Page 67 of Heartless

“Thank you, Camila.”

I slouched back as Camila ambled toward the house.Minutes later, she was back out.She was empty-handed, but it was her expression that made me sit up.

By the time she’d reached the daybed, I was sliding my toes in my flip flops.

She grabbed my hand.“Your genitor and his wife are here with the police.They want to talk to you.”

Why would Kimberly be here?And more importantly, did she know of her husband’s intentions?Did Joel know too?But those would be considerations for later.Right now, Nigel was in Jake’s house with the police.

My heartbeat quickened.“We should call Jake, he—”

“He’s here with Silas.”Her voice lowered as she gripped my hands.“Sia, I know the whole thing with Jake was messy, but we want to keep you safe, and—”

I pecked her cheek.“Trust me, okay?”

We hurried across the house.Jake and Silas were standing side by side in the hallway a few feet from the front door with their backs to us.Their wide shoulders walled off the path farther into the house, and tension electrified the atmosphere.

I squeezed Camila’s fingers, who released my hand as we approached them.Nigel’s head slanted right into the space between Jake and Silas’s aggressive stances.

He pointed at me.“There she is.It’s her, Detective.This is my daughter.”You mean your personal organ bank.When he inched forward, Jake and Silas’s bodies moved to close the gap between them, sending a message even Nigel couldn’t misinterpret.

My feigned surprise sounded almost genuine.“Nigel?”

Jake and Silas shifted sideways, which gave me a clear view of Nigel standing next to Gabby.Not Kimberly.That made more sense, in one way, and angered me in another.Of course, Gabby would be part of whatever that was.Those two people were living in a microcosmos where the beyond privileged had their own rules, which, from what I’d seen so far, had consisted of having their own way without any regard for anyone else’s feelings.

Nigel craned his neck up while Gabby, who was dressed in a white mini summer dress and red high open-toed heels, couldn’t quite hide her triumphant sneer.They were beside a uniformed officer and behind the detective, a brunette wearing a black pant suit, and sporting a short bob.

Jake’s hands were deep in the pockets of his jeans, and his jaw was tight, but his expression was undecipherable.Silas, who had his arms crossed over his chest, just looked ticked off as hell.While Camila stopped next to Silas, anger squeezed my chest, so my voice was placid as I closed the distance between me and the small group.

“Hi, Silas.”

He winked at me.“Hi, sweetie.”

When I turned toward Jake, his gaze burned into mine.Hoping he’d play along, I smiled at him.“You’re home.”

His brow hitched before his lips twitched.He reached for me, hooked his arm around my waist, and plastered me to him.

I rolled on my toes and curled my arms around his neck.“Hey, honey.”

The gravel of his voice skittered over my lips.“Hey, baby.”His mouth met mine, and I closed my eyes under the soft touch.When he slanted his head, mine instinctively tilted the other way.The tip of his tongue cajoled the inside of my upper lip, and I shivered.Jake’s hold tightened, and our tongues touched.The kiss was short, but it made its point.He drew back, and for a couple of seconds, I only saw him.Then, he tucked me to his side, and with our arms around each other, we shifted toward our audience.

“Nigel, what are you doing here?”

Gabby’s mouth tightened.She hated being ignored.A sentiment I knew was borne out of insecurity, but she decided to be a mean bitch, so that’s what she’d get.

The sheer animosity in Nigel’s glower drove me deeper into Jake’s body.Again, he pointed at me, but his words were directed at the detective.“Detective, stop this.You can clearly see she’s being coerced.”

The woman’s mouth tightened.“She’s in a bathing suit, being kissed.”Her tone sharpened.“You led me to believe she was underage.”

Nigel hmphed.“All you need to be concerned about is that his man has taken advantage of her fragile mental state.Her best friend here has witnessed it.He manipulated her into this.This is kidnapping.Arrest him.”

Jesus.Seriously?

The female detective glared at him.“Mr.Morrison, Mr.Rhodes has kindly allowed us on his property, but another peep out of you, and I’ll ask my officer to escort you to your car.Is that clear?”

The policeman at Gabby’s side hid his laughter under a cough.When odious Nigel clamped his mouth shut, the detective twisted back toward us.

“Ms.Winslow, I’m Detective Novak—”