Page 56 of Black Wave

“Right,” I say in what is probably a sarcastic rebuttal. Jameson visibly straightens and stares at me. I get up from behind my desk that I was initially sitting at and move over to the front, feeling more relaxed with my feet crossed, extended out in front of me. My arms are pulled back on my desk. I want to get in his face and for him to understand what I am doing and what needs to be done to keep Emma safe.

“Jameson, I called you here because I know that you care about Emma, and I need your help. What I am about to disclose to you is to stay between us in this room and no one else. It is about her safety, and I can’t jeopardize that.” He sits up, looking at me and then Philip. Concern etches his features, and I reluctantly wait for his acknowledgment.

“I understand,” he says. “What can I do to help? Is she in trouble?”

I pause because I don’t want to tell him, but I have to do it to keep her safe, even if he may be in love with her. Believe me, man, I know the feeling. “I don’t know the history between you two...” I pause to see if he will elaborate, but he doesn’t.That fucker. “Yeah, well, I have known Emma for most of my life.” He seems confused about this, and I tell him about our families being business associates and up to a point about us reconnecting. I explain the abusive relationship with Julian, minus the details and how we think he and his family are responsible for her parents’ and twin sister’s death.

He looks up. “Twin sister?”

I shake my head. “Yes, she had a twin sister named Evie, who was her best friend. She misses her terribly and blames herself for their deaths.“

He stands up and looks as furious as I feel. “This guy is still after her? He was here tonight?”

I nod in confirmation. “I need your help looking at the security feed to see if I missed anything, and I also need you to wipe it a little bit.” He looks at me, confused. “Well, since you installed it, you know more about it than anyone else would, right? You are the super geek of the bunch?” I laugh when I say this because it has always been a joke about how brilliant the guy is. There are worse things to be called and known for—like a mafia criminal. I shrug as I think this through.

“Why do you need it wiped?”

I look over to Philip and then at Jameson. “Philip here has to die, and I don’t want there to be evidence.”

Philip snorts, and Jameson seems to want to be anywhere but here. “You’re fucking joking, right?”

“Mostly,” I say, trying to rile Jameson up. He may be a tough guy, but he isn’t a killer and surely not a part of this life. I decide to put him out of his misery. “I need it to look like I killed Philip, but he will stay hidden and keep an eye on Emma—from the shadows. With everyone thinking he is dead, that will give us the upper hand so that he can go unnoticed. People won’t suspect he is secretly watching out for the person giving Julian informationif he is thought to be dead. We need to find that out before he gets to Emma.”

Jameson looks over at Philip and then at me.

“Okay. I’m in.”

After Philip is presumed dead and the surveillance feed is wiped, I invite Jameson back up to my office for another chat. This one is between us. “I want to know what happened between you and Emma. I know that you have feelings for her.” I leave it there and wait for him to tell me what I have had suspicions about. If he slept with her, I don’t know if I could contain my rage, but it was before we reconnected. I had meaningless sex, too, and… I can’t even think about it anymore. It just kills me inside.

He is looking at me and blows out a long breath. “Nothing.” He stops trying to decide how this will go if he tells me something I don’t want to hear. I have been known for having a bad temper and losing it. “We met on Padre Island while on Spring Break. That’s when Dax met Liv. He was a patient in the ER and met up at that beach the next day. We shared a moment, and then that was it. I was hoping for more, but then we came here, and she saw you. I don’t know.”

My breathing has increased, and I can’t get the idea or unthink that he fucked my girlfriend, future wife, and future mother of my children. I just can’t let it go, and I have to know.

“A moment?” He shakes his head yes.

“Did you fuck my girlfriend?” I come out and say it, laced with the most controlled anger I can muster.

He looks at me and shakes his head. “No,” he says quietly. “We had an awkward kiss, and that’s it. I think Dax and Livthought there was more between us, and I wanted there to be, but now she is with you.”

“Awkward kiss?” I ask, waiting for more details. He rubs the back of his neck.

“Yes, awkward as fuck. It felt like I was kissing my fucking sister, despite being super attracted to her.” I snort. “I can’t explain it, but I feel super protective of her, too.”

“Okay, sister fucker.”

He laughs, and that breaks the ice a little. “You have nothing to worry about. I care about Emma, but if she is happy with you, I just want her to be happy.” He shrugs noncommittally.

I get up and pat him on the back. “I’m glad to hear that. Now, I need your help with a tracker for Emma.”

CHAPTER 31

Eduardo

Iget Eli to drive us home and drop the girls off at Liv’s and Emma’s old apartment. The girls say their good-byes, and I drag a reluctant Emma back to my place. I help her tiredly walk to the bedroom, where she quickly washes her face and gets into her pajamas. She gives me a quick peck on the lips and dives on top of the bed. Before I can tell her good night, I hear her soft snores. I kiss the top of her head, pulling the covers over her body. Now, it’s time to make a long overdue call.

I turn the light on in my home office and stare at the phone for what seems like an eternity. “Here goes nothing.”

“Hello,” the familiar voice picks up the phone.

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