“Yes. Yes. And you know I’ll keep it, too. You checked into my past.” Tara gripped the edge of the desk. “Hang up the phone, and I’ll give it all to you.”
Jake flinched. “Tara, stop…”
“Don’t.” She glowered at him, fury humming off her like a visible thing. “I’m not letting you go to jail in some lame attempt to save me. I won’t let it happen.”
Cooper stared at her for a good long moment. “Yes, yes. I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat, and addressed the person on the other line. The person who was most definitely not a cop. “I was mistaken. Forget this call came through.”
Cooper hung up and handed a pen to Tara. She took it with trembling fingers, and quickly scribbled something down. Jake watched, feeling like the lowest of scum as she wrote. By the time she was finished, he thought he might hurl.
This wasn’t right. None of this was right.
Tara set the ballpoint down and handed the fix over. “This is everything you need to know to get rid of the issue. You address that, and I won’t be able to get in.”
Cooper took the paper. “Thank you for your cooperation. I’m sorry it had to go down like this.”
Tara nodded, her mouth pinched tight. “May I go now? Or am I still going to jail?”
“Yes, of course. The deal was if you helped us, you’d be free to go.” Cooper sat back down. “Jake can see you out.”
Jake grabbed her and escorted her to the door, not saying a word. He didn’t trust himself to speak. Not until he figured out how to tell her what had really happened here.
They were halfway across the office when Tara stopped, her arm stiff under his fingers. She turned slowly, looking first at Jake, then at Cooper. “Sorry it had to go like what? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Cooper shoved the code into his safe and closed it. He looked at Jake, his cheeks flushing. “It was the only way we could think of to get you to—”
“Oh my God.” Tara pulled free from Jake’s grip, her cheeks flushed. “I’m such a fool. This was all some elaborate plan to get me to confess, wasn’t it?”
Jake’s heart dropped to the floor at his feet. He’d hoped to think of a way to break it to her gently. He’d hoped…too damn much. “Tara, it’s—”
“Don’t.” She gave him her back, focusing on his boss. “Who was really on the phone?”
“Gordon. One of my detectives out there,” Cooper admitted, his shoulders tense. “I’m sorry, but we knew you wouldn’t give in. Jake didn’t want to send you to jail, and frankly, neither did I. So we used the one thing we could think of against you.”
Tara spun on her heel, her head held high despite the tremble in her lower lip. She focused on Jake. “You.”
His stomach rolled. “Not me, exactly. More so your compassion for others. I’m sorry.”
Tara shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. “There’s nothing you can say to me right now that’ll make this okay.”
“I needed to keep you safe. I did what I had to do,” he said.
She laughed bitterly. “I’m such an idiot.”
“I’m sorry, but I—” Jake tried to grab her arms, but she shoved free. He stepped closer to her, but she backed up. Making himself stand still, he thrust his hands into his pockets to avoid touching her when she so obviously didn’t want him to. “I did the only thing I could, under the circumstances.”
She trembled with rage. “You don’t get to excuse your behavior to me. I’m done here, and I never want to see either of you ever again.”
When she spun on her heel and left, Jake watched her go, clueless about what to do next. What to say. What to feel. He’d won, but he’d really lost. “Shit.”
Cooper, who sat behind his desk looking awkward and out of place, cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, man. I could have tried to make this work in another way, maybe.”
“No. It had to be this way. It’s the only way I could guarantee her safety.”
Cooper stood up, grabbed Jake’s keys and ID, and tossed them over. “You should go after her. Try to make her understand why you did what you did. I can see there’s more between you two than meets the eye.”
Jake took his stuff. “About that…”
“Don’t feel the need to explain. I knew you two had history together, but I sent you into that case anyway. Maybe it was a test of sorts, to make sure you wouldn’t get dragged back into that lifestyle.” Cooper rubbed the back of his neck and avoided Jake’s scrutiny. “I had to be sure. I’m sorry, man.”
A test? This had all been a test? He’d passed it, but he’d lost Tara in the process. “It’s okay. I get it.”
“You should go after her,” Cooper said. “Explain yourself.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll excuse myself for the day. I need to go home.”
Cooper nodded. “Of course. Take the rest of the day off, man.”
Jake didn’t bother to reply, just crossed the office and headed for the stairs. She didn’t want to see him, but he needed to see her, damn it. Needed to make her see why he’d done what he’d done. Then she’d walk away from him.
For the rest of his life, he’d be the same Jake he’d become ever since his injury. A recluse. Constantly alone. Always serious. Never having fun. Damn it, he wished that file with her name on it had never crossed his desk, because if he hadn’t seen her again…
He’d never have wanted more out of life than this.
Chapter Fifteen
Tara swiped her hands under her eyes, sniffing hard. She had to get herself together before the elevator doors opened. She was losing it, and that wasn’t her style. No, not at all. She didn’t cry over men, certainly didn’t cry over men who betrayed her.
And she didn’t cry in public ever.
She shouldn’t be surprised that they’d used her weakness against her to get their way, or that they’d discovered her disadvantage before she had. But they had, and they were right. She couldn’t stand the thought of Jake taking the fall for her, so she’d caved.
Not only because she didn’t like an innocent person being punished, but because it had been Jake. She cared about him, truly cared about him, and he’d used her with a purpose. Had any of it been real? Had he wanted her, beyond the normal male proclivity for getting laid? Or had it all been an act cooked up between Jake and Cooper so she would give them what they wanted?
The code.
The elevator doors opened, and she straightened her spine. Time to walk out with her head held high and disappear from his life for good. She’d need some time to lick her wounds, because right now they hurt like a bitch.
One step off the elevator, she froze. Son of a… “How did you beat me down here?”
“I ran,” Jake said, leaning against the wall, breathing fast. He didn’t have any weight on his bad leg. “I’m sorry, Tara. You have to believe me. I didn’t mean—”
“Believe you? You know what? Fuck you.” She stalked to him and smacked his shoulder. “I won’t believe another word you say. Ever. You lied to me. Tricked me. Used me. Acted like you cared.”
“That last part wasn’t an act.” He held his palms out. “I wasn’t acting about anything between us. And what happened in my bedroom was real, too. So were the things I said about wanting to be with you. It was all real.”
“Do you honestly think I’m going to believe a word you say to me after what you did?” She tried to sidestep him, but he blocked her path. “Let me go, Jake. I don’t want to talk to you ever again.”
He blanched. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I wanted to save you.”
“Well, you did. Congratulations.” She walked away from him. “Now let me go.”
“Tara, wait!”
She quickened her steps, knowing he wouldn’t catch her. Not after he’d run down the stairs to try and get her. She made it outside before she realized she didn’t have a car. Obviously, she could call a cab to come get her. But she still had stuff at Jake’s place, too. Including her house keys. It was painfully
clear she needed to get back into Jake’s.
The door opened behind her, and she stiffened. Without turning around, she knew he’d followed her outside. He passed her and opened the passenger door of his car for her. His sunglasses hid his eyes from her, but she didn’t need to see them to know he was upset. He had lines around his mouth from pressing his lips together, and his body was taut. “You’ll need your stuff. Get in.”
She slid into the seat, wishing her racing heart would calm the heck down. She wouldn’t say a word to him. Wouldn’t fight. Vowed to treat him with icy silence. And yet the second he sat beside her and started the ignition, she opened her mouth. “Why did you do it? Why did you do something guaranteed to make me hate you? To make me despise everything about you?”
He backed out of the spot, keeping his attention locked on the road. “I couldn’t send you to jail. I had to keep you safe, no matter the cost. If that makes you hate me, then so be it. At least you’re not locked up behind bars.”
“Is this need to protect me a side effect of the sex?”
His knuckles flexed. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”
“So if we hadn’t slept together, would you have turned me in?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know, damn it.” He curled his lip. “I don’t fucking know, but I wouldn’t have sent you to jail.”
She swallowed hard, staring at the red light instead of him. “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. It’s all over now.”
He glanced away, and she still couldn’t read him. “Yeah.”
She shook her head. “What would have happened if I didn’t give the code? If I let you take the fall for me?”
“You wouldn’t have.”
Obviously. But he didn’t have to act like he knew her so well. He didn’t. “But what if I did?”
He pulled into his driveway and ripped off his shades. “I still couldn’t have put you behind bars. I’d have tried to find another way to make it work, but Soltese would have remained an issue. Now he’ll never know who you were, and we don’t have to worry about him getting revenge.”
Knowing she wouldn’t go to jail, he’d still tricked her.
That made his betrayal hurt more.
Jake shut off the engine, threw his door open, and got out. She didn’t wait for him. She opened the door and stalked up the driveway. “I’ll see myself home. Let me in so I can get my stuff, and then leave me the hell alone.”
“I’ll give you a ride home.”
“No.”
“Yes,” he said, spinning on her. “You’re allowed to be angry. You’re allowed to hate me, even. But I’ll be damned if I leave you to fend for yourself when I have fucking breath left in my lungs. I’m driving you home.”
She didn’t bother to answer. He wasn’t driving her anywhere. He let her inside, gripping the knob so tight it must be under the threat of snapping. “Tara, please. Forgive me.”
Closing her eyes, she bit down on her lower lip and shook her head. “I…I can’t. We’re done.”
She walked the rest of the way up the stairs. Every step she took hurt, because she knew after she left, she’d never see him again. They’d be over forever.
He’d seen to that.
When she got to her room, she made a quick phone call before gathering her stuff. Something crashed downstairs, and she flinched. What had that been? Had he broken something, or had he fallen? She forced herself to remain behind the closed door. To not seek him out. Nothing good would come of it.
Once the cab parked in front of his house, she grabbed her bags and headed down the stairs. He ran his gaze over her and tugged on his vest. Why did he have to be so damn hot in that stupid thing? He pushed off the wall and reached for her stuff.
She gripped it tighter and held it behind her back. “I’ve got it.”
For a second, she thought he would fight with her. Rip it off her shoulder. But then his jaw softened and he cupped her behind the neck and towed her close. “If you’re leaving me, then I’m going to add one more regret to the pile.”
She dropped her luggage to the floor in her panicked rush to push him away, knowing if he kissed her then she might lose her strength to resist him, but she moved too slowly. His mouth covered hers, and he kissed her with so much passion she was surprised the sheer force didn’t knock her to the floor. Despite all the hatred, anger, and hurt stewing in her blood, her body responded.
Boy, did it respond.
He backed her into the wall, covering her entire body with his. Her hands, which previously pushed him away, pulled him closer. And she kissed him back, knowing this was the last time she would get to do so. And as his tongue moved over hers, she realized with picture-perfect clarity why she’d been so easily had. And why she’d been so desperate to save him.
She’d been falling in love with him.
Gasping for air and blinking back tears, she broke off the kiss. “Stop.”
“Don’t go.” He dropped his forehead on hers, his own breathing harsh. “I didn’t lie about wanting you to be mine. I still want that. Please don’t leave me, sweetheart.”
Part of her wanted to stay. But she couldn’t. Wouldn’t.
He’d used her. Lied to her. Played her.
Her heart seemed to be trying to claw its way out of her chest, one painful inch at a time. “I don’t want that. I don’t want you. I no longer belong to you. We’re over.”
His grip tightened on her. “You’re pissed. Take some time to—”
“I hate you now,” she choked out, recognizing it for the lie it was the second she said the words. “Did you expect anything else?”
He lingered on her for a second, but then he stepped back. The trembling of his hand as he let go of her almost did her in, but she refused to let herself waver. “No. Not really,” he said, his voice hollow. “Seems to be a common emotion with the women in my life.”
It was time to go, before she made a mistake.
Before she gave him a second chance.
“I-I think I forgot my purse in your room.” Tara crossed her arms. “I don’t want to go back in there and see where you…can you please get it for me?”
His forehead scrunched. “Okay.”
She watched him climb the stairs, waiting until he reached the top. As she bent and picked up her bag, he turned around. She could tell the exact moment he knew she was leaving him. The exact second he knew he’d been had. He stumbled down a step, obviously trying to rush back to her, and failing because of his leg. For a terrifying flash, she thought he might fall, but he caught himself on the banister.
“Tara, wait—”
She shook her head, swallowing past the huge aching lump in her throat. Without another word, she opened the door and bolted out, heading directly for the cab that she’d called. As she threw herself and her bag in the backseat, she shouted, “Go. Go!”
The driver blinked at her over his shoulder, but stepped on the gas. As the cab sped away from Jake’s house, she caught a brief glimpse of him toppling outside as she passed. He caught the doorframe, barely keeping himself from hitting the ground.
And she turned away.
The cab driver cleared his throat. “Where to, miss?”
She stared down at her bag, still blinking back tears. She didn’t want to go home. Didn’t want to stay there, knowing he might come find her. She didn’t trust herself around him. Not anymore. “Airport,” she croaked out. “Take me to the closest airport.”
As he drove, she took out her iPhone and opened an airline website. Within seconds, she had a flight booked to Florida. She had a vacation home there, and it would give her the chance she needed to heal. To forget.
When they got to the airport, she tipped the driver and got through security in record time. It wasn’t until she was in the air and she flopped her head back on her seat in first class that she let herself cry. And once she started, she couldn’t stop.
Because it was over.
It was so over
.
Chapter Sixteen
Three days later, Jake sat behind his desk and tossed a stress ball back and forth. His sleep-deprived eyes stung, and he blinked them in an attempt to clear his vision. He was fucking exhausted, and yet he couldn’t sleep.
Every night, he went to Tara’s home and knocked. Every night, she didn’t answer. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that she’d gone to one of those houses she’d spoken about a few days ago over dinner. He didn’t have a fucking clue what to do without her.
In his empty bed, he kept staring at the ceiling. Replaying their last conversation in his head. Something had happened to him during that short time he’d been in her company again, and it hadn’t been fixed when she walked out of his life. If anything, it had gotten worse. She had broken something inside him. Something irreparable that missed her, needed her, and wanted her back.
He snorted. Yeah. As if that was going to happen.
Reclining in his chair, he kicked his feet on his desk. He had her file open, and had been staring at her photo like a lovesick teenager for the better part of the morning. He missed her so damn much. She hated him, and he deserved her hatred. He’d lied and that was the end of that. She’d never liked liars, and that hadn’t changed about her.
Thief or not, she valued honesty.
The door opened, and his boss poked his head through. He’d been expecting it to be Gordon with an update about his princess assignment, but it wasn’t. “Hey. You’re still here?”
“Yeah,” Jake said, confusion taking hold. Had he zoned out all day long? Shit if he knew. He checked the time. It was only eleven in the morning. Raising a brow, he asked, “Where else would I be? Did I forget about an appointment?”
“No. How you feeling?”
Jake flinched. Last night, he and Cooper had gotten piss-assed drunk, and Jake had spent all night talking about how much he missed Tara. He’d never drink tequila around the other man again. Hell, he’d even called Christine and spilled his guts to her, too. Told her how much he missed Tara, and how he needed to fix it.
He owed her an apology call now, too.
He sighed. “I’m good. Sorry about last night, by the way.”
Stealing His Heart Page 14