by J. C. Reed
Page 23
“I don’t like it,” I whispered
“Me, neither. ” He smiled. “But that’s not important. I don’t care about anyone but you, and for you I’d do anything. Going back is worth whatever Brian will put me through to earn his trust back. ” His expression softened, but he couldn’t hide the glint of anger in his eyes. “If we’d lost the baby, I’d have mourned. But your loss would have broken me into pieces. It would have been even worse than you walking away or finding out that my father tricked us. I would’ve ripped apart everything and everyone, even though it wouldn’t have stopped the pain. I’d hunt down anyone responsible for hurting you. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do. With the right resources at my disposal, I’ll let them bleed to death slowly. ” He looked so resolute I knew there was no point in arguing.
Jett bent forward and kissed me. “Now, I want you to tell me everything, Brooke. I want to know exactly what happened. ” His gaze glinted with fury. “I’ll make them all pay. I promise. There’s no way in hell I’ll let you down again. I won’t repeat that mistake. No matter what. ”
You didn’t let me down, I wanted to whisper, but didn’t because his impatience and urgency were clear. And for a change, I was ready to listen to his reasoning and follow his plans rather than mine.
Chapter 20
WE STAYED IN the hospital until late afternoon. Jett ordered lunch while I took a shower, visited Liz, and then joined him dressed in the jeans and shirt Sylvie had brought the day before. Jett insisted that I eat first. Given that I looked like shit, with dark circles beneath my eyes, and purple bruises on my body, I didn’t argue.
I sat down at the tiny table and ate in silence, after which I took the painkillers a nurse brought in, even though my headache had slowly begun to clear. And then we talked for two hours straight, during which I recalled the pertinent: the day Sylvie found the book and disk, how I met his father, the car-jacking, and then finally the building. The smell of excrement and dirt lingered at the back of my mind, and for a moment it took me all my might not to break down. Jett listened quietly, his fingers clenching until the white of his knuckles shimmered through his skin when I described the three men and what they did to Liz and me.
As more memories started to flood my mind, I realized I had forgotten one very important thing that happened to me on the first day.
Danny.
How the hell could I forget about him?
Maybe my mind had the bizarre ability to erase him or I was suffering from selective memory, as if forgetting was the only coping mechanism it knew to stop me from thinking of my sister. Like someone living their entire existence in darkness and one day experiencing light for the first time, I felt the raw pain, but I couldn’t evade it. So I started to remember all the things I’d rather forget again.
“There’s more,” I whispered. My hands were shaking so badly I had to hide them under the tablecloth as anger rippled through me. “I saw Danny. He’s working for them. ”
Jett’s eyes flickered and a flash of recognition crossed his face. I didn’t need to elaborate because he knew the person who frequented my nightmares, even though they had never met.
“The guy responsible for Jenna’s death. ” It wasn’t a question but a statement. “The one who walked free and whose friends threatened you. ”
I nodded, unable to look straight at him. “After all those years, it was the last place I thought I’d find him. ”
Jett’s eyes narrowed. “Was he one of the three?”
“If you mean to ask whether he was shot, no. I only saw him once—the day I arrived. He’s a supplier but doesn’t participate in—” I trailed off, unable to speak the terrifying truth.
“Did he touch you?” His brow creased. Even though I couldn’t tell whether with worry or anger, the dangerous glint in his eyes didn’t escape me. I remembered the way Danny had slapped me. It had hurt, but it was nothing compared to the pain he had inflicted upon me by talking about my sister the way he had. Would Jett understand? Probably. But this wasn’t the time to burden him. He had enough on his plate already.
“It doesn’t matter. That’s not why I’m telling you this. ” I cast my eyes down to hide the shame and humiliation burning inside me. My throat tightened with hate for Danny, which brought on more shame. I hated the men who hurt Liz, but the hate I felt for Danny was different.
It consumed me.
I’d never forget his words. His face. That he seemed to think he was untouchable.
Another flicker of anger crossed Jett’s face. He took my hand in his and his thumb began to draw circles on my skin, encouraging me. I cleared my throat.
“Danny said he would’ve walked free regardless. That it wouldn’t have mattered if I had testified or found proof. Somehow, I believe him, Jett. I believe he was protected by the club. ”
“We’ll see about that. ” Jett’s eyes resembled a charge of force with so much power and determination I knew that if the opportunity presented itself, he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt Danny. I had seen the scars under his tattoo on and beneath his upper arm, and they surely hadn’t magically appeared. He’d fight for me. And I didn’t want that. The risk of him getting hurt was too big—a risk I’d never take. I felt a glimmer of hope in knowing that I was safe with Jett and wished I had trusted him instead of taking off, but at the same time I feared for his safety, now more than ever.
Jett’s eyes glazed over as if his thoughts were far away. I decided to change the topic and ask him the one question that had lingered on my mind since I woke up.
“Jett?” I touched his arm to draw his attention back to me. “How did you find me?”
He pushed his chair closer to me until his leg brushed my jeans. “We checked the surveillance cameras in the garage and saw that you were dragged out of the car into a van. The license plate’s registered to an old lady outside the state, so I figured it must be fake, like the one in Italy. We went to Brian, and he put us in touch with the guy who creates the best fake license plates in the state. ” He paused, and I leaned forward, interested. “Turns out he issued the plates a few weeks ago to a guy known for doing the odd driver job, and not of the legal kind. ”
“You tracked him down, didn’t you?” I didn’t know whether to be mortified or thankful.
“Yeah. We beat the crap out of him to find out your whereabouts. ” Jett smirked. “Let’s just say it took us several hours to get him talking and find out where he brought you. He was a tough SOB, I have to give him that. ”
“That’s—” All words failed me.
He cocked a brow. “Impressive?”
“I wanted to say “scary” but yeah, “impressive” will do. ” I laughed, figuring Jett definitely deserved the praise for his ego after all he’d done for me. “What about your father’s driver?”
“He’s dead, baby,” Jett said calmly. “We found him inside the van. They didn’t get to dispose of the body. ”
There was no “probably,” no “maybe,” just a definite answer. I didn’t know the guy, but for some reason I thought he didn’t deserve his fate.
“I don’t understand why they had to kill him. ”
“I know you have this huge heart and tend to feel guilty a lot. But don’t. It’s not your fault. ” Jett kissed my palm gently. “They want the book, just like my father, and they’ll do anything to get it. ”
Maybe.
I hesitated, unconvinced.
“What?” Jett probed.
“They never asked for it,” I said. Worry set in as I realized I had no idea where the book was. “I gave it to the driver. It was still in the car when the van hit us. ”
“I know. We also found your handbag and a briefcase,” he said and shook his head. “They were amateurs. Professionals would never have closed the car doors and driven off, leaving behind evidence. Like Sam said, we were lucky. ”
I smiled. Yes, we were, indeed. Would we be next time? I didn’t know but I was sure I wo
uldn’t get myself into such a mess again.
“Sylvie brought the disk,” Jett said.
“Thank God,” I mumbled. I had been so stupid to risk that piece of evidence by sending it via snail mail. What the hell had I been thinking? I thought Jett didn’t hear me, but his lips twitched.
“Are you singing heavenly praise because the disk arrived safely or because Sylvie and I worked together?”
“No!” My jaw dropped. “You did? So you’ve tamed the dragon?” Sylvie had made it perfectly clear she wouldn’t forgive Jett for the few days of heartache he had caused me, while deep in my heart, I honestly hoped they’d be friends one day.
“She’s a tough one. Anyway—” He grimaced, and his electric green gaze bored into me. The serious undertones in his voice made me fear the question before it came. “I have to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me. ”
My heart started to hammer hard against my ribcage. I wasn’t terrified of him, but the thought of whatever was going on in his mind was frightening in the word’s truest sense.
“Why did you run, Brooke?” he asked, quietly.
“Because I—” Struggling for words, I moistened my lips.
“My father offered you a deal?” At my shocked expression, he smirked. “Yeah, you talked in your sleep, and we found the briefcase. It was open. ”
I realized I had never closed it because we were car-jacked, meaning he must have found the fake passport, the cash, and the bank account statement. A terrible thought occurred to me—that he might think material gain was more important to me than our relationship.
“I never wanted his money, Jett. He threatened to hurt Sylvie and everyone else in my life. I feared for them,” I said, slowly. “For you. ”
He nodded but took his time to reply. “I wish you had trusted me enough to tell me rather than run away. I could’ve taken care of it. ”
“I know, and I’m sorry. ”
His fingers kept stroking my hand, and I relaxed against his touch. “For what it’s worth, even after finding the briefcase I didn’t believe you’d take off because of two mill. ”
“Why?”
“One of my father’s club buddies showed up at my office to invite me to some party,” Jett said.
“Of course. How nice of him,” I said, dryly.
“My point is that after he stopped by, I called Sylvie,” Jett said. “After she told me what happened, I knew someone must’ve come after the book. In return, I figured it must be the reason why you had been acting strange and wanted to break up with me. ”
I raised my eyebrows, and Jett laughed out loud. “I’m sorry, baby, but I didn’t believe you when you said you wanted to break up with me. ”
My lips twitched. “You have a big ego, you know that?”
“I never said I’m perfect, and I can give you two examples. ” He paused to think.
