“Good enough.”
He walked to open the door and Jack’s voice filled the apartment immediately. “Where is she? Where’s my sister? And why the hell haven’t either of you answered your phones?”
I closed my eyes and braced for the explosion.
CHAPTER 5
Michael
Jack Specter stoodin my penthouse doorway, and I watched him absorb everything in real time. The anger hit first—quick and hot, the kind I’d seen him direct at business rivals and guys who looked at his sister wrong. Then confusion, because this didn’t make sense with anything he knew about us. Finally betrayal, settling deep in his eyes, because I was his best friend and I’d married his sister without a word.
I deserved all of it.
He walked past me without a word, and I let him. Didn’t try to explain or make excuses. I just closed the door and waited for the explosion.
Claudette was on the couch, still wearing my T-shirt, looking small and lost in a way that made my chest hurt. Jack saw her and everything else fell away—the anger, the betrayal, all of it seemed to evaporate from him the second he registered his sister sitting there.
“Claudie.” He was across the room before I could blink, dropping to his knees in front of her. His hands went to her face, tilting it up to look at him. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, Jack?—”
“Don’t.” His voice was firm but laced with concern. “Don’t tell me you’re fine. You disappeared—” He stopped, breath catching. “Do you have any idea what went through my head? The things I thought might have happened?”
“Jack.” Claudette grabbed his wrists. “I’m okay. I promise.”
“You got married.” He said it like the words didn’t make sense in his mouth. “You married Mike. Without telling me! What were you thinking?” Anger was deep in his voice now.
“I don’t actually remember what I was thinking,” Claudette said. Her voice was quiet as her gaze found mine across the room.
Jack went completely still. “What?”
I stayed by the door, every muscle locked tight. This was it. The moment everything got more complicated.
“What do you mean you don’t remember?” Jack’s voice had changed. Gone sharp with a different kind of fear.
“I don’t know what’s happening either—” Claudette started.
Jack looked between us. “So let me get this straight. You flew to Vegas on impulse. Met up with Mike. Got married. And now you don’t remember any of it.”
“That’s pretty much it, yeah.”
Jack stood, shifting into the version of himself that ran a company and didn’t take shit from anyone.
“I need to talk to Michael,” he said after a beat. His voice had gone very tight. “Alone.”
“About me? Then I should stay—” Claudette looked from me to him.
“Please. Just give us a minute.” Jack wasn’t looking at her anymore—he was looking at me.
Claudette glanced between us. Whatever she saw in our faces made her decision.
“Fine.” She grabbed her phone from the table. “But I’m not a child, and I’m tired of being treated like one.”
She walked into the bedroom and closed the door. The second it clicked shut, Jack was moving. He grabbed my arm and hauled me toward the kitchen area, away from where Claudette could hear.
“Talk,” he said. “Now.”
I pulled my arm free. “We got married. Yesterday. That’s what happened.”
