Jake: The Sinner Saints #3 (4 page)

At least he hadn’t picked her up and physically thrown her out…yet. That was a good sign. Wasn’t it?

There was only one way to find out.

“D-does this mean that you’ve changed your mind?” she asked as he unfolded the paper and started reading.

He didn’t look up.

“Haven’t changed my mind,” he said. “I still think this is a terrible idea. But it seems what I think doesn’t much matter.”

“I don’t understand.” Verity scooted over to the edge of the bed and risked putting one foot down on the floor.

Jake made her wait as he looked over the letter. After nearly a full minute, he put it down on the table.

“Seems you made quite an impression when you went to the Macmillan office yesterday.” His voice was low and tight. “My boss has decided to take your case, and has assigned me as your bodyguard.”

Oh, thank God.

A smile lifted Verity’s lips.

She started, “That’s—”

“A huge mistake.”

He spun around. That familiar dark glower was back. Verity knew she should look away, but she felt caught like a deer in the headlights.

“You should have been more careful what you wished for,” he continued. “Because now you’re stuck with
the scariest son of a bitch you’ve ever met
.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“Yeah, you did.” He took a step toward her, and Verity slid her foot right back up on the mattress. “And you’re right. I am.”

His stare might be hard, but, damn, if his eyes weren’t the color of dark honey.

Verity gave herself a mental shake. She shouldn’t be thinking about him that way.

Then again, she had no idea what
was
the right way to think about him.

He intrigued her as much as he terrified her. She seemed to be both drawn to and repulsed by him in equal measure. Verity had never met anyone who inspired such mixed feelings.

Not that she had any such effect on him. The way he was glaring at her now made it clear that he wanted nothing more than to get rid of her.

Well, she could help him with that.

“I realize that we got off on the wrong foot, and the chances of us becoming good friends is pretty slight,” she said, scooting off the bed. “So maybe the best thing would be to just get going. That way we don’t have to deal with each other any longer than we have to.”

“Sounds reasonable,” he said, but his expression didn’t soften.

Verity nodded. At least his words were civil.

“It’s about a six-hour drive from here to the address that my brother sent me.”

“Then I guess we should stop for breakfast.”

“I think I’ll just grab something on the road.” She walked over to her purse and rummaged inside for her keys. “I can get going now, and you can meet me up there.”

Verity started as Jake’s big hand fell over her wrist, stopping her cold.

“No,” he said.

Her eyes went wide as she snapped her head up. “What do you mean
no
?”

“You’re not going anywhere without me.”

For someone that didn’t want the job, Jake was certainly taking this bodyguard stuff pretty seriously. Maybe a little too seriously.

Verity couldn’t help the nervous smile that lifted her lips. “I’m sure I can make it up to Yolo County in one piece on my own.”

“That’s probably true.” His hand stayed firm on hers. Verity didn’t try to pull away. “But you’ll still be riding with me.”

“I really don’t think it’s necessary.”

“Sure it is,” he said. “There’s no other way for you to get there.”

“What do you mean?”

“The rental company came and picked up your car about an hour ago.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Because I called them and told them to.”

Verity’s jaw dropped. “Why the hell would you do that without asking me?”

“Because your safety—your life—is my responsibility now,” he said, angling his body closer. Suddenly the room felt a hell of a lot smaller than it did a few minutes ago. “And that means from here on out we’re going to be doing things my way.”

Verity inched back, but Jake kept his hold on her. His grip was firm but not vicious. She knew she could wrench away if she wanted to…but she didn’t.

“And what exactly is
your way
?”

His gaze intensified, and Verity felt her heartbeat kick up against her breastbone.

“That’s a question you probably should have asked before breaking into my motel room to beg for my help,” he said.

Verity lifted her chin. Now he was just trying to intimidate her. And, yeah, sure it was working…but she wasn’t about to let him know that.

“Well, I’m asking now.”

“It’s easy.” He slipped closer, closing the gap between them. Verity couldn’t even take a deep breath without her chest brushing against his. Still, she forced herself to stand her ground.

“What I say goes. I make the plans. You do exactly as I say, no matter what.”

Her brows pulled together. “That seems a little tyrannical.”

The corners of his lips lifted, but the smile didn’t make it to his eyes. “There’s still time to catch that flight home if you don’t like my terms.”

Verity swallowed past the lump in her throat.

She couldn’t do that. It looked like she’d just have to put up with this
caveman
, at least for a little while.

“Okay, fine.” She twisted her wrist and her hand fell away from his easily. “Deal.”

Jake kept his gaze on her for a moment longer before giving her a curt nod. “Deal.”

Verity shifted back and forth on her feet when he didn’t back up. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, and she swiped the tip of her tongue against her lower lip to wet it.

“Um,” she said after another few awkward seconds had passed. “I know we’re doing things
your way
now, but are we going to get going soon like we talked about, or do you plan on keeping me pinned up against this wall in a show of dominance all morning?”

Verity instantly regretted the bold words when he inched even closer and the space between them disappeared. She swallowed hard as he pulled his hands out of his pockets. His fingers entwined with hers as he pushed the backs of her hands flat against the wall behind her,
pinning
her in earnest.

Her heart hammered with an emotion that had nothing to do with fear. Her lips parted. His mouth was so close, the dark look in his eyes so intense. Surely, he wasn’t going to…

Just then Verity felt something hard and cold press into her left palm.

Jake stepped away suddenly, turning his back to her.

Verity blinked several times before glancing down at her open hand and the small silver keyring now in the middle of her palm.

“W-what’s this?” she asked.

“Keys to my truck.” His back was stiff, the line of his shoulders hard. “I figured I’d give them to you this time before you had a chance to steal them.”

Verity closed her eyes as embarrassment crashed over her. She’d been a fool to believe for even a second that he was going to kiss her. He’d made it clear that he did nothing but despise her.

“Jake, I—”

“Grab your bags,” he cut her off. “You can wait for me out in the cab while I get ready.”

She didn’t say another word. She’d be an even bigger idiot to try and argue with a voice that hard.

She curled her fingers around Jake’s keys and turned toward the door before she could do anything to screw up this situation any more than she already had.

Chapter Three

She really was in the middle of nowhere.

The realization crashed down around Verity as she gazed out the dusty window of the roadside diner that Jake had brought her to. The darkness last night had hid the enormity of the rural southern California landscape from her, but now, in full sunlight, there was no hiding from it.

The long summer had obviously taken its toll on the valley. What little life that clung to the ground was dry and brown. The top layer of soil kicked up with every gust that ripped over the tops of the hills to the west, creating ribbons of dust that glided just above the roads and farmland like long, ethereal serpents.

Verity had spent the last ten minutes silently staring out over the seemingly endless miles of flat, wind-ravaged terrain. The scenery was like something out of an Alexander Hogue painting—harsh but undeniably beautiful. Even now, it held her rapt.

Right until the moment that her phone started to buzz against the hard tabletop.

Verity’s head snapped toward it, breaking out of her silent reverie. She ignored Jake’s stare as she glanced down at her screen.

You should send me a pic of this guy you’ve hooked up with. You know, just in case you end up in a dumpster somewhere.

A smile tugged at the corners of Verity’s lips. Good ol’ Cheryl. Once again, her friend knew just when Verity needed a laugh, even when she was thousands of miles away.

Verity thought for a second about snapping a photo of Jake across from her in the booth, but quickly discarded the idea. Cheryl would take one look at the dark glower that was plastered on his face and immediately contact the FBI.

Instead, she sent the picture that Charlie had shared with her at the Macmillan offices. Sure, Jake still gave off the hulking badass vibe in that one, but at least he didn’t look like he was actively pissed off at her.

Wow. You’re right. He’s hot…in a Rambo kind of way.

Cheryl had no idea just how right she was.

Verity made sure the screen was turned off before putting the phone back down on the table. She feared for a moment Jake might ask her what she was smiling about, but she was saved when a moment later the waitress walked up with their order.

“Here you go, Jake,” she said, placing a plate piled high with eggs, hash browns, and bacon down in front of him. “Your regular.”

Jake shot her a half smile. “Thanks, Denise.”

The woman flicked her long brunette hair back behind her shoulder as she grinned from ear to ear at his attention. Verity couldn’t blame Denise for her reaction. She knew well enough how distracting being the focus of Jake Thorne’s attention could be.

Though, Verity wondered if the woman would still bat her eyelashes so much if she knew that the man seemed to be on a first name basis with every waitress in California.

Without turning her head Verity’s way, the waitress plopped a bowl down in her general direction. “And some oatmeal.”

“Thank you,” Verity said. She pushed her mug forward. “Do you think I could get a refill on my—”

But it was too late. Denise was already walking away to her other tables.

Verity looked down into her nearly empty cup. Maybe the lady was doing her a favor. Too much coffee would only make her jittery.

And it wasn’t as if she needed any help when it came to that. As it was, she’d spent the entire ride tucked up against the passenger door of Jake’s truck, half afraid that the storm cloud hanging over his head was about to open.

She shouldn’t have worried. Jake hadn’t said a single word to her since the moment that he’d marched out of his motel room and climbed into the driver’s seat. He’d barely even glanced her way. At least back in the truck he’d cranked up the radio to fill up all the silent space between them. Here in the forced closeness of the worn diner booth, there was nothing but the piped in smooth jazz to ease the strain.

Of course, Verity wasn’t even sure what she was hoping for. It wasn’t like a little small talk was going to fix anything between them. The best she could hope for was a little civility…and even that seemed like a long shot.

Verity glanced across the table. Jake’s head was down, his full attention on his plate as he tucked into his food. Maybe he had the right idea.

She hadn’t had a decent meal since grabbing a quick service sandwich from the Detroit airport yesterday. She should be starving, but she wasn’t.

Verity lifted her spoon, and tried a nibble of her oatmeal. It was hot and it didn’t taste half-bad, but, when she swallowed, the food landed in her stomach like lead.

Verity stared down at the full bowl for a moment before pushing it to the side. She was just too nervous to eat. There was no use pretending otherwise.

“Something on your mind?” Jake’s gravelly voice drifted across the table. He didn’t look up from his breakfast.

Verity scooted back in her seat and leaned against the cracked vinyl behind her. “Not particularly.”

“Really?” He didn’t sound satisfied. “What did your friend Cheryl want?”

So, she hadn’t dodged the question after all, just delayed it a little.

There was no use lying. It wasn’t as though he was above snatching up her phone and reading her texts for himself. Besides, there was no need for deception. He didn’t strike her as a man whose feelings were easily hurt.

“She wanted a picture of you, just in case anything happened to me.”

Jake froze. Even with his head turned down, she could see his eyes close. They stayed that way for a long moment.

Okay. So, maybe she was wrong about the whole bruised feelings thing.

His broad shoulders rose and fell with a deep sigh. He rested his fork down on the edge of his plate as he lifted his face and met her gaze.

“Verity, I’m not going to lie about being upset with this assignment,” he said, his voice low but even. “But no matter how unhappy I am, I need you to understand that I would never hurt you. Never.”

“I know.” Verity gave a small nod.

He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. He didn’t look particularly convinced. “Do you?”

Well, this was interesting. Verity couldn’t imagine why he cared so much about what she thought. All of his actions up to this point certainly made it seem that way. Even the fight in the bar last night had more to do with his pride than her honor.

But if he wanted to know, she’d tell him. It wasn’t as if any of her reasons were secret. Chockfull of painful memories, sure, but not a one of them particularly private.

Still, that didn’t mean that Verity loved recounting the past. She drew in a deep breath as she turned toward the window, and looked out over the lonely view.

“Do you have family, Mr. Thorne? Parents? Siblings?”

“Two sisters and three brothers.”

“Wow, big family.” Verity lifted a finger up to the windowpane. She traced the jagged line of the faraway mountaintops with her fingertip. “For a long time now, it’s just been Roman and me. Our mother died of cancer when I was eight. Six years later, a heart attack took our dad.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said.

Her lips lifted in a humorless smile of acknowledgment.

“Roman is three years my senior. He’s always taken his job as big brother very seriously. He did his best to look out for me when we were shuttled back and forth between relatives. He stood up for me in every new town and school. And when he turned eighteen and joined the Army he always sent half his paycheck home to me. He even sent me to college.”

“Listen, Verity, you don’t have to tell me this,” Jake started. “I get that you love your brother.”

She slowly shook her head. He didn’t
get
anything.

“Jake, I’m not blind to my brother’s faults. He’s rash and hotheaded. I’ve never known him to take an extra second to think things through. Now, I don’t know what he did to make you dislike him so much, but there is one thing you need to know about Roman,” she said, turning away from the window to face him again. “As much as I love him, he loves me more. Hell, I might be the only thing in this world that he
does
love anymore. And I have no idea what he’s thinking with this plan of his, but I do know that he would have never scribbled your name on the back of that letter if he believed for a second that you might do me harm.”

Jake met her gaze for a long moment, and Verity felt like they were really looking at each other for the first time. After another second, he nodded his head and leaned back in his seat, but his eyes stayed steady on hers. He might have accepted her explanation, but she could tell there was something else on his mind.

“You know, if Roman and his team really did what he wrote in that letter, then he’s in a world of trouble.” Jake crossed his big arms over his chest. “More than
anyone
is going to be able to shield him from.”

Damn it.

A part of her knew this conversation was coming, but somehow she’d hoped that she could avoid it. She bit into her lip and slid her gaze down to the tabletop.

“But what if we get everything out of the house before he has a chance to sell it?” she tried. Her voice sounded small and shaky even to her own ears. “We could box it all up and send it back anonymously. No one would ever have to know.”

Verity peeked up from underneath her lashes when the silence stretched on. Jake was still staring at her, but his brows were even lower than before.

“That’s not going to happen, Verity,” he said.

She lifted her head. “And why not?”

“Because no matter how badly you want to protect your brother, he has committed about a dozen felonies, not to mention breaking more international treaties than I can count.”

“But—”

“No
buts
,” Jake cut her off. “I signed on to help you recover some stolen art, not to save Roman Green from paying the piper. End of story.”

Verity’s spine straightened as he tilted his face back down toward his plate. Her cheeks began to burn when he picked up his fork and lifted up another giant bite of hash browns.

Oh, no. She was not about to be dismissed and submit to the silent treatment so easily.

Not again.

“Why do you hate Roman?” she asked bluntly.

“You don’t want to know.”

“Don’t be condescending,” she said. “I can take it.”

“You can’t.”

Verity drew in a shaky breath. No one had ever accused her of being quick to anger, but then again, no one ever pushed her buttons the way Jake Thorne did.

“Did he steal your girl?” she practically spat the words out. “Take you in a poker game? Wait, I know. He actually had the audacity to beat you in a bar fight, didn’t he?”

Jake stilled. He looked up at her from underneath his brow.

“If you know your brother even half as well as you claim, then you know it was a hell of a lot worse than that,” he said slowly.

Verity swallowed down past the lump in her throat as he turned the full force of his attention back to her.

“But since you’re so fond of questions,” he went on, “how about you answer one for me? What are you really doing out here, Verity?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Sure you do.” His fork clattered against his plate as he straightened up. “Explain to me why you were willing to drop everything, fly across the country, and risk your own safety, just to send a few baubles, that the day before yesterday you didn’t know existed, back to a place that you’re never going to set foot in?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” she said without thinking.

“Not good enough,” Jake said with a shake of his head. “You better give me something more, because if this is only about your brother, I’m calling the whole thing off. I don’t give a damn what Carter—”

“It’s not about Roman,” Verity said loud enough to turn a few heads in the diner. She forced herself to calm down and lower her voice. “I don’t expect you to understand.”

“So, you’re a professor,” Jake said, leaning forward. “
Teach
me.”

Verity drew in a deep breath. Okay.
That
she could do.

“Have you ever wondered, Mr. Thorne, why when the conquerors roll into a country the native art is the first thing they take? It doesn’t matter if you’re reading a history book or picking up today’s copy of the New York Times, the story is
always
the same. Art is the first casualty of war. Do you know why?”

Jake arched a brow. “Because it’s valuable?”

“You mean monetary value—spoils of war and all that.” Verity shook her head. “It’s a good guess. Greed is a
very
understandable motivator. It’s something even the best of us can own up to feeling occasionally, even if we don’t act on it. But the real reason is a lot more complicated than that.”

Jake cocked his head to the side. “And that would be?”

“That by destroying a culture’s art, you destroy the people.” Verity leaned forward, gesturing toward him with her hands. “If you erase every reminder of their history, their symbology, everything that made them special and distinct in this world, then you can make those people forget who they really are. And that’s what conquerors truly want.”