9. Jet
JET
Present Day
Edinburgh, Scotland
When the door creaks closed behind the final parishioner and I hear the lock turn, Amal lifts her wary gaze to mine.
“Cassian sent you?”
“I sent myself,” I tell her, searching her face, remembering the last time we were together. Our stolen night.
Things were different between us then. She hadn’t stolen from me and disappeared for three goddamned months. Just vanished into thin air like what happened between us, the things we said, meant nothing. Not a damn thing.
“But you’re going to take me back.”
She has no idea that as I sit here this close to her, breathing in the scent of her, looking into those wide, bright eyes, I feel fury and relief and I don’t know what the fuck else but my heart is pounding against my chest and it is taking all I have to keep my fingers on her thigh from hurting her.
I found Amal about a week ago. What I said earlier, that I’d never lost her? Lie. I was beside myself. Not to mention cursing myself for trusting her because I know not to trust anyone. I fucking know that.
She stole from me and the cherry on top? Of all the Rolexes she could have stolen, she took that one.
That fucking one.
“Just say it. At least say it,” she snaps when I haven’t answered.
“Is that what you’re worried about? Cassian?”
Her gaze darts between my eyes and I think she’s starting to get it.
I tilt my head, studying her. “You and I have business between us.”
“I can get your watch back,” she blurts.
“Oh yeah?”
She nods but I can see on her face she’s lying. Or at the very least she’s not sure.
“We’ll see about that. But that’s not the business I’m talking about, sweetheart.”
She opens her mouth, confused, but when I gesture to Malcom to get going and he rises to his feet, her gaze follows him to the front of the church. He’ll make sure Father Abernathy isn’t going to be an issue. I’ve got backup if he is.
Amal takes this all in. “Let him go,” she says. “Don’t hurt him. He’s a priest.”
“And I did not know how devoted you were.”
“You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to hurt him or even be here. I’ll get your watch back. I just need a few more days.” She stands, takes a deep breath. I can see it’s to steel herself. “Then I’ll go back with you,” she says, raising her eyebrows, gesturing for me to move.
I chuckle, rise to my feet because this is fucking funny.
I rise to my full height. I tower over her.
She shrinks back a little and I recall how she was scared of me that night.
Well, there was no need then, but now? I don’t put her mind to rest. I take my time looking at her face instead.
She’s so fucking beautiful. Does she even know it?
I brush unruly locks of hair behind her ears.
The instant skin makes contact with skin, she sucks in a breath.
I pause to let her know I know. I take a curl and let it wrap itself around my finger.
I draw it out then watch it bounce back when I release it.
It’s longer than it was a few months ago and wilder than ever. Like her.
I meet her pretty eyes. I’ve always liked her eyes. She blinks, looks away, but I take her chin in my hand. So open and easy to read no matter how she tries to hide herself.
“Little Virgin, do you think you have any say in what happens next?”
She jerks her chin out of my grip. “I’ll meet you here in a week. I just need…”
I outright laugh at that which infuriates her. Good.
“I promise,” she says, squaring off, and with the balls to look me straight in the eye and say it. To outright lie to my face.
My jaw tenses as I clench my teeth. Patience, I tell myself. I need to be patient with her. She’s desperate. That’s what this is. And I have my own agenda. So, I take a deep breath in and raise my eyebrows. “You can understand that I might not be able to trust you, right?”
“Jet, you don’t understand. You can’t take me back yet.”
“Amal.” I lean close to whisper the next part in her ear. “I can do whatever the fuck I want.”
Her fingertips are on my chest and when I draw back, we both look down at her hands. I wrap mine around her wrists shifting her hands into one of mine. I slide my thumb into her palm, the beads of the rosary hard between us.
“Do you understand that?” I shift one hand to her chest, laying it over her heart, remembering the last time I did that. “In here?”
I know she remembers the last time I did this. When I asked her if she trusted me with her heart and she said she did. Another lie.
Her breathing grows ragged as she tries to pull free. I don’t let her. Of course I don’t let her.
“You can’t force her,” Father Abernathy says, his voice carrying.
Amal looks at him then back at me.
“What is he talking about?” she asks me.
I let her wrists go and step out into the aisle.
“Do you remember the promise I made you, Little Virgin?”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Do you?”
She glances at the exit, at the two soldiers standing sentry, then up to the altar where two more flank Father Abernathy.
“What do you want with me, Jet?”
“What did I promise you the night you begged me to make love to you?”
Her face flushes red and she closes her eyes, mutters something under her breath.
“Now now. Nothing to be embarrassed about, Little Virgin.”
“Stop it!” she demands angrily, shoving at my chest. “Stop calling me that!”
Her fury is like an aphrodisiac. My angry Little Virgin. “Answer my question, Amal. What. Did. I. Promise. You?”
She turns, intending to stalk out of the pew from the other side, but I capture her arm and whirl her around to face me. Her rosary goes flying from her hand, clattering onto the wooden seat, then down to the floor.
“I’ll refresh your memory,” I say through gritted teeth because I’m only human and I’m pissed because I trusted her. I protected her and I trusted her and she shat on my kindness. So, no more kindness for her.
Now, I’ll take what I want.
“I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.
I asked you if you trusted me and you said you did.
” I tug her closer. She flinches at my anger.
“You said you trusted me, but that was a lie,” I say through clenched teeth.
“Then, you stole from me. You fucking stole from me before you fucking disappeared.”
“Because you can’t protect me, not against Cassian Trevino. You won’t. You chose his side long ago.” She struggles against my grip. Poor thing, she’ll wear herself out. “What is this, Jet? You like being his little errand boy?”
I grit my teeth. “You have no idea what you’re up against, do you? I’m not the only one who tracked you down here, sweetheart. Just be glad I did.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What the hell are you doing here anyway? I didn’t think you were a coward, Amal. Hiding. Leaving your brother behind.”
“I spoke with Daniel every week.”
“Did you? Two little liars in the family then. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“Fuck you. And I’m not hiding. I just need—"
“Well, we’ll get to all of that.” I check my watch for the time. “But we have places to be. Time’s a wasting. What did I promise you I’d do before I let anyone lay a finger on you?”
She swallows hard looking up at me with eyes that once looked like a summer sky. Their brilliance has shadowed, though. It’s what life has done to her and I don’t like it. If she’d trusted me, I’d have made sure those shadows never touched her.
“What did I promise, Amal. Say it.”
Her forehead furrows as she glances at Father Abernathy who is resisting Malcom’s persuasion. “I will do no such thing. Not without her consent,” I hear him say.
“Don’t hurt him,” she says to me.
“I’m running out of patience.”
“This is you being patient?”
“Say the words. Tell me. I know you remember.”
“That you’d marry me yourself! You said you’d marry me yourself before you let anyone lay a fucking finger on me.”
“Verbatim. Very good. Now, let’s go. We have a flight to catch, and I have plans for the hours before we take off.”
“You can’t make me do this.”
“Actually, I can. I can do whatever the fuck I want. But I’ll give you a choice. Why not? Here are your options, Little Virgin. You either walk up that aisle with me, or I’ll carry you kicking and screaming. It’s up to you. But one way or another, when you walk out of here, it will be as my wife.”