And she couldn’t run because she was in hiding. They were like Persephone and Hades—nobody was getting out of this underground lair for a long time. She clasped a bookshelf’s wooden frame behind her to force her legs to remain steady.
Grandma Julie was beside herself. “No, no, this isn’t what I wanted for you.” Her matronly arms went around Hannah’s middle, the top of her white hair running into her chin. “Just come with me, dear. Eureka Springs Healthcare isn’t so bad.”
Grandma Julie’s hug squeezed the breath out of her, as well as a nervous laugh. Hannah couldn’t be more touched or grateful for the older lady’s concern. “I’m fine. You’ll see. Jett’s a beast … with all bark. No bite.” She lifted her brow at him above Julie’s head, hoping desperately that she was right. She struggled to form her lips into a smile “Tell her.”
“Yes, yes, he is.” Aaron was quick to intervene. “We’ll take good care of her, Mrs. Ward.”
Julie wasn’t about to let Jett’s friend be his spokesman again. She spun around to Jett. “If you take advantage of Hannah’s kindness, so help me, I’ll hunt you down.”
Jett held up his arms defensively. “Begging your pardon, ma’am, but I don’t think in my condition that I can do much to her.”
She narrowed her gaze on him, her eyes running over his muscular frame much as Hannah’s had before. Then she let out a harrumph. “Hmm, we shall see. My sweet friend’s a catch; even I know that. I expect you to be a complete gentleman.” She clasped Hannah’s hands. “I’m watching out for you, my dear. I’ll tell Lily …”
Another wave of fear gripped Hannah’s stomach. She'd told her aunt that she’d found a job with an ailing patient in Vermont. “No!” It came out more panicked than she intended. She swallowed, trying to sound more casual. “Uh, no, you know how Lily gets. She’ll be over all the time with food and the latest gossip. I’ve got a bet to keep, ya know? Lots of work to be done. It’s best she doesn’t know.” Even with her rehearsed explanation, it sounded weird, and she tucked back some loose strands of hair, looking sideways at Jett.
His forehead was creased. “You don’t need to go home to pack?”
“I have a travel bag.” She’d left it out in the foyer; she’d been so determined to stay no matter what. “I’ll get the rest of my things later.”
His eyebrows drew in. Was it with suspicion, or something else? Her heart felt like it was racing into her throat. There was no way he could know what she was running from, but she had to be more careful.
Julie pressed the basket of fudge into Hannah’s hands. “You’re going to need these, I think. If these men give you a hard time, I want you to call me. No waiting. I’ll check up on you often to make sure you’re okay.”
She nodded, and the older lady gave her a kiss to her cheek and left. The door swung on its hinges. Hannah felt lost without her.
Noise of guests laughing and chatting across the hallway reached her ears. Was it almost midnight? When she’d first entered the black marbled hallways of Jett’s mountain retreat, she’d been surprised to hear such a late party going on. For all of Jett’s reclusiveness, he wasn’t all that reclusive. Everything about his mansion felt foreign, especially Jett, who gave off a “brooding villain” vibe. It was hard not to imagine that she was locked up with him in his underground lair. The lumbering dog whimpered and set his chin in his paws.
Jett and his friend stared at her like they weren’t quite sure what to do with her now that she’d been foisted upon them. Aaron cleared his throat. “Join us for the party tonight?”
Jett scowled. “You really want to put her through that?”
“Oh no, thank you.” She shook her head; she was already backed up against the corner with nowhere to run. “I’m fine.” Hannah had learned the importance of creating good work boundaries, and even more, she was just bone tired. Between her wearied and overworked heart and her drooping eyelids, she was ready to fall on her knees and beg for a quiet place to turn in.
Jett’s sharp gaze was on her, and he raised his voice. “Veronica?”
In popped Jett’s efficient personal assistant, like she’d been hovering outside the door. She frowned disapprovingly at Hannah, even more so than when she’d shown Hannah and Julie into the house. Likely she’d been out in the hallway the whole time, rooting for Jett to throw Hannah back out into the living world. Veronica pursed her red lips, her long lashes sweeping defiantly over big green eyes.
“Show our guest into the tower, will you?” Jett asked her.
The tower? Hannah really was in prison. Trying not to worry about the dismally named room, she nodded farewell to her new employer, eager to get away.
“Hey!” he called after her. “Don’t bother to meet up with me until after lunch tomorrow.”
She froze. He’d agreed to put everything he had into climbing again, but she didn’t feel like pressing him even more tonight, so she let it go for now. “One o’clock, then,” she said. “Be ready to work.”
She left before he could get in one last sarcastic comment. It would be easier to face the intimidating man after she had a good night’s sleep. She’d need her strength to get through their clash of wills. Collecting her bag of clothes outside the door, she allowed Veronica to take her through the cavernous, winding hallways to the tower.
As Hannah passed each of the rooms, she couldn’t help feeling like she was buried in the middle of the earth with all these rocks and granite, almost as if Jett couldn’t bear leaving the thrill of the mountain behind him. This man must definitely climb again, though she never should’ve said two months! To take on such a challenge and after everything that had happened, was she crazy? Believing deeply in others always brought that out in her.
It had always been a miracle that she got paid to do what she loved to do … though possibly she wouldn’t in this instance. Still, giving life back to those who thought it was over was her passion. Add to that her desperation, and she was done for. She wasn’t sure how far Ryan would take his threats, but that cold look in his eyes had scared her more than throwing her future into Jett Eastwood’s hostile hands.
Veronica didn’t waste her energy on conversation. She pursed her lips more and more until Hannah was certain that Jett’s personal assistant was more fish than woman. The lady’s manicured hands slipped over a substantial doorknob, likely meant solely for Jett’s big paw-like grip, as she wordlessly showed Hannah into the most magical bedroom she’d ever seen.
Hannah sucked in her breath and stepped inside a home belonging to a beloved princess, not Hades’s prisoner. It was circular with round windows. Even through the darkness, she saw the top of the trees tapping against the glass. When she stared outside at the stars, she felt like a trapped maiden in a fairy tale. The place really brought out every outlandish mythical theme of her imagination with its rough log tables carved out of the wall and a four-poster bed.
Veronica marched to the window and drew the curtains with brusque movements. Turning on her spiked heels, she broke her silence. “Don’t make yourself too much at home. Nobody working closely with Jett lasts more than a week.” She headed for the door as if not expecting a reply.
“I’m staying longer than that.” Hannah didn’t know why she bothered. She shrugged when Veronica stared at her over her shoulder. “I’m here for at least two months.”
Veronica swung around, glaring. “I’m sorry, but if you plan on sinking your claws into Jett during that time, think again. He likes brainy, more sophisticated women.”
Hannah caught her breath. “I’m a professional—I have no intention of sinking claws into anyone.” Sure, Jett was super attractive. In another life, she’d probably be crushing on him, but Hannah was too worried about one man in particular to even think twice about Jett. She could tell that Veronica wasn’t as immune. “You’re not saying you two have a thing, are you?”
Veronica drew up short. “Make light of this as much as you want, but you have no idea how many therapists Jett’s gone through
. You won’t last long.”
Hannah was shocked at Veronica’s lack of feeling, and not for herself. “But … don’t you want Jett to get better?”
Veronica made a sound of distaste. “Of course I do, but until he does, I’m taking care of him, and I won’t let anyone take advantage of him while he’s down.”
It wouldn’t do Jett any good to be coddled. Hannah didn’t argue about it. She was tired, and the woman’s eyes blazed with fire. It was best to drop the subject.
As if sensing that Hannah had lost her taste for war, Veronica headed for the door, grumbling out her temper as she left.
Hannah sat down on the luxurious bed, rocking back with a sigh. Veronica’s warning against falling for Jett was ridiculous. And yet, his blazing green eyes were seared into her soul. She wondered at the emotion behind them. She’d soon know what he was hiding from the world. Working closely together had a way of digging out the truth. Of course, what would he find out about her?
A feeling of unease squeezed out her breath, making her feel light-headed. What had she gotten herself into? Jett didn’t seem like the kind of guy who let anything slip past him. Had she made a mistake coming here? She’d have to do everything in her power to resist the strength she saw behind his magnetic gaze and not get closer to that brooding Casanova than she should. Her safety depended on it.
Chapter Five
“You all attacked me like wolves out there!” Jett accused Aaron.
His friend was too pleased with himself to care. “You’ll thank me some day.” He wheeled Jett back into the entertainment room to get back to their friends. The louder the noise, the more Jett wished he wasn’t hosting. “She’s pretty,” Aaron said.
“Who? Your girlfriend?”
Aaron laughed under his breath. “No, yours.”
Jett had been afraid of this. He pushed his hair back from his face. “Don’t ever say that again.” There was nothing wrong with Hannah—she was sweet, maybe a bit of a dreamer, but it would never work … for obvious reasons. “She’s too smiley.”
“So you were thinking about it!” Aaron poked him in the back.
Taking a deep breath, Jett pressed his lips together and refused to give him more fuel to tease him with. There was something about Hannah that drew him in, but she had her walls too, and maybe a few secrets. He noticed the desperation in her eyes when she thought no one was paying attention.
“Are you really not going to pay her?”
Jett let out a chuckle. He wasn’t a monster. Still, he wasn’t about to let Aaron know that, either, so he left that up in the air. As they reentered the party, Jett noticed Dominic out of the Jacuzzi with a towel around his defined waist. Darcy was with him, and she leaned flirtatiously against him, her blond hair splaying over his muscular chest. Aaron must not think his cousin was a threat, because he didn’t seem bothered in the least.
Darcy was doing everything in her power to get a reaction out of her boyfriend. She swatted Dominic. “Oh! You are absolutely horrid. Aaron will defend my honor, won’t you?”
Aaron smiled briefly. “No, no, you don’t need me. I think you’ve got it handled.”
Ah yes—now it made sense. Aaron just didn’t care about her. Jett’s friend had been married before. He’d lost his first wife to cancer. Judging by how little Aaron wanted to talk about Tara, he must’ve loved her very much. No other woman seemed to have a chance, and this relationship was destined to go the way of his others, down the drain.
Unfortunately, Darcy must’ve guessed that, too, because she doubled down on her game. “Dominic cares about me, even when you don’t, Aaron!”
Dominic wrapped his arms around Darcy, laughing loudly. Clearly, he’d been drinking too much. “Hold still. Ah, there you are!”
What part of his drunk-addled brain thought that was clever in the least?
Aaron had reached the end of his patience and shouted out, “Dominic, get dressed! Go sober up.”
Chortling, Dominic headed to the kitchen.
“Not there,” Jett said.
Dominic went to the coat closet next, and Huxley let out a worried bark. Jett pointed his thumb brutally in the opposite direction. “Take one of the side rooms that way. Just don’t make yourself too comfortable.”
Dominic nodded and nodded. He tried to take Darcy with him, and she playfully wriggled from his grasp, attaching herself to Aaron’s side instead.
Jett felt like he was stuck in an asylum. Everyone was far too drunk for his comfort. He never put that stuff in his body. Things were bad enough now without adding to it. Glancing over at Aaron, he lowered his voice. “As much as I love your friends …”
“Yeah, yeah, you want them gone.”
Darcy giggled and ran her hand down Aaron’s chest. “Why don’t you find a taxi for everyone else, and we can have a quiet evening alone at your place?”
Aaron untangled her sharp nails from his shirt front. “I don’t think they could find their shoes, let alone their homes.”
“Oh, c’mon, you’re no fun anymore.”
“Letting my cousin fend for himself in his drunken state isn’t high on my list of fun.” He left her and poked his head into the Jacuzzi room, gathering the friends from the party like he was herding cats.
Jett’s phone buzzed, and he dug into his pocket, surprised to get a call so late into the night. When he saw that it was Ellie’s number, he quickly answered it. “Ellie! Ellie?” Harry’s widow said nothing on the other end; she was comforting someone in the background. He tried again. “Ellie?”
“Jett!” Her soft voice filled the receiver. “Oh, there you are. I hope I didn’t wake you up. I know it’s late over there.”
“No, no, don’t worry about it.” He tried to wheel away from the group in his wheelchair, and when that wasn’t fast enough, he grasped at his crutch leaning against the fireplace and vaulted away from the loud party. “What’s happening?”
“It’s Charlie. He had a bad dream.”
Jett slammed the door, trapping Huxley into the entertainment room before making his way to the library down the hall, leaning heavily on his crutch. He tried not to slip on the wet footsteps that Dominic had left behind. They dried up the farther he went, which made the way easier.
“At first he was crying for Harry, and …” Ellie took in a gasping breath, and he knew that she was fighting tears but keeping strong for her oldest boy. “And then he started to call for you.”
His heart swelled, feeling something between heartbreak and protectiveness, as he hobbled into the library, shutting the door behind him before trying to find a private enclave in the back of the library. “Can I talk to him?”
“Yes, please. Charlie’s scared to go back to sleep. He needs to hear a voice he can trust. You know, since his dad isn’t here.”
Jett’s hands tightened on the phone and he leaned against the back wall of the library, trying to catch his breath, not able to forget that he’d done this to them. He buried his face in his other hand. He couldn’t think that way—at least not now—or he’d be useless to Charlie.
“Jett?” Charlie’s strained, tender voice on the other end of the line broke his heart. “I had a bad dream.”
He readjusted the phone on his ear. “I heard that, buddy. You wanna tell me about it?”
The small boy stuttered something about snakes, bats, and a teacher from school who gave out too much homework. The rest of the dream sent an icy chill up Jett’s back, jamming his mouth shut like a steel trap. “I was falling. I kept falling forever and ever!”
“Oh.” These were real fears. Jett had been having these nightmares since the accident. “Well, you’re okay now. You’ve got your mom with you. She’ll keep you safe.”
Charlie went silent. Jett waited tensely—he was sure that the kid didn’t believe him after everything that had happened. Charlie let out a breath. “Can you sing ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ to me? Dad used to sing that.”
“Really?” Jett’s voice caught as he tried to conj
ure up the melody in his mind. Harry always had a good voice. Jett, on the other hand, could’ve featured in the blooper reel of American Idol. Maybe the kid wouldn’t notice. He started the song out gruffly, desperately trying to keep the tune steady and messing up big time. Somehow he’d gotten too high, and he teetered on the higher octaves before he mercifully killed off the song.
Charlie burst out into laughter.
Jett cracked a smile. “You feeling better?”
“Yeah … but only because …” Charlie fell back to cackling again. “You don’t sing like Dad does.”
“Okay, smart aleck! You think you’re ready to go back to bed?”
“Nuh-uh.” Charlie’s voice sounded muffled like he’d rammed the receiver against his cheek, and his voice turned melancholy. “I’m scared.”
Jett settled into a chair near a window and rested his crutch on the ground. He could do this all night if he had to. “You want to hear me sing again?”
“No!” Charlie shouted out.
“Oh, I see you’re scared of my singing now.” He laughed. “You’re smart. That means you’ve got a good survival instinct. You know the difference between courage and stupidity, right? A stupid man isn’t scared, but a brave man feels fear … but he does what he has to do anyway.”
“Like my dad?”
“Yeah … like your dad.” Jett cleared his throat, feeling it tighten with emotion. He tried to push past the anger and resentment from losing Harry so he could find a way to comfort his son. “You know, I’m not gonna lie to you, Charlie, and tell you that bad things don’t happen. I guess you know that, but … yeah, your dad was very brave. He went out there and took chances. He never stopped living life because he was scared. And look what he got because of it: a real good life. He somehow convinced your mom to marry him. Now he has your brother and sister, and you. You’re a lot like him, you know. You’re stronger than you think.”
Her Broken Hero Billionaire (Billionaire Bachelor Mountain Cove Book 8) Page 5
