Chapter 36
Evading Trevor wasn’t going to be easy, J.T. knew, but to protect him and everyone else, he’d pull out all the stops.
God, he’d never expected Cynthia’s grudge against him would end like this—with someone he loved being physically harmed to the point of almost death.
He texted his brother his instructions with an apology he could only hope Trev would accept. Leaving Caroline and his new life behind was the worst thing imaginable, but in many ways, so was leaving his twin. They’d always had each other’s backs.
Now, he had to go it alone. The aching feeling of loss was like a void inside him.
As he drove to Denver, he called his credit card concierge service and asked for their assistance. He was glad for something to focus on other than the tightness in his chest. There was no way he could take the family jet, so he bought six first class tickets to different locations around the world: Rome, Buenos Aires, Casablanca, Rio de Janeiro, Bangkok, and Hong Kong.
He only planned to use one of the tickets, and that was to Bangkok. Once there, he would have to find way of making sure his passport wasn’t entered into the Thai system, which would keep Trev guessing. From there, he would rent a charter plane under another name and have them drop him off at an island airport with loose security.
His phone continued to ring as he made the arrangements, and his car dashboard showed him who the callers were. Caroline. Trevor. Again and again. Even Evan and Chase called. So far no one else in his direct family, but Trev might be keeping the situation under wraps, hoping he’d find J.T. and talk some sense into him. He knew his brother would want to save them from worrying.
When Cynthia showed up on his caller ID while he was finalizing the tickets, he asked if he could call the sales agent back. This was one call he planned to take.
“How do you feel about almost killing an old man?” he asked without preamble.
He heard a humming sound. “Oh, is that what you think I did? J.T., you give me too much credit.”
Strangling her would be too merciful. “I never thought you’d stoop this low. You’ve become completely morally corrupt. I was the one who left. You want to make me suffer? Come at me, not anyone else.”
And yet she’d also targeted his family business and Caroline, he thought. She had never played fair.
“That old man came at me. You were the one who brought him into our little game.”
He wanted to kick something. “This isn’t a game. This is life, and you’re hurting people who don’t deserve it. I don’t want you around anymore. Don’t you get it? This is why I left you! Why can’t you get that through your thick skull?”
Silence reigned for thirty seconds, and he knew he’d struck a vein.
“Oh, Julian is upset,” she practically purred. “That’s what I’ve wanted all along. You keep evading me so I have to keep upping the stakes. Walking away from your career and your family legacy. Then giving away all that money. What’s up this time? Because I don’t think the Rembrandt is a fake.”
“Of course it’s not a fake,” he said. “I would never leave myself or anyone else open to your arrows. Cynthia, I want this to stop. Right now. You won. Is that what you want to hear?”
“No,” she said with an edge in her voice. “I told you that you’d pay for that for the rest of your life, and I meant it.”
“You’re sick,” he said sadly. “All that time spent in therapy as a child didn’t help you one bit.”
“How dare you!”
He glanced over to see Caroline was calling him on the other line, and his remaining heartstrings broke. He was never going to see her again, and he didn’t know how he could accept that.
“You bet I dare,” he said, letting the force of his rage out. It didn’t matter now.
“Well, you’ll keep paying.”
“No, I won’t,” he said, his tone hard. “I’m done being nice. You crossed the line. I’m going to find evidence you influenced the bank to call in Arthur’s loan, and I’m going to take you down. And if I can prove your father was involved in the newspaper losing its top advertiser, I’m going to fry him too.”
Of course, Trevor might beat him to it, but he didn’t care so long as it forced her to stop.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Julian,” she said.
“We’ll see,” he said. “Get ready to wear orange, Cynthia.”
Her outraged exclamation was the last thing he heard before he disconnected the call. He thought about finding evidence of her guilt. How long would it take? And would it really stop her? If he sent her to prison, or her father for that matter—a heartening thought—would it put an end to her harassment? They had money, and they wouldn’t be in jail forever.
None of that could matter. She would finally be held accountable for her actions, and her father too, if he were involved. He’d never liked the man anyway.
Good thing he had a focus.
Otherwise, being on a deserted island away from everything he loved was going to drive him crazy.