she could make a heap of money from a lawsuit settlement.
The driver behind Jaiden honked. Reflexively, Jaiden honked as well.
Mina jumped.
How obnoxious! He almost killed me and now he wants me to get off the streets?
The cogwheels in her head turned. She listened to the evil advice of the little Mina-Devil on her left shoulder.
Pretend you’re hurt. Sue his pants off. Save Daddy’s house .
Alright. I’ll probably regret this later, but here goes. How else am I going to make fifty-grand?
Jaiden cussed when the girl dropped to the ground, blocking his escape route. He visualized his near future.
Soon, the girl would create a city-wide traffic jam. The police would arrive, along with the paparazzi. In less than an hour’s time, Jaiden would ruin his father’s name, reputation, and chance of becoming the Mayor.
Tomorrow’s headline would be similar to the following: Comptroller’s Son Almost Killed a Girl. Possible Drug Use Involved.
Which wouldn’t be true since Jaiden Daniels never touches drugs.
In return, Jameson Daniels would confiscate every one of Jaiden’s cars and motorcycles. He would also have an excuse to send Jaiden to Charlesburg Academy, a prestigious institution in Edinburgh. In the Academy, scholarly prigs would brainwash Jaiden into a conforming and respectable young man.
Kind of like a male version of a Stepford wife , Jaiden mused.
He got out of his car and walked toward the girl. She lay down supine, her eyelids squeezed shut and twitching. From the way her chest rose, he could tell she had no trouble breathing. He prodded the girl’s sides with the tip of his dark brown alligator skin loafer. She winced.
Jaiden chuckled. Like any other typical Uptowner, she was ready to sue anything and anyone for big bucks.
Just like how those people tried to sue Mickey D’s for making them fat.
Jaiden knelt down beside the girl and scooped her up in his arms. She weighed even heavier than she looked. Carrying her, he thought his spine would snap in two.
What the hell? Why is he carrying me? Why isn’t he calling 911? Mina caught a whiff of his cologne-he smelled soapy clean, with a hint of distinctly masculine spice. He reminded her of an ocean. Kit had a distinguishing smell too—a woodland scent.
Oh Kit…
Addicted to his scent, whenever she had a chance, Mina tried to sniff Kit’s clothes. Mina’s nose itched-she held back a sneeze to avoid blowing her own cover.
Jaiden eased Mina onto the sidewalk. He squeezed his fingers over her wrist.
“Pulse is normal.” He placed a finger over her nostrils. “Breathing regularly. There are no visible cuts, blood, or bruising.” Jaiden smirked, using the lingo and actions of suave TV doctors.
“There’s only one test left.” He squeezed her nose and clasped his hand over her mouth.
Crap! He knows! He’s suffocating me! Mina could pretend to pass out. But before she could do so, she would have really passed out. She could feel herself turning blue. Unable to keep up her act, she gasped for air and pried the guy’s hand away from her mouth and nose.
Jaiden laughed. “I guess this means you’re okay. Ciao.”
Mina coughed and sat up. Pointing at him, she said, “You nearly killed me.”
“What are you, a drama queen? I do suggest you take some acting classes first.” Jaiden stood up and removed his shades. He stared at Mina with violet-blue eyes, framed by dark soot lashes. With an aristocrat’s sharp nose, defined cheekbones, and eyes that could belong to hot vampires (not the ones that sparkle in the sun like diamonds though, ack), the guy before her looked like a celebrity.
Or Prince Charming.
As handsome as he was, Mina had a feeling he was probably completely maggot-infested on the inside like Alyssa.
“Plus, the keyword here is nearly .” Jaiden arched his eyebrow. Like other girls, he knew this one here couldn’t resist his charms. Jaiden ran his fingers through his hair and cleared his