He stopped. “You have your pick. I can call someone else here.”
A tired laugh escaped her. “That’s adorable, but no.”
He stayed where he was, clearly waiting for her to give him a stronger clue as to whether she wanted him to stay or go.
Claire sighed. “Kali is a problem solver, not an empathizer, and Margot is…terrifying.”
“And Ren?” he asked, his voice sounding a bit tense.
“Ren?” she said, picking up the glass and looking at the amber liquid as she swirled it. “Spending alone time with him seems to be the fastest way to get on Margot’s bad side. And, as we’ve already established, Margot is—”
“Terrifying,” he finished for her.
She looked from the glass to him. “And then there was one.”
He shrugged and took a step closer. “My apologies for the slim pickings.”
Claire didn’t mean to smile, but she did.
Jack moved to the chair next to hers and took a seat. “Since when do you drink?”
“I don’t,” she sighed. “But all the anecdotal evidence seems to support the fact that tonight is a good night to start.”
“That’s the cliché,” he said, pulling a glass for himself and pouring in a shot of rum. She waited for him to drink it, but he just brought it to the table and set it next to hers.
“Did you get the answers you were looking for this morning?” He asked the question gently, as if he expected it to hurt her. The worst part was that it did.
She nodded. “Yes. And I few I wasn’t looking for.”
His head tilted in interest. “Such as?”
Suddenly the one thing she could bring herself to think privately was the only thing she could say out loud. “He slept with my mom.”
He frowned. “You’re sure about that?”
She nodded, angry. “Yeah. When my mom came for my graduation.” She spun the glass between her fingers to give her an excuse not to look at Jack. “I spent two years trying to impress the man with my mind, and my mom flies in and has his full attention before the sun goes down.”
“That…” he seemed to be looking for the right word before settling on, “sucks. I’m sorry.”
She shrugged as if it was nothing. “Par for the course, I guess.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Claire spun her glass between her fingers. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three.
His hand covered hers on the glass and gave her a light squeeze. “You did nothing wrong in this situation, Claire. You know that, right?”
As innocent and kind as the gesture was, it hit Claire right in her weakest spot.
“Eastman is the one who messed up and lost out.”
She pulled her hand away from his. “Sure. Why refuse a night of fun with my mom when you could have this head case instead?”
“Hey.” His hand reached for her again but stopped when she leaned away. “Don’t talk about yourself like that.”
She shrugged. “It’s the truth. She’s a compulsive seductress. Always has been. Maybe that’s why I don’t date. No matter who he is, my mom won’t stop until she gets her claws into him. She’s gorgeous and persistent. In the end, she always gets her way. I’ve always known that.”
She found it validating that Jack didn’t have a quick response ready for her. She also found it depressing.
“A guy like Nick would be under her control in five minutes,” she said. “I can’t date someone like that.”
“No,” he agreed. “You can’t.”
She met his eyes head on, her heart feeling an involuntary shock when those hazel eyes met hers without hesitation. They were confident…unflinching. They felt safe, and that was dangerous for her.
Still, she didn’t look away.
“In Ryan, I just thought I’d found someone I could trust, you know? He was so aware—a scientist who always came back to the facts and never infused them with emotion. His classroom always felt safe, and I loved being there.”
“That makes sense,” Jack said softly.
She should leave it at that. She didn’t owe Jack any more of the story than that. She didn’t owe him anything at all, and yet she wanted to keep talking. So she did.
“All that time, I thought I had a chance with him, you know?” She immediately felt stupid for her admission and hoped the dim lighting hid the blush creeping up her face. “I mean, I knew I was young, but I thought I actually had that in my favor. I thought that would intrigue him. I mean, it’s one of the biggest clichés in the book, right? The college professor and the student? It’s not like it’s never happened before.” She gestured up and down her body as she poured sarcasm into her tone. “But hey! With a body like this, who can refuse, right?”
“What do—”
“Nuh-uh,” she said holding up a hand to shush him. “Don’t even pretend to not know what I’m talking about. There are twelve year olds who are more developed than I am.” She eyed the drink. “I certainly didn’t take after my mom in that department.”
Jack shrugged, a small smile playing at his lips. “So your mom is more Cindy Crawford and you’re more Emma Watson. Nothing wrong with that. Both are fully capable of making a man’s heart pound.”
Claire blinked in surprise at the comparison then burst out laughing. “Emma Watson? That’s quite generous of you.”
Those hazel eyes of his moved lazily over the features of her face. “Is it? Brown eyes. Honey hair. Gorgeous high cheekbones and a perfect neck—”
“Don’t,” she said before he could continue. His words were making her heart pick up hopefully, which was just asking for trouble. “I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but…”
“But?” he echoed, his eyes a mix of concern and curiosity. He was in total control of himself at that moment, which terrified her. Because she wasn’t and she would give anything to have some of his composure rub off on her.
“I am not Emma Watson.” Of the hundreds of things swirling in her mind, it wasn’t the worst thing that could have popped out. It also wasn’t the best, but she’d go with the silver lining on this one. She could have said, I need you to go now because I’m starting to like you.
That would have been a disaster.
You just want a shoulder to lean on and you’re willing to trade anything for it, she told herself. These aren’t real feelings you’re feeling. They’re just false hopes, like always.
With that thought, the warm thudding of Claire’s heart soured and she looked back at her drink.
Drink it. Let it make you dumb. Let it make you numb. That would probably take more than an inch of liquor to pull off, but she had to start somewhere.
“You are beautiful, Claire,” Jack said through her thoughts. His hand covered hers. “Ryan was one guy—a selfish and manipulative guy at that. Let him go. You’ll find better.”
Forcing the corners of her mouth up into a smile, she used grabbing her glass as an excuse to remove her hand from his. “I’ll drink to that,” she said, raising her glass.
He didn’t smile back, but he did raise his glass. “To the future.”
“Sure,” she agreed. “The future. Whatever that is.”
She tossed the drink back, both surprised at the unpleasantness of the flavor and light burn the liquid left in its wake. The cough that came up was involuntary, as were the tears stinging her eyes. “Whoa.” Maybe drinking wasn’t her thing.
Across from her, Jack drained his glass without incident, his eyes watching her in that circumspect way of his.
“I am going to get you through this, Claire.” There was no bravado in his tone, just quiet confidence. “You will have a future, and it will not include a jail cell. Do you believe me when I say that?”
She did. She hated herself for it, but she trusted him that much. “I do.”
“To do that, I need one thing from you,” he said, watching her closely. “The next few days are going to bring a lot of curve balls your way—just like
today did. And when that happens, you have two choices: you can pull away into some corner of your mind that feels safe, or you can reach out to the team to create an actual safe place in the real world.”
He set his glass down and seemed to purposefully keep his distance with what he said next.
“Without communication, there is no partnership. We can’t help you if we don’t know you have a need. So if you need something, say it. It doesn’t have to be to me. You can trust any of us. Margot may be terrifying, but there is no better ally in the world. She’s like a human Faraday box once she lets you in. Don’t be afraid of that. And Kali?” A smile touched his lips. “I’ll be honest and say that she scares me like Margot scares you, but if you ever get to a place where you don’t think anyone will understand, I’ll bet you money that Kali will. She’s a bit of a white rabbit as to when she appears and reappears, but I would trust that woman with anything.” He looked deeply into her eyes. “And I mean anything.”
Claire’s heart was pounding again in a dangerous way as she saw the open respect Jack had for the two very powerful women in his life. He wasn’t intimidated and felt no need to belittle them. Instead, he relied on them and was encouraging her to do the same.
Heaven help her, that was hot.
“Ren won’t understand half the words you say,” Jack continued. “But he is like God in that if he says something will be done, it will be done. You can trust him.”
“And you?” she asked, immediately hating how vulnerable her voice sounded.
“I am a chameleon and a magician,” he said softly. “Which makes me the most topsy-turvy of the group.” For the first time since he sat down, Jack looked uncomfortable. “But like Ren, I am a man of my word. I may change costumes more often and not share my part of the script, but if you ever need me, then I will make the time. You can trust that. Do you believe that?”
I trust you, her heart hammered, but repeating the words aloud would make her feel too vulnerable. “I do.”
“Good,” he said and stood. “Now, in the name of trust, I have something to tell you, Claire.”
Instinct had her stomach dropping, but she tried not to flinch. “What’s that?”
He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out some playing cards. Not a full deck, but a good stack.
Seeing him hesitate, she decided to speak first. “What are those?”
He cleared his throat. “I have a habit of putting key information on blank playing cards when I’m trying to figure out what to do with it.” He singled out a card and flipped it so she could see that there was nothing but white on the other side. “When I know what to do with the information, I burn the card.” In a flash, the card in his hand burst into flame and disappeared, barely leaving dust in its wake.
Claire was pretty sure he wasn’t looking for applause for the trick, even though it was impressive. “Okay,” she said instead.
He fanned out the rest of the cards, his expression unreadable. “I’m going to offer you a choice. Written on each card is something we have learned in our investigation that impacts you personally.”
She looked at the cards anew, her heart racing with nerves as her mind mapped and determined that there were twenty-three cards. There was nothing good on the other side of those cards. Instinct told her that. “Okay.”
He chose his words carefully. “In our investigation, Ren, Margot, and I have uncovered things about your life and your current situation that you might not know yet.”
Her heart chilled in her chest. Twenty-three things? That sounded like a lot.
“Given my choice,” he continued. “I would put off telling you everything written on these cards until after everything plays out. I would choose this because some of what’s written on these cards may impact your ability to perform as you promised tonight.”
Claire wasn’t quite sure what to say. She eyed the cards one by one, imagining what might be on the back. When she reached out to the one closest to her, Jack’s hand covered hers, stopping it.
“Claire,” he whispered, his eyes showing a hint of fear. “Before you do that, let me remind you that information on the other side of these cards will make what you need to do over the next few days infinitely harder. Some of this information could leave you exposed as you fight with feelings of loyalty for people who have been wholly disloyal to you.” His hand tightened ever-so-slightly on hers as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “I’ll give them to you now if that’s what you want. But I can’t tell you how badly I want you to wait. Margot, Ren, and I can carry this load for you, no problem. And if you can trust us to do that, we’ll do it happily. Then, when it’s all over, we’ll tell you everything.”
Claire was surprised to see that Jack was scared—truly scared. She’d started to believe such a thing wasn’t even possible. Still, her hand itched to flip the card. But instead of reaching, she looked Jack in the eyes.
“Do you know who the partner is?”
He swallowed nervously. “Yes. One of them.”
There were two? Or more? She hadn’t known that. “And do I know him?”
He blinked, his lips pressing together as he nodded. “You do.”
His hand was slightly damp with nerves, but rather than latching onto his anxiety and running with it like she was prone to do, an odd thing happened. She calmed—just like in those investment meetings when she was hiding behind an avatar. She flipped her hand so they were palm to palm and held his hand, her pointer finger lightly taking his pulse. He let her.
“Something about that last answer was a lie,” she said softly.
He hesitated, then nodded. “Yes.”
True. “Why?”
“Because sometimes the truth is a misdirection and a lie is closer to the truth.” He brought his other hand up to cover hers. “Claire, we can be a team, and you can trust me to carry this for a few days, or we can lay it all out right here and now and see if we need to change the plan.”
She looked at his large hands covering hers and lost all interest in the cards. He was trusting her while at the same time begging her to trust him.
And she did. That was about as big as miracles got in her life.
“We don’t have time to change the plan,” she said.
“No, we don’t,” he agreed.
Those eyes. They always seemed to cut to the core of her with their intensity, but this time, she saw something else in them. Vulnerability. She knew how that felt.
“I trust you, Jack,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze. “If you say you’ve got this covered, I trust you. I’ll wait.”
His relief was immediate and obvious as he pocketed the cards. “Thank you.”
“Thanks for not blindsiding me,” she said, even as she wondered if one of those cards had the identity of her father on it.
“Trust is the first rule of the game,” he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze before stepping away. “Now let’s get some sleep. We’re going to need it.”
They went their separate ways then, Claire feeling oddly content. So content, in fact, that she actually slept.
Chapter 27
As it turned out, Margot Harbour wasn’t just a terrifying woman, she was an institution. There was probably a correlation in there somewhere, but Claire was still taking in the ambience of the woman’s top-floor offices. Meticulous was the first word that came to mind. Luxurious was the second. Sterile was third.
Three of Claire’s favorite words.
Claire was allowed in the offices now that she’d been sworn to secrecy. At 6:15 p.m., she had been escorted up by a man with a gun and shown a desk she could use. Apparently, that was Margot’s version of Make yourself at home.
The meeting Claire had with Margot at 9:00 p.m. would be all about prepping for the fake investor meeting when Claire would reverse the accounts. Margot was providing the mock investor and Claire was going to walk her through the script and let her ask questions so she could coach whoever Claire ended up talking to—
hopefully someone in Asia. Then they would record Claire’s part of the script together.
Claire had just under three hours to write and finalize everything before a courier arrived at 9:00 with all the equipment and programs Claire used in Mr. SUV’s secure workroom. Half of the equipment should have been impossible to get, but apparently “impossible” and “within 24 hours” were synonymous in Margot’s world.
Claire finished her script 7:30, feeling good about the thirty-minute conversation she and some investor would have as a ruse while Claire reversed accounts and refunded investors. The script was solid and believable. But finishing it ninety minutes early gave her plenty of time to obsess of all the ways things might go wrong.
What if the technology failed? What if there was a lapse is playback time? What if the fake investor Margot found was bad at reading scripts, or made obvious mistakes that made it clear he was acting? What if the escape plan didn’t work?
Jack and his team were allegedly pros at all this, but there was just so much room for error and it was driving Claire mad. To distract herself, she decided to give herself a self-guided tour of Margot’s offices. Her guard didn’t stop her, so she figured it must be okay.
She checked out room after room, mapping the spaces and resisting the urge to adjust employees’ personal belongings. Margot’s personal office was so silent that Claire wasn’t aware she was intruding until she looked through the door. The space was the definition of minimalist. There wasn’t even a computer on the streamlined desk Margot was seated at because apparently the desk was the computer and the wall across from the desk was the screen.
Wonder replaced propriety as Claire lurked in the doorway, her eyes mapping-mapping-mapping everything until they landed on a video on the wall. It showed Jack sitting at a poolside bar with a blonde woman. For a few moments, Claire went blind to everything else, only seeing the blonde woman’s sincere smile as she said something to Jack on the muted video. They knew each other. There was sincere affection between the two of them. It was obvious.
Margot’s voice cut through the sinking feeling in Claire’s stomach. “We said nine o’clock to work on the video, right?”
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