Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
James
Early morning sunshine pierced his eyes as he grasped his phone on his nightstand, hitting the button to answer the call.
“Hello?” he rasped.
“Morning, Mr. Tian.” The crisp voice of the head of his investigative team broke through his haze. “Sorry to wake you, but we got a name from Mr. Davenport.”
James yawned, pushing away the remnants of last night.
“It’s fine. Go ahead.” His eyes fell shut, sleep still bearing down heavily on the lids, and threatening to pull him back.
“Jacqueline Harris.”
His eyes flew open and he sat straight up, nausea shooting up his throat. “Th—that’s the name Davenport gave?”
“Yes, and like you said, he wouldn’t lie about it.”
“Yes, of course,” James said. But that doesn’t matter right now. A bright light invaded his vision.
“Mr. Tian?”
James blinked. “Sorry, did you say something?”
“I asked if that name means anything to you?” His head of security paused. “I’m sorry if this is out of line, but you don’t sound too good.”
“Unfortunately, yes, the name means something.” The blankets pooled around James’s hips and he wrung the duvet cover. “I’ve got it from here. Thank you. I’ll send over a check later today.”
He hung up and buried his face in his pillow, groaning. This had to be a mistake, but there was a nudge in his gut screaming that it wasn’t.
He forced himself to sleep the entire flight back to New York. Maybe then, I’ll wake up … in some strange way.
That’s all this was—a twisted dream.
But somehow, the information hurt more after he woke, and the only thing burrowing on his phone when he landed was a message from Sophie, and a slew of messages from Philip and Luc.
Sophie: Hope you land safely! See you later :)
A bemused smile touched his lips. Did she think I forgot I promised to see her first thing?
Although he did need to make a pitstop at a florist.
He switched threads and read the texts from his friends.
Luc: Hey mec. Help us settle something: what pie would you be?
Pip: You better not be sleeping on the plane again. Why did you buy a jet with a bed in the back?
Luc: We’re horrible friends for letting him make that decision
Pip: We really are. Anyway, tell us when you wake upLuc: Or you could wake up now and give us a goddamn answer
Luc: Seriously. I’m losing money here
James’s lips twitched as he scanned through the messages, each more ridiculous than the last. The chaos of it all was welcome after the morning.
Blueberry
he texted Luc privately.
A second later, Luc sent a slew of celebratory messages in the group chat.
Philip responded with a middle finger emoji and an Apple Pay notification for fifty thousand dollars.
Stepping out of the terminal and onto the sidewalk, James hit a contact on his phone.
Storm clouds lingered on the horizon, and the sky was already darkening.
The call connected, showcasing low laughter and a cocktail of soft Spanish and English on the other end.
James raised a brow.
That was the first time he’d heard Adam genuinely laugh in years.
“Hello?” James prompted.
“Oh, hi, Jamie,” Adam greeted, coughing the remainder of his laugh away.
“Glad things are working out with you and your fiancé,” James said. “Just keep things PG, alright? She’s still my best friend’s sister.”
“Fuck off. What do you want?”
“When I was looking for an assistant, you suggested Jackie to me, right?”
A sleek town car dawdled by the curb, the driver leaning against the hood bearing a sign with James’s name.
Handing his suitcase to the driver, James slipped into the back.
“I did,” his brother said. “You know she worked for Dad for years and was great at it. I thought she’d be good for you. Why? Did something happen?”
James withheld his snort. “Sort of.”
Adam sighed. “Care to clarify that?”
“Not particularly.”
“Fine,” Adam grumbled. “Good luck, then. I’ll see you next Saturday at the wedding.”