Chapter 24 - Blair
Nervous ripples shake through me as I stand near the corner of the bar pretending to be unfocused on my surroundings. The truth is, though, that I am hyper-aware of Jaco having just walked in, followed by his security team, who stand back and wait for his orders.
I’m not taken by surprise. This was the plan after all. But I am nervous to come face-to-face with him.
The bar is in a glittering, luxurious restaurant in the city. A venue reserved for the most elite members of society. And a place where Jaco often likes to be seen.
My fingers play over the glass in front of me, and I smile, pretending to be more focused on the drink and the music than the man behind me. I’m tucked to the side of the bar. Somewhat away from other people. A private corner. An arena for what we have planned.
I also positioned myself so that he would see me as soon as he walked through the door.
Baited.
Lured in.
And it seems to be working.
From the corner of my eye, I see him striding straight toward me with determination. I steal a glance at my purse on the bar in front of me. Inside it, my phone is recording everything. And Simon is listening in.
The only thing keeping my legs steady and my face calm is the fact that I know Simon is close by.
Jaco slides up to the bar, standing far too close to me. His men create a protective space around him, blocking anyone else from coming near.
He towers over me in an attempt to intimidate me.
His dark eyes and dark hair make him ominous and scary, but I remind myself that I am safe.
That I am doing this to bring an end to his power.
I think of Lindsey and everything she went through while she was with him.
And I think of the girls he would hurt in the future.
I’m doing this for them because he has to be stopped.
“Blair Popov,” he mutters with a growl.
I look up at him, my eyes widening with intense fear as I pretend to only just realize it’s him.
“Ja…Jaco Marcas?” I stammer, my body stiffening in fear.
“What a lovely surprise, don’t you think?” he chuckles darkly. “What is such a beautiful little bird doing here all alone? Where is your man?” he asks, stealing a glance around the room.
“I’m… I’m waiting for Simon. I got her early…” I stammer weakly.
“And he just leaves you all alone like this. That man has no idea how to take care of his woman. I swear… I could just snatch you away and keep you for myself.” He leans close to my ear as he makes the threat.
A shiver runs down my spine, and I try to take a step away from him, but he quickly presses his hand against my lower back and drags me back against his solid body.
“Now, now, little bird, don’t try to escape,” he taunts me.
“We wouldn’t want to make a scene in front of all of these people,” he says.
My eyes dart past him to the guards standing behind him.
He knows he has backup, and he knows he has the power.
Or so he thinks.
“What do you want from me, Jaco? What do you want from Simon? Why can’t you just leave us alone?” I whimper, sounding as terrified as I can.
I sense it. The more scared I seem to be, the more power he thinks he has. Playing with his ego is so much easier than I thought it would be. The man has no idea that he is clay in my hands, being molded, tricked, and manipulated.
“Oh, you sweet little girl. Simon is just a game to me. A game I will play over and over again until there is nothing left of him.” His voice is suddenly touched with emotion.
Frustration and something else. “I keep stepping over him, proving every time that he isn’t better than me!
And I will keep doing it until I am done with him,” he snarls, his voice tight with resentment.
“Why?” I plead, as though I am begging him to stop.
Resentment. That’s why.
“Simon thinks he’s better than me. That fucking asshole has always been better at every fucking thing, and I fucking hate it. Why should it be that way? Why can’t I also win?”
“It’s… it’s not about winning and losing, Jaco,” I whimper.
He scoffs, shaking his head. “Of course it is. And I hate it that he achieves things so easily. I hate it that he’s always ahead of me. And I’ve made it my life’s goal to take that away from him. To take everything away from him,” he snarls quietly.
His eyes have flared with anger, and his fingers are digging into my lower back. I stare at him as though he is the most dangerous thing I have ever seen and whisper, “What are you going to do to Simon? Please, don’t hurt him. I love him.”
He laughs coldly. “Love? Darling. You fell in love with the wrong man. And love only makes a person weak. Your precious husband, the one you love so much, I am going to take down his companies one by one. I have men on the inside, working for me, gathering intel. When I am ready, I will tear down everything he has built. His family will fall. And all he will have left is you… except… I will take that away from him, too. Why leave him with anything good?” he snarls.
“What will you do to me?” I gasp in horror.
“No one will ever know what happened to you, little bird. And that’s the Beatty of it. Not knowing will drive him crazy,” he laughs. “The pain of it will be the last knife in his back that will literally destroy him,” he says, his eyes glimmering with hatred.
“So…” I stammer. “So, Simon didn’t actually do anything to you. This all started because you hate him for being better than you?”
“Watch your fucking mouth, girl,” he snarls.
“But it’s… It’s true, isn’t it? It is. He didn’t even do anything to you.” I push.
He sneers, narrowing his eyes as he leans close to me.
“He didn’t do a fucking thing. But he deserves everything about to happen. Enjoy what little time you have left with him, Blair. It’s all going to come crashing down sooner than you realize,” he growls.
A smile spills onto my face.
My expression shifts from fear to amusement.
It takes Jaco by surprise, and he takes a step back from me.
“Why is that funny?” he snaps.
“Ego is always the downfall,” I shrug.
“What the fuck does that mean?” he snarls, his eyes darting around the room in nervous discomfort.
I reach into my purse, and his guard steps close, ready to defend him. My fingers drag my phone from my purse, and he looks down at it. The screen shows that it’s connected to something, somewhere.
HE grabs my throat and pulls me close. “What fucking game are you playing, you little bitch,” he snarls.
“I suggest you take your hand off her, Jaco.”
Simon’s voice growls from behind me.
Jaco’s men shuffle, reaching for their guns.
Jaco snaps at them. “Calm the fuck down, it’s just him!”
“Actually. I invited some other people to come and have a drink with me tonight. They’ve been in the VIP room, listening to everything.” Simon sounds as calm as a breeze on a hot summer’s day.
“Who!” Jaco demands.
“Your family,” Simon informs him.
“You fucking asshole!” Jaco screams, suddenly not caring about making a scene. “You’re fucking lying!” Around us, the people in the restaurant begin to grow uneasy. Some people stand up, ready to leave. Others stare in shock.
Behind Simon, Jaco’s cousin arrives, shaking his head, looking furious. “He’s not lying, cousin. Your mother and father have heard everything. I told them to stay where they are. They shouldn’t have to see their own son like this. You are a fucking disgrace to your family,” he spits.
Jaco screams again. His fists clench as he waves them in the air, throwing a rage tantrum.
“Kill them! Kill Simon! Kill his fucking bitch wife!”
Simon moves like lightning as the restaurant bursts into chaos.
Jaco’s men lift their guns as Simon shoves me behind him and reaches for his.
Simon’s men come out of nowhere, suddenly surrounding us. I didn’t even know they were that close!
People scream and run as gunfire erupts.
The entire place becomes a war zone in a matter of seconds, and I duck low against the ground and cover my ears with my hands.
Jaco can see the reality of the situation, though.
He has six guards with him.
Simon has about fourteen.
He doesn’t stand a chance.
“Sand down!” Simon shouts to Jaco’s men. “Stand down! You are all outnumbered!”
Decision flickers over Jaco’s face, and he spins on his heel and sprints for the door. He shoves people out of his way as the men continue to stand their ground, fighting for him, to their death.
The battle is brutal but short.
I watch as the last guard slumps lifeless to the ground. They could have stopped! They could have surrounded! I whimper and turn my face away from the sight of his lifeless, hollow eyes.
Simon’s hands wrap around me as he pulls me to my feet and into his arms.
“It’s over,” he whispers, holding me tightly. “It’s over now. Everything is over.”
I nuzzle against him, hiding my face in his jacket, taking deep and steady breaths.
“Please take me home,” I whisper.
He looks down at me and gently touches my cheek.
“I will, my love. You were so brave tonight. Without you, we would never have managed to get the truth out of him. You have no idea how proud of you I am,” he says, his gorgeous face staring down at me with intensity that sets my heart on fire.
I reach up and grab his face in my hands, pulling him down to kiss me.
Everything is going to be okay now! It’s really over. It’s really done.
Simon turns to Luke and cocks his head to the side. “You will have this cleaned up?” he asks.
“Yes, this is our mess. Our family. We will deal with this. You and your men should get out of here before the police arrive.”
“I’ll see you around, Luke,” Simon says, taking my hand to pull me away.
“Simon,” Luke calls his name. Simon turns to look at him again.
“Thank you. And my family extends a sincere apology to yours,” he says sincerely.
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“Perhaps, in the future, we can meet and discuss overcoming all of this?”
“My brothers and I would be happy to do so,” he nods. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am taking my wife home.”
Luke nods and steps back. Simon pulls me toward the door, wrapping his arm around me as we head outside to his car.