24

Bianca

Jager grabbed the laundry hamper from my hands. “You shouldn’t be lifting anything heavy.”

“It’s been three days, Jager. The doctor cleared me of any lingering effects from the drugs, and I feel fine.”

“I am not letting you get tired. Not under my watch.”

I rolled my eyes but hid my smile. He had been like this for three days, although I’ve been growing stronger each day. “My car is still acting funny. Do you mind dropping me off at work tomorrow before you go to your office?”

He stopped with the laundry basket still in hand. “What do you mean? You’re not going back to work already, are you?”

“Of course I am. I know we had to postpone the event a week, but that only gives me four days to make sure the caterers, decorators, and everyone else get the updated details.”

“Bianca.” Jager put down the basket and walked over to me. “You can’t be serious.”

“There’s a lot to do.”

“And your team will take care of it.”

“No, Jager. I will. I appreciate you wanting to look out for me, but I feel fine, and I’ve got people counting on me.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“A hundred percent sure.”

He sighed. “All right. But if you feel even the slightest bit dizzy…”

I placed my hand on his cheek. “I promise I’ll take it easy.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, slowly. He held back as he had these last few days, and I groaned. “When are you going to kiss me properly, and not like I’m some piece of glass that will break?”

He bit his lip, then kissed me softly. “If you only knew how hard I was holding back, you wouldn’t push so much.”

With a smirk, I shoved him lightly on the chest. “There.”

“Careful, woman. You’re playing with fire.”

I rubbed my hands over his chest and felt a rumble beneath my fingers.

That was interesting.

Moving my hand slowly, I trailed my fingers down the ridges of his stomach and felt the muscles bunch underneath his white t-shirt. My fingers hovered over his belt and then gently brushed the fabric over his burgeoning erection. “B,” Jager warned, and I smiled. “Yes?”

“You know what you’re doing.”

“Absolutely. Is it working?”

“You fucking know it is.”

I shivered at the savagery in his voice. “Do you want me to stop?”

He swallowed. “Never.”

I smiled. That was exactly what I wanted to hear. He bent his head lower and cupped my face. His eyes scanned mine, and I worried that he would see the bags underneath them. I hadn’t been able to sleep the last couple of nights. I’d been waking up to nightmares of being in confined spaces. “Soon,” he whispered. “When you’ve gotten some rest.”

He pressed his lips to mine again. I teased him with my tongue, and he responded in kind. “Soon,” I repeated. An expression crossed his face, one part agony, one part lust, and a large part resistance. For a moment, I thought he had changed his mind.

The doorbell rang, and I jumped. “Are you expecting someone?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Wait here.”

Jager checked the camera on his watch and turned back to me. “It’s Detective Khan. Are you up to seeing him?”

I nodded. “Yes. Let him in.”

Jager unlocked three locks and opened the door. “Hey,” Khan greeted him. “I’m sorry I didn’t call, but I was speaking to Will, and I thought I would drop in and check on Bianca.” He turned to look at me. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m much better, thank you.”

“Can I come in?” Khan asked Jager.

Jager took another look at me, and I nodded. “Sure,” he said, stepping away from the door to let Khan in.

“Can I get you something to drink?” I asked.

“No. I won’t be staying long.”

An awkward silence followed. I hadn’t wanted to know about the case while I was recovering, so Khan never shared the details with me, but I got this feeling that there was something he wanted to tell me now. “Will you sit?” I asked, taking a seat on the couch.

“Yes, thank you.”

Khan sat next to me on the couch and placed his elbows on his knees. “What is it, detective? You can tell me. I feel strong enough to hear it now.”

He rubbed his mouth and looked up at Jager. Jager stood over him with his arms crossed and his face stern. He looked angry and I couldn’t understand why. It made me more anxious to hear what Detective Khan had to say. “Please, tell me everything. Are they letting Tagert and Walsh go?”

My worst fear was that Walsh would use his influence with the powerful people he associated with to get him out of this.

He shook his head. “No. They’re still in custody, and we’re still investigating. In fact, there’s more we’ve discovered.”

Jager dropped his arms and paced in front of the window. Tension emanated from his body, and I clasped my hands in front of me on my lap. “What have you discovered?”

“Well, first of all, you were not the main target. That was always Towers.”

“Why?”

“It was Walsh’s idea to purchase Grapevine and Towers was supposed to make him president not vice president of the company, but he kept that role for himself, along with greater shares of the company and other financial benefits. Walsh was upset and wanted Towers out. He thought Towers would step down as president when the threats started, but when he didn’t, he planned to get him away by any means necessary. Including kidnapping.”

“Was he planning to kill him?”

“No. A boat docked shortly after we found Bianca. My men questioned the crew, and after some relentless interrogation, discovered that they were going to take Towers to a private island. You were supposed to be on that boat with him. We found fake passports for both of you inside one of the cabins.”

“But why me? How could I possibly be a threat to Walsh?”

Jager swore harshly under his breath and rubbed the back of his neck. “You were caught up in this because of me.”

I frowned. “Because of you?”

Khan put his hands together and rested his chin on top. “Jager had thwarted Walsh’s plans. His security was too tight, and it was impossible to get to Towers without Jager watching. But in the days leading to the incident, we think he noticed Jager’s feelings for you and used that to his advantage. He knew if you went missing, Jager would follow that trail.”

“So, I was a pawn?”

“More like an unaware decoy.”

Jager exhaled loudly. “It’s my fault you got dragged into this and nearly sent to that—to that place.”

We knew the private island Walsh had intended for us wouldn’t be a paradise or a vacation. It would be a level of hell in which I would most likely pray for death.

“None of this is your fault, Jager. You were only trying to do your job.”

Jager ran his hand through his hair, unmoved by my assertion. “What about Tagert? How is he involved in all of this?”

“Walsh knew about Tagert’s obsession with Bianca, well before Jager found those photos on his computer. We think Walsh used that to entice Tagert. When we spoke to Tagert, he told us Walsh promised to make him VP when he became president and then you would have no choice but to listen to him.”

“But why would Tagert agree to send me to that island if he wanted me for himself?”

“He never knew about that part of the plan. Instead, Walsh told him he was supposed to be the one to find you in the trunk and play the hero. Except he encountered Jager in the office before he could get there.”

“How did you know I was in the trunk?” I asked.

“Jager figured it out and called me.”

I turned to Jager, and he was shaking his head. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the hero in this, I’m the villain. It’s my fault you were taken and my fault that I left Towers unprotected.”

Khan scoffed. “You had him inside a secure building. It’s not your fault that the enemy was within. Besides, you’d tried to warn Towers about Tagert, but he wouldn’t listen. Your instincts are keen, my friend."

“He’s right, Jager. This isn’t your fault.”

“Hardly. In fact, Jager’s hard work led us to look into Walsh’s bank statements and we found large cash withdrawals that match the amounts he paid for the pig and for the delivery man’s service. My offer still stands, Jager, we’d love to have a guy like you working with us.”

I stared at Jager, but he had crossed his arms again and was staring out the window. Turning to Khan, I smiled. “Thank you for telling me everything. As hard as it is to hear, I’d rather know the whole truth of it.”

“Yes. I’ve found in my experience that facing the truth is the most important factor in moving forward. I hope this helped.”

“It did. Thank you.”

Khan stood and walked over to Jager. “Think about it.”

Jager nodded, but didn’t respond. He appeared deep in thought.

Khan sighed and walked over to the door, giving one last nod to me before he left. Jager, breaking from his thoughts, followed and locked it behind him. He stood with his back to me and his hands on his hips.

“Hey,” I said, walking up behind him and wrapping my arms around his waist. “You’ve got to stop blaming yourself. You hear me? Because we’re not wasting anymore time in the past. We’ve got a whole future ahead of us.”

He turned and put his hands on my waist. He stared at me and brushed the strands away from my face. With a sigh, he said, “You’re right. I promised myself that nothing would stand between us again, and it definitely won’t be my pride. I love you, Bianca. I hate that my love was used against you, but I can’t help how I feel. It just sucks that someone took advantage of it. But I can’t help it. I love everything about you and us.”

“Me, too.” I smiled. “Now, why don’t you come show me how much you love me?”

“You are killing me, you know that? Have you forgotten we are supposed to be at your brother’s place for dinner in thirty minutes?”

Shit. I hadn’t forgotten, but I also hadn’t realized what time it was. “Fine. Raincheck then.”

He kissed me. “Most definitely.”