by Lily White
Apparently not.
He inched forward to further intimidate Jonah, but Jonah didn’t react. Like…at all. He merely stood his ground, his eyes barely blinking as he held Soren’s stare.
The two of them were about the same height. But where Soren was beefed up from what work he did in prison, Jonah had a slender build, not so much that he was scrawny. I would have guessed him to be athletic, having more of a runner’s build than that of a linebacker.
Either Jonah was used to serial killer psychopaths - which made Soren about as scary as a rabid hamster - or he was relying heavily on his ability to quickly pull a gun.
I backed up another step just in case there was a need of ducking flying bullets.
“Soren Callahan.”
Damn, even I got chills with the way he said that name.
“I have you on the list of people to interview, but I was certain you would be more patient than this. Apparently you’re all too eager to clear your name. Makes me wonder.”
Every student in the parking lot had gone silent around us, their phones held out while they snapped photos of the great Soren Callahan staring down a federal agent.
This would make him even more of a legend.
I rolled my eyes and moved to lean against a wall.
“I have nothing to hide,” Soren said with his cocky, self-assured grin. “You can interview me right now.”
Jonah smiled in return and - holy shit - if looks could kill I just died a hundred times over. Kendall wasn’t wrong. Jonah was tall, dark and hella sexy, but not in the typical bad boy way of the Winter Ridge kids.
No, he was the type that could hold a knife to your throat and somehow make you like it.
Soren wasn’t terrified of Jonah’s expression, but I was.
“Then you’ll have to wait your turn.” Stepping forward enough to force Soren back, Jonah won this round by simply not giving a fuck.
“I’ll get to you when I’m ready. Until then, you can wait in the background while I gather what evidence I need to pin your ass down in the conference room. Understood?”
It was like they’d both just pulled their dicks out to compare, and where Jonah had a fat one that was a good nine inches, Soren was working with something more akin to an earthworm.
Covering my mouth, I attempted to hide my laugh.
It didn’t work, and when the sound bounced off the domed overhang above us, Soren’s head snapped my direction, his eyes locking to my face.
“You ready to go, Sis?”
Fuck, I was in trouble. The way he said that last word was like a razor dragging down my skin.
“Miss Reid. If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak with you privately. If Mr. Callahan doesn’t mind waiting, we can discuss matters here, or I can take you to the police station and escort you home when we finish.”
My gaze drifted between the two men: tall dark, and scary next to tall, rich and holy fuck.
Decisions. Decisions.
In the end I chose to go with Jonah because it would be nice to piss off Soren after his forced chauffeur services, but also because I wanted to talk to Jonah about what could be done to find Nolan.
Soren glared down at me almost daring me to make the wrong choice.
I made it.
“I’ll go with you to the station, Mr. Vaughan.”
The blank expression that took over Soren’s face was all the warning I needed that we’d just skipped past the friendly games we’d been playing and leveled up to an all out war.
War would have to wait, however. Soren was smart enough not to manhandle me in front of a federal agent.
Tugging the strap of my bag up my shoulder, I inched around the guy who looked about three seconds away from strangling me to follow the one openly carrying a gun.
Nobody ever said life in Winter Ridge was all beautiful roses and fluffy kittens, but the line had just been altered to make this town as sketchy as it was picturesque.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Olive
“Do I have to sit in the back?”
Jonah glanced at me as we reached his car, a black four door SUV with tinted windows that looked typical for what a federal agent would drive.
“No. You’re not under arrest.”
Hitting the key fob, he unlocked the door, opening the front passenger side for me to climb in. Once I was settled and pulling on my seatbelt, he closed the door gently and rounded the front to climb in the driver’s side.
The engine started with a soft purr, heat blasting my face from the air vents as he buckled his own seatbelt and put the car in drive.
The vehicle was filled with all sorts of buttons and switches I didn’t recognize, and the matte black shotgun that hadn’t caught my eye when I first stepped in was now giving me pause.
Assuming this was standard for those in law enforcement, I politely tucked my hands in my lap afraid to touch anything.
At the front of the parking lot, Soren raced through the entrance at what I assumed was Mach Ten.
“Does he always drive like that?” Jonah tilted his chin in the direction of the Porsche.
A quiet chuckle shook my shoulders. “Actually, that’s slow for him.”
When Jonah’s eyes snapped my direction, I shrugged.
“Welcome to Winter Ridge, Mr. Vaughan. Kids around here can afford to drive like that because, if they wreck, their parents will just replace the cars.”
He nodded his head, and pulled up to the entrance at a sensible speed that made me relax in my seat.
“It’ll take us ten minutes to reach the station. We can stop for something if you like. A soda or whatever. The only drinks they have where we’re going are coffee and tap water.”
“Wow. The city couldn’t spring for bottled water? Didn’t know we were so cheap. Sounds pretty crappy considering those cops are protecting million dollar properties.”
Jonah grinned and I liked it when his expression wasn’t so serious.
“There’s a convenience store down that way if you want to take a detour. A Coke sounds good.”
Nodding, he turned down a two-lane side street and focused his attention on the road.
Sitting in awkward silence wasn’t helping my nervous mood, so I filled it with the first thing on my mind.
“I’m worried about my brother. It’s not like him to blow off work. We need every dime we can get, and between his job and mine, we barely keep the power on in the house.”
Jonah’s fingers drummed against the steering wheel. “Detective Nichols told me your brother was supporting you after your parents died.”
Not surprised that he knew more about me than I knew about him - he was FBI after all - it still stung a bit to have a practical stranger bring up the cruel details of my life.
Beside us, a wall of trees passed in a blur, the foliage a burst of color against the monotony of grey skies.
“Nolan’s not a dangerous person, Mr. Vaughan. He’s not really like Soren and the rest of them. He just goes along with their stupid stuff because Soren was his first friend when we moved to Winter Ridge.”
He didn’t answer.
“You need to make the next left if you want to find the store. It’s about two miles down on your right.”
Our conversation drew to a stand still, but I could imagine the wheels that were turning in his head as he came up with possible motives for my brother’s involvement in Teagan’s death.
Nervousness choked me and I shut up.
We made it down the road about a mile when, after taking a large curve, a scene opened up before us that forced the breath from my lungs.
Cop cars lined the road, their lights flashing red and blue. Along the right, yellow police tape blocked off a service entrance into the woods, and an officer stood to the side directing the few cars that were ahead of us.
Jonah’s focus snapped to attention, his hand tightening over the wheel as he pulled to the shoulder of the road and stopped.
My heart was beating in my throat. O
h, God, is it Nolan?
“Stay in the car.” Flipping a couple buttons, he turned on the flashing lights, the color of them shining on some nearby trees. “I’ll be right back.”
Jonah stepped out of the car and walked up the shoulder of the road, the lights from above flickering against his black knee length trench coat that flew out at the sides with every step of his powerful stride. I couldn’t help but feel safe being anywhere near his presence.
It was a weird thought to have, especially without knowing what was going on beyond that yellow tape, but maybe I was trying to think of anything else other than worrying it could be my brother.
I watched with anxious breath as Jonah spoke to the uniformed officer. After a few minutes, he nodded his head and turned to look back at me.
My stomach shriveled and flipped, bile coating my esophagus with the threat of spewing from my throat.
No.
Not after losing my mom and dad.
Not after my world had already been turned upside down, leaving me floating in the uncertain waters of a snow globe that had been shaken too much.
I wouldn’t accept that something had happened to him. But I couldn’t stop thinking that it was almost guaranteed something had. Only because that’s how my life rolled.
Nobody had seen or heard from Nolan in three days. That alone was a pretty blatant clue that something was horribly wrong.
The interior of the car spun around me, but I kept my eyes focused straight ahead.
Jonah walked toward the car, his face tight with whatever information he would tell me.
I couldn’t hold my question long enough for him to fully open his door.
“It’s my brother, isn’t it? Is he dead? Please tell me he isn’t dead. I can’t lose him. I -“
Stilling in place, Jonah’s grey eyes held mine.
“It’s not your bother, Miss Reid. You have nothing to worry about.”
He was lying. I don’t know how I knew. It wasn’t like his features had changed from the blank expression or that his tone of voice didn’t carry the usual careful professionalism. There was something else that tipped me off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“How do you know?”
Indecision flooded his steel gaze. It felt like forever before he spoke.
“I just do.”
Relief was battling it out with suspicion in my head. One throwing punches because Nolan wasn’t dead and the other throwing them back because something else was happening that this man didn’t want me to know.
Sinking into my seat, I dropped my head into my hands and exhaled. The SUV shook beneath me as Jonah climbed in.
“Unfortunately, we’ll need to postpone our conversation. I’ll take you home now so I can return here and assist.”
Home to Soren, I thought.
The thought occurred to me as I squeezed my eyes shut and questioned my poor decision-making.
I kept my eyes closed until we pulled up to my driveway, my thoughts racing about all the ways Soren devised to punish me for not accepting his ride home.
It was going to happen regardless, I knew that, but I was hoping a few hours reprieve with Mr. FBI would make Soren think twice about ruining my life. But fifteen minutes? That wouldn’t be enough to scare some sense into him.
If he actually had a reason to be scared, that is. Or if he had any sense at all to speak of.
The car stopped and I began to gather my things, resigned to the fact that I was going to be tortured as soon as I walked through the doors to my home.
A deep voice broke into my panicked thoughts.
“Does anybody besides your brother drive a motorcycle?”
Wrenching my neck, I looked up to find Nolan’s bike parked behind my car.
The lights from Heaven could have shown down from the clouds and it wouldn’t have been brighter than the sparkle of the custom paint job on Nolan’s bike.
I was saved - maybe.
The jury was still out on how far my brother would go to protect me, but at least his presence would make Soren think twice about the worst of the punishments he could unleash.
My hand grasped at the handle to open the door, but no matter how hard I pulled, it wouldn’t open. I was desperate to get out, desperate to run inside and find Nolan safe and sound.
“It sticks. Let me help.”
When Jonah leaned over me, I didn’t mean to breathe him in. But my lungs tugged at the air regardless, the rich scent of his cologne lingering in my nostrils until I melted into the seat, every nerve coming to life when his shoulder brushed mine.
The door popped open and I was stuck between begging to stay in the car and rushing away to find my brother.
His face was so close. Too close. And I studied the smoothness of his skin, the angle of a strong jaw where a muscle jumped when his eyes shifted to mine.
Throat working to swallow, Jonah shook his head and returned to his seat.
“It sucks that the US government is so cheap. It’s pretty crappy that they can’t spring for a mechanic to fix that door while we’re busy protecting a multi-billion dollar country.”
A bark of laughter burst from my lips. Mr. Creepy-as-fuck-could-probably-kill-me-with-his-bare-hands-FBI guy was making a joke by tossing my words back to me.
Who knew evil minions could be funny?
“Maybe we should write strongly worded emails to both the city of Winter Ridge and the US Government with our complaints.”
He grinned, and damn if the expression didn’t look amazing on him.
Despite my reluctance, I clutched my hand over the strap of my bag and moved to climb down from the SUV, but Jonah reached out to wrap his fingers over my shoulder, sending a wave of dizziness crashing through my head.
“Is Soren bothering you at home, Miss Reid? Is he doing anything that frightens you?” He glanced down at my wrists, his lips thinning when he found I was wearing long sleeves. The expression didn’t make sense to me.
Surprised by the question, I wasn’t sure how to answer.
“Olive,” I finally said, not knowing what else to say. “Just call me Olive.”
“That doesn’t answer my question...Olive.”
Twisting in my seat, I bit my bottom lip when his stare cut through me. How he couldn’t just extract the information from my head I wasn’t sure. This man didn’t miss a thing.
“Everything is fine at home-“
“He appeared to be ordering you around at the school. His demeanor was threatening.”
What could I say? It wasn’t like I could spill all my problems into this man’s lap because, in the end, I wasn’t sure there was enough of an issue for him to help me.
Soren was a rich boy bully, but that didn’t make him a criminal. Not unless he really did have something to do with Teagan’s death.
“Everything’s fine.”
Inclining his head, Jonah was silent as I climbed down from the car. But before I shut the door, I turned to him again.
“My shift at the diner tonight starts at five. If you’d like to reschedule our conversation to then, that’s where you can find me.”
Seconds passed in silence and then, “I’ll see you tonight.”
His SUV pulled away after I shut the door and I walked up to the house, pausing before walking inside. From the porch, I could hear the loud thump of music and a chorus of male laughter that accompanied it.
The last thing I needed right now was to deal with a bunch of rowdy, most likely high as kites, boys. But I had nowhere else to go to get away from them.
The thought crossed my mind to call Shea or Kendall, but now that they were pledges I wasn’t sure being around them would be any better.
Glancing left, I noticed the Porsche wasn’t in the driveway, so that was a bonus. At least, Soren wasn’t around to make my life hell at the moment.
But what I had missed when relief filled me to see my brother’s bike, was another car parked among my ratty Ford, Quinton’s glitzy Escalade and Nolan’s pr
ecious Ducati:
A cerulean blue Lexus, custom painted and glistening despite the cloudy sky.
It was Kendall’s graduation present from her parents, one she’d complained about because the blue wasn’t exactly what she wanted. I’d hated her for that complaint.
At least she had parents who could buy her a Lexus for her graduation.
Three things I didn’t have. And the only thing the spoiled brat could do was bitch because the paint color was a hair off from what she’d demanded.
But I wouldn’t let that bother me at the moment because what good would it do to bring up old shit?
My besties were here. Most likely waiting for me in my room. And for the first time since Soren came back to town, I felt like maybe the world was righting itself again. That, maybe, I wasn’t doomed to spend the rest of my senior year miserable.
After opening the door and walking into the shit storm that awaited me, I realized I couldn’t have been more wrong.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jonah
She’s in high school, I remind myself. A practical baby when you compared her experience of this world to mine.
Olive hadn’t lived enough to know what it meant to stare into the void and have the darkness stare back at you. She didn’t understand just how insidious the monsters in this world could be. She had no clue what it felt like to walk away from the scene of a slaughter and point a gun at the man who had taken the lives of an entire family.
Driving back to the scene of a new crime, and preparing to help identify the body left displayed, I felt disgusted for having allowed myself to feel even a speck of attraction for a girl that was far too young to recognize the monster that also lived inside me.
“If they’re not a criminal, they’re a cop...”
My father had rammed those words down my throat every chance he got when I first decided to follow in his footsteps and go into law enforcement. I’d pointed out what he was saying about himself to make the statement, but his only answer was a brutal glare followed by the accusation that I wasn’t right in the head.
I’d carried those words with me as I fought my way through high school, graduated early, gone to college and then left for the east coast to train with the FBI. Part of my choice to go federal had been to escape my old man.