Claire glanced at the limousine. “Is that why she’s still in the car? Is she waiting for you to make the announcement to me before she steps out and comes over to tell me that it’s time to finally be a family? A crime family?”
Finn’s blinked in surprise as his mouth fell open.
“Don’t,” she said before he could speak, clasping her hands together so he wouldn’t see they were shaking. “You’ve had 25 years to tell me who you are, and you choose now? You choose here? And you’re only doing it under her orders?”
“Claire,” he breathed, and she held up her hand to silence him.
“No.” Her voice cracked, and she took a moment to get it back under control.
Her dad. Pieces continued to fall together in her brain—truth that had been staring her in the face all along. Finn was her dad. He had been all this time, and Jack had been right when he warned her this might happen. He’d said that her mom might use the past to guilt Claire into doing what served others, but that she needed to focus on the future she wanted—not what her mother wanted—when this moment came.
Don’t choose a future based on feelings of loyalty for people who have been disloyal to you, Claire coached herself before looking Finn in the eye.
“No,” she repeated. “Whatever script my mom planned for this moment is not happening, because this is how it’s going to be. I want you to choose me, Finn. Come with me. Choose me, not my mom.”
He stepped forward, reaching out for her. “Claire—”
She batted his hands away. “This is it, Finn,” she said, hating that stifled tears were evident in her voice. “You either stand by me and walk out of here, or you stand with her and go to jail.”
He shook his head. “Those aren’t the choices here.”
“Those are the exact choices,” she replied, her voice a bit steadier as she thought of Jack and his team. They had her back. She didn’t know much anymore, but she knew that. Jack wouldn’t let her down.
Finn pointed to the jet again, which was now turning in preparation to stop for them to board. “That jet is going to take us where we’ll be safe from both law enforcement and the people you forced your mother to betray when you emptied those accounts. That’s where we’ll stay until we have a plan that puts us all in the black again.”
Claire shook her head. “I’m sorry, Dad, but if you try to run away then you’re going to be spending the night in a jail cell.”
Anger replaced shame on Finn’s face. “All your life you’ve been protected from how things work in your parents lives, but you’re about to get a crash course, Claire. There’s nothing I can do to stop that.” He stepped forward, his voice a mixture of shame and frustration as it dropped in volume. “Do you honestly think I didn’t want to tell you who I am from the beginning?” He reached out to touch her but stopped himself when she flinched back. “I gave up a world of opportunities so I could be close to you as you grew, but the tradeoff was that I could never tell you who I am. If I would have told you, I would have lost you. Your mother forbade it.”
“And you just listened?” she snapped, hating that a tear escaped as she spoke.
“Your parents are powerful people, Claire,” he said. “If they wanted me to disappear, they could do that in a heartbeat. I didn’t have a choice…just like you don’t have a choice about getting on that plane.”
Claire shook her head, her voice softening. “You always have a choice, Finn.” She reached out and gripped his hand, her eyes noting that four more guards had joined the two that had grabbed her. They surrounded Claire and Finn, looking impenetrable with their guns, but Claire knew that Jack had a way out planned somewhere, even if she couldn’t see it. That thought alone gave her the courage to keep her hand extended. “Choose me this time. Don’t get on that jet. Walk out of here with me.”
She had a moment of hope when their eyes met. Then he shook his head. “Claire, you don’t get to win this round. Or the next, or the next.” His face turned sad. “Your mom will get what she wants out of you, one way or another.”
His words made her feel off balance and a little sick as she realized this was the only answer she was going to get. Finn couldn’t be swayed and he was just one more parental figure bent on using her to his own gain. All her life Claire known her parents didn’t care for her like they did her brothers. When she’d learned she had a biological father she’d never met, she’d imagined that man to be everything her parents weren’t.
But this? She’d never imagined this.
Claire’s mom chose that moment to step out of the limousine. No doubt she’d just listened to the entire conversation, but if any of it had given her second thoughts, it didn’t show in the catwalk sway of her hips as she walked. Chin high and high heels clicking sharply against the concrete, Claire’s mom made her way over to where Claire and Finn stood.
“Finn’s right,” she said without pleasantries. “It’s time to get on the plane.”
The coldness in her mother’s eyes made Claire less certain that her mother’s men had standing orders not to harm. She looked mad and a little reckless, and the little voice that told Claire she’d been safe when staring down the barrel of a gun disappeared.
She wasn’t safe. Not anymore.
Composure gone, Claire started looking around the massive hangar for Ren. He had to be here somewhere. Whatever he was going to do, now was the time to do it.
“No,” Claire said, hoping Margot would take it as a signal. “It’s time for you to go to jail.”
“You’re adorable,” Claire’s mom said before nodding at Finn. Without hesitation he hooked his arm through hers and started pulling her toward the jet. It had pulled to a stop, the side door opening outward, revealing the stairs to board.
Jack? Where are you? She searched the area as Finn dragged her to the plane, her eyes mapping and remapping, looking for evidence of something or someone ready to take action. There was none. The only people in the hangar worked for her mother. There was no Ren. There was no Kali. And, most devastatingly, there was no Jack.
“No one’s here to save you,” her mom said as if reading her mind. “Those thieves you were working with have the money you gave them. They don’t need you anymore. That’s why they dropped you off in front of my condo. You’re on your own now.”
No. Not true. They promised. Yet Claire didn’t have enough gas in the tank to believe that anymore. If her own mother was willing to sell her out, why wouldn’t Jack?
Instinct kicked in, and she started to fight against Finn as the six armed guards watched on. All logic told Claire that she had no hope of escape, yet she had to try.
“Stop,” Finn whispered in her ear as he held on. “Don’t do this, Claire.”
“Me?” she screamed back. “How about you not doing this? Let me go!”
“Cuff her hands,” her mom said, sounding tired.
With depressing ease, Finn pulled her hands in front of her and zip tied them together. Sometimes being small really sucked.
“I hate you,” she hissed as the ties pinched her wrists together.
He forced her to face the direction of the jet again and pushed her forward. “We’ll talk later,” he whispered in her ear.
“No,” she said, her voice choking on emotion. “We won’t. There’s no reason to.”
“We will,” he insisted. “For now, be quiet. It will make things easier.”
She made a break for it again right before they made it to the steps, cursing Jack as she did so. She didn’t even make it two steps before Finn snagged her and forced her back to the stairs.
I trusted you! was all she could think, her mind yelling at Jack even as she fought against Finn. I believed you. You said you’d be here, and like an idiot I fell for it because you made me feel safe.
All her life, Claire had felt like she was a step away from having the ground fall out from under her, and Jack was the first person she’d ever met who made the ground feel firm. He’d made all the mental trap doors and bo
oby traps fade into the background in a way no other person had before. She’d only known him for a few weeks, but in that short time she’d trusted him with everything. Her mind, her secrets, her trust, her heart…everything. And while she’d never expected much in return, she hadn’t expected this.
With all the anxiety and what ifs that plagued her mind nearly every waking moment, she’d never once stopped to ask what she’d do if Jack betrayed her in this moment. Even the most paranoid part of her mind hadn’t been able to imagine it. Not until she was living it.
“Let me go,” she screamed, refusing to walk up the steps of her own accord. Finn responded by throwing her over his shoulder, carrying her effortlessly as she pounded on his back.
Finn said nothing as he ducked through the entrance and moved into the plane. He turned to the right, abruptly stopping after a few steps. Behind her, Claire felt her mom bump into her at the unexpected stop.
“What’s the—” Her mom’s voice was interrupted by a much deeper male voice.
“FBI. Natasha Ramsey and Finn McGregor, you are under arrest. I’m going to need you to place your hands on your heads and drop to your knees. Mr. McGregor, you may put your captive down first.”
In a coordinated move, Claire saw her mother’s men outside of the jet drop to their knees as men in FBI swat gear moved in, weapons raised.
Claire’s mom seemed to be the only one resisting. “You can’t be serious. This is my daughter and my plane. I’ve committed no crime.”
“On your knees, ma’am,” the voice repeated as Claire felt her feet touch the ground. Once she was standing, Finn dropped to his knees in front of her, hands moving to the top of his head. Their eyes caught for a moment, and she could have sworn she saw amusement in Finn’s expression.
“Claire Ramey,” the deep-voiced man said from behind her. “Please step behind me.”
She turned and looked, surprised when she saw eyes the same color as Daniel’s colored contacts and the same dark locks. The FBI agent was a stunning specimen of a man—the type you expected to pull up on a motorcycle and spirit you off to some place forbidden.
Jack’s brother, her mind whispered, recalling the conversation on the night she’d reversed the accounts. Jack had said his brother was a ladykiller who had always wanted to be a detective. Well, it seemed he’d achieved his goal and then some.
“Now,” the beautiful man said, still aiming his gun at Finn as he made space for her to pass behind him in the narrow aisle.
Without another moment’s hesitation, Claire ran behind the man she was quite certain was Jack’s brother before turning to see that another FBI agent had stepped out of the cockpit to block in her mother after they’d boarded. Her mother refused to kneel on command, no surprise, so the other agent was now forcing her.
“I’ll have your jobs for this,” her mom sneered, not looking the least bit afraid. “I don’t know who let you be here, but I can promise it won’t happen again.”
Jack’s brother didn’t flinch. “I am legally required to inform you that your arrest is being recorded in order to address any grievances you may present to the court.”
“Of which there will be many,” her mom hissed.
“Be quiet,” Finn called back to her. “Don’t say anything, Natasha. Stay silent and let these men do their jobs.”
Then Finn looked at Claire, and she could have sworn she saw relief in his eyes.
Whatever. She couldn’t care less what her sycophantic father was feeling at the moment. All she knew was that Jack hadn’t betrayed her. He hadn’t left her to the wolves that were her parents. He’d protected her by sending his brother.
The freaking FBI. Boom! None of Claire’s what ifs had seen that one coming, and now that it was all over Claire could actually appreciate the surprise. It was good she hadn’t known, because she had been scared enough that she might have given the secret away and endangered all the men who had risked their lives to save her that day.
Jack had tricked her—he’d tricked all of them—and Claire couldn’t help but feel a little pleased at how seamlessly he’d done it. Like magic.
As the FBI agents moved through the protocol of arresting Claire’s mother and her employees, Claire waited for a familiar face to appear in the form of Jack or one of his team members. When none appeared, it left Claire wondering where Jack was…and Ren and Kali and Margot? If they weren’t here, where were they?
“Your brother,” she said, gripping the beautiful agent’s arm after he handed Finn off to another agent. “Where is he?”
The man’s eyes narrowed in apparent confusion. “I don’t have a brother.”
Claire faltered, feeling stupid for a moment before spotting the man’s tell. Then she glanced down at his camera, deducing that it was probably still on. “I’m sorry. I confused you for someone else.”
“No problem,” he replied, his face unreadable. “But I do need to take you in and get a statement in relation to this arrest. Then we can see what we can do about connecting you with the people you seem to be looking for.”
He was so smooth, she nearly missed it, but then she picked up his meaning.
She was going to see Jack again. This agent would take her. She had things to do first—like make a statement to the actual FBI, not men in costumes—but Jack hadn’t disappeared on her. In a flash, the ground felt sturdy beneath Claire’s feet again and she nodded. “Lead the way.”
Chapter 45
“We have seventeen armed men on site,” Ren’s voice said in Jack’s ear as he pulled up to the rendezvous point dressed as Mr. Blake. “Six with Eastman and Armati with the rest positioned around the perimeter in sniper and lookout positions. Eastman and Armati are unarmed.”
Seventeen men? That was a lot more than Jack would have guessed. Six? Definitely. Twelve? Maybe. Seventeen? Those were the numbers you brought when you were expecting a turf war.
“How are you and Kali feeling about things?” Jack asked, checking his wig in the mirror as the town car made its final approach.
There was a slight pause. “We’re still a go.”
“Any modifications?”
“None,” Ren replied. “Do what you do, and just buy as much time as you can. We’ll move fast.”
“Copy that,” Jack said as the car made its final approach. “Margot, do you have eyes on the place?”
“All cameras are up and running,” she replied. “I’m good over here.”
“Very well,” Jack said, slipping into character as the car came to a full stop about twenty yards away from two SUVs parked in the industrial parking lot. “Let’s dance with these bad boys.”
Jack gave his jacket one last adjustment before reaching for the handle and letting himself out of the car. The sun was high in the sky, which usually meant oppressive heat in Vegas, but November was doing its job at bringing in the tolerable temperatures. It was in the mid-seventies, which meant Jack didn’t have to worry about sweating under his makeup job.
All in all, it was a perfect day to walk in the shoes of Mr. Blake.
Jack kept his stride confident and even a little buoyant as he approached the eight men fanning out in front of him—Eastman and Armati in the center with three guards on either side. Armati wore a tipped-down derby hat, presumably to hid his face while, the his guards made no effort to conceal the fact they had guns. Of course they did. Nothing said false sense of security like a bunch of guns.
That had been one of the first lessons his parents taught him when it came to being the Pimpernel. Of all the weapons, guns were the weakest simply because they rendered their users so dependent.
Jack would use that dependence to his benefit now.
“Sixteen” Kali’s voice whispered in his earpiece. “Setting the remote trigger now.”
Her voice was followed by Ren’s. “Fifteen.”
Two men down and fifteen to go. Jack hid a smile as he raised his hands with a bit of flair as he covered half the distance between him and the eight men. Behind
him, Margot’s town car pulled away, leaving him alone. He knew because he saw the eyes of the other men as they watched it go.
“I was told this would be a conversation between gentlemen,” Jack called out in his Mr. Blake voice. “Are the guns truly necessary?” He brought his hands down to lift the edges of his jacket, revealing his waist as he did a little spin to show he had no guns tucked away. “I assure you I am unarmed.”
“Just as I’ve been assured that you don’t fight with bullets,” Eastman replied, seeming to feel pretty good about stepping into the role of tough guy. “So, if you don’t mind, we’re going to keep the guns where they are just in case you decide to play dirty.”
“Well, clearly I do mind,” Jack said jovially. “But do as you will, Mr. Eastman. And might I say that jail seems to have done wonders for you. So much more confidence! So much more authority in your voice. I see very little of the scampering psychology professor I observed so few weeks ago.”
“Do I have you to thank for that?” Eastman sneered. “Someone turned in that evidence against me. My guess is it was you.”
Jack pressed a hand to his chest. “Guilty as charged, sir. Although I did not realize at the time that you had such a, er, friendly relationship with the local criminal justice system.”
Eastman’s cat-eating grin almost got a laugh out of Jack. “Well, now you know. This is my town, not yours, and you can’t touch me unless I let you.”
“So noted,” Jack said, gesturing to the men around Eastman. “Are we to make introductions with the rest of your party, Mr. Eastman?”
“No, Mr. Blake,” Eastman said. “You know who I am, and that is enough.”
“Fourteen,” Ren whispered in his ear.
Jack looked to Armati. “Ah, maybe for the types of business arrangements you’re accustomed to, Mr. Eastman, but Mr. Armati and I like to know who we’re working with, don’t we?”
The derby hat tipped up, then it came off as Armati handed it to the guard next to him. “We do, Mr. Blake. A man is nothing, if not his reputation.” He looked Jack over. “If you know who I am, I assume you know mine.”
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