Page 90 of Together We Burn
If Jake’s hands weren’t tightly gripping my waist, my knees would have buckled, dropping me to the floor in a pile of broken pieces. I’d failed her. All of this was for nothing. All the years I’d tried to keep her safe were for nothing. I was the way I was… for nothing.
“Something wrong, sweetheart?” Emilia jeered from behind us. Collectively, we turned. More like Jake and Will turned, and I, by default, was manoeuvred like the ragdoll I was in Jake’s arms. There was no point in pretending anymore. Show time was over.
“What have you done?” Jake snarled at Emilia.
“Me?” she asked with fake mocking as she held her hand over her heart. “Jacob darling, the question should really be, what haveyoudone?”
Will took one step toward Emilia, his tall frame shadowing her with foreboding. Emilia didn’t take the warning. Instead, she smiled—the slow tilt of the side of her mouth, taunting us as it morphed into something sinister.
“All it took was one little lie, and like a good boy, you ran like the knight in shining armour you are so desperate to be and put this all in motion.” Emilia spun her hand in the air, gesturing around her but not really meaning the party.
Jake tensed, tightening his grip and pulling my back against him.
“Your brother did a good job at hiding my youngest for all these years,” she continued, flicking her eyes to Will. “But not good enough, I suppose.”
Slowly, she let her eyes drift over our little group, lingering longer at the sight of Jake pressing his body to mine or the flex of his fingers against my hips.
She sneered, recovering quickly before looking straight at me.
“I have people everywhere, Stefany. Following, watching, waiting.” Her green eyes darkened as she stared at Jake. “Imagine my disappointment when I realised the only way Stefany could have escaped from my warehouse was ifyouhelped her. I thought the promise of assisting you with your little drug quest and making you richer beyond your wildest dreams was worth more than some two-bit whore.
“No matter. I’m used to being underestimated by men who think they are smarter than I am. Who do you think convinced the board to force my father into retirement?” She shook her head, dismissing the question. “I digress. Instead of killing you, Jake, I used you. I fed you information I knew you’d share with the team, and it worked oh-so deliciously. Christina is your biggest weakness, Stefany. One whisper of her being in danger, and I knew you’d want to protect her, keep her safe. With you.”
I snarled, trying to move toward her, but Jake’s grip held me still. Emilia rolled her eyes at Will, puffing his chest in anger as he stared her down.
Putting her hands on her hips, she said, “Here’s my offer for you, darling daughter. Give me Nathaniel for Christina." I blinked. "Come on, we both know you don’t really like the child. You barely know him. But you love your sister. Love her enough to do anything to save her.”
She was right. I would do anything to get her back.
“Just one simple trade, and I can promise you that not one single hair on Christina’s pretty little head will be out of place. But if you say no... Well, I can’t promise that her pretty little head will still be attached to her body when you find her. And I guess I’d have to allow my men to have their fun with her too. Can’t exactly let that dainty mouth of hers go to waste. The boys will have so much fun sticking their–”
“Fine,” I said, interrupting her as the overpowering urge to vomit crashed into me at her casually discussing allowing her henchmen to abuse her daughter.
“No,” Will snarled, stepping between Emilia and me. “I do not negotiate with terrorists.”
“You’re not the one I’m negotiating with, William.” She patted him on his chest, causing him to bristle at how unaffected she was by him. A reaction he was not used to at all. “I am negotiating with my daughter, and as predicted, no one means more to her than her sister. Not even her own nephew.”
“Stefany,” Jake whispered, his voice barely registering, the whole room disappearing as my sole focus was on the bitch in front of me. “You can’t do this.”
“Tell me when and where, and I’ll meet you with Nate.”
“Good choice,” she purred, spinning on her heel to walk away. She paused, glancing over her shoulder to say, “Don’t do anything stupid now, dear. If you come without the boy or if you are armed, I will ensure Christina is dead before you even manage to lay eyes on her. I will text Jacob the details.”
Chapter thirty-five
Jake
Stefany’sfeetweremovingbefore I had time to digest the short conversation she and Emilia had. Surely, she hadn’t agreed toswapher eleven-year-old nephew for her sister. I couldn’t have heard her correctly.
Racing after her, I grabbed hold of her arm and stopped her just as she reached the main entrance to the Newport Hotel.
“Stefany, hold up,” I said, twisting her and gripping her shoulders, forcing her to stay and think for a second. “Please tell me I heard wrong, that you didn’t agree to a trade for your sister.”
Stefany’s soft blue eyes were hard, cold even, as she unblinkingly looked up at me. Her face was void of emotion; not even a flicker of the fear that had tried to overtake her when she was inside the ballroom could be seen now.
She shrugged out of my hold and walked toward the valet standing behind a dark wooden desk playing on his phone. Will stormed past me, stopping at Stefany’s side and growling something to her in words so low I couldn’t make them out.
Jogging down the few steps to join them, I shoved my hand into my pocket and produced the off-white ticket assigned to my car. The valet smiled awkwardly and left to collect it as Will and Stefany continued to argue in muted voices.
