Jenna

Ξ

“Hey. You okay?” My father glanced over at me the next day in church. I rarely went, but my sister had texted the night before and let me know my dad wasn’t doing well.

“Oh yeah. Just lost in thought.” I slid my arm into his and leaned over, pressing my cheek to his strong shoulder like I used to when I was a little girl. “I love you.”

“Me too, baby girl.” He cupped my face and kissed the top of my head. “You’re not doing anything dangerous, right?”

I turned my face up toward him and smirked. “Define dangerous.”

“I lost Darek because he was looking into some stuff for me, Jenna. I can’t lose you too. Come back to the house where I can protect you. Please.” His eyes begged the request, but there was no way I could give up my freedom.

“What was he looking into?” I glanced toward the front as the pastor made his way back up to the front of the church.

“We’ll talk in a minute.” My father turned his attention back up front as my mind went wild.

I held my tongue and waited until the service was over to pull my father aside. “Let’s talk now.”

“All right. We’ll ride to the restaurant together.” He offered me his arm. “Your mother can ride with Kayla and her boyfriend.”

“You like him?” I glanced back to see my sister and her boyfriend laughing. My mother looked like an unyielding statue, but that was customary. Wealthy people didn’t smile. Not all the time like commoners.

“I do. He’s a techie guy. Helped me fix up my computer in my office with a new firewall last week. You’d be surprised how often someone tries to hack into my system.”

Guilt ran over me. “Did they get in?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean much. I just need to keep a closer eye on things. Losing Darek put a bit of a damper on everything. For all of us.” He opened the door on my side of the car and I got in and buckled up.

I waited for him to start the car and pull away from the church to pepper him with questions. “Dad, what was Darek working on for you?”

“There’s an old murder case from four years ago that always haunted me.” He shrugged. “It’s an old friend of mine that I grew estranged with after college. One of my early clients back when I was a lawyer.”

“Was he murdered?”

“Yes. In cold blood.” My father’s hands tightened around the wheel, as was evident by the loud cry from the leather. “They never caught the guy, but I know there was more to it. Jack was his name.”

“What more was there to it, and was this what Darek was looking into?”

“Yes, your brother was doing me a favor by digging it back up.” My dad reached up and turned the air conditioner on even though it was starting to get chilly outside. “His entire inheritance, some forty billion dollars went to his wife. His new wife. It was wrong. Just disgusting honestly. They’d been married two years, but the sorry bastard moved everything over to the girl.”

“The girl?” My stomach soured. “A gold-digger?”

“More like a grave digger, but yes. Right after they got married, all the money moved from his former wife and his three kids to this woman. Two years later… he’s dead. Strangled to death and then shot in the head.”

“Why would someone do both? What about fingerprints?”

“Gloves. These guys knew what they were doing in some respects and not in others.” He sighed and turned onto the freeway. “They got sloppy. Shooting Jack was the best bet, but strangling him first? Only someone in a fit of rage would do that, and people that angry aren’t capable of reasoning. They’re lost to their own adrenaline.”

“What causes that? Why would someone kill him?”

“Love-crime? Hate-crime?” He glanced over at me. “I would assume it was for the money, but whoever killed him, it was violent.”

“So you think the connection between Darek dying and him working on the case is something we should look into?”

“No, not at all. His wife was a lovely Hispanic girl. Disappeared off the face of the earth.” My father shrugged. “And your brother’s case is being ruled as a suicide. The case is closed.”

“What? No. Darek wouldn’t do that.” I stiffened in my seat. Where the fuck was Erik with his proof? As soon as I had it in my hand, I could take it to Nate and get his help taking care of Denise. Would I really want Nate killing someone? What if he got caught? Maybe letting Erik do it was a better answer.

No. He would want something else from me. I’d do it myself. No. I wasn’t that kind of woman. I’d chicken out. Without a doubt.

I got out of the car and followed my father toward the restaurant, walking just enough behind him that I could see the rolling in of his shoulders. He was at a loss as to what to do next, which wasn’t him at all.

“Why did you bring up Jack today, Daddy?” I paused by the door to the restaurant as he held it open for me.

“Because, baby. Much like me failing my old friend in finding his killer and bringing that bastard to justice, it looks like your brother is going to be the same. Maybe I should hang up my hat. Darek was one of the most important people in the world to me, and I’ve failed him.” My father’s voice broke.

I reached out and pulled him into a hug, tucking myself under his chin. “It will work out, Dad. The light will find its way into the darkness. I promise.”

“I sure hope so. I’m losing faith in all of it, especially in myself.” He kissed my head and patted my back. “Come on. Denise is waiting inside already. Be nice to her. I know you don’t particularly like her, but-“

“What? No. I can’t, Dad. She’s got something to do with-“

“Hi Paul. Jenna.” Denise stepped out of the open hallway beside us and brushed her blond hair back.

“Denise. Good to see you, dear.” My father offered her a hug as I turned and walked back toward the center of the restaurant.

I was almost lightheaded as anger pumped through me.

“It’s right over here.” She smiled as she sat down across from me at the table. “Sit, Jenna. It’s good to see you. Been busy much?”

“Always. I’ve got a lot on my to-do list.” I sat down and locked eyes with her. “We’re still in the throes of looking for my brother’s killer. Got any ideas?”

“Jenna. Come on, now.” My father sat down beside me and touched the top of my back. “Denise, how is your friend you brought with you the other day? What’s his name again?”

She briefly looked away from me. “It’s Nate.”

Chills ran down my back, but I played them off. “Gotta picture of this friend? I’m actually on the market.”

“Jenna? Jeez.” My father pulled his phone from his pocket and he stood. “Denise, I’m sorry. She’s just hurting from losing Darek. We all are. I’m sure you understand.”

“Absolutely. I haven’t slept in weeks.” She gave my father a sweet smile and turned her attention back to me as he walked off. “You’re playing a dangerous game, little girl.”

“Am I? What game would that be?” Nate. Did she know about me and Nate? Surely not. Things couldn’t end up that twisted, right? No way. Not in a million years.

“I’m not doing this with you, Jenna. I didn’t kill your brother. I loved him.”

“Lying bitch.” I took the basket of chips in between us and tossed them at her. “I’m going to find out every detail of what you’ve been up to and when I do, I swear to God it’s the cops you’ll be calling to help protect you from me.”

“Such a strong promise for such a weak girl.” She pulled out her phone and pressed a few buttons, ignoring the chips all in her lap. She turned the phone to face me. “Here’s Nate. Look familiar?”

I grabbed her phone as bile rose up my throat. Nathaniel. My Nate. No fucking way. Was he involved too? Had she sent him after me? To seduce me? To snuff me out too?

“Never seen him in my life.” I shrugged and handed her the phone back. “He’s pretty to look at, but probably has a small cock. Most bad boy types do.” I stood up. “I’m not sharing a meal with the whore that killed my brother.”

“You have no proof, little girl.”

“Not yet, but the weekend’s not over.” I grabbed my purse and walked toward the door. When I was out of her line of sight, I turned and ran to the bathroom, barely making it into a stall before I hit my knees and lost my lunch.

The picture of Nate didn’t have her in it too. Maybe he was innocent. Maybe she found out about the two of us and was trying to implicate him so I would have no one to turn to.

“Or maybe he’s her lover and they’re all playing you.” I leaned back on my heels and pulled out my phone to text Grace. I needed to know where Erik was. I didn’t get an answer right away, but I could grab a cab and get to the library. Grace would help me find him, and I’d go back to square one.

I couldn’t trust Nate until I knew the truth. I could trust Grace and Erik. I had something the gangster wanted. Something he coveted. “Where are you, Erik?”

The sound of the door locking caused my heart to almost stop in my chest. I jerked up and opened the door, readying to beat back anyone I needed to.

Erik stood with his back against the door, a sexy smile on his lips.

“You looking for me?”

“Did you tap my phone?” I glanced down at it.

“Of course I did. I’m in the mafia, Jenna Webb. It’s what we do.” He walked toward me, and I stiffened. “If I wanted to hurt you, you’d already be bloody.”

“Comforting. Really.” I reached out and grabbed the bag from him. “Is this the computer?”

“Of course it is.” He nodded toward the door. “Denise killed your brother. It’s all there. You want me to take her out? Promise number two?”

“No. Yes.” I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair. “I don’t know.”

“What’s going on, Jenna. You look a little rattled.”

“She just showed me a picture of Nate.”

“Who?”

“Her old friend. My lover. My… my boyfriend.”

He smiled. “You’re letting this cunt run circles around you. Grow up and stop bowing down to every line she casts. Check out the evidence and I’ll be in touch. We do the hit on Wednesday night.”

“We?” My voice was nothing more than a whisper.

“Or would you rather I do it for you?”

“No.” I shook my head as relief flooded my system. “Are you imply that she doesn’t know Nate?”

“Oh, she knows Nathaniel well, but it’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Then who is he?”

“No one you need to worry about. Just keep this to yourself. The less he knows… the better.” Erik turned and walked out as I tried to catch my breath, to process my thoughts.

Was Nate one of her lovers? Her partner? What was I missing here, and even more so, how could I find out?

No. He wasn’t involved. He couldn’t be.