by CORY CYR
Jasper
Book Two of The War & Piece Chronicles
by
Cory Cyr
Jasper (Book 2 War & Piece Chronicles) Copyright © 2019 CORY CYR
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This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given way to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Published by: ©Cory Cyr 2019
Cover design by: Robin Harper 2019 © Wicked by Design
Front Cover Photographer: © Wander Aguiar Photography
Cover Model: Tyler Collins
Back Cover/Photography: © Deposit Photo
Edited by: Cassie McCown
Formatting: Sharon Kay
Copyright 2019 by Cory Cyr
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Epilogue
Acknowledgement
About the Author
Other Books by Cory Cyr
Dedication
Chapter One
Daisy
My hands trembled as I picked up the luggage. I had stared at the bags long enough and now time was running out. Our handyman was taking me to town, and from there, I would get a taxi to the airport. I couldn’t tell a soul where I was heading because it would endanger their lives. It was best they didn’t know.
I’d met Maynard Groves when I worked at the diner in town. I had taken the job to help out my mama while I continued my education. I’d been fascinated with numbers and their complexity since I was a child, and in my midtwenties, I’d decided to go to night school. It had been difficult, a woman from the rural mountains of Tennessee going back to school at that age, and no one in the class took me seriously. It had taken me two years to fit in. I’d buried my country dialect, mimicking my classmates in speech and dress. I had become a talented and driven woman, masking my southern roots. Now, at forty-three, I held a bachelor’s in math, business, forensic accounting, as well as financial analysis.
None of my professors thought an attractive country girl with a wicked accent, born and raised in Sweet Birch Hollow, would excel to be the type of accountant I wanted to be. All the women that came before me, including my mama, had gotten married and had a family. My two older brothers had died. I was sure the reason Paw passed was the loss of his sons. It was too much for him to bear. He and Mama had me late in life. Unexpected. But even as much as I was Pawpaw’s little girl, it just wasn’t enough to save him from cardiac arrest. A lifetime of tobacco and moonshine, combined with grief and depression, brought about his untimely end.
Maynard was older, ruggedly handsome, and wealthy, and at twenty-five, I was just another beautifully naive country girl who happened to have superior math skills. I wished I’d never started working for him. Jesus, I wished I’d never wed the man. After thirteen years of marriage, I asked for a divorce. If wanting to leave him wasn’t infuriating enough, he had gotten it in his head that I might be working with the FBI to spy on him. His constant paranoia brought out a side of him I’d never seen. Years before he suspected I was the mole, he’d begun slapping me around and gripping my arms too tight. Just the thought that I didn’t want him sent him spiraling, and his physical abuse became constant and much more violent. I had no doubt that eventually he’d kill me. And after finding out that what he feared about me was the truth, Maynard Groves was out for blood. Mine.
I had put my only family in danger. If my paw were alive, he’d be so disappointed. But Mama, she could hold her own. She’d buried two children and her husband. After she saw Maynard’s latest handiwork on my face, Mama had taken a shovel and dug a new hole right next to the other graves on our property. If my husband was stupid enough to show up, there would be blood—his.
“Mama,” I cried.
“I know, I know… You ain’t wantin’ to leave, but you gotta. This situation ain’t gonna git better.”
“But what about you? Maynard will eventually come here lookin’ for me.” I sobbed, knowing everything that could or would happen was of my own doing. I had caused this, and now I had to leave Sweet Birch Hollow.
Leave? That was a joke. More like run for my life.
“Don’t you worry your purdy head about me. I got Jesse stayin’ here for a bit, and that crazy excuse for a hound dog hates Maynard, so let him come. That man ain’t got the sense God gave a billy goat, but if he does show his face ‘round here, I got buckshot waitin’ for him. Now you git, girl. Grab them suitcases and hightail it outta here.”
“I don’t want to leave you. I’m afraid.” I sniffled.
“Look, I love you more than anything, but that man will kill you. I can still see what he done weeks ago. He hurt you bad. I ain’t burying no more children. It’s not right. You gotta go. Git far away, and after Maynard’s locked up or six feet under, we’ll find each other.”
I retrieved a roll of hundred-dollar bills out of my carry-on and handed them to her. “Take this. You’ll need it until I can send you more.”
My mama shook her head. “This his money?” she questioned.
“No, not exactly. It’s money I’m due. I have plenty. I emptied out Maynard’s bank account before he froze my credit cards. You have bills and need to buy food.”
Mama cackled. “I don’t know where you git your smarts. All those degrees you got from all that learnin’… Sweet Jesus, I hope they save you now, because they what got you in trouble in the first place. Jesse’s gonna take you to town now. Don’t you worry about me, and remember I love you, Daisy August. I’ll be just fine as long as I know you’re stayin’ safe.”
This would be the first time Mama and I would be far apart. I wondered if she’d be fine if she knew everything I’d done. I had known Maynard was cheating the system when I’d found the second set of books, and when I’d gotten into his office safe, I’d discovered the ledger. It enlighten
ed me to the fact that he was deeply involved in illegal activities. I was embedded in my husband’s world because I’d handled the finances of his companies, making me as culpable as he was. Then I’d overheard phone calls. Once I heard the words “hit” and “murder,” I wanted out. The FBI was my only recourse, and in turn, they offered me full immunity as long as I did what they asked. I had to wear a wire sometimes and make copies of the books and ledger, as well as document every phone call and anyone that came to the house. I waited for a chance to escape his grip.
Maynard was influential and had eyes everywhere. Truthfully, I had married for the prestige and money, but I’d been gullible and poor. I’d seen him as a way I could be taken care of, along with my mama. But he had changed, especially when I denied him anything, particularly sex. Maynard loved to hurt me; he appeared to enjoy it. As the authorities squeezed his associates, it got worse. But when he suspected I had betrayed him, he retaliated by beating me so badly he left me unrecognizable.
All hell had broken loose a couple weeks ago when Maynard was served with divorce papers. Added to that, I was blown as an informant and suddenly had to leave everything I knew. He had to know I was at Mama’s, but he’d stayed away because the authorities were scrutinizing every move he made. I knew the FBI was dragging their feet so they could dig up everything he was involved in. They had enough to nail him on bank fraud and tax evasion, but they wanted more, an airtight case. The FBI wanted him for murder, among other things—high crimes his expensive lawyers couldn’t get him out of. But they needed my testimony. They knew a wife had spousal testimonial privilege but wanted to keep me safe until they built a solid case against Maynard. There wasn’t enough evidence yet to prove the big charges, which included murdering his competition, drug trafficking, and prostitution, so I needed to bolt. Since taking my life wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities for Maynard, I would hide until the FBI could arrest his ass.
They agreed because they knew he would send his people to kill me. It was too risky for me to stay in Tennessee, so they opted for me to disappear, with four agents protecting me. They’d wanted me in a safe house, but I refused. I found employment completely out of my element and far enough away that Maynard would never look for me there. Only those agents in charge of my well-being would know my exact location. When Maynard was arrested, along with his co-conspirators, and the FBI could insure my safety, I would testify. That was the price I paid for my part in this fiasco.
My knuckles turned white as my grip tightened on the handles of my luggage. I was dressed in black slacks and a white blouse with black pumps. I had swept my blond hair back into a French bun and used plenty of concealer to mask my bruises. I slipped on my Bulgari sunglasses and clasped my shoulder bag as Jesse rolled one suitcase and I took hold of the other. I blinked back tears as I looked around the place where I had grown up. Jutting out my chin in defiance, I slid into Jesse’s beat-up old truck. The dog I’d had for nearly twelve years howled as though he realized I was in grave danger.
As we headed down the drive, I looked back to see my mama waving good-bye in a cloud of dust. This would be the first time that I wouldn’t see or talk to her at least once a day. She was my best friend and my only family. If anything happened to her, I would never forgive myself.
I had wanted too much. An education, an attractive husband, wealth, pretty things, and to take care of my mama in the way she deserved. Instead, I’d fractured our family and now had to start a new life far away. I’d never flown before, never even ventured out of Tennessee. Maynard had always kept me on a tight leash. Today was a fresh start of firsts.
A life of firsts.
Chapter Two
Jasper
“Quit acting like a baby. Take it like a man.”
With squinted eyes, I rolled my shoulders. Reese was a royal pain in my arse. His entire attitude concerning this situation sucked. “I have too much to do. I can’t be bothered with the ins and outs of training actual clients.”
Reese chuckled as he shook his head. “Look, it comes down to you. You’ve had years, five total, of not doing what you were actually hired for, but guess what? It’s time to pick up the slack. Blame Kai. He’s the one who got married and had a kid. Though, you have to admit the wedding was awesome.”
“Shut it, will you?” I remarked, irritated, as I leaned back in my chair. “Look, just hire some new trainers. You’ve always known I’m more the face and paper guy of this operation. Kai’s still part time. I’m sure we have a list somewhere of more-than-qualified applicants. Besides, I never lied to you two. The deal was my setup money for the freedom to do what I want. I told you both in the beginning that I wasn’t people oriented. On top of that, it’s my face you see in all our advertising, and I also have plenty of clerical duties to keep me busy. Honestly, if you had bothered to learn about the business end of VIP, I wouldn’t have had so much paperwork. But frankly, you got the good end of this deal when you chose to be strictly a personal trainer.”
“After almost two years, Harriet finally got tired of your bullshit and hired an accountant—a real one. She sent a fax yesterday. And I’m here to tell you, even without seeing her face or hearing Harriet’s voice, she is one scary bitch. Do not fuck with her. You, my friend, have sat on this bookkeeping issue for too long. Now that we’ll actually have a professional doing our books, you can do what you were expected to from the beginning. Quit stalling. It’s only one or two clients. Though, I know it will be rough, considering you have the personality of Stonehenge.”
“Arsehole, get out of my office.”
Reese exited with haste, laughing. He thought it was amusing. Seriously, working as a trainer? I didn’t want to tell my partners, but that job was beneath me. From the beginning of VIP, I’d been honest with them that working with clients wasn’t my forte and all of them would be better served having me as the public face and a paper pusher of Virgin Islands Personal Fitness. After all, I’d studied business in Britain and excelled.
Sure, everyone had wanted me to hire an executive accountant, but that would mean no more excuses and would leave me open to working with our clientele. In truth, I missed Kai, especially at night, when we had done our best work. I’d enjoyed our time sharing women. Females had desired him, both as a personal trainer and in bed. And I liked participating in our sex games. We’d worked well together, in business and in sexual conquests. Now that twat Harriet had hired some sodding stranger who would be right next door and probably expect me to be congenial even though it was their hire that would force me to work as a trainer. It was all too appalling.
Kai ruined everything when he went and fell in love with not only a weight loss client, but a much older ex-porn star. He’d gotten married, spoiling our sexual escapades. I’d never understood his desire for a wife or child. Tegan, his wife, and he had purchased a large estate on St. Thomas so Kai could be close to the business he created, agreeing to take on a few clients a year. She would continue being the CEO and designer of her sex toy company while Kai worked here. Realistically, neither of them had to work, having combined assets totaling no less than two billion dollars.
Kai often left early because he didn’t approve of his daughter being cared for by a nanny while Tegan was busy working out of the home. It seemed completely out of character for him to be so smitten with two females, considering his views concerning women most of his life. But I suppose love caused you to lose your mind and tighten your morals. He was different now. The man was still my brother, but he had changed all the dynamics.
Reese was still a part of my sexual roguery on the weekends, but I knew eventually that would change. I’d always known he had wanted one woman, and now that Kai had a family, I sensed his urgency. He wanted what Kai had—a life partner, one woman to love, and children. He’d always been a sap, and Kai and I had often made issue of it at Reese’s cost. I would never yearn for what Kai had. My older sister, Rumour, and my niece were enough family for me; I only had love for them. There woul
d never be another I cared for. It was too risky. I never wished to feel that pain again.
I had shielded myself by wearing invisible armor. Nobody wanted to fuck with me. I thrived on the notion that I appeared cold and overbearing. Sure, I could force myself to be congenial, and now, having to take over clients, I had no choice. I snickered to myself because, until now, Reese was always the “nice” one.
Emotional connections were dangerous; that’s why sex alone served me well. Not once had I felt anything but solace in enjoying indiscriminate sexual partners.
I heard a light tapping on my door. Goddamn Reese. Since when did he knock? I swung the door open.
“What the fuck now—” I barked.
I stood stoically as a woman dropped mountains of paperwork that flew everywhere. She clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes, but I noted her hands shaking as she bent to pick up everything.
“You gonna just stand there and watch, or do you plan to help me?” she asked, sounding annoyed.
I leaned against the open door in amusement. “Actually, I’m enjoying the scenery. You bending over is the best view I’ve witnessed all day.”
“Jackass,” she uttered under her breath.
“I beg your pardon,” I said, clearly aware I was of course being an arsehole.
“You must be Jasper Kendrick. Ms. Wellington said you were English. I guess you think that accent gives you license to be cantankerous. Not a very useful tool. I presume like the man.”
I wasn’t sure what cantankerous meant, but I had no doubt it was a slight. This woman was the accountant that her highness, Harriet, had hired. She might be the silent partner, but the cunt was anything but, and if this woman had been hired by Harriet, I knew she was going to be a nightmare… And we’d just met.
Why? Because she isn’t cowering in fear at your person and basically handed you your arse? Or the fact that she is potentially your sparring equal?