See Jayne Play (18 page)

He must have seen the worry in my eyes because he moved more swiftly to where I stood. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

I sniffled and fell against him. It had finally taken a toll on me, and my strength was gone. I couldn’t do it anymore, any of it. I needed him, and I hoped he’d be there when I fell.

“
What’s going on? Were you talking about me?”

He sighed. “Yes, and there’s something I need to take care of. I want you to stay here while I’m gone. Collins will be here to make sure everything’s all right.”

“
Why? What is it?”

A bad feeling started to climb up my spine, like when you find out there was a pileup on the freeway you were supposed to be on, but made a wrong turn and ended up in the wrong direction. This had bad direction all over it.

“
There are things we need to talk about, but not now. I just need you to trust me.”

I wanted to, badly, but I also needed his help. I had to come clean and tell him the truth, and hope he could help.

“
I told you I needed to talk about something last night. I need you to know…” I trailed off, swallowing thickly and wondering how to break it to him. “I need your help.”

“
Anything,” he said. His arms tightened around me, and he rested his chin on my head.

I let myself enjoy the warmth of his arms for a moment before I pulled away so I could look him in the eye and tell him how fucked up things were.

“
My father,” I started. “You asked about our relationship. It’s complicated.” I let out a little laugh, shaking my head.

“
Of course you know him. He’s not exactly the father of the year, but I love him. He’s my dad, and he’s done the best he could to make a life for me. He made sure I had a home to live in, food to eat, clothing to wear, but he is a stupid man. His priorities are completely backward, and I came behind his ambitions. He wanted what you have: wealth, prestige, fame. He wanted what everyone in Vegas wants, and I’m afraid it’s gotten him killed.”

He listened quietly as I continued. I began to pace, nervous and afraid to lay it out. He was going to think I was crazy.

“
I have to leave, and before you say anything, I will be back, but he and Vince are in danger, and I have to do whatever it takes to help him. He screwed someone over, Flynn, and they’ve got him hidden away somewhere. Vince went to get him, and I haven’t heard from him. It’s not like Vince…. Something’s wrong.”

I watched his jaw tick and his shoulders tense. He shook his head slowly and took a deep breath. “You’re not leaving, Jayne.”

My jaw dropped. “Did you not hear me? My father is in danger, Flynn. Vince, too.”

“
I heard you,” he growled. “I heard you, and you’re not leaving. There’s nothing you can do, and I’m not letting you put yourself in danger any more than you already have.”

I spun around to face him, my heart climbing into my throat.

“
What are you talking about?”

His nostrils flared as he grabbed my arms and pulled me up against him. “I’m not letting you run off half-cocked when you have no idea what’s going on!”

I scowled and threw myself backward, out of his arms. “Don’t talk to me that way! You have no idea why I do the things I do! You don’t have a damn clue!”

He grabbed me again, and I was getting really sick of being manhandled. “I gave you the money. He’s free to go, Jayne. There’s no reason to go find more trouble! It’s done—I fixed it!”

My brows dipped, and it was as if universes collided inside of my head. So many things clicked into place, and it all became clear.

“
You knew?”

Something passed behind his eyes, and then he was angry again. “I was trying to help, and my father found out. He found out about you.”

I was shaking. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was like a bomb going off inside of me. My heart was shattering, bleeding out and drowning me.

He’d betrayed me.

Used me.

I recoiled away from him. How could something so spectacular, so absolutely beautiful, be so ugly? Everything I felt for him seemed to scatter into deep, dark, ugly places inside of me, hiding and covering itself up with pain.

“
Jayne,” he said softly. Approaching me slowly, like he was trying to tame a lion, he reached out, almost desperately.

“
Don’t touch me,” I hissed. “You will never touch me again! How could you!”

My voice cracked, but I wasn’t going to let myself break in front of him. I was better than that, than him.

His long legs brought him directly in front of me, and he was holding me down again. “Don’t do this. Don’t. Do. It. You need to listen to me, and you need to understand that I was trying to help. It’s the only reason I kept it from you. You think I’d do something like this to you? It was my father.”

“
So you found out your father was holding my dad ransom, and what? Decided you’d get in on the action so you could get to me?”

“
What? No! I admit when I found out, I wanted to help you. I never intended to do what I did, but I don’t regret it. Especially not now.”

I didn’t believe one word he had to say. I had to get out of there and find my father. I was done being a victim in the sick games of money hungry assholes. I was done, and he could kiss my ass.

I jerked away from him and ran, throwing my legs ahead of me with all the power I had in me. Getting away from his was my only thought, and the faster the better, before I ended up in the same predicament as my father and Vince.

I got to the room and sprung for my purse, pulling the 9mm Vince gave me from the interior and spun around, turning it on Flynn. He slid into the room, and his eyes went wide and his arms in the air.

“
Put the gun down, Jayne, Jesus.”

I jabbed it out in front of me, threatening him. “Get the fuck away from me, or I’ll do it. I swear.”

“
Janie, stop.”

Shaking my head, I grabbed my knit pants off the floor and pulled them up my legs as best I could with one arm. I had to get away from him. I wanted to get out of that house, out of his life, and as far away from Las Vegas as I possibly could.

“
Just… give me the gun. I’m not going to hurt you, Janie. You know I won’t hurt you!”

“
Do I?” I screamed. “I don’t know anything! You’re a liar, and you used me!”

He took a step forward, and I shook the gun out in front of me again. “Stay there!”

“
You don’t know what you’re walking into, Jayne, and you’re going to get yourself killed! Do you think my father won’t kill you? He will! I’m trying to keep you alive!”

My lip quivered and my hands shook so badly I was afraid I’d drop the damn gun. I’d never had to pull a gun before, but I sure as hell knew how to use it. Vince made sure of it. But it didn’t make the situation comfortable in any way.

Aside of not wanting to kill anyone, I loved him. I was hurt and angry, but there was no way I could hurt him. I was pissed, but I wasn’t heartless.

As I stood there staring at him, thoughts from the days we’d spent together whirled around in my head like a tornado ready to rip away at my sanity. By far, they’d been the best of my life. I’d been happy, I’d felt loved, and more than anything, I loved. Deep in my heart, I had fallen for him, hard and fast, and he’d played me.

He’d fooled Jayne King, a task not many had ever attempted, and he was the only one that had ever succeeded.

It hurt. Never had I felt so empty and crazy inside. Like a carpet being pulled out from underneath me, I was upside down and confused. It was cruel and deranged that the only time I’d ever allowed myself a piece of the dream, it was nothing but betrayal and heartache.

Bullshit.

I’d never let myself be duped again.

“
Just let me go, Flynn. There is no other way this turns out. This was all a farce, a lie, and I’m sick of lies. I’m sick of men manipulating my life, and I’m not letting it happen anymore. I’ve come this far, and I’m not letting Vince and my father down. They’re my family; they’re all I have left.”

He chuckled, an angry and frustrated laugh that sent chills up my spine. Before I could react, he lunged forward, smacking the gun out of my hand and throwing me back on the bed, pinning my arms back behind me.

“
I won’t let you kill yourself. This is suicide, no matter what you think. You don’t even know where they are.”

“
So tell me, asshole! Tell me where he has my father!”

His breath was harsh and his eyes furious as he stared down at me. I could see in his eyes that he wasn’t going to tell me where he was, or let me go, so I surveyed my options. There were several ways of going about it, but I decided time was not on my side, so I took the easy route.

I reared up, shoving my knee into his groin and slammed it into his nuts as hard as I could. As soon as he fell off of me, I rolled over and flew off the bed, grabbing my purse and my phone, and rushed from the room.

I could hear him yelling as I ran through the house. Halfway through, I realized I didn’t have a car, and cursed at the shitty luck. I took a chance and as I approached the front door, I grabbed the coat from the hook next to the door and searched through the pockets for some keys.

Thankfully, lady luck was finally pulling her head out of her ass and helping a bitch out, and I yanked them out, threw the door open, and ran like a bat out of hell toward the drive where his cars were parked.

His sleek black sports car was still parked close to the house, so I went straight for it, flicking the remote with my thumb and triggering the door locks to open. I climbed in, shoved the key in the ignition, slammed the door, and threw it in reverse.

Leaving skid marks as I fled the property, I didn’t allow myself to look in the rearview mirror, but I knew he was back there. Whether he’d come after me or let me race to my doom, I wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter either way. I was done with him, and all I wanted to do was get answers. He wasn’t going to give them to me, obviously. His account of the situation was lacking fact, and I was done dealing with frauds.

He was right, though. I had no idea where I was going, but I had an idea, and that was a start. Now, knowing his father was behind everything all along, it narrowed down my options. He owned three casinos. I could check those, and I had a feeling the building I’d been visiting every Saturday morning held more information than anywhere. That had to be my first stop.

SIXTEEN

I turned on the radio as I drove to spare my brain from the constant compulsive thinking. The whirlwind of confusion was making me sick—literally sick to my stomach. I was too angry to cry, even though that’s all I wanted to do. There was more on the line than my heart, and that’s what I needed to concentrate on.

Before I knew it, I was on the strip and flying toward the high-rise on the other side of town. I tried to run an inventory in my head so I had a plan, but I was in shock and running on straight adrenaline. My brain wasn’t working, and it wasn’t like I had any experience with that sort of thing. I had no idea what I was going to do once I confronted Doyle Maguire. What do you say to the man that single-handedly ruined your life? A man that held your future in the palm of his hands, and had not a care of what happened as long as it ended in his benefit?

Another roll of terror thumped in my stomach. Every last thought went back to Flynn. How much did he know? How involved had he been?

The building came up on my right, so I swerved through traffic and sped up, taking the turn dangerously fast and absolutely carelessly. The minutes ticked away, and I knew my dad had very little time. God only knew what he’d been going through while I was frolicking around like a ditsy bitch in love with the man that put him in the predicament in the first place.

I spotted Vince’s Dodge and a knot lodged itself in my throat. It’d been three days. There was no conscionable reason for him to still be there after three days. Chills wracked my skin, and my spine snapped ramrod straight.

I had no idea what I was walking into. Actually, that was a lie. I was walking into a nightmare, and there was a good possibility that I wouldn’t walk out of it. I tried to keep myself from thinking about what I’d find once I walked in there. Would they still be alive? My gut roiled. It was unlikely, and I felt my entire body shake with the thought.

I steeled myself to face it. One way or another, I had to go find out. There was no way of getting away from the brutal truth. I wanted to cry—my eyes stung with the pain of tears—but those would have to wait.

I got out of the car and scoped out the area, looking for anything sketchy. I had no doubt someone was watching from somewhere inside, either from a window or some sort of surveillance. Now that I knew who I was dealing with, I realized he had plenty of resources at his disposal. That bastard could have me taken out before I even got inside, and after our meeting the night before, I knew he’d take great pleasure in doing it.

I cursed myself for not being more prepared. I was hardly dressed, had left my gun behind at Flynn’s. I was well and fully screwed, but I wasn’t letting that hold me back.