Jaded (Jaded 1)

Chapter 14

We stayed in that room until Corrigan's stomach growled loudly. There'd been one look shared between the two guys and both announced at the same time, "The diner." It was agreed and as we went downstairs, we left with another two cars of guys following. Everyone piled into the diner and we took up two tables. I found myself beside Corrigan with Bryce across the table. After I ordered a refill, my phone rang.

I answered, guarded, "Hello?" I hadn't had good luck with phone calls lately.

"Where the hell is my sister?!" Denton ground out, furious.

I was actually a little bit relieved. "Uh…she's not home?"

"No, she's not home. Where is she?"

"I don't know. Did you call her phone?" Brother or not, the guy was starting to get on my nerves.

"I don't know. Do you think I'm a moron?" Denton mocked me.

"Uh…" He did not just give me the perfect opening…

"Don't answer that. I don't know where my sister is and I know she went to some party with you tonight."

"Look, she left early. I don't know where she went."

"How'd she get there?"

"I drove."

"Did you drive her home?"

"No," I said sharply. "Your sister's a big girl. She can take care of herself."

"My sister is not like you and I don't want my sister to ever be like you."

I sighed. "If you want my help, insulting me is not the way to go."

"I want you and your friends to look for my sister. Now!"

"And issuing orders won't help either." I hung up on his sudden shout.

"Who was that?" Corrigan asked.

"Mena's brother. She's not home and he's blaming me."

"They're not right. Something's?

?I don't know…they're not right," Bryce muttered.

"He's just worried about her."

"My mom's not harassing you," Bryce pointed out.

"No. Your mom is praying for me," I said sarcastically.

Carlos, who'd stayed quiet the entire time, spoke up, "We could drive around and look for her. I mean, it wouldn't hurt, you know. Just in case something did happen, you know…"

"I've got some flashlights in my trunk," Chet offered and stood up. As we all stood, Corrigan hissed in my ear, "You stay with Bryce. Braven's too drunk to be rational right now."

"You think? He's been leering at me the entire time. And why am I adjusting for a drunk?"

"Because you're awesome…and you're sober."

"I'm not really," I glared. "Sober, that is."

Corrigan grinned and shrugged. "I know, but…you're more sober than Braven and I don't want to beat the crap out of him. I kinda like the stupid kid."

Bryce took shotgun in Chet's car when I slid into the backseat next to Tatum.

"Hey," Bryce peered at me, questioning. "I thought you were in the other car."

I shrugged and looked out the window. That was the extent of our conversation.

"Pull up next to him," Bryce instructed Chet and as he did, Bryce rolled his window down. Corrigan lifted himself out of the window and sat on the doorframe with his arms resting on the car's roof.

"What's up, boys?" Corrigan smirked, cockily, across the top.

"You want the back streets? We'll take Hyde Park?" Bryce asked.

Corrigan shrugged. "Sure. I don't care."

"Holster and his crew can check out the riverbank," Bryce murmured.

Carlos asked, "You got some flashlights?"

At Bryce's negative, Carlos jumped out and passed them out to the vehicles. Braven leered at me the entire time until I snapped.

Cursing, I was at his seat in a flash. I threw open his door and dragged him out of the car. As he fell, I kicked him in the stomach, head, and groin. He just laid there and groaned in pain as I knelt over him to whisper, "You stare at boys like that? Keep it up and I'll spread that rumor." I flicked him in the ear before I returned to my seat and turned mute.

Some of the guys were taken aback, but others weren't surprised.

Chet drove off when Corrigan started laughing in their car.

Bryce was fighting a grin when I glanced over. "Shut it," I growled and Bryce laughed outright.

Chet announced, "You're my god, Sheldon. I will pray to you three times a day. I will even buy a mat and declare it my 'Sheldonism' praying mat. It's all you from now on."

"Screw you too." But I bit back a laugh.

Tatum saw it and started laughing. He pounded the back of Bryce's seat and shook his head. "You've got to be an animal in bed, Sheldon." He asked Bryce, "Is she an animal in bed?"

Bryce's smile turned lustful as he remained silent, but met my eyes in the rear-view mirror.

Chet launched into a story about his most animal-like lover and Tatum topped it with a story of his own.

Bryce and I were both quiet until we pulled into the parking lot.

Okay, parks are meant for the daytime. Not nighttime. It's not a big leap to think that parks can turn creepy when the sun goes down. Hyde Park, underneath a full moon, is extremely creepy.

I hated to admit it, but I stuck close to Bryce when we started walking around.

We met a few homeless people, more than a few drunk parties playing Volcano Tag on the playground, and one hooker.

She grinned a toothless grin towards Bryce. I felt him shudder at the imagery of her proposition and coughed back my own laugh.

"Shut up," he threw at me.

Chet walked over to us. He gestured to the drunks playing tag behind him and murmured, "Mena didn't come this way. They did see someone else, some girl with black hair. She was wearing a clown outfit or something. I don't know."

Clown outfit?

"Leisha was supposed to come. Carlos called her and said she was on her way."

"Did you see her at the party?" Bryce asked me.

"I…I don't know. We were upstairs the rest of the night."

"Chet, call Corrigan. Have Carlos call this chick and see where she is," Bryce commanded. "We don't need to look for another girl right now."

Tatum lightly jogged over to us. "Nah." He shook his head. "No one's seen anyone like Mena. She's not here. She didn't come this way anyway."

"If she was walking, the river's the quickest way," I murmured and frowned. "She's not stupid. You'd have to be a complete moron to walk the river at night and alone."

"And dressed for a party," Bryce pointed out.

"Let's head over to the river. It's too big for Holster, Nate, and Justin to cover by themselves. It's not far off," Tatum suggested.

Bryce held my elbow as we walked back to the car and it wasn't a surprise to anyone when he slid in beside me in the backseat. Tatum took shotgun and Chet got off his phone.

"Okay." He turned around behind the steering wheel. "Carlos called that girl and he couldn't get an answer. He left a message."

No one suggested calling the parents. That was another code. Just like how the guys policed Chad. We'd figure out Leisha before we absolutely needed to involve the parents. There was a fine line between being a nark and checking on a friend.

We parked next to Holster's car and saw their flashlights just up ahead.

"Okay." Bryce took charge. "Chet, drive me and Sheldon down about two miles. We'll backtrack and meet you in the middle."

"I'll start from here then." Tatum flashed a grin and murmured, "Don't go in the bushes now and have crazy animal sex."

Bryce shot around the seat and punched him in the side.

Tatum grasped his stomach and sucked in his breath. He cursed, but quickly shot out of the car before Bryce tried for seconds. Through the window, Tatum wiggled his eyebrows in suggestion and pretended to howl at the moon.

I raised my eyebrows and gave a pointed look.