THEO
Iwas aware that I was insane, but Jesse was too, which was why I’d told him everything. We’d stood in his office at W&S and I’d come out with the whole sordid tale, ending with how I’d left at first light while Raquel had been sleeping soundly in my bed.
My brother had stared at me for at least a solid minute before he’d shaken his head. “Well, that’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.”
Before I’d even had time to ask what he meant by that, he’d started helping. That was how I’d found myself in the back seat of Jacqueline’s SUV while she drove like a madwoman, her horn honking and her high heel pressed on the gas.
“Are we being chased?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder before looking back at Jesse in the passenger seat, looking as relaxed as ifGrand Theft Auto: Westwood Editionwas a normal day in his life.
He laughed and twisted to face me, a gleam in his eyes I hadn’t seen for a long time. Right now, he looked more like the Jesse we used to know before Jacque. The guy who’d always had the devil on his shoulder and mischief on his mind.
“We’re not being chased,” he said calmly. “Just trust us. We know what we’re doing.”
“Do you?” I asked, my eyebrows hiking up. “Is this what you two do for fun over weekends or something?”
Jacque didn’t glance away from the road, but a smirk appeared on her lips, her hands still white-knuckling the steering wheel as she wound through the traffic like a fucking Formula One driver dodging the competition.
“Nah. High-speed getaways have never been our thing,” she said calmly. “Hunting for chinchillas in South America, though? That’s always a winner.”
I blinked a couple times, beyond confused. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”
She laughed. “I’d tell you but we’re on a schedule here.”
“We’re also breaking at least six laws, but hey, who’s counting?”
“Me,” Jesse said mildly. “I think it’s closer to seven. We’re making good time, though.”
“It feels like you’re breaking me out of prison.” I glanced out the window, gripping the oh-shit handle when Jacque took another turn on what felt like two wheels. “Holy hell. I should drive with you guys more often. It’s actually kind of fun, assuming we survive.”
“Right?” Jacque finally took a quick look at me in the rearview mirror and grinned. “We are kind of breaking you out of prison, though. You need to be wheels-up before Alex realizes you’ve left the building. Literally and figuratively.”
“Your jet is fueled up and ready, right?” I asked Jesse, leaning forward slightly between the seats. “I wouldn’t put it past Alex to try to get the flight plan yanked if he figures out what we’re up to before we’re out of his familiar airspace.”
He checked his phone and nodded. “The pilot is just waiting for us, and don’t worry about Alex. He won’t know you’remaking a run for it for at least a few hours. I’ve got Zach running interference for us at HQ.”
“You toldZach?” I groaned. “No. No, dude. Why?”
Jesse twisted to face me again, but this time only so I could see him rolling his eyes at me. “Do you honestly think I told him anything incriminating? Of fucking course, I didn’t. Have you seen that guy trying to lie? He’s terrible at it.”
“The worst,” Jacque agreed. “When he found out I was pregnant, it took Nate all of five seconds to break him.”
The private airport came into view up ahead and my pulse started kicking against my veins. This was actually happening. I was really doing this.
Right now.
It was crazy how fast it was happening, but I’d known as soon as I’d brought Jesse in that I had to be prepared for anything. The SUV rolled to a stop near the hangar and I tightened my grip on the giant duffle bag beside me. I had a carry-on in the back too, but that was it.
The sum total of possessions I was moving to another state with.
I opened the door before Jacque had even killed the engine.
“Good luck,” Jesse said when “How much do you want me to tell Alex?”
“That depends on how long we can stall him. But tell him everything,” I said, resolute in my decision but still nervous as shit about actually going through with it. “I’ll talk to him about it myself soon too. I just need to work out a few things first.”
Like Belle, I had a plan. Mine just wasn’t quite as meticulous. It was more of a broad-strokes outline than anything else, but it would work. It would be good. I was confident about that.
“Tell her the truth this time,” Jacque chimed in just as I opened my door. She spun in her seat as much as she could, given the size of her baby bump. “Call me if they need help withthe estate stuff or anything else. I’m serious, Theo. The sooner you can get it in place, the better.”
