Chapter Thirty-two

"I told you I'm not going! Are you that stupid that basic English is above your IQ?" I was going to kill him or explode from rage - one of the two.

"You're frustrating," Zane huffed. Pushing me aside, he made his way into my room. "Fine, if you won't come with me, I'll just stay in here. Assuming there is a sofa under all those clothes."

Zane following me around got old quick. All afternoon I had to put up with it. The only thing that really got me through was knowing I would be able to have some peace tonight, alone in MY bedroom.

But no, of course, that wouldn't happen.

Closing my eyes, I took a calming breath in. “I need to get changed.” Just don’t kill him, Allie, just don’t kill him.

“I’ll turn my back.”

Snapping my eyes open, the little control I had on my temper faded. “Like hell you will, get out!”

“Fine, I won’t close my eyes.” He smirked, that stupid cute look on his face taunting me. “Bound to see you naked anyway.”

“Stop that!” I pointed a finger at him. “Stop flirting. You and I don’t flirt. Flirting doesn’t happen, got it?”

I wanted to slap my forehead after my reaction because I noticed the glint in his eyes. I had just given him every reason not to stop.

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” He shot me a wink before he turned his attention to the sofa, and with no care at all, he wiped it of all my belongings.

“Thanks for dumping them all on the floor.” I snapped, “You know I did have a system figured out and, like everything else, you ruin it.”

“Don’t kid yourself. It was a pile of clothes with no organization.”

With my fists clenched at my side, I attempted to count back from ten, trying my very best to calm down. While I was having this semi-mental breakdown, he kicked back and relaxed on the sofa.

Had his father set Zane on me to annoy the hell out of me? I see my life being in more danger with him around than with him not around.

 

***

The night slowly rolled on, and apart from a snide comment at Zane every few hours, it went smoothly. It wasn’t until the lights went out that I became overly aware of having someone else in the bedroom.

I wasn’t a social person, so I didn’t have sleepovers. Sometimes I would crash at Blake and Chase’s, but that was different.

They weren’t in my room, and I would usually be sharing a bed with one of them.

Having someone else in my room felt odd.

Much to my distaste, I had managed to tune into Zane’s every movement. It didn’t help either that he seemed to have no plans of actually going to sleep. Instead, he was on his phone, messaging who knows who.

Every so often he would sigh or grunt, and every glance I stole at him, he had a smile on his face.

So, who was he talking to?

And more importantly, why was it bugging me so much?

It was when the phone started ringing that I cracked. “You know, Zane, I’m actually trying to sleep here,” I snapped, sliding up the bed.

Zane looked over his phone at me. “Not my phone.”

Frowning for a moment, I then glanced at the bedside table. Shit. That was embarrassing. Scooping up my phone, I answered it before checking the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Allie? It’s Jace, can we talk?”

Well, if it wasn’t the freaky stranger who clipped that bracelet on me.

“I don’t really want to talk to you.” It was true. Because of him, I had Zane following me around.

“I get that. I guess you know about the bracelet now.”

He knew? “How did you know about that?” He wasn’t one of us, was he? “Scratch that, did you know what it did before you clipped it on me?”

Had he wanted to kidnap me? My mind started spinning ideas and theories quite quickly. 

He sighed. “It’s kind of a long story and not one I want to tell you over the phone. Can we meet?”

I snuck a glance at Zane, and I seemed to have his full attention. He wasn’t even looking away. Most likely he was listening to every word of this conversation.

“Can you hold a minute?” I asked.

“Sure.”

I threw the blankets back and glided across the room.

“Where are you going?” he asked as I headed for the bathroom.

“None of your business.” I gave him a tight smile and closed the door. I turned the shower on then the taps before returning the phone to my ear.

“Ok, you were saying?”

“I need to see you.”

“Not going to happen.”

“I know you don’t trust me but…

I didn’t let him finish, “Darn straight I don’t trust you! You clipped a bracelet to my wrist that blocks communication. Do you have any idea how much trouble you have caused me?”

The only good thing about him contacting me was he may be able to tell me how to take it off, and that was the only reason I hadn’t hung up yet.

“Allie, I need to tell you something. Please. Can we meet?”

“No, that’s never going to happen!”

“Fine. You leave me no choice. I hope you’re sitting down.” He paused for a moment. “I’m your brother, Allie.”

Everything seemed to stop for a moment. Jace’s voice faded out, the sound of running water disappeared, and all I could hear was my own heartbeat; and that was because it was beating so loud due to shock.

Then as quickly as I had entered the state, I was pulled out.

“ALLIE!” Zane thumped on the door. “Are you ok?”

“I have to go,” I muttered into the phone and hung up, and, as I did, Zane twisted the doorknob and let himself in.

His eyes flashed around the room and then landed on me. “Who was that on the phone?”

“No one.”

“Don’t lie, Allie. You went to great lengths to try and block the conversation from me.” Zane turned off the shower and bath taps.

My brain was ticking at half speed. Only two words kept running through it and those words being ‘Jace’ and ‘brother.'

“Allie?” Zane’s voice rose in frustration. “Would you answer me?”

In a numbed state, I slowly shook my head. “I told you it was no one.”

He looked as if he was getting angrier by the moment, and really, what right did he have to get mad? I hadn’t asked him who he was messaging.

“Look, Zane.” I paused in the doorway. “I need some space, ok, just leave me alone for a bit.”

Realization took over Zane’s face when he finally got that I was upset. He gave me a small nod, but I could still see the unvoiced questions in his eyes.

I managed to make my way back to my bed, and this time when I curled up to go to sleep, it wasn’t Zane keeping my mind awake.

 

***

“Want to tell me what the problem is?” Zane arched an eyebrow at me from across the table. “Or do you want to keep taking it out on your eggs?”

I had attempted to keep my behavior in check, and not let on that I was having a mental breakdown, but like most things, I failed.

“I told you. I’m fine.”

“No, you said you didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Same thing, isn’t it?”

Zane wouldn’t understand; heck, he wouldn’t even believe me. I didn’t even really believe it myself. I hadn’t let Jace keep explaining on the phone. I didn’t want to face it as a real problem so I chose to act like it just didn’t happen.

Like I said, I was trying and failing.

“Who called you last night?” Zane took a sip of his water. “And don’t give me that line ‘it’s none of your business’ again.”

“It is none of your business.”

“Allie.” He placed his fork down, and his face turned serious. “We’re on a breakfast date, so you could at least try and make conversation with me.”

“You’re choosing subjects I don’t want to talk about.” That and I was being stubborn. “Ask me how the weather is, and I’ll be sure to give you a detailed answer.”

Zane referring to this as a breakfast date nearly had me choking on my toast. In fact, any word with ‘dating’ and ‘Zane’ in the same sentence caused the gag reflex.

“You’re mental, you know that?”

“And you wanted to be on a breakfast date with me,” I snickered back at him.

My phone once again buzzed in my pocket, and now that I had memorized Jace’s number, I blocked the call immediately.

“You got a stalker?” Zane, of course, hadn’t missed the interchange.

“Yes, I do.” I placed the phone beside me. “I’m looking at him right now.”

His expression dried. “Real mature, Allie.”

“I thought so.” I gave him a wide smile.

I hated to admit it, but I knew I had to see Jace, but I wasn’t meeting him with Zane as my shadow which meant only one thing, I had to lose Zane.

Seeing as he was physically fitter than me, I knew out-running him wasn’t going to happen which only meant one thing; I was going to have to annoy him to the break of insanity or trick him.

I thought I might as well start with breaking his sanity, as, after all, that would be more amusing.