Page 88 of The Broken Note

“If you’re telling me this to try and keep me away from Dutch, you don’t have to bother. I’m not interested in your son.”

He laughs. It’s a twisted sound. “I don’t care about your high school romance, Miss Cooper. All I ask is that you keep an eye on him and report to me if you see him doing anything suspicious.”

“So you can report him?”

“No.” He blinks innocently. “So I can save him from himself.” Sadness settles over his face. “It’s hard to be the son of a celebrity. Even worse when all your mistakes are paraded before the world. I’m his father. My biggest desire is to protect him.”

I nod, wishing my mom was that considerate of us.

Jarod Cross walks around the piano. His hand drapes over the top. “How would you feel about opening for fan meetings in London?”

My knees weaken. “O-open? For you? No, I couldn’t possibly.”

“Think about it.” He checks his watch. “That’s enough for today. You can leave.”

“Wait.” I shoot to my feet.

He turns, blue eyes dark and assessing. “Is there something else you want?”

“Yes.” I swallow hard. “You mentioned getting me a scholarship or money.”

“Yes…”

“I don’t want either of those.”

“What do you want?”

“My friend was falsely accused and expelled from school. Can you bring her back?”

“Your friend? By chance, is it the one who started the fire?” He rubs his jaw.

I hold my breath. My deal with Jinx is Plan A, but I don’t intend to let Jarod Cross have his way unless I get my three wishes from him.

He considers it and nods. “I can bring her back.”

My heart balloons with hope.

“But she won’t be able to graduate this year.”

My shoulders sink. “No.”

“And she’ll always be remembered as the one who set the fire.” He arches a brow. “Is that really what you want?”

“No. I want her to come back to school and—”

“I meant do you want to waste your payment on someone else?”

“Yes.” There’s not a second of hesitation.

“How sweet.” His voice is deep with amusement and something else. Something I can’t decipher. All I know is it really isn’t a compliment. “Give me what I want, Miss Cooper, and I’ll do everything I can to help your friend.”

I swallow hard. Despite hearing those words, I still feel like I’m getting into bed with the devil.

Jarod Cross waves a hand. “Now go. Lucien will give you the things you need.”

“The things I need?”

“To spy on my son.” He turns back and gives me a hard stare. “I’m expecting great things from you, Miss Cooper. Don’t disappoint me.”