Everything to Lose (Destination Billionaire Romance)

by Youngblood, Jennifer

  “Of course it is,” he fired back, irritated Maurie could read him so well.

  “Because I don’t think you’d be so huffy if you weren’t attracted to her.” She placed the glass of water on the coffee table.

  Liam’s eyes widened. Yes, he was attracted to her. Dani had gotten into his head, consuming way more of his thoughts than she should. Better to deflect the situation by going on the offensive. “Maurie, you’re not jealous of Dani, are you?” There was a hint of teasing in his voice.

  She wrinkled her forehead. “Hardly.”

  He knew she was telling the truth. Maurie was too sensible to muddy up their lucrative business relationship by falling in love with him.

  She went to the easel, picked up the picture of Dani, and held it up for inspection. Liam always snapped a picture of his subjects before beginning a project. That way, he could continue painting even when the subject wasn’t present. Maurie began listing Dani’s qualities. “Thick mane of dark hair, soulful brown eyes, even features. She’s a looker. There’s no doubt about that.” She placed the picture back in its original spot. “But from what you’ve told me, I get the impression that underneath the grown-up looks, she’s an immature child.” She shot him a look of reproof. “Unfortunately, there are many men in this world who get so caught up in the outward appearance that they fail to notice it’s what’s inside that counts.”

  He ignored the jab and went directly to the heart of the matter. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about! Dani’s young and naïve and can only see the good in people. And that makes her an easy target.”

  Maurie was unconvinced. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting? She’s going on a date. That’s all. Just because the guy’s a surfer doesn’t make him a bad person. He could be the greatest guy on the planet, for all we know. Are you sure it’s not just you? I mean, you do have a particular weakness for vulnerable women.”

  He looked thoughtful. “No,” he finally said. “I’m not overreacting. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m getting a bad feeling about this.” He squared his jaw, daring her to disagree. “And you know I have a sixth sense about these things. I know Dani’s flirting with trouble the same way I knew adding mysterious women into my landscape paintings would catapult sales to an epic level.”

  “I can’t argue with you there,” she said dryly.

  “Maybe I should go next door and try to talk Dani out of going. If that doesn’t work, I could always tell Samantha.”

  Maurie rolled her eyes. “No, don’t jump the gun. I’ll call in a favor from a friend at the police department, have her do some digging. Did Dani give you his name?”

  “She did.” He rubbed a hand across his forehead. “Let me see. She said his name was Jett Barnes. She met him at Sunset Beach, so he’s probably from around that area.”

  “Did she say what he looked like?”

  He nodded. “Good physique, tan, with long, wavy hair.”

  “Wow, sounds like a looker. Maybe I should check this one out myself.”

  He didn’t crack a smile. “Please tell your friend to hurry. Time is of the essence. Dani’s leaving to go to Waikiki in a few hours, and I can’t stand the thought of something bad happening to her.”

  “I’ll call Kalia right now.” She reached in her purse for her phone and gave him an annoyed look. “You know, for a man who has such a keen sense for art trends, you really don’t have the best judgment when it comes to women,” she muttered under her breath.

  “That’s hitting below the belt.”

  She merely shook her head and turned her back to him as she made the call.

  Dani couldn’t help but feel a little irritated that Liam had given her the third degree about Jett. She was going to a club with him, not marrying him. Liam was a nice guy, and she was fond of him. In another few years, he was the type of guy she might even consider settling down with. But right now, she wanted to have fun, not think about responsibility or family.

  Samantha’s face flashed before her eyes, bringing the dreaded guilt that surfaced when she thought about Samantha being shackled to Anthony for the rest of her life. She couldn’t think about all Samantha was giving up for the sake of her and their mom. She shuddered, squelching the tears that surfaced. Angrily, she wiped them away. She couldn’t think about that right now. She just couldn’t! Otherwise she would go nuts. Ever since her father died, this cloud of sadness had descended over the family; she kept waiting for it to lift, but it was only getting thicker. Well, tonight she was going to forget everything and have a good time, regardless of the situation.

  She’d just gotten a text from Jett telling her to meet him at the club. And she couldn’t wait to get there! Although it would be a long ride on the bus. Oh well, she could handle it. After blow-drying her hair and applying makeup, she examined herself in the mirror. Not bad, if she did say so herself. She went to her suitcase and pulled out the blue-and-white sundress her mother had bought her for this trip. She then slipped on a pair of yellow high-heeled sandals. Samantha was still out with Finn, and she didn’t know when she would return. She thought about texting her to let her know where she was going, but decided against it. She didn’t want Samantha asking too many questions about Jett. And she certainly didn’t want her jumping on the bandwagon telling her all the reasons why she shouldn’t go to the club with him. Instead, she left her a note saying she’d gone into Waikiki and wouldn’t be back until late.

  Liam studied the picture of Dani he was painting. He was just finishing up the area around her chin and lips, thinking about how innocent she looked, when his cell phone rang. “Hello?”

  Maurie’s voice came over the line. “Hey, Liam. It’s me. I have some information on that guy you asked me to check on, and it turns out your gut instinct was right on the money. He’s bad news.”

  His heart dropped. “How bad?”

  “Why don’t I just text you the information?”

  When the message came through, he clicked on it and began to read. Jett Barnes had been accused of two accounts of rape. Both victims reported a date-rape drug being used, but there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him. He was also suspected of selling drugs to minors and had a possible link to a human trafficking ring.

  A feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. It was worse than he thought!

  Liam glanced at the time—seven thirty p.m. First, he tried calling Dani, but it went straight to voicemail. Then he sent her a text, asking her to text him back immediately. He waited five minutes. When he got no response, he rushed next door and punched the doorbell. When no one came, he punched it again.

  He was ringing it a third time when Samantha opened the door. “Hey, Liam. Come in.” Sleep slurred her voice.

  He stepped inside.

  “Have a seat. It’s just me here.” She suppressed a yawn. “Anthony had to work later than he thought, and Dani’s in Waikiki. I laid down for a few minutes and fell asleep.”

  He remained standing. Better to jump right in rather than beat around the bush. “It’s about Dani. I’m afraid she may be in trouble.”

  Samantha frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “When she was at my place earlier, she told me she was meeting a guy in a nightclub that she’d met earlier today at the beach.”

  Samantha’s jaw went slack as worry filled her eyes. “What? She left a note saying she was going into Waikiki.”

  “I got concerned because she didn’t seem to know anything about him. Anyway, I mentioned it to Maurie, my agent. I asked if she could have a friend at the police department check him out.”

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to interfere.” He held out his phone. “But this is the report that came back.”

  Samantha reached for his phone and scrolled through the message. “Oh my gosh!” She put a hand over her mouth, her eyes taking on a crazed look. “I’ve got to call her.” She went to her phone and dialed Dani’s number. When it went directly to voicemail, she sent her a t
ext.

  He shook his head. “I’ve tried to call her and even left a few texts. She’s not responding. But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. There are so many dead spots on the island that it’s sometimes hard to get through. Especially if she’s traveling through Ka’a’awa and Chinaman’s Hat.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes. “Did she tell you where she was going?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, Addiction Nightclub.”

  “I need to call Anthony,” Samantha said, pressing his number.

  After a couple of rings, his voice came over the line. Before she could say anything, he explained, “Samantha, I’m still in Mililani. Traffic is crazy—there was an accident on H-1. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

  “It’s about Dani,” she blurted.

  “What about her? Did she finally go back to California where she belongs?”

  “No, I think she’s in trouble! I can’t get her to answer her phone or respond to texts. I need you to pick me up as soon as possible and take me to Waikiki. How long did you say it will take for you to get here?”

  “It could take an hour or more for all I know! And I’m not about to jump in the car the minute I get home and drive to Waikiki.”

  “Anthony, this is serious. Dani needs my help. I would leave this instant if I had a car. But I don’t.”

  “Your sister has caused enough trouble as it is,” he huffed. “You can’t just drop everything and run to her aid every time she gets in a jam. If she’s big enough to get herself in trouble, then she’s big enough to get herself out it. And I’ll tell you another thing—”

  Samantha ended the call while Anthony was in the middle of a sentence. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “He’s no help at all! What am I going to do?”

  Fury spiked over Liam. Even though he hadn’t heard what Anthony was saying on the other end, he got the gist of it. His first impression of the man had been absolutely correct: he was a real loser. “I can tell you exactly what we’re going to do. We’re going to Addiction to find Dani. You can keep trying to call her on the way.”

  14

  Dani was so excited she could hardly breathe when she arrived at Addiction. Her phone buzzed. She pulled it out and frowned. She’d not heard her phone ring, but she’d missed several calls and texts from Samantha and Liam. Dani called Samantha. “Hey,” she said when Samantha answered. “Is everything okay? I noticed you’d called several times.”

  Samantha was cutting out, then the call dropped. Dani tried to call her again, but it went straight to voicemail. She had just finished leaving a message and was putting her phone back into her purse when someone touched her arm. She turned, and there stood Jett. “Hey.” He flashed a big smile. “You look gorgeous.”

  “Thanks,” she murmured. His long hair was pulled back in a bun, and his aloha shirt was unbuttoned clear down to his chest, revealing a necklace with a shark’s tooth. He had on linen pants and white shoes. He’d seemed cocky yet harmless at the beach, wearing only swim trunks. Here, in this setting, he had a slick edge to him that made her a little uncomfortable.

  Jett put a hand on her shoulder. “Come on. The doorman’s a friend of mine. He’ll get us in without having to wait.” He led her through the masses of people to the bar. “I’m glad you came,” he said, flashing another smile.

  The music was so loud she could feel it pulsing in her chest. She’d always wanted to do something crazy like this, but now that she was here, she was starting to have second thoughts. “I really can’t stay long,” she yelled, leaning in so he could hear her. “I have to be getting back.”

  He gave her a funny look. “But you just got here.”

  “Yeah, something unexpected came up.”

  He said something. It sounded like he was telling her how beautiful she looked, but she couldn’t be sure, so she simply smiled. The bartender approached. Jett ordered a margarita, and she ordered a virgin piña colada.

  “You’re living on the edge, huh?”

  The hint of condescension in Jett’s voice grated on her nerves. “I don’t drink alcohol.”

  “Too bad.” His eyes raked over her so brazenly that it made her uncomfortable. “Relax,” he said, giving her an easy smile.

  “I really can’t stay long.”

  He grabbed her hand. “Let’s dance.”

  “But our drinks…”

  He laughed like she’d said something funny. “They’ll be here when we get back.”

  He pulled her onto the crowded dance floor, and they began moving to the beat of the music. Jett was a good dancer, and he seemed to be willing to allow her to get used to the club on her own terms—kind of like stepping into a swimming pool gradually rather than diving in headfirst. Then, without warning, he slipped in a disco move that looked so ridiculous that she couldn’t help but laugh.

  “See?” he teased. “You’re starting to have fun.”

  “A little,” she said. Maybe he wasn’t so different from the charming guy on the beach.

  They danced a few more songs, until a trickle of sweat ran between Dani’s shoulder blades. Jett seemed to be reading her mind. “Let’s take a breather.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and guided her back to the bar.

  “I thought I’d wait until after you danced to get your drinks,” the bartender explained.

  “Thanks, bro,” Jett said.

  “One margarita and a virgin piña colada, coming right up.”

  Dani sought for something to say. “Do you come here often?”

  Jett smiled. “Only when I have the prettiest girl in Hawaii with me.”

  “I’m sure you say that to all the girls,” she said.

  “Nope, just the pretty ones.”

  They laughed.

  The bartender placed their drinks in front of them. Dani took a sip. “Mmm … delicious.”

  Jett nodded. “The drinks here are excellent.”

  She took another gulp. “On the bus ride here, I was thinking—I don’t know anything about you. Tell me about yourself. Did you grow up in the Sunset Beach area?”

  He straightened in his seat and reached for a napkin, knocking his drink into Dani’s lap. They both jumped up at the same instant. “Dani, I’m so sorry,” he began. “Here let me help.” He tried to help blot up the liquid.

  A drink in her lap. Why was she not surprised? This night was not going the way she’d planned. “It’s okay. I’ll run to the restroom and get cleaned up.”

  A few minutes later, she rejoined Jett at the bar. “Well, that took a little longer than expected,” she said, sitting down. “Do you know how hard it is to attempt to dry a dress using a hand blower?”

  Jett gave her a half smile. “You have to let me make it up to you. Here, I ordered you a fresh drink.”

  She picked up her drink and took a large swig. “Thanks.”

  He leaned in. “Where were we?”

  “You were about to tell me about yourself. How you grew up. You know, your favorite ice cream—that sort of thing.”

  “My favorite ice cream’s chocolate. I was born in Waianae.”

  She scrunched her nose. She could tell from the way he spoke the words that they held some significance, but she was clueless. “What part of the island is that? I haven’t been there yet.”

  He laughed. “And I wouldn’t recommend it. Not a good place for a pampered haole girl, I can tell you that.”

  “I beg your pardon. I am not pampered,” she countered, not liking the course this conversation was taking. Jett was turning out to be a jerk. She moved to stand. “Just because I’m from California doesn’t mean I’m pampered. You don’t know anything about me.”

  He placed a hand on her arm. “Don’t get all huffy, babe. I meant no harm. I was just making a statement. Waianae’s a rough place. There aren’t many haoles, men or women, who would dare show their faces there, especially after dark. That’s just the way it is. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything against you.”

  He seemed sincere enough, and yet there was someth
ing about him that was setting her on edge. She decided right then and there that after she finished her drink, she was going to give some excuse and leave.

  “Let’s see… you wanna know what’s it’s like to grow up in Hawaii.” He rubbed his jaw. “When I was six years old, my family moved to Pupukea…”

  When she’d asked about his life, she wasn’t looking for a detailed history lesson, but he was determined to give her one. As it turned out, Jett wasn’t nearly as exciting as she thought. The evening was starting to look like a real bore.

  Twenty minutes later, he was still droning on. But something strange was happening to her. A swift panic raced through her veins. Something was very wrong! A blur of confusion whirled around her, and she felt slow and disconnected from her body.

  “You have a weird expression,” Jett said. “Is everything okay?”

  Dizziness swept over her. “I… don’t… feel…” She was trying to say well, but she couldn’t get her lips to form the word. Everything was all slurred together, and this dense fog was pressing against her brain.

  “Maybe we should get some fresh air.”

  “Yeah,” she breathed. Fresh air would help.

  Jett’s voice sounded like it was coming from far away. He helped her to her feet, and she leaned on him as he led her to the door. She stumbled, but he caught her. As they exited the club, she thought she heard the doorman ask Jett if everything was all right. Jett responded that she’d had too much to drink.

  Dull warning bells went off in her head. Why would Jett say she’d had too much to drink when he knew she hadn’t had a drop of alcohol? She tried to confront him, but he wouldn’t stop. He was forcing her forward, and she was powerless to do anything about it. A silent scream rent her throat, and she felt trapped inside her own body that was responding like a limp noodle. Then the nausea overtook her as she doubled over.

  “Come on,” he barked. “This will be so much easier if you’ll just cooperate.” She was cognizant enough to notice the ruthless expression on his face, letting her know he would show her no mercy.