Authors: Jami Denise
The sun set and lit up the room through the landscape window, and I finally pulled myself away from Flynn to start some coffee and shower before he woke.
I still didn’t have all the details, and after talking well into the early morning, I had a feeling I wasn’t getting them. I fought fiercely to get him to take me along, but he wouldn’t budge.
All he would tell me was that I was staying behind, and so was Vince. I couldn’t imagine Vince would take that lightly. No matter what he said or how he tried to act, he was into Kelsey. He genuinely cared about her. For him to allow Flynn to take her off into such a dangerous situation, he must have had complete faith in Flynn.
I heard the bedroom door open and turned to face the wall. I wasn’t ready to face Flynn yet. There was a time bomb ticking, and with each second that passed, I was more and more anxious.
“You almost done?”
I ran my hair under the spray to wash out the shampoo and answered him over my shoulder. “Almost. I started coffee.”
I went back to rinsing the lather from my hair, but I could feel his eyes on me through the glass. He didn’t attempt to join me, but I could tell he wanted to talk.
As soon as I was free of soap, I turned off the water and finally turned around.
He was leaning against the sink, legs crossed at the ankles and arms folded over his chest. I shivered. Looking at him standing there, so powerful and strong, made my heart leap. I couldn’t imagine not seeing that handsome face again. Just thinking about something happening to him—and not having his arms around me, not having him tease me, kiss me, or love me again—was unfathomable.
“Don’t go,” I begged quietly.
“Come on out and get dressed. I ordered breakfast to be delivered, and we’ll sit down and eat.”
How could he be so calm? I couldn’t understand it.
I climbed out, and he draped a towel around me and wrapped me up tight. He helped me into the bedroom and sat me on the bed while he pulled some clothes out of the closet.
My teeth chattered as I sat huddled on the bed in the towel. I didn’t want to move, afraid that everything I did pushed the inevitable forward.
He laid a pair of shorts and a tank top next to me and went back to the closet, pulling out a small black suitcase and putting it in the middle of the bed. It felt like a bomb, torturing me with its presence. Quietly, he filled it with clothes, not looking at me while he worked.
“Get dressed, Jayne. Vince and Kelsey will be here any minute. I need you to snap out of it.”
“What happens to me if you’re gone? What will I do if something happens to you?”
He slammed the suitcase closed and came around to stand in front of me. “Get dressed, and come into the front room when you’re done.”
He walked out, and I let the sobs take over. Grabbing a pillow from the disheveled bed behind me, I turned and pressed my face into it and cried. I tried being strong. I tried understanding. There was just no fight left in me any longer. My entire life had been one battle after another. This was one fight that would end me. I was done.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed before I heard the door open and footsteps enter the room. My heart seized in my chest, knowing I was out of time and he was leaving.
“What are you doing?”
I startled at the sound of Vince’s voice and turned over, wiping at my face. “Where’s Flynn?”
“He’s in the other room. Listen, kid. You need to buck up and knock this shit off.”
I glared at him. “Knock what off? My fucking heart is breaking. He’s going to get himself killed! You need to stop this! They’re both going to get hurt!”
His jaw muscles ticked and his Adam’s apple jumped as he swallowed thickly. “No one will get hurt. You need to be brave, Jayne. You’re stronger than this.”
I banged my fist against my chest and sat up on the bed. “Nothing has ever felt like this! Nothing!”
His eyes softened. “Just be the girl I know you are, Jayne. You know what you need to do.”
How could I, though? How could I go into that room and pretend everything was okay?
“Throw on a dress and come out here. Eat some food, talk to Kelsey, and kiss your man before he leaves. He’s a mess, too. Think about it.”
He turned and walked out, leaving me alone with my thoughts. He was right, as usual. I couldn’t worry Flynn with my bullshit insecurities. He had enough to deal with, and if I wanted him to come home safe, I had to get my shit together.
~~***~~
W
hen I walked into the room, the atmosphere was not what I expected. Vince, Kelsey, and Flynn were sitting around the table eating and laughing while Collins stood off in a corner on his cell phone, looking as creepy as usual. I assumed by the way he was dressed that he was going with them. I hadn’t seen him in his Sunday best in a while, and the memories of him in that black suit gave me chills.
As I entered, they all went silent, turning to face me. Kelsey was smiling, and her sweet face made my stomach flip. I smiled back, trying to be reassuring and supportive, and let my gaze travel across the table to Flynn.
He didn’t smile, but stood and walked toward me, his lips pressed tightly together and his eyes sullen.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded, looking down. “I’ll be fine.”
He chuckled. “My little liar.”
I grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him forward, pressing my face into his chest. “Come back to me in one piece.”
He hugged me against him, wrapping his arms around my back. “I need to talk to you about something.”
I nodded again, encouraging him to go ahead.
“Marry me.”
It was like time froze in that moment. He’d muttered those words before, but something about the way he said it seemed different this time. Urgent. Desperate.
I didn’t like it.
“No,” I whispered. “Don’t do this now.”
He leaned closer, pressing his lips against my ear. “Marry me right now. We’ll go downstairs to the chapel, and it’ll be permanent. You won’t have to worry about what will happen to you—ever again.”
I dug my fingernails into his chest and growled, shaking my head. I looked up, pushing away from him so I could look into his eyes. “You don’t get to make me queen of this castle and think that makes everything better. Do what you have to do, and remember you have an impatient, very pissed off woman to get back to. Come back, ask me properly, and I just might marry you.”
“That’s a promise I intend to keep.”
He kissed the top of my head and gave me another hard squeeze. “Come eat, and we’ll talk about what’s going on.”
He held his hand out for me, and I followed him to the table. There was everything you could imagine laid out, but my stomach turned just thinking about the way the bacon smelled. Instead, I grabbed two chocolate donuts and poured myself a cup of coffee. I had a feeling I was going to need plenty of caffeine to get through the morning, and lots of alcohol to get me through the night.
“Kelsey, why don’t you go finish packing. By the time you get back, it’ll be time to go.”
I saw the confused look on her face and looked away. I hated lying to her; the betrayal was more than I could take. I concentrated on my breakfast and waited for the heavy tension to eat me alive.
Once she was out of the room, Vince slammed his hand on the table, causing silverware to jump and cups to shake.
“If you think I’m letting you take her alone, you’re out of your fucking mind, Maguire.”
I looked up at him, surprised. So much for bucking up.
“If I show up with you, he’ll know something is up. We can’t chance it.”
“The fuck we can’t! We’ve been through this before—we’re repeating history here, asshole.”
His eyes flashed to mine, but he looked away quickly. I knew exactly where he was going, and I was on his side. They were pulling the same evasive crap on Kelsey as they had me. Lying was only going to make things worse.
“You want to straight up tell her we’re using her for bait? Go for it. Then we’re shit out of luck, and my dad disappears. That’s putting a target on all of our heads. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
I huffed and threw my donut down. “This is like a bad dream. You do realize this is the same situation as before, only the sitting duck is blonde. I’m telling her what she’s in for. You two can kiss my ass.”
I pushed away from the table and started for the door. “We’ll be back if and when she decides she wants to do this. You can start thinking about plan B.”
I slammed the door behind me and stormed down the hall toward the other suite. The fear had been replaced by pure rage. This was a suicide mission. I wondered briefly if I’d accidentally fallen in love with the stupidest man alive. He was beyond ignorant to believe that lying to Kelsey would work out in his favor.
I knocked on the door and called out, letting her know it was me. She answered the door with a smile.
“I was going to send you a text! I’m glad you came down. I don’t know how many days we’ll be gone, so I don’t know what to bring.”
I sighed. “Kelsey, let’s sit down.”
I led her toward the sofa and patted the seat next to me. “I need to tell you some things, and I need you to stay calm.”
She wrung her hands in her lap and frowned. “Kris is dead, isn’t she?”
“No, Kelsey, but I don’t know where she is, and neither do they.”
“I knew it. Where is Flynn taking me? Is he taking me back home?”
“No, Kelsey, and this is where I want you to listen. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“The man that wants your sister is Flynn’s father, and he’s waiting for you to come to him. He wants to use you to get to Kristine. She stole money from him and turned him in to the feds. He’s a bad man, Kelsey. He killed my father—he’s killed a lot of people. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I want to believe Flynn when he says you’ll be safe, but honestly I have no idea.”
“What would you do?”
That was a good question. I knew what
I
would do, but could she do the same?
“Flynn will do everything he can to keep you safe. If he thought for a moment something was going to happen to you, he wouldn’t do this to you. I believe that. I just don’t think he’s God. I don’t think he has the power to predict what’s going to happen.”
She took a deep breath and looked up at me with so much determination that it knocked me on my ass.
“I’m going. If it will help my sister and help Flynn, I want to do this.”
“Are you sure? Kelsey, this isn’t a game.”
She nodded. “I’m tougher than I look.”
~~***~~
A
n hour later, we were standing outside the Maguire watching the driver put their bags in the back of the limo. Flynn and Vince were talking in hushed tones while Kelsey and I stood back, holding hands and keeping ourselves together. Finally, they shook hands, nodded, and turned to us.
“It’s time to go.”
A shudder wracked my body when I looked up and saw him staring at me. I bit down on my lip to prevent the onset of another round of tears and took a step forward.
“Listen to Vince. Keep your phone on, and if you feel like something’s not right, head to the safe room. Last night was a trial run. You know how to get in and how to get in quick.”
I nodded. “I won’t tell you to be careful again. Just do it, okay?”
“C’mere,” he ordered.
I flung myself at him, jumping so my legs were wrapped around his waist and my arms around his neck. “Make it all go away so we can live.”
“Anything for you, Janie. I promise. When this is all over, we’re done with all of it.”
He hugged me so tight I thought he was going to suffocate me and then let me fall and placed me on the ground. Flashing a look at Vince, he nodded at me. “Make sure nothing happens to her.”
Vince nodded, his face devoid of emotion. “I always do.”
He walked around Flynn and stood in front of Kelsey, and I could see the hesitation in his eyes. It was only there a moment, but I noticed his vulnerability.
“Listen to Flynn, and do exactly what he says. You’re as safe with him as you were with me.”
“Okay,” she said softly. Her voice cracked, and I felt so bad for her. She was so close to losing it. This was too much.
Vince nodded and started to turn, but she reached out and grabbed him, hugging him around the middle. “I love you. You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to know.”
I covered my mouth and looked over at Flynn. His face was grim, and the groan that escaped his throat was nothing less than horrified.
Vince said nothing in return. He looked past her over her shoulder and gave her a quick nod before bending and kissing the top of her head.
“Go.”
She sniffled but did as he asked without another word. Climbing into the limo, she looked out the opposite window as her body shook with sobs.
I was devastated for her. The poor girl just had her life implode around her, and now she had to endure a trip to hell with a stranger. It was so unfair.
“Goodbye, sweet Jayne,” Flynn said, pulling my attention. “Kiss me. I need your mouth.”
His hand cupped my neck as his tongue invaded my mouth eagerly. I suddenly felt like a widow of war, kissing the man I loved for possibly the last time. It was morbid, yet romantic in its absurdity.
“I love you. Don’t forget that you’re the best reason to keep myself alive, Jayne. I love you so fucking much.” He kissed all over my face, whispering sweet words between every peck. “Don’t do anything stupid. Just wait here for me.”
“I’ll be here,” I promised. “I’ll be here waiting.”
We watched the limo drive off until it was out of sight. The tears dried up the second Flynn climbed into that back seat. I was determined to be strong—if not for myself, then for him.
I was ready to put the fears to bed and wrap my mask around my face. Jayne King wasn’t raised to sit back and watch. I would be the strength that held down his fortress. I would reign while he fought his way back to me.
I’d do whatever he needed from me.
Vince chirped out a whistle from beside me, and for a moment, I’d forgotten all about him. I looked up and watched a young valet run over to the valet station, grabbing a set of keys and nodding at Vince.