Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Ineed to let her go. I know that, but watching Jazzy walk away with her aunt has my heart aching. I really shouldn’t have touched her again. But fuck me, she was right there and offering herself up to me. By some grace of God, I got to have her. And it was everything I thought it would be.
I follow Jazzy and Lailani until the front door closes behind them. Just as I turn to walk away, the door opens again and I freeze. Fear washes over me. Why the fuck did I let her out of that panic room without checking the perimeter?
“Hear you’ve got yourself a mess to clean up.” A very angry-looking Emmanuel Lopez stands in my foyer.
“Tends to get messy when one of your assassins goes on a killing spree,” I counter. I’m not mad. I don’t care what furniture I have to discard or what century-old rugs I have to burn. Fuck, I’ll burn the whole fucking estate to the ground. Might be easier.
“Any idea why The Court is coming after one of their own?” Emmanuel asks.
My lips form a tight line. I know exactly why they’re coming after me.
I’m not about to tell him, though. The Court already has it out for me.
Involving Emmanuel and his cartel isn’t going to get me into their good graces again.
And for what I need to do, erase them all one by one, it’ll be easier from the inside.
“You do know I’m here to help your ungrateful ass, don’t you?” Emmanuel tilts his head as he glares at me.
“Papa, the grounds have been cleared. Jaz and Tía Lailani are on their way to Tío Carlo’s.” Elias, Emmanuel’s oldest son, walks into my house as if he fucking owns the place.
“You need to keep her away from here. You shouldn’t have brought her back,” I grunt.
“Shit happened. She needed to come home and be with her family,” Emmanuel says.
“I’m aware. But it’s not safe for her to be here right now,” I tell him.
“Why? Why are they coming after you?” he asks for a second time.
“It doesn’t matter. Just keep her away.” I turn and walk down the hallway to my right. I hear two sets of footsteps following me.
Opening my father’s office, I sigh when both Emmanuel and Elias walk in right after me.
“If you don’t mind, I’m a little busy. I have to bury my parents and rid my house of about ten bodies.” I run a hand through my hair.
Fucking hell, could today get any worse?
And then my mind drifts back to when I had Jazzy in my arms…
Worth it, I think and then immediately feel like shit because of my parents again. She was only here trying to comfort me.
“I’ve got a cleaning crew on the way. I’ve also stationed men around this estate. No one else will get in,” Emmanuel says.
“Why?” I throw back at him. “Why are you helping me?”
“Because my niece loves you, and I do not want to see her distraught when she has to bury your ass,” he says.
Jazzy loves me. I want to smile at the thought.
I know she does. The connection we have isn’t one that will ever disappear, no matter how much time or space has been put between us.
But if I really want to be with her, I need to change things first. I need to make sure it’s safe for her to be associated with me.
Taking out five of the wealthiest families in the country isn’t going to be easy, and I’ll likely fail. But at least I’ll go down trying.
“It would be easier to help you if I knew why The Court was coming for you,” Emmanuel presses.
“You know I can’t divulge that information,” I remind him.
“Why the fuck not? They’re coming to kill you anyway,” Elias adds.
I shake my head. “I know you think you’re above everyone, everything. But even your organization pales in comparison to what The Court is capable of.”
Elias snorts. “Yeah, sure it is.”
Emmanuel clears his throat. “If you won’t tell me why, then what part does Jasmine play in this?”
Everything, I want to say but don’t. “She was seen with me. Anyone they think I care about is going to be a target.”
“So go and do whatever it is they want you to do. Make yourself not a target,” Emmanuel suggests. “You’ve been managing to do that for the last thirteen years.”
“I can’t.” If I do what they want, Jazzy gets hurt in a way I won’t ever be able to undo.
“I can only think of one reason why you wouldn’t do their bidding, Jacob.” Emmanuel scratches at his chin. “And that would be whatever they want you to do would have an impact on my niece.”
I blink. Sometimes this fucker is too fucking on the ball. I don’t confirm or deny the accusation. I can’t.
“Your silence speaks volumes,” Emmanuel says. “I’m going to assume The Court is coming after my friends.”
I don’t move a single muscle in my face.
He’s right, though. The Court wants to hand Louie, Carlo, and Sammie over to the feds on a silver fucking platter, with enough evidence they’ve collected over the years to ensure those men never see the light of day again.
They don’t just want them behind bars. They want Jazzy’s father and uncles to get the death penalty.
It’s been years since Nevada’s had an execution, but with The Court’s backing, they’ll be able to cut through all the red tape.
“How much does The Court have on them?” Emmanuel asks.
I sigh. “Enough that they’ll push for the death penalty,” I finally say. Maybe letting him help won’t be as bad as I imagined.
Who am I kidding? Letting anyone in on this is putting them at risk.
“I’m handling it,” I add.
“Yeah, I can see that.” Emmanuel looks around the office. “I’m sorry for your loss. Your parents didn’t deserve what happened to them.” His way of reminding me I’m really not handling shit right now.
My jaw clenches. Anger pulses through me. I can’t fall apart again. I let that happen earlier. With Jazzy, it’s easy to let go. But I’ve got shit to do. I need to keep myself together. For her.
My phone lights up with a message. Checking the screen and seeing Bradley’s name, I throw the device back down on the desk. I came into the office, not really wanting to be at my parents’ house while Emmanuel’s cleaners were in there.
It’s quiet. No one is here this late. I’ve had to deal with the funeral home. My parents’ bodies are still being held for investigation but should be released in a couple of days. The funeral will be held next Monday.
I rub at my face. I’m fucking tired. Maybe I should just grab Jazzy and run. I have enough funds to give us both new identities and survive literally anywhere else in the world. I might be able to pull that off. And I know if I asked her, she’d come with me.
I wouldn’t want to do that to her, take her away from her family. She loves them. They love her. I can’t be that selfish when it comes to her. I wish I could be. It’d make shit a hell of a lot easier.
My phone vibrates again. Bradley again. This time, he’s calling. I hit the red button, ignoring him. I can’t talk to him. I have no doubt he ratted me out to his father. Told him Jazzy was at the house with me. Which is why those assassins conveniently arrived not long after I kicked him out.
“You know, for someone with a price on their head, your buildings are extremely accessible.” The voice at the threshold of my office has my head snapping up. Carlo Bianchi is standing there. Fucking hell, last time I saw him, he was beating the shit out of me. And I was letting him.
“Come for round two?” I lift a brow.
“Don’t tempt me,” he grunts, walking into my office and sitting in the chair opposite me. “My daughter seems to think you’re in some kind of trouble and is beside herself. So, what is it? What did you do that has The Court coming for your ass?”
I groan. Fucking hell, what is it with these guys and sticking their noses into business that doesn’t concern them?
I reach for the drawer to my right, and Carlo watches carefully with squinted eyes as I place a metal rectangular box on the table.
“Phone,” I tell him, opening the lid and throwing my own inside.
I have a scrambler in this office, but I don’t trust phones.
The amount of evidence The Court has collected on people they’ve blackmailed, bribed, or just gone after for the fun of it—all retrieved from their personal devices—explains the paranoia.
Carlo eyes the box and then takes his phone out of his pants and places it next to mine. I close the lid and tap the button on top.
“It works like a cloak of sorts. Your phone will ping to a tower on the other side of the city, and it won’t be able to hear shit that we say right here.”
“You think I came here to record you?” Carlo asks.
“Not you. But I know people can get into these devices and hear whatever they want, wherever they want.” I shrug.
“Okay, so what is it? What’d you do?”
“I voted against something they wanted to motion,” I say.
“Okay, so take back your vote and make nice with them again,” he tells me.
“It’s not that easy. I can’t vote for what they want.”
“What is it they want?” he asks
“You, on death row,” I reply. “Along with your two business associates.”
“Your parents are dead, and now you’re risking your own life because you voted against The Court coming after me?” He sounds almost shocked.
“Don’t let it go to your head. I didn’t do it for you. I did it for her.” I know Carlo Bianchi has never been a fan of mine. He hated that his daughter was friends with me.
“I’m well aware. Tell me, if you love her so much that you’re prepared to risk your life, why the fuck did you ghost her?” he grits out between clenched teeth.
I smile. “Remember her prom date? The quarterback.”
“He went missing around the time of prom.” Carlo nods.
“The Court ensured that was the story, the fact he just went missing,” I explain. “I couldn’t let her be around me once I knew the extent of my family’s involvement.”
“And now?”
“Nothing has changed. She needs to be kept well away from me.”
Carlo laughs. “If you ghost my daughter again, if you break her heart again, Jacob, I’ll make sure you become an actual ghost.” He stands and walks out, leaving me staring after him.
What the fuck?