Red Leather (Book 2)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"So... you mean..."

"Yes." Jess's jaw tightened. Her grip on Nathan's knee tightened. Everything about her was now tense and rigid, completely different to her calmness just twenty minutes ago. "Aurora had played Alfred all along."

"Oh my goodness," I gasped, putting a hand to my mouth. My mind was running wild, but it was the kind of wildness that excited me. Aurora was prepared to kill her daughter in order to carry out her plans. She had manipulated Alfred Ericson to every twitch of his fingers, every thought in his head. And best of all, she had gotten away with it.

"They haven't given up, of course. People are still out there, trying to find her," Nathan added as if knowing my thoughts. I rested my wide gaze on him. The arm that I remembered to be so strong and masculine was wrapped around his girlfriend.

"How's... how's everyone? How did Jennifer and Robbie-"

"Recovering," Jessabel answered bluntly.

I wasn't used to feeling so many things at once. And if only Jessabel knew that I was in awe of her attackers rather than angry with them, then all of my planning would go to hell. Her eyes were still as sharp as ever, and they liked to stare at me particularly, like she was trying to decide something.

I didn't like that.

"You two are so brave," I gushed, looking dazed and every bit like the fan girl I made myself out to be. "I can't believe it – I mean, everyone else said that you were heroes. But hearing everything – what you did – Oh, Nathan, he was your father-"

"Nope. Not to me." He straightened up and blew air out of his mouth, seemingly relieved that the visit to the past was finished. Jessabel stood up from the couch, heading straight for the kitchen where her mother was baking. The air had a saddened tinge to it.

We were left to ourselves.

"You've had an earful now, Renee?" he asked rather sardonically, spreading himself across the sofa. I didn't show it, but my eyes greedily followed the length of his body, wondering if every part of him was just as long and graceful.

I bit my lip, hiding what I was feeling. Always hiding. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he shrugged. "You were curious, is all. You didn't commit murder or anything."

Oh, Nate. I bit my lip harder, now trying to hold back a smile.

"I had no idea that Jessabel was... you know..."

"A compulsive liar?"

"Yeah," I gave him an apologetic look.

"It's true. It's the reason why she was tangled up with the entire thing, anyway."

"Is she still – like that – now?"

"No," he shook his head, blue eyes turning soft and thoughtful. "I think the investigation must have driven the whole thing out of her. I'm glad."

"Why?" I asked, picking up on what he said immediately. It was a mirror of what Gwyneth had said the day I came here.

He scoffed. "Because who would want a liar for a girlfriend in the first place, right?" He meant it as a joke, and I was sure that liar or not, he still would have loved her to death. But Jessabel didn't seem to think it was a joke when she entered the living room, her face flushing and darkening.

Nathan sat up straight away. "Aww. You know I was just kidding, Angel-"

"You can walk home." With that, she grabbed her keys from the table and slammed the front door behind her. He flinched. I bit the inside of my cheek, not wanting to show my glee. Even when I wasn't trying, relationships fell apart at my feet. Though it would take a hell of a lot more than that to break up Jessabel and Nathan.