She

by J. S. Cooper

  “I have a better idea,” Jakob said with a smile. “We’ll get three tickets on the same flight, or another one if that is full.”

  “I can’t afford that,” Blake said, his voice low.

  “Well, I can.” Jakob grinned. “It’s times like this that I enjoy being rich.”

  “Show-off.” I rolled my eyes at him, but I shared his excitement. “It’s times like this that I enjoy you being rich as well.”

  “And you don’t care the other times?”

  “Nope. In fact, I wish you weren’t so rich. You wouldn’t have so many different women after you, and you wouldn’t have all these people after your money.”

  “And to think I used to think you were a gold digger,” Jakob said, and then laughed as I glared at him.

  “Whatever.” I turned around and smiled at Blake. “So we’ll go to the airport and wait by her terminal. You know what flight she’s traveling on, right?”

  “Yup.” He nodded. “Thanks to the Internet and frequent-flier miles.”

  “What?” I frowned as I gazed at him.

  “She upgraded her ticket to first class.” Blake’s smile was wide as he spoke, expressing his approval. “I spotted her on a forum asking how to convert the points from her credit card.”

  “How did you know it was her?”

  “She’s old-school.” Blake said, his voice deep and thoughtful. “Her username was Pennycase1.”

  “And you’re sure it’s the same person?” Jakob asked with a frown. “Would she really be so dumb as to use her real name?”

  “I’m pretty confident it’s her.” Blake nodded. “I looked at her profile to see the e-mail address she was using on the off chance that it wasn’t private, and it wasn’t. I then searched online to see if that e-mail address was being used on any other accounts online, and lo and behold, it was.”

  “Oh?” I asked eagerly. “Carry on.”

  “It was registered to a weight-loss group,” he said, “and a grief group.”

  “A support group?” Jakob asked, suddenly more interested in the conversation.

  “Yes, it turns out Penny Case lost a brother many years ago. She wanted advice on how to handle the pain she still feels for her brother Oliver.”

  “Oliver Case.” I gasped and looked at Jakob. “It has to be her.”

  “And get this . . .” Blake paused for dramatic effect.

  “What?” I said, my heart racing.

  “She was on one other site.” He paused again, and I could see that Jakob was getting irritated.

  “Come on, Blake.”

  “It was a site about relationships,” Blake continued. “Taboo relationships.”

  “What sort of taboo?” Jakob asked with a frown.

  “Well, most of the people were former mistresses now worried that their new husbands were going to cheat.” Blake scratched the side of his face. “To be honest, I don’t know why she was on the site. She never answered or asked any questions.”

  “So that really wasn’t helpful.” Jakob shook his head.

  “Well, it was, kinda,” I said with an encouraging smile to Blake. “We know that Penny has some sort of connection to a taboo relationship, and we know that she was never legally married to Larry. So maybe there is a reason why, a deeper darker reason than we know about.”

  “That’s a very tenuous connection to make, but I suppose it could be true,” Jakob said. He grabbed his phone from the table and quickly made a call. “Lucy, put me through to travel, please.” He looked at me as he spoke, and his eyes pierced mine with a fiery look as we stood there staring at each other. “Hi, Jason, this is Jakob. I need you to book three flights for me. Flying out of JFK today. Hold on.” He looked at Blake. “What’s the flight number?”

  “AF250,” Blake said without a blink, and I smiled.

  “I can’t believe you remember that.”

  “That was easy.” He laughed. “I grew up in the South; all my uncles drove Ford F-250s.”

  “Oh, ha-ha.” I laughed and then turned to Jakob, who was back to frowning again.

  “Air France flight 250,” he barked into the phone. “Tickets for me, Bianca London, and Blake Matthews.” Jakob grunted at something Jason said on the phone. “Then get me first-class tickets!” he shouted. “I don’t care about the cost. No, I do not need you to check to see if there is a cheaper flight on another airline. Just book it.” He paused for a few seconds and then smiled. “Good. No, there’s no need. I’ll take care of the rest. Thanks, Jason,” he said, and hung up. “Done. We’re booked for the same flight. Now let’s all pack some suitcases.”

  “Suitcases?” I frowned. “Are we actually getting on the flight?”

  “No, of course not.” Jakob shook his head.

  “Then why . . .” My voice trailed off as I saw Jakob smirking.

  “TSA will think we’re suspicious,” Blake spoke up, and looked at Jakob with newfound respect. “Good thinking.”

  “Thanks. Come through.” Jakob started walking toward the bedroom and turned to Blake. “Feel free to pack my clothes into a bag.” He handed him a small Louis Vuitton suitcase and then turned to me. “Now, I’m afraid I don’t have many women’s clothes for you to pack.”

  “Trying to reassure me you’re not a cross-dresser?” I said with a smirk.

  “No, what I’m saying is I haven’t fucked any women here.” He tilted his head. “So none of them have left their clothes.”

  I gasped at his comment, my face reddening at his words, and I could see Blake looking away with widened eyes.

  “You’re a jerk,” I muttered as I glared at him. Jakob just smiled.

  “Doesn’t that make you feel better to know you’re the only one who’s been here? You’re the only one I’ve fucked in the bed, in the shower, on the couch, in the kitchen, on the new sheepskin rug . . .”

  “We haven’t had sex on the rug.” I frowned.

  “Not yet, we haven’t.” Jakob licked his lips, and my stomach stirred.

  “You’re so inappropriate. We have a guest.”

  “I’m sure Blake doesn’t mind,” Jakob said lightly. “He knows what couples do.”

  “I don’t mind,” Blake said, his voice slightly squeaky, and I felt bad about him having to witness this. I loved him madly, but Jakob could be a jerk sometimes. When this was all over, we would have to have a talk about considering other people’s feelings.

  “So what do you want me to pack?” I changed the subject, not wanting to get into an argument at that moment.

  “Some sexy thongs and . . .” Jakob’s voice trailed off as I pinched him hard. “Just pack some T-shirts,” he said finally. “I’m sure they won’t be going through the suitcases, but we don’t want to arouse suspicion by traveling with no luggage or empty bags.”

  “Fine,” I said, and all of a sudden I got very nervous and excited. “What are we going to ask Penny when we get there?” I said quietly, and both men turned to me with blank expressions.

  “That’s the million-dollar question,” Jakob said with a sigh. “If we knew what to ask and how to ask it, we’d be so much closer to the truth.”

  “Plus she’ll recognize us.” I made a face. “What if she sees us and makes a run for it?”

  “We’ll wait in the restroom until Blake lets us know he’s spotted her. Then we ambush her.”

  “I hope we’re not going to kidnap her as well,” Blake said jokingly, but Jakob didn’t laugh.

  “Focus, guys,” Jakob said as if he hadn’t just been acting like the biggest asshole in the world. “We need Penny to get us access to Larry, and we need Larry to figure out what’s going down at the ball. And we need to know what’s going down at the ball so that we don’t find ourselves in some sort of crazy predicament.”

  “Like waking up on a deserted island with a stranger?” I said innocently.

  “No, like waking up on a deserted island with a crazy, movie-obsessed woman.”

  “You’re the one who took me there.” I poked him in
the chest.

  “And I’d do it all over again if I had to.” He smiled at me tenderly. “Only maybe slightly differently.”

  “Only maybe?”

  “Well, definitely differently. Maybe no laced wine and no kidnapping.” He grinned. “But I’d definitely still like to be tied to you. I’d like to feel the pressure of the rope against my skin as I leaned back into you. Only maybe I’d have us connected the other way. With you on top of me. So that way, when you were wriggling to get loose, you’d be rubbing back and forth on me and . . .”

  “Um, I’m still here.” Blake put his hand up. “And as delightful as your conversation is, I don’t think it’s for my ears as well.”

  “Sorry, Blake.” I blushed as I hit Jakob in the shoulder. “He’s so inappropriate.”

  “You love me being inappropriate,” Jakob interjected. “And I wasn’t even being inappropriate. Inappropriate would be squeezing your breast or putting my hand in between . . .”

  “Jakob!” I screeched. “This whole conversation is inappropriate.” I shook my head at him, but my body felt warm. I wanted to pinch myself for being so easy to turn on. Jakob made a face and then gave me a special look.

  “We also need to think of what we want to ask Penny.”

  “Okay, everybody get packing, and let’s get to the airport,” Jakob said in a no-nonsense voice. As angry as I was at his imperious tone, I was happy that someone else was finally in charge of the investigation.

  Jakob and I stood in the family bathroom, just staring at each other. I could hear the different flight announcements through the speakers, and I wondered where Penny was. I wondered what she would do when she saw us. Would she try to run? Or call security and have us arrested?

  “Take a deep breath, Bianca, and talk out your worries,” Jakob said as he rubbed my shoulder. I looked up in surprise and watched as a wide smile crossed his face. “You didn’t think I would forget, did you?” He smiled at me tenderly.

  “But I told you that so long ago. We’d barely met. I didn’t think you were paying attention to my ramblings about my dad.”

  “I remember everything you’ve ever said.” He stroked the side of my face. “When will you understand how special you are to me?”

  “But I wasn’t special to you then.”

  “You’ve always been special to me.”

  “When you first met me?”

  “Bianca, I knew you were special the first time I saw you.” His voice lowered. “I knew you were special when you played your game with David, and I knew you were more than a pretty face when you spoke to me at that coffee shop that day. I was out of my mind for sitting at the table with you, but I just wanted to be near you. Not just across the room. I wanted to be with you. I wanted you to engage with me.”

  “I made a fool of myself,” I groaned as I remembered that first meeting.

  “I thought you were cute.”

  “I was a bumbling fool.” I shook my head. “But you were so handsome. I remember seeing your face under your cap, and I remember my heart racing as I gazed into your gorgeous blue eyes,” I said, and blushed as I remembered wanting to make some sort of impression on Jakob that day.

  “I guess no matter what happens, we’ve both still won.” Jakob’s tone became more serious.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean no matter what we may or may not find out, we still have each other.”

  “You think we’re going to find out something bad?”

  “I’m smart enough to know that this whole mystery goes a lot deeper than we think it does. We both got involved because we wanted to honor our mothers and find out what happened to them, but the deeper we go, the more I’m beginning to realize that this isn’t about them.” Jakob pulled me toward him, and he stared at my face for a few seconds before continuing. “I think that whatever happened to them was because they were a part of this group with our dads. Whatever those men had going was the real problem here.”

  “I’m scared to hear what Penny has to say.” I took a deep breath. “What if something really horrible went down?”

  “If my father is really still alive, then I’m sure he didn’t disappear for fun.” Jakob closed his eyes. “We just have to be prepared for whatever happens. We have to stick together.”

  “I love you, Jakob. I’m not going anywhere.” I grabbed his hand and brought it to my heart. “You’re in here, Jakob. You’re in my heart, and nothing is going to change that.”

  “I might be in here as well.” Jakob moved his hand to my stomach and rubbed.

  “Jakob.” I blushed and shook my head. “I’m not pregnant.”

  “You can’t know that for sure.” He laughed and was about to say something else when my phone buzzed with an incoming text.

  “It’s Blake. Penny’s here.”

  “You ready?”

  “I’m ready.” I nodded and took a deep breath.

  “All right, let’s go, boss.” He nodded at me, and we walked out of the bathroom. A man was standing outside the door, and he gave us a knowing look as we walked out. I wanted to tell him that no, we hadn’t been having sex, but I knew that would have made us look even more guilty. So I settled for glaring at him as we passed.

  Heading toward gate 50, I scanned the clusters of seats, looking for Penny or Blake. Finally I saw him at the end of a row, his laptop on his lap. Two seats away sat Mrs. Renee.

  “It’s her,” I muttered to Jakob as we walked. “Shit, Mrs. Renee really is Penny Case!”

  “Remember what we agreed in the car,” Jakob said lightly. “You’ll approach her by yourself. She’ll be less intimidated.”

  “I know.” I took a deep breath. “I’ve got this.”

  “Don’t let her panic, and don’t let her get paranoid,” he reminded me. “She was so nervous when you met her by yourself, and she was even more anxious when we went back together. Whatever she knows is scaring her, so much that she’s leaving the country.”

  “I don’t know that I can calm her fears though. Maybe I’m not the right person for the job.”

  “I know you are. You know what we need to find out, Bianca. You’ve got this.” Jakob stopped by the bookstore as we’d planned earlier while I continued walking toward Blake and Mrs. Renee. I casually sauntered down the row of chairs, leafing through the Cosmopolitan magazine I’d purchased earlier. There was an article about the top ten sex moves for women who wanted to take charge, and I dog-eared the page for later. Hey, I bought the magazine, might as well get my money’s worth.

  “Mrs. Renee?” I said in feigned surprise as I stopped in front of the older lady, her white hair looking frizzy and wild.

  “Bianca?” She looked up at me with wide, displeased eyes. “What are you doing here?” She looked around to see if I was with anyone and frowned up at me. She started fidgeting with her bag, and her movements were making me nervous.

  “I’m on my way to Paris. I wanted to get away for a week, see the Eiffel Tower, eat some chocolate croissants . . .” My voice trailed off awkwardly.

  “You have money for that?” she asked suspiciously as I sat down next to her. I could feel Blake staring at us as he typed away on his laptop.

  “Funnily enough, yes,” I said, clearing my throat. “So what has you going to Paris? I’m surprised you’re not staying in New York for Larry’s trial.”

  “I, uh, I’m . . .” She looked down at her lap as she mumbled, and I leaned toward her.

  “Can I talk frankly with you, Mrs. Renee?” I asked softly. “One woman to another?”

  “What do you want?” She looked up at me, a nerve in her face making her right eye twitch.

  “I need your help,” I said softly and urgently. “I need you to tell me everything you know.”

  “Know about what?” Her face went white, and I saw her checking her watch. I looked at the time on the departures board, and my heart started pounding. I only had thirty-five minutes until boarding. I needed to get the information I needed from her before
that.

  “I know you’re not married to Larry,” I said quickly. “I know your name is Penny Case. I know you’re Oliver Case’s little sister. I know you’re Steve’s aunt. Please stop.” I grabbed her arm as she made to jump up. “I don’t want to hurt you or put you in harm’s way. I just need your help. I need you to tell me what you know. I need to figure out what’s going on here.”

  “I can’t.” She shook her head. “There are people watching and recording. Always.”

  “Not here.” I shook my head. “No one is watching and recording you here.”

  “They are always recording.” Her eyes were wide.

  “Please, Penny. They’ve got Steve involved in this. If you don’t want to help me, won’t you help Steve?”

  “I didn’t know in the beginning.” Her voice caught. “I didn’t know how evil they were. They’re monsters.”

  “The people watching you and Larry?” I questioned, remembering she had talked about monsters before.

  “No.” She grabbed my hand. “Larry and his friends are the monsters.”

  “You have to tell me everything you know. I don’t want to be caught up in all of this.”

  “Oliver was a good boy.” She sighed. “Different, but good and smart. He was so smart. My mother loved him. She thought he was a baby Einstein, but Father, my father hated him. He didn’t understand him. It was different in those days. No one was into those sort of things.”

  “What sort of things?” I frowned. “Being smart?”

  “He was my best friend, you know.” She looked at me with a sad face as she ignored my question. “I never had many friends when I was growing up, but Oliver was always there for me. He always listened. He took care of me after he graduated. I wanted to be an actress. I thought I had talent. Of course I didn’t though. Every girl my age wanted to be the next Marilyn Monroe. I thought I had a chance. Oliver supported me. Sent me money every month.” She rubbed her forehead. “I thought he was happy. Thought everything was going right for him. He hadn’t had the best college experience. He’d fallen in love, but been rejected.”

  “I didn’t know that,” I said softly, wanting to say enough so that she would know I was listening, but not too much to stop her from talking.