Chapter 43
ISAAC
Neither of us said much as we ate breakfast in our suite the next morning. We picked at pastries and sipped our coffee, but every time I tried to talk to her about what was going on, she either shrugged or hummed, then went back to her food.
Every now and then, she’d look up, catch me watching her, and offer the tiniest smile, but then she disappeared back into her own thoughts. Meanwhile, I desperately wanted to ask what was going on inside that brilliant head of hers and if she regretted running away with me yesterday.
If she was terrified, I wanted to ease her mind, and if she was pissed at me for not respecting her wishes, I wanted to know how I could make up for it.
I reached across the little round table and took her hand.
She squeezed it, offering yet another tiny smile before she turned her head and looked back out across the Pyramids.
I realized that as much as I wanted to talk to her about the future and what we would do next, she obviously wasn’t ready yet.
We’d barely finished eating when my phone buzzed with a message from Deja.
I glanced at it, then pushed my chair away from the table and spoke quietly.
“Our car is here. Your sister went to your place and packed a bag for you. It’s already in the trunk.
I just need to grab my stuff out of the rental car. Then we can go.”
Without a word, she nodded and stood up, a little pale as she slung her purse over her shoulder and glanced at the couture gown laid out across the bed. “Deja will have that collected, right?”
“Yep. She’s got it covered. Don’t worry.”
Early this morning, she’d also had clothes for the day and some toiletries sent over from a local store, so at least Jasmine had something to wear.
But I doubted she’d even noticed the comfortable-looking sandals or soft sundress.
She hadn’t bothered with makeup either and she’d thrown her hair into a sleek ponytail, sliding her sunglasses out of her purse as we left the suite.
When I reached for her hand in the elevator, she took it, putting the glasses on just as the doors started sliding open. Thankfully, there was no gaggle of press or curious onlookers waiting in the lobby. So far, it seemed we’d managed to keep her location under wraps.
A black SUV was waiting under the hotel’s porte-cochere. The driver opened the door for Jasmine while I went to check out and leave the rental car’s keys with the front desk. Colin would be picking it up later, along with the gown, but they hadn’t wanted to risk coming here before we’d left.
The receptionist assured me they would have the gown and the keys ready for him when he arrived. I settled our bill and joined Jasmine in the backseat of the car. The driver didn’t ask any questions, apparently not caring that he was basically transporting two fugitives.
Jasmine wordlessly reached for my hand as he pulled away from the hotel, but she didn’t look at me, just absentmindedly watched the city roll by instead. I settled back too, trying very hard not to feel too guilty about the circus Colin and Basel were probably currently dealing with.
My brother had assured me that they had it well in hand and that Basel hadn’t even threatened to slaughter me yet. I took that as a positive sign, but we weren’t out of the woods yet.
I stroked a thumb along the side of Jasmine’s hand as Cairo faded from view.
The driver took us a couple hours north toward the Mediterranean Sea.
Deja had a private yacht waiting for us at a small marina.
It would take us the rest of the way to Alexandria, as well as serving as our accommodations once we got there.
It was frightening how thoroughly she’d thought this through and how fast she’d managed to put it together. Not only would doing things this way minimize our risk of being seen coming and going from a hotel, but it also gave us the option to set sail immediately if reporters should find us.
Within ten minutes of boarding the yacht, the crew had welcomed us, the engines had rumbled to life, and our things had been taken to a cabin below deck.
I could only marvel at the efficiency of it all as I wandered to the railing and watched the shoreline drift away.
The rhythmic sound of waves against the hull helped ease some of the tension inside, but not much.
Yesterday, my only focus had been stopping her from officially getting engaged, but now I wasn’t entirely sure if we were hiding, waiting, just breathing, or maybe even all three.
Our future was strangely blank and incredibly uncertain.
David could disappear quietly or declare war.
GlobalStar might not want me anywhere near that project anymore.
It was very possible that they’d void the contract and award it to David instead.
Again. If so, I didn’t care. Recent events had forced me to examine what was most important in life.
Between work and Jasmine, I would always choose Jasmine for as long as she wanted me.
I might’ve made her life immeasurably harder by refusing to let her sacrifice herself, but every time doubt crept in, I remembered the way she’d run toward me.
That has to count for something, right?
By late afternoon, the skyline of Alexandria appeared through the haze ahead.
The yacht glided into a berth and the crew secured the lines with practiced movements.
The engines fell silent and then that was it.
We were here. But neither of us moved to disembark.
The yacht was home for… I didn’t even know how long, simply that we were staying on it while waiting for whatever storm was inevitably coming our way.
I went in search of Jasmine and found her at the stern, watching the Mediterranean shimmer in the setting sun. I stepped up beside her, my shoulder brushing hers. Her fingers found mine while I was reaching for the railing.
I glanced at her, worried about the fact that she’d barely said a word all day, too lost in her own world to talk to me about anything, but for now, we were together and that had to be enough. We just stood there for a while, but eventually, she glanced up at me and let go of my hand.
“I’m going to take a shower,” she said quietly, those dark eyes strangely flat on mine. “Dinner will probably be served soon.”
I inclined my chin. “I’ll come get you if they call us before you’re back out here.”
“Thanks.” She tucked a few strands of hair that’d escaped her ponytail during the day behind her ears, shot me a small smile, and disappeared, leaving me to lounge on the deck while I waited.
I found a chair and let out a heavy breath, kicking up my feet as I looked out over the water. Exhausted despite not having done much today, I sort of dozed off, startling when my phone buzzed where I was holding it against my stomach.
Joseph: Are you alive?
Me: For now.
Joseph: Glad to hear it. You’re someplace safe?
Me: Same answer. We’re all good for now, but who knows how long that will last?
Joseph: There’s a lot of speculation about where you are. Plenty of rumors that Jasmine was seen at some airport or train station.
Me: It turns out Deja is a mastermind at this escaping thing. We haven’t been near an airplane or train. So that wasn’t us.
Joseph: You’re still in the country, though. Right?
Me: Yep. Closer than you’d think. Why?
Joseph: Well, don’t go far. Basel’s pushing the contract through.
Me: What? Are you serious?
Joseph: Serious as a broken engagement. LOL. Too soon?
Me: Nah. I emerged victorious, remember? It’s not really a sore subject. What about David and the fact that she’s not marrying him after all?
Joseph: Apparently, Basel says that’s a personal matter and shouldn’t affect the project.
Me: Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.
Joseph: Me either, brother. I’ll keep you in the loop. For now, just be ready to start when the time comes.
Me: You got it.
I slipped the phone back onto my lap, struggling to get my head wrapped around the fact we might still get the project after all. If it was still alive, Jasmine hadn’t sacrificed everything for nothing. I smiled, letting my eyes drift shut again.
Thank God.
Between the sea breeze, the comfortable chair, and the emotional exhaustion of the last forty-eight hours, I let go of complete consciousness as I lay there, not quite asleep but definitely not fully awake either.
I heard footsteps cross the deck at some point after the sun had set completely. I assumed it was a crew member, not opening my eyes until somebody gently nudged my shoulder. “Isaac?”
“Jasmine?” I looked up, blinking a few times and wondering if I was fully asleep after all. It was her, but she didn’t look all dazed and confused anymore. “Hmm?”
“Don’t hmm me,” she teased, sinking into a crouch and nudging my shoulder again. “Come on. Get up.”
“Why?” I frowned, realizing that the wide-eyed uncertainty she’d had on her face since yesterday wasn’t really there anymore. In fact, there was a spark of mischief behind her smile. I sat up, yawning before stretching my arms out above my head. “What time is it?”
She shrugged. “It’s time for you to go and get dressed.”
I glanced at my T-shirt and shorts. “I am dressed.”
She smiled. “Fine, but you’re also all wrinkled and probably sweaty, so go grab a shower, get dressed, and meet me back here in ten minutes.”
I groaned but nodded. “Yeah. Okay. Will you at least tell me what I’m dressing for? We’re not going anywhere fancy, are we? I don’t think I have that in me right now.”
“We’re not going anywhere fancy.” She gave me a smile that was worth following her absolutely anywhere. “Just go and get dressed, would you? We’re going on an adventure.”