Page 41 of The Broken Note

I’m alarmed by the thought. How much is he aware of? “I’ll need some time to think about it.”

“If it’s because you’re afraid of Dutch—”

“It’s not that.”

He pops an eyebrow.

“When I commit to something, I go all the way. I need to make sure this… job is something I can do properly.”

He rubs his chin and looks at me, pleased. “You’re a smart, young lady, Miss Cooper. I think you’ll go far… if the right doors are open for you.”

“Thanks,” I wheeze out.

Jarod Cross looks me over, scanning me with his otherworldly blue eyes. My breath gets trapped in my throat until he finally nods.

“Alright. I’ll give you another day to think about it. I’ll need an answer soon.” His eyes flash and the cold undertones in his voice make me shiver. “Since I’m waiting this long, the answer better be one I want to hear.”

Is he threatening me right now?

Fear makes me tighten my fingers in my skirt.

He straightens off the desk and saunters out of the classroom. His bodyguards—two big, fierce-looking men—stand to attention. Jarod Cross leaves without a glance back, but one of the guys turns and stares at me.

A shudder runs down my spine.

Something isn’t right about any of this. Just like I knew the first time mom dragged me to that opioid den and forced me to play, I can feel it in my bones. Like I’m brushing close to death. To the devil himself.

After they’re gone, my phone buzzes.

It’s Dutch.

Class is over now. Where are you?

I grit my teeth and contemplate throwing my phone across the room.That annoying, obnoxious bastard.What does he want now?

I don’t have time to run at his beck and call. I was planning to go and visit Serena this afternoon before I head home to see what disaster mom has made of our apartment.

Plus, I need to tell Rick mom is back.

Somehow.

I amnotlooking forward to that conversation.

“Deep breaths, Cadence.” I coach myself the way the therapist at the free clinic once taught me. “Just take one step at a time.”

Twisting my neck, I unzip my backpack and open it wide. The ring box is nestled inside, perfectly safe.

Thankfully, I was smart enough to remove Dutch’s ring before mom could get her grubby hands on it.

Might as well return it to him now.

It’s not just because mom might steal it if I take it back home.

I need to end things with Dutch once and for all.

The walk to the practice room feels longer than usual. With every step, I remember the night when I snuck into Redwood with a baseball bat in my hands and vengeance in my heart.

The bitterness I felt when I thought Dutch had set the fire nearly tore me in two. I ended up being wrong, but that doesn’t change the fact that Dutch isn’t a good person.