Jagger: A Dark Romance (Archer High Book 3) by Linzvonc

Author:Linzvonc [Linzvonc]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

19

JAGGER

I wince at the sound of voices coming from downstairs.

"Jagger!"

My eyes fly open.

"Mom?!"

It can't be. It's been so long since I've seen her. I jump out of bed and yank on a T-shirt.

What the fuck is Mom doing at home?

"Jagger!" She sounds irritated.

Great.

"I'm here," I call out gruffly, still pulling my shirt down as I go downstairs.

My mother stands at the bottom of the stairs, her hands on her tiny waist, light green eyes narrowed at me.

"Why the hell are the gates and the door open?"

I frown and look instinctively to the open door and the gates beyond.

Fuck.

Molly must've left.

"I don't know," I lie, and Mom sighs.

"I need a drink."

Only then do I notice the man beside her, his heavily tanned skin and bleached white teeth telling me he must be her new squeeze.

Wonderful.

"Why are you here?" I demand like it's my house. It technically is—she's never here.

Mom pours a glass of champagne from the fridge and glares at me.

"Do I need a reason to come back to my house?"

"Considering you don't even bother to come back to see me at Christmas, yeah," I retort, crossing my arms.

"I haven't come to see you, Jagger," Mom snaps. "Haven't you seen the news?"

I can't help but stare at her.

What the fuck is she talking about?

"No, I don't watch the fucking news. Why?" I ask as she drains her glass before pouring another.

"It's your uncle..." Mom's eyes fill with tears, and I stare at her blankly. "Uncle Leonard. He's dead."

I feel like someone has punched me in the gut. You can't kill Leonard Dahla. He's untouchable—he's⁠—

My chest feels tight, but I manage to ask, "How?"

"Car accident. I need to lie down." Mom pushes past me, and the man follows her into the lounge, where she falls onto the sofa.

Fuck.

I check my phone and see the story dominating the news—I can't believe what I'm seeing. My uncle's car is on fire, and the headline screams that two bodies belonging to my aunt and uncle have been recovered.

Bodies.

My head swims. It's like someone has unleashed a curse on this fucking family. If they're dead, what about Aphrodite? And Kaden?

I need to focus and find out where Molly is.

I head back upstairs while Mom canoodles with her fucking man friend and see Aphrodite's room is empty.

Shit.

It smells heavily of perfume. Not Molly's perfume, but still. She's wearing it, and it makes me feel sad.

Because if I hadn't fucked this up, she'd be in my bed now.

Stop thinking of her like that. It's fucking wrong. You raped her.

My phone rings, and I slide it out to see it's Kaden.

Thank fuck.

"Hey," I say, trying to hide my mood. Kaden has enough going on with my cousin. He won't need the stress of Molly right now. Plus, my uncle and aunt…does Aphrodite know?

Shit!

"Aphrodite is in the hospital," Kaden chokes out, sounding nothing like the Kaden I know. He sounds fucking broken. My heart skips a beat at the thought of Aphrodite being hurt, and I'm suddenly aware of the double standards I hold.

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