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Scrubb was standing before Jade had her jacket on. “I’m coming with you,” he announced.
“I don’t need you to,” Jade said without a hint of drama. “I’m not even sure where I’m going.”
“That’s okay,” Scrubb said. “I don’t mind tagging along. Besides, I’m sure these two will work better alone.”
At that obvious comment, Titus smirked. “Don’t be a Trevor, Scrubb.” Scrubb shot eye daggers to Titus, who deflected them with his broad smile.
Jade snatched her purse. “Do you drive?” she asked Scrubb, who was a step behind her.
“Sure do. My car is across the street.”
Jade sighed with relief. “Then you’re with me, Scrubb. Stay in touch,” Jade commanded over her shoulder.
“I’ll text you,” Scrubb said to Titus as Jade yanked him from the apartment.
“I think Scrubb is taken with your friend,” Titus said. A tiny rosy glow hit his cheeks at the mention of the strange flirtations that rebounded between Jade and Scrubb.
“I’m not sure what that was,” I answered honestly.
My muscles knotted. Being left alone with Titus was terrifying. Especially since my abandonment of our friendship. What was I supposed to say? How could I get past the awkwardness? Would it make things even worse to dig into the case instead?
Titus rose and paced before the mind map. “That Jade friend of yours has an interesting method to her madness. I like her outline.”
I went to his side. “She’s something else. I’ve been trying out her mind maps on my own.”
“Oh?” Titus turned to face me.
I wasn’t prepared for the smoldering invitation in his chocolatey gaze. A stray hair dropped in front of his glasses. I curled my hands into fists, resisting the urge to sweep it away. Instead, I pointed to the posterboard taped to the wall.
Titus followed my lead. “Do you see any connection that we might have missed?”
Titus flicked his rogue hair from his face before resting his chin between his index finger and thumb. He studied the board.
“It’s difficult to say,” he started. “I don’t know the group. A lot of Jade’s tie-ins are related to personal experiences and preferences. I’m not sure I’m getting the full picture.”
I walked him through each clue, explaining its significance.
“Does Nell know about the Raven?” Titus asked.
“Jade didn’t want to tell her,” I answered. “I think it’s better that way.”
Titus moved on.“She’s been targeted each time?” he asked. I nodded. “What could she be hiding? These clues and Jade’s notes make the Raven’s attempts seem pretty vague.”
“I agree,” I said. “That’s why Jade thought it might have to do with you more than Nell.”
“You told Jade about me?” Titus asked without facing me. “Talked about me?”
“About the Raven,” I was quick to point out.
“Of course,” he answered. A melancholy candor rolled over his voice. “And I’m linked? Through you?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “And I’m sorry. I never wanted that to happen.” I worried my hoodie sleeves in my hands, staring at them as if they held the meaning of life in their shredded cuffs.
Titus answered, “You warned me. And Scrubb.”
“I tried,” I whispered. “Now you’re too close. You mean too much to me. Both of you.” I rushed the last phrase into the conversation.
The Raven hadn’t targeted Scrubb as much as he’d pinpointed clues that called out Titus. That didn’t mean Scrubb wasn’t at risk. He was a constant companion of Titus. If one was in danger, so was the other.
“Not as close as I’d like.” Titus’s deep voice broke as his breath heated the top of my head. The cinnamon sweetness that was his signature scent enveloped me and was suddenly the only thing I could think about—that and resisting the urge to kiss him.
My cell phone jangled, pulling me free from the perilous nearness. I dug in my jacket pocket for it. Shaking hands made it cumbersome to retrieve. I hit the speaker button without looking at the screen.
Gill’s voice crackled through the line. “Hello? Penny?” I wasn’t aware Gill had my number. My phone hadn’t been active before Jade forced me to call Titus.
“I’m here,” I said.
“Hey, is Jade around?”
“Just left,” I answered.
Titus’s eyebrow lifted. “Why didn’t he call Jade?” he mouthed.
“Oh.” Gill paused as if searching for words. “Was she alone?”
“My friend is with her. She’s okay,” I said, not sure why Gill was acting so strangely.
“At least I know she’s safe,” he said.
“Is something wrong? Why wouldn’t she be safe? Don’t tell me something else has happened already?”
Gill’s breath was loud on the other line. Strange metallic noises rattled behind him, making it harder for me to hear. “I just got the news that the guy from earlier escaped custody.”
My throat seized. “Is he after Nell?”
“That’s the feeling I got. Please, let Jade know. I’ll be on the lookout.”
“Okay,” I said. “Thanks.”
Gill hung up on his end before I could. “Escaped custody and after Nell.” Titus shifted from foot to foot. He studied the poster board.
“I’ve got to call Jade,” I said flatly.
Titus frowned. “Maybe dial Scrubb instead. He may be able to diffuse Jade’s reaction and help her devise a plan.”
I nearly cackled. “In the few minutes you’ve known Jade, do you think she’s diffusible?”
“Good point,” Titus said.
Before I could find Jade’s number, the playlist turned ugly. Shivers sneaked along my spine, causing me to shudder. Titus put his hand on my shoulder to steady me.
“That’s a rough clue,” he commented.
It was. “I’m not sure dialing into my clues is worth the stress.” My voice shook as the tingles faded. “It’s getting stronger and creepier.” I turned to the television screen and read the title of the new clue aloud. “Like a Friend.”
“I recognize it,” Titus said. His brow fretted with thought. “I don’t understand why the songs are all things my junior high tutor would have played.”
“What?” I asked. A gut punch knocked the wind from me.
“We’ve talked about her before. My parents tried to get my vision corrected, leading to many doctors and procedures. I fell behind in school. When I was thirteen, they hired a college student to help me catch up. It took an entire summer.”
A hint of mischief slunk across Titus’s handsome face. He’d never appeared anything but clever and kind in my eyes before. Now he was impish and irresistible. I physically took a step back from him before I lost my senses. He snickered at my reaction.
“Nothing that bad,” he said. “Veronica taught me a lot about music. She loved all the angsty British drama songs. The Smiths, the Cure, and Pulp made our playlists. I learned more about the songs than I did the schoolwork.” Titus’s face reddened, and his smile went wide and goofy. He raked his fingers through his hair, clearly embarrassed.
“To be honest, I developed quite a crush on her. I was heartbroken when the school term started and I was on target. Veronica went abroad, back to her studies. And I remained the lanky kid with dark gray lenses and the out-of-place accent.”
My heart jumped. I grabbed Titus’s arm in excitement. His eyes popped at my sudden burst of energy. “A crush?”
“Yeah, it was nothing major. Though at the time, it felt serious.”
“On your tutor?”
Titus blinked at me. He removed his glasses and wiped his lenses clean with a cloth he kept in his breast pocket. “It’s not unusual for young men to form crushes on their teachers or nannies or tutors in my case. I don’t see why—”
“It’s not that! Look!” I pointed to the board. “All the accidents were targeted at the tattoo shop. I’m pretty sure those were wake-up calls for me. Trying to get me to you before the big whammy falls.”
“Why?” Titus asked.
“The Raven didn't appreciate me walking away from you.”
Saying it aloud shook me. Why did the Raven want Titus near? He helped me thwart him. Was it all a setup to destroy me more thoroughly? Couldn’t the bird be happy keeping us apart? Did he have to take things to the evermore extreme of death?
I was so lost in my thoughts I almost didn’t hear Titus when he mumbled, “I didn’t appreciate it, either.”
I squeezed his forearm in what I hoped was a reassuring gesture. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I was only trying to—”
“We don’t have to talk about it.”
Titus twisted his arm free beneath mine. When I thought he was breaking away in pain, he flipped his hand and used it to take hold of mine. Sparks shot through me as our skin connected. I could feel the flush charging its way up my neck and cheeks.
Getting my following words out was like speaking with a mouthful of peanut butter cookies. I couldn’t get them out. I wanted to linger in this moment of intentional connection.
“Back to the mind map,” I said. Titus didn’t release my hand when he turned to Jade’s notes. I pointed with my free hand. “There at ‘Love Song’, things got real.”
“That always happens with the Cure,” Titus joked.
“It was the first time the Raven appeared. Pax was wounded. Gill and I saved Nell.” Visions of the scene flipped through my head. “Pax and Nell were fighting before that. She forgave him after he tried to save her. Jade went nuts. She wouldn’t stop saying how great I was to help Nell. That must have triggered him.”
“Triggered the Raven?”
“No,” I said. “Triggered Gill.”