“It’s fine, Anna. Thank you.”
Anna shut the door on her way out and I was alone with Jack.
“What brings you here?” Jack asked, rising slowly.
“We’ve been friends a long time, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Your sister is my best friend, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Then listen to me very carefully,” I said. “Stop what you’re doing.”
“What in the hell are you talking about?” he blustered.
“You know what. Stop talking to people you shouldn’t be talking to. Leave it alone, Jack, or you won’t like the consequences.”
“You came here to threaten me? I thought that was your husband’s job.”
My eyes narrowed, and anger simmered just below the surface of my skin, but I held it in. I held it all in. “He respects you only because of my history with you. If you were anyone else, I wouldn’t be here. Flynn would be here.”
I once trusted Jack, but he was clearly ruled by emotions. People ruled by emotions were dangerous, irrational. I’d learned that the hard way and almost died. Jack could get in the way of all Flynn and I were trying to accomplish, and I couldn’t risk it.
“Remember your loyalties,” I said quietly. Spinning on my heel, I left. My driver was waiting for me at the curb, and I climbed into the car. Emotion drained out of me, leaving me exhausted. I must have dozed in the car because when we came to a stop, I realized we were out front of The Rex.
When I got back upstairs to the penthouse suite, I was barely able to strip out of my clothes before I tumbled into bed. I slept until the sound of a door opening woke me up. Rolling over, I glanced at the clock and saw that it was close to seven in the evening. I sat up and ran a hand across my face.
“Barrett?” Flynn asked from the doorway of the bedroom. “Were you sleeping?”
“Yeah.” I threw my legs over the side of the bed, feeling woozy.
“Are you okay?”
“I think I’m coming down with something.”
“Sorry to hear that. How did your talk with Jack go?” he asked.
“Oh, I forgot to call you to tell you about it, didn’t I? Sorry. I was so tired after our confrontation that I came back here and crashed.”
Flynn came to my side and helped me stand. “Maybe you shouldn’t go out walking in the park with Sasha late at night.”
I flinched when I heard the coldness in his voice. “Excuse me?”
“That’s where you went last night, after I fell asleep. Don’t bother denying it. The cameras caught you leaving and your phone—”
“My phone what?” My eyes widened. “Are you checking my phone?” I shook off his hands, not wanting him near me, not with that look in his eyes.
“You don’t trust me,” I spat, hating my tone, hating his, and feeling like I woke up from a nightmare into another one.
“Are you having an affair?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No. Are you?”
“Fuck you.”
