The Lover’s Promise (No Exceptions #3)(38)
Author: J.C. Reed

There was a stunned silence. I couldn’t believe I had blurted that out in desperation. He stared at me. I could see his surprise, his thoughts processing my words.

“I saw her things,” I whispered. “It bothers me that you didn’t tell me that the police is looking for evidence to find Gina’s killer. Why all this secrecy and—”

“Hold on,” he cut me short, his eyes narrowing me. “Just hold on. What are you talking about?”

“You don’t know what I’m talking about?” My voice came out louder than intended. “The girl you talked to in the coffee shop and was killed later that day.”

He continued to stare at me. I could almost hear his nervousness, which turned me instantly anxious.

“What girl, Brooke?”

I looked at him in sheer disbelief, my voice failing me.

Stay calm, Stewart. Play it cool. He might be playing clueless, but you know better than to trust blindly.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The detective said he took you in for questioning, Jett. There’s no reason for you to pretend that you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His voice dropped to an icy whisper. “What detective?”

Oh, God.

He was good.

I pressed my mouth into a tight line. Now that my thoughts had become my nightmares and my fears my pursuers, he just couldn’t see how important his honesty was.

“How can you still lie to me?” My voice was barely more than a croak. “I saw the pictures, Jett. Don’t you get it?” I got up and furiously buttoned up my dress. Eventually I grabbed my bag and coat from where I had left them on the floor, ready to walk out. “I’m going. There’s no point in me staying if you can’t even admit the truth.” From the periphery of my eyes, I watched Jett get up, pull up his slacks, and then head for me. He reached me in two long strides, his height both intimidating and arousing me.

“Brooke, please!” He grabbed my arm, but his grip was tender, begging me to listen rather than gluing me to the spot. “I swear I’m telling you the truth. I have no clue.”

“You have no clue?” I turned to him, my face ablaze. “What about your brother? Will you pretend you don’t know about him either?”

“I can explain that.” He sighed and wiped his palm over his face. “You’ll see there’s a perfect explanation.”

I yanked my arm away. “I don’t want to hear your perfect explanations about Nate. I want the truth about everything, which you so obviously can’t give.”

He touched my arm again.

“Please.” He never said please like that. “Let’s talk about this. Give me a chance to explain about Nate.”

“You’ll answer all of my questions?” I asked doubtfully, my gaze scanning his face for any signs that he was bluffing.

“If you listen and stay, then yes, I will.”

I drew a sharp breath and let it out slowly. Crossing my arms over my chest, I stared him down. “Okay. You have one minute. Spill.”

“That’s all I need.” He wet his lips, taking his time to reply. “Do you remember when I said that the ETNAD club has many powerful and famous people involved and they are fanatic to keep their identities protected? That in order to hide their identity from the outside world they go to great length by hiring the best lawyers and worse?”

“Yeah, but what’s that to do with you?”

He held up his hand, silencing me. “Just listen.” When I nodded, he continued, “The only reason I visited Nate in prison is because they need him for a set-up. The evidence the police impounded is not enough to get each and every member behind bars. Some of them are high-ranked politicians and, and with their reputations at stake, let’s say they’re more than happy to pay for certain privileges, like making evidence disappear. So, my brother agreed to work with police to expose the remaining members of his elite club in exchange for having his sentence reduced.” Jett paused, letting the words sink in. “In the eyes of the public, including the elite members, he’s a free man, but he’s not. Nate’s simply cooperating with the police.”

I stared at him, feeling an ice-cold knot twisting inside my stomach.

“Oh, God,” I murmured at last. “What if he runs away?”

And kills me, I wanted to add but didn’t.

“Brooke, they are keeping him on surveillance. It won’t happen.”

“You mean he’s wearing wires and an ankle monitor and all?”

Jett nodded.

I eyed him wearily. “He’s cooperating?”

He nodded again. “Trust me, Brooke. I don’t like it either. But I don’t have a say in the matter. The only reason I visited him was because I wanted to know what he’s doing, where he’s going, who he’s talking to. I had to make sure he stays the hell away from you.”

“How long will he be out for?”

“I don’t know. Two weeks, one month, I guess,” Jett said.

I swallowed the thick lump in my throat.

Jett’s brother had been involved in an illegal elite club that kidnapped, raped and killed for fun. It was the same club that had kidnapped me when Nate wanted to kill me to get his hands on the Italian estate I had inherited. Having his sentence reduced wasn’t what I had hoped for.

“How long have you known?” I asked.

Jett looked down, evading my questioning gaze. “Longer than I wanted,” he whispered. “Like I said, sadly, there was not enough evidence to tie them all down, which is where Nate’s supposed to come in.”

“And you trust that he’ll do as requested of him?”

He cocked his head to the side. “I know my brother. He’ll want the shortest sentence, even if that means betraying his friends. It doesn’t, however, mean that he’s a changed man.”

My heart slammed against my chest. “If you’ve known for a long time, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

His jaw set and he hesitated, probably considering his words. “I didn’t want you to get involved.”

“Involved in what?”

“Nate and all the shit that surrounds him,” Jett said. I could understand that, but still.

I narrowed my eyes. “Jett, you could have told me. You know that, don’t you?”

“It was a mistake that I didn’t. I know it now.” He smiled gently. “I did something stupid, and I’m sorry. Now you know the truth why I kept this from you.”