17. Nova
Nova
There was so much to tell Jax. Most of it was just my feelings and how Kit had acted after he’d brought me up to the suite. After I’d seen the bag and shoes.
I told Jax about how Kit had just happened to guess my favorite bag and shoes, much like he had my favorite flowers.
“Which got me thinking.” I took a sip of the juice, feeling a little more steady with Jax’s hand resting in mine.
“It was almost an hour before his men delivered the rest of my things from our shared room,” I said, leaning back and looking out at the darker sky.
This place was far quieter than any of the other hotels on the Strip.
From here, I could see the draw to the dessert.
The night air was warm and, if I cupped my eyes from the hotel lights, I could make out a few stars in the sky.
He was quiet for a moment. “They were the same ones you showed me pictures of on your phone?”
I nodded. “The exact ones.” I shivered, remembering the awkwardness and the trapped feeling I’d felt seeing the silver shoes gleaming up at me from the box.
“How…” He started with a frown.
“I asked him, right out. It had been a private conversation between us at the bar the night before. How had he known? Do you know what he said?” I didn’t wait for Jax to respond.
“He told me that nothing that goes on in his hotel is private.” I visibly shivered again and crossed my arms over my chest, rubbing my shoulders as if I was chilled.
In truth, I was, only it wasn’t because it was cold outside.
“He’s a stalker.”
“Did you hear what I said?” I leaned closer.
“Yeah, he watched you show me what you wanted on your phone—”
I held up a hand. “No, he said that nothing that goes on his hotel is private,” I repeated slowly.
It took a while, but I finally watched Jax get what I had figured out less than an hour after he’d been arrested.
He started to get up, but I stopped him.
“Don’t. We, my mother at least, has a plan.”
“I’m just a freaking pawn for him to move out of the way to get to his queen.” He groaned.
I chuckled. “I’ll take the compliment that I’m a queen, but yeah, he’s a snake and we’re going to take him down and clear your name.” I squeezed his hand.
“What happens now?” he asked.
“Well, I think it’s safe to say we are not going to sign on his account.”
Quick laughter burst from him. “Ya think?”
“First, we needed to get you out on bail. Done. Second, you and I need to find a place to stay temporarily since part of the bail conditions is that you can’t leave the county.
So I guess we look for better lodging, somewhere we are comfortable staying for a while.
” I rubbed my forehead, tired and drained.
“Hey.” He took my hand again. “Let’s shut down for the night.” He pulled me up from the chair and held onto me. “Come to bed. Let me hold you.” He kissed me. I melted into him.
The past hours had been hell without him. Not knowing where he was. If he was okay. What was happening to him. It had broken me.
We crawled into bed and I lay there, listening to him breathing as he held me.
We woke to my cell phone ringing. Without looking, I answered the call. “Hello?”
“Good morning, Nova. The board and I would like to meet with you in, say, an hour?” Just hearing Kit’s voice had my entire body tensing.
At first, I wanted to yell and shout at him, but then I remembered I had to play along for as long as I could.
“I can make that work,” I said dryly.
“I think it goes without saying that Jacob Mylonas is not allowed on these premises.”
“I understand. I hope it’s okay that Rick tags along. He’s in town until tomorrow.”
The line was silent for a moment. “We’d be happy to meet him. I’ll send a—”
“We’ll see you in an hour,” I said, cutting him off and hanging up.
“Kit?” Jax was sitting beside me, watching.
I nodded and stopped him when he got up to get dressed.
“No, Rick and I will go.” I laid a hand on his chest. “Your bail conditions say you have to stay clear of any of Kit’s properties.”
“Why?” He shook his head.
“Let’s just say he had the pull and made it happen.” I shrugged. “I need a shower, but first I have to tell your brother—”
“Go, I’ll go tell Rick.” He got up.
Forty minutes later, Rick and I climbed into his rental and headed to the Apex. We had half a plan of what we were going to say and do, but honestly, at this point, we were mostly winging it.
It had taken everyone in the room to convince my mother not to tag along as our acting lawyer.
I filled Rick in on our projected pitch, and we both wondered if we were even going to be able to present it. After Jax was arrested, Kit had talked to the board and they had agreed to give us additional time. Apparently, that extra time was up.
We pulled into the valet parking area, and Rick handed over his keys and grabbed his briefcase.
Since all of Jax’s devices, including his computer and cell phone, were still in police custody for evidence, Rick had had to download everything to his laptop from the corporate drive. We were both thankful everything was there. At least we didn’t have to worry about this part.
We stepped off the elevator into the business suite, and I held in a shiver upon seeing Kit waiting for us. I made the introductions and was as dry as I could be.
We followed him back into the board room, and I sat in silence as Rick took over. At no point did we mention Jax or his arrest. At no point did I speak, outside of answering a few questions.
When our presentation was over, we were shown out without much fanfare. Kit walked us to the elevator and, as we waited, a woman came rushing out.
“Mr. Mylonas, if you would, we have a few more questions for you.” She eyed me. “If you have the time?”
Rick glanced over at me and I nodded. “I’ll wait here.” I motioned to the sofa and chairs in the waiting area.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep her company,” Kit said, taking my arm and walking me toward the seating.
I stopped myself from jerking my arm free.
“So,” Kit said when we were seated, “how about dinner tonight?”
I blinked. “I…”
He leaned closer, his eyes locking with mine.
“I think you are a very smart woman, Nova.” His tone was low, almost like a warning.
I held my breath. “You see what sort of power I wield around here.” He motioned around him.
I jumped when he snapped his fingers loudly.
“Just like that, I can take things you hold dear.” His smile slowly spread on his lips as he snapped once more, softer this time.
“And just like that, everything you’ve ever wanted will appear at your feet. ”
I swallowed, remembering leaving the Birkin he’d purchased for me along with the shoes and other items in the suite upstairs when I’d run out in the middle of the night after Rick and Sofia had picked me up.
“We both know I can make this deal happen.” He nodded to the room. “Or…” He snapped his finger loudly again as he tilted his head. “I can make it all go away.” He shifted until he rested his elbows on his knees, crossing his fingers on his hands. “The choice is yours.”
I shifted and took a deep breath. “Dinner.” I nodded.
His smile shifted to the relaxed one he had given me before all this.
“Where can I send your things? You took off so quickly before, you must have forgotten my gifts. I’ll have them delivered…”
I thought about telling him where we were staying and figured I’d rather eat razor blades. “I’ll pick them up tonight,” I said.
“At least let me send a car…”
“I have a rental. I can drive,” I countered. I could see that he was growing agitated but held my ground.
“Fine.” He shifted. “Let’s say eight o’clock, at the new site. They’ve made a few changes I thought you’d like to see.”
No way in hell, I thought, but I nodded.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have to make a few arrangements.” He stood up and pulled out his phone.
I watched the door to the conference room until it finally opened a few moments later.
When Rick stepped out, he took one look at me and made it to my side as quickly as he could without looking like he was running.
He took my arm and, before Kit could return, we stepped into the elevator.
Rick opened his mouth to ask me what was up, but I stopped him by shaking my head. There were two cameras in the elevator. We’d seen them on the way up. We’d talked about how Kit watched everything or at least had everything watched and reported back to him.
Even when we stepped outside and waited for our car, we stood in silence.
It wasn’t until we were in the car that I let out a deep breath.
“What in the hell happened?” Rick asked.
“I… I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I think Kit just confessed to me that he framed Jax.” I relaxed back in the seat. Then I noticed the orange Hermès box and the silver one holding the Jimmy Choos in the back seat.
“Stop!” I yelled, Rick pulled over. I jumped out, taking the box and the bag with the silver shoes inside it, and looked around. I was about to walk to a trash can and dump them in when I spotted a group of women walking on the sidewalk.
They were all wearing matching T-shirts. One woman, the redhead in the middle, wore a shirt that said, “I’m fifty. Go ahead, ask me how the fuck I’m doing.” The other ladies wore shirts that read, “I’m still forty and staying out of it.”
Without a word, I walked over to the birthday girl and held out the boxes to her. “Happy fiftieth birthday.” I tried to hand her the boxes.
“What?” The woman laughed and almost stepped past me as if I was trying to sell her something.
If her friend hadn’t gasped. “Is that a Hermès box?” at the same time, the whole group would have just passed me by.
“Yup,” I said, “and these are Jimmy Choos, size seven, to go along with your new Birkin.” I set both boxes in the woman’s hand. Then something made me curtsey to the group, like a freaking dork, before turning on my heels and marching back to the car. I climbed back in and told Rick to drive.
He laughed as he pulled away. “Did you really just give a ten-thousand dollar bag away to a complete stranger?”
“Nope, I gave a thirteen thousand dollar bag and a pair of two thousand dollar shoes to a birthday girl,” I said, closing my eyes.
“Feel better?” he asked after a moment.
I thought about it for a minute and laughed. “Yup.”
“Attagirl.” He chuckled.