“I was,” he muttered, jerking his head toward James, “until this jackass called me.”
He laughed low in response, figuring James had thought it best to have Gabriel there to help keep him calm, even though Gabe loved to give the club owner a difficult time whenever they were around each other.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t loving the fact that you look so uncomfortable being here,” his best friend murmured.
Jonah’s response was dry. “Gee, thanks.”
Gabe shot him a hard smile. “I’m just happy for you, man. It’s about time you tossed this shithole in the past, where it belongs.”
James cleared his throat. “I’m standing right here, you know.”
Gabe’s smile turned sly. “Yeah, I know.”
Straightening his dark blue silk tie, James muttered, “Smile now, Harrison. But I’m taking all your money at poker next week for talking bad about my livelihood.”
“You can try, James,” Gabe drawled. “You can try.”
“As fun as it is to stand here and watch you two tear into each other,” Jonah said with a heavy note of impatience, “we have more important things to deal with. Where is she?”
“Waiting for us in my office,” James replied, and without another word, Jonah followed the two men down the hallway. James walked through the huge oak door on their left first, telling the security guard who’d been waiting in his office that he could go. Then they followed him inside, Jonah’s body tensing the second he stepped into the luxurious, high-ceilinged room and spotted Valerie Johnson standing off to their right, by the bay window. He hadn’t seen her in over a decade, and despite James’s assurance that he’d caught her, he almost didn’t believe it was actually Val.
Back when Jonah had known her, she’d been all lush curves and pale blond hair, while the woman standing there in a sleek black pants suit was brutally thin and brunette. The angle of the chin was also altered, as were her lips, making him think she’d had some serious cosmetic surgery done over the years. She looked so different, he wouldn’t have even recognized her if he’d passed her on the street, which was why he hadn’t made the connection when David had given him the photo from the security footage. But there was a sharpness in this woman’s eyes that he recognized all too well.
When they’d been dating, Jonah had tried to convince himself that that sharpness was an edge that would soften over time, but he’d been wrong. It was a blade that had cut at something vital inside her, until she’d learned to use it on others.
On their emotions.
Their lives.
She was still a beautiful woman, until you looked at those eyes and saw the greedy, calculating bitch hiding behind the façade.
“Well, look at what just crawled in on his slimy belly,” she purred, the sharp smile on her rouged lips spreading like a stain as she looked him over, then locked her narrowed gaze with his.
Slipping out of his suit jacket, Jonah took a moment to lay it over the back of a nearby chair, while James took his seat behind the sprawling desk and Gabriel leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. “You’ve been a busy woman these past few weeks, Val,” he murmured, turning to face her again. “And a watchful one before that.”
She gave a hard laugh, even as her smile fell away.
“What happened?” he asked lightly, trying to read her. “The life of the rich socialite didn’t suit you, so you felt like coming back and playing the psycho stalker in mine?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she replied coldly, her posture stiffening. “This isn’t about me wanting you. It’s about making you pay for ruining my life.”
He shook his head as he laughed. “Are you kidding me?”
“What happened between us. The way that it ended,” she said, her voice turning harsh as she pointed one thin finger at him. “It was all your fault, but I was the one who had to pay for it.”
“You didn’t have to take Carter’s deal,” he countered in a mild tone, pushing his hands into his pockets. “And what are you complaining about? It all turned out exactly how you wanted. I was out of your life, and you had your fat bank account. End of story.”
“Exactly how I wanted?” she laughed, sounding surprised. “You have no idea! After your father chewed me up and spit me out, he had me blacklisted not only in this city, but the entire state.” She took a step forward in her stiletto heels, literally vibrating with rage. “So I took my hard-earned money and I went to New York, looking for a fresh start. But all I found there were a bunch of rich assholes like the Cartwrights. You’re all the fucking same,” she snarled. “I even married one of you—some wealthy, respected titan of industry—and all he did was treat me like a brainless piece of ass.”
“Are you forgetting that you’re the one who chose the cash over me? I didn’t leave you. Didn’t break it off with you. Wasn’t using you. I don’t know how you’ve twisted this all around in your head, but you’re the one who got down on her knees and sucked my dad’s dick for a cool hundred grand.”
“Because I had no choice! I only took Carter’s deal because I knew you were never going to marry me.”
Another husky laugh rumbled up from his chest as he rubbed his jaw. “I don’t know, Val. I was pretty stupid back then, so I might have.”
For a split second, something flickered in her eyes, as if she actually believed him. But then she sniffed, shaking off the brief flash of vulnerability. “That’s a lie. Your father never would have let it happen.”
Jonah sighed. “And that just shows how stupid you were too, because I’ve never done what that old bastard has told me to do.”
“He would have taken your money away,” she seethed, the hatred in her eyes back in full force.
“Not possible. It was mine. The majority of my inheritance came from my mother, so Carter couldn’t have touched it. But I guess I should thank him for saving me from you. You really were just a money-hungry bitch.”
“Yeah, well, you became a fucking embarrassment. I mean, just think about the things you’ve done in this place.”
James grunted as he leaned back in his chair. “Careful, Ms. Johnson.”
Ignoring James, she kept her focus on Jonah, and the smile that started to curl her lips again made his skin crawl, it was that unsettling. “It’s been so funny, watching you try to win over the little blonde. Playing the honorable boyfriend who can keep it in his pants, when it’s nothing but a lie. You’ll never be happy without this club and your endless stream of pussy and dick. You’re too twisted now. Too broken.”
“And you’re full of bullshit. You’re so fucking stuck in the past that you can’t move on from it. But I finally know what it feels like to be happy,” he told her, his low voice rough with conviction, “and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my family. To protect the people I love.”
“Really?” she sneered. “Because you’ve done a shit job of it so far. It was so easy to watch you when I came back to the city it was laughable. You were always so caught up in your head, you never even realized I was tailing you nearly everywhere you went.” She paused as she took another step forward, coming so close he could smell the overwhelming heaviness of her perfume, and the cruel look in her eyes warned him that something bad was coming. “Like that night last summer, when you drove the fat-assed brunette over to Gabriel’s place.”
“You’re fucking blind,” Gabe growled, speaking up for the first time since they’d walked into the office. “And you sound like a jealous bitch.”
“Whatever,” she tossed at Gabriel with a snide laugh, before settling her disturbing gaze back on Jonah. “I followed you to his building, snuck in, and got a sweet little old lady to tell me which fancy apartment he lived in. Then I listened for a while through the door, and my oh my,” she drawled, rubbing her tongue over her lower lip. “The two of you worked her over so hard, I doubt the poor girl could even walk afterward.”
Gabriel snarled as he moved away from the wall, but Jonah
held up a hand to keep him back as he snapped, “If you’ve got a point, Valerie, then get to it.”
She walked over and perched her hip on the corner of the desk, making James curl his lip with revulsion. “You know, I could almost handle you fucking your way through the men and women in this city without making it overly personal. So it’s all your fault, really, Jonah. I mean, it wasn’t until you fixated on the pretty blonde that I knew it was up to me to teach you a lesson. But I needed better access,” she added, casually examining her manicure as she held out her right hand. Looking up at him again, she gave a soft laugh. “I thought it might be difficult, but I was wrong.”
“How’d you do it?” he bit out, thinking of the security guards she must have manipulated into giving her that ‘access’. “Was it bribes? Or did you just spread your legs to get what you want?”
“I didn’t have to do either,” she shot back with a smug smile. “I learned from you just how powerful ‘watching’ can be. And I put what I learned to good use.”
“Watching?”
“You do enjoy a good set of eyes, don’t you?” she asked, arching a single eyebrow at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. “And it turns out that when you’re watching someone closely, you can learn all sorts of things about them. I mean, it’s amazing what people will do to protect their secrets. To keep their loved ones from learning all the dirty little things they don’t want them to know.”
“Christ,” he grunted under his breath, unable to believe just how far into crazy she’d fallen.
“So in order to get what I wanted, I focused on a few men in key positions, like one of your top security guards at Atlas, and then another in the building across the street from your office. And I found an extremely helpful man right here at Vane, who just so happens to specialize in cyber security.” She lifted her shoulders in a shrug, looking incredibly pleased with herself. “After that, spying on you, and sending those informative little texts to your girlfriend, was ridiculously easy.
“I could walk the halls at Atlas, right in the middle of the day, and you were all so clueless,” she laughed. “But most days, I just sat over in the Randolph building, in one of the empty offices, and watched you through the glass. I even had someone override your security system, so that I could see in even when you pushed that little button that’s meant to make the windows turn opaque. But then, that shouldn’t really bother someone like you.”
“Actually, I’m thinking blackout curtains are sounding better by the minute,” he muttered, completely creeped out.
She gave him a sly smile. “Well, I have to say that there have been some fun moments. That Friday from a week ago was one of my favorites.”
“Don’t,” he warned, narrowing his eyes. “You don’t get to talk about her. Her name doesn’t even touch your lips.”
“Are you serious? You think I’m not good enough to say the princess’s name? Jesus, if that’s the case, then what about you? How can you live with yourself, after the things you’ve done? The hundreds you’ve fucked? Or is it thousands? How can you—”
“Christ, woman, do you ever stop talking?” James grated, sounding at the end of his patience.
“She can shut up in a second,” Jonah said. “First, I want to know what the point of the phone calls was.”
“That’s easy,” she laughed, nodding her head toward James. “The calls to this asshole’s employees were just to make you sweat. My next move was going to be calls to all the members who you’ve performed with, but I hadn’t decided between telling them you have some gruesome STD, or just asking if they had any juicy stories about you that they wanted to—”
“Are the fucking cops here yet?” Gabe cut in with a snarl, clearly tired of listening to her go on.
James checked the phone in his hand. “They’re on their way,” he said, his thumbs moving over the phone’s touchscreen.
“Wait, what? You’ve got to be kidding me.” She gave them all a look of stunned outrage as she moved away from the desk and took a step back, teetering on her heels. “You called the cops on me? What are you, a bunch of pussies?”
James arched one dark, sardonic brow. “After what you’ve done, did you really think we were just going to let you walk your scrawny ass out of here?”
“What the hell?” she snarled, as two security agents who Jonah recognized as part of Phil’s team suddenly came into the office and flanked her, taking hold of her arms.
James went on. “We marked Bryce Everly this morning as the employee who’s been helping you, and after taking possession of his phone, we sent you the message asking you to meet him here. We’ve also been recording this entire conversation.” Leaning back in his chair, James locked his hands behind his head and smiled. “So now that you’ve admitted to breaking several laws, you and Everly are going to be taken down to the police station. And knowing how my legal team works, I have a feeling we’re going to get pretty creative with the charges.”
“You dick!” she screamed, struggling against the agents, her face red with fury. “I’ll fucking kill you! All of you!”
“You learned it was this Everly guy this morning?” Jonah asked the club owner, ignoring her tirade.
James’s smile turned downright cocky. “I told you I set a trap. Several, in fact.”
“Where is he?” he asked, itching to get his hands on the bastard. “I’d like to ask him some questions about those photos he gave her.”
James started to respond, only to be cut off when Valerie gave a maniacal laugh, the eerie sound giving Jonah chills. “They weren’t all Bryce got me,” she gloated, when he turned his head to look at her. “You might think you’ve won, but you’re too late to stop what I wanted all along. You can have me arrested, but it’s not going to change how this all ends. You’re a disgusting whore, Jonah Cartwright, and now she knows it.”
“Seeing as how you blew his old man for money,” James muttered, “I’d be careful who you call a whore.”
“I’ve done what I had to do. And someone needed to knock him off his goddamn pedestal.” She glared at Jonah, spittle spraying from her lips as she yelled, “You don’t deserve some fucking fairytale. You deserve to burn!”
Jesus, he thought, marveling at how there’d once been a time when he’d actually enjoyed being around this woman. And while it hadn’t been love, there’d been genuine affection, at least on his part. But that girl he’d known all those years ago was gone now, and in her place stood a bitter bitch who’d let greed and hatred twist her into something verging on madness.
Gabriel came over to stand beside him, a scowl woven between his friend’s dark brows as he looked at Valerie. “What did you mean by ‘he’s too late’? Too late for what?”
She laughed again, the odd sound as unsettling as Gabriel’s question, and Jonah felt a wave of fear sweep through his veins. “Does she have a phone on her?”
“We took her phone off her after we brought her up to my office,” James replied.
“Where is it?” he demanded, something not feeling right. “Where’s the fucking phone?”
“Right here,” James said, opening the top drawer in his desk and pulling out a sleek cell phone.
Gabriel walked over and took the phone from James, his face paling as his fingers moved over its touchscreen.
“Oops,” Valerie giggled, sounding more like a madwoman with every second that went by.
“Christ, what’s she done now?” Jonah choked out, his mouth filling with the taste of bile.
Gabriel’s fingers continued to move over the phone’s touchscreen, while James picked up the phone on his desk and made a call, telling someone to send Phil down to his office immediately.
“It looks like she sent Jocelyn a video file not that long ago,” Gabriel said, while James stood up behind his desk, looking as grim as Gabe.
A video file? What the fuck?
“It was actually pretty genius,” Valerie laughed. “You see, I had a backup plan before I came here today, just
in case Bryce was getting cold feet on me. So when the dickhead behind the desk demanded that I follow him up to his office, I slid my hand into my pocket, hit a button on the phone, and put that plan into motion.”
Heart racing with panic, Jonah growled, “What fucking plan?” just as the oak door to James’s office swung open.
“Graeme said that you needed me down here,” Phil muttered, coming into the office, his tall body wrapped up in black jeans and a black Henley, looking every bit the badass security expert. “I was still in the middle of questioning Everly, so what’s going on?”
“She sent a video—” James started to explain, only to have Valerie cut him off.
“Not just any video. It’s amazing footage. I mean, you can really see the detail when Jonah… Well,” she drawled silkily, snickering under her breath. “I guess I had better keep my mouth shut. I don’t want to spoil the surprise for everyone.”
Phil reached out for the phone. “Let me see it.”
“Can we call it back?” Jonah croaked, fury clogging his throat. “Somehow cancel it or something?”
“I’m sorry, man,” Phil said without looking up, his fingers still moving over the touchscreen. “I’m trying, but I don’t think there’s any way to recall the file.”
He looked at Valerie. “What the hell have you done?” he demanded in a raw voice that didn’t even sound like his own, knowing that whatever she said, it was going to be bad.
Her answering smile was slow and unnervingly wide, as if it might just keep spreading across her plastic face like an oil slick on the ocean. “I tried to be nice with my warnings. I mean, she’s had a rough time of it, being a single mom and all. But the stupid bitch didn’t listen, and now the gloves are off. Now I’ve made sure that she can see for herself just what kind of man you are.” She leaned forward, straining to pull away from Phil’s men as she gave another husky laugh and said, “Now you’re going to know what it feels like to lose everything, Jonah. To want something and not be able to have it.”
“Just tell me what you sent her! Is it a video of me with Jenny and Monica?” It made him want to roar, thinking of how Jocelyn would feel watching that play out in real time. Hearing the women’s cries of pleasure, his low grunts, and the slapping of flesh against flesh. Witnessing how hard and how long he’d fucked them that night.
The Next Play: Part Four: the play series | book 1 | part 4 Page 10