Page 206 of Red Marked

I stop and look down at it.

“And?” Star’s on her feet. “Is it Magma?”

She walks across the room to me. Her asshole boyfriend gets up and follows her. Of course he does.

I nod and open the message.

I read it.

I read it again and frown.

No fucking way.

“What is it?” Star’s hand is on my arm. “Flint. What’s going on?”

“You won’t believe this.”

Jett puts his arm around her shoulders, and for a moment I forget about everything else. I want to break his arm. I want to rip it off at the shoulder.

58

Star

Flint gets this look in his eyes.

“Are you okay?” I ask him.

He isn’t looking at his phone anymore. He’s looking at Jett’s arm. The one draped over my shoulders.

This is so awkward. I don’t know what I expected from Jett, but it wasn’t this. He’s acting like the last five years didn’t happen. Like I never left.

“Yes.” Flint clears his throat and drags his eyes up to mine. “I’m fine.”

“The message from Magma.” I nod at his phone.

“Your Veridian Bridge male is dead.”

“What?” I take a step to the side. Jett comes with me. His arm stays exactly where it is.

Arghhhh!

I don’t feel anything for him anymore. Nothing romantic at all. But he cried when he saw me. I’m not going to shrug him off like he’s nothing. We were together for a long time, and I was on the verge of mating him. I’ll talk to him when the time is right. I just wish he’d back off a little, that’s all.

“His name was Torr. He committed suicide three days after the vaccination scandal broke.”

“No way.” Jett’s eyes go wide. “That’s insane.”

“I want pictures of all of them.” Flint says it to Jett. “The whole Veridian Bridge team.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll fetch my laptop.” Jett’s arm drops away from me, and he heads for the living room.

I can breathe again.

“This is good, right?” I touch Flint’s arm, then hold on to it.

“Yeah.” He’s still looking at his phone. “I think so. They reported to the Mainland. He was the decision-maker on this side, so he had the most to lose.” He shrugs. “We already know the Mainland was behind it. Unless someone else on that team stood to lose something if it ever came out, but I can’t see how.”

I let his arm go. I don’t want to, but I do.