The Secret: A billionaire romance

by Harper Lauren

  If it was the last thing I did, I’d make sure Leo – and Blair – paid for their crimes.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Laci

  “You know you’ll have to talk to him eventually, right?”

  I didn’t look up at the sound of my sister’s voice.

  “Laci, I’m talking to you,” Jenna said. She sighed and then sat down next to me on the couch. The usual sarcasm and exasperation was missing from her voice. “You do realize it’s been over two weeks, don’t you?”

  I turned to her with a dull look. “Yeah. And?”

  Jenna sighed again. “Look, know I’d never tell you what to do, or anything like that…but don’t you think this is a little extreme?”

  I shook my head as the hurt from Jordan’s revelations came rushing back to me. “No,” I said. I bit my lip. “I don’t think it’s extreme at all. He should’ve been honest with me, Jen.”

  “He was.”

  “Not quickly enough.”

  Jenna put her hand on my shoulder. From the look on her face, I could tell she was dying to tell me something.

  “What?”

  Jenna swallowed nervously. “I know you’re my big sister and all,” she started slowly. “But I also know you as a person, Laci. I grew up watching you – I wanted to be just like you.”

  I blinked. Jenna wasn’t usually one for sentimentality.

  “And I know you love this guy,” Jenna continued. “And like, that’s really important.”

  I eyed her suspiciously. “And what makes you the expert on love, hmm?”

  Jenna flushed. “I’m not,” she said. “But it’s obvious, Laci. Just being around you was enough to clue me in. I mean, you were like hanging around waiting for him. Every time he called, your face lit up. It was just like in the movies,” she added meaningfully. “I’ve never seen anything like that in real life.”

  I sighed. “Jenna, there’s a lot you don’t know—”

  “Don’t interrupt,” Jenna said. She held a hand up to silence me. Before she could continue, however, there was a loud knock on the door and I froze.

  “What if it’s him?” I whispered. “Jen, I’m not ready to see him!”

  “I’ll get it,” Jenna said. She sounded mature and confident, and for the first time I felt really proud of having raised her. She got off the couch and walked to the front door before pulling it open assertively.

  A man stood on the other side of the door, holding a giant bouquet of pink peonies and roses.

  “These are for…” He trailed off as he glanced down at the slip of paper in his hand. “A delivery for Laci Wright,” he said. “Are you Laci?”

  Jenna shook her head. She opened the door wider so the delivery man could see me sitting on the couch.

  “That’s my sister,” Jenna said.

  “Ma’am,” the delivery guy said to me. “I need you to sign for these flowers.”

  “Who are they from?”

  The delivery guy gave me an exasperated look and shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. He glanced down at his watch. “I just know you gotta sign for them. Can you do that for me?”

  “No,” I said.

  “Laci!” Jenna said sharply. She whirled around and glared at me before turning her attention back to the delivery guy. “I’m sorry about my sister,” she said. “Can I sign?”

  The delivery man looked like he wanted to melt into the dirty carpeted hallway and disappear forever.

  “Sure, whatever,” he said. “I don’t really give a shit – as long as someone signs for them, we’re good here.”

  Jenna took the bouquet awkwardly in one hand as she signed the release papers. The delivery man took his clipboard and then walked away, his feet pounding the stairs as he descended. As soon as the door was closed, Jenna turned to me and glared.

  “Laci, he’s been sending flowers all week,” she said softly, pointing around the apartment.

  I sighed. Jenna was right. Every day, Jordan had sent flowers or chocolate or some other kind of gift. Once, the day before yesterday, a courier had come from one of Boston’s most expensive jewelry stores with a small package for me. But much to Jenna’s chagrin, I’d sent the courier away with the package in hand. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see what Jordan had bought for me – it was more than I never wanted to think about him again.

  And it was awfully hard to forget a man when my apartment was filled with his gifts.

  “These are gorgeous,” Jenna said. She thrust the bouquet at me but I shook my head.

  “No,” I said. “I’m not taking them – I’m going to bed.”

  Jenna gave me a deadpan look. “Laci, it’s four-thirty,” she said. “The sun doesn’t even go down for like, three and a half more hours.”

  I shrugged. “I’m exhausted,” I said. It was the truth. Despite barely leaving my apartment and spending most of my days asleep, I felt tired in a way that I’d never experienced before. Being awake was painful – everything hurt. Even breathing hurt, when I remembered how Jordan used to take me in his arms and kiss him.

  “You should come out with me and my friends,” Jenna said. She set the flowers down on one of our bookshelves. “We’re not going to go crazy or anything, Laci – we’re just going to happy hour.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to drink anything,” I said. “It’s just going to make me think about Jordan.”

  Jenna pressed her lips together. “I love you,” she said. “And you’re the best sister I could’ve ever hoped for. But you’ve got to get over him! Either that, or just forgive him and get back together! I know you want to,” she added. “So be true to your heart.”

  I frowned as I stood up from the couch. “No,” I said softly. “Nothing can ever go back to the way it was before. I’m done with him,” I said. “And all men, for that matter.”

  Jenna rolled her eyes. “Okay,” she said. “But you know where to find me, okay?”

  I nodded. “I’ll be in my room,” I told her. “Just assume I’m asleep. I don’t really feel like talking later.”

  For a moment, Jenna looked wounded – it was one of the only times I’d been so direct with her. But then she nodded.

  “Okay,” she said. “Have a good night.”

  When I got back to my room, I threw myself into bed and pulled the covers over my head like a little kid. Nowadays, this was the only thing that felt safe – burrowing down into my comforting nest and pretending the world didn’t exist. I hadn’t even turned my cell phone on in days – it annoyed the crap out of Jenna, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to know about all of the missed calls and texts that I had from Jordan.

  Or worse? What if he wasn’t calling? What if he knew that I’d already given up on us?

  And why did thinking about that make me so sad?

  God, Laci, get your shit together, I told myself as I flopped over and nuzzled the cool part of my pillow. This is embarrassing!

  But it was true – since the school year had ended, I had little to occupy my mind. For the first time, it occurred to me that Jenna could have been right. What if I was wasting away, sitting in my room and pretending the rest of the world didn’t exist?

  It was a troubling thought. And even though I’d thought that my bond with Jordan had been special, I was starting to realize that break-ups and broken hearts happened every day. Sure, none of them involved me.

  But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t eventually get over him, right?

  A lump formed in my throat and I pulled the covers closer. It was hot in my room – Jenna had turned off the air conditioning – and I was starting to sweat, but I didn’t care. The more masochistic part of me felt like I deserved this, that somehow, all of this was my fault.

  I eventually drifted off to sleep, still thinking about Jordan and how I’d screwed everything up.

  ***

  In the morning, I wasn’t feeling much better about things. Jenna was out – presumably with her friends – but I couldn’t enjoy the peace and quiet
of my apartment. I sat gingerly on the couch and bit my lip before closing my eyes and turning my phone on. Immediately, my phone buzzed to life and the screen was filled with notifications. I forced myself to look away as I got rid of them. I knew they all had to be from Jordan, and I wasn’t ready to see his apologies.

  Not yet.

  Instead, I dialed Taylor. She answered on the first ring, sounding chipper and relaxed.

  “Are you free today?” I asked. “I thought we could have lunch.”

  “Oh my god, sure, it feels like forever since we’ve seen each other!” Taylor gushed. “How are you? How is your summer going so far?”

  “It’s not great,” I admitted. I frowned. “That guy I was seeing…” I trailed off nervously.

  Taylor laughed. “Men are scum,” she said. “Come out with me tonight – we’ll have fun, I swear.” Her words were so much like Jenna’s from the previous evening that I almost rejected on principle. But suddenly, the idea of spending another lonely night inside my bedroom was too much to bear. I made plans to meet Taylor for dinner at a trendy little café in the West End and hung up.

  The day seemed to drag on as I waited for the right time to meet Taylor. I spent an hour in the bath, shaving and washing my legs. Then I got up and did my hair, taking extra time with it. Part of me kept thinking about Jordan – if he saw me, would he think I looked pretty? But the other part of me was disgusted. I’d dumped him – why on earth was I so fixed on seeing him again?

  At seven, I left my building and started the long walk to the café. It was a nice night – hot, but not humid – and there were a lot of people outside, enjoying the weather. I tried not to sneer at the happy couple in front of me as they spooned and cuddled while waiting for the crosswalk signal to illuminate.

  And that was when I saw him. Jordan West, walking side by side with none other than the man who attacked me. My heart leapt into my throat and instantly, my palms were covered with sweat. Stay calm, Laci, I told myself. Don’t let him see you. Don’t let him know you’re angry.

  But I couldn’t hold it in any longer. The hurt and betrayal and anger came tearing out of me like a banshee escaping from the pits of Hell, and I whirled around and screamed:

  “Bastard!” I yelled. “You fucking bastard!” Charging forward, I set my lips in an angry line.

  When Jordan saw me, he paled.

  “That’s right,” I cried loudly. “You’d better look afraid! You fucking jerk – you went back to your old life, didn’t you?”

  Jordan didn’t answer.

  “Answer me!” I yelled. “And tell me – what was I to you, anyway? Some cheap fuck? Some thrill?”

  Jordan’s expression hardened. I expected him to drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness, just like he had before. But instead, he did something I’d never have expected in a million years. Jordan balled one hand into a fist and swung around, punching my attacker right in the jaw. The man cried out in pain as his body fell to the pavement.

  The man cried out again, but Jordan was relentless. He punched and kicked and screamed at my attacker. For a moment, I was shocked.

  And then the realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

  Jordan didn’t go back to his old life of crime.

  He was merely pretending to be this man’s friend

  “You’re a good man,” I whispered as tears fell down my cheeks. “And I’m so sorry I doubted you.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jordan

  It all happened so quickly that I barely had time to react. Laci rushed up and started screaming at me. I’d never seen her so angry before. Her face was scarlet with rage and she was biting her lip so hard that I saw a few drops of blood appear on the porcelain skin of her face.

  “You bastard!” Laci yelled. She rushed toward me, pummeling my chest with her puny little fists. “You fucking bastard!”

  That’s when I knew I couldn’t keep up the pretense anymore. Balling my hand into a fist, I pivoted my body and swung my arm through the air until my hand connected with Leo’s jaw.

  The look in Leo’s eyes was one that I’ll never forget. It was raw anger, pure betrayal.

  It was a look that I knew I deserved, and yet I felt nothing when I looked back into Leo’s eyes. This is it, I thought as I felt myself growing angrier and angrier with each passing moment. This is what I’ve been waiting for since the day I got out of prison.

  Laci gasped as I tackled Leo to the ground. Leo was speechless – all he could do was slur and stutter in rage as I attacked him. I knew it was wrong, I knew that I should stop. But it was impossible. Now that my rage had been released, I couldn’t exactly put it back in the box and wait to see what would happen next.

  When I felt a strong pair of arms gripping my shoulders and pulling me away from Leo’s prone body, I resisted.

  “Hey, enough! Easy, man!” A deep masculine voice called loudly. “You’re gonna kill him!”

  “Good,” I snarled. I tried to lunge at Leo again but another man grabbed me from behind and dragged me back. I grinned to myself – it had taken three big Boston toughs to tear me away from Leo McKinney.

  “What’s the big idea? The cops are coming!” One of the men said loudly. “What the fuck are you tryin’ to do, get us all sent to jail?”

  “No,” I said. I was breathing hard – my chest was heaving up and down with the force of my efforts – and sweat was dripping down my brow. “He’s going to prison. For a long time. Just trust me on that.”

  The whole time, Laci was standing there, staring at me with a strange look in her eyes. I’d expected her to run off – to scream and dash down the street, yelling about bastards. But instead, I saw that there were tears in her eyes and her pale chin was wobbling. The sight of her about to cry filled me with a protective instinct and I pushed past the onlookers and took her into my arms.

  “Jordan,” Laci sobbed as she rested her head against my shoulder. “What happened?”

  I slid my fingers under her chin and tilted her face up so that she was looking right into my eyes. Laci tried to wriggle away and break the stare but I held her fast and firm.

  “Come on,” I said in a low growl. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Laci and I left the scene quietly. Leo’s body was still splayed on the ground. He was bleeding heavily and obviously dazed, but he was alive and I knew he’d make it through.

  Laci followed me without question as I led her down a small alley that opened into a wide pedestrian street paved in brick. Dusk was falling and the trees lining the sides of the walkway were strung with holiday lights. My heart was thudding in my chest as I led Laci to a small café and had her sit down.

  When the waitress appeared, I ordered two cappuccinos and the largest pastry, a scone in the shape of a star. Breaking it apart, I handed some to Laci.

  “I guess you probably have a lot of questions,” I said in a quiet voice.

  Laci bit her lip and took a sip of her coffee. “Yeah,” she said softly. Her cheeks turned pink.

  “Well, I should explain,” I said. “I wasn’t really going—”

  Laci held up a hand to silence me. “Jordan, you’ve done enough explaining,” she said in a soft voice. “And I should’ve listened to my heart, and I didn’t.” She sighed, looking embarrassed. “I know you were probably only pretending to be that guy’s friend so you could make sure he gets in trouble, right?”

  I nodded. I’d always known Laci was smart, but it was impressive to see her logic at work.

  “And I should have said something to you, much sooner,” I replied. I reached across the table and took Laci’s hands in mine. “I’m sorry, Laci. I failed you.”

  Laci shook her head. “No, Jordan,” she said. She nibbled at a bite of the scone. “You didn’t fail me at all. Like I said…” She trailed off, looking away. Then, suddenly, she lifted her head and met my gaze. “I should apologize,” she said. “You’ve been calling and texting and I haven’t answered you at all – and the flowers! Oh, my god,
the flowers…they’re all so beautiful, Jordan.”

  My heart caught in my throat.

  “What are you saying, exactly?” I asked her.

  Laci flushed. “I miss you,” she said. She rubbed her thumb on the back of my hand. “These past few weeks have been so terrible because I’ve been missing you so much. Even Jenna keeps telling me that I made a mistake.”

  I smirked. “Well, yeah, you made a mistake,” I said.

  “Don’t remind me,” Laci said with surprising humor in her voice. “I feel like a prize idiot.”

  “So…”

  “I’m saying I want to be with you,” Laci said. “Now, and forever.”

  I lifted her hand to my mouth and kissed her fingers, savoring the buttery crumbs of the scone on her skin.

  “Good,” I said quietly. “Because I don’t think I could live without you, Laci.” I breathed over Laci’s soft skin and she shivered, biting her lip as she quivered in her seat.

  “I don’t think I could be without you, either,” Laci replied in a soft voice that shook me to my core. A ripple of lust went through me and I reached for my wallet.

  “Come on,” I said. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Laci nodded and got to her feet. I took my wallet from my jeans and, feeling generous, I threw a twenty down on the table. I’d barely touched my cappuccino, but it didn’t matter. Things between Laci and me were right again, and that was all I cared about.