Paradox (Unearthly Paradox Series Book 1)

Chapter 13

An hour later, a knock sounded at my door. Again, Jett didn't wait for me to answer before he opened it, but he didn't come inside. "I've got to pop out for a bit. Do you need me to pick up anything for you?"

I shook my head. "No, thanks."

"Right. I'll be back in about an hour. My brother's downstairs if you need anything."

"Your brother?" I raised my eyebrows. "What the hell for?"

"To take care of you while I'm gone."

"I think I can manage 'til you get back."

"All the same, he'll be staying."

The authority in his voice made me think it wasn't up for discussion. I didn't understand why, and I was pretty sure Jett wasn't going to tell me. "Fine."

He flashed me an easy smile. "Don't miss me too much."

I rolled my eyes. "Goodbye, Jett."

He closed the door, and I was once again left wondering what was up with that boy and why he thought I needed looking after so badly that he would ask his brother, who I'd never met, to babysit me while he stepped out for a bit. God, the way Jett acted was way over the top for a concerned neighbour. My credit card could easily pay for a home nurse. But no, he insisted on being the one to care for me.

The doorbell rang, interrupting my thoughts. I picked up the remote and switched on the TV. I flipped to the channel that displayed the living room. A guy who looked to be in his early to mid-twenties with dark-brown hair, tanned skin, jeans hanging off his hips, and a black T-shirt opened the door. He was obviously Jett's brother, but I didn't have a clue what his name was. He stepped back, and another guy who looked to be my age entered the house. They stepped into a manly hug and sure enough, I saw an exchange between the two.

Jett's brother kept his hand closed as he leaned against the door while the other guy shoved whatever he'd received down in his pocket. They chatted a few minutes, making me wish once again that the system included audio.

When the guy left, Jett's brother closed the door and pocketed something. Between Jett and his brother, my home had turned into the local go-to place for addicts to find their next fix. Knowing my luck, the cops were staking out the house and would ping me for an accessory.

Jett's brother wandered off camera, toward the kitchen. I furiously flicked through the channels, hoping to find a view in there to see what he was doing.

For a moment, I wondered if he was planting evidence, and he and Jett planned to frame me. Then I laughed. What was I thinking? The guy was a drug dealer. There was no way he would leave any of his stuff at my house. If everyone, including cops, already knew about what Jett's family did, then I was pretty sure they were untouchable. Yet I didn't get why that was. In all the news stories on other gangs and drug lords, the police were able to charge them, but Jett's family somehow always walked free.

By the time I found a camera showing the kitchen, he was walking back into the lounge room with my tub of ice cream in one hand and a spoon in the other. I switched back to that camera. He flopped down on the lounge, put his feet on the coffee table, then opened the tub and dug in. Who the hell did he think he was? It was one thing to turn my house into a dealing venue, but it was another to take a girl's ice cream. He had stepped over the line, especially because it was my last tub, and I couldn't ask Jett to pick up some more for me because I wasn't supposed to know I was out of the stuff.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again. Jett's brother put down the ice cream and went to answer it. Two girls were standing on the porch: a blonde dressed in denim shorts that just covered her ass and a tank top, and a redhead wearing a short beach dress that showed far too much boob.