Delicious - Page 25

My face must give something away, because his gaze softens. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he promises, raising his empty hands in surrender. “Jed wouldn’t have let me in here if I was going to hurt you, okay?” He glances between us, and Jed dips a quick, jerky nod at his words.

But I don’t understand what in the world he means by that. Why would Jed let him in or not, depending on if Wren was going to hurt me? But I don’t question it. Not out loud, at least. I’m not sure I want the answer. Instead, I tap my fingers along the plastic of the water bottle; being careful not to smoosh it in my clammy grip.

“You want to hear what happened that night from me?” I clarify, lounging against the sofa’s supportive back. I want to make sure I understand him right and determine if he’s making fun of me.

Wren dips a nod, taking a swig of water. “Please? I want to figure out how I can help you the best…without Jed getting sent to jail,” he admits ruefully, almost as an afterthought. “So, if you could help me understand everything that’s happened, I’d appreciate it.”

When I start, it’s by telling him about the job. About why I’d been in the preserve in the first place. My words are unsure, but thankfully grow in confidence as I explain the first time I saw Jed and the other man. I try to leave out the stupid things, like how afraid I’d been and how I thought Jed was going to do the same to me. I also try not to paint Jed in the worst light possible, though it’s impossible to miss when he buries his face in his hands and sighs heavily as I explain about him drugging me.

Well, I don’t exactly know how to soften that part of it. But at least I leave out him licking blood off of my skin, which feels too personal for Wren to really get to hear.

By the time I’m done, while leaving out the licking, the kissing, and the way some of his words and actions make me feel, Wren’s water is empty and he’s twisting the bottle in his hands, looking thoughtful.

“Wow,” he says at last, when silence has enveloped the cabin for at least thirty seconds. “Wow.You know, I thought Virgil and Sloane were bad. But this?” He tilts his head in my direction, eyeing up Jed. “This takes the cake. You know that, right?”

Jed doesn’t answer. He’s too busy staring at his water bottle like it might put him out of his misery. But at this point, I find it impossible to keep my mouth shut, so I ask, “Who’s Sloane? And Virgil?”

That gets their attention, though in two different ways. Jed looks guilty, and a little bit nervous. Wren looks…thoughtful.

“Virgil is one of our best friends,” Wren explains. “He’s actually the one who brought that body out here the other day. He killed the guy spur of the moment, after what he saw himdo.” His eyes are locked on mine as he speaks, and his water bottle crunches between his fingers softly. “You know that much, right? That we’re killers? Some of us aren’t as discerning as others, I suppose. But we don’t just go around killing people for fun. Your friend at the marsh deserved it. That guy in the shed?Definitelydeserved it after what he did to a little boy, I promise.”

He sits back in his chair, like he’s trying to choose his words carefully before he goes on. “Virgil is one of our best friends, like I said. Way less fun than me, but still more talkative than him.” He gestures with the bottle at Jed. “Not that it’s difficult to talk more than our darling chef here.”

Chef? It makes sense, and my gaze slides to Jed’s face at the word. Is that his day job, then? The one he said he’d taken a break from?

“Sloane is Virgil’s girlfriend,” Wren goes on, explaining that part as well. “They met, uh, in a special way.”

“Fiancee as of a week ago,” Jed corrects quietly. “And don’t sit there pretending you didn’t meet Hazel in aspecialway.” His glare is baleful when he turns it on Wren. “I’m not the only one who goes about things poorly.”

“I keep forgetting he proposed. Can’t believe she said yes.” Wren sighs, dipping his head in agreement.

“Can’t believe you haven’t,” Jed quips under his breath. “Or do you just wear a collar with a bell for Hazel to clip a leash onto when you get home?”

“Don’t be shitty.” Wren bares his teeth in a sudden predator’s snarl. “I’m not the one who kidnapped a girl who doesn’t trust him and went about this all wrong.”

“I don’t know what else to do!” Jed jumps to his feet, upset for the first time since I’ve met him. It’s enough to freeze me in place, though I can’t take my eyes off of him as he chucks the bottle into the sink and rakes his fingers through his hair, forcing it to stand on end. “If I hadn’t, we’d all be in jail. I’m goodat cleanup, but not that good.” His voice is a low, agitated growl. Not a yell like I’d been expecting.

And he doesn’t seem…mad exactly. Just exasperated and at the end of his rope.

“IknowI went about this all wrong. Iknowshe’s never going to like me, okay? But I had to figure out what to do in that moment and she was going tocall the police. I’m sorry.” He looks at me, and for the first time I see the tumultuous whirl of emotion on his face. “I’msorry.I didn’t know I’d meet you there. Saylor, I didn’t know what to do, but I had to kill him before he left and hurt someone else. I know you’ll never want to see me again. I’m just hoping I can—Wrencan—convince you not to go to the police.”

“Whatever you want,” Wren agrees. “Money or an excuse. A job if you want. I can get you?—”

“I don’t need that.” I don’t know why, but the words make my throat burn like I’m about to vomit up more bile. Still, I shake my head and cross my arms over my chest. “Okay, yeah, I don’t have a lot of money, but…” I look away from Wren, back to Jed. “I thoughtyouwere going to convince me not to tell.”

It shouldn’t have come out like a challenge. Then again, it shouldn’t have come out at all.

But now that the words are out, like so many others I can’t keep bottled up, I can’t take them back. My fingers curl, crinkling the bottle loudly. “I just mean…” God, there’s no way to fix what I’ve said. Especially when I see the wicked grin cross Wren’s face.

“No, I get what you mean,” he assures me, his chair scraping on the laminate floor as he gets to his feet. “Trust me.” He flicks a look to Jed, who, in my opinion, looks like he’s been hit with a thousand volts and just hasn’t fallen over yet. “Maybe I was wrong to, uh, floor it all the way up here, huh?” There’s something in his face I can’t read as he looks me over, likewhat I’ve said is some divine announcement. “Just…” He looks between us with a frown. “Let her go soon, okay? Don’t keep her here for too long, Jed. And when things are better?” He sounds a little iffy on that one. “Bring her to dinner.”

Before my brain can process any of that, Wren saunters out the door, leaving both of us in the open area of the cabin only a few feet apart.

Finally Jed takes a breath. Then another one. He comes toward me and reaches out a hand for the bottle I hadn’t realized was empty, before tossing it into the sink without walking away from me. “Did you mean it?” he asks, his voice soft enough that I barely hear him. “What you said?”

“Which part?” I ask in response, my own voice a hoarse croak.

“He really would give you anything you want,” Jed goes on like he hadn’t heard me and I’d given him some kind of an answer. “He has money and connections. He’s friends with the CEO at GreenCo?—”