“I’m sure. And your cash. Give me all of your cash.” It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she’d pay him back. But given the circumstances, it seemed silly to be polite.
Mac gave a small smile. “Smart girl.”
“I’ve learned a few things along the way.”
“Let me explain,” Jackson pleaded with her.
She dared to look at him. “So you can tell me more lies?”
She was heartsick at his deception. Her father had sent him. She’d been such an easy mark. She’d been a laughably easy mark.
“It wasn’t lies,” said Jackson.
“Do you know my father?”
Jackson’s nostrils flared. “Yes.”
“He sent you?” She already knew the answer.
“Yes.”
“He told you about the diamond mine.”
“Yes, but—”
“Joke’s on you, Jackson. Trent conned you just like he’s conned everybody his whole life. The mine doesn’t exist.”
“Mac confirmed it,” said Jackson.
Crista barked out a laugh. “He thinks he confirmed it. That just says my father is one step ahead of Mac.”
She turned her attention to Mac, who was reaching into his pockets. He handed her the keys and a wad of cash.
“What are you doing?” Jackson demanded of Mac.
“Letting her go,” Mac said mildly.
“No,” Jackson shouted.
Mac gave him a look.
“Right,” said Jackson, clenching his jaw. “You’re right. She needs to get out of here.”
“Norway,” he said to the man closest to him, “give her all your money.”
The man called Norway didn’t hesitate. He pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and handed it over.
“Dump Mac’s car at the bus station,” said Jackson, coming close. “You lay low for a while until we clear this up.”
“I know what I’m doing,” said Crista. She was going to disappear into anonymity. And it was going to be for more than just a while. None of them would find her until she wanted to be found. “You’ll keep Vern from coming after me?” she asked Jackson.
“Absolutely,” he said.
“Good.” Crista stuffed the money into the pocket of her shorts. “Tell Ellie not to worry.”
Crista headed for the door.
She located Mac’s SUV and started it up. She was doing exactly as Jackson had suggested. She’d ditch the vehicle at the bus station. But then she’d take a taxi to the train station, buy a ticket with cash, switch trains outside the city and find herself a quiet, budget hotel where she could pay cash and hide under a fake name.
She realized she couldn’t trust Reginald anymore. But the Yellow Pages were full of lawyers. She’d find her own lawyer. Then she’d work her way through the changes at Cristal Creations all on her own. She was through depending on others for help.
* * *
Since calling the police would leave them all with a lot of explaining to do, Jackson assumed the Gerhards would keep the altercation to themselves. And though it chafed to let her go on her own, he’d made sure Crista had a three-hour head start on Vern.
Now, both groups cautiously crossed the parking lot, each watching their backs as the entered their respective vehicles.
Jackson wanted to search for Crista right away. He wanted the Rush Investigations team to head straight back to the office and get started. He knew Gerhard would do exactly that, and it killed him simply sit still and wait for her to come back.
“What if she’s right about her father?” Jackson mused out loud as the sun broke the horizon, lighting the world outside the meeting room window.
“That the diamond mine is worthless?” asked Mac.
Jackson wished he could seriously consider that possibility, because no diamond mine meant Crista had no value to Gerhard, so Gerhard would disappear.
“No. Not that,” said Jackson. “I’m convinced the diamond mine is legit. But that doesn’t mean Trent’s not running some other con.”
Mac hesitated. “What con would he be running? What are we not seeing?”
Jackson scanned through the facts.
“Problem is you’re not seeing anything beyond Crista,” said Mac. “You get that you’re in love with her, right?”
Jackson wasn’t letting his emotions get in the way of solving this. He couldn’t afford to do that. He ordered himself to slow down, detach, think harder.
And then it hit him. “Trent’s lying.”
Trent had initially downplayed his culpability in Crista’s engagement. Not that Jackson was sorry about that part. In fact, he was glad Trent had lied to him back then.
“You think he’s still lying?” asked Mac.
Jackson was certain of it. “The Gerhards aren’t threatening to kill Trent. They’re in league with him.”
“That would be a cold-blooded move,” said Mac. “Voluntarily setting up your own daughter.”
Jackson whistled low. It was all coming clear. “Trent told them about the mine, and he told them how to get to Crista. Were they going to split the take?”
“Why wouldn’t Trent just split it with Crista?”
“Crista won’t even speak to him. She never would have trusted him.”
“But why get cold feet at the last minute?” asked Mac. “Why would he call you in and mess it all up?”
“Because they double-crossed him.” Jackson stood, absolutely certain he was right. “He didn’t call me in to help Crista. He only wanted his leverage back.”
Mac seemed to be considering what he’d said. “If that’s the case, what’s his next move?”
“I don’t know.” Jackson gripped the back of the chair, tightening his fingers, ordering himself to think carefully. “But she’s his bargaining chip. He needs her back in his clutches.”
“We better find her first,” said Mac.
Jackson started for the door. “And Daddy dearest is going to help us do that. That creep is going to tell me everything he knows.”
“He’ll only lie,” Mac called.
“Let him try.”
It was a two-hour drive to Riverway State. Jackson made it in ninety minutes. For the third time, he found himself sitting across a prison visiting table from Trent Corday.
“What’s your new plan?” he barked without preamble.
“My new plan for what?”
“For Crista. Don’t bother lying. Nobody’s threatening you. You’re all the way in Gerhard’s pocket.”
Trent’s fleetingly shocked expression told Jackson he was right.
“You sold out your own daughter,” Jackson spat. “It was a setup from minute one.”
“If they told you that, they’re lying.”
Jackson had no interest in debating the past. He was certain Trent had orchestrated the whole thing. “How do you plan to get her back?”
Trent’s complexion darkened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You think I’m going to let him kidnap her again?”
“What? Kidnap who?”
Jackson was through with the man’s games. “Playing dumb gets you nothing.”
“I’m not—”
“What is the new plan?” Jackson articulated each word slowly and carefully.
“The new plan to what?”
Jackson wanted to take a swing. “Don’t you know that once they’re married, Gerhard has no reason to keep her alive?”
“I thought the wedding was off.” Trent looked confused.
Jackson wasn’t buying it. “Your backup plan has a backup plan.” He knew how these men worked. “If not a marriage to Gerhard for a kickback from the mine, then what? Who? What do I need to protec
t her from?”
Guilt flashed across Trent’s face. “There was never any reason to hurt her.”
“There was always a reason to hurt her. I know you’re not burdened with a conscience, but don’t lie to yourself. And stop lying to me. What happens next?”
“Nothing,” Trent shouted. “I mean, I’ve thought about it. There are tens of millions of dollars at stake. And they’re mine.”
“They’re Crista’s.”
Trent’s tone went sullen. “She never even knew they existed.”
“What’s the new plan?”
It was clear Trent didn’t want to answer.
Jackson waited.
“I haven’t had time to come up with one,” Trent finally admitted.
Now there was something Jackson could believe.
“Gerhard was my only play,” said Trent. “I can’t come at her directly. Crista has never trusted me.”
“And thanks to you, she’ll never trust me, either. Which only makes my job harder.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“What you should have done in the first place.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Protect Crista from the lowlifes you put in her path.”
“How?”
“None of your business.”
“How can it hurt to tell me?”
“You don’t deserve to know.”
Trent reached out to him. “I’m not as bad as you think. They were never supposed to hurt her.”
“Are you saying they planned a divorce all along.”
“Yes. There was no prenup to protect the mine, so all he had to do was divorce her.”
Jackson couldn’t believe Trent would be so stupid. “What about Gerhard’s assets? Don’t try to tell me he’d give her a settlement.”
“It’s all in Manfred’s name. Vern owns nothing.”
“Still, a divorce would mean giving her part of the mine. They wouldn’t do that. You put her life at risk.”
Trent paled a shade. “They said it would be a divorce.”
“They lied, and you’re a fool.”
The two men stared at each other for a long moment.
“What’s your plan?” Trent’s voice broke. “Tell me how you’re going to protect my little girl.”
Jackson stepped back, releasing a long breath. “For one thing,” he said, “Cristal Creations is out of Gerhard’s hands.”
“You did that?”
“I had someone do that for me. Tell them, don’t tell them. It’s too late for them to change anything. Tell them they’ll never be able to get to her. She’ll be protected 24/7 for a month or a year or forever, whatever it takes.”
Jackson wished he didn’t have to do all this in secret. He wanted to be honest with her. He wanted to be in her life. He wanted to be her life.
He was completely in love with her. It angered him that he was figuring that out in a prison. It angered him more that he was figuring it out while confronting her no-good father. The entire situation was thoroughly wrong and completely unfair.
“Why?” asked Trent, looking genuinely perplexed.
“Because she deserves it. She deserves everything.”
Jackson rose from the seat. He was done here. He was done with Trent. He knew the truth now, but it didn’t help him. He should have asked way more questions in the beginning. He should have been more suspicious. He might not have purposely conned Crista. But the result was the same. His stupidity had put her in harm’s way.
Maybe he didn’t deserve her any more than Trent did.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
It took Crista three days to figure out a solution. But she woke up one morning, and it was fully formed.
“Are you sure?” asked Ellie as they drove east from where they’d met up in Rockford.
Crista had set up an anonymous email account to communicate with Ellie. When she’d sent a message, Ellie had left Chicago, switching from a taxi to a train to a bus, while Crista had made her way from a boutique hotel over the border in Wisconsin.
“It’s meaningless,” said Crista. “And it’s making me a target. Even if the mine is worth some money, I don’t want it.”
“But him? Are you sure you even want to talk to him?”
“He can’t hurt me from behind bars.”
“He hurt you by putting a diamond mine in your name.”
“And I’m about to undo that. As soon as the mine is out of the picture, Vern walks away—and Jackson walks away.” Crista couldn’t help the little catch in her voice as she said Jackson’s name.
He’d broken her heart. She hadn’t realized how badly she’d fallen for him until that night in the warehouse. Anger had carried her for a few hours. But once the anger wore off, his betrayal had devastated her.
He’d seemed so clever, so funny, so compassionate and so incredibly handsome. She’d started to think of him as her soul mate. He’d comforted her. He made her think he genuinely cared about her.
She realized now that her upbringing had left her starved for male attention. It seemed she was willing to take a chance on anyone, including Vern and Jackson. It was entirely understandable, but it was also foolish. And she would never make that mistake again.
“I don’t mean the money,” said Ellie. “Cristal Creations is going to be wildly successful. I mean, seeing your father in person, talking to him, having him try to manipulate you into… I don’t know. But whatever it is, it’s going to upset you.”
“I’m immune,” said Crista.
She’d done nothing for the last three days but be angry with her father, detest Vern and build a wall against her feelings for Jackson. She dared any of the three of them to try to get under her skin.
“I hope so,” said Ellie.
“It’ll take five minutes,” said Crista. “All I need is his signature on the legal papers, and the mine is all his. He can use it in a brand-new scam. He’ll like that.”
“Mac says it’s real,” said Ellie.
“Mac is in league with Jackson.”
“True,” said Ellie. “And I haven’t told him a thing. He doesn’t know you contacted me or anything.”
Crista was surprised. “You’ve talked to Mac since I left Chicago?”
Ellie hesitated. “He calls me every day. He came by last night.”
“You saw Mac last night?”
“Yeah, well…” Ellie turned her head to gaze out the passenger window.
“Please tell me you didn’t spend the night with Mac.”
“He didn’t suspect a thing. I swear. And, anyway, if I didn’t let him stay over, he would have been suspicious.”
“You’re getting serious with Mac?”
“Not exactly serious.” Still, Ellie’s tone said it was more serious than she wanted to let on.
Crista smiled at the irony.
“I couldn’t help myself,” Ellie said. “I kept thinking it would blow over, that one of us would lose interest. And then when you and Jackson broke up—”
“We didn’t break up. There was no relationship to start with. He was conning me. I was a mark.”
“Mac thinks the world of Jackson.”
“Mac is Jackson’s partner. They were probably going to split the diamonds.”
“You said there were no diamonds.”
“Everyone seems to think there are. Otherwise…” Crista swallowed. She hated that every memory of being with Jackson made her heart hurt.
Ellie touched her shoulder.
“I’m going to get over it,” said Crista. “I’m already over it. Reginald said—not that I can trust Reginald—but my new lawyer says the same thing. They said the Bahamian company is going to give me free rein on Cristal Creation
s. To them, it’s just an investment. And they’re very patient, looking for a long-term return. It’s going to be great.”
“I’m so glad,” said Ellie.
“So am I.” Crista had so much to be grateful for.
She was out from under Vern. She’d seen Jackson’s true colors before it was too late. And she was about to sever the last of her ties with her father. After this, she was a free woman starting a whole new, independent life.
“That’s it?” asked Ellie as a chain-link fence topped with razor wire came into view. An imposing dark gray stone building loomed up behind it.
“That’s definitely it,” Crista said in a hushed tone.
For the first time, she thought about what it must be like to be locked up inside the bleakness of Riverway State prison. She shuddered.
“There’s a sign for visitor parking,” said Ellie, pointing out the windshield. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“You can’t. They needed to have your name in advance.” Though the street was empty, Crista signaled right and turned into the parking lot.
She knew she needed to do this alone. Still, part of her wished she could bring Ellie along for moral support.
“It’s not too late to back out,” said Ellie.
Crista chose a spot and pulled in.
“This won’t take long.” Crista looped her purse over her shoulder, taking the manila envelope from the seat between them.
“Got a pen?” asked Ellie.
“I do.”
“He’s going to be surprised by this.”
“He’s going to be stunned by this.”
Crista wasn’t sure which would shock him more, that she showed up or that she was calling his bluff. In typical convoluted Trent Corday style, he’d convinced Vern that the mine was worth money. His real objective had obviously been the Gerhard wealth. He clearly thought he could get his hands on some of that if she was married to a Gerhard.
She didn’t know how he’d planned to achieve that. But then, she’d never understood the conniving workings of her father’s mind.
She reached for the handle and yawned open the driver’s door.
“I’ll be waiting,” said Ellie, worry in her tone.
“I’ll be right back,” Crista said with determination.
His Stolen Bride (Chicago Sons) Page 17