“Aunt Lailani, how did you know I was here?” I ask her.
“I always know where you are. And now, we’re leaving,” she tells me before looking to Jake. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Wait… Your phone.” Jake steps back into the panic room and returns, holding my phone out to me. “Don’t come back, Jazzy.”
“You don’t mean that,” I whisper, feeling every bit like the sixteen-year-old who woke up alone after prom. Even then, I refused to believe the worst of him.
“I do mean it. I don’t want you around me,” he says.
“Well, I don’t care what you want, Jacob Westmead. I’m done caring about what everyone else wants. I’m going to do whatever I want to do, and everyone else can just… deal with it!” I throw my arms around him, hugging him tight. “I’m sorry about your parents. I really want to be here for you, and you’re going to let me. Call me later.” I kiss his cheek and then turn to my aunt. “Okay, let’s go face the firing squad,” I tell her, knowing it’s onlya matter of time before my father and uncles find out I was at Jake’s house.
“First, you need to shower. You smell like sex,” Aunt Lailani says with a smirk on her face. “Good for you. But also, you could do way better, Jazzy.” She leads me out of the room.
Better than Jacob Westmead? He’s literally the country’s most eligible bachelor, five years in a row. I don’t mention this fact to my aunt, though.
Chapter Sixteen
Ineed to let her go. I know that, but watching Jazzy walk away with her aunt has my heart aching. I really shouldn’t have touched her again. But fuck me, she was right there andoffering herself up to me. By some grace of God, I got to have her. And it was everything I thought it would be.
I follow Jazzy and Lailani until the front door closes behind them. Just as I turn to walk away, the door opens again and I freeze. Fear washes over me. Why the fuck did I let her out of that panic room without checking the perimeter?
“Hear you’ve got yourself a mess to clean up.” A very angry-looking Emmanuel Lopez stands in my foyer.
“Tends to get messy when one of your assassins goes on a killing spree,” I counter. I’m not mad. I don’t care what furniture I have to discard or what century-old rugs I have to burn. Fuck, I’ll burn the whole fucking estate to the ground. Might be easier.
“Any idea why The Court is coming after one of their own?” Emmanuel asks.
My lips form a tight line. I know exactly why they’re coming after me. I’m not about to tellhim,though. The Court already has it out for me. Involving Emmanuel and his cartel isn’t going to get me into their good graces again. And for what I need to do, erase them all one by one, it’ll be easier from the inside.
“You do know I’m here to help your ungrateful ass, don’t you?” Emmanuel tilts his head as he glares at me.
“Papa, the grounds have been cleared. Jaz and Tía Lailani are on their way to Tío Carlo’s.” Elias, Emmanuel’s oldest son, walks into my house as if he fucking owns the place.
“You need to keep her away from here. You shouldn’t have brought her back,” I grunt.
“Shit happened. She needed to come home and be with her family,” Emmanuel says.
“I’m aware. But it’s not safe for her to be here right now,” I tell him.
“Why? Why are they coming after you?” he asks for a second time.
“It doesn’t matter. Just keep her away.” I turn and walk down the hallway to my right. I hear two sets of footsteps following me.
Opening my father’s office, I sigh when both Emmanuel and Elias walk in right after me.
“If you don’t mind, I’m a little busy. I have to bury my parents and rid my house of about ten bodies.” I run a hand through my hair.
Fucking hell, could today get any worse?
And then my mind drifts back to when I had Jazzy in my arms…
Worth it,I think and then immediately feel like shit because of my parents again. She was only here trying to comfort me.
“I’ve got a cleaning crew on the way. I’ve also stationed men around this estate. No one else will get in,” Emmanuel says.
“Why?” I throw back at him. “Whyare you helping me?”
“Because my niece loves you, and I do not want to see her distraught when she has to bury your ass,” he says.
