“I’ll be in the hall. Hurry up, Jazzy. I have shit today that doesn’t involve babysitting you.” My brother storms out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
“I’m sorry about that,” I tell Jake.
“It’s fine. If you were my sister, I wouldn’t want you marrying me either,” Jake says.
“You were America’s most eligible bachelor for the last five years. Any woman would be lucky to marry you.” I’m not sure if that woman really will be me, and I’m not going to allow myself to dream yet. “I’m going to grab my shoes and bag.” I stand and push my chair in. “Wait… I’ll tidy up first.”
“Leave it. The cleaner will be here soon,” Jake tells me.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” He stands.
“Don’t mind me,” Alfie says, still digging into pancakes as if the conversation about marriage didn’t just happen.
Jake follows me into the bedroom. Reaching out, he grabs hold of my arm and spins me around until I’m facing him. “Thank you for coming over. Everything seems to be… easier when you’re around.”
“Thank you for letting me sleep in your bed. I didn’t have a single nightmare.”
“Good. And Jazzy?”
“Yeah?”
“You can sleep in my bed any night you want,” Jake says.
“Really?” My smile is wide. “What about the society thing?”
“I have a plan, but it’s going to take a while before all the pieces fall into place. We just need to be really careful and you need to promise you won’t go anywhere alone. Always take the security your father has given you.”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“No, promise me, Jazzy.” Jake holds out his pinkie finger.
I follow suit. “I promise.” If it helps put his mind at ease, I’ll do it. I don’t want to cause him anymore pain than he’s already in. “But just so you know, I still haven’t forgotten or forgiven you for prom night.”
“Good, you need to remember how much of a fuckup I am,” he tells me right before his mouth slams down on mine.
The moment our lips touch, I’m gone. I used to dream about what it would be like to kiss him, and then he finally kissed me on prom night and I thought I was the luckiest girl in the whole school. Because I had Jake. I finally had him the way I wanted him. Not just as my best friend, but as more. And right now, having his arms around me, his tongue circling mine, it feels likea lotmore.
Chapter Twenty
Ispent all morning in the office, setting up for what I hope will bring down the first family on my list. A slight doubt seeps in. Brad’s been one of my closest friends. We’ve known each other since we were in diapers. Our parents hung out a lottogether. That didn’t stop the Levines from voting to target my mom and dad.
I don’t know how much Brad is mixed up in this, but he’s not innocent. None of us are. I don’t believe it was a coincidence that those men turned up at the estate when they did. If I hadn’t already taken Jazzy into the panic room to talk…
Well, I hate to imagine what would have happened to her.
I’m tempted to reach out to Brad and find out if he does know anything. I just don’t trust him. There is one person I trust. Jazzy. She’s the only one I know would never go against me. Even though she has every reason to. I’ve been an asshole to her.
I’ve been researching the stock market, particularly what stocks the Levines invest in the most. It’s not going to be hard to make all those companies take a temporary dip. I can easily log in, throw a bunch of cash into them from the Levine accounts, and then once they increase again, sell off their stock at a higher profit margin.
It’s simple shit. Happens daily. But with a few targeted sales, I know that once it happens, once they dip, the Levines’ broker will buy like he’s shopping at Costco. In bulk. It’s the reason for the drop in the first place that matters. That level of growth will be investigated. And when I send the right authorities an anonymous tip about insider trading with evidence that can’t be rebuked, that’s when shit will hit the fan.
All these families are wealthy, but none of them are as well off as the Westmeads. I pick up the phone and place a call to a broker friend I met in college.
“Westmead, it’s been a while,” Aaron answers.
“It has. How you been?”