“Teo?”
Watery eyes shot to Isla’s face and he watched through the blur of insuppressible tears as hers opened. Urgent arms locked on, clutching her tight to his chest. A little moan made him ease off. He settled her back against the mattress with shaking hands.
“I’m here, hermana. I’m here.” A rush of emotion washed through him. Anger. Worry. Guilt. Gratitude. His head fell onto her torso as the dam burst.
“Craig, you called him.”
Isla’s voice broke through the tears. He wanted to tell her not to be angry, that Craig had done the right thing, but the words were trapped beneath the deluge.
Then, like the chime of a little bell, she added, “I guess I’ve got to kick that cute ass.”
“It’s all part of my evil plan to get you out of that bed, Isla.” Craig answered through the nervous laughter of his relief. “Come and get me, baby”
“I’ll give you a minute to run.” The voice was weak, but there was a giggle in it.
Teo pictured his sister chasing Craig, ready to kick his ass. He’d been there a few times himself. He was still crying all over the sheet like an idiot, but now he was a smiling idiot.
His baby sister was back.
*****
“I’ve never seen him like this, Sabin. I’m worried sick.” Nicolai slumped in the chair. Not exactly the guy’s normal. Nicolai Stavros was gentility on feet.
“Jacques is a tough nut, Nico, but I’ve got to admit, I’m worried too,” Sabin said, hoping Nicolai wouldn’t ask why he was sitting behind Jacques’s desk while they had this little chit chat about the man whose office they were in. “Jacques is a tenacious guy, but eventually the thrill of the chase will fade and he’ll move on.”
Nicolai looked up as if Sabin had sprouted a second head. “I know my cousin. He won’t move on. No matter how many doors she slams in his face, he’ll never give up. He really loves this woman.”
“I get it. Isabella is a fine lady, but he doesn’t really know her.”
“I said the same thing and he gave me a one word answer.”
“Couldn’t be ‘fuck off,’ that’s two words. What'd he say?”
“Destiny. Jacques thinks Isabella Rey is his destiny, the woman he’s been searching for his whole life.”
“No shit.”
“How can a woman have a man love her like that and not love him back?” Nicolai said, clearly bemused.
“Too easily, my friend.”
Nicolai was a closet romantic, apparently like his cousin, but the one time in his life when he unlocked that door, he’d found his happily-ever-after. Not everyone was so lucky, but Sabin kept that thought to himself.
“This is bad, Nico, really bad.”
In truth, the man in front of him didn’t even know how bad things had gotten. Nico thought Jacques had disappeared because he’d thrown himself into work. If only. Sabin had been running Meszaros Enterprises for the past month.
It started with him looking after their joint venture in New Mexico and took off from there. Jesus, he was convinced Jacques was part superman. How the hell did he oversee this empire day in and day out? Talk about leaping tall buildings. And the charitable stuff on top of everything else. Sabin was tempted to add “part savior” to his description, but it was Jacques he was thinking about. He was exhausted, but there would be no letting his brother down.
Sabin rubbed his fingers across his aching eyes. “There’s something you don’t know, Nico, and it’s time you do.” He heard Nicolai shift in his seat. “It’s about Jerard. He’s got a problem.”
“Guy’s got a lot of problems,” Nicolai muttered, making no attempt to hide his contempt for his lover’s best friend.
“He’s addicted to smack.”
“What? No way. Julianne would know. She loves…” the words trailed away and guilt crept across Nicolai’s face. He hadn’t made it easy for Julianne to see Jerard. “How long?”
“Not sure, but Jerard disappeared while Isabella was in Monaco with Jacques. We’ve been searching for him. Nothing yet. I think you should tell Julianne. Prepare her for the worst.”
“Christ, Sabin. I know Jerard and I don’t like each other, but heroin. He’s too damn talented to be messing with that shit. I mean gifted in a way I’ve never seen before. Jacques must be devastated. Jerard leaves, then Isabella. Oh, hell, I left him first. How much can one man take before he breaks?”
“No more, Nico. I can’t take anymore.”
Jacques’s haggard figure appeared from out of nowhere. He looked broken. Wild eyes, mussed hair, disheveled clothes, but the thing that scared Sabin more than anything were the tears. He’d never seen Jacques Meszaros cry and he felt like an ass for thinking the man was immune from that basic human emotion. Nothing like allowing yourself to see only what someone puts out on the surface.
Nicolai shot to his feet and grabbed his cousin as Jacques collapsed into his arms, the sound of his anguish muffled against the lapel of Nicolai’s designer suit.
Sabin stared at the two men, contemplating whether to tell Jacques what his PI discovered about why Jacques’s pretty lady was slamming all those doors, but he remained silent. It was bad enough Jacques had to suffer through losing Isabella once.
He shouldn’t have to suffer through losing her twice.
*****
“How are you feeling?”
Isabella sat up on the bed. Despite a small ache in her head, she felt alright. At least physically. Today they were releasing her from the hospital and letting her breathe fresh air again.
Scared, heart-broken. “I’m fine.”
Dr. Boucher assessed her with clinical eyes. “Chin up, Isabella. I’m pleased with our results and you should be too. I will prescribe medication to ease the headaches. If you experience any change in the pain level, let me know right away. Otherwise I don’t have to see you again for two weeks.”
So that's it? I'm supposed to go back to normal life with a few words and a prescription?
That seemed impossible. How do you live again after being unconscious for two weeks? Locked in a hospital for two more? How do you fight the fear that the silent killer won’t return and end your life?
Isabella wanted to be strong, have courage, but the future terrified her. She didn’t know how to go forward. She turned to the man to whom she’d entrusted her life and asked, “What am I supposed to do now?”
Her champion took her by the hand. “Live, Isabella.” With a pat on the knee and a small smile, he left.
Alone with nothing but the future, her mind drifted back in time and she heard Jacques’s voice. You’re a strong woman, Isabella Rey. She didn't feel strong at the moment, but for Jacques, she would try to be strong. Strong enough to put her feet on that floor and take the first step. And strong enough to deny her broken heart to protect the heart of the man whose voice gave her the strength to do it.
*****
Jerard dropped the needle into the toilet. Despite the piss and rust, he fought the disgusting urge to dive in after it. Clenching his fists, he cursed before slamming down the handle.
“Fuck it. No more.”
*****
Isabella plunked the last grocery bag onto the counter and yanked the phone from her purse. She hated this chore. Even cancer couldn’t make a person grateful to have to grocery shop.
Unknown caller. “Hello.” She pulled out a carton of eggs and smiled. Well maybe it could.
“Am I speaking to Isabella Rey?” The voice was rushed, nervous.
“Yes. Who’s calling?”
“Isabella, I don’t know if you remember me, but this is Julianne Giroux.”
A shot of fear hit her as her eyes darted around the apartment at the scores of yellow roses. One phone call each morning, one rose each evening. Both with the same message, “I love you and I’m sorry.”
Has something happened to Jacques? “Of course, Julianne. Is something wrong?” she asked in her clinical voice.
“It’s Jerard,” Julianne cho
ked out. “He’s sick, Isabella. He won’t let me call anyone else. He insisted. Only you. We’re at Nicolai’s gallery. Can you come here? Can you come right now, please?”
She grabbed her coat and was heading to the door as she answered, “On my way, Julianne. Tell him to hold on. I’m on my way.”
Teo was already at the gallery when Isabella arrived. God, she loved her brother. No questions. No judgments. He was just there for her whenever she needed him. He was there when she woke up in the hospital. He was there when she cried and confessed her pain at the end of her affair with Jacques. Hell, he’d been there for her entire life. She shouldn’t have shut him out. Shouldn’t have lied to him. So she apologized and told him everything. Well, almost everything. She told him most of what happened with Jacques and confessed her fears about trying to live as a cancer survivor. The love and support he offered in exchange humbled her.
She shrugged off her regret and put her trust in her brother once again. “Where are we?”
“Full-on detox. He’s in bad shape. We should call an ambulance, but you know how this goes.”
She did. It was hard enough for Jerard to trust enough to reach out for help. If he didn’t want a hospital, he wouldn’t stay. Forcing him would achieve nothing. Maintaining his trust was their only hope.
“I called Shea. He’s bringing the meds. You go. I’ll wait here. Send Julianne up. She can get the rest of what we need.”
Isabella didn’t answer as she hurried to the stairs. So much had changed since the last time she’d been in this gallery. She remembered that night. The night that changed her life. The man who changed her life.
The studio was dark. A single lamp burned in the corner throwing off just enough light for her to see Jerard’s sweaty back. He was curled into the fetal position on the floor in the far corner. Julianne knelt next to him, eyes panicked.
“I turned off the lights. He said the light was hurting his eyes so I, I…turned off the light.”
“It’s alright, Julianne. Go upstairs now,” Isabella said, putting a gentle command in her voice. “Teo will tell you what to do.”
Julianne nodded mechanically and reached for Isabella’s hand. “I love him, Isabella. Please don’t let anything happen to him.”
Jerard groaned and rolled over. “Isla.” Her name came from his dry lips in a warbled croak.
She went to her knees at his side. “I’m here, baby, and I’m going to take care of you. You’re going to be alright. I’m here.”
Clouded eyes met hers, the trust and relief in them brilliantly clear. “It hurts, Isla. God, it hurts.”
She wrapped her arms around his trembling body. “I know, baby. I know.”
*****
“Can’t you drive faster?” Jacques snapped at his driver. Goddamn traffic.
Julianne’s text didn’t say much, but his gut told him he wouldn’t be walking into anything good.
“Stop.” He opened the door.
The driver hit the brakes. Jacques hit the partition.
“What are you doing, monsieur?” he called as Jacques jumped out and began jogging the three blocks to Nicolai’s place. As soon as he turned the corner, Julianne rushed out of the gallery door and sprinted into his arms.
“He’s sick, Jacques. He won’t tell me what it is, but he’s sick.” She started sobbing against his chest.
As he wrapped his arms around her, he didn’t even have to ask. Holy hell, did Jerard OD? “Where is he, kitten?”
“I found him on the floor of the studio when I got here this morning. I wanted to call Nicolai, but he said no. He tried to leave and collapsed. He said Isabella. Only Isabella.”
Jacques’s heart stopped beating in his chest. “She’s here?” Isabella is in the gallery?
He hadn’t seen her in three months and it felt like three decades. His life was a train wreck without her. After countless unreturned phone calls, he’d almost abandoned hope, but now, out of the clear blue, he was about to see her again.
“When she got here, she told me to text you and I, I...” The words were choked off by Julianne’s tears.
Isabella asked Julianne to contact him. She reached out to him. Even if it was only to help Jerard, he was overjoyed. Three months of rejection taught him that his arrogance truly knew no limits. He’d decided not to dictate, but a man can only dictate to a woman who lets him. He’d been so proud, so sure that he was the center of the universe, the one with ultimate power. Three months locked outside of paradise taught him the truth. Isabella held all of the power in her pretty hands and if he ever had any with her again, it would only be because she gave it to him.
Today she opened the door, only a crack, but still open and he wasn’t about to let her slam it in his face again. Whatever she wanted, whatever she asked, he would give. On her terms, not his. Proof that he could become the man she needed him to be. That he could be different.
“You did the right thing, Julianne. Come on.”
As they entered the gallery, two sets of male eyes turned to him. Interesting pair, he thought as he took in the details. Lots of black leather, muscle and tattoos. Pretty boy blonde looked over at him blankly, but the menace coming off the other guy lowered the temperature in the room a few degrees. No introduction necessary.
“Teo,” he said.
“Jacques.” The greeting was clipped, threatening. “She’s downstairs?”
As Jacques circled past big brother, a firm hand hit his arm. No masking Teo’s feelings about little sister’s ex-lover, but this wasn’t the time. “We’ll work out our business later,” he said with a roll of his shoulder.
“Damn right. She needs this.” Teo shoved a pill bottle into his hand. “Shea and I will get the rest.”
With that, Teo walked to the door with Blondie and Julianne in toe.
Jacques’s heart nearly thundered out of his chest at the thought of seeing Isabella again. He didn’t make it halfway down the steps before she rushed up to meet him.
“Jacques.” The whispered sound of his name on her lips almost took him to his knees. “Don’t come down. He can’t face you yet. He stopped about three days ago. We’re hitting the worst now. The next twenty-four hours will be hell.” She leaned up and pressed a quick kiss on his cheek. It burned. “I’m glad you came. He needs you.”
Do you?
Isabella looked calm, if not a bit frazzled around the edges. That was to be expected given what she was dealing with, but she was competent and strong. In reality, she could probably handle what was happening with Jerard better than he could so he fought his compulsion to take control of the situation and ran his eyes over her.
Beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful. More than he remembered. Her gorgeous red mane was pulled high into a ponytail away from the perfection of that flawless face. A pair of black cargo pants and a plain black muscle shirt had never looked more sexy.
“I’m here for you too, Isabella.” For this. For everything. For the rest of your life if you’ll have me.
He caught a glimpse of something foreign in her eyes. Doubt. The look cut through him. They stood mere inches apart, but there were miles between them. His reserve nearly snapped with the fury of knowing that he’d created that distance. He wanted to grab her, beg her to take him back, but years of discipline sharpened his focus. That was not the way to bring her back across the chasm he’d put between them. To win her, he had to be patient. So patient he would be.
He handed her the bottle. “What is this?”
She looked away before she answered. He was not going to like whatever she had to say. “It’s another drug to keep him from crashing too fast.”
Jacques looked at the unmarked bottle and decided against asking the obvious. Like what drug? Would a doctor prescribe it? Is it even legal? And why the hell is Jerard on the floor of an art studio instead of in the hospital?
As if she felt his rising anger, she put a hand to his chest. “Listen, Jacques. I know the situation isn’t optimal, but Teo and I know what we�
��re doing. Jerard doesn’t want a hospital and he doesn’t need his dirty laundry splashed across the tabloids. It’s a blessing he even reached out for our help. Can you trust me and just go with this?”
Jacques swallowed his pride and the urge to do things his way. Isabella brought him here and this was what she wanted. “I will do anything you ask, Isabella.” Anything to earn you trust.
“Wait for me upstairs. I will come as soon as I can.”
He ached to touch her, take this burden from her, but if she wanted him to sit on his ass upstairs, he would. He wasn’t going to dictate. Not this time. Not with this woman. He’d waited his whole life to find her and he was going to do this right. If she stayed with him, it would be because she chose to stay and he had every intention of making that a very easy choice. He lifted lead feet and started back up the stairs.
“Thank you, Jacques. Knowing you’re there will get me through.”
"Hearing you say that, Isabella, will get me through."
Their eyes met and locked in a stare that held more than words could express. Then she turned back to Jerard.
*****
Isabella wiped Jerard’s forehead with a wet towel. Even as he shivered beneath her touch, the hand resting on her thigh gave a little squeeze. Through the haze of suffering, that beautiful, tortured soul wanted to comfort her.
“I called Jacques, Jerard. He’s here, upstairs. I won’t let him come down until you’re ready. Just know the people who love you are here for you.”
Misty eyes met hers and he nodded as another wrenching spasm rocked his body. Then his lids squeezed tight, the muscles in his neck and chest straining with the pain.
“Just breathe, Jerard. It will pass. Come on, breathe with me.”
Jerard drew a shuddering breath. And another as the pain spiked. It had been like this for hours. The withdraw wracking his body, toying with his mind, ramping up the temptation to succumb. One hit would end it all.
He’d been strong. Each time his body bent in agony, he rode through the pain. Never tried to escape. Never begged. He fought his demon with everything he had, but she knew from sad experience the worst was still to come.
The fighter was prepared. She may be compassionate, but she was tough. There would be no stepping away from this battle. No matter how bad things got, she would not lose him. Not after he’d trusted her. Not after he’d come so far.
Paradise: The Masters of The Order Novel Two Page 21
