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Forty-One
Seb
“Your dad’s friend, Marcus, what did you say his surname was?” I ask, slipping my phone back into my pocket. Jamie looks at me like I’ve asked the most complicated question. I watch as the driver walks round the car to open her door.
“Blackwood. Why? What’s going on, Seb?” I shake my head as her door is opened. Her eyes remain on mine for a beat longer before she steps out of the car, and I follow closely behind.
Placing a hand on the small of her back, we walk toward the door, and I can feel the tension in her body.
“What the fuck is going on, Seb?” she grits out.
“Shh, we are being watched. Just act natural for now, and I’ll explain soon.” The lie burns in my mouth because once we step inside this house, I think the plan is for us to never leave it.
If only Rick had messaged me ten minutes earlier, I could have at least kept Jamie away from this. As it is, her parents are already inside.
The door opens as we reach it, revealing another man in a smart black suit, only this guy is the furthest thing from a butler I’ve ever seen. He’s broad with dark short cropped hair and tattoos peek out of the collar of his shirt and on both hands, and as I take him in, I note the gun holstered beneath his jacket.
“Good evening, Miss Morgan, Mr Roberts. Please, come in and I’ll show you to the dining room,” he says, stepping aside to allow us entry.
I feel Jamie tense beside me, but my face remains blank at his use of my real name, knowing full well I never told Marcus my surname, fake or otherwise.
We step inside and follow him through to the back of the house, stopping in front of double frosted glass doors. He pushes them open grandly and announces us to the room like we’re royalty.
He steps to the side allowing us to enter the elegant, if slightly extravagant, dining room. Most of the room is made up of a large, wooden dining table and matching high ladder-backed chairs with red velvet upholstery. The whole room gives off a Gothic castle vibe with candelabras and wall scounces offering only a dim light.
Marcus is at the head of the table, with Dom to his right and Louise on the left of him, and he stands as we enter. As I take in the room, I note there’s another seat set at the table. My feelings about who that seat might be for are not good.
“Ahh, here she is,” he announces, stepping round the table to greet us. He wraps Jamie in a hug, and my hands itch to rip him away from her. Leaning back, hands gripping her arms, he says, “I’m so happy you’re here. Come, take a seat next to your father.” He gestures to the seat beside Dom before turning to me and offering me his hand, which I take, and all the while wanting to crush every bone to dust. “Good to see you again, Seb,” he says with a wide smile. He might be fooling the others but he’s not fooling me one bit.
I lean down, kissing Louise on the cheek as I take my seat opposite Jamie and catch Dom’s eye as I do. His face is taut, smile tight and jaw clenching as he greets his daughter.
Jamie looks to me, eyes widening, and I realise she may have figured out Jasper’s cryptic message. I give a small shake of my head, letting her know everything is fine. I know she doesn’t believe me but keeps the smile in place and attempts to lighten the atmosphere.
“This house is beautiful, Marcus,” she says.
“It is, isn’t it. I got it for a complete steal too. Dom was telling me that you have something similar, Seb. Although, I believe yours is on a larger scale to mine.”
I feel Jamie’s eyes on me, but I keep mine on Marcus. “That’s right, I do. You’ll have to come and visit some time.” Marcus raises a brow as though he doesn’t think I’m being sincere. He’d be fucking right. “So, tell me, where did your travels take you, Marcus?” Maybe I’m crazy to bait the bear, but I refuse to let him think he has the upper hand.
Marcus accepts my invitation to share stories of his time abroad, but I notice he doesn’t mention Mexico. I’m in complete awe of Jamie as she keeps the conversation flowing between herself and Marcus during the first course, even though I can see her anxiety. Louise doesn’t say a word and only picks at her food. As for Dom, he only speaks when prompted by Jamie and stabs at his food with a look of murder in his eyes.
My phone has been vibrating in my pocket since the message in the car, and I’ve ignored it, but as the plates are being cleared away, the goon that answered the door earlier comes in and whispers to Marcus. While he’s distracted, I pull my phone from my pocket, keeping it under the table and away from view. There are half a dozen texts from Jay and Rick and about the same number of missed calls.
Marcus pushes away from the table and stands. “Please excuse me a moment,” he says as leaves the room.
As soon as he’s gone Jamie leans across the table. “What the fuck is going on?” I have no idea how I’m meant to answer that, but before I get the chance, Dom turns to me.
“Get her and Louise out of this fucking house now,” he demands through gritted teeth. Below the demand, I can hear the pleading in his voice and the fear, he can’t possibly hide, written all over his face. I know because I feel the same. I give him a nod, and while Jamie demands answers from her dad, I quickly send a message to Rick.
Just as I hit send and shove the phone back in my pocket, the doors open and Marcus strides back in with a look of deep satisfaction on his face. Jamie turns to look his way as the goon enters, shoving another man into the room.
I hear her gasp as she realises that the dishevelled man, face battered and bleeding, is Jasper.
“Our final guest has arrived. Some of you already know our friend here, intimately so I’ve heard,” he smirks, looking directly at Jamie, and my whole body tenses from the need to get up and beat this arsehole, but now is not the time.
Jasper is ushered to the final seat at the opposite end of the table to Marcus as he continues to talk, “But for the sake of clarity, this here is Jasper. As you can see, he needed a little encouragement to attend tonight.” Marcus takes his seat again, and several other men enter the room and take up positions around the room.
I watch Jamie and see the exact moment she makes the final connection, spinning to look at Marcus.
