After riding up to the top floor, I stepped out of the elevator and headed to the bedroom. The last time I’d seen my phone, it was on his nightstand, only it wasn’t there. Maybe Jack moved it when he found it. Walking out of the bedroom, I searched the kitchen and living room, but it wasn’t anywhere.
Grumbling, I returned to the bedroom and the nightstand. Dropping to my knees, I searched behind the furniture and under the bed. “What the hell?” I grumbled. The drawer was a little ajar, so I pulled it open.
And my heart stilled.
There wasn’t a phone inside, but there was a velvet box. “Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.” With trembling fingers, I picked it up and stared at it. The voice inside my head was chanting for me to put it back, close the drawer, and pretend that I never saw it, but I had to know.
“Here goes nothing.” Opening it, I made a little sound as I stared at the gorgeous diamond. Pulling it out of the box, I held it up to the light and simply gazed at it. He’d chosen a classic emerald cut in a platinum setting. It was large but not so big that it would be gaudy on my finger.
Anger filled me. He was planning on proposing to me and broke up with me before he could do it? Talk about rude.
I started to put it back in the box when the inside of the band caught the light, and I saw that it was engraved.
Forever.
“Jack,” I whispered. “What are you doing to us?”
Twenty-Six
Jack
Not ready to go back to the empty penthouse and think of Blythe, I headed to my father’s estate. The whole day felt like a blur. My phone had been ringing non-stop, but my office was under strict orders to only put the most important phone calls through. Most of the phone calls were the press, and I wasn’t planning on making another statement.
I found my father in his office with a bottle of bourbon and a shot glass. His eyes were a little glassy as he widened them when I walked in. “Father. Feeling a little stressed?”
“Over the fact that my only child wants to hunt down a killer? Why would that stress me out,” he said sarcastically as he poured another shot. “Care to join me?”
“I’m not a child.”
“Jack, we may not have a close relationship, but you’re still my son, my child, and I’m a little worried about your reckless plan.” He knocked the drink back and stared at me. “You’re nothing like me, you know? You’re not like your mother either. I’m not sure who you take after.”
Unnerved by the fact that my father was drinking because he was worried about me, I walked slowly to the desk and picked up the bourbon bottle. “You were okay with this plan this morning when we talked about it,” I said shortly.
“That’s because I couldn’t think of a better plan. I still can’t, but you weren’t here, so I figured I’d drink.” He blinked several times. “Why are you here?” When I didn’t answer right away, he snorted. “Right. You kicked your lover out, and you don’t want to go home to your empty bed.”
“Don’t,” I warned him coldly. “Don’t talk about her. You couldn’t even begin to understand how I feel right now. You lost your ability to love a long time ago.” Grabbing the empty glass from his hands, I poured me a shot and tossed it down before I capped the bottle and put it up.
“She’s a great woman. Do you really think she’ll be there when it’s all over? You don’t think that someone else is going to snatch her up?” With a chuckle, Hale got up and stretched. He started to walk toward me, but his phone beeped.
“Mr. Drayson, this is Gordon from the gate guard post. There’s a woman here who would like entrance.”
My heart leapt in my throat. Blythe?
“She says that she’s your ex-wife.”
He and I both snapped our heads around and stared at each other. Donna had to know that Hale was the last person who wanted to talk to her, so what was she doing here? “Send her in,” he said stonily. “I’ll meet her in the foyer.”
I wanted to point out that seeing his ex-wife while he was halfway into a bottle of bourbon might not be the best idea, but I wanted to know what my mother had to say. Without waiting for his invitation, I walked out with him. While he waited at the base of the winding staircase, I walked up to the top and sat in the shadows where she wouldn’t see me right away. I needed to know once and for all if she was lying to me.
The doors opened, and I nearly gasped when she walked in. Gone were the designer clothes. She was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a rumpled t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back from her face, and her eyes were red and sagging.
She’d been crying.
“Hale,” she said softly. “I thought you might turn me away.”
“You’ve been whispering into my son’s ear. I’d like to know what you have to say,” he said coldly.
She clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head. “Our son.”
“Maybe at one time he was our son, but you lost your rights to him when you turned your back on this family and walked away.”
Taking a step back, she whimpered and closed her eyes. “You told me to go.”
“You were sleeping around, Donna. I may not have always been here when you wanted me, but I was never unfaithful to you. I loved you.” Hale growled as he advanced towards her. “You had other men in our marital bed while I was gone, and then at night, you were telling me that you loved me.”
“I know. Hale, I know that I ruined our family. I was alone and angry, and I didn’t think that you would care.” Rushing forward, she reached for him, but he took a step up the stairs and recoiled.
“I am not here to talk about what you did then, Donna. I want to talk about what you’re doing now with Jack. You’re using him. I just can’t figure out why.”
I expected her to defend herself or to shout at him in accusation, but instead, she burst into tears and slid to the floor. Every instinct told me to help her, but I remained right where I was. To my surprise, it was Hale who dropped down to her side. “Donna,” he said quietly. “Donna, tell me what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“Please, Hale. You have to know that I never meant for this to happen. Never. They told me that you were using Jack and you were going to ruin his career,” she sobbed.
My father helped Donna to her feet and eased her on the steps. “And you believed that I would do that?”
“I know how cold you can be, Hale. When you told me to leave, I’d never been so terrified. I didn’t even recognize you.” She cleared her throat. “I didn’t expect you to react that way, and I was worried that you’d carried that rage with you.”
“Donna.”
“I know. You don’t want to talk about the past, but it’s the reason I did this, and I need you to know so I can help undo it.” She took a deep breath. “When I left you, I had some money issues. I don’t think you knew it, but in that last year that we were together, I turned to drugs to try and feel something. Afterward, I couldn’t fight the addiction. It was years before I could finally get clean, but then I struggled to get back on my feet financially. I lived paycheck to paycheck for a long time.”
Hale made a sound of disgust in his throat. “Hell, Donna. If you had just told me the truth, I would have helped you. I was angry, but I would have helped.”
“I couldn’t return. I was horrified and embarrassed by my life. Coming to you for help would have meant admitting that I couldn’t make it without you.” She lifted her chin and wiped at her eyes, taking a deep breath. “I should have. I lost Jack because of my pride, and I wanted to make it up to him. A few months ago, I met someone. He wined and dined me and courted me. He reminded me of you when we were younger. Charismatic and confident. He swept me off my feet, and I wanted to be honest with him, so I told him everything.”
“Everything?”
“I told him that Jack was my son, and he acted surprised and even more so when he told me that he knew the two of you. I wasn’t at all suspicious of him, and when he told me that you were using Jack, I believed him. He told me th
at Jack was destined to be a great leader, but that you were going to ruin him. I wanted to help.”
Snarling, Hale stalked away. For a few tense minutes, I thought he was going to order her out, but he looked up and saw me. He turned on his heel, not giving me away. “So, you reentered his life and told him that I murdered his ex-girlfriend.”
“I thought it was true, Hale. I’ve lied to Jack. I was afraid that if he knew how I acted with you, he’d think I was doing all of this for revenge. I thought that I was saving him from you.”
“And what has changed your mind?”
“Daniel, that’s the man I’ve been seeing, mentioned the other night that he thought you and Blythe were in league together. He told me that she slept around for money. I’ve seen the way that Jack looks when he talks about her, and I knew that he loved her. Daniel and I decided that we should also try to break them up, but then I saw her in his penthouse. Hale, she had blood on her fingers, and she was in shock. I knew in that moment that I’d made a terrible mistake. She loves him. She wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt him.”
“So…” Hale prompted.
“So maybe Daniel was wrong about you too. I called him that night and told him that we were wrong. I wanted to see him, but he didn’t return my phone call. I saw the press conference that Jack held, and I realized that he and Blythe had broken up. It’s all my fault. I went to Daniel’s apartment and spoke to him. He acted like a completely different man. He said that it was a good thing that Jack and Blythe were split up and that we didn’t have to worry anymore.”
I couldn’t listen anymore.
Angry, I stood. “You didn’t break Blythe and me up,” I barked. “I left her to protect her. So the people that you’re working for don’t kill her.”
“Jack.” Standing, she backed up and walked right into Hale. “Jack, I am so sorry. I’m going to fix this. I swear.”
I’d heard enough lies and apologies from her. Jogging down the stairs, I didn’t stop until I was only inches from my mother. “How are you planning on fixing this, Mother? You’ve told your new boyfriend that you’re done playing his game, so we can’t really use you, can we? I’m starting to think that the one person who was accused of being a whore is the woman in my life who isn’t.”
Pain flashed in her eyes, and she took a deep breath. “I deserve that, but you’re wrong. I didn’t tell Daniel that I’m done. In fact, I told him that we need to do more.” She turned her head to watch my father. “After my conversation with Daniel, he took a phone call and stepped out of the room. While he was gone, I saw that his briefcase was open, and I looked through his papers. He had files on you and Hale and Blythe. I knew that he’d been lying to me, and I wanted to know why. I told him that I thought Hale was still influencing you. I told him that we needed to work harder to separate the two of you, and after he agreed, I came straight here.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I stared at my father. We were obviously thinking the same thing. We might actually have an inside person. “You’re willing to work with us?”
“You’ve been lying to us,” Hale pointed out. “Why should we believe you now?”
Turning, she reached out and squeezed his hand. “Hale, they want to use me to bring down our son. They want to use the rift between us to do it. I know that we will never be friends, but I don’t want to be enemies. I haven’t done much for this family. Let me do this.”
I could tell that he wanted to send her away. Part of me did as well, but the faster we brought this group down, the faster I could get Blythe back. My father had money and recourses. I had connections in the government. My mother was working with the enemy.
This could work.
Maybe.
Shit. I didn’t know who to trust.
“Go home,” I said softly. “If Daniel knows that you came here, it’ll ruin everything. Tomorrow, we’ll call a meeting with Klaus and the detectives. I want them in on the plan.”
“Jack,” Donna breathed.
“I know that you want forgiveness, Mother, but I’m not ready to give it to you yet. I think we all need to make amends, and that will take time.”
“I wasn’t going to ask for forgiveness. I was going to warn you of what might happen if you let Blythe go now. She’s a strong woman. I think you’re better off with her by your side, Jack.”
My stomach twisted. “I’m better off if she is alive. Now go. We’ll talk again tomorrow.”
After whispering another apology, she left, and I faced my father. “Can you do this? Can you work with her? Because, if you’re going to let old resentment and anger ruin this, then I need to know now. Once we start down this road, we won’t be able to go back.”
“You’re my son. You come first. Go home. Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we come up with a plan.” There was something strange in his eyes as he turned and walked away, and I knew that he wanted to be alone. I’m sure he had a lot to think about.
So did I. My mother had betrayed me. Again. Sherry had wanted to betray me.
The only woman who hadn’t hurt me was the one I was hurting.
Twenty-Seven
Blythe
When the elevator doors to the penthouse opened, I was sitting cross-legged on the couch and waiting for him. The guard must not have said anything to Jack because he paused when he caught sight of me and stared like he was looking at a ghost.
It was nearing midnight, but he looked completely different than the man I’d seen in front of the camera. His shirt was wrinkled and un-tucked, and his hair was rumpled. The faint aroma of bourbon followed him.
“Did you have a few drinks with the boys?” I asked cheerily as I cocked my head.
“No,” he said in a low voice. “I had one drink with my father, but I think I spilled some on me when I took the bottle away from him. What are you doing here, Blythe?”
“I came here looking for my phone.”
“Damn. I’d forgotten about that. I’m sorry. I think I grabbed your phone when I grabbed my own. It’s probably at the office. Do you need it now? We can go to the office and grab it, or you can stop by tomorrow.”
“I don’t need it now. What I do need is an explanation. I couldn’t find my phone, but I did find this.” Pulling the ring box out from behind the pillow, I popped the top open and sat it on the table.
He inhaled sharply as he stared at it, and I felt my calm veneer crack. While I’d waited, I told myself that I wouldn’t get emotional. I was angry and in shock earlier, but now I knew what I wanted.
“It’s an engagement ring,” he said in a hollow voice as he finally met my eyes.
“Is it for me?”
A ghost of a smile crossed his face. “It feels like a lifetime ago. I bought that right after I told you that I loved you. You weren’t ready for it, but I didn’t care how long I had to wait. I wanted to marry you, and I was willing to be as patient as it took.”
“Wanted to marry me. Past tense.” I pulled the ring out of the box and held it up to the light. “You inscribed it with Forever.”
“I told you that I would love you forever,” he said gruffly.
“Jack.”
“Damn it, Blythe.” In a second, he was on his knees in front of me and plucking the ring from my fingers. “I know that things haven’t been easy for us, but I need you to trust me. When this is all over with, and I know that you’re safe, I’m going to put that ring on your finger.”
“No.”
His eyes widened in pain, and I shook my head. “That doesn’t work for me, Jack. If you think I’m the kind of woman who’ll sit idly behind waiting until the coast is clear, then you’re in for a rough surprise. I get that you want to keep me safe, but I love you, and I’m not going to let you leave me.”
“I can’t lose you.”
Smiling, I pressed my hands to his cheeks. “You’re not going to. We’ll keep the break-up public, and we’ll be careful, but I’m not going anywhere, and I refuse to let you push me away. If you’re going to do this, then you�
�ll do it with me.”
“Blythe.” With a growl, he sat up on the couch and pulled me across his lap. Before I could get my bearing, he kissed me long and slow. I tasted the bourbon on his tongue and the pain and love in his heart. Running my hands through his hair, I kissed him back with ardor as I tried to show him how much he meant to me.
When we finally broke apart, he stroked his hand down my neck. “I should have known that you weren’t going to just walk away. If you want to do this with me, then you’ll have to be strong. This won’t be easy. I’ll be keeping long hours, and there might be nights when I can’t come to you or talk to you. I don’t want you to doubt why I’m doing this or doubt how I feel about you.”
“I trust you,” I whispered.
Reaching behind my neck, he unhooked my necklace. I held my breath as he slid the engagement ring on it and laid it between my breasts before he reattached the chain. “This isn’t exactly how I imagine doing this, but I want you to know the end goal. When it’s safe, I’m going to put this ring on your finger and make sure you have your dream wedding and then marry you so nothing can get in our way ever again.”
“I don’t need a dream wedding, Jack. I just need my dream man, and that would be you.” Lifting myself, I pressed my lips to his. “Take me to bed, Jack.”
“I’ll have to sneak you out before dawn so no one will see you.”
“Sneaking around might be sexy,” I teased. He moaned and stood, keeping a tight grip on me as he carried me into the bedroom. I was so ready to try to push everything aside so I could melt beneath him, but I knew what we were facing.
It wasn’t just our relationship at stake. It was our lives as well.
By sticking by Jack, I prayed that I wasn’t about to lose everything.
I hope you enjoyed His Fall From Power. See what happens next with Jack and Blythe in Book 3 (coming soon).
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