The Billionaire's Secret: Billionaire Obsession (Tycoon Billionaires Book 5) (8 page)

Astrid’s hometown was like a large village. It was set in a valley, and as they approached it from the road above, Jake thought it looked as if it had been dropped into the surrounding woodland and fields from on high. It centered around a grid of no more than fifteen roads, with a stone church in the center – which had a tall spire pointing up to the blue sky. Jake had grown up in a nearby town, but he’d forgotten how charming and welcoming such a place could feel. The peace and tranquility hit him like a feather pillow.

Trying not to disturb the peace too much, he drove his noisy Ferrari down a winding hill, which fanned out at the bottom into rows of houses and shops – all made of the same red brick, giving the place a uniform quaintness. 

The reds, greens, and golds of fall looked stunning on the surrounding trees, and even Astrid stopped typing to appreciate the scenery.

“So pretty,” he said, gazing at her.

She glared at him. “Yes, it’s a very pretty place. Just drive to the end of this road, and pull up near the church. Then you can go.”

He smirked, and followed her directions. Outside the church a little crowd had gathered for an impromptu meeting. There were about thirty people standing out here in the weak sunshine, shouting at each other, arguing. But as the bright red Ferrari cruised toward them – and parked up – the crowd fell silent and watched with interest.

Jake climbed out and opened the door for Astrid, who was packing away her laptop.

He offered his hand, and was surprised when she actually took it. But the car was low, and she was wearing a tight skirt and heels. She probably wasn’t keen to fall on her ass in front of all her friends and family.

“They’re probably expecting a VIP,” she said, climbing out.

“Then they won’t be disappointed…”

Astrid straightened her smart designer suit, then – ignoring Jake – strode over to the crowd. Jake adjusted his tie, and followed. There was no way he was being snubbed after driving her all this way… and he still needed to make amends for everything he’d done.

He halted next to her as a middle-aged man broke away from the crowd to speak to her. He was dressed in a casual shirt and jeans, and he looked as if he’d worked hard in a physical job all this life. He embraced Astrid, clearly pleased to see her. “Baby, thank you for coming so quickly.”

“That’s okay, daddy. What’s happened? Have they found someone to lynch yet?”

Her father ignored her sarcasm and inspected Jake. He seemed pleased that his daughter had brought this well-dressed Ferrari-driving city boy along. “Who’s this?”

“Hi, I’m Jake.” They shook hands firmly.

“Martin,” he said. “Are you two… you’re not…” He frowned at his daughter.

“No, dad, we’re not. In fact, Jake’s just leaving.”

Jake folded his arms across his chest. “So… what’s going on? You said someone had broken into her old room?”

“Yeah,” Martin explained. “Everyone here seems to have an opinion on who the burglar is – you wouldn’t believe the old grudges that are coming out now and accusing each other.”

“Have you called the police?”

Martin sighed. “Our local law-enforcer is… how can I put this delicately?”

Astrid interjected. “You don’t need to be delicate, dad. Our sheriff is useless at best, and at worst corrupt.”

Martin nodded. “He does seem more interested in lining his own pockets than getting his hands dirty with any actual police work.”

“Sounds like half my old police colleagues,” Jake said.

Martin’s attention was seized by a ruckus behind him, so Jake glanced at Astrid. He could see she was tense, and not just because
he
was here. “Is Simon around?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I can’t see him.”

Jake opened his mouth to ask what he looked like, but Martin rejoined their conversation. “Anyway, the local sheriff says he’s looking into it – for what it’s worth. This sort of thing just doesn’t happen around here. It’s shaken everyone – you can hear how agitated they all are.” Martin frowned, raising his voice above the sound of the angry crowd. “Jake, did you say you were a cop?”

“I was. Do you mind if I look at the scene of the crime, sir? Maybe I can help?”

Astrid raised an eyebrow at the prospect of him seeing her childhood bedroom.

Martin opened his mouth to reply, but a young woman stepped over. She was stunning – blond, curvy, and covered in make-up. Not Jake’s type, but certainly her clingy red dress made her stand out in the crowd.

Jake realized he was staring with his mouth open. He could feel Astrid’s eyes burning into him.

The young woman was captivated by him too. “Who’s this?” she asked, looking Jake up and down.

“Jake,” he said. “You must be Emma – Astrid’s little sister. Right?”

“Oh, you’ve heard all about me, then?”

“I sure have.”

Emma glanced at her sister. “Hello, Astrid.”

“Emma.”

Martin frowned at Jake. “So you think you might be able to help us?”

“I’m not promising anything, but maybe something will stand out for me.”

Martin glanced at Astrid. “You okay with that, Astrid?”

“He seems pretty perceptive,” she said. “It won’t do any harm, I guess.”

“Okay,” Martin said. “Come this way.”

It was strange for Astrid being back here. She’d lived at home when she’d been studying at college, so she’d only been away for six weeks in NYC, but already this place seemed like a dream to her. It was so open and quiet. And it was possible to see the sunshine and blue sky above, because the buildings were restricted to three-stories maximum. They were made of a natural-looking red brick – not steel and glass – and the stores in this town were all independents, run by people she knew on a first-name basis – there were no corporate brands for miles. It was both refreshing and terrifying in equal measure.

Jake’s presence here was warping her sense of reality. He was like a Hollywood superstar who’d been airdropped into normal life. The air around him seemed to glisten with an expression of his inner-confidence and physical attractiveness. People would stop and stare – and not
just
because he was a stranger in town.

Astrid smiled automatically and relaxed as they walked up the driveway to her childhood home. It felt good to be home in this old two-story building, set in its own grounds – it was like taking the phone off the hook of real life for a while. There was plenty of space to spread out here – unlike her crammed apartment back in the City. But as they stepped inside, she remembered how mentally restricted she’d felt living here – somehow being anonymous in the City was quite appealing. Perhaps it was just because she was worried that somewhere around town Simon was lurking…

In the homey kitchen, Astrid hugged her mom – sinking into her arms and realizing how much she’d missed her. Her mom – Sally – was in the middle of making a pie, and trying not to get too drawn into the latest town scandal. She was usually very calm and level-headed, but even she double-taked when she saw Jake – clearly impressed by the specimen Astrid had brought home from the big city.

“Shall we go up to your room then?” Jake asked Astrid, with a smirk.

Sally raised an eyebrow. “Your room?”

She blushed. “He’s a detective. He’s going to look at the scene of the crime.”

“Ah,” Sally said. “Sure.”

Martin led Jake, Astrid, and Emma up to Astrid’s old bedroom, which hadn’t been decorated since she was in her late teens. She was so embarrassed about Jake getting a glimpse of her youth – it was like he was looking into her soul and seeing all the parts she was trying to hide. He smiled coolly as he eyed-up the posters of rockstars on the walls and the bookshelves crammed with schoolwork.

Astrid loitered by the door and took in the ransacked room. “Oh god, what a mess.”

The burglar had clearly been looking for something in a hurry – he’d emptied all Astrid’s drawers and strewn her old clothes on the carpet. Astrid had a suspicion this had something to do with Simon, but she decided to let Jake do what he was good at – snooping around in other people’s business and dishing the dirt on them. Anger spiraled up inside her – she still couldn’t believe how stupid she’d been to let him play her like that. As soon as he’d finished up here, she was going to send him back to NYC and insist he leave her alone forever.

The prospect of never seeing him again squeezed her heart with dread. Damn him! Why had she let him in so fast? She needed to harden herself against him, otherwise she was going to end up with more pain.

She watched as Jake’s gaze collided with her old vanity table, which held toiletries and a jewelry box. He opened the lid of the jewelry box and it played a tinny piece of classical music, which Astrid found strangely soothing, because it reminded her of carefree childhood times. He gazed at the contents and frowned. It was mainly full of costume jewelry, but there was an expensive Rolex in there too, which he seemed interested in. He picked it up and turned it over, reading the inscription, which read: ‘Happy Eighteenth Birthday to our beloved Astrid. Love mom and dad.’

He dropped the watch back into the box and closed it. “Astrid, anything missing?”

“I’m not sure. Let me see…” She strolled inside. “I guess I didn’t leave too much here anyway – nothing worth stealing, you know…”

“Other than an expensive Rolex with sentimental value,” Jake said, accusingly.

“I left it here because I didn’t feel safe with it in New York.”

“Un-huh.”

Astrid didn’t know what he was implying, but her attention had now been seized by the rug covering the wooden floorboards by her bed. She remembered exactly what was stored under those floorboards and she tensed, cringing internally.

Jake picked up on her change of posture. He lifted the rug. “Something under here?”

“Just my old diaries,” she said, blushing. “With my deepest teenage thoughts. I’d be devastated if anyone read them, but they aren’t worth anything of value.”

“Hmm… they might be to someone…”

Jake pulled up the floorboard, revealing the empty space below. He reached out and rubbed his fingers over the flaky wood around the hole, then gazed at them for a moment, before glancing up at Emma. The tension in the room was thick and tangible – and Astrid’s confused mix of anger and attraction for Jake was distracting.

Jake dropped the floorboard back into place, then gazed deep into Astrid’s eyes, making her prickle with discomfort. “The person who broke into your room left your Rolex but stole your diaries. Any ideas why they might do that?”

Astrid shrugged. “No.”

He transferred his gaze to Emma. “You got any ideas, ma’am?”

Emma shook her head innocently. “Why would
I
know anything?”

Jake stood tall. “Because you’re the person who broke into this room last night.”

Martin threw his hand to his hip. “You’d better have a good reason for that accusation, sonny!”

Emma gasped dramatically. “Of course it wasn’t me!”

“Jake, are you sure?” Astrid asked.

“Positive.” He showed them the marks on his fingertips. “The red nail varnish on the wood where Emma forced it open with her fingers matches the color she’s wearing now.” He stepped over to Emma, who was frozen to the spot in shock. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “And look here, she grazed her skin on the wood.”

Emma ripped her arm from Jake’s grip. “Why the hell would I want to steal my sister’s diaries?”

“No idea. But I’m sure we’ll find the diaries in your room.”

“You can’t go in my room!” Emma shouted, panicking. “Daddy, tell them.”

Martin’s expression was severe. “Well, we’d better just clear your name, sweetheart. Perhaps we ought to check.”

Astrid watched as Emma stormed out the room and rushed across the hall toward her own bedroom. Martin darted after her and grabbed her waist, preventing her from going inside.

“This is just making you look guilty, Emma!” he said, as she struggled in his arms.

She kicked her dad in the shin, which made him let go, then she lunged forward to run to her bedroom again, but Martin squeezed ahead of her, and rushed to open the door.

“Let us just look,” he said, stopping Emma from entering.

Emma turned and glared viciously into Astrid’s eyes, then she strode off down the hall, leaving them to search inside.

The three of them stepped in. Astrid had always been envious of this room – it was bigger than hers, and it overlooked the gorgeous back field, where all the trees were currently aflame with autumn colors. Astrid glanced at the wall above Emma’s bed and smiled as she saw a huge poster of Joseph Quinlan, smoldering at the camera. Jake saw it too and winked at Astrid, melting her soul to a dreamy mush. She bit her cheeks and looked away, refusing to be nice to him after he’d betrayed her so nastily to his other brothers.

Jake stood in the center of the room, commanding attention with his sizzling presence. “It’s not my place to go searching through a young woman’s things without a warrant.”

“I’ll look,” Astrid said.

She skirted her eyes over the mantel and the dresser, but couldn’t see anything incriminating there. Where would
she
hide something in here?

Her gaze fell on the double bed, so she crouched down to look beneath. She reached her hand under, and her fingers fell on…

“Four diaries,” she said, pulling them out. “Why would she want these?”

Jake shrugged. “She’s your sister – what do
you
think?”

“I’m not sure. But there should be five here – last year’s is missing. Was it under the floorboards, Jake?”

“No, it was empty under there.”

Astrid gazed at the diaries in her hand. “Why would she want last year’s diary?”

“There’s only one person who can tell us that,” Jake said.

Martin ran his fingers through his thinning hair. “I can’t understand it. I’d better go after her… check she’s okay.”

Astrid batted away her irritation – no one was checking
she
was okay, and she was the one who’d been violated by her sister. Again. She threw him a smile. “Okay, daddy.”

Martin strode toward the door, and spoke over his shoulder. “Stay for dinner, Astrid. Your mom’s missed you. And you should stay too, Jake. For helping us.”

Jake smiled politely. “Thank you, sir.”

He left the room, and Astrid felt awkward being here alone with the man who she both hated and lusted after.  “I should help dad find Emma.”

He nodded. “Oh sure…”

She gazed at him, not leaving. He was so attractive, and she felt like a stupid child in his presence. “I guess I should thank you for solving all this…”

“It’s what I do.”

“Yeah.” She dropped her diaries onto the bed, then sat down – sinking into the comforter. “You know, your talents of deduction are wasted following people around like you do – you worked this one out fast.”

He shrugged. “It was pretty obvious. And I enjoy solving puzzles – finding clues. That’s why I like you. You’re an enigma.”

She laughed. “No, I’m not. You’re the one who was keeping secrets from me, you asshole.”

“I know, I’m sorry I hurt you.” He sat down next to her on the bed. “I honestly never wanted to. You’re a breath of fresh air, Astrid. In my job you get dragged down to their level – the lowlifes of the city. When I was a cop, I wanted to fight crime, but it meant I had to learn to think like them. To lie… to kill. To switch off from the good things in life. To behave like an animal in order to keep the real animals off the streets. But you… you’re so innocent and sweet. Like the springtime after a long cold winter.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m just a normal woman.”

“You’re not. You’re not like everybody else… Look, I’ve decided I’m giving up this game, going straight. I’m gonna find my fortune – try to be more like you. I’m giving this up
for
you.”

Her heart pounded in her throat. “Don’t give it up for me, Jake. I’m not even speaking to you at the moment.”

He reached out and held her hand. She didn’t pull away, but relished the tingles of delight that shot up her arm and into her heart. “A thousand times I’m sorry for what I did. But I can’t and won’t do it anymore. I joined the police to try and make a difference in the world, but they kicked me out and I ended up bitter. But you… you don’t seem to be tainted by life. You’re not jaded. Not even after everything you’ve been through.”

She frowned, not understanding why he was saying this when she was actually furious with him. And she
was
bitter about her sister. But he didn’t see her like that…

She sighed. “I’m nothing special. In fact, I wish I was more like
you
. Well, with the exception of behaving like asshole, obviously. ”

He laughed kindly. “Seriously, you don’t wanna be like me.”

“I do. You’re brave and strong. Perceptive.”

They shared a smile. “You’re brave, Astrid. You just need to see yourself differently.” He gazed deep into her eyes. “And you know what?”

“What?”

“You were wrong about your sister being prettier than you.”

She laughed shyly. “Thanks… So what
is
going on with my sister? Any ideas, Mr. Detective?”

“She’s jealous and frustrated.”

“You think that’s why she stole from me?”

“Maybe. But maybe she had other motives. I might stick around and talk to her. If your dad can find her.”

“She won’t talk to you.”

“We’ll see. I’d like to stay a little longer – take a look around.”

Astrid absentmindedly fiddled with the ring on her finger. “I guess I might stay here tonight. It sounds like Simon’s out of town, and it would be nice to catch up with my parents. And find out what the hell’s gotten into my sister.”

Jake grinned. “Is that your blessing for me to stay awhile?”

She shrugged. “Well, now you’re here, you may as well stay for dinner. And my dad invited you, not me.”