Page 42 of Paradise

“He was just worried. It wasn’t a rational fear, and I told him that, but there was nothing I could say to change his mind. You know how he gets when he’s determined.”

“Wait, soyouknew about this?” Jonah stood up, genuinely angry now. When he stood up straight, he had an inch on Robbie; it wasn’t much, but it helped a little. Robbie just looked at him, cool and composed. “Before he even did it? Why the hell did you let him get away with it?”

“Because he asked me to. Because I thought we’d get incriminating information about an attempt to infiltrate our facilities, which we did. Garrett could have deleted the file at any time; he might have if he’d been thinking straight, but by that point, I think he was already getting sick.” That reference stabbed Jonah with just enough pain that it kept him from yelling, and Robbie pushed his advantage. “The whole reason I’m letting you in on this now is because of the end of the recording.” He worked the device again, and then Jonah heard—

“They could hang you for that, Kilroy.”

“Not if we were already gone. I’m that desperate, Jonah. Figured I might not be enough to convince you, though. Soon as I heard you arrive here, I sent word to a mutual acquaintance of ours. Someone you might be more willin’ to listen to than me. Someone with personal business with you.”A stutter, the sound of breaking glass, then static.

Jonah’s fingers curled in on themselves, biting into his palms. “That’s the end?”

“The slimdisc got wet when the glass broke. It was ruined after that.”

“You don’t have anything there,” Jonah protested. “You can’t even hear Jack’s voice—”

Robbie immediately shook his head. “Wedohave something. It’s circumstantial, true, but the timing is right to indicate Jack’s involvement, and moreover, Kilroy Dechiara is willing to testifyto the fact that it was Jack who was joining you right then. We have copies of correspondence between the two of them setting up the meet and discussing what he was going to hold over you, and how.”

He smiled very slightly. “Mr. Dechiara is more than willing to work with us now that he has a vested interest in being on the right side of the government here. We could sink him with this recording, completely void the agreement he came to with Miles, and he knows it. He’s not going to protect Jack, and your ex won’t have a leg to stand on in his negotiations if he chooses to reveal this recording and the testimony that goes with it. Jonah.” Robbie set a hand on his shoulder. “This is the leverage you need to keep him from taking Cody. That’s why I’m telling you this. I don’t want to make trouble between you and Gare, and I know he feels bad about this.”

“I’m sure he does,” Jonah said, remembering how twitchy Garrett had been, kinda spooked, how he had tried to tell him something right before the first meeting and then didn’t have the time to. Jonah wasn’t sure how he felt about any of it, not Garrett’s deception or his remorse, but he did understand what Robbie was saying. “Thank you for tellin’ me.”

“It never hurts to have a Plan E,” Robbie said easily.

“What are plans A through D?”

“A involves Jack backing down gracefully. B is considerably more complicated but leaves Kilroy out of the mess by demonstrating Jack’s unfit character by digging further into his past, everything from his business deals to his personal relationships. Which we’ve done, but it might not be enough.” Robbie smiled, and it was a dangerous expression on him. “And you don’t want to know about C and D.”

“Not with you grinnin’ like a shark, I don’t,” Jonah mumbled, taken aback.

“Precisely. Now.” He checked the desk chrono. “You might want to go and get smartened up, then get Cody. The meeting starts in half an hour, and you look like you slept in a chair all night.”

“I did sleep in a chair,” Jonah confessed. He hadn’t been able to pry himself away from Garrett, and those chairs were almost as good as a bed when you reclined them.

Robbie nodded approvingly. “Good man.”

Jonah left and headed to the suite, more than ready for a shower and some time alone. His mind was spinning with the implications of what Robbie had just told him. Garrett hadn’t trusted him.Garrett, his goddamnfiancé, hadn’t trusted him to do the right thing. Hadn’t trusted Jonah to be honest with him, and then he had gone right ahead and lied to him in turn.

Jonah ripped his clothes off and stepped into the shower, making the water hot, hot enough to turn his skin red in seconds. He let the anger he felt at Garrett take ahold in his mind, hotter than the water that poured over his body. “Fuckin’damnit!” he snarled into the emptiness. Two-faced, self-righteous little bastard, lookin’ at him all lovin’ and sweetness while he was fuckin’lyingto Jonah, for no good goddamn reason—

Jonah slammed his hand into the shower’s mister, making it stutter, then shut down completely. The gentle spray was replaced by a single hard stream that hit him squarely on top of the head, almost scalding him. “Shit!” Jonah shut off the water and pushed his hair out of his eyes.

He’d broken the shower. Brilliant.

He had the potential to break a lot more than that. Jonah stood there in the remnants of steam and shut his eyes. This was the reason Garrett hadn’t told him, obviously; he’d been worried Jonah would fly off the handle and start yelling at him, which was exactly what he wanted to do. Which would lead to nothing but pain for both of them.

Jonah remembered the morning Cody had gotten stung. Garrett had been affectionate but somehow wary, chilly in Jonah’s arms when he leaned in for a kiss. He had already been gettin’ sick. Jonah hadn’t noticed; hell, no one had, but Jonah still hadn’t forgiven himself for it. He replayed some of his conversation with Miles in his head.He tried to kill himself. He was only thirteen. I knew he had the potential for it in his genetics.A smile and then,We love our children.It wasn’t just kids you had to love even when they weren’t perfect.

You’re still planning on going through with the marriage?

Of course, he’d said. Had learning this changed anything about how Jonah felt for Garrett? Really changed it?

No.

That thought came so quickly, and with such a sense of relief, that Jonah had to lean against the damp wall of the shower to keep himself upright. No, it didn’t change things. He and Garrett needed to have a serious talk, there was no doubt of that, but he wasn’t gonna leave the man over this. Hell, Garrett could have done a lot worse, and Jonah would still forgive him because that was how Jonah loved once you broke through his guard: without reservation. It would take a lot more than this to break that bond. Jack had managed it, but Cody was Jonah’s weak point, and Garrett had already proven he would go to absolutely stupid lengths to put Cody first.

They were good together. That didn’t mean they didn’t have to work at it. But Jonah never shied away from hard work. He straightened up, dried off, then went searching for some decent clothes. He had a meeting to get through, then a lover to get back to.

He really, really hoped he didn’t have to learn about Plans C and D.

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