, so McKenzie, Jared, and Lexi, come with me. I’ll introduce you to the most amazing Gorgon you’ll ever meet.”

“Now?” Chase practically choked on his waffle.

“Why not?”

“I’m still eating, and so is Leticia.”

“That’s fine. You two have already met Medusa.” I smiled at him, pretending everything was perfectly normal. “Come on.” I waved the others along.

McKenzie came up alongside me. “Chase doesn’t like to let you out of his sight, does he?” She said it like it was a good thing. Sometimes I wondered if it was nice being so naïve.

“Really?” I shrugged, pretending not to have noticed.

“It’s cute how you two can’t keep away from each other.”

Had everyone missed the part where I took off yesterday to get away from Chase? It was like he had them all brainwashed. Well, almost all of them. I couldn’t help noticing Tony keeping a close eye on Chase during breakfast, and Arianna definitely had my back.

I got to the statue and stood next to it. “This is Medusa. Or her spirit anyway. Every Ophi who has come to this school has held hands with Medusa. One hand at a time.”

“Why only one at a time?” McKenzie asked. “I heard you hold both of the statue’s hands.”

I looked at Lexi, who was staring at the statue. I hadn’t even realized this might be hard for her. Medusa had killed Abby for taking both her hands and trying to prove she was as powerful as I am.

“I’m the only Ophi who’s held both her hands and lived.” I made sure sympathy came across in my voice.

“Abby isn’t dead,” Lexi said.

“Not anymore.” I matched the venom in Lexi’s tone.

“Abby died?” Jared asked.

“She held both the statue’s hands, and it killed her. I used Medusa’s power to bring her back.”

Jared started laughing. “Lexi, your bitchy sister got herself fried by a statue and then rescued by the one Ophi she hated.”

“It’s not funny, Jared.” Lexi smacked his shoulder.

“She’s right, Jared. It isn’t funny.” I looked at each of them. “None of you should try it. Medusa didn’t want me to bring Abby back. She said Abby had disrespected her and me. I’m one of Medusa’s descendents. Her blood is in my veins.”

“Her blood is in all our veins,” Lexi sneered.

“Not as much.” Why did I feel like she was going to repeat her sister’s mistake? “Listen, Lexi, I’m trying to protect you.”

“Whatever,” she said. “Get on with the show.”

“Can I go first?” Jared asked.

“Sure.” I motioned for him to face the statue. “Take her right hand first. You’ll feel her life-restoring power rush through you. It’s incredible. Like you’re flying on a cloud and nothing can stop you.”

He reached for Medusa’s hand and smiled. “Awesome.”

“I know.” Once he’d had enough, I had him switch hands. “Don’t get freaked out. It’s going to feel like snakes crawling all over you.”

“I like snakes,” Jared said.

We went through the others the same way. They all got to feel Medusa’s power. I was really glad Mason—really Ethan—had suggested it, because by the time they were finished, they were all in good moods. Even Lexi.

“Great, let’s go train,” I said.

“Yes, let’s.” Chase came up behind me and draped his arm around my shoulders. “We need to talk,” he whispered in my ear. “Now.”

“We have to go train. We can talk later.” Even though Chase was whispering, I was talking slightly louder than normal, making sure everyone could hear us. I was tired of looking like the lovesick girl who couldn’t get enough of Chase.

Chase didn’t object, not verbally at least. He let his poisoned blood travel through his arm and into me. I crumpled to the floor, my blood like fire.

“Jodi?” McKenzie bent down to me.

“What did you do to her?” Leticia looked at Chase.

Maybe Leticia had figured it out. Maybe I’d get enough help between Leticia, Arianna, Tony, and Alex to get Chase to leave me alone.

“I didn’t do anything. She fell.”

“You don’t seem all that concerned either,” Leticia said.

“It’s Jodi we’re talking about. If blood’s not pouring from her eyes, she’s fine.”

“Is that supposed to be a joke?” We all turned to see Alex in the doorway.

I fought the urge to smile at him. Chase looked back and forth between Alex and me, but I pretended not to notice.

“Alex, you’re back.” I tried to sound surprised. “What changed your mind?”

“Nothing. I realized this is my home. I should be here.”

“I agree.” I kept my voice steady.

“It doesn’t mean what you’re thinking, Jodi.” Alex adjusted his duffle bag on his shoulder. “We’re still done.” I wasn’t sure where he was pulling these acting skills from, but he was convincing.

I got up from the floor. The effects of Chase’s touch had worn off. “Why don’t the rest of you go out to the cemetery? I’d like to talk to Alex for a minute.”

Everyone headed out. Everyone except Chase. I gave him a questioning look.

“What, you thought I was going to leave you two to patch things up?” Chase walked back over to me. Alex moved like he was going to stop him, but he pulled back. He wasn’t supposed to defend me. He was supposed to be angry with me for having feelings for Chase. “Something you wanted to say, Alex?”

“Yeah.” Alex crossed his arms, probably to keep from punching Chase in the face. “I don’t like you. I get that you’re with Jodi now. I can’t change that, but I don’t have to like it. Or you.”

“Good. That’s the way I’d prefer it.” Chase stepped between Alex and me. “Because you were right about Jodi and me being together. We make a better pair than you two ever did. We have more power. More chemistry.” Chase turned around to face me. Oh God, he was going to show off to Alex. I backed away.