Page 148 of The Broken Note

Until the next post, keep your enemies close and your secrets even closer.

- Jinx

CHAPTERTHIRTY-EIGHT

CADENCE

“What the hell is going on?” Rick’s entire face is red. The wind tugs at his short hair as if trying to cool him off, but it isn’t working. Any minute now, his head is going to explode and pure lava will shoot out of his neck.

“Rick!” My voice is high-pitched and thick with guilt. “W-what are you doing here?”

“What areyoudoing, Cadence? Or should I say,whowere you doing?” His eyes narrow on Dutch.

“He’s nobody.”

Ifeelrather than see Dutch glare at me.

“Nobody? It’s freaking broad daylight and you’re out here wilding out with ‘nobody’. What the hell is wrong with kids these days? Is this even legal? How old are you?”

“I wasn’t. We weren’t—”

“I wasn’t talking to you, Cadence.”

“I’m eighteen,” Dutch says calmly.

Rick’s eyes bug. “I’m going to kill you!”

I skid in between him and Dutch.

“Get out of the way, Cadence!”

“Rick, it’s not what you think.”

“Don’t even give me that B.S. The car was rocking so hard I thought we were having an earthquake. Ibarelysaw your face through all the steam on the windshield and if this idiot didn’t moan your name loud enough for the neighborhood to hear, I never would have thought it was you.”

Dutch lifts his chin, his face pulled into its usual stoic expression. While I’m dying of humiliation, he seems noticeably relaxed.

Rick sees Dutch watching him and grits his teeth. “What, punk?”

“You look familiar.”

“How about you shut your face, you idiot?” Rick growls, looking three seconds away from throwing a punch.

I’m surprised by Rick’s passionate defense of my ‘honor’. Most of the time, he treats me and Vi like burdens. At his birthday party, he looked irritated by our presence. I was pretty sure he hated me.

Dutch’s gaze passes over him, thoughtful. It’s irritating how composed he is in this moment.

Rick finds it irritating too because he takes a threatening step forward.

“Oh right.” Dutch’s voice is light. As if we’re having a tea party or a casual conversation. “You’re the security who was talking to Redhead—” he smoothly corrects himself, “Cadence that night at the park.”

“Redhead?” Rick scrunches his nose. Recognition lights in his eyes a moment later. “That night when I saw you dressed up in a wig…” He pauses and says in horror. “You’re the stalker?”

I wince, remembering that night. Dutch set up a concert just to meet my alter ego. At the time, I was trying to get away from Rick and referred to Dutch as my ‘stalker’ to push them both off.

A corner of Dutch’s lips curl upward. He’s not bothered by the label.

“Cadence, you’re hooking up with your stalker now?”