Jaden by Tijan

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

I didn’t move. I didn’t think. I didn’t breathe.

Then it all started coming at me at the same time. When Denton told me,“Our parents are a joke. My dad’s always hated her. Our mom’s never had the time for her. She’s only got me.”

When my dad had snorted.“He grew up next door. His folks were best friends with Sharon and me.” He shuddered. “That was a big mistake.”

When Denton had confided in me so long ago, in high school. “Mena has been . . . awful lately. I don’t know what’s going on with her. She just is angry and she takes it out on everyone. Dad’s called me three times this weekend to come over because he can’t handle her anymore.”

I choked out, “What?”

Denton’s voice haunted me again.“Our dad won’t have anything to do with us, well, with Mena. He’ll talk to me as long as I don’t bring her up. How’s that for father of the year, huh?”

“I’m your sister. Neil’s my real dad.” She let out a breath and rolled her eyes. “My mom and Neil had an affair. That’s why my dad has hated me all my life. You’re so funny. You never realized that? I mean, we were neighbors. They were best friends. It makes sense in some warped way, but that’s why. We’re sisters. No one else can threaten our relationship. I’ll protect you. I will. Corrigan and I will protect you now. It’s both of our jobs.” She rolled her eyes. “If he wouldn’t be such a dick all the time, he wouldn’t be so bad.”

My heart kept thudding against my chest. This was a nightmare that I had woken up to. It wouldn’t leave. “Our relationship?”

“You and me. Sisters. Friends. That’s why Leisha and Bailey had to go.”

I couldn’t swallow. “And Grace?”

“Duh. Yeah. You and she had that falling out because of the stupid sorority, but she called me that night. I knew you cared about her, but I couldn’t let her hurt you again.”

“So you went over there?” My tongue felt like lead, weighing me down. I couldn’t believe any of this.

“I went over there. We had a glass of wine and then . . .” She stopped, closing her eyes for a moment. “They never told you how she died?”

I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation. It was wrong. It was surreal. It shouldn’t have ever happened, but I asked, knowing I needed it to be told in case my mother was actually recording it. “No. They never did.”

I heard the detective’s voice in my head again.“As for the DNA, yours wasn’t enough of a match.”

“I poisoned her.”

Oh my god. I drew in a shuddering breath. I couldn’t talk for a moment.

Mena said further, “I had Marcus kill the others. I told him to do what he pleased. He and I—we bonded over you. I never told him you were my sister. I just said we were close and it was meant to be. He thought the same thing, but, you know, in a very different way. That’s why he stabbed Corrigan. You were right, by the way.”

Oh. Joy. Was I?

“He was going to kill Corrigan and Bryce no matter what. You were right in killing him, and I overheard you and Bryce. I know the two of you set him up. I don’t blame you. He was really sick. He would’ve killed me too. He was so possessive of you. I recognized it early on. I knew that eventually he would come for me. He wouldn’t be willing to share, but I will. I know you love Corrigan, and I’m okay with it. It’s a different relationship that you have with him versus me. I’ve always understood that. Corrigan and Bryce were your fiercest protectors. No one deserves you, but they protected you. For that, I’ve always been thankful to them, but I’m your sister. It’s my job to take care of you too. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.”

“That’s why you killed Grace? And had Bailey and Leisha killed? They were female friends?”

“Well, yeah. They couldn’t have that sisterly bond. They would’ve tried. I mean, come on, Sheldon. I know they would’ve tried. They were thirsty to be close to you, but they would’ve done what everyone does.”

They weren’t. They so weren’t. Tears started falling free from my eyes. I couldn’t stop. I was afraid to ask. “What does everyone do?”

“Turn on you.” She was so calm, so certain of herself. “They would’ve hurt you. I couldn’t let them do that. Like Grace did.”

Mena kept spewing more craziness, but I started to tune her out. She wanted to talk. She wanted to spill this from her chest. A fog began to come over me, slowly fading everything away. Mena’s voice, so abnormally chipper, grew muffled. A word here and there slipped through the fog, but it was so dense, it was becoming a wall. It was closing around me, and all I could think about was, what the hell was I going to do?

Mena confessed.

Carolina was coming.

Carolina was in danger.

Stay in public. That’s what others would tell me. Mena wouldn’t hurt Carolina or me if there were around witnesses.

I looked over, and she was still talking. She was even smiling. She looked so happy.

I felt nauseous.

Then I heard myself saying, my voice sounding loud and distorted through my own fogged wall, “Let’s go to the room.”

She stopped. Concern flashed over her face, her forehead wrinkled together. “Are you okay?”

No. “Yes, wait. No. I feel a little sick. I should lie down.”

“Okay. Yes. That’s a good idea.”

We got up and when we got back to the room, I pressed a hand to my forehead. “You know, Mena, I feel kinda feverish. I think I’m going to lie down. Take a nap.”

“Oh.”

I saw the suspicion in her depths and reached out, squeezing her hand. “Can you come over tomorrow night? We can do movie night?”

“Oh.” The wrinkle in her forehead disappeared, but her mouth was still pointing downward. “You sure?”

I nodded. “Yes. Well, to be honest, I think the whole sister thing is a lot right now. You know?” I smiled, making sure I looked tired, peaked, and genuine.Smile, bitch. Smile until the psycho killer leaves.

“Okay.” Her head bobbed up and down and her shoulders rolled back. “That sounds good. Tomorrow can be sister movie night.”

“Yes. That sounds great.”

“Okay. I suppose I should grab my things and . . .”

The buzzer sounded from the door.

Mena’s frown appeared again and she glanced at me, finishing her sentence, “. . . go? Who—”

“Sheldon!” Carolina banged on the door again. “You said you’d have a glass of Merlot waiting for me, but guess what? You don’t. I checked the pool. There’s no you and more importantly, no Merlot for me. I know you’re in there.” She groaned, laughing at the same time. “Please tell me Corrigan didn’t come back for a quickie. You still have stitches. You can’t rip those suckers.” She snorted then. “Suckers. Oh, that word. Okay, come on.” Another bang on the door. “Seriously. Let me in. I need to get classy wasted right now. The damn sorority meeting has driven me to drinking so let me drink, woman.”

“You . . .” The betrayal appeared first in Mena’s eyes. They darkened, her eyebrows burrowing together. The sides of her mouth pinched downward, and she turned toward the door. As she was turning for the door, hurt replaced the betrayal, and right before she was completely facing to the door, I saw the anger. She sucked in a breath. Her shoulders lifted, becoming rigid, and her hands formed into tiny little fists.

“Mena, don’t.” I hurried to block her.

She stopped and clipped her head from side to side in a savage movement. “Get out of the way.”

“Carolina hasn’t done anything.”

“You did. You lied to me.”

“Mena—” I stopped. I had no idea what to say.

She continued to shake her head and her hand lifted, pinching the skin on her forehead. “Why? Why? WHY?”

I backed up against the door. My throat was dry and I held up my hands. “Mena . . .” I had nothing, though. I had lied to her. She was crazy. What the hell had I done?

Carolina knocked on the door again. Her voice sounded so close now, right behind me. “Sheldon? What’s going on in there?” She paused, then asked, “Are you o—oh.”

I heard the alarm starting in her voice, and I closed my eyes. That wasn’t good. It was the final nail in the coffin. And as I looked again, Mena was gone from in front of me. What? I stepped forward. “Mena?”

I moved four more steps when she reemerged from the hallway. A butcher knife was in her hands. I groaned. “I didn’t know they had those in hotel rooms.”

She lifted the knife and examined it. “Only in penthouses, I’m sure.” Her hands tightened around the handle bar. “Move aside, Sheldon. You know what I have to do.”

I backed all the way to the door. “Carolina hasn’t betrayed me.”

“BUT YOU BETRAYED ME!” she bellowed out, holding the knife with both hands now. She was gripping onto it like it was a lifesaver. “Move,” she hissed through closed lips. “You hurt me. I have to hurt you back.”

Done. I shot forward and held my arms out, turned upward for her. “Go for it. Hurt me.”

She jerked backward, her hand trembling. “No. Never you. Never.” Her eyes narrowed. “What is wrong with you? I would never hurt you.”

I pressed my lips together. She was already looking toward the door again. I was running out of time so I dropped my arms and straightened to my fullest height. My chin lifted. My eyes narrowed. And my shoulders rolled back. Then I cocked my head to the side. “You’re not getting through me.”

There was no reaction from her.

“I mean it. It’s you and me. There’s no way I’m letting you hurt any more of my friends.”

“Move, Sheldon.”

“No.”

Her eyes snapped back to mine, and her top lip curved into a snarl. “I said move.”

I stood my ground.

We were at an impasse.

Then she murmured, a cruel grin alighting her face, “I could slice you. You would be weakened from the blood flow, and then I would step over your body, open that door, and plunge this into your friend. That’s how easy killing can be.”

“I thought you said you wouldn’t hurt me.”

“If you are standing in my way, I will do what I have to do. Harming you is not the same as killing you. One slice won’t kill you, and don’t think I won’t do it. I’ve hurt myself at moments when I had to.”

A shiver crawled down my spine. I didn’t even want to know about those moments. “I won’t let you hurt her.”

A keen look entered her eyes and she drew closer. I grew wary. Right here, this was the killer in front of me. I could believe everything she had spouted by the pool. She was tiny, but there was an unnatural aura coming from her. She was cold, yet happy. She was calculating and eager at the same time. I had never viewed this Mena before. Crazy, yes. Hurt, yes. A lost little girl not long ago. But this woman? Another shiver wracked through my body, tightening every nerve in my body, making my stomach churn. This woman was a serial killer.

“Move, Sheldon. I’ll only say it this last time.”

“One slice won’t take me down, bitch—”

Her hand darted, and I felt a little nip across my throat. “What?” I frowned in confusion. Her knife had blood, and she stepped back. I saw there was a lot of blood. Then I felt a cold trickle moving over my skin, and I glanced down. Blood, dark red, almost black, had already covered my chest. I touched my neck, then pulled it away. As I saw the blood on my hand, the pain hit me, and everything sagged out of me.

A metallic taste filled my mouth. “Wha—”

Mena stepped closer to me. Her hand went to my arm, and she began to move me aside. It was a gentle touch, but firm and guiding at the same moment.

Then the cold started in. “Mena, what did you do?”

“I told you. One slice to move you out of the way.”

My knees began to buckle then and Mena helped me to the floor. She murmured, straightening back up, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Carolina and then call 911. They’ll think Carolina attacked us.” Resolve settled over her face. “I’ll have to cut myself, but I know how to do it. Everything will be fine.” She patted my shoulder and moved to the door.

Time slowed then. I checked out of my body and from a distance, I heard myself yelling, “RUN, CAROLINA! RUN! RUUUUUNNNN.” No, I wasn’t shouting. I was screaming. Mena glared at me, her nostrils flared, and she reached for the door. Then she moved to the side. I saw what she was going to do. Carolina would rush in and she would gut her, take her by surprise, as Carolina would come to me first. Her hand had a firm grip on the knife behind her—but it wasn’t Carolina’s body that came through the door first.

Bryce rushed in, his eyes wild and his skin pale. He was first to come in. There were others behind him, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from him. He was the first victim.

She narrowed her eyes, but as he saw me, her arm started to swing around—she was going for him. I tried to sit up. My hand reached out, but it was happening too fast. I couldn’t stop it.

And then someone else shot through the door. A firm hand gripped Mena’s wrist, but it happened too fast for her to stop. She was lunging at Bryce with her arm, using the weight of her body to help with her force.

That hand flicked her wrist around so the knife was pointed to her.

Mena impaled herself on the knife. She choked out, and her eyes trailed upward, then widened as she saw Corrigan scowling back down at her. “You,” she breathed out. “You love her, too. I know—”

He punched her, and her body crumbled to the floor.

“Down, bitch.” Then Corrigan turned to me. “You okay?”

And I passed out, for the umpteenth time.