My first thought when I see Hunter Wrenn for the first time in almost twenty years is that time has not been kind to him. If I look closely, I can see a vague resemblance to Jade, but it’s faint. The thing I do notice immediately is the sense of evil that emanates from him. I’ve rubbed elbows with some soulless men in my time. Ones with zero empathy or conscience, and that’s what I see in Wrenn. Victor and Draco did a lot of shit I didn’t agree with or condone, but they didn’t become soulless. Certainly, there were times when they could conveniently set being humane aside, but they suffered regrets over certain things in their lives. I doubt Wrenn can say the same. He remains behind his massive desk, not bothering with the formality of a handshake. No doubt, he thinks he’s in the power position. “Jacks, this is a surprise.” His voice is laced with amusement, but his eyes are coldly calculating. He’s thrown by my visit.

I don’t bother waiting for him to extend an invitation. Instead, I walk forward and take a seat in front of him. His mouth tightens at my audacity, but I could give a good fuck. I’m not here to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Hell, if I have my way, he’ll never set eyes on her again. Any man who can use his child in the way he has doesn’t deserve that privilege. He had no idea what I’d do when I found out about Jade, but with my reputation, he had to have thought that the worst-case scenario was possible—even probable. And I’m confident that it didn’t give him one moment’s pause. He remains standing—again another attempt at control. He’s wasting his time. Nothing about this man intimidates me although the very fact he is breathing offends the fuck out of me. I make a deliberate show of straightening my cuff links before brushing an imaginary piece of lint from my slacks. A quick glance his way shows a muscle twitching in his cheek. He’s angry. But he’s also nervous, which proves he’s not a complete idiot. Finally, I relax back in my seat as if I haven’t a care in the world. “I thought after all these years that we should finally meet face to face. After all, you did think enough of me to send your daughter Jade to Falco.” I force a smile to my lips. “I owe you my thanks for that. She’s an amazing woman. She must have taken after her mother.”

He may have had a sneaking suspicion that I know who Jade is, but he really needs to work on his poker face. “What the fuck is this all about?” Ah, the gloves are off and all pretenses of civility are gone. “You barge in here uninvited, spouting some nonsense. You may have nothing better to do, but I can assure you that I have. Now, if that’s all—”

“Sit down and shut the fuck up,” I bark in a voice that brooks no arguments. He stiffens but surprisingly takes a seat. Pussy. He’s used to being the bully and doesn’t know how to deal with an authority figure, so he looks like a sullen child now. But isn’t that the way of all spineless cowards? I get to my feet and begin pacing his office. Fear literally comes from him in waves, and I wonder fleetingly if he’s even aware of it. He’s broken faster than I estimated, but I’m not a fool. Evil men are even more dangerous when they’re backed into a corner. He’s not stupid enough to try anything here, but as soon as I’m gone, he’ll be calling in reinforcements. He’ll be too fucking scared not to. “Let me bring you up to speed here, Wrenn, so we can have a reasonable discussion afterward. You planted your daughter at Falco to acquire incriminating information that you could use against me. You also paid off several people in my employ to cover her identity. All this under the guise of revenge for my part in the acquisition of Wrenn Wear almost twenty years ago.”

“You killed my wife,” he blurts out, but it sounds scripted.

There’s no real emotion there. Certainly, that many years might dull the pain a bit, but the only thing I can detect is anger, and I feel in my gut that even that isn’t directed at me. But I have a pretty good idea who it is aimed at. “That’s bullshit, and you know it. I think your real problem here is that you’re still pissed over your wife daring to prefer Draco Moretti to you. That must have been quite a blow to your pride.” Momentarily, I see the intense fury he’s trying to contain. His fists are clenched, and his nostrils flare as he fights for control. And we have a winner, folks. He wants to lash out, yet he also doesn’t want to give me the satisfaction.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Jacks,” he spits out. “Moretti taking control of Wrenn Wear was the only association she had with him. And if you knew anything at all, you’d know that was the true love of her life. Not some thug who took things that didn’t belong to him.”

I shrug indifferently “Whatever lets you sleep at night. The word is, Jasmine and Draco were an item for quite a while. Not just a brief fling because she wanted to leave you. Take the kids. But you used them as your trump card, and she panicked and fell back in line. But I guess living with you was too much for her, hence the drinking. Draco taking Wrenn Wear, living without her lover… One drink too many and boom, she wrapped her car around a tree.” I pause, stop my pacing, and look him straight in the eye. “Or did she?”

His face goes ashen at my insinuation. Truthfully, the last part had been thrown in for no other reason than to piss him off, but his reaction gives me pause. “Whatever you’re insinuating, you’re wrong. You know nothing,” he all but shouts. Color floods his face once again as his temper soars. “My family is none of your fucking business!”

I stride to his desk and lean across it until he’s only inches away. He moves back to get more distance between us. “You made it my business when you sent your daughter to Falco to spy on me,” I snarl. I struggle for composure, as the urge to pull him from his chair is nearly impossible to resist. But that’s not why I’m here. He’d love nothing better than for me to lay hands on him because he’ll have me arrested for assault before I make it out of the damn building. So I carefully pull away and regroup. When I speak again, my voice is level—almost pleasant. No doubt, it’s making his skin crawl. “You know, Wrenn, you’re right about one thing. I don’t know nearly enough about your family—but it’s an oversight I intend to correct immediately.” I stride toward the door and open it before turning around to lob my last grenade. “After all, Jade is mine now, so it only seems right that there be no secrets between us. I’ve always found that dirty laundry has the power to stink up a room at the most inopportune times, haven’t you?” I don’t wait for a reply. Instead, I leave him there with the look of a man who has been caught with his dick in his hand. Some days, I get off on being an asshole, and this is one of them. But for now, it’s time to go home to Jade. The bait has been cast, and if I were a betting man, I’d say that Hunter picks immediately. Game on, you smug bastard.

JADE

My cell phone rings, and I glance at the caller ID. I ponder ignoring it, but she’ll just keep calling until I give in. So with a sigh, I click answer. “Yes,” I say shortly. She never calls for a sisterly chat, so she wants something from me. I’ve often wondered who she talks to about things. I can’t think of anyone she’s ever been close to. Apparently, Wrenn women don’t cultivate close relationships with other females. But I do have Lia, Rose, and Kara.

“I need you to come pick me up,” she says without preamble. “My fucking car won’t start.”

“Call the auto club,” I suggest. It’s what I do rather than contacting her. Heck, hitchhiking is preferable.

She releases an irritated breath before saying slowly and deliberately. “I did, Jade. But they’re backed up for like two hours. Everyone in this godforsaken city has an emergency tonight. I don’t want to sit in a dark, deserted parking garage alone.” Before I can answer, she adds quietly, “As if you’d really give a damn if anything happened to me. Just forget I even asked.”

I roll my eyes in exasperation, but considering she’s not there to see it, the gesture seems pointless. We both know I’ll do what she wants because there’s no way I could live with it on the outside chance that some poor bastard attacks her. “Where are you?” I ask, already getting to my feet.

Now that she’s gotten her way, all trace of softness is gone, and she says impatiently, “At Wrenn, naturally. Could you get a move on, I have plans tonight.” She disconnects the call without bothering to say goodbye or heaven forbid, thank you. I could carry her on my back across a freaking river and not receive any gratitude.

I grab my purse and rush out, making it to my car in record time. I consider calling Lee to see if he’s left my father’s office but decide against it. Surely, if Dad is still there, Jacey doesn’t need me to rescue her. I’ll wait until I get back to his place to find out what happened during his impromptu meeting.

Jacey is standing next to her car when I pull into the garage. It is rather deserted and creepy. I’ve never noticed the lack of after-hours security here. My father really should do better for his employees, but I doubt he gives a damn. I park next to her and lower my window when she doesn’t make a move to get in the passenger seat. “I thought you were in such a rush.”

“Could you give me a hand?” she huffs out. “I have a couple of boxes to carry, plus my briefcase.” Shit, what else, princess? I leave the engine idling and the door open, hoping that one trip will do it. She has her trunk open, and I’m leaning over, looking at nothing but empty space, when pain explodes in my skull. My vision blurs as I struggle to remain on my feet. “I’m sorry, Jade. I don’t want to do this, but it’s either you or me. I really have no choice.” What? Her words make no sense. I am attempting to steady myself and turn around, when there is another blow. This time, I can’t hold on. My legs begin to buckle beneath me as the world goes black.