Split Decisions: A Southern Romantic-Suspense Novel - Charlotte - Book Two

by Carmen DeSousa

  Jordan huffed out an irritated breath, shaking his head. “Please, just trust me. We have to leave. I don’t know when we’ll be back. You can take the kids to your house tomorrow if you want. They don’t know why we’re leaving; I just told them business. Dinner is on the stove.”

  Jaynee walked down the stairs, no, Caycee he reminded himself. Caycee…it was so confusing.

  She offered the three of them a small smile.

  Melissa and Bobby stared at her confused. They saw only Jaynee, but the news had said that Caycee Jayne was missing. They knew Jaynee’s entire name was Caycee Jaynee but she’d chosen to go by Jaynee.

  Melissa walked toward the stairs. He could see the faint confusion in Caycee’s eyes, but she recovered quickly. “Hi, Melissa, we appreciate you watching the kids. Sorry for the short notice.”

  Jordan was mortified at how easy it was for her to lie, but then he realized she was speaking the truth. She just hadn’t admitted that she wasn’t Jaynee.

  “Come on,” he said, grabbing the suitcase out of her hand and heading for the door. “You already said goodbye to the kids?” She nodded, and he opened the door and let her walk out ahead of him.

  Feeling a tug on his arm, he stopped. Caycee was already heading down the porch steps. He swung around. “What?” It was Bobby, and Melissa was standing behind him, her mouth agape.

  “Jordan, what in the world is going on? I’ve never seen you treat Jaynee like that. Are you okay?”

  Tears overflowed his sister’s eyes. She loved Jaynee as if she was her own sister, maybe even more than her own sister, and he’d practically shoved her out the door before their eyes.

  He walked to Melissa and hugged her. “Sissy, everything will be all right. I swear. Please don’t worry. I’m just…” He stepped back and ran his hands through his hair. What could he say that would appease her? “You know me. You know how impatient I get. But I promise you, everything will be fine. Just watch my kids please and try to keep them uninformed. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “I’m sure whatever Jaynee has done, she didn’t mean to upset you, Jordan. You know she only wants what is best for you. She loves you deeply. I’ve never seen you treat her that way. Please apologize and let her know you love her and are not upset with her. She’s very sensitive when it comes to your feelings.”

  Jordan inhaled a deep breath. He thought he knew that, but right now, he wasn’t so sure. But, he didn’t need his sister freaking out. “I know, Sissy, we’ll be fine. I love Jaynee too, and I’ll make sure she knows it.” He couldn’t help but emphasize Jaynee. “I have to go. I love you. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  ***

  Jordan drove entirely too fast, ignoring most of the traffic signs as they left Stanfield. Caycee assumed he wouldn’t get a ticket if stopped, but still there was no reason for this. They had plenty of time to make it to the airport.

  So either he was trying to take out his anger on the truck or he was trying to scare her. She decided it was better to grip onto the oh-crap bar and keep her mouth shut. Evidently, Jordan had a temper; she’d just never imagined it could be so volatile. If the adage looks could kill were true, she’d probably be dead.

  He said nothing the entire way to the airport, and even when they parked in the long-term area, he simply grabbed the luggage—all of it—then walked off. She hadn’t realized how comfortable she’d become to his touch. In the few days they’d been together, they always seemed to be touching, whether they were in the car, walking across the street, or sitting on the sofa watching TV.

  “You have your ID out and ready?” he asked as pleasantly as she guessed he could muster. Every word that he uttered seemed to come out strained as though he were conversing with the devil himself.

  Caycee nodded, holding her tongue. They’d have a couple of hours on the plane to work out things. Tears stung her eyes at that thought. There was nothing to work out. She wasn’t his wife, and he wasn’t her husband. She’d made that decision years ago. If there was any way she could reverse it, she would. Any way to reconcile the two sides of her, she would give up anything.

  She drifted as her thoughts scrambled inside her head and wasn’t paying attention when the line moved. Jordan nudged her forward, and she felt a shock travel through her system again. This time, however, a blinding light and sharp pain ripped through her stomach.

  “Ouch!” She winced at the pain, truly feeling fear.

  “I barely touched you,” he said, giving her a sour look.

  “No, it’s my stomach. Give me a sec.”

  “People are waiting. You need to remove your shoes and put them and your purse in the bin.”

  Caycee straightened up. The pain disappeared, overshadowed by irritation. She removed her things. “I know, Jordan… I do fly.”

  He mumbled something unintelligible, sounding like, “I’m sure you do a lot of things,” but she couldn’t be certain. Wow, what a change. In her wildest dreams, she would never have imagined that he could harbor this amount of animosity. Was it guilt or was he truly frightened for Jaynee?

  Jordan and Caycee sat in silence in cold black vinyl chairs as they awaited their boarding information. It didn’t take long before they heard their flight announced. Jordan picked up the luggage and stepped back for her to walk ahead of him. A small vestige of his chivalry, or was he afraid she would try to escape. Didn’t he think she wanted to locate Jaynee as much as he did?

  She stopped at their seats. “Do you want the window?” she asked, trying to be polite.

  “Just get in. This isn’t a pleasure trip.”

  She watched as he stowed their luggage overhead. The feelings that washed over her were so foreign. Her heart ached as a burning sensation crawled through her chest, even though her skin felt cold and clammy. His hatred was killing her. She turned her head away, afraid that he would get even angrier if he saw that she was crying.

  They sat in silence again while the pilots readied the plane for takeoff. It wasn’t until they were in the air and the flight attendants started with their cart that he acknowledged her.

  “I need to know everything,” he said, his words slow and deliberate.

  She turned to him, her eyes bloodshot, she knew. She wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. For a brief second, she could see feeling in his eyes, but he quickly shook it off.

  “I need to know anyone who would have wanted to hurt you, any lover, stalker, anyone. Is there someone you see on a regular basis?”

  “No one other than my manager.”

  “How long have you known him?”

  “Years. We used to date.”

  “Used to?”

  “He was married; he didn’t leave her, so I left him.”

  Jordan rolled his eyes. “Figures.” He shook his head and then set his eyes on her again. “But he’s still your manager? Does he want more?”

  “He said his wife left him, that he wanted to get back together.”

  “And what did you tell him?”

  “That it was too late…” She stared at him for a moment. “I was coming to see you. I wasn’t interested in him anymore; it has been sixteen years.”

  “So this just happened? This guy makes a play for you, so you shoot him down, and then leave Jaynee to deal with it?”

  “Ben would never hurt me, Jordan. He loves me, and I make him a lot of money.”

  Without warning, he stood up. He turned, raked his eyes over the surrounding seats and aisle, and then stormed off toward the back of the plane, looking as if he wanted to hit something or someone, anything to release the pain.

  She collapsed back in her seat. Ben never would have hurt her, she was sure of it; he loved her. But what if Jordan was right? What if he loved her enough that if she’d refused him, he would take her forcibly? There was the letter, too. She got so many ridiculous letters she rarely gave them a second thought. Something about choosing them. Whoever wrote the letter knew her patterns, knew she was looking for Mister Right.

  B
en had said that she wasn’t dating, that he knew she went out alone almost every night. Would he have shown up at the apartment again? Jaynee would have fought him off; they had resolved never to allow someone to hurt them again. What if there’d been a struggle? What if he’d hurt her by mistake? Or maybe he could have hurt her and then taken off with her. She hadn’t been able to reach him.

  Jordan slumped onto the seat beside her. He rested his head back on the seat for a few seconds, then his hands covered his face. His body dipped forward as rocking spasms caused his chest to expand in and out.

  “Why did she do this?” His words came out half-strangled. “What was she searching for? I know she’s been a little unhappy lately, but she said she was okay.”

  “Jordan,” she whispered, reaching to touch his hand. He flinched.

  “Please don’t touch me!” he spat the words, shaking his head. “I just don’t understand. Why would you do this?”

  Was he asking her as Jaynee or as Caycee? “Jordan, she loves you. She didn’t want to do this. I begged her; I made her feel guilty. I simply wanted a couple of days. I wanted to know what it felt like to be a wife and mother.”

  His eyes shot upward suddenly. “She went to New York to see you. She lied to me about the book signing, about everything?”

  “No, no,” she assured him. “She had a book signing, several actually, but then she had dinner with me. I was with her when she called you from her hotel room every night. Jordan, she loves you. She never stopped talking about you. She didn’t want to do anything but go back to the hotel room. She was just going to stay in my apartment and write until we switched on Saturday. She never wanted anything but you, I swear.”

  “I don’t know what to believe.” His head collapsed into his hands again. Caycee couldn’t stop herself. She reached for him again, refusing to let him push her away. He turned on her. “Please, Caycee, stop! Can’t you see how awful I already feel?” The sound of her first name coming out of his mouth felt strange; he’d never called her Caycee, not even from the beginning. “I should have known. I did know.” He stared at her, crestfallen. “I knew something was wrong, but how would…who would expect that your wife—” He didn’t continue. Instead, he slumped back into his seat.

  “Jordan, we are the same person. I know it’s hard to understand, but we are. We somehow chose different paths, but the way we both feel about you is the same. You are what brought us back together.”

  He sighed. “You didn’t marry me…Jaynee did.” And with that, he turned away.

  ***

  The flight wasn’t long, but somehow Caycee managed to fall asleep. Maybe it was because she was trying to escape her guilt and Jordan’s anger. Strange people filled her dreams; they were yelling and throwing things at her. She could hear their murmurs, but couldn’t make out the words or their faces. She was hungry, so hungry. Then someone grabbed her, forcing her to go somewhere she didn’t want to go. She tugged back against the stranger—

  “Caycee...” Jordan was shaking her arm. “We have to go.”

  She sat up, peering around the plane. People were hovering behind him, waiting for her to move. She must’ve just had the dream while hearing the passengers gathering their items. She’d incorporated all of her surroundings into her dream, even Jordan pulling on her arm.

  Once again, Jordan swiftly led them out of the terminal. He went directly to a rental car counter. Didn’t he know that in New York you took taxis? No way would they have a car available anyway. She waited patiently; she’d help when he was ready.

  The lady behind the counter smiled as she handed him papers to sign and had them out the door to a shuttle in minutes. Jordan picked up their items and walked off with one quick glance to make sure she was following.

  He said nothing as he loaded their luggage in the rear of an SUV, then jumped in the front seat. After entering an address into a GPS unit he’d removed from his carry-on, he peeled out of the parking lot entirely too fast.

  Caycee could do nothing but gawk at Jordan as he swerved in and out of traffic, which was a little light because it was the middle of the night, but still heavy by Stanfield’s standards, even during peak rush hour. Jordan was completely comfortable in his surroundings, and she felt awestricken once again.

  “Jordan, you drive as if you live here. And the flight and car, you handle everything so expertly.”

  He repressed a sigh. “Oh…that’s right. You didn’t stick around long enough to know I’m not just a dumb hick, Caycee. I was a cop in Charlotte, in one of the most dangerous sections of the city. I’ve had my share of car chases and more than my share of people attempting to kill me. I wasn’t born in Stanfield; I just spent summers there and picked up an accent from my parents. I’ve lived all over the world. I simply chose to settle in a quiet little town and live with my wife and kids in peace.” He glared at her then. She wished he would turn his eyes back on the road; he had to be doing about eighty.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I booked a hotel. We’ll settle in, and then we are going to go find your lover.”

  “He’s not my lover! It’s been over for sixteen years. And I have an apartment.”

  “Okay, well, that’s a brilliant idea. Let’s go back to your apartment and just announce that you’re back to the police. Then they’ll stop looking for Jaynee. Is that what you want?”

  “No,” she whispered. It wasn’t what she wanted.

  Jordan turned to her again, his eyes narrowing and his jaw clenched. Something must have occurred to him, but he wasn’t ready to share. He turned back to the road, but his jaw remained locked in place.

  “Jordan, what is it? What happened?”

  He sucked in a ragged breath. “You didn’t… You didn’t hurt her, did you?”

  “Jordan! What on earth? How could you think that? I am her… She is me… I don’t understand it, but, NO! I could never. I’m sick with grief. You think you’re the only one who cares? I love her. It’s as if she is a part of me, as though we are sisters, but even more.”

  “Sorry, I guess that was out of line,” he said, sounding truly repentant.

  The car was silent as they traveled a little slower now through the nighttime streets. Caycee sunk deeper into her seat, racking her brain for anything that might help them find Jaynee.

  Jordan parked in front of a hotel and pulled out their luggage. He surrendered his keys to the valet, but insisted that he wanted the car back in front of the hotel in exactly one hour. After handing the valet a tip, he swiftly walked to the front desk. Within minutes, they were on their way to their room.

  “Only one room?” she asked.

  “I need to keep you in my sights in case your friend sees you and decides to run off with you, and then I’ll have no leads. Don’t worry; I have no plans to seduce you again.” His voice was sharp at the end. As if it’d been her fault that he’d insisted they make love. As if she should have explained that she wasn’t his wife. Maybe she should have. She frowned into space as they rode up the elevator to their room.

  Jordan allowed her long enough to go to the restroom before he demanded that she call Ben.

  “He hasn’t been answering his mobile. I’ve been trying for the last two days. Of course, I’ve had it blocked.”

  “Try again, but don’t block the number. We want him to have it, so if he does know anything, he’ll call.”

  She called, but the call went directly to voicemail. She gave him an exasperated look.

  “Try his home phone,” Jordan suggested. “Everyone answers their home phone in the middle of the night. No one thinks to ignore a call at two in the morning; it usually means there has been a death.”

  Caycee obeyed, dialing Ben’s home number. The phone rang several times before a raspy female voice answered. Caycee cupped her hand over the mouthpiece and whispered to Jordan. “It’s his wife; she must have come back.”

  “Or never left,” Jordan retorted.

  “Hello?” the voice came over the
line again.

  Jordan motioned for Caycee to say something.

  “Hello, Sheila? It’s Caycee… I’m sorry to wake you, but I was looking for Ben. Is he there?”

  A long pause. Caycee was certain the woman must have fallen back to sleep, but she could still hear the connection.

  Finally, Sheila spoke, “Ben left. He said he was going away with you.” And she hung up the phone.

  Jordan must have noticed her shocked expression because he stepped forward and locked his eyes with hers. “What happened? What did she say?”

  Caycee said nothing at first, what was there to say. Would Jaynee have actually left with Ben? She couldn’t have. He wasn’t her type. He wasn’t Caycee’s type. He’d just been there, someone to hold her when she was lonely, but she’d never been in love with him.

  Jordan grabbed her shoulders. “What is it?”

  A shock rang through her at the same time that a blinding light burnt her eyes and her stomach churned again. “Oh, God!” she screamed, keeling over in pain. “Oh, God, it hurts!”

  “What hurts?”

  Caycee fell to the floor from the sudden pain and fear. For a brief second, she saw a flash of concern in Jordan’s eyes before everything went blank.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  (Jaynee)

  Confused, Corey sat outside Ben’s apartment building. Something wasn’t right. Caycee wouldn’t have left with Ben; she’d kicked him out of her house just a few days ago.

  At least that’s what he’d assumed she’d done. Had they been planning something else? Ben sat at the same restaurant he did, practically three nights a week, drooling over her, even with his beautiful wife sitting across the table.

  Ben wasn’t even her type. He saw the men she liked. She liked men who were in great shape, strong physically and mentally; Ben was neither. The men she always went for looked like cops, military men. Men who were ruggedly handsome, not pretty Hollywood types like Ben.

  He fit her type. He was certain if he’d approached her, she would have accepted him. He’d just been looking for the right time…the time that was right for her and him. A time when he’d be able to make a commitment.