MISTAKEN - The Complete First Season

by Peak, Renna

  A large man in a suit stood in front of my door. And I mean he was large. Brandon was tall and muscular, but this guy looked like he could break Brandon like a twig.

  The man nodded at me, expressionless. "Miss Davis?"

  I wasn't sure I would be able to form words—the chill of terror should have had me frozen in place. "Yes?" My voice almost chirped and my heart raced in my chest for very different reasons than it had been only a few seconds earlier.

  He nodded again. "My name is Mark. I've been assigned to your detail."

  I considered grabbing Brandon's hand and taking off down the hall, but I was pretty sure this guy could take me over in a couple steps even if I was in a full out sprint. "My … detail?"

  He nodded. "I've been assigned to take you back to San Francisco immediately."

  My voice lowered to a whisper. "I'm not ready to go."

  Mark straightened. "You are to pack your things and come with me to the airport immediately."

  My heart was thumping so hard in my chest I was sure both of them could hear it. "I'm… I'm not going anywhere with you." I felt Brandon put his hand on the small of my back—I think to reassure me—but there was no point in reassuring me. I was terrified.

  Mark's face softened. "Senator Davis asked that you be assigned a personal protection detail and be escorted back to San Francisco." He dug in his pocket and pulled out a folding leather wallet. He opened it and showed Brandon and I his identification.

  Brandon leaned his head down and whispered into my ear. "He's legit, Jen."

  I nodded, still not sure I completely believed anything that was going on. "I was told I didn't have to be back until Monday. It's only Saturday."

  "There's been a change of plans, Miss Davis." He glanced at Brandon and I saw his face twitch. "My instructions are to escort you back to San Francisco."

  I looked between the two men then focused my gaze on the bodyguard. "This is because of him." I motioned with my head behind me toward Brandon. "Isn't it?"

  His face twitched again. "Miss Davis, I only have orders to escort you to San Francisco, not to discuss the reasoning behind it."

  "I see. Then it will be okay for Mr. Richardson to join me, right?" I felt Brandon's hand tighten against my waist, no longer reassuring me. Maybe it wasn't okay with Brandon.

  "Miss Davis." He glanced at Brandon. "Your father gave me specific instructions that Mr. Richardson is not to accompany you." He nodded at Brandon. "I'm sorry, sir."

  Brandon shook his head, pursing his lips. "No, perfectly fine."

  I rolled my eyes. "So you've been spying on me? Is that it?" The hand around my waist tightened even more, warning me not to push the issue any farther.

  "I was hired to protect you, Miss Davis." I could see the unease on the guy's face. He was just doing his job—following my father's orders. His face twitched again and I could see this was almost as uncomfortable for him as it was for me. "I'm sorry."

  I sighed. Brandon kissed my temple and leaned in to whisper into my ear. "No worries, Jen."

  I turned to face him and furrowed my brow. I was so confused by his reaction. How could he not be upset by this? "This is okay with you?"

  He placed a chaste kiss on my lips and pulled several feet away from me, stepping into the corridor. "I didn't say that."

  "I don't get it." I shook my head at him.

  A smile lit up his entire face. His eyes twinkled like he was the happiest man on earth. "It will be okay—just maybe not now. But at least I know what I need to do."

  I blinked my eyes several times, unsure of what he was saying. It was just the way he said it that was making the electricity jolt through me again. I swear it felt like a herd of butterflies were trapped in my belly. "What's that?"

  He smiled the most radiant smile I had ever seen. "I fight for you."

  15

  There was a black town car waiting for me outside the hotel. Mark had waited for me as I packed my things then escorted me to the car. He climbed in the back next to me, which surprised me a little. I just expected he'd ride in the front with the driver, but I guess not.

  We drove in silence through the darkness. I had a million questions I wanted to ask, but I wasn't sure if he would have any answers. I turned to him and asked the first thing that popped into my mind. "So, Mark, are you from Hawaii?"

  I wish I had been able to see the look on his face. I expect it was something like a smirk based on the curtness of his answer. "No."

  "Oh." I looked down at my fingernails that were not quite visible in the darkness of the car. "So they really have flights to San Francisco this late at night? Because if I had known about a red eye…"

  He cut me off. "You have a flight." He wasn't cold, not exactly. It just seemed like he had no patience for the likes of me.

  "Okay." I watched out the window, wishing I could see the ocean.

  The ride to the airport seemed much longer than the ride to the resort had been. The town car dropped us off in front of a different entrance than the one I had used when I arrived.

  Mark got out of the car first and held my arm as I got out. If I hadn't known he was there to enforce my father's rule over me, I would have thought he was polite. He held my arm as we entered the building. I guess he thought I might run if he let go—not that I would have been able to get far, and not like there were many places to run to on an island.

  There were a few people in the airport, but it wasn’t crowded like it was during the day. Mark held my arm and guided me to a small alcove where a woman was standing. She was older than me—not as old as my parents, but maybe in her early forties. She was a few inches taller than me and was dressed in a black pants suit. Her straight brown hair hung to her mid-back and her roots and temples were graying, overdue for a touch up on her dye job.

  She was flicking the screen of her phone. She looked up and saw me and her face broke into a smile. "Jenna Davis. I haven't seen you since you were a little girl. How are you?"

  I furrowed my brow. I had no recollection at all of this woman. "Fine. And you are…?"

  "Oh, God, I'm sorry." She extended her hand to me. "Krystal Jansen. You probably don't remember me."

  I nodded and reached out to shake her hand. "I know your name. You've managed a lot of campaigns."

  She grinned. "Well, good, now that we have that out of the way, we need to get on the plane." Krystal, Mark and I began walking down a long hallway. "I can't believe I finally get to come to Hawaii and I don't even get to go outside. I have all the luck, right?" She turned to me with a wink.

  I didn't respond. She had all the luck? Really? I just shook my head to myself. There was no way I was going to explain to her what I had just been through over the past few days.

  Mark was walking behind me, just a little too close. I think he could probably smell me, he was walking so close to me. We walked for several minutes in total silence to a door that led to a tarmac off the main airport. There was a small jet waiting there, its doors opened and its lights on.

  "Your chariot, madam." Krystal turned to me with a smile. "First class all the way back to San Fran."

  I shook my head and walked up the stairs. The cabin was a little smaller than I expected with eight white leather chairs. There was a small sitting area with a leather couch, a table and two more chairs against the back wall of the cabin where there was a door to another room. I took a seat in the second row of chairs, buckled myself in and prayed that Mark didn't sit down next to me.

  My prayers were answered and he went to the sitting area and took a seat in one of the chairs. At least I wouldn't have to put up with Mr. Silence for the trip home.

  Krystal, however, did take the seat next to mine after she talked to the pilots. The doors of the plane closed and we were up in the air faster than any commercial plane I'd ever been on.

  We sat there in silence until we were at altitude. Krystal unbuckled her seat belt and got up to get a drink. She turned back to me. "You want anything, sweetheart?"

>   I shook my head at her and looked out the window. I wished it wasn't dark so I could at least see anything other than the two strangers who seemed to have turned my life upside down for the second time this week.

  She sat back down with a drink in her hand. It was so strong that I could smell the alcohol in it from my seat. She raised her glass to me and took a large drink of the concoction. "Ah, that's better."

  I raised an eyebrow and turned back to the window, not that I could see anything.

  "We need to talk, Jenna."

  I turned back to the woman. I still hadn't said a word to her since the airport. I didn’t really have anything to say to her.

  "I know this is a little strange, and things have been happening pretty quickly."

  I still couldn’t think of anything to say, so I stared at the seat in front of me.

  She continued. "So let me start off with apologizing for the way we kind of swooped in. We couldn't have you seen with the man you were with tonight, Mr. Richardson."

  I made a sound through my closed lips. This had to be another image thing—something else that would make my parents look bad.

  "He's not someone that we want anyone to be able to connect to your father. Do you understand?"

  I turned back to her with a furrowed brow. "No, Krystal. I really don't understand."

  She let out a heavy sigh and took another sip of her drink. She looked down at me and tried to hold my gaze. "Look, Jenna, I know you're a grown woman, but this guy… Let's just say he's a dangerous man to be getting involved with."

  "Dangerous?" I made a face that let her know I didn't believe her.

  "Yes, dangerous. He's a danger to your father and he's a danger to you, too."

  "I don't think we're talking about the same person." I turned back to stare at the seat in front of me.

  "I think we are."

  I stared ahead of me again, not saying anything.

  "Dreamy blue eyes, curly black hair, built like a Greek god?"

  I flinched. That was enough to let her know that I recognized her description of Brandon.

  She nodded. "Jenna, this is the part of my job that sucks."

  I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes. "And what part is that?"

  "The part where I tell you that being with him is not an option for you. Not now and not ever."

  16

  The second member of my "detail" joined us when we arrived in San Francisco. He only introduced himself as Cade, and I wouldn't have believed it possible, but he was even bigger than Mark. I wondered if my father had chosen these men on purpose to intimidate me. Or maybe to intimidate Brandon and Daniel.

  We arrived at my apartment and I was told to wait in the car with Mark while Cade "cleared" my place. Krystal had left me at the airport with the two of them and told me she'd be by to check on me later.

  I closed my eyes and rested my head against the back of the seat. It was early on Sunday morning, and I was almost positive that Melissa would be sleeping. She'd read me the riot act as soon as they let me in, especially since she’d had no warning that any of this was coming.

  We finally got the nod of approval from Cade and we took the stairs up to my apartment where the door was standing open.

  "What the fuck, Jenna?" Melissa had a bathrobe around her that she was holding closed. "You couldn't have called to warn me?"

  "Sorry." I heard rustling coming from the bedroom and my head turned in that direction.

  A man hopped on one foot out of the bedroom door, pulling on his pants and trying to get his shoes on at the same time.

  He got his pants buckled and the shirtless man extended his hand to me. "You must be Jenna. Nice to meet you."

  I furrowed my brow and extended my hand. "Nice to meet you, too…?" I hesitated.

  Melissa interrupted. "This is Ray."

  "Jay," he corrected. He let go of my hand and ran his hand through his sandy disheveled hair.

  "Call me." Melissa gave him a little smile and pulled the robe around her tighter.

  "Sure, babe." He nodded in the direction of the agents and got his other shoe on. "See you ladies later." Mark walked behind him to the door and closed it after Jay exited.

  Mark nodded at me and both he and Cade left the apartment—I guess to stand outside. It was such a tiny place, it wasn't like the two of them would even fit in the living room.

  Melissa turned to me enraged. "What the hell is going on, Jenna? I finally find someone willing to come home with me, and then this? Do I need to leave a sock on the door or something? I thought you weren't coming home until tomorrow, anyway."

  I waited until she was finished reading giving me a taste of her wrath before speaking. "I'm sorry, Mel. It all happened kind of fast. I was in Hawaii and…"

  "And what the fuck is up with that? I lose my job and I go bar hopping to pick up a guy and when you get fired, you get to go to Hawaii? How the fuck does that work?"

  I sighed. I guess I hadn't realized I was also fired, but it didn't surprise me, either. "It's been a long few days, Mel. There's a ton of stuff to tell you."

  "Yeah, well it better be good, and you better have a damned good reason for getting me involved in your Tomojii scam." She crossed her arms over her chest in a huff.

  "It wasn't my scam, Mel. It's really going to be hard to explain. We should sit down." I motioned toward our little sitting area.

  "Just spit it out. I don't want to sit down." She pulled at the ties on her ratty white bathrobe.

  I took a deep breath before starting. "You have to swear not to say anything to anyone. Not even your dad. Especially not your dad."

  She glared at me. "Jenna, I've been your best friend for years. I'm not going to go sharing details of your sex life with my father."

  I shook my head. "It's not like that, Mel. We should really sit down." I motioned over at the couch again.

  "Just tell me."

  I took another deep breath. I wasn't sure what the best way to tell her was, so I did what she suggested and just spit it out. "Daniel is alive."

  "WHAT?" Her face lost all color and she turned as pale as a ghost.

  The front door opened and Mark poked his head in. "Everything okay in here?"

  I nodded at him and he returned my nod then shut the door.

  Melissa backed away from me and fell onto the couch in a heap. I took a seat in the chair across from her. "You can't say anything, Mel."

  She shook her head. "But you… But I…" She shook her head again. "You were at the funeral. He was dead. I mean, there's a grave…"

  I nodded. "I know. I still don't understand exactly what it was all about, but he's very much alive and living near Osaka. I guess he decided…"

  She cut me off. "Oh my God, Jenna. That is so romantic! He really went to the trouble of getting you there so that he could see you?"

  My brow furrowed before I nodded again. "I guess…" I didn't see it as a romantic gesture, so much as a selfish one.

  She shook her head. "Christ, why doesn't anyone love me like that?" She pondered for a moment before looking up at me.. "You're going back to be with him, right? I mean, you have to."

  I winced and it felt like she had driven a stake through my heart. "I don't know. I really don't."

  "Why the hell not, Jenna? It's like a romantic fairytale come true. The love of your life died and then he really wasn't dead at all. And he came back for you." She sighed and fell back into the couch. "I would die for love like that."

  "Yeah." My heart hurt. I knew she was right, but I still had feelings for Brandon, things I had never felt with Daniel. And Daniel had faked his suicide.

  She tilted her head. "So what's stopping you? It's not your one nighter, right? Because Daniel would totally understand that. I mean he's been gone for over a year and he would have to understand. And it's not like you spent more than the one night with him or you're in love with him or anything."

  I winced again and I felt my cheeks begin to burn. "Well…"

 
"Oh my God, you did sleep with him again!" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Jenna. He'll still love you. And you don't really have to even tell him. But it's not like he should have expected you to be a nun after he died, you know? You have to go back to be with him. It's true love."

  I closed my eyes for a moment to collect myself. I opened them and looked back at her. "It's a little more complicated than that, Mel."

  "What's so complicated that it trumps true love? It's a princess fairytale come true. I'm so happy for you, Jenna. I really, really am. So when are you going back?" She tilted her head at me. "And what's with the security guys at the door? Is that about Daniel, too?"

  I shook my head. "That's about my father. I have a meeting with him tonight. I think he's going to announce…"

  She interrupted. "Oh, fuck. He's running, isn't he? I heard it on the news on Friday, that they expected his announcement this week."

  I nodded. "He hasn't told me for sure, but I guess it would explain the Secret Service guys."

  She arched an eyebrow. "And what about Daniel? What are you going to do?"

  "I don't know. There's more…"

  Her brow furrowed at me. "What else is there?"

  I proceeded to tell her about Brandon and what I knew about his involvement in Daniel's faked suicide.

  "You think your dad is behind it? Because I don't think mine had a clue. He was pissed that you used company resources to get you to Japan for a meeting that was never going to happen."

  I shrugged. "I think my dad had something to do with Daniel’s suicide, yes. I don't know why though. But Mel, there's something else."

  "Aww fuck, Jenna. This is already a murder mystery. Well a fake murder mystery. Suicide mystery. What else can there be?"

  "Brandon followed me to Hawaii."

  Her eyes fluttered before she fell back against the back of the couch. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

  I shrugged, but my guilt must have been obvious.

  "Oh God, you are. Do you still love Daniel?"

  I didn't know how to answer. "I will always love Daniel. It was such a shock to see him—I’m not even sure what I'm feeling."