Chapter 24 - Blair
Nervous ripples shake through me as I stand near the corner of the bar pretending to be unfocused on my surroundings. The truth is, though, that I am hyper-aware of Jaco having just walked in, followed by his security team, who stand back and wait for his orders.
I’m not taken by surprise. This was the plan after all. But I am nervous to come face-to-face with him.
The bar is in a glittering, luxurious restaurant in the city. A venue reserved for the most elite members of society. And a place where Jaco often likes to be seen.
My fingers play over the glass in front of me, and I smile, pretending to be more focused on the drink and the music than the man behind me. I’m tucked to the side of the bar. Somewhat away from other people. A private corner. An arena for what we have planned.
I also positioned myself so that he would see me as soon as he walked through the door.
Baited.
Lured in.
And it seems to be working.
From the corner of my eye, I see him striding straight toward me with determination. I steal a glance at my purse on the bar in front of me. Inside it, my phone is recording everything. And Simon is listening in.
The only thing keeping my legs steady and my face calm is the fact that I know Simon is close by.
Jaco slides up to the bar, standing far too close to me. His men create a protective space around him, blocking anyone else from coming near.
He towers over me in an attempt to intimidate me. His dark eyes and dark hair make him ominous and scary, but I remind myself that I am safe. That I am doing this to bring an end to his power. I think of Lindsey and everything she went through while she was with him. And I think of the girls he would hurt in the future. I’m doing this for them because he has to be stopped.
“Blair Popov,” he mutters with a growl.
I look up at him, my eyes widening with intense fear as I pretend to onlyjustrealize it’s him.
“Ja…Jaco Marcas?” I stammer, my body stiffening in fear.
“What a lovely surprise, don’t you think?” he chuckles darkly. “What is such a beautiful little bird doing here all alone? Where is your man?” he asks, stealing a glance around the room.
“I’m… I’m waiting for Simon. I got her early…” I stammer weakly.
“And he just leaves you all alone like this. That man has no idea how to take care of his woman. I swear… I could justsnatchyou away and keep you for myself.” He leans close to my ear as he makes the threat.
A shiver runs down my spine, and I try to take a step away from him, but he quickly presses his hand against my lower back and drags me back against his solid body. “Now, now, little bird, don’t try to escape,” he taunts me. “We wouldn’t want to make a scene in front of all of these people,” he says. My eyes dart past him to the guards standing behind him. He knows he has backup, and he knows he has the power.
Or so he thinks.
“What do you want from me, Jaco? What do you want from Simon? Why can’t you just leave us alone?” I whimper, sounding as terrified as I can.
I sense it. The more scared I seem to be, the more power he thinks he has. Playing with his ego is so much easier than I thought it would be. The man has no idea that he is clay in my hands, being molded, tricked, and manipulated.
“Oh, you sweet little girl. Simon is just a game to me. A game I will play over and over again until there isnothingleft of him.” His voice is suddenly touched with emotion. Frustration and something else. “I keep stepping over him, proving every time that heisn’tbetter than me!And I willkeepdoing it until I amdonewith him,” he snarls, his voice tight with resentment.
“Why?” I plead, as though I am begging him to stop.
Resentment. That’s why.
“Simon thinks he’s better than me. That fucking assholehasalways been better at every fucking thing, and I fucking hate it. Why should it be that way? Why can’t I also win?”
“It’s… it’s not about winning and losing, Jaco,” I whimper.
He scoffs, shaking his head. “Of course it is. And I hate it that he achieves things so easily. I hate it that he’s always ahead of me. And I’ve made it my life’s goal to take that away from him. To takeeverythingaway from him,” he snarls quietly.
His eyes have flared with anger, and his fingers are digging into my lower back. I stare at him as though he is the most dangerous thing I have ever seen and whisper, “What are you going to do to Simon? Please, don’t hurt him. I love him.”
