Page 58 of Hidden With You

“Go on,” I say.

“Liesl went to check on her. And when she got there, that’s what she found.”

“What’s scrawled on the paper by her head?” I ask. The picture was too small on his phone for me to see, but I know that he’s pinched the picture open.

“It says, ‘You know what to do. If you don’t, then she’s only the first.’”

Now I turn my whole body to gape at him. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know exactly,” he says, but he doesn’t quite meet my eyes. “The only thing I’m certain of is that Melinda’s not the only person who’s going to die at this bastard’s hands.”

“But you’ll stop him. You’ll gather the cavalry at Stark Security, and you’ll stop him.”

“At this point, I don’t know how.”

“Is it The Maestro who’s doing this?”

“I think so. I don’t know who else it would be. Either The Maestro or someone whose strings he’s pulling.”

I drag my hands down my thighs, rubbing my sweaty palms on my floral sundress. “And what about the other part? Where he says you know what to do. What are you going to do about that?”

He turns and looks at me, and for a full two seconds, he says nothing, then he swallows and looks back out the front of the car. “What can I do? I don’t know what he’s talking about.”

I feel ill. I don’t believe him. I fear that he’s been tasked to do something horrible that he doesn’t want to tell me about. Something that will break a man like Jasper who I know has a deep moral code. And I know that he’s already a little bit broken from the death of this woman who was helping him.

I reach out and take his hand again, relieved when he squeezes back. “You can talk to me,” I say. “Whatever it is, you can tell me about it. We can work this out together. You can talk to Ryan or any of the guys at Stark Security. They have a good team there, and you’re part of it. They can help you. Whatever this asshole wants from you, you don’t have to handle it on your own. That’s why you came here, remember?”

He strokes my hair. “I remember. Will you remember something for me?”

“Of course.”

He leans forward, then gives me the sweetest kiss. When he pulls away, his smile is sad. “I love you,” he says. “I love you desperately.”

“Now you’re scaring me.” I swallow. “Jasper, if you’re going to disappear on me, don’t.”

“I’m not going to disappear on you.”

“Because I can’t stand somebody else leaving. You know that.”

He squeezes my hand. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here. I’ve made my decision.”

I want to ask him what that means exactly, but there’s a car pulling up behind us in the driveway. There aren’t that many people who can get into the driveway without authorization, so I watch it, surprised when I see that it’s Ryan.

Leah’s in the passenger side, though, and since she has the gate code, that explains how they’re here. As soon as Ryan parks the car, they both get out.

I exchange glances with Jasper, and he looks as confused as I feel. We start to get out of the car, but before we do, Jasper grasps my hand and squeezes it tight. “Do you have any idea how grateful I am to have you in my life?”

“Probably as grateful as I am to have you.” I wish we were alone. I can tell that he’s been shaken by Melinda’s death, and all I want to do is get him inside and hold him close. Apparently, though, there’s work to be done first.

Ryan is uncharacteristically quiet, and Leah doesn’t quite look at me as we enter the house. I offer them both something to drink, but they turn it down, choosing instead to sit at the dining room table. Jasper and I follow suit.

I’m nervous, and I have no idea why. “What’s going on?” I finally ask. “You both are acting very strange.” A wave of fear crashes over me. “Wait. Did someone die?” It’s the only thing I can think of that would feel this somber, and suddenly I want to throw up.

“Please,” I say. “Just tell us fast.”

Across the table, Leah meets Ryan’s eyes.

Ryan’s shoulders rise, then fall, and he draws a breath before speaking. “Jasper,” he finally says, his voice hard and cold. “I know.”