But what would make a sixteen-year-old think that the Army was a better option than staying at home? “How did you get away with that? Your brother didn’t mind?”
Jace shrugged, his face hard and emotionless. “I doubt he minded. He killed himself long before I took over his identity.”
Emma felt the blood drain from her face. She should’ve just kept her mouth shut. If he didn’t want to get into his whole history, he didn’t have to. She had no right to pressure him...not that she’d pressured him about his family. He was the one who offered the information...
“Don’t worry about it. Jason and I had it rough growing up. Mom couldn’t take the heat, so she left us with Dad. After Jason killed himself, Dad and I buried him in the woods out back. Dad didn’t want to lose out on the welfare checks, so he covered the whole thing up.”
And Emma had a sickening feeling she knew why Jace would help with the cover-up. From the sounds of it, their father wasn’t the warm, cuddly type. “I’m so sorry.” She wished she hadn’t brought the whole thing up.
Jace turned onto the highway. “It was a long time ago. But it’s something I’ve never told anyone else, so now you know a secret about me.”
Emma took a deep breath in and exhaled. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“I didn’t have to answer,” he reminded her.
And that was true. He could’ve told her to stick it where the sun don’t shine, but instead he’d chosen to tell her. Maybe he wasn’t full of it. Maybe some part in the back of his jaded mind really did care about her.
Or she was just being a naive romantic again. She wondered whether he was the type who left broken hearts trailing behind him at all the jobs he worked.
Jace slowed down as the speed limit changed to adjust for the nearby town. “So if you ever want to know any of my deep, dark secrets, just ask.”
Emma made a mental note to not ask him any more questions in the near future about his past. It was easier to stay mad at him if she thought of him as some random asshole with no history. She managed to keep the conversation mostly casual and pleasant as they did a quick round of grocery shopping.
She prided herself on eating healthy, but Jace’s diet put hers to shame. He knew exactly what he wanted and, Emma noticed, was getting enough vegetables and meat to last him for a week at least.
But he was only going when he didn’t think she was in danger anymore and neither of them had any way of proving how long it would take, so Emma didn’t bother fighting with him about the quantity. Because she only got a few things and he knew exactly what he wanted, it didn’t take long before they were back in the car. At this point, Emma felt as though she were going to die if she didn’t eat soon, so they pulled into the mom-and-pop diner at the edge of town.
Of course, she couldn’t just walk into a local establishment with some new guy with her and not cause a huge fuss. So the owner, the cook, and the three waitresses on staff all came over to make a scene. The good news was that Emma didn’t feel pressured to fill any awkward silence between her and Jace. Instead, she had to lie to people she’d known her entire life. No, she and Jace weren’t together. He was helping out around the house for a bit. No, really, they weren’t together. Yes, he did love the beautiful scenery. No, they really, really weren’t together.
After the Spanish Inquisition of brunches, Jace and Emma escaped the diner back into her car. Even though he probably had a feel for her car by now, she didn’t argue when he held open the passenger door for her. Once they were back on the road, Emma let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks for handling that so well.”
He shrugged. “Hey, I’ve played worse parts than a beautiful woman’s not a boyfriend friend.”
Emma felt a blush creep up her neck at the compliment. She could normally take a compliment like a competent human being, but hearing it from Jace was different. He’d been all over the world and had more than his share of good looks, but he still thought she was beautiful?
Okay, fine. She obviously was incapable of staying mad at him, and apparently her schoolgirl crush had somehow managed to get worse since he’d followed her home. She could deal with this. They’d go back to being colleagues for the time being. Nothing changed. It wasn’t as if they’d been a couple. They were planning to have a week-long stand that turned into a one-night stand. Even if she didn’t hate him anymore, it didn’t mean she was going to jump his bones that very second.
And even though he hadn’t made any type of sexual move on her, Emma knew he still wanted her. During their silent morning, she’d felt his eyes on her the entire time, and not in a platonic bodyguard sort of way. She’d tried to push it out of her mind, but now she needed to confront the idea that they were both still attracted to each other.
They turned back onto the drive to the estate and Emma snuck another glance at Jace. He had promised to give her the best week of her life, filled with hot sex and laughter. Why should a little thing like death threats keep her from taking advantage? Sure, the line between casual lovers and something more was already more than a little blurred, but her one day of staying as far away from Jace as possible hadn’t helped. Maybe the answer was to get closer.
Emma let out a small snort at her own strange logic. Her mind was apparently desperate to think up a reason for her to get him naked again. Jace tensed next to her, and she glanced out the windshield to see what had him spooked. Her heart leaped into her throat when she saw that the front door of her home was wide open. Jace brought the car to a soft stop and reached down to his ankle.
“What are we going to do?” she asked. He seemed as if he had some sort of plan. He definitely didn’t seem as freaked out as she felt.
He pulled out a tiny gun from an ankle holster and handed it to her. “Take this. I’m going inside to check it out. As soon as I get out of the car, lock the doors and get into the driver’s seat, okay? If you see anything that scares you, drive away. If you see anyone who scares you, drive away. If you hear or see something and you don’t know if it should scare you, drive away. Got it?”
Emma gingerly took the handgun from him, trying to remember her few times at the shooting range years ago. “Why don’t we just turn around and go straight to the police? Get backup.”
“I am your backup.” He set a comforting hand on her knee. “The door is open, which means that if there was anyone here, they’re not being subtle. I’m thinking there’s going to be a warning to you inside. If it is who we think it is, they still want something from you.”
Emma nodded as Jace climbed out of the car and shut the door behind him. Before he moved away, he stared at her through the window and Emma remembered that he’d told her to move. Carefully keeping her hand off the trigger of the gun, she climbed over the center console until she was in the driver’s seat and hit the button to lock all the doors.
That must’ve satisfied Jace, because he turned toward the house and pulled his other gun out of his shoulder holster. He held it cautiously in front of him as he made his way up the stairs and inside the house.
She never should’ve let him go in there. What if it was just one of her neighbors who’d wandered inside? Would he shoot them on accident? Not that anyone had ever once wandered into her home uninvited, but there was a first time for everything.
Or there really was some dangerous psycho in there and she was letting Jace go in all by himself. Damn it, this was ridiculous. Even if the police couldn’t do anything, she knew she wasn’t exactly helpless.
Emma reached across the passenger’s seat to where her purse sat on the floor and pulled her cell phone out. After glancing up to make sure Jace wasn’t running out of the house bleeding, she went to her recent contacts and sent a call out to Michael.
“Hey Emma,” he answered on the first ring.
“Someone was in my house,” she blurted out. “They could still be there. I don’t know. Jace is looking through now and I don’t know what to do.” Well, she did know what to do. Jace had given her very detailed inst
ructions. But still she felt as if she should be doing more.
“Shit. Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Put Jace on the line.”
Emma shook her head in frustration. Michael wasn’t getting it. “I’m fine. Jace isn’t with me. I’m sitting in the car, scared out of my mind, and God knows what Jace is seeing in there. He told me not to call the cops and I kind of feel like the police are the best people to call in this case and I really didn’t want to be alone out here, so I guess I called you.” Not that Michael could help, but she was already feeling a bit calmer now that she could talk things out with him.
“Don’t call the police,” snapped Michael.
Emma frowned. She could understand that Jace wouldn’t want a small local police force getting in the middle of something he thought he could handle, but Michael always sat on the side of caution. “What?”
“Luke and I are working on something. I didn’t want to mention it until things are more finalized, but by tomorrow, you should be out of harm’s way.”
“And you didn’t think it was a good idea to mention this sooner?” The only reason he’d keep it a secret was if he was doing something she wouldn’t approve of. “Don’t get yourself in trouble because of me.”
“I have things handled over here. Just stick with Lance and make sure he takes care of you.”
Her comforting phone call was suddenly making her feel even worse than before she’d called. Just then, Jace emerged from the front door. His expression was somber and serious, but at least he didn’t look hurt or scared. “I have to go,” she told Michael. “Remember what I said. Don’t be an idiot.” Even as she hung up, she knew nothing she could say over the phone would convince one of her cousins to change their minds once they decided on something. Jace approached the car and knocked on the window.
Emma reached down to hit the unlock button and pushed the door open as much as she could with Jace’s body in the way. “What happened?”
“We should find somewhere else to stay for the night. Why don’t you scoot over and we’ll find a motel along the highway.”
Her heart sunk in her chest as she realized he didn’t answer her question. “Can’t I grab a change of clothes? If you didn’t see anyone, why can’t we go in?” She knew full well it probably wasn’t safe, but she could tell there was something Jace wasn’t telling her. And between him and her cousins, she was getting damn sick of being left in the dark.
“I didn’t see or hear anyone, but it’s a huge place, Emma. They could be hiding somewhere I didn’t have time to check or could’ve run out the back and are waiting it out in the woods. We should get going before we find out, though.”
“So everything was fine? What if we left the door open? Sometimes a strong wind comes along and catches—” Jace tightened his lips and Emma knew something bad happened. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“There’s been some damage.”
Emma felt the blood drain from her face. “What kind of damage?” It had to be bad. Otherwise he would’ve told her right away.
“I said they were trying to send a message and that’s what they did. Let’s not give them the satisfaction of hurting you.”
Emma couldn’t hear what he was saying. Everything was blocked out by the pounding anger and violation she felt knowing someone had been in her house. Not only had they broken in, but they’d vandalized the place. “I need to see it.” She pushed the door open farther, and when Jace’s body got in the way, she simply pushed harder.
“I told you it’s not safe,” said Jace, even as he backed up a step to allow her to get out.
“Well, you have my permission to shoot anyone you see.” She jogged to the porch. She heard Jace’s footsteps creak up the wooden porch behind her and without hesitation, she reached out and pulled open the front door.
Emma’s breath caught in her throat at the damage. “Those bastards,” she breathed as she stepped inside. It looked as if whoever it was had come through with a sledgehammer and destroyed everything in sight. The beautiful antique secretary where she’d always check the mail and leave her keys was now smashed to pieces. The walls were covered in holes. Drywall dust coated the entire room and bits still floated around, making the air taste stale and corrupted.
“I’m sorry,” said Jace softly from the doorway.
She turned to face him, as a tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. “How far does it go?”
“Not far. We weren’t gone long.”
Jace was right. They’d only left an hour or so ago. They’d rushed through buying groceries and then stopped for their awkward breakfast. “We were gone long enough.” She took another step inside and saw that even the ornate, hand-carved staircase had had its railing smashed in so that it was hanging precariously off to the side. “If they were still here, there would be a car out front, right?”
“Or they parked somewhere else and jumped the fence. That’s what I did.”
She looked at him again. “You have a car here?”
He shrugged. “Borrowed it from a friend, but couldn’t get it through the gate. Had to get here somehow. Let’s go. We’ll find someplace to settle in and I’ll make some calls.”
Make calls. Whatever the hell that meant. “Don’t bother. Michael said he and Luke would have the whole thing handled by tomorrow.”
Jace raised a questioning brow. “How?”
“That would involve them actually telling me things. I hung up on Michael pretty quick when you came out of the house. We can call him again when we find somewhere to stay. As we get closer to Savannah, there are a few decent places we could stay.” Jace held the door for her as she moved away from the wreckage of her home. “I just want this all to be over.”
Jace grabbed the room key from the motel worker and nodded his thanks. It probably wasn’t the nicest place Emma had ever stayed, but it would get the job done. The nondescript motel was right off the highway, accepted cash and didn’t appear to have security cameras. There were still ways for whoever was threatening Emma to find her, but he was doing his damndest to keep them away from her.
He made his way back to where he’d parked his borrowed SUV and dangled the room key in front of him, signaling that Emma could get out. She looked just as miserable as she had when he left her to go check in. Jace had dealt with this kind of thing before. It was hard enough to think that someone wanted to cause you physical harm, but when confronted with undeniable proof that you were in danger, it was a shock to the system.
Emma just needed a day or two to process everything. She’d be back to her old, much too stubborn self in no time. Tonight would be the hardest, but it would get better. He would see to it, even if her cousins didn’t get everything sorted out in the city.
He pushed the old-school metal key into the lock and the door opened to a smallish room. The television looked newish, and the comforter appeared clean enough, but the carpeting showed signs of age and a few spots on the ceiling were cracking.
“So we just sit here and wait until Michael gives us the okay?” She plopped down in the one chair next to the vanity/workspace area.
“That’s the idea.” He’d been determined to get the details from her cousins as soon as they’d switched out her BMW for the more subtle SUV he’d borrowed, but it turned out they might have good reason for keeping Emma in the dark. They told him that Evelyn was working with them, and that was all he needed to know.
Evelyn knew her business, and if she thought she could get whoever Joslyn blackmailed off her back, then Jace trusted her. He just wasn’t used to sitting back and waiting either, which left him and Emma both frustrated for the same reason. Of course, knowing Evelyn, she was only helping because there was something in it for her. Which meant that whoever she was going after must be pretty high on the FBI’s interest list, which didn’t bode well for Emma.
He slid off his jacket and set it on the dresser next to the TV.
Emma’s eyes followed his every movement, and Jace had a hard time determining w
hat was going on in her mind. “So only one bed?” she asked.
“I’ll be sleeping on the floor.” Damn, he’d meant to tell her sooner. He didn’t want her to be uncomfortable, but it was just less noticeable when a guy booked a room with one bed. And the last thing he wanted was for the worker at the front desk to remember them if anyone came asking.
Emma smiled wistfully to herself. “And here I thought you were trying to tell me something.”
He narrowed his eyes. Last night, she had been completely disgusted at the very notion of him thinking of her in any type of sexual way. He’d tried his hardest to keep his thoughts on the up-and-up, but it was hard. It was difficult enough before to keep his thoughts pure, but now that he’d been with her, he knew what she looked like bent over in front of him. He knew what those big brown eyes would look like as she sucked his cock and so innocently peered at him through her lashes.
“I’m just trying to help,” he snapped. Damn it. She was just his client. His boss, for God’s sake. He’d run missions for models and princesses before and not one of them had him this distracted. He crossed back to the door, slid in the chain and turned the deadbolt. “I’m taking a shower. Don’t let anyone in for any reason at all. If you think they should come in, grab me.” And now he was seeing images of her small hand wrapped around his cock and sliding up and down. “Understand?” he bit out through clenched teeth.
She smiled up at him in that sickeningly sweet way that let him know she was not happy. “Don’t be an idiot. Got it.”
Jace nodded and walked the few steps to the bathroom. The shower/tub combo was probably from the eighties, but the curtain was new and clean. He turned the water onto a warm temperature and started to undo his shoulder holster. He set it on the sink where his gun would remain dry, but it was within reach if he needed it. Then he pulled his shirt over his head as the bathroom door creaked open.
Jace glared at Emma as he set the shirt next to the towel stand. “You should’ve knocked. I could’ve been naked.”
Devereaux Billionaires Complete Series: Books 1-4 Page 15