Nineteen.

Finnley had a few appointments in the afternoon and couldn't leave work. Abbot drove me home, and I barely said a word to him. Not prying or forcing me to speak when I didn't want to was one of his better qualities. I didn't even care that he was driving way too fast downtown, or that the pavement was slick from rain. Nothing really mattered, other than the fact I had a sister. Finnley had arranged for Charlie to take Caitlyn around town and pay for whatever she needed. She had refused, but he had insisted, and being as persistent as he was, he'd won. His secretary cancelled her stay at the Bellagio, and she was set to arrive at our house at six, which meant I had four hours to compose myself.

I couldn't think of anything else.

"Holy f.u.c.k," Abbot yelled and jerked the wheel off the road. My seatbelt locked, and I was instantly in panic mode. Dust lifted from the road as the car spun around. I turned my head to try and figure out what had happened. A black van had swerved halfway off the road and then sped up.

"I don't f.u.c.king think so," Abbot said. He slammed on the gas pedal, spitting rocks and dust in our wake. "Call Finnley," he said and threw the cellphone toward me. I picked it up with shaky hands and dialed Finnley's number. He answered on the first ring.

"Someone just ran us off the road. s.h.i.t," I said.

Abbot pulled a gun from inside his coat. It had a silencer on the end. He racked the slide and it clicked.

"Jennifer. What is going on?" Finnley sounded calm, but I knew him better than that.

We were only a few feet behind the van, following it, tailing it. It swerved off the road, and the rear tires shot gravel at the car. Abbot rolled down the window and aimed the gun out.

"Hold on to the wheel, Jennifer. Keep it steady. Don't f.u.c.king let go of it no matter what," he said.

I dropped the phone in my lap and steered from the pa.s.senger side. Abbot let go of the wheel and placed both hands on the gun, aimed, and fired. Direct hit on the back tire.

He sat back down in the car and grabbed the steering wheel as the van spun off the road. I could hear Finnley yelling on the phone, and I picked it up with shaky hands.

"Jennifer!" he said.

"Finnley. We are on Highway 95."

"I'm here, baby. I'm right here. I'm heading that way."

The van slammed into a telephone pole on the side of the road. Smoke rose from the hood. My heart raced as Abbot slammed on the brakes and made a U-turn. Then he turned and looked at me.

"Now listen. Climb in the driver's seat, and if something happens to me, you drive the f.u.c.k away. You drive fast. You got it?"

I nodded.

"I don't give a s.h.i.t what happens. Do not get out of this car. You drive away." Abbot searched my face. I nodded again.

"What did he say?" Finnley asked.

As soon as Abbot exited, I climbed behind the steering wheel and watched as he stood confidently behind the van. He held the gun to his chest with one finger on the trigger and peeked inside the back, tinted windows. I slid farther down in the seat just in case something happened.

"Finn. I'm here. Abbot just got out of the car." My voice shook and was barely over a whisper.

"Listen to Abbot. He knows what he is doing. You're safe with him. I'm leaving right now and I promise I'll find you."

Abbot tried to open the back door, but it was locked. He stayed low as he went around to the driver's side. With his elbow, he broke the gla.s.s, unlocked the door, and pulled a man out and onto the ground. Blood dripped from the man's forehead, but Abbot didn't seem to care. I don't think he had the "taking prisoners" type of mindset. He grabbed the man by his collar and slammed him harder to the ground. Abbot yelled something, but I couldn't hear a word he said. Not one word. I could only hear the ringing in my ears. Then I watched as Abbot placed his gun to the man's temple and pulled the trigger.

I dropped the phone.

I covered my mouth and screamed. Abbot picked the man's pockets and pulled out a cellphone and wallet. Then I watched as three men burst from the back of the van and waited for Abbot. From what I could tell, they were carrying knives, and one had his gun drawn. Before Abbot could tuck the gun back into the holster strapped to his chest, the men rushed around the van. Abbot heard their feet pushing gravel, so he placed his back against the metal of the van and c.o.c.ked his gun. He rushed around the other side and aimed his weapon. It all happened so fast; the three men didn't even get to see their killer's face.

Before Abbot came to the car, he opened the back of the van. It was stacked high with explosives. After a few minutes, he was running toward the car screaming for me to drive. He jumped inside and screamed at me, "Get the f.u.c.k out of here now."

I didn't hesitate and slammed on the gas.

A boom echoed around us as pieces of metal flew and fell. In the distance, flames and black smoke rose to the sky.

Abbot buckled his seatbelt and shook his head. "It doesn't matter where I go in this f.u.c.kin' world, the sc.u.m are always the f.u.c.kin' same." His nostrils flared as he sucked in deep breaths.

I pulled over on the side of the road and leaned against the steering wheel. Abbot's cellphone rang and he picked it up.

"We're fine." Abbot laughed. He was the calm before the storm. "Some a.r.s.ehole was driving a van full of explosives and tried to run us off the road. I know we were the targets, maybe even the Elite building. Guess he didn't realize I live for this s.h.i.t."

Today was too much for me to handle. I could hear Finnley saying something on the other line but couldn't make it out.

"She's fine. I'm bringing her there now. I'll keep you updated with what I find," Abbot said then hung up.

"I'll drive," he said.

I didn't move.

"Jenn. Seriously. Trade me before someone else comes after us."

I sprang into action, and we switched places. The entire way back I was on high alert, panicked almost. My nerves were shot. My emotions ran loose while my heart hammered. I spiraled into a pit of memories of being taken. Jesse was after me.

"Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, it seems to me most strange that men should fear; Seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come," Abbot said as he drove forward.

"Shakespeare," I whispered.

His eyes never left the road. We pulled up to the house, and I couldn't do anything but try to process what had happened.

Abbot turned to me. "Are you okay? Jennifer, are you okay?"

I turned toward him. I never noticed his eyes were blue, dark blue, with little specs of darker blue in his irises. I think it was the first time that I had really looked at him and seen who and what he was: a killer.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

Three knocks on the window caused me to jump. I gasped for air.

"I think she's in shock," Abbot said. "She needs to go inside."

Finnley pulled me out of the car and walked me up the stairs. He undressed me down to my bra and panties, then unfolded the blankets from the bed and laid me down. Then he crawled in next to me and held me. Together we were two pieces of different puzzles that fit perfectly together.

Not a word was muttered. I closed my eyes and tried to forget the men who had died today. To forget the look on Abbot's face, or how he felt no remorse after he had ended them. He made it seem easy, like he didn't have to process what he was doing. Abbot was a robotic killer with the motions of murder memorized.

I rolled over to face Finnley.

"He killed several men without even thinking twice about it," I said.

Finnley ran his thumb down my jaw and across my lips. "If it's between you getting hurt and someone else, Abbot will always choose you. That's what he is here for. Just think if he weren't with you. What would have happened? I can't lose you, Jennifer. I won't."

He pulled me closer until we were chest to chest, and we lay there. "You're in shock. You need to try to rest," he whispered. Finnley kissed my forehead and turned off the light, though the afternoon sun scattered across the floors. He left me to deal with my demons alone.

I fell into a nightmare. Jesse chased me through the woods. The sounds of crisp leaves crunched with every step I took. I ran into blackness. I ran so hard I couldn't catch enough breath. It burned like iced air. When I turned around to see whether she was behind me, she disappeared. I stopped running and searched for her until I heard the click of a gun and felt a coldness on my temple.

"I'll always find you, Jennifer. I'll find you. I'll find your sister. I'll find Finnley. I'll find Luke. All of you will be dead," she whispered in my ear, then licked up my neck with a tongue long and slithering like a snake's. I struggled to get away from her and screamed.

"Shhh. Shhh. It's going to be okay. Jennifer. It's going to be okay," Luke said. He had turned on the light and was shaking me awake. I sat up, tears streaming down my face. He opened his arms, and I fell into them.

"I was helping Finnley set up the spare bedroom and heard you screaming. You're okay," he said. Luke spoke softly, as though I were a child.

"The nightmares. Ever since-" I pulled away from him.

"I wish I could take it all away. All the memories of what happened. I wish it wasn't something that you had to live with every day, and I can't help but blame myself for it."

"It's not your fault," I said.

We hadn't really talked about it since the day after I was rescued.

"I wish a lot of things were different," he said.

I swallowed and looked up into his eyes. I knew he was referring to us.

Finnley walked into the room and leaned against the doorframe. All the air seemed to escape from the room. Luke reached over and squeezed my shoulder. Finnley smiled and left the room.

"We have to talk, Jennifer. I feel like I've been avoiding you. Avoiding seeing you. Avoiding everything that has to do with you."

I sucked in a sharp breath that cut as it went down and swallowed. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not. I'm not sorry for feeling the way I did for you, and I never will be. I know you've chosen my brother, and I really believe the two of you are meant for each other. That's obvious. But I like to think that in an alternate universe, Jennifer Downs fell in love with and decided to spend the rest of her life with me."

"I don't know what to say," I said. It all seemed like too much.

"Nothing at all." He placed his hand on my shoulder and gently squeezed, then trailed his fingers down to my hand and squeezed again.

"You woke something in me that I hadn't felt in a long time, and though it sometimes pains me to look at you, I know that you're happy, and that my brother is happy, and that makes me happy. I don't fault you for loving him. He's a wonderful guy. He would do anything for you, and I can feel the love flowing between you when you look at each other. It's beautiful, and I hope one day I'll get to experience that too. I'm not over you yet, and there are days when I can't stop thinking about you, but I know it has to stop, and I have to let you go because you're already gone."

I squeezed his hand back and stared into his deep blue eyes. "You're going to make someone very happy one day, Luke."

It all happened way too fast. Luke grabbed the bottom of my chin, leaned in, and pressed his soft lips against mine. By reaction only, my lips moved against his, and then I pulled away and stood.

"Luke. I'm sorry. I can't," I said, pressing my hand against my mouth.

His eyes were full of hurt, and his face displayed too many emotions. "I just had to know."

I walked out of the room and stormed downstairs.

I couldn't. I couldn't do this. I couldn't handle this.

Finnley was downstairs laughing with Abbot about something, and as soon as he looked at me, he knew something was wrong. He rushed to me and grabbed my hand, then brought me into the living room.

"What's wrong?" His voice was a low growl.

Before I could even open my mouth, Luke was standing at the top of the stairs staring down at us.

Finnley's nostrils flared, knowing what had happened without me even uttering a word. I knew rage was circulating through him.

FINNLEY.

Twenty.

I glanced up at Luke, then back at Jennifer.

"What did you do, Luke?"

This had to stop. It couldn't go on any longer.

I shook my head, turned quickly, and climbed the stairs two at a time toward him.

"I kissed her," he said, smugly crossing his arms. He stood strong, not backing away from my bubbling rage.

We had already discussed this previously. He had said he was over it, but clearly he wasn't.

I stood in front of him, then reared my hand back and allowed my anger to connect with his face.

In the distance, I heard Jennifer gasp as Luke stumbled backward until his back crashed against a picture on the wall. Then his face contorted, and he was wrapping his arms around my waist, pushing me down on the ground. We wrestled with each other, throwing punches.

"Stop being a d.i.c.k, Luke," I said as I straddled his chest and punched him repeatedly. "You're an a.r.s.ehole!" I screamed. Before I could continue, I felt strong hands on my shoulders, pulling me off him.

"It's not worth it," Abbot said low in my ear.

I breathed heavily. My knuckles burned and I smoothed back my wild hair. Luke pulled himself from the floor and ran toward me. Abbot stood in front of me and stared Luke down.

"Don't ya b.l.o.o.d.y do it," Abbot said.

Luke stared him down but knew not to even tempt Abbot, whose fists were like steel from all the fighting he did in London.

"Not backing down? Ya know, maybe you and Finnley should fight it out. Might be good for the two of you," Abbot said then stepped out of the way.