Eden High Series 2 Book 5 Read online

  Eden High Series 2 Book 5

  Jordan Silver

  Contents

  1. Mandy

  2. Jared

  3. Jace

  4. Track

  5. Jace

  6. Sian

  7. Shayne

  8. Track

  9. Jace

  1

  Mandy

  I didn’t have to debase myself after all. Just a quick check at the hospital showed that no one I knew had been admitted, which meant Jace was safe. Too bad the bitch didn’t get caught in the blaze. Still, this was perfect.

  At the rate this idiot is going she’d get rid of herself with no help from me. Knowing Jace’s parents and how protective they are of him, there’s no way they’re going to let him stay with someone like her, someone who’s always being attacked.

  All I have to do is figure out a way to use this to my advantage. It would help if I knew who else was after her, maybe we could work together.

  And I’d have to find a way to approach Jace’s mom to put that little nibble in her ear. That last thought was depressing since I’d never been able to get her to warm up to me.

  Come to think of it, his parents were probably the only people in our little close knit town that didn’t seem to believe my act. I guess I’ll just have to work harder. I’m sure if I put my mind to it I can win them over as easily as the country bumpkin has.

  Just thinking about her makes the blood curdle in my veins. I was sure I’d be rid of her by now. Sure that she was just a passing phase for Jace but she was proving to be more resilient than I gave her credit for.

  Was Jace with her now, comforting her? Maybe I’ve been going about this all wrong. So far every little thing just seems to send him running to her side, and I’m sure she’s just eating it up.

  I need to go see for myself since Kelly didn’t give me much. Maybe the twit hadn’t been burnt severely but there’s still a chance that she’s been damaged in some way.

  That thought lifted my spirits the tiniest bit as I got up from my reclining position. I sneered at the other occupants of the room who had been no help at all since my return from the hospital.

  In fact the reason I’d called them here was to remind them who’s the boss, but this new development had changed things.

  “I’m tired, I need you all to leave.” I can always destroy Liz’s cushy little life tomorrow, this was more important.

  They looked at me skeptically but none of them dared question me as they headed for the door. I waited until the coast was clear and snuck out of the house without being detected.

  I’ve been doing this so long I’ve become an expert. It wasn’t a long drive to her neighborhood, and this wasn’t the first time I’d driven by there in the last few months.

  Sometimes I’d find myself coming here and just sitting, staring at the house, wondering which room was hers, and how easy it would be to get to her.

  I can’t believe after all this time I’m still dealing with someone like her. I thought for sure Jace would’ve come to his senses by now and realized what a huge mistake he’d made by letting me go.

  I’m sure if it wasn’t for her he’d have come back to me by now. That’s just the kind of person he is. He probably didn’t want to hurt her feelings by dumping her so soon.

  Yes, that made sense. He was probably tired of her already but found it hard to leave because of the attack, hmm. I looked towards her house where people were gathered on the driveway.

  I made out Jace right away and his stupid friends. Is that his mother? Who’s that she’s hugging? My hands tightened on the steering wheel as Mrs. Sanders’ body shifted and I saw the blonde head resting on her shoulder.

  I felt tears gather in my eyes and wiped them away swiftly away as I watched not only Jace, but also his parents huddle over that bitch as if she was something special.

  I watched from the shadows as Jace took her from his mother and touched her face gently before putting her into the back of his father’s car.

  I couldn’t see his face clearly but I could imagine the look he gave her and it hurt. Why does he look at her that way, when all he does is sneer at me?

  I remember in the beginning, his smile, the way it made me feel. How special I felt when he’d put his arm around me. Thinking that I’d never have that again was almost too much to bear.

  I wanted to cry out from the pain but bit my lip instead and forced myself not to cry. I glared through the tinted window at where she sat in the back of his dad’s car.

  I’ve hated before, people, things, but I’ve never known such hate as what I felt for her. I pulled my hands from my head when I realized that I was pulling my hair in frustration as my chest heaved with pent up anger.

  I saw her friends being ushered into the car by his dad and felt the pain like a dagger in my chest. Anger made me grip the steering wheel harder as it pushed the pain away and replaced it with resolve.

  They’d rejected me, one of their own and here they were accepting that little nobody. No doubt it was her innocent little girl act that had won them over.

  But she’s not fooling me. I’m sure she had some tricks up her sleeve to get Jace to put that rock on her finger so soon after meeting her.

  Did they even look into her, who she really is? Or had they just fell for her cutesy little routine like everyone else?

  How could they so readily accept her, when they’d turned their noses up at me? I’m prettier than she is. My family has lived her longer than hers, and have been a part of their set for longer. So why?

  I remember the one time I’d overheard Jace’s mom’s true feelings about me. The time she’d told her son she didn’t approve of me, that there was something about me she didn’t like.

  I’d thought for sure that he’d break up with me then. But he hadn’t, he’d still kept coming around and I knew that like everyone else with a dick, I had him under my spell.

  But it wasn’t long after that he’d called things off without an explanation. I could’ve blamed his mother, but somehow I knew that it wasn’t her doing. Jace had proven to be his own man, to have his own mind.

  He’d still seen me even after she made her comments after all. So something happened, and even now I still have no idea what that something could be. I refuse to accept that it was anything I’d done. I was too careful.

  Maybe it was the pressure from his mother after all. Maybe she’d kept after him with her dislike of me and wore him down.

  Now here she was, coddling that bitch like she was her long lost daughter. And Jace, even in the dark of night I could tell that he was upset.

  He hadn’t shown such care when I was hurt and in the hospital. In fact since he broke things off he’s acted more and more like we were strangers, if not enemies.

  Things weren’t this bad though until she came along. Now even his friends were here. They never hung around when we were dating.

  My eyes followed his parents’ car as it left the driveway and headed in the opposite direction from where I was hidden. I’d been relegated to nothing more than an onlooker in his life.

  Hiding in the shadows with my lights turned off, hunched down in my seat like a thief in the night for a glimpse of him.

  The longer I sat there the angrier I became. None of this was fair. Why should they like and accept her when they barely ever gave me the time of day?

  I bet they were taking her home with them since it looked like her house wasn’t inhabitable. She’d be sleeping under the same roof as Jace, something they wouldn’t allow when we were dating.

  They were so obvious I was glad I didn’t bring the others along with me to witness the total disrespect. “Enjoy it while it last bitch!”

  2
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br />   Jared

  What should we do?” Both Alec and Shayne looked to me for an answer, as if they weren’t the ones who’d known him the longest.

  I understood their reasoning though, this involved my sister too, not just Jace. As much as I’d like to go find Stanley in whatever hole he was hiding in and beat the living shit out of him, I could do no less than I’d asked of Jace. I have to keep a cool head.

  “Are you sure about this Alec? You saw him with explosives?”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s what I saw. Sorry dude, I don’t know what I was thinking. I shoulda said something sooner. Damn, your house is fucked.”

  “I don’t give a fu…I don’t care about my house. My mother was in there, and so was my little sister not to mention fucking Red.”

  What the fuck reason could Stanley have for doing something like this to my family? Or anyone for that matter? It seems like since we moved here some shit has been going wrong on a daily basis.

  If he really was responsible Jace won’t get the chance to go after him, not before I did. This was too fucking close…Rein it in Jared. You’ll be no help to your family if you go up for murder.

  I took a deep breath and released the tight fists I’d made to prevent myself from punching a hole in the wall. I counted to ten in hopes of bringing myself down from the murderous rage I was feeling.

  I can understand why Jace goes nuts whenever something happens to my sister. For the first time tonight I experienced that shit first hand.

  Having someone you love in danger is a whole other level of hell. The attack may not have been aimed at Belle, but she was there nonetheless.

  I can still hear the explosion; see the look of fear on her face. I never want to see that shit again. I have fucking knots in my stomach that shouldn’t be there.

  When we first moved here I thought for sure we were going to be happy, what’s not to be happy about in a place like this?

  Moving from a small town to one of the liveliest places in the world, not to mention being able to play ball for an amazing team is like every teenage boy’s wet dream.

  Things had seemed so perfect in the beginning. It hadn’t taken any time to make new friends and find my place here.

  Even Sian and Jace’s relationship added to the almost high school drama feeling being here invoked. Our lives were like an afterschool special.

  Meeting someone like Belle, falling in love with her, everything happened too fast but seemed so perfect. Like our lives were on the right track.

  Our lives have always been good, my sisters’ and mine. Our parents went out of their way to make sure of it, but there was no denying that moving here had changed everything for the better.

  So why was this happening? Why is my sister under attack? Why would someone hate her enough to try to blow her to pieces? How fucked is this shit?

  I tried to imagine what could possibly be going on in Stanley’s head if he was in fact the one behind what happened. What reason could be possibly have for going to these extremes?

  I’m sure my sister never gave that kid the time of day and she wasn’t the type to lead him on or any of that other tacky stuff other girls might do.

  Could Jace be right? Could Mandy really be the one behind all this? And if so, how the hell did she get Stanley to go along with it?

  Alec looked like he was beating himself up pretty good, but I couldn’t let him take the blame. Who would expect something like this? Except Jace? When it comes to Sian Jace suspects everyone.

  “It’s not your fault. How were you supposed to know? At least we can be thankful no one was hurt.” I clapped his shoulder and tried to offer comfort.

  He still looked miserable, and though I agree he should’ve blown the whistle once he suspected that maniac was loaded, if only for safety’s sake, it didn’t make a difference this late in the game.

  I knew they were both still a little bit shook, but there was no mistaking the anger. “If this is true Jace is gonna fucking kill him this time and I’m not gonna stop him this time.” Alec kicked at the marble floor.

  “Well, first thing we have to do is get ahold of that bag and make sure. We don’t wanna pin something like this on the guy and then it turns out to be a mistake. Guy’s already got enough issues.”

  “He’s always been an asshole, but I never saw this coming.” Shayne said what I think we were all thinking. Coming from a town much smaller and years behind when it comes to the lifestyle, I’ve seen my share of odd kids. But Stanley really is an enigma.

  From what I know about him, he comes from a decent family, though nothing on the level of Jace’s who he seems to have a serious hate for.

  Still it was kinda hard to accept that someone I know could even contemplate something like this. To think someone my age capable of murder is a hard pill to swallow though I know it happens.

  And why would he target my sister? Why go to such lengths? Thinking that way only led my thoughts to the earlier attack, which there was still no answers for.

  I tried to keep the fear that had been lingering in the background all night at bay. I don’t know where all this is headed, but I know I have to keep my head straight so that I can protect the people I love.

  That said, I wanted Red. I miss her soft reassuring voice in my ear. Taking care of her had kept my mind off of the situation for a minute, but now it was time to face this shit head on and do it before Jace gets a whiff.

  I don’t think I’d be able to hold him off if this was true. He already hates Stanley’s guts because the guy has some kinda silly crush on Sian. Who knows what he’d do.

  “If what you saw is still there then he didn’t use it, and he has some other fucked up reason for carrying around that stuff, especially on school grounds. But if it’s gone then we can be sure that he’s responsible.”

  “How are we supposed to check that?”

  “Break into the school of course. Didn’t you say that’s where he stashed it?”

  “When do you wanna do this?”

  “It’s the weekend. If we wait until Monday it might be too late. I don’t wanna take any chances of him making another try at the people I love.”

  “Damn, how’re we gonna get outta here without anyone seeing us?” Shayne moved off of the balcony rail he’d been leaning against. I pointed to the steps that led down to the garden.

  “We go down this way and I idle the car down the driveway.” That reminded me of the girls and what they’d been up to before we stopped them.

  Had that only been a few short hours ago? It felt like I’d aged ten years since then. I’d expected to spend the night with my girl after ragging Jace for letting Sian run circles around him.

  Instead I have knots in my gut because my girl and my sister had almost been blown to shit in that room. Alec looked back into the darkened room as if expecting to find someone there.

  “So we’re not telling Jace?”

  “Not telling Jace what?”

  Shit, I thought he was on the other side of the house in his rooms. He came out of the dark room like a damn shadow.

  I could feel raw energy coming off him in waves and knew it was the anger that he was still trying to keep contained. I know the best way to keep him under control though. At least I hope I do.

  I’m afraid that if I don’t handle this shit the right way he’s going to end up in serious trouble. Then I won’t be protecting everyone that I love.

  “How’s my sister?” I thought that would distract him but I should’ve known better. Not in a situation like this. I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.

  “Sian’s fine of course, now what aren’t you telling me?” Sometimes I forget we’re the same age. He can be so imposing at times, and nothing at all like the rest of us.

  Not that Shayne, and I, aren’t as in love with our girls as he is with my sister but there’s a whole other edge to him that I wouldn’t have expected when we first met.

  I had him pegged for a happy go lucky type in the
beginning. A jokester who never took life too seriously. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

  The guy is the most serious teenager I’ve ever met and I have a feeling sometimes that there’re angles to him I have yet to see and understand.

  It’s even odder seeing him as my brother in law.

  When I think of Sian I see a little girl with pigtails, crying because she scraped her knees falling off her tricycle.

  And then Jace is this big strapping football player who towers over her by at least a foot, who seems years ahead of his peers in attitude. And yet she has him wrapped around her little finger.

  It’s not only his stature that makes it easy to forget he’s just a teenage boy though. It’s that serious look he gets on his face when he’s thinking something deep; especially when it comes to my sister. Like the one he was wearing now.

  “Well, what is it that you’re not going to tell me?” I had to think fast for all the reasons I gave myself earlier. But I don’t want to outright lie to him either.

  I have a feeling he wouldn’t appreciate that in the mood he’s in and I can’t say that I blame him. I would want to know if someone was fucking with Red.

  But if anything happened to him Si would have my balls and it’s a sure bet that he’d go after Stanley. I don’t remember any of my friends being this hard to handle.

  The guys back home were easy to keep in line, Jace not so much. He was shooting daggers at the three of us so I had to go with my gut.

  “That we’re going to do some investigating of our own.” That wasn’t exactly a lie and I thought I was gonna get away with it. But then Alec started shifting around like he had the nerves and Jace got suspicious.

  He squinted at the three of us under the moonlight so I couldn’t really see his eyes, but I knew from the other two’s nervous movements that he wasn’t buying it.