~Twenty~
When I got back to the room, Tessa had her bag on the bed and was throwing everything she owned inside it. I knew that she never wanted to see Colin again. I wasn’t sure that running away was the best option even though I would have taken her wherever she wanted to go. I of all people knew exactly what it felt like to escape.
She was running around at a hundred miles an hour, but somehow, I managed to grab hold of her and hold her tight. Something inside her snapped and the tears began to fall. She was mumbling against my chest, but I heard every word she said, “I don’t want to go back to him, Xavier.”
“Look at me, Tessa,” I requested. When her eyes rose to meet mine, I assured her, “I would never allow him to take you from me… but if we don’t meet with him, I’m afraid we would be constantly looking over our shoulders wondering if he would find us. What kind of life would that be?”
I felt like such a hypocrite. I had been hiding for nearly a year, and even though it was worth it, my past had finally caught up with me. Sooner or later, the one thing that I cared about would be taken away from me.
Giving her the assurance that she needed, we headed back downstairs to find out more about the meeting arrangement that Jonathan made with Colin. Jonathan was still on the back deck finishing up his breakfast. It was evident that he knew Tessa was upset with his decision to meet with Colin. Given everything that she had gone through, it was well justified. Before anything was said, I looked over to Tessa and gave her a comforting smile. “Tell us about this meeting with Colin. One thing that will not be compromised is Tessa’s safety. I want to make sure we are on the same page regarding this.”
“I would never agree to anything that would compromise her safely. While you checked on Tessa, I contacted Colin and told him that in order for this meeting to take place, Tessa would not be included. With a little hesitation, he finally agreed. We are meeting at Criss Cross tomorrow at noon.”
“Good. One question though. Why did Colin shorten his trip? He wasn’t supposed to be back until next week,” I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me.
“That is something you will need to ask him tomorrow. If there is one thing I know about Colin Gates, he always has an agenda for everything. It wouldn’t surprise me if he found out about our relationship,” Jonathan replied.
Tessa’s demeanor changed the minute Jonathan stated that it would only be the two of us meeting with Colin tomorrow. Thinking about what Jonathan said, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this meeting ended up being a trap. There was one thing I had to agree with, Colin always had an agenda, and it usually meant someone had to die.
~*~*~*~
The morning came and went, and even though I promised Tessa that I would be back, I got the feeling that she didn’t believe me, and her expression confirmed her apprehension. I had no idea what this meeting would bring, but I was prepared for the worst possible scenario. Jonathan, on the other hand, went with his instincts that Colin really wanted Tessa and in order to get her, he would be offering something in exchange. What Jonathan didn’t take into account was the fact that Colin would do anything to have her, even if it meant removing any and all obstacles, namely us.
Kissing Tessa one last time, I opened the passenger door of Jonathan’s Audi and got in. Jonathan insisted on driving since it was logical to take his car. As we headed down the bumpy road, my time was spent thinking of different outcomes to this meeting, the worst being that we both would end up dead and Colin would have Tessa. There was no way I could let that happen. My best bet would be to be prepared for anything, which included accepting the 9mm that Jonathan offered to me.
Two hours later we were parked in front of Criss Cross with fifteen minutes to spare. Colin hadn’t arrived yet, which meant that we had a few minutes to discuss what our game plan would be in the event things got hairy. Turned out that Jonathan had been preparing for this day for a long time. Maybe not exactly under the same circumstances, but meeting up with Colin Gates again nonetheless. The security he had in place was state of the art and even came with his own army of men. With a flick of a switch they would be here in an instant.
When the call came from Darcy announcing that Gates had arrived, we knew that in a matter of minutes we would know the direction this meeting would take. Taking a seat on the couch, trying to seem as relaxed as possible, I waited for Colin to enter the office. Jonathan took his place on the edge of his desk with his arms crossed at his chest, exhibiting that he was more relaxed than me.
Minutes later, Colin entered Jonathan’s office, causing him to move from his perch to a standing position. I remained where I was, unable to make eye contact with Colin as he came closer to us. He was alone, which I found rather odd considering that Simon was always one step behind him. Maybe this was nothing more than a meeting with no other agenda.
Reaching out his hand to Jonathan, he stated arrogantly, “It’s been a while, my friend.”
I was pretty sure the consensus was unanimous. Colin was by far no friend of Jonathan’s, which was evident when he replied, “Mr. Gates.” It was definitely a slap in the face the way he addressed Colin in such a formal manner, something friends would never do.
Taking an arrogant stance, Colin took a seat behind Jonathan’s desk, like he owned the place. Stating his claim, he indicated, “You have done well for yourself, Evans. Maybe it’s time we renegotiate the terms of our contract.”
I had no idea what the hell he was taking about, but Jonathan’s fists clenched into tight balls when he turned to face Colin. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’ve worked my ass off after you took everything from me. You have some balls to ask for more.”
“Lighten up, Evans. I was joking. But I would like to offer you a proposition,” he replied as he leaned back in the chair and propped his feet on the desk, crossing them at the ankles. “I’m hosting a party at my house this weekend and I would like for you and Tessa to be there. There are some investors I would like you to meet.”
“And why would I want to meet any of your low-life friends?” Jonathan hissed.
“Let’s just say, you don’t have much of a choice considering I could pull this business right out from under you, just like you did my sweet Tessa.” Not only was Jonathan steaming over Colin’s remark, my temperature was at a boiling point, ready to explode.
Rising from my seat, I voiced between gritted teeth, “There is no way I am going to let Tessa come anywhere near you.”
“Mr. London, tsk, tsk, tsk,” he responded, holding his index finger up, moving it back and forth as though I was a child being disciplined. “I’m afraid you have no say in this, unless of course, you would like certain information about your past to be known. Besides, I have no intention of doing anything to Tessa. She has served her purpose. I’m sure you have experienced what a great fuck she is.”
If I hadn’t been pissed before, I was now as I lunged towards him, ready to strangle his scrawny neck. Luckily for him, Jonathan stepped in, holding me back from what I should have done a year ago. With his cocky ass grin, he planted his feet on the floor and stood from his chair. Tugging on the bottom of his $1000 suit coat, he rounded Jonathan’s desk, keeping his beady eyes glued to mine. Before he left the room, he stopped and said, “The party begins at eight p.m. sharp. This a formal affair, so please dress appropriately, Mr. London, and make sure Tessa has something beautiful to wear.”
Colin’s last gesture before he left was placing what appeared to be a bundle of hundreds totaling five grand on the coffee table. I could have taken the money and shoved it up his ass, but instead, I decided to hold on to it. I thought Darcy deserved a bonus for putting up with Jonathan all these years.
~*~*~*~
Driving back to Jonathan’s cabin, there was one thing that bothered me about the meeting with Colin. When he mentioned that he and Jonathan had some sort or agreement, it piqued my curiosity. The hatred between them was mutual, even though I suspected that Colin’s hatred was deeper, considering he wanted Jonathan dead.
Looking over at Jonathan, I asked point blank, “What kind of arrangement do you have with Gates?”
I could see Jonathan’s grip tighten on the steering wheel. Taking an exasperated breath, he answered, “Even though we haven’t had any business dealings for some time, he still owns 50% of Criss Cross. To this day, he refuses to allow me to buy him out. I think that may have been one of the reasons he wanted me dead. With me gone, he would be awarded my half of the company.”
The pieces to this puzzle were beginning to come together. I just couldn’t believe that Colin would forfeit having Jonathan out of the way in order to introduce him to potential investors. It just didn’t make sense. It was no wonder that Jonathan was hesitant in meeting with them.