Page 118 of The Broken Note

Was it just twenty-four hours ago? It feels like a lifetime.

The door opens and a man wearing a hoodie walks out. I don’t recognize him, but Dutch seems to have been expecting him because he nods at the guy.

My hand is shaking hard. The camera tilts out of focus. I adjust the angle and take steadying breaths as my gaze shifts between what’s showing on the screen and what’s happening in real life.

Dutch moves close to the guy. It’s hard to see what they’re exchanging, but something is definitely moving hands. The guy pockets a stack of money and Dutch stuffs a clear plastic bag into his jacket pocket.

Everyone disperses quickly. Like roaches.

The Kings hurry away, climbing into their vehicle and tearing out of the lot. The guy in the hoodie slips back into the den.

I end the video and rise slowly, my heart in my throat.

There it is.

The evidence I didn’t want.

Dutch is even more of a monster than I thought he was.

But what does it make me if I opened myself up to carrying the monster’s baby?

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

CADENCE

I’m vigilant when I walk into school the next morning. I don’t know what I’ll do, what I’ll say, if I see Dutch again.

All I know is that I’m brimming with violence.

I need to curb that.

Be smart.

Though I’ve spent all night clawing at his face and beating him to a pulp in my dreams, the reality is… he’s much bigger than me. I doubt I’ll be able to get one punch in.

Revenge will be mine.

I’ll hurt him in other ways. Deeper ways.

It’s just about biding my time.

The sunshine is bright, but I feel like I’m dragging a dark cloud behind me. Conversations stop when I set foot in the hallway. Whispers crash to a lull and then silence.

Everyone is staring at me.

I touch my face self-consciously. Panic sets in, digging its claws into my shoulder. Did Jinx feature us again? Was it a post about that night in the treehouse?

Do they know all the depraved things Dutch did to me on that fluffy, harmless rug? Do they know where his tongue was, where his fingers were, what he said to me when he did those things? Do they know how I shuddered and whimpered and begged him for mercy and then for more?

My heart hammers behind my ribs.

Exposed, I duck my head and hurry to my locker.

Once I open it, my phone buzzes.

Jinx: Check your green pencil case.

My eyes widen.