She pulled back and stared at him.
“You’re coming back to me.” He was all but begging now.
She finally nodded. “As stupid and wrong as it is for me to admit … I want to be with you.”
Kaleb drew her close and held her tight against his chest. “I love you, Jaz,” he whispered huskily.
She gazed up at him, but she didn’t say anything. Instead she kissed him quickly then pulled free and ran back to the house. Kaleb let her go, praying she’d be safe and really would return to him, not just physically but emotionally.
Chapter Nineteen
The only apprehensiveness Jasmine felt as she stood at the point of the well-lit Oceanside Pier, next to a crowded Ruby’s Restaurant, was regarding Kaleb. She could face down any man in battle but how to deal with a man who loved her? Griff was right about her not being right for Kaleb and she knew it. Yet Kaleb really and truly loved her and she felt the same. Wasn’t love worth taking a risk on? She hung her head. Not when it was Kaleb she was risking.
“Incoming,” she heard in her earpiece.
Glancing casually around, she saw four men approaching her position. The large one in the middle with curly, blonde hair and big, blue eyes was obviously Mack. He looked like an adorable, yet still tough, version of Thor. Jasmine gave him an encouraging smile and was relieved when he returned it. He didn’t look broken or bruised, thank heavens.
She turned her focus to his captors and horror rushed through her. “Troy?” she whispered.
“Hi, baby. You knew I’d be coming for you.”
Troy’s henchmen stood slightly back, pinning Mack between them. Sutton’s men were close by and she had no worries about their abilities, or hers, but … not Troy.
“This was all you? The forced marriage, the bombings?”
He nodded.
Acid ate at her stomach. When she’d imagined everything had been done because of Kaleb—a deranged fan, a lovesick assistant, or a demented old girlfriend—she’d been fine. But the supposedly far-left theory she’d shared with Sutton this morning had come true. To know she’d put Kaleb and his family through all of this heartache and pain because of her past made her legs weak.
“When I heard about Kaleb Quinn claiming he was engaged to a Jasmine, I knew it had to be you.”
“Why would you think that?”
“At Bree’s wedding, I saw the way that wuss looked at you.” Anger tightened his gaze. “I knew my Jasmine would never agree to marry anyone, but you proved me wrong.” He arched his eyebrows, his dark eyes sparking fire at her. “I’ve never been so ticked off. So I decided to bomb his garage, kill him, and steal you.”
“You know you’re not tough enough to steal me,” she threw at him.
He smirked at her. “When that didn’t work and you disappeared, I thought of this plan.”
“Your plans are idiotic,” she said.
“When we’re cuddled up later tonight, and you’re telling me how much you want me, we’ll see whose plans are idiotic. Just like old times, love.”
“Only someone as pathetic as you would resort to murder and kidnapping to try to get the girl.” She spread her hands, acting nonchalant, though knowing this nightmare was all on her head made bile rise in her throat until she felt like she was choking. Would the pain of her past choices ever stop? “I’m here. Let Mack go. When he walks away, I’ll go willingly with you.”
The men shoved Mack back toward the restaurant.
“No,” Mack roared, sprinting back toward them.
“Mack!” Jasmine screamed, “Get away!”
Mack tackled the two men. He had them pinned down easily, but Jasmine saw one of them manage to pull a knife out. She rushed toward them. Troy grabbed her from behind, lifted her off her feet, and threw her over the railing.
“No!” Jasmine screamed as she plunged toward the ocean, her arms reaching out and catching nothing but air. She hit the water and sank quickly with the bullet-proof vest and her clothes on. Fear for Mack’s safety made her pull in a panicked breath and get a mouthful of salty water.
Her body surfaced, and she coughed and tried to catch a breath. A wave broke over her head. More water filled her nose and she was choking. Treading water furiously, she surfaced again and struggled to catch a breath and expel the water.
A black boat was right next to her. Hands reached under her armpits and yanked her into the boat. The boat was in motion before she caught her first full breath.
Troy stood over her, dripping water down on her. “Pretty good plan for a pathetic idiot, eh Jasmine?”
Rough hands yanked her to her feet and pulled her arms back. Jasmine jumped into the air, breaking the man’s hold, flipping backward, and kicking the person holding her in the face. He released her and screamed out. Troy rushed at them. Jasmine landed two solid jabs and a hard kick that sent Troy sprawling on the deck. The boat was small and the driver was standing close by. She flew at him, slamming into his side. He cried out in surprise. She shoved him overboard and then grabbed the wheel.
“Jaz!” Troy hollered, lumbering to his feet. His pistol was pointed straight at her face. “Stop!”
Jasmine spun the wheel hard. Troy banged into the side of the boat and the gun flew out of his hand.
The lights of the pier were straight ahead. Floodlights were searching the water, she knew they were looking for her.
Jasmine thrust the throttle forward, clinging to the wheel as the speed increased. She only needed a few more seconds.
Troy was on his feet again and moving fast. He reached her and grabbed her left arm. Jasmine had to release the wheel to slam her fist into his jaw. His head snapped back, but he held on. She steadied the wheel to make sure she wouldn’t miss the huge wooden pillars.
“Jaz, don’t!”
They were seconds away now. Jasmine released the wheel, yanked out her knife and jammed it into Troy’s arm. He squealed in pain and released her. She leapt overboard. Water embraced her. She heard the crunch even under the water.
Surfacing, she could see the boat crumpled around the wooden pillar. It was over. Relief rushed through her, and a wave pushed her toward the beach. She swam with the swell toward the shoreline. Several men met her as she reached water shallow enough to touch sand.
“Jaz?” It was Griff’s voice. She’d never been so happy to hear Griff’s voice.
“Griff! Is Mack okay?”
“Yes. We got to him before they hurt him.”
She sagged and a wave rushed up and knocked her off her feet. Griff reached out and steadied her. “Come on. Let’s get you checked out. Nice move on the boat. Glad you didn’t kill yourself.”
Jasmine ignored the rare praise. “There were three of them. We need to make sure none of them escape.” Her voice caught as he half-carried her up to the beach. “I can’t have them come after Kaleb again.”
Flashing lights, flood lights, and more people surrounded her. Griff handed her over to some paramedics. “I’ll go make sure they got them all.”
“Thanks.” Jasmine wondered where Kaleb was, if he was okay. She wondered how she’d say goodbye to him. It was clearer to her than ever. Maybe it was Troy. Maybe it was being dunked in the ocean. This entire nightmare had been because of her choices. She had to remove herself from Kaleb’s life and Bree’s as well. She was just too dangerous to be close to the innocent people she loved.
Chapter Twenty
Kaleb and his family had been allowed to stay nearby the pier in a luxurious motorhome parked in the beach lot, as they waited for news. Nobody said much, and every time he glanced at his mama she had tears silently trickling down her face. Kaleb could hardly look at her and spent most of the time praying for Jasmine and Mack. Even though he was frustrated with Griff, he prayed hard for him as well.
Voices approached outside, and they all stood. Kaleb wanted to fling himself out the door and go find Jasmine, but Sutton Smith had made them all promise to wait until he, Griff, or Jasmine came.
The door w
as unlocked from the outside and then opened. Sutton poked his head in. “Cheers,” was all he said then he withdrew.
The RV leaned to the side as Mack lumbered up the stairs.
“My baby boy,” their mama shrieked.
The other siblings stood back, letting Mama cry all over Mack and check to make sure he was “as perfect as ever”. Still clinging to him, she gestured with her hand. “Come on, you can all hug him now.”
They laughed and Kaleb was third in line to hug his little brother.
“You’re all right?” he asked.
“Yeah, thanks to Jasmine.”
“Where is she?”
Mack’s gaze darkened. “The main guy Troy threw her into the water.”
Kaleb’s stomach dropped. He pushed around Mack and lunged for the door.
“Kaleb, stop!” Ryder hollered. “Sutton said to wait here.”
He ignored his family’s protests as he shoved through the door and ran toward the lights glaring from the pier. He darted around crowds of gawking spectators and reached a temporary, hard-plastic barricade. Policemen were monitoring it with guns drawn.
“Jasmine!” Kaleb hollered. He darted at the closest policeman. “Please let me through. My wife, she’s in danger … Let me through!”
“That’s Kaleb Quinn,” he heard people in the crowd saying.
The policemen closed in on him. “Stand down,” a couple of them yelled, pointing their sidearms at him.
“Please,” he begged, putting up his hands to show he wasn’t armed. He didn’t want to get shot, but this was Jasmine. “My wife, Jasmine!”
Two of the officers holstered their weapons and grabbed his arms. “You need to calm down, this is a hostage situation and we can’t allow you to go any further,” one tried to explain to him.
“My wife is the hostage!” he yelled. “I have to find her!”
“Sir, we will find your wife, but you need to calm down.”
“Hey!” Griff approached from behind the policemen. “Let him go.” Kaleb had never been so happy to see Griff.
The policeman who had been trying to talk to Kaleb eyed Griff. “You’re one of Smith’s men?”
“Yeah.” Griff pulled out a badge of some sort and flashed it at them. “That’s my brother. I’ll take him with me.”
“Is Jaz okay?” Kaleb rushed out.
Griff nodded. “The EMTs are checking her out. Come on.”
Kaleb’s shoulders fell as relief swept through him. The policemen let him through the barrier and Kaleb hurried to Griff’s side. “What happened?”
Griff chuckled. “You know no man could best Jaz. Troy threw her off the dock while she was trying to get to Mack.” His jaw clamped. “Luckily we had men close by who freed Mack before another guy sliced him open.” He walked through the crowds toward an ambulance. “Troy got her into a boat, but she fought them, took control of the boat, and rammed it into one of the pier’s wooden pillars.”
The breath rushed out of Kaleb. “How is she all right?”
“She jumped overboard seconds before it hit.”
Kaleb said a quick prayer of gratitude, but he had to know. “Did you catch them all?”
Griff nodded. “One’s dead, the other five are all in custody.” He inclined his head. “There she is. Be smart, bro.” Then he strode off.
Kaleb focused in on Jasmine. She stood next to the ambulance talking to a couple of men. Her hair and clothes were plastered to her. She looked exhausted and absolutely perfect. “Jaz,” he cried out.
She swung to face him and her face softened. “Kaleb.” The way she gazed at him and said his name reassured and strengthened him. She loved him. Even if she never admitted it, at least he knew it was true. She was his wife. They were meant to be together. All this crazy heartache … he would go through it over and over again if it meant he could hold Jasmine each night.
Kaleb ran to her and swept her off her feet, crushing her against him. She was so small and tough. He kissed her quickly before lowering her onto her feet and simply holding her close. “You ran a boat into the pier?” he asked.
Jasmine laughed. “Seemed like my best option at the moment.”
“I love you,” he said, bending down to kiss her again.
Jasmine arched up and returned the kiss. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. Then she pulled back and said, “Mack’s really okay?”
“Yeah, and Griff said they caught all of the men, and one’s dead.”
“I hope it’s Troy who’s dead,” she muttered.
“Troy?” Mack had mentioned that name also. Why was it so familiar? It hit him. “The guy you beat up at Ryder and Bree’s wedding?”
She nodded. Her dark eyes lost their sparkle, and she tugged him away from the ambulance and the men watching them with interest. “This whole thing is on me, Kaleb.”
“What?”
“All of it. They weren’t after you or your money. Troy did all of this to try to get me back.”
Kaleb’s stomach twisted. He knew Jasmine. He didn’t blame her. His family wouldn’t blame her. But she would try to spin this all wrong. “It doesn’t matter, Jaz. They’ve caught him. We’re all safe. What matters is that you and I are together.” He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile as he prayed desperately that she wouldn’t pull away from him.
Jasmine looked up at him, her eyes so full of sadness it ripped at him. She framed his face with her hands, stood on tiptoes and gently kissed him. Kaleb wanted to extend the kiss but this definitely wasn’t that moment. “I love you,” she whispered against his lips.
Kaleb’s heart soared. She loved him. She’d said it. There was no way she’d leave him now. If she tried, he’d track her to the ends of the earth.
She nodded and said again, stronger, more fervently, “I love you, Kaleb Quinn. I never thought it was possible to love someone like I do you.” Her eyes darkened. “And that’s why we can never be together.”
Kaleb’s eyes widened as she pulled back, grabbed his arm and twisted, flipping him onto his back. The breath was knocked out of him.
“I’m sorry,” he thought he heard her say as she sprinted down the beach.
Kaleb gasped for air. She’d left him. Panic rushed through him. He leapt to his feet and ran after her. “Jasmine!” he hollered. Her small frame disappeared as she got farther away from all the lights and action.
“Jasmine!” He increased his speed. He was faster than her, and he was going to catch her.
Someone tackled him from behind. Pain radiated through his back, and then his face and chest slammed into the sand. He elbowed the person, trying to get free. He was flipped over and he looked up into his brother’s face.
“Let her go, man,” Griff said.
“No!” Kaleb hollered, bucking his body to get out from underneath Griff’s weight. He managed to get one arm free and smacked Griff in the side. Griff cursed and pushed him harder into the ground. Kaleb kept hitting at him with his free hand and writhing to escape, but Griff just kept letting Kaleb hit him while pinning him down.
“Stop being stupid!” Griff roared.
“Let me go!” Kaleb yelled back.
Several men had gathered around. Kaleb assumed FBI from the suits and guns drawn, pointed at the sand.
Sutton strode up. He looked sadly at the two of them. Kaleb was still hitting at Griff but not seeming to affect him at all. Griff pinned him as easily as a child.
“Family dispute,” Griff muttered to the men.
“Kaleb,” Sutton’s voice was soft.
Kaleb stopped struggling and glanced at him.
“If it’s meant to be … she’ll come back.”
Kaleb wanted to yell at him that he didn’t understand him or Jasmine, but something in the man’s bright blue eyes convinced him he’d been through more pain than Kaleb would ever comprehend. He swallowed, not knowing how or if he should respond.
Sutton nodded to both of them and clapped his hand on the shoulder of the man c
losest to them. “Let’s leave these two alone.”
The men all backed away.
Griff stared down at Kaleb, his blue eyes determined and yet understanding. He took his oldest brother role much too seriously, always had. “You done?” Griff muttered.
Kaleb nodded. Jasmine would be long gone by now. Fighting Griff would only make him feel worse. He couldn’t win. He didn’t have the training Jasmine and Griff did. He knew that didn’t matter to Jasmine and didn’t have anything to do with why she left, but it still made him feel like a loser. Billions of dollars, worldwide acclaim, and years of hard work to achieve both. Why did he feel so worthless?
Griff pushed off of him, jumped up, and offered his hand. Kaleb took it just so Griff wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. There was a picnic table ten feet away. Griff gestured to it. “Hear me out, man.”
The last thing he wanted to do was listen to Griff right now but out of respect for his parents he walked over. He couldn’t resist slugging Griff in the shoulder just to make sure his brother knew how wrong he was. Griff grunted but didn’t hit him back. Kaleb slunk down on the bench, defeated.
Griff sat stiffly beside him. “I know you can’t comprehend where Jasmine is coming from.”
“What?” Kaleb shot up to his feet. “I know her better than anybody. I love her. She’s my world.”
Griff rolled his eyes. “Stop composing some stupid love song and listen to real life.”
Kaleb balled his hands into fists. He could never win against Griff, but at least he could fight until they were both bloody.
“You don’t know Jasmine. I do because …” Griff stared down the beach. “I’m just like her.”
“You don’t belong with her,” Kaleb said quickly. It was just as he’d feared. Griff loved Jasmine too, wanted her for himself.
Griff let out a strangled laugh. “Man, you’re stupid. I don’t want Jasmine. I don’t want any woman.”
Kaleb reared back, unsure how to respond to that.
Quinn Family Romance Collection Page 26
