But it’s an email.
From: J_heart_pacer
I suck in an uneven breath when I see the subject of the email:
IN CASE OF DEATH
Hi, Finn,
I’m writing this in the car while we’re on our way to the hospital. You’re currently staring angrily out the window. You really shouldn’t clench your jaw like that. You’ll wear down your enamels.
I pull the phone closer to make sure I’m reading that correctly. On the trip back to the city, I did notice that J was fumbling on her phone, but I never expected that she’d be writing to me.
I’m scheduling this email to automatically hit your inbox in two hours. There are two links to an online document. Read the first one if I’m still alive.
Only read the second if I’m dead.
Sincerely,
J
I open the second file immediately, wondering what Jinx wanted me to know if she ever died. Will she admit her alter ego? Will she explain why she’s been targeting me and my brothers?
Dear Finn,
You read this one first, didn’t you?
I’m still confused, but that makes me smile a little.
Sometimes, death is the only way to reveal a secret. Now that I’m gone, a lot of things will come to light. Some of them will surprise you. Others won’t, I’m sure.
It seems like she’s referring to herself being Jinx, but what secret does she think will surprise me? Does it have anything to do with her real name or who her family is?
You and I were bound to be enemies, and I had no other choice but to deceive you.
Even though you threatened to kill me half the time, I also feel like you wanted to protect me too. Or maybe that’s in my head.
My heart beats faster.
Below is the password to my AI infrastructure. I’ve given you administrative access to Henry. He’s running the encryption that located Cadence and Grey, and he can also answer all your questions the way I would. I created him and trained his database myself. It’s basically like talking to my consciousness.
There’s a lot of things I lied to you about, but I sincerely mean this…
I hope you, Dutch, Zane, and Sol find the girls.
Something prickles in my nose and behind my eyes. What the hell is this emotion that’s making my midsection feel all jumbled?
One last thing, Finn. I’ve written and re-written this part so many times, wondering how to tell you this in a way that you’ll believe. When we first met, I kissed you. Do you remember that?
Of course I do.
I thought she was insane. J kept calling herself a fan, but her eyes didn’t glow with devotion the way others’ did. Even though I could tell that she didn’t like me, she kept throwing herself at me every time she had the chance.
After a while, I got used to it and just chalked it up to her being bizarre.
It wasn’t me.
The email ends there, and I recall that J had gotten a call from Dr. Kenji while she was furiously typing on the drive back. She must have gotten distracted and never finished the document.
