When he doesn’t take my hands, I shake them. “Here’s your chance, Mr. Roman. I’m not running away from you. Go ahead.” I turn my back towards him, put my hands behind me, and wait.
His expression is somber when he secures my hands with the zip tie. After helping me get my feet in my shoes, he snatches my purse from the kitchen counter and walks me outside to his car where he opens the front passenger side door.
“If you’re going to treat me like a criminal, Jett, put me in the back seat.”
He glares at me with a doleful look and opens the back door. But before he helps me inside, he asks, “Where are the bodies, Gray?”
For a split second, my eyes dart to the flowers that peek out around the compound, then glance back at Jett. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
With a push on the top of my head, Jett assists me into the back seat of his undercover cop car, throws my purse at me, and slams the door.
That’s right, biatch, without bodies you have no case.
Happy digging, my friend.
Chapter 40
Gray
Thank God it’s dark because the last thing I want is Jett seeing me cry. He’s already been a witness to me crying ugly tears before, and I won’t let him get the pleasure of seeing it again. Especially because these tears are to mourn him.
Motherfucker! How did I not see that he was playing me? I mean, Thomas, yes, I had a hunch, but Jefferson. Damn. I must give Jett mad props for being so creative.
I ignore every question that Jett asks me, keeping my focus out the window on the flicker of lights that zip passed us in the dark. Jett’s tone keeps getting sharper with every question. He’s pissed that I’m not answering him, so he pulls the car over on the side of the road and gets out.
He jerks the car door back with such force that the whole car shakes, and he kneels down in front of me, shouting, “What the fuck, Gray?”
Of course, I’ve turned my head away from him and let my body go lax when he yanks me from the car. He shakes me like a ragdoll and shoves me back against the car, but I don’t fight back. I can’t. I know the sensation of being numb all too well, and right now, being numb is what I need, because I want nothing more than to toss myself at him and kiss him until I can no longer breathe.
“Fuck, Gray!” he yells again. He stomps the ground and randomly flails his arms as he growls into the sky, clawing at his head. “Fuck!” He charges at me and screams right into my face, “Why?”
I don’t flinch. I wait for him to kiss me, praying that he does, hoping with all my might that what we have shared hasn’t been a total ploy to catch me slicing my scalpel down someone’s side. But when he doesn’t put his lips on mine, it’s a clear sign that he feels nothing towards me and was just using me. I look him dead in the eye and drop my voice low. “Call Drew.”
He steps back, shaking his head. “What for?”
“Because I have nothing left to say to you. From here on out, you can talk to my attorney.”
Kinda feel bad about putting Drew right in the middle of my little situation, but considering we share a common denominator, I trust him to handle my shit. It’s too bad that I can’t give him a heads up, but considering the series of events, there’s not much I can do about that at the moment.
Jett goes back to kicking at the dirt on the side of the road, acting very much like a two-year-old, and spits out every foul word you can ever come up with, then charges at me again, this time pushing me back into the car. He runs around and hops into the driver’s seat and punches the gas. The car lurches forward into the night, and with every sharp turn, the wheels squeal.
I’m no longer looking out the window. I can’t bear to watch the police station get closer and closer, so I keep my head down. So needless to say, when the car comes to an abrupt stop, I’m a bit in shock when Jett grabs me out of the car and we’re standing in front of my house.
I gasp like I’m out of breath. “What are we doing here?”
He doesn’t answer me as he pushes me forward, holding my hands that are tied behind my back.
“My keys are in my purse. In the car,” I say. He’s walking and pushing me so quickly that I stumble and lose my footing, tripping over a raised lip in the sidewalk. Jett’s arm catches me at the waist and hoists me back up on my feet then continues to push me to the front door. I’m swung around by my wrists, only hearing the splintering sound of my front door being kicked in by Jett’s boot, then I’m jerked back around and shoved through broken door frame.
Jett takes me into my bedroom and gives me a firm nudge, making me fall back onto the bed. I watch Jett run around my room throwing clothes onto the bed, then he darts into the bathroom, returning with a handful of my toiletries, and shoves them into a suitcase that he found in the back of my closet.
My heart’s pounding and my teeth are clattering against each other. I’m not sure what the hell is happening. I can honestly say that I’m scared to death right now.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
When my suitcase is full to capacity, Jett runs over to me and cuts the zip tie off my wrists. “Put this on and go,” he says, out of breath, tossing me a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from my closet. “Get out of here.”
I sit frozen for a long moment, even after he yells at me, repeatedly, to, “Get the fuck out.” I’m confused as to why he’s packed my suitcase and is screaming, “Now, dammit! Go right now and get out of here, Gray!”
“Wha-what? Why? I don’t understand, Jett. Why?” I sputter.
He cups my face and plunges his tongue into my mouth in a fervent kiss. I take his face in my hands too, and kiss him back, hungry for him. “Gray,” he whispers between our lips. “I love you, Gray. I can’t do it. I can’t take you to jail. I know you’ve killed all those people. I don’t know how, and I don’t know where you’ve buried them, but I don’t care. If it wasn’t for you, my wife’s killer would still be out there. If it wasn’t for you, more people would have been hurt.”
Whoa there, buddy ol’ pal. Say what?
I push his face away from mine, gulping in air. “You love me?”
No, wait, that’s not what I was going to say first.
The breath in my lungs hiss out of my mouth. “Your wife.”
“I knew you were with Lloyd Dawson the night he went missing. I found your bracelet at the bar and traced the DNA back to you.”
“Oh.”
“That’s why I used Thomas to get close to you. I needed to know why you were with Lloyd and to see for myself that you were still alive. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I hadn’t been able to get to him and he killed again. When I saw you at your desk, I was relieved you survived, but then it dawned on me...if you survived and he went missing, could it be possible that you played a role in it? And there was that bruise. It was faint, but I caught it, and I know you noticed that I saw it because you tugged on your turtleneck trying to cover it up. You play the part well, Gray. I was convinced that I was crazy, that you couldn’t be a killer, but the more I dug into your background…” And as if he’s talking to himself, he whispers, “Which you confirmed when you told me about you childhood.” He pauses, his eyes softening. “I’m so sorry all that happened to you.” He pecks my lips with a kiss. “Anyway, I knew I needed to put pressure on you. That’s when I got Jefferson to help me. Even though I had a strong feeling what you might be capable of, I was not expecting to find Jefferson dead on that table. And you’re right. I do have some part in his death. I didn’t listen to my gut that you were dangerous, and I wasn’t where I should’ve been, which resulted in me getting to your house too late.” He takes a quick pause to catch his breath, then adds, “I went three fucking years trying to find that asshole, Lloyd Dawson, and in one night, you of all people, take him out. I would have done it myself had you not beat me to it, but since you got to him first...thank you.”
You’re welcome?
I’m not sure if it’s a trick to get me to say that I killed
Lloyd Dawson, but to play on the safer side of the table, I’m going to just zip my lip. Besides, Jett’s rambling is making my head spin. I’m trying to retain all that he’s spouting off at me, but I’m still stuck on, “I love you.”
“I wasn’t planning on falling in love with you, Gray, but I was addicted from the first glance. I know that sounds crazy, but the way you looked at me...it was electrifying. I wasn’t planning on falling in love with you, but I did.”
For reasons I’m unsure of, tears seep from my eyes and run down my cheeks. Maybe it’s because I’ve been a hundred percent blindsided, or maybe it’s because he’s helping me escape, but mostly I think it’s because he said he loves me. I have never heard those words fall from a man’s mouth before. Sure, I’ve heard and have said it to Andi and Jaz, but never to a man. A man that I love, too.
Dear God, I’m so confused. One minute he tells me he’s set up this whole sting to arrest me. The next, he’s packing me up and confessing his love to me. The emotions are too much for me bear. Jesus. This is why I try to avoid all this bullshit.
“I do. I love you, but you have to get out of here. Listen to me.” Jett’s cradling my face between his palms, his eyes boring into mine. “Are you listening to me?”
I nod.
“Please tell me you have a passport.”
I nod.
Jett begins to help dress me as he continues to give me orders. “I want you to go straight to the airport. Do not stop, understand?”
I nod.
“Take the first flight to whatever country you can get to. Change your name, change your hair color. Do whatever the fuck you need to do to not be noticed...”
Ha. That’s easy to do. It seems to me like I went unnoticed for most my life.
I interrupt, asking, “What about you?” Tears stream down my face. He’s telling me he loves me then wants me to leave. “I don’t want to leave you. I love you too, Jett.”
He growls and smashes his lips to mine. “After you get settled, wherever you want to reside, I want you to send me something that lets me know where you’re at. Don’t put your name on it and only write what is absolutely necessary. You need to be creative. Keep in mind that whatever you send might be seen by someone who wants to arrest you and put you behind bars for life. At any moment, Jefferson’s body will be found and a massive search will be put into motion. You cannot be here, Gray. That’s why you have to leave...right now.”
After pulling my shirt over my head, Jett wraps me in his arms, kissing me, then snatches the suitcase and pulls me out of my house.
“Take my car,” he says, shoving the keys into my hand. He swings the car door open and takes my suitcase, chucking it into the back seat. Leaning through the door, he reaches in and grabs his wallet from the middle console. “Here, take this.”
I glance down at ten hundred dollar bills sitting in my hands. “Jett, I can’t take this. I have money. I’ll just go—”
“No!” he barks. Jett grips my shoulders. “Gray, no bank and no credit cards, no phone calls.”
I smirk. “I was going to say, I’ll just go back inside and grab the stash that I have saved for a rainy day.”
Jett’s lips curl up into a grin. “Perfect, hurry.”
I sprint around Jett and run back into the house, straight to my bookcase. My fingers fumble through the books until I find the one I’m looking for.
From the binding, it appears to be a book but, when you open it, all it is is a hole where the pages should be. I grab the envelope and my passport that’s inside and run back outside to where Jett is pacing the driveway.
I wave the envelope and my passport around. “Got it.”
Jett takes it from my hand and stuffs it into the top zipper of my suitcase. “Where’s your ID?”
“In my purse, which is still in the back seat.”
I’m sobbing through the last kiss Jett places on my lips. I clench his shirt in my fists and hold on to him, not wanting to let him go.
He chokes back a sob. “You have to go.”
I swipe the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hands. My heart is aching. In all of this fiasco, I almost forgot about my family. I can’t leave without saying goodbye. It will crush them. “What about Andi and Jaz? I have to say goodbye.”
“I’m sorry, Gray, you can’t. No phone calls, remember? I promise, I’ll let them know what’s happening. It won’t be forever, okay. Just trust me. Please.”
“I do. I trust you.”
I can’t believe the words come out of my mouth. I’ve never trusted anyone besides Andi and Jaz, and for all I know, Jett’s telling me exactly what I want to hear. I could get to the airport and be bombarded by the cops and whisked off to jail. I guess you can say I’m taking a leap of faith, because the moment I leave my driveway, there’s no turning back.
“Time to go, sweetheart.”
I nod, biting my lip and swiping at my cheeks. “Okay.”
“I love you,” he whispers. “I will come find you. I promise.”
I look at Jett earnestly. “I’m not dangerous, Jett. I hope you can believe that.”
His smile is sincere. “I do.”
And with that, Jett puts me into his car and slams the door.
I place my hand up to the window, as does he, and mouth an, “I love you, too.”
I thought I cried a lot when Blue died, but this takes the cake. I’m hyperventilating as the tears come pouring out of me. My lungs burn from gasping for breath, and my heart...my heart is shattering in my chest. For the first time in my life, I’m truly feeling what it’s like to love and be loved, and yet, I’m watching the man that has given me this gift disappear in the rearview mirror.
Only time will tell if his love is pure, or if he’s just convinced me to walk straight into the firing squad.
EPILOGUE
Jaz
It’s been the longest six months of my life. I’ll never forget the night that Jett called me saying that Gray had left and that she wouldn’t be returning. Through sobs, I said a few choice words to him, thinking that he hurt her and ran her off for good, but after I calmed down, he explained to me what he found at the compound. I guess you can say Andi and I are eating crow. I don’t know how many times Gray tried to tell us she felt that things were going south. I’m sure she’ll be quick to throw that in our faces when we see her.
And when will we see her next? I’m not sure. But today, I got something in the mail that I believe is from Gray. And just as I was going to call Andi, she called me and said she got something, too. So, I’m sitting on one of the swings hanging from a tree at the compound...admiring the beautiful flowers.
It was a brutal winter. Maybe that’s because our hearts were colder with Gray being gone. But with spring in full bloom, the flowers are back in all their radiance. I’m not sure about Andi, but I’ve come out to the compound a lot in the past six months, no matter the weather, and have just sat here in the swing. I talk to Gray when I’m out here, wherever she’s at, and imagine that’s she’s talking back to me. It’s mostly me crying and saying to myself, “You’re lucky you’re not here ‘cause I’d bitch slap you, brat. But I love you. Lord knows I do.”
Jett’s come out to the compound, too. I’ve found him sitting in one of the swings on a few occasions, gazing out across the flowers. Sometimes I wonder if he’s figured out that the flowers are so gorgeous because they’ve been fed the purest of fertilizer, but he has yet to mention his thoughts on the flowerbed. Instead, he’s tried to get me and Andi to tell him where the missing men are buried. We’ve been smart this time and have kept a tight lip, just as Gray instructed us to do. According to Jett, he didn’t actually see her kill her principal, but found her in a compromising position. She didn’t admit to him that she killed anyone, nor did she say anything that would be incriminating to her. Jett’s no idiot, though. He knows damn well Gray was behind all of them, but it’s all speculation at this point. Andi and I will never tell a soul, and I’ll be damned if Jett does
n’t truly love Gray because he helped her flee without turning her in. And he’s been just as miserable as Andi and me without her here.
“Hey,” Andi says behind me. She takes the swing beside mine and begins to sway with the breeze. She holds up a four-by-six index card with a bunch of numbers on it. “What do you think this means?” she asks.
I shift in the swing and pull the matching index card from my back pocket, putting it side-by-side with Andi’s so we can compare.
“37.5000,” I read mine out loud.
Andi does the same. “14.0000.”
We sit in silence for a moment, enjoying the breeze on our faces and the sweet aroma from the flowers.
The card slips from my hand and lands with my name pointing up towards the sky. And that’s when I see it. The N in my last name, Nevens, is underlined. That’s strange. I grab Andi’s card from her hand and flip it over. Her E in her last name, Easton, is underlined.
“Check this out,” I say to Andi, pointing out the underlined letters.
There’s a moment of silence before Andi’s mouth drops and she releases a loud squeal as she leaps off the swing. “Well flip me over and fuck me sideways!” She claps her hands and dances around.
“Are you going to fuckin’ tell me why you’re dancing around like Bozo the Clown?”
She smirks at me. “Longitude and latitude, baby.”
I grab my phone from under my bra strap and pull the screen up to Google. “Oh my God! You’re a fucking genius, Andi!” I scream.
“Well, where is it? Don’t hold out on me, bitch!”
I gasp. “Sicily, Italy.”
We hug each other, screaming and crying as we jump up and down.
“What’s this? You weren’t going to invite us to the party?” Cole’s voice chimes through our laughter.
I run and jump into his arms and kiss his face. “We found her!”
Andi’s in Drew’s arms while Jett stands off to the side. He’s smiling, but I can tell he’s jealous that Gray isn’t here to dive into him with an array of kisses to his gorgeous face. I see that he’s holding a similar four-by-six index card in his fist.
What Lies Beneath The Flowerbed Page 37
