Two Together

by Lisa Renee Jones

  “Maybe the merger will actually eliminate that,” Jax suggests.

  “One can hope,” I agree, halting us at a heavy wooden door. “This is it.”

  Inside the conference room, we’re greeted by a Clark Kent kind of dorky, but nice-looking man in a suit who is actually named Billie. We’re quick to huddle at the table with Billie and go over the paperwork, which seems to be in order. There is, in fact, a document that is to be signed before the contract that spells out the exact reason for the signatures.

  “It seems like you’re well protected,” I comment, surprised at how well this has come together.

  “He absolutely is protected,” Billie assures me.

  Jax grabs my hand and kisses it. “Stop worrying.”

  “I’m here,” Chance announces, entering the room in a rush of spicy cologne, and wearing his favorite, lucky blue suit that he wears on negotiation days. I hope that doesn’t mean he’s here to negotiate.

  Jax stands up and shakes his hand while I wave. “Nice suit.”

  “It’s for luck,” he says, “and you know it. Don’t read into that.”

  I smirk as Billie stands and greets Chance, while Jax casts me a curious look I answer with, “That’s his lucky negotiation suit.”

  “Interesting,” Jax replies, and when Billie heads in our direction, he waves him off before he sits on our side of the table. “We can handle this,” he says. “But can you stay close in case we need you?”

  “Of course,” Billie replies quite formally.

  “There’s a breakroom two doors down,” I offer.

  Billie thanks me and then exits the room, sealing us in privacy before I glance at my brother. “Do you have an attorney coming?”

  “I don’t,” he says. “I felt that going with what your man put together would show good faith. And my lucky suit is not about negotiating today, Emma. We’re past that point.”

  “Tell me something,” Jax says, tapping the table, his mind proving to be elsewhere. “Does Randall get anything out of the merger?”

  Chance waves that off. “Randall doesn’t know about the merger. And after he threatened Emma as he did, I don’t know that I’ll recommend he stay on with Bennett.”

  “What about an inheritance if the castle is signed over?” Jax asks, and it’s becoming clear that he is still looking at Randall as the person who arranged my kidnapping.

  “Nothing like that,” Chance confirms. “Nothing at all. Like I’ve said before, Randall’s motivated to protect me because it’s security for him. I can say with certainty that he felt doing so meant getting Emma away from you. That’s where his head was when he threatened Emma. Could he have gone off the deep end and hired someone to just bring her home? I don’t pretend to know. We can theorize all day long, but unless he confesses or we corner him with proof, we can only speculate.”

  Jax shifts with obvious agitation. “Emma can’t walk around without protection if we don’t know. If he did this, then at least we know she’s not in danger.”

  Now I shift uncomfortably in my chair. “He’s right. I can’t live my life with a bodyguard, and I don’t even want to know what that’s costing you, Jax.”

  Jax dismisses the expense. “The money isn’t the issue. Your safety and quality of life, on the other hand, is.”

  Chance thrums his fingers on the table. “He’s money motivated. I’ll offer him a fifty-thousand-dollar bonus for confessing with the promise of no recourse in writing. Are you willing to sign off on that, both of you, right along with me?”

  Jax considers him several long beats. “You really think he’d confess?”

  “It’s all we have right now,” Chance replies.

  I catch Jax’s arm. “I say do it. He’s right. Randall is all about money.”

  He cuts his stare in obvious thought and then nods. “Do it.”

  Chance pulls his phone from his pocket and punches in a number. “John. I need you.”

  “John is his attorney,” I whisper to Jax, and John is then put on speakerphone. A few minutes later, we’ve all agreed on a document John promises to send over in fifteen minutes.

  Jax slides the first document in front of Chance. Chance reads over it and laughs. “You’re good, North. This makes anything else we sign worthless if you know this exists.”

  “Which your attorney won’t,” Jax says.

  “Brilliant,” Chance says, removing a pen from his jacket and signing before sliding it back to Jax.

  Jax indicates additional documents. “These are two copies of the same castle deed. One I sign to you and one you sign to me. Timestamp yours for fifteen minutes from now.” Jax hands Chance one of the documents.

  Chance doesn’t even blink. He does what Jax requests and returns the document to him. Jax then signs over the castle to Chance and hands him the deed, that is now worthless. Chance shakes his head, a smile on his face. “All the stress I had over this could have ended this easily.” He reaches into his pocket and hands me an envelope. “That’s your inheritance document. John should approve the wire in the next few days, if not sooner.”

  A knock sounds on the door and Becca walks in. “John said to give this to you right away.”

  “Thanks, Becca,” Chance says, reviewing the document as she disappears out of the room. “Looks good.” He sets it in front of me and Jax. “If this doesn’t get a confession out of Randall, we won’t get one.”

  Jax and I both read over the document and then hand it off to Chance. “When will you talk to him?” I ask.

  “In about half an hour, sis. I know you’re eager to be safe and free. I’ll call you soon.”

  We all stand up, and I stuff my inheritance document in my purse, watching as Jax and Chance shake hands. Chance then grabs me, and much like he always has, he forces me into an exaggerated hug. I love these hugs. “Thank you, Chance,” I whisper, holding onto him tightly.

  “Anything for you, Bird Dog.” He pulls back to look at me. “You’re glowing. Jax makes you happy.”

  “Yes,” I agree. “He does.”

  “Good.” He glances at Jax over my shoulder. “Don’t hurt her or war begins again.”

  “As it should,” Jax assures him.

  Chance releases me. “When do you leave for Maine and the castle that Jax still owns?”

  “Tomorrow morning,” I say.

  He scrubs his jaw. “That’s fast. Fuck. Really fast, considering I know you’re leaving for good but okay. Will you still work here?”

  “Yes. I’ll see you through the merger and decide what comes next then. From Maine. I need to work remotely.”

  “You know I already said you can do what works for you.” He shifts the topic. “I’ll see you off at the airport. Text me your flight information.”

  A few minutes later, Jax and I have set Billie free of his duty here, and we’re back in the SUV, that surreal feeling back with force. Jax laces his fingers with mine. “How are you feeling?”

  “Good,” I say. “One chapter closed.”

  “And an entire new book now begins,” he supplies, kissing my hand.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  Jax

  Savage shuts us inside the SUV.

  One chapter closed.

  Chance did me right. He did his sister right, too. As the SUV pulls away from the building for the short ride to the bank, Emma pulls out her inheritance envelope. “I don’t know why I don’t seem to want to open it.”

  Of course, she doesn’t. It’s from her shithead father who used it as a weapon against her brother.

  “There’s no rush.” I stroke her hair. “Do it tonight. Do it whenever it feels right.”

  She nods but doesn’t put the envelope away or open it. A block later, when we halt at the bank, she says, “Tonight, I think,” stuffing it back into her purse.

  I think she might need some North Whiskey to go through with it even then. Luckily, I’m well connected. I’ll order her up an extra special bottle. She scoots out of the vehicle, and I follow, usherin
g her inside the bank lobby. “What are we doing here, exactly?”

  “Remember, earlier, when I said you’ll see?”

  Her brows furrow. “About the gifts?”

  “The necessities. Yes.” A banker walks toward us, and I catch Emma’s hand, greeting the thirty-something redhead named Mona, who is quick to settle us into her office.

  “What can I do for you today?” Mona asks.

  “I need you to add Emma to my accounts.”

  Emma blanches. “What? No.” She rotates to face me. “No.”

  Mona clears her throat. “Do you need a moment?”

  “No,” I say. “Get her a signature card.” I set a card on the desk with my account numbers on it.

  She keys in the first account, and her eyes shoot to mine. “Mr. North, as in the whiskey?” A fact she now knows because of my corporate account.

  I lift a confirming hand and focus on Emma. “I need your ID.”

  “Jax,” she hisses softly, only to have her phone ring. She grabs it from her purse to glance at the number. “My brother.”

  She answers the call. “I didn’t think I told you I got a new phone and number.”

  I frown with the same observation. How the hell does he have her new number? She listens a minute and must notice my reaction, because she whispers, “Savage left him a card. He got it from him.”

  I nod and she replies to something Chance says with, “Okay. Thanks for trying.”

  I’m expecting that to be bad news about Randall and after a few more exchanges with her brother, she ends the call.

  I motion to Mona. “I’ll give you two a few moments,” she says, standing to exit the office, and pull the door shut behind her.

  “Randall didn’t take the bait,” Emma says. “Chance thinks he’s innocent.”

  An opinion I digest with a heavy dose of skepticism. “What else?”

  “In other news, the deed worked. My brother wired my money, however much that is.”

  “That was fast,” I say, feeling a pinch of suspicion I can’t quite douse. “Really damn fast.”

  She shrugs. “He said I’d waited too long. And it’s probably not much money.”

  “Why don’t you look at the document,” I suggest, “after you give me your ID.”

  The stubborn woman purses her lips. “No.” She does, however, pull out the envelope, open it and scan the document. She stares at it and stares some more.

  Mona knocks and re-enters. Emma quickly folds the letter and reaches into her purse, pulling out her ID. “I’ll do it,” she says. “If you go on my account, too.”

  “Baby, your money is your money.”

  Her jaw sets with more of that stubbornness I was just noting. “Take it or leave it, Jax.”

  I laugh. “Okay. You win.” I glance at Mona and give her the go ahead. Fifteen minutes later, all the paperwork is completed.

  “Write my primary account balance on a piece of paper for Emma, Mona.”

  “She doesn’t know?” Mona asks, blinking at me.

  “She will when you write it down on that piece of paper.

  She does as I say, and I hand the paper to Emma. She gasps. “Okay. Take me off the account. Mona, take me off.”

  Mona laughs right along with me. “You didn’t expect that.”

  “No,” Emma exclaims. “Who expects that kind of money? That is an insane amount of money. It’s obnoxious, so it’s a good thing that you are not. Whiskey is profitable.”

  “I’ve invested well.”

  “Obviously.” She grabs her letter and shoves it at me. “I agreed because I thought I had something to offer. I can now buy our groceries I guess.”

  I glance down at the ten-million-dollar figure and laugh. “I think you can buy more than groceries.” I kiss her temple. “Let’s go pack and go home.”

  “After you take me off your account.” I stand up and catch her hand, taking her with me. “Thank you, Mona,” I say, maneuvering me and Emma out of the office.

  It really is time to go home. I’m feeling the call of Maine. I just hate like hell that I’m doing it without knowing who was behind Emma’s kidnapping or who killed Hunter. There’s no doubt in my mind, though, that they are the same person.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  Emma

  My apartment, or rather the guts of my apartment, arrive to the beach house, by way of a moving truck a week after we arrive back in Maine. By that time, I’m talking to Chance frequently, while never speaking to my mother, and Jax and I have claimed our spots in the closet. We’ve also settled back into the routine we were in before we left. Coffee and a jog start our mornings, but now, we each have an office at the castle where we spend a few hours each day before finishing our day at the beach house.

  By week two, I’m not only settled in to stay, but I’ve forgotten about clown masks and my fear of being abducted. A task made easier by the fact that on the day of our return home, Jax and Savage took me to the underground tunnel and showed me how it’s been locked down. Unfortunately, Echo is still missing, and hope fades that he will be found. Jax and I have made a habit of swinging by his place every few days because, well, we just don’t want him to be forgotten. The idea that Hunter’s memories fade into the crash of the ocean with nothing left to remember him by hits me hard and often. He was the brother I never knew. Which inspires me to hunt for a way to remember him, a gift to the castle, so to speak, of Hunter’s eternal presence. And I figure out the perfect way to surprise Jax with it soon.

  Aside from that, even Jill seems to be coming around, which seemed to happen when I suggested we host a Halloween party for the kids in the city at the castle. Her eyes had lit and she’d dove into the project.

  And here we are.

  Halloween.

  Party time.

  Jax and I start our day off with orange and black iced donuts compliments of the castle staff, which we eat at the kitchen island after our jog. It’s also the day Brody gets out of rehab. For now, I focus on the donuts. “These are better than any donut shop,” I say, sipping my coffee.

  Jax licks icing off his finger. “Agree one hundred percent.” His cellphone rings beside him, and he glances at the text. “What the hell?” he murmurs.

  I stiffen. “What is it?”

  “Brody got out early. He left before I could pick him up.”

  “Oh. That doesn’t sound good.”

  Jax stands up, scrubs a hand through his hair, and then presses his hands to the island. “I don’t know why I’m letting this get to me. It’s not like he allowed me to visit on visitation day. He’s been avoiding me.”

  I push off my stool and step to his side, wrapping my arms around him. “He’ll come around. Call him. Invite him to the party tonight.”

  “I’m going to go by his place.” He kisses me. “I need to try to talk to him, brother to brother. And I need to know he’s really there.”

  “Of course,” I say. “I think that’s a good idea. I’ll be here, doing party prep, and then I have to go into town to grab our costumes from the dry cleaner.

  “We need to get you a car.”

  “You have three,” I point out, a fact I learned upon our return. “I don’t need another car.”

  “I have two. One is a classic Mustang Shelby, fully restored, a collector’s item.”

  “A collector’s item? That’s a big collector’s item.”

  He laughs. “Yes. It is. And I like it. We’ll debate a new car later.” He kisses me and heads off to shower, anxiety knotting my stomach as he leaves. I now know, in this moment, that one of the reasons I’ve been so at ease, despite being kidnapped, was that Brody was in rehab. Now he’s back. I grab another donut. It seems like the best way to deal with my nerves over his return.

  ***

  The item I bought for the castle, in memory of Hunter, arrives shortly after I shower and dress in jeans and a T-shirt. Eager to place it in a very special spot to share with Jax after the party, and before his imminent return, I hurry to th
e castle. I spend the day at the castle helping Jill put up decorations while Savage and his men work on tightening up security. I’m in one of the rooms, being used as a very, not scary, haunted house, decorating when Jax pokes his head in. “Well?” I ask, pinning up a Monster Mash poster after hanging about a hundred fake spiders, all of which have funny faces on them. “He seems good. He said he just needed to go home on his own, to feel like he had his own two feet on the ground.”

  “That’s good.” I frown. “But, you’re saying one thing and thinking another.” I turn to face him, my hands catching his waist. “What’s wrong?”

  “He just doesn’t seem like the Brody I know. He’s more reserved, but maybe he was always high and drunk, and I just didn’t know it.”

  “He got help,” I say, my hand settling on his chest, over his heart that bleeds for his one remaining brother. It’s his pain that tells me that I need to overcome my issues with Brody. “Is he coming to the party? We need to make him feel like he has family. That’s part of the healing process.”

  “Are you sure about that, Em?” he asks, searching my face. “I don’t want you feeling uncomfortable.”

  “I admit he makes me nervous, but I’ll get over it. Invite him. For the holidays as well.”

  “I will. Thank you, baby. I’ll call him and check in with Savage then help you finish up.” He kisses me and disappears out of the room, but not before I see him reach for his phone. He’s anxious to invite Brody. I’m anxious, too, but not for the same reasons. It’s just that—well, Brody is coming to the party.

  ***

  Halloween eve has arrived on a rather appropriately stormy night, in which, Jax and I are dressed as Clark Kent and Super Girl. I have a cute costume with a red skirt. Jax is in a business shirt, open to show his Superman shirt, and dark glasses. Inspired, of course, by Clark Kent Billie, our attorney in San Francisco.

  We arrive at the party with it already underway. Savage greets us in the foyer, dressed as a pirate, of course. “Aye you, wench,” he greets. “Watch it or I’ll have to tie you up.”