Chapter 13
Jensen
Frustrated and brooding, I drove toward Seattle.
Snow chased me until I crossed the mountain pass. Then it turned to rain. Heavy gray clouds hung low, and my windshield wipers had a hard time keeping up.
The oppressive sky matched my mood.
Maple called to update me on the intel we’d gathered. The information was solid. There was a good chance I’d be able to intercept Archer in Paris before he did the deal. I’d be a fucking hero—the one to take down a notorious criminal and restore a priceless work of art to its rightful place.
It made sense to go. I followed jobs wherever they took me, all around the world. And I’d been waiting for the right opportunity to confront Archer Prince for years.
So why did I want to turn around?
Torrents of rain beat down on my car as the elevation descended on the west side of the mountains. Endless forests of evergreen trees stretched out on either side of the freeway and tendrils of fog snaked through their branches.
Soon, I’d be on a plane, heading east. I wondered if the flight path would take me over Tilikum—and the missing necklace.
“What is wrong with you?” I asked aloud. “A chance to recover a famous Rembrandt, and you’re worried about a fucking necklace?”
But it wasn’t the necklace. True, I didn’t like leaving a job unfinished. But it wasn’t the job that made me want to turn around and drive straight back to Tilikum.
It was Natalie.
Why? Why was I so preoccupied with a woman?
That had never happened to me before. Relationships were transient things—fine while they were mutually satisfying, but for a man like me, never meant to last. I’d known Natalie for a matter of days, and she was so deeply lodged in my head, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Not just my head. My chest—in a place that felt suspiciously like my heart.
There was only one thing to do. Call my sister. Nora and I had a lot in common. She’d also resisted long-term relationships for years. Yet she was married—to a hulking tattoo artist, no less—and living a blissful family life with her teenage stepdaughter and new baby.
How had she done it? How had she known?
One way to find out.
“Hi, Jensen,” she said, her voice lifting like it was almost a question.
“Nora, I need your help.”
“I’ll try. What’s going on?”
I let out a breath. “God, where do I begin? I’ve been in a small town pursuing a business opportunity. In so doing, I met a woman.”
“And this is news because…?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m calling.”
“Okay, go on.”
“Another business opportunity arose, and I had to leave town abruptly. I’m on my way to Seattle to catch a flight to Paris.”
“What did you do? Sneak out of her bed and leave her behind?”
“No, nothing like that. I’ve not been in her bed. Or had her in mine.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t sound so surprised. I’m not nearly the manwhore you think I am.”
She laughed. “Sure, Jensen.”
“Anyway, that’s not the point.”
“What is the point? If you didn’t sneak away, I’m assuming you told her why you had to leave. And if the problem is you want to see her again, can’t you just go back when the new business deal is finished?”
“Yes. That’s a very reasonable way of seeing it.”
“You don’t sound convinced.”
“That’s the problem. I’m not, and I don’t know why.”
“Uh-oh.”
“What?”
I could almost hear her smiling. “You like her.”
“Of course I like her. Isn’t that obvious?”
“No, I mean you really like her. You don’t want to leave because you’re going to miss her. You probably already do.”
“I like her, and I’ll miss her,” I mused aloud. “Which is why I’m strangely reluctant to leave town?”
“Tell me this. You said you had to leave abruptly. Did you say goodbye?”
“I didn’t want to wake her, so I left a note.”
“Then call her, dummy. You’re probably worried that you left her with hurt feelings. We’ll gloss over how surprising that is. I didn’t know you had feelings, let alone cared about them in others.”
“Am I such a monster?”
She laughed again. “No. But have you ever cared about a woman enough to call me for advice?”
“No. This is a first.”
“See? Just call her. And be honest. Tell her you’re sorry you had to leave. You’re going to miss her and will come see her again as soon as you can.”
“You’re brilliant,” I said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, her tone cheerful. “And Jensen?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for calling.”
“Give my niece kisses.”
“I will.”
I ended the call and pondered what she’d said as I kept driving. I liked Natalie and I was going to miss her. That was why I felt like I had a hole in my chest. And Nora was right. Once I had the business in Paris under wraps, I could go back. There was no reason not to.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t likely this job would be an in-and-out situation. It was entirely possible I was about to embark on a game of cat and mouse that could span the globe. I’d been close to him before, and he’d always eluded me.
A call came through, and I had the fleeting hope that it was Natalie. But it wasn’t—it was Maple.
“Go ahead,” I answered.
“Just wanted to update you that we’re sending Deacon to Tilikum. Can you put him in touch with your asset there so he can pick up where you left off?”
What was that scorching heat burning through my veins? Grinding my teeth, I gripped the steering wheel, irrationally angry. I’d felt the same way when I’d listened to Natalie’s ex-boyfriend at the Snowflake Ball. I hadn’t understood it then, either. Why was I so filled with rage?
Wait. Was that jealousy?
“Jensen?” she asked.
“Sorry.” I loosened my grip on the steering wheel. “Yes, I can do that.”
“Good. I’ll let him know.”
I didn’t reply, and a second later, she ended the call.
Shock reverberated through me. Jealous? I’d never been jealous of another man in my life. I always had what they wanted, not the other way around.
But the thought of Deacon waltzing into Tilikum and laying his eyes on Natalie—my Natalie—had me seeing red.
Or was it green?
“Bloody prick,” I grumbled.
Maybe I just needed to take Nora’s advice and call Natalie. Hearing her voice would put me at ease. I brought up her number and called.
No answer.
That was odd. She couldn’t be at work; they were on strike. Had she left her phone elsewhere and hadn’t heard it?
Her voicemail greeting ended, and I decided to leave a message.
“Natalie, darling…” I wasn’t sure what else to say. “Give me a call when you get this.”
Well, that had been bloody stupid. Jealous and tongue-tied? What the hell was wrong with me?
And why hadn’t Natalie answered?
I kept driving, resisting the urge to ring her again. I was being irrational. Natalie wasn’t the type to be glued to her phone. The fact that she hadn’t answered didn’t mean anything.
Except what if it did? What if she’d ignored my call because she was angry with me? What if I had hurt her feelings?
How could I live with myself?
Feeling like I had a concrete block crushing my chest, I gave in and tried her number again. Still no answer. Fortunately, I stopped before I made an even bigger fool of myself on her voicemail.
My sudden fear of having hurt her was not a good reason to abandon what might turn out to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But my fear of having hurt her combined with concern over why she wasn’t answering and mind-numbing jealousy?
That did it.
I rang Maple.
“Yes?” she answered.
“I have to go back.”
Heedless of the legality of the maneuver, I cut across an open spot in the median and flew onto the eastbound freeway.
“I’m sorry, what?” she asked.
“I have to go back to Tilikum. I can’t go to Paris.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“My reputation is at stake. I can’t leave a job unfinished. If word got out that I abandoned a client for a bigger fish, what would people think? We’re trusted because we’re reliable.”
It wasn’t a bad argument. I almost believed it myself.
Maple sputtered for a second. “Well… Perhaps… I guess you have a point, although Deacon is very good.”
My lip curled with distaste at hearing his name. Not good enough to work with my Natalie. “Still. I have to see this through.”
“Are you sure? You realize what you’re giving up?”
“I know exactly what I’m doing.”
She took a deep breath. “All right. I’ll get things worked out on my end.”
“Brilliant. I’ll touch base when I’m back in Tilikum.” I ended the call.
A weight lifted from my shoulders as I sped through the rain. Did I know exactly what I was doing?
Despite what I’d said to Maple, not in the slightest.