The Lover's Surrender (No Exceptions) (21 page)

And then
Kenny was here as well. Jett hadn’t even mentioned him.

“Call me
suspicious, but I think they’re trying to get rid of us.” I raised my brows at
Sylvie.

“What do
you mean?”

I sighed.
“Brian said something strange.”

“Hey,” a
woman behind us said. “We’re trying to watch this.”

“Sorry,”
Sylvie mouthed to her, then turned back to me, in a quieter voice “You’re going
to listen to that guy?”

“I have no
choice.” I shrugged. “Something is up. We have to go.”

She shot me
a panicked look, probably fearing my next words.

“Grab your
handbag,” I said and stood. “Come on.”

“I saw that
one coming.” She heaved an annoyed sigh. “Stewart, I swear I’ll make you watch
Jason Statham movies on replay for the rest of your life if you drag my ass out
of here without a very good reason.”

A viable threat.

Jason
Statham movies were the stuff of my nightmares. Under different circumstances,
I would have probably thought twice, but not today.

“I think I
heard traffic noise in the background.” Ignoring her, I dashed through the
crowd, heading outside.

The fact
that we were heading in the wrong direction slowed us down, but eventually we
reached the red carpet and the parked taxis.

“Where is
he?” I mumbled, scanning the busy street.

There were
people everywhere.

It took me
a while to spy the striking black sports ride with its tinted windows stuck in
traffic. I had seen it so many times that I would have recognized it anywhere.

“There’s
Kenny,” Sylvie almost screamed. “Hey—”

I clamped a
hand over her mouth. “Are you crazy? You can’t draw their attention to us.” I
scanned the street for Jett and spied him standing next to Kenny.

They
exchanged words, and then they got into his car.

“What are
they doing?” I asked and grabbed Sylvie’s hand, dragging her behind me, both
balancing on high heels and shivering in our evening gowns.

“You can’t
possibly be serious,” Sylvie protested, but that didn’t slow me down. “I don’t
know how you can walk in this dress.”

“Call it a
necessity.”

“More like
stalking your guy.” Sylvie let out a laugh.

“Oh, shut
up.” I set my jaw and tightened my grip around her hand so I wouldn’t lose her
in the crowd.

Why hadn’t
Jett said anything about leaving? And where the heck were they going? As we
reached the road, the traffic lights changed and Kenny’s car began to move out
of the parking lot.

Fuck!

They were
about to drive away.

In that
instant, a taxi stopped a few inches from us and a couple got out. I raised my
hand, hailing it before it could speed off.

“Don’t lose
the black sports car,” I instructed the driver and settled in the backseat with
Sylvie, my gaze fixed on the road ahead.

My heart
raced so hard I was sure it would burst out of my chest.

Even Sylvie
seemed nervous. Her hand wrapped around mine and she gave it a light squeeze.
“This is so exciting.”

Okay, maybe
not nervous.

But then
she didn’t know about Gina and the letter.

“Where do
you think they’re going?” Sylvie whispered, her own suspicion finally piqued.

“No clue,
but I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” I muttered.

We drove
for a long time, more because of the heavy traffic rather than because of the
distance, before we reached the Manhattan coastline along the Hudson River.
Kenny’s car took a sharp turn and stopped in the distance, killing the
taillights. We parked at a safe distance, far enough away that they wouldn’t
notice us, but close enough that we’d be able to follow if they left.

“Isn’t that
the North Cove marina?” Sylvie said.

“I think
so. What are they doing here?”

Sylvie
shrugged her shoulders. “No idea. Maybe enjoying the view?”

“Maybe,” I
said, unconvinced.

In the
distance, I could see the yachts floating at docks scattered along the river,
their decadent lights casting golden reflections on the dark water. Sylvie must
have noticed the same.

“Maybe Jett
owns a boat and Kenny wants to check it out. You know how men are,” Sylvie
whispered even though no one could hear us.

Straining
my brain, I tried to remember whether Jett had mentioned owning a yacht there.
I didn’t think so but that didn’t mean he might not.

He owned
one back in Italy.

“Or maybe
they’re just hanging out.”

“This late
when they could go to a bar?” Sylvie whispered.

“You’re
right,” I muttered.

“Are you
getting out?” the driver asked.

I peered at
the car ahead.

“Not yet,”
I said. “Just wait.”

The driver
huffed and began to busy himself with his cell phone, which was fine by me.

We sat in
silence for at least ten minutes, then another ten. When nothing happened, I
breathed out a sigh of annoyance. The sports car was bathed in darkness. Even
if it weren’t for the safe distance, the tinted glass made seeing inside
impossible.

What the
fuck were they doing in there? Were they even still in the car?

Both my
curiosity and suspicion were killing me. I had to know, not least because Jett
had promised no more secrets.

I exchanged
a glance with Sylvie.

“You know,”
she whispered so the driver wouldn’t hear us, “this kind of reminds me of those
movies where they meet with a drug lord, or they do an exchange of some sort.
If you get the meaning.”

“You’re
being silly.”

My blood
froze in my veins. What if she was right?

“We’re
going to have a look,” I said to the driver after paying and making sure to tip
him generously. “Can you pick us up in ten minutes?”

“You sure
that’s a good idea?” Sylvie asked when the driver took off.

“Something
isn’t right.” I peered at Kenny’s car again. “I want to talk to them and find
out who they’re waiting for.”

“Is this
really a good idea?” Sylvie repeated, then yanked at my arm, pulling me down.
“Look. They’re getting out.”

I peered
over her shoulder. Sure enough, Kenny and Jett had exited and rounded the car,
and were now sitting on the hood, watching the coast.

“I don’t
like this,” I whispered. “Come on. I need to talk to Jett.”

We had
barely moved from the spot when a deafening bang echoed through the night,
followed by two more. They sounded like gunshots, only much louder.

Fire lit up
the sky in the distance.

My heart
stopped, and a quiet scream escaped my throat.

Flickering
orange flames rose above the water, ascending into a spiral of smoke.

“Holy shit.
A yacht exploded,” Sylvie uttered in shock.

The fire
flared brighter, and yet I couldn’t move. I couldn’t talk or do anything. The
fire was so bright I was sure it could be seen for miles.

“Oh, my
god,” I whispered as realization dawned on me.

Jett had
something to do with it.

As if
sensing my thoughts, Jett turned. I thought I saw surprise and disbelief
washing over his face, though I couldn’t be sure that he had glimpsed me in the
darkness.

Had he seen
me?

But there
was no time to talk because the taxi pulled up next to us.

The driver
opened the passenger door and called out, “Hey, missus. Pack it up. Let’s go.”

Whatever
was going on, he obviously didn’t want to get involved. No one would be paying
him for answering the police’s questions all night.

I nodded my
head but didn’t budge from the spot. The taillights of Kenny’s car glimmered to
life and then sped off.

I turned to
Sylvie and found her staring at me, confusion reflecting in her face.

“Hey!” the
driver called out, his voice carrying enough annoyance to make me flinch.

Sylvie
straightened and helped me up. We slumped onto the backseat, and the driver
took off without so much as a glance back. As we drove back to the fashion
show, I couldn’t help but wonder whose yacht had caught fire and why the heck
it happened while Kenny and Jett had been camped out not far away.

And most
importantly, what had Jett done?

Brian’s
words echoed through my mind:

Knowing Jett, it doesn’t take long for him to
jump the gun. When he’s hell-bent on doing something, he really gets it in his
head, even if it’s a bad idea. It wouldn’t really be that much of a surprise.

The news
about the explosion was splashed all over the newspapers and CNN the next day
and the days after. It wasn’t so much the yacht that made the headlines but the
media’s fascination with two men.

Sitting at
the kitchen table, I went over each and every article. The headlines read:

SUSPECTED HUMAN
TRAFFICKING GANG LEADER JONATHAN MAYFIELD FLEES PRISON

MYSTERIOUS
GUNFIRE RESULTS IN DEATH OF FIVE MEN

JONATHAN
MAYFIELD DEAD AFTER SPECTACULAR ESCAPE FROM PRISON

PREVIOUSLY
UNDISCOVERED BODIES FOUND, ONE OF THEM HUMAN TRAFFICKING GANG LEADER JONATHAN
MAYFIELD

DRUG RING
RESPONSIBLE FOR DEATH OF REAL ESTATE MOGUL JONATHAN MAYFIED

“Are you
still reading this?” Warm lips brushed my earlobe.

A week had
passed, but we still hadn’t talked about
that
day.

After
Sylvie and I had returned to the charity event, we tried our best to remain
unaffected, pretending to be clueless, and it worked. As the best friend she
was, I didn’t even have to ask her to keep quiet. She understood. When Jett
returned to the show a few minutes after me, he acted like nothing had happened.
We had dinner, then joined the engagement party he had planned for us.

Everything
was fine.

A perfect
façade.

Everyone
had believed us.

But today
was different.

I still had
to know. The excuses I had made for not asking were torturing me.

I turned
around, facing him. He leaned against the table, a coffee cup in his hand as he
watched me. “Jett, I saw you that day.”

His eyes
remained pinned on me, but he said nothing.

“If you’re
involved, you don’t have to tell me. But just answer this: did you help Nate
escape?”

It was the
only reasonable explanation I could draw from the newspaper articles. The past
few days I hadn’t dared to ask him, but I could no longer keep quiet because I
was sure that my assumption was right.

“Brooke…”
Jett let out an exaggerated sigh and put his cup down.

“Did you
get him that boat?” I persisted.

Jett
continued to stare at me, his beautiful face dark and mysterious.

“Baby, you
worry too much.” His arms wrapped around my waist, drawing me close to him. “My
biggest fear isn’t you leaving me, like your father did your mother, but losing
you due to circumstances out of my control. Since the day of your kidnapping, I
promised myself that I’d keep you safe, no matter what. Whether you want it or
not, I’ll always care for you and protect you. That Nate’s dead is unfortunate,
but I won’t shed a tear for a man who killed hundreds. A man who wanted you
dead.”

“You still
haven’t answered my question. You visited him in prison, didn’t you? ” He
sighed again. I eyed him curiously. “You helped him escape? Come on, Jett. Tell
me. I know you knew the boat would explode. Like I said, I saw you that day.”

He brushed
a strand of hair out of my face.

“I will
only say this.” Jett’s smile disappeared. “He was stupid to trust the wrong
people.”

His eyes
glimmered, and something flashed across his face.

Pride.

“You mean…”

“Yes.” He
nodded. “He trusted someone to get him out.”

Now I
understood.

Jett had
lied to Nate.

All his
visits to prison had been a means to build the trust, to get the plan moving. He
didn’t have to tell me.

“I had been
planning this for a long time. Brian told me not to do it, but I couldn’t,
Brooke.” He shrugged. “Nate would never have stopped. Because of him, your
friend’s dead. Who would have been next? You? I couldn’t take the risk.”

He was
right.

My thoughts
racing, I sat down, unable to wrap my mind around the fact that Jett had
carefully hid everything from me. “But…how did you do it?”

He smiled,
his thumb stroking my cheek. “Well, let’s just say don’t ever underestimate
your people. If you’re not careful enough, they might start working for someone
else. In Nate’s case it was Danny. Like I said before, everyone has a price.”

My heart
skipped a beat.

“Danny? You
found him?”

“Yes. It
wasn’t even hard. All we had to do was track down Nate’s suppliers and dealers,
then track their calls and locations for a few days. Danny was the only one to
come near you and Gina. Turned out he had been watching you for weeks.”

The words
lingered in the air, their magnitude weighing down on me.

My eyes
widened. “You’re saying…” I trailed off, unable to speak out the obvious.

“Yes.” Jett
nodded again. “He killed your friend and followed Nate’s orders to frame me. We
have enough proof from his phone conversations. Everything points to him.” He
took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I guess he couldn’t stay away from
you.”

“Oh, my
God.” I leaned back, frowning.

“Danny’s
dead,” Jett said softly.

I looked up
and found his expression serious. “But there was no mention of him.”

“In there?”
Jett grabbed a paper. My eyes followed his finger, as it hovered over the words
‘undiscovered bodies found.’ “He got what he deserved. It was long overdue. The
police are going to charge Danny’s cousin, Barrow, with Gina’s murder. The
weapon and photos were found at his place.”

“I still
don’t understand.” I shook my head. “I told you about Gina the day of the
explosion; how did you know that fast that it was Danny?”

“I didn’t,”
Jett said. “It was luck. We only found out during the police investigation. It’s
a good thing he’s dead.”

Moisture
gathered in my eyes. I lifted my hand to wipe away my unshed tears, but Jett
beat me to it. His thumb stroked my cheek gently, the soothing motion touching
my heart.

“I’m not
sad.” My voice was hoarse, croaky.

“I know.”

“It’s
just…” Another tear trickled down my cheek. At least I wasn’t sobbing. “I can’t
believe you found him. I can’t believe you found the guy who killed my sister. Ten
years. That’s how long I waited for justice. And now I can’t believe it’s
over.”

Jett
kneeled before me, his hand touching mine. “Only the bad part, Brooke. The good
part, which is us, will never be over.”