Broken: The MISTAKEN Series Complete Second Season (37 page)

“I know that’s a lie. I know about Mason. I tried to tell you that at dinner…” God, I knew that was playing with fire again. I knew even bringing up the subject could ignite something inside of him…

His jaw tightened, but I didn’t see any other sign of anger. “That’s true. Biologically, he is my child. But I’m not raising him. I haven’t been with him. I haven’t spent much time with him. I barely know him. As far as I’m concerned,
you
are my only child. I know you, Jenna. And you know me…”

I shook my head again, feeling hot tears stinging at the back of my eyes. The first eighteen years of my life, I thought I knew him. I thought I was a daddy’s girl, the apple of my father’s eye. But everything had changed the day he promised me to Daniel. Everything changed the day he forced me to give up my dreams for some debt he owed the Sato family. I didn’t know what it was that had changed or why he had decided that trading me—forcing me into an arranged marriage—was the best option for our relationship. I still couldn’t understand how he expected me to get past it.

“You’ll come stay with us after tomorrow. Bring your things with you to the press conference. I’ll have my driver take you back to the estate.” He looked around the small hotel room. “This is fine for tonight. You’re close to where the press conference will be in the morning, so you can sleep in a little longer.” He smiled at me. “But tomorrow, you come home. Tomorrow, we rebuild our family. Okay?”

I nodded, more as a reflex than in actual agreement.

“Good. Good.” He nodded again, almost mimicking what I felt my head doing. It had never been so awkward between us—so completely uncomfortable that I didn’t even know what to say to him. He forced a smile to his face—the same one Marian and I had perfected. “Well, I should get going. Your mother … Marian … she’ll be waiting up for me.” He gave me an awkward hug and left my room.

I crawled back into bed and tried not to think about what had just happened. Why it had happened. What he hoped to gain from it. I hoped that it meant he wasn’t really threatening me—that I was safe as far as he was concerned. That he just wanted me to know that he didn’t trust Daniel
or
Brandon. But I wasn’t sure. I waited for the sleeping pill to kick in—waited for a sweet, blissful sleep to come find me so that I wouldn’t have to think about any of it for the rest of the night.

I waited all night, and no sleep—blissful or otherwise—ever found me for even a second.

I
packed
my things up the next morning. There was really no point in arguing with my father about it—he had decided he wanted me to stay with them and I knew that was where I would be. All I could really think about was that I would be able to play my piano—it had been too long since I’d been able to just sit and play. And whatever happened today with Daniel at this freak show press conference, I was going to allow myself that time tonight. The time to just let everything go and actually
play
.

One of the security guards helped me get my luggage downstairs. If my mother—Marian—hadn’t sent so many dresses over, I wouldn’t have really had much. We lugged all the bags to the town car and a driver took me to the building where the press conference was going to be held. I was early—I knew that Marian would have called her hair and makeup people there. There was no way I could embarrass her, and God knew,
not
having my hair and makeup professionally done would have been the height of embarrassment for my parents. Well, for Marian, anyway.

Krystal met my car after the short ride. She opened the door for me, and I was only barely able to get out of the way before she slammed it closed behind me. She looked like she had been running—her hair was disheveled and her eyes were almost wild when her gaze met mine. “Have you heard from him?”

My heart began to race. Brandon hadn’t texted me or called, but I hadn’t thought anything was really wrong—I had only thought that he was brooding because he hadn’t gotten his way, which wasn’t really anything new. My stomach fell almost to my toes. “No.” I fought the tears that stung at my eyes—I should have gone with him. I should have been there…

She shook her head. “No one has. He didn’t text you? Call you? Come to the hotel?”

My brow furrowed. How would Brandon have come to the hotel if he was in Australia? “Who are we talking about?”

“Your father. You haven’t heard from him?”

I let out a long breath, a sense of relief washing over me. “Yes. Yes, he came to the hotel.”

“Oh, thank God.” She let out her own long breath. “Was he following you here?”

I felt my brows knit together again. “No. It was last night. He came over last night. After we had dinner at the club…”

Her eyes widened again. “What time was that?”

“I don’t know. Ten, maybe?” I hadn’t been looking at the clock—I hadn’t really been looking at anything when he came over.

“So ten o’clock was the last time anyone heard from him.” It was almost like she was saying it to herself—trying to make it seem real. “No one has heard from him since.” She looked back over at me. “Was he alone? Did he drive there?”

“I don’t know.” My pulse was racing—my heart felt like it might burst through my chest. “I didn’t notice. I wasn’t looking…” I felt a pang in my stomach—he had been trying to mend something with me. Something he had broken so long ago. Something that had broken when he traded me to Daniel and his father—and I hadn’t wanted to hear it. I couldn’t believe myself—after everything I had gone through—all of the feelings of guilt that I had allowed myself to live with after Daniel … this time was real. This time I really
did
have something to feel guilty about…

She shook her head. “It’s early. It’s probably nothing. No one has shown up yet, anyway…” The wild look came back to her eyes. “Let’s get you inside. Your mother wants your hair and makeup done…”

Of course she does…
I couldn’t let myself share Krystal’s panic. She was right—it was still early. We were the first people there. Daniel and his father weren’t there yet, either, so nothing was amiss. Not yet. If I started to let myself panic, I knew it would show on my face when I had to stand on that stage. And I knew damned well I didn’t want anyone saying
anything
about me being an emotional wreck that day. Marian wouldn’t have put up with it.

She delivered me to an office space where the hair and makeup people had set up their work area. I let them pull on my hair and paint my face to my mother’s specifications, and no one mentioned the color of my hair even once. If a bottle of dye had been produced, I was pretty sure I would have bolted for the doors.

I waited there, trying not to think of the implications of what would happen if my father didn’t show up. The press conference would still go on—I just knew he wanted to be there to show his support. Well, it was more likely he wanted to show he was in charge. Of me
and
of Daniel.

Krystal finally came in, her eyes hopeful. “Did he call you?”

I felt my heart sink into my stomach again. “No.” I knew this was bad. I didn’t know exactly how or why it was bad, but I knew it was terrible.

She forced a small smile. “Did
anyone
call you, Jenna? Because Daniel and Ambassador Sato haven’t arrived yet, either…”

My eyes widened and I think my mouth fell open. It would have been a dream if it wasn’t such a nightmare.

“What about Brandon? Have you heard from him?” Her eyes were hopeful again.

I shook my head. My mind raced—something weird was going on. Something strange had to have happened for all three men to have just not shown up for this “event.” This horrible thing where Daniel was going to be re-introduced to the world and where new lies would be layered on top of the old ones. I was only here for my father. Only here because of the threats he had made—both against me and against Brandon. And this was Daniel’s dream … I knew he wanted to get his old life back. I couldn’t even imagine how it had been for him, not being able to go where he wanted, do what he wanted. Daniel just not showing up didn’t make any sense, either. And Daniel’s father … he definitely would have shown up. Ambassador Hiro Sato was a man of integrity—well, except for the part where he helped to fake his son’s suicide. Hell, I didn’t know any of these men, if I was being honest. The fact that the three of them had propagated such a huge lie in the first place should have told me that…

Krystal went into another room and brought back a cup of coffee for each of us. We waited in that tiny waiting room where I’d had my hair and makeup done for what seemed like forever, both of us silent. I didn’t think I would have been able to speak, anyway, but the fear pulsing through me wasn’t helping. My hands were shaking, and it wasn’t because of the coffee.

She finally stood up. “I’m going to go check on some things. I’ll be back. Please don’t go anywhere.” Her eyes were pleading with me. “Please, just stay right here.”

I nodded. I didn’t really have anywhere
to
go. Even if I’d wanted to. I couldn’t even think of a place I would have wanted to run. Not there. Not in D.C.

I was just trying to hold it together—I knew if a single tear left my eyes, my makeup would be ruined and Marian would be all over me about it. That would have been my luck, though—losing it with a crying fit right before I had to go out on stage to hold the hand of my dead fiancé…

My phone chimed in my purse and I took it out to check the text. I almost hoped it was my father, telling me he was running late. That there had been some emergency foreign relations meeting, and that was why he was late…

It was Brandon.
Are you okay?

He had to know what time it was here. He had to know that this was the moment I was supposed to be standing on the stage with Daniel. I’m sure he thought it was funny to be texting me right now, and I might have even been upset with him if I wasn’t so upset already about my father having gone missing. I typed back into my phone.
Yes. You?

His reply came back only a moment later.
Better than ever
.

I shook my head and tried not to let it hurt my feelings. Maybe
he
was better than ever, but I certainly wasn’t.

I hadn’t even begun to type in a reply when he texted again.
Are you alone?

I rolled my eyes.
I’m not sexting with you. Not now.

He didn’t reply immediately, and I thought maybe I had hurt his feelings. He could be such an ass about things sometimes—I had no doubt that he thought his jokes were lightening the mood—helping me to deal with a shitty situation, but I couldn’t deal with it right now. With him. With any of this.

Come outside. Go through the back.

My heart began to race again—this time not from fear. Holy shit, was he was really here? He was here and I was sitting here on my ass waiting for the three men who had tried to take my life away from me … again? What the hell had I been thinking?

I walked out into the hallway, looking in both directions to be sure no one was there. I wasn’t sure why no guards had accompanied me, but I didn’t really care at that point, either. I almost raced to the back of the building, somehow able to avoid the members of the press that I thought were somewhere close by—waiting for me and Daniel and his father to take the stage. By some miracle, no one saw me as I exited through the back door.

Brandon was leaning against the same black car I had been in earlier, parked in front of the doorway. He was dressed in black—he could have been any town car driver in the city, and no one would have noticed. His blue eyes blazed for me as his gaze met mine. He smiled—it was all I needed to see.

It was almost like a dream. I just about ran into his arms, crushing my lips against his and pressing my body into him. At that moment, I didn’t even care that my father was missing. Or that Daniel was missing. All that mattered was that he had kept his promise—I wasn’t going to have to take that stage.

“
Y
ou should probably tell
me what’s going on…” I wasn’t actually sure that I wanted to know—I guess I just needed to know that no one was hurt. That he hadn’t done anything rash.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jen.” He glanced over at me with a tight-lipped smile before turning his gaze back to the road.

“My father. Daniel. His father. You know something…” He had to know. He had to have done something to keep them from that press conference.

My phone chimed in my purse and I reached down to pull it out.

He caught me by the wrist. “Don’t look at it.”

I sucked in a breath. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”

He shook his head. “Nothing you need to worry about right now.”

I felt my hand clench into a fist and my fingernails dug into my palm. “Will you stop doing that to me? Stop telling me not to worry my pretty little head about things? Because I am worried, Brandon. My father is missing…”

He released my wrist and put his hand back on the steering wheel. “He isn’t missing. No one is missing. The press conference was canceled. There was just a delay in getting that news to you.” He looked over at me again. “I swear, Jen. There’s nothing else going on. Let’s just say that Daniel came to his senses…”

Daniel came to his senses?
It was too simple. Too easy. And Daniel hadn’t been particularly sensible about
anything
. Ever. “I don’t believe you. Just tell me…”

“We came to an agreement.” He smiled over at me again. “That’s all that’s important.”

I turned to him, lifting a brow. “And what
exactly
did you have to agree to? What did you have to promise to get him to cancel this thing?” There was no way it could have been cheap. No way that there wasn’t something at risk…

His smile fell a little. “Can we just enjoy this moment? Enjoy
this
moment? Because it feels like I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

“You didn’t go to Sydney.”

He chuckled. “I could have. Technically speaking, anyway. The flights would have been tight, but I
could
have…”

I turned and looked out the window, ignoring his amusement. I didn’t find this amusing at all—I didn’t even want to think about either of us owing Daniel anything.

I could tell we were headed out of town, but I didn’t know where he intended to take me. Not that it mattered. At least I was with Brandon. At least I had that much … especially if it turned out that one or both of us was going to
owe
him…

“You aren’t going to ask me?” He glanced over at me with another look of amusement. “I figured it would be your first question…”

I shook my head. “Brandon, my father is missing. You really want to play games with me right now? Your sister is worried sick … I’m…” I shook my head. “Damn, I don’t know what I am.”

He reached over and took my hand into his, giving it a squeeze. “I’m telling you, he’s fine. They all are. I didn’t do this…”

“Where? Where are they?”

He shrugged, giving my hand another squeeze. “Probably looking for you right about now, I would guess. Do you trust me?”

I shook my head. I didn’t want to play any more games with him. “Maybe you should just take me back. Let me deal with this on my own…”

“Jen, I swear to you, they’re fine. There is no press conference.” He let go of my hand and motioned toward my purse. “Go ahead. Check your phone.”

I pulled my phone from my purse. The text was from Krystal.
Your father called. Press conference canceled. Sorry about this.
I turned back to him. “How did you know about it? Are you going to share your part in this mess?”

I watched him work his jaw. “When, Jen? When will you just trust me? How much do I have to do for you to believe that I’m not about to hurt you? That I’m not about to hurt anyone?”

I winced and turned to look out my window again. He was right—I had pushed him away every chance I had. I had run from him, almost begged him to leave me. And he kept coming back for me. Kept protecting me. Kept proving his love to me over and over and over and I still pushed him away. He was right—he had done enough.

I turned back to him after a long moment. “I’m sorry, Brandon. There’s just been so much … so, so much. I don’t know why … I don’t know why I keep pushing you away.” Tears—the damned tears that I didn’t want to show anyone threatened to fall from my eyes again.

“You don’t ever have to apologize to me, Jen. Never. Just trust me. That’s all I’m asking of you. Just trust that I love you and that I’ll do everything I can to make you happy for the rest of your life. Can you do that?” He glanced over at me with a look that I hadn’t seen on his face in months. Hope.