Page 62 of A Billionaire Rebel

Jamie shook her head, clearly frustrated. “Nothing, really. Just that you two were different, and she hadn’t expected it to last anyway.”

“I don’t get it.” I shook my head. “We hadn’t argued. The last time we saw each other, things had been fine. We’d talked and texted since then, and there hadn’t been any sort of disagreements.”

“Maybe something felt wrong, and she just didn’t think that she could say anything.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Jae doesn’t strike me as the kind of woman who wouldn’t speak her mind.”

Jamie gave me a sideways look. “Jae’s different with you.”

“Good different or bad different?” I asked, unsure if I wanted to know the answer.

“Ever since she broke up with Spencer,” Jamie grimaced at the name, “she keeps guys at arm’s length. You, she likes.”

“Liked,” I corrected with a scowl. “Because she wouldn’t have broken up with me if she still liked me, right?”

“Women do stupid things all the time.”

A thought occurred to me. “Do you think she broke up with me because she wants to get back together with Spencer?”

I felt stupid even considering it, but I couldn’t help it. Spencer was an asshole, but she’d never reported him to the cops. Maybe it wasn’t because of his family’s connections and money. Maybe it was because she really wanted to have him back.

“No.” Jamie’s answer was sharp. “She wouldn’t do that. She knows enough about the type of man he is.”

Her voice had taken on an edge that made me sit forward. “Jamie?”

She stood, her fingers twisting together. “She wouldn’t do that, Damon. Something else has to be going on.”

“You don’t think he might’ve started trying to talk her into it?” I asked. “He doesn’t seem to be the type to take no as an answer.”

The moment my statement registered, she froze, and I knew I’d hit a nerve. I still wanted to know what’d happened with Jae, but my gut said there was something going on here that needed to be addressed.

She spun toward me, her eyes wide and wild. “What did Jae tell you? When did she find out?”

“Jamie, what’s going on?” I stood, slowly moving toward her. My stomach sank at the sheer terror in her eyes. I really hoped I was misreading this situation. “What’s wrong?”

“Did he do something to her?” She grabbed the front of my shirt. “Why didn’t you protect her from him?”

I put my hands over hers but kept my grip light so she knew she could pull away at any time. “Why do I have to protect Jae from Spencer?”

“You said it. He doesn’t takenofor an answer.”

Fuck.

“Jamie,” I kept my voice gentle, “did Spencer rape you?”

Her entire body shook, and then she burst into tears.

I was going to kill that son of a bitch.

Painfully.

Thirty-Seven

Jae

My chest hurtas I ran up the stairs, too keyed-up to even think about getting into an elevator. My pulse pounded and raced, and I knew the adrenaline in my system wasn’t going to last much longer. I barely remembered the drive here, only that I’d pushed the speed limit as much as I’d dared. I had to get Jamie and get us somewhere safe.

I pushed my hair back from my face, the cold rainwater dripping from the soaked strands landing on my drenched shirt. What I really wanted to do was take a hot bath, put on fuzzy pajamas, and curl up in my bed, but that couldn’t happen. I’d failed Jamie before. I wasn’t going to fail her again.

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