Chapter Twenty-Three JACKIE
Chapter Twenty-Three
JACKIE
“Are you sure I’m not bothering you?” Michelle’s voice dips as she whispers something to somebody in the room with her.
“Please bother me,” I almost plead with her. If I have to read one more financial report, my brain might shut down. “Tell me, who do I have to talk to? I have forty minutes till I get to my uncle’s farm.”
When Uncle Ken called, I practically bolted out the door. The past couple of days have felt like walking around with exposed nerves. Every time I get a glimpse of Adam, my lower belly clenches. One touch is enough to set me on fire, my brain fighting a losing battle against my body.
My biggest problem is his unwavering denial of the facts. Something about it gnaws in the back of my head.
Michelle’s keyboard clicks on the other end. “There are rumors Sander is arm-twisting his biggest clients to pay more for components from his Malaysia plant.”
The old geezer. I can’t stand him. “I never even thought about cheating on my wife until I met you.” Prick.
“Isn’t he still under SEC investigation?”
“Yeah.” The tap-tap of her keyboard fills the pause. “I don’t know the details.”
But I do. “Thanks for the heads up,” I chirp, already feeling the rush of excitement running through my veins.
When I let Joseph know about the plan, his answer is doubtful. “You want me to blackmail them into throwing Sanders under the bus?”
“I want you to encourage the board to work in their best interest. Sanders out, and we’ll consider a soft takeover.”
“Your vengeful streak scares me sometimes,” Joseph chuckles. “But it’s too entertaining not to enjoy. Wouldn’t hurt to get their processor plant.”
“It means 30% cheaper processors for all our devices.”
“Vicious and smart. I love it.”
I lean back, smiling to myself. Nothing like orchestrating one of my loudest critics’ downfall before lunch to boost my mood.
Sunbeams breach the thick canopy of trees, spilling onto the narrow, patched road, as we drive in silence. Who else is on my shit list? I have to keep my brain busy; otherwise, it’ll circle back to how easy it was to bend over and let Adam fuck me senseless.
And how much I’d like him to do that again.
“Please remain calm, there’s a car tailing us,” the driver suddenly says, his tone steady and composed. “We’ll lose them.”
My heartbeat spikes. I turn in an instant, knee digging into the backseat, and peer through the black-tinted rear window, hiding behind the headrest. An old sedan behind us drives in the middle of the road, inching closer.
“Drive! Drive! What are you doing?” Panic rattles my voice.
“Too dangerous.” The driver’s answer comes out clipped.
Rocky slope on one side, ravine on the other, we’re stuck.
My lungs seize, sweat trickling down my back. “We can’t turn anywhere!”
“Not yet, ma’am.” His voice is steely, but still steady as he checks the rear-view mirror, frown deepening.
The sedan suddenly lurches forward, swerving toward us, and my ass slips off the backseat. I fall like a sack of potatoes and slam my hip against the door.
Hurts like hell.
My driver swears and slams the gas pedal. “Help is on the way. Stay low, please.”
My fingers tremble on the phone, and it slips from my grasp, landing at my feet. “Shit.” Crouching behind the driver’s seat, my back bounces against the door before I snatch it up and call Carter.
It rings once, then cuts off with an automated text. In a meeting.
I’ll kill him. The next call goes straight to voicemail.
The car swerves again. My breakfast is in serious danger of making a reappearance. I’m gasping on nothing, ears ringing.
“Fuck this,” I mutter and swipe to the next number.
“Yes?” Adam’s voice is confused. Tentative.
Another jolt. Metal screams when the other car catches up and bumps into our rear again.
I shriek.
“Jackie?” This time, he sounds panicked.
“A car is following us… Carter’s not answering. Adam, I—”
“Where are you?” I hear the scrape of a chair and doors slamming. “Jackie! Talk to me.”
The security guard punches the touch screen on the dashboard, barking into the car’s system. “Team Red, we’re on Bear River Road, eighty miles out base.”
The line cracks with static before the backup team leader comes through. “Keep steady. Make a right in one point four miles, down the forest service road. Don’t stop. It gets back on the main road on the other side.”
“I’m coming,” Adam says, frantic.
The inside of the car is closing in on me, swallowing me, air thinning. His voice is the only thing tethering me to the surface.
“Adam…I’m scared.” The danger was supposed to stay in New York.
“Almost there, ma’am. Hold tight. It’s gonna get bumpy,” the driver warns.
The car changes course sharply, off-road, rattling hard. A black armored SUV zooms past us in the opposite lane. Logan’s team.
A loud crash thunders behind us, but the gravel road is swallowed up by large trees, and I can’t see anything anymore.
“What was that?! Jackie, talk to me, please.”
“It’s not us.” I pant. “What did they do?”
My guard is still alert, gaze shifting in every direction. “The car is sturdy. Don’t worry. They’ll manage the situation.”
“Don’t go to my uncle’s.” I don’t want to put them in danger. “Take me to the sheriff’s office,” I tell the driver. Then whisper into the phone. “Please. Can you come?”
I’m in a trance the rest of the way, answering the guard’s questions on autopilot.
Through the car window, I see Adam pacing the parking lot. When he spots us, he breaks into a run. My driver has to hit the brakes hard, as Adam yanks the door open and hugs me fiercely.
I’ve never been happier to hear the thrum of his heartbeat and be held together by his strong arms.
“Are you hurt?” His hands frame my face, looking me over frantically.
“No,” my voice wavers. “They didn’t hit us too badly, but the other team…”
The driver, listening to the info coming in his earpiece, nods. “They’re taking the men to the hospital. Sheriff’s with them. No injuries on our side.”
“Come on,” Adam says, pulling me out of the car, his hand tight around mine. “Everybody’s gathering at the house.”
I’m rattled and angry. “I can’t fucking live like this anymore. What the hell do they want from me? Money? To send me to the psych ward?”
“We’ll figure this out.” Adam slides his fingers through mine, warm and solid, bringing my blood pressure down. “Get in the car.”
I dig my heels in, squirming in his hold. “I’ve just been in a car chase,” my voice cracks. “You could ask a little nicer.”
Adam stops, still holding my hand, and pulls me against his chest. His free hand cradles the back of my head, forcing me to look at him. “Jackie, baby. Please get in the car.”
Baby.
The breathy way he says it melts me from the inside out. Luckily, he’s holding me plastered to his broad chest when my knees give out.
“We’ll follow you,” the security guard says, and that’s when I remember we have company.
Adam doesn’t say anything else on the way to my brother’s, but he doesn’t let go of my hand either.