Chapter 10
ten
Jaclyn
By the time I make it out the back door of the main house, I can barely breathe, and the panic I’ve staved off so far hits me hard.
Bent over with my hands on my knees, I focus on the ground, forcing myself to take slow, steady breaths while I pick out three things I can see: the grass, my feet, and a rock.
Three things I can hear: the birds in the trees, my heavy breathing, and if I strain hard enough, the murmur of voices in the distance.
Easing upright again, I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Cheri.
Andrew didn’t say I couldn’t tell anyone about his proposal, just that it had to be real. What the actual fuck. How can it be real after not even twenty-four hours? Unless I’m sadly mistaken, he’s not a werewolf, and I’m not his fated mate. So, what the hell is this? And the feds? Oh. My. God.
“What’s wrong?” Cheri sounds half asleep. When I check the time, I know why. She was probably up late writing, and it’s only seven there.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll call you back,” I answer, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.
“Like fuck you will, Jac. Ride or die, remember? Do I need to hop a plane and come rescue you?”
The rustling of blankets tells me she’s gotten out of bed and is heading to her princess of a coffee maker. It’s so normal, it helps calm my still-racing heart.
“I don’t know where to start, but it’s a clusterfuck of epic proportions. I’m surprised you didn’t feel the ground shake in San Jose.”
“Are you having a panic attack?” She knows me too well.
“I’m mostly over it now. But. Fuck… I don’t know what to do. Andrew. David. The feds…”
“Wait. The feds? Are you somewhere you can talk?”
“Yeah, I’m outside, near their gardens.”
“Good. You spill the tea while I make coffee. Do I need a double espresso for this one?”
A wry laugh escapes. “Better make it a quad.”
“Holy fuck, girl. All right, spill.”
The loud hum of the coffee grinder in the background starts as I walk toward the enormous vegetable garden. It’s fenced off, probably to keep wild animals out, but I open the gate and slowly move down the gravel path that winds through all the plant beds.
“There’s so much. Holy hell, Cheri. If it wasn’t happening to me, I’d suggest this as a plot for one of your books.”
“You’re saying that, but I’m you’re not actually sharing any tea,” Cheri says, as I hear the clunking noises of her setting up the coffeemaker to brew her espresso.
“Okay, so my email triggered Andrew and his brothers to look deeper into what I uncovered. At first, they thought I was the one doing it, they also thought I was a guy.”
She chortles. “A guy, why?”
“I signed the email J. Tanner, and they assumed. It wasn’t until I showed up that they realized they were wrong. I guess Andrew didn’t tell Adrian, who is their head of security. I don’t know why he didn’t pull my HR file before I got here, but hey, I’m not the billionaire.”
“Right? Seems like a giant oops to me.”
“Agreed. Maybe I wouldn’t be here if he did.” There’s doubt in my voice. Why? I shouldn’t want to be here.
“You don’t sound so sure about that,” she muses.
Yup, she knows me too well. “Whatever, anyway, they’ve narrowed it down to David, one of my coworkers, but they don’t know if anyone else is involved yet.”
“Okay, but I’m still not getting why this is so bad.”
“Because I haven’t gotten there yet. Damn. I guess when they flew me here, David called in the feds to cover his ass and framed me. Told them I was conspiring with Andrew to secretly allow weapons development with JNG’s apps illegally.”
“What? Are you fucking kidding me? The federal government actually believed that load of shit?”
“Apparently, because they came to the office to look for me and confiscated all my files. The only reason they don’t have my laptop is because it’s here with me.”
“Wow! You weren’t kidding about the epicness of this clusterfuck.”
“I wasn’t, and that’s not even all of it.”
“There’s more? Wait, I need to sit down for this. You’re right, it would be a great book if it wasn’t happening to my ride or die.”
I nod as if she could see me, then stop by the mint to inhale the fresh scent. Even with everything that Andrew just laid on me, I love it here. Not that I want to admit it.
“It’s so messed up. But here goes. As if the whole job situation isn’t bad enough, last night I was kind of with Andrew, and now he wants to marry me to save us both from being able to testify against each other if the Feds come for us.”
“Hold on. You did what with who and marry you? Girl, you obviously left out a whole lot of shit right there. Did you give him your V-card?”
I don’t have to be there to know she’s flopped onto the couch and is twisting her hair around her finger.
“No, I didn’t. But he walked in on my mistressbating and… Shit, I can’t tell you all this stuff without alcohol. But, holy hell, he ate me like he was starving. I’ve never come so hard in my life. I didn’t just see stars, I saw the whole fucking Milky Way.”
“About time. So, you and him?”
“Now you sound like him. He says that, while protecting me and JNG is important, he thinks I’m his. That I’m the one.”
“Whoa. It really is like my books, huh?”
I expected her to be shocked—but excited? Nope, didn’t have that on my bingo card for this week. “Why do you sound happy?”
“Because this is so romantic. C’mon, you have to admit it. Your boss sees you and falls for you, wants to whisk you off into the sunset, or in his case, his mountain.”
“Funny. Except, how the hell can I marry him? It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours. He’s delusional. He’ll probably get tired of me and kick me to the curb. Then I’ll have no job and be homeless.”
“Cut that shit out. You’re overreacting. You’ll never be homeless if I’m breathing, and you know it. So just stop, okay? Tell me what’s really bothering you. Because from here it seems like a plausible solution.”
As I stop in the middle of the garden, surrounded by herbs and vegetables, it’s like I’m in another world. I’m so far out of my comfort zone it’s not remotely funny, and I can feel my chest tighten.
“Jac, did I lose you?”
“No, I’m here. Just thinking.”
“You mean overthinking…”
“Shut up,” I say, continuing down the path as a monarch butterfly lands on a flowering plant. I’ll have to ask Emma or the girls what the name of it is.
“C’mon, Jac. What’s really going on in that head of yours?” she pleads.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m scared of losing everything I’ve worked so hard for.
I keep thinking there’s got to be another way.
On some level, what Andrew said makes sense to me, too—at least as far as work is concerned.
But the relationship part—the marriage? I’m fucking terrified.
He looks at me, really looks, and listens.
And when he touches me, I’m ready to spontaneously combust. How can this be real?
It’s got to be the air, or maybe a side-effect of the Valium you gave me, right?
No one falls for someone in a day.” Tears cloud my eyes and threaten to fall, but I blink them away before I smear mascara all over my face.
“Oh, babe, I wish I were there to give you a hug right now. I know you’re scared, and that’s okay.
But it shouldn’t stop you from taking the chance.
What if you’re wrong, and he is the one for you, too?
This could be your chance at everything you’ve ever wanted.
Do you really want to run from it? Even if it seems crazy. ”
“It is definitely crazy, no doubt about it,” I say, pushing my hair behind my ears.
“What are you going to do?” Cheri asks. From the low grinding noise I hear, she’s probably making more coffee.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure I have a choice. He said we have an appointment at the courthouse at two p.m. to get married.”
“Seriously?” Cheri exclaims.
“Oh yeah. Wants it to look like we were already dating and couldn’t stay away from each other. It has to look real or it might not work.”
“Shit. You’re going to get married without me?”
“It looks like it. Unless you’ve learned to teleport in the last few days.” Thinking about her popping up in the garden next to me makes me giggle.
“Yeah, no. That hasn’t happened. Shit. Maybe someone can hold your phone during the ceremony.”
“Are you serious? You want to watch me get married by a judge in some small town in wherever the fuck I am?”
“Of course I do. I wish I’d packed your white dress, but I added the blue silk, you should wear that. The baby blue brings out your eyes. You’re going to be a beautiful bride,” Cheri says, and I swear I hear her sniffle.
“You are starting to believe your own books, girl.”
“Maybe a little, but I still think it’s romantic. How does he kiss?”
“Oh, God. It’s toe-curling. His kiss makes me forget everything but him. And it’s not just his kisses, he makes me eat food, and stayed with me last night when I asked, but never once demanded anything in return.”
Her happy sigh is loud in my ear. “Aww, girl. If you really want my advice, you should go back and talk to him. Tell him what you’re worried about.
From what you’ve told me, he definitely cares about you.
He’ll do everything he can to make sure you’re safe.
And if you really feel you can’t marry him after that, call me back, and I’ll get my brothers to come and rescue you.
They won’t be intimidated by the Gallants. ”
She has a point about that. Her brothers are ridiculous and mafia, even if she won’t admit it.
“Okay, I’ll go talk to him.”
“Good. Text or call me, let me know what you decide. I will send the pains-in-the-ass to get you if you need it. They’ll get there faster than I can.”
“I love you. Thank you for talking me off the ledge for the millionth time. One of these days, I’ll be your rock.”
“Jac, seriously, you already are. You believed in my dream when no one else would. You’re the sister in every way that matters.”