Break Point (16 page)

She pulled the coffee pot from the machine, pouring him a cup. “You went to see Big Al tonight, didn’t you?”

“How did you know?”

“You have that look. Plus when you bolted from the crime scene tonight I figured you had big plans.”

Jake came up to the counter and sat on the stool across from her. “I guess you know me pretty well by now, huh?”

“You didn’t kill him, did you?”

“No, but I was close.” Jake didn’t miss the relief in her eyes.

“He has something to do with it, doesn’t he?”

“He is it, Leslie. Classic Al Riley. He planned it with Vitalie. They’re all in on it. Vitalie, Geoffrey?”

“Summer?”

He closed his eyes. “I don’t know. That’s my problem.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the tape and flung it on the counter.

“What’s that?”

“A smoking gun.” He took a gulp of coffee while he considered where to start. “Tonight at the party, I saw the guy from the bar. The one with the tattoo. His name is Malcolm Rodriguez. He was one of the waiters.”

“Really?” Leslie leaned across the counter. “Did you talk to him?”

“Hell, yeah I talked to him. That’s where I was when Vitalie took Summer.” He ran an unsteady hand through his hair. “He told me he was sending Summer mail at Vitalie’s request to throw off the investigation.”

“And?”

“And he told me about this tape.” He took it out of her hand, flipping it back on the counter. “Vitalie taped all his conversations with Al for insurance.”

“So, what about Summer’s saliva on the envelopes?” Leslie reminded him. “You’re saying she was set up?”

“It wouldn’t be hard. Vitalie o
wns her house for Christ sake.”

Leslie picked up the tape and held it up to the light. “Jake, this is great. You might have Al right where you want him. So, what’s the problem?”

“Summer. If her agreeing to the attack was recorded, no one is ever going to believe otherwise.”

Leslie leaned against the counter exhaling loudly. “Does Al know you have it?”

“He doesn’t know it exists.”

“Okay, but what about this Malcolm guy? How do you know he won’t warn Al?”

“I don’t,” Jake admitted. “But he seemed pretty into protecting himself. Plus, if I had arrested him, I would have to turn in the tape with him.”

Leslie lifted her chin as if she suddenly understood the crux of the problem. “Oh I see, your issue isn’t how to get Al, its how to protect Summer.” Her face darkened with disapproval. “You’re taking a lot of chances here, Jake.”

“I’m trying to do right by everyone.” He corrected. “Look, I’ll turn it in when the time is right, but as long as Al doesn’t know it exists, he won’t come looking for it, which means Summer is safe.”

“For now” Leslie said.

“Yeah, for now.” He looked back toward the open bedroom door. “Where is she anyway?”

“Sleeping out in the gazebo. I helped her turn on the fire pit about an hour ago, but don’t worry I keep checking on her.”

He turned toward the window, spying the orange glow of the fire by the beach. “Did she talk to you at all?”

“Some” she replied “She definitely had a lot to say about Geoffrey. I guess she thinks he has something going with Nila. She says after the match she’s breaking off the engagement.”

“Really?” His heart kicked him in his chest. “Well, it’s probably for the best. The guy’s a loser.”

“I got that impression.”

“But she sure is something isn’t she?”

“You would know better than I would.” She sighed, then walked around the counter taking a seat beside him. When she placed her hand on his shoulder, he recognized the gesture as her attempt at sincerity. “Before I leave you here with her, I fee
l like I need to say something.

Her serious tone reminded him of his impending headache, so he went for his pill bottle on the counter. Dropping two in his hand, he popped t
hem in his mouth and swallowed.

“Okay, lay it on me.”

“Jake, I know you hate lectures but I can’t help it when you insist on being your own worst enemy.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means I know better than anyone how you don’t tolerate personal feelings interfering with work. You need to listen to that tape. And if there are things you don’t want to hear, you need to deal with it as a professional. You need to bring her in.”

The part of his brain that still housed a shred or objectivity told him she was absolutely right. At the very least Summer was a witness to potentially a slew of crimes. But if he stretched the rules like he loved to do, he could say he had her in protective custody. “I’m not doing anything until tomorrow. She’s waited for so long for this opportunity and I don’t want to ruin it.”

Leslie’s patted him on the hand. “Okay, I won’t say another word about it until after the match. But you are too good at what you do to ruin it over a fling. Just keep that in mind.”

The word “fling” hit him wrong. It was obvious now what he felt for Summer was more than a simple attraction. He had never in his whole life loved a woman, and sometimes he wondered if he would even recognize it if it ever happened to him. Maybe that’s what made him smile when saw her and his insides sizzle when he touched her. But right now he wasn’t interested in defining his feelings. Not tonight.

“Don’t worry Leslie, I’ll do what I have to.” That was the truth he decided as he trudged off to the shower.

Chapter Sixteen

Summer nestled further under the flannels sheets, ducking a gust of ocean wind. It probably wasn’t the best night to sleep out in the gazebo, but it felt very freeing. It was good to know she could close her eyes and the only thing threatening her was rain, and even that was letting up. The moon now peeked out from the cover of grey clouds, casting blue shadows across the sky, and the roaring fire in the pit beside her m
ade up for the lingering chill.

She rolled over, letting the heat hit her in the face. The vision of Anston’s gun poised at her head still lurked in her brain, but her years of sports psychology had taught her nothing good came from negative thoughts. So she concentrated on tomorrow. Her chance to take her life back and reminded herself how much bette
r it was for having Jake in it.

A log shifted in the pit, startling her eyes opened. She jumped when she saw the darkened figure standing over the flames with large piece of wood hoisted over his head. She bolted up and gasped.

“Hey, its okay. It’s just me.”

She held her hand over her heart and cursed. “Jake, you scared me.”

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to build the fire up. The last thing we need is for you to catch a cold the night before your match.” He turned back to the pit and chucked the log on the fire.

The match. After everything that had transpired tonight, she was shocked he even remembered. She watched him maneuver the ashes with the metal poker, sending yellow and orange specks through the air. He shaded his face with his hands and even in the darkness, she could make out the deep purple cuts along his knuckles. “Jake, were you in a fight?”

He set the poker down and looked over his handiwork. “What are you talking about?”

She climbed out of bed and went to him, carefully holding his wrists. “What happened to your hands? They didn’t look this way when you left Vitalie’s.”

“Nothing a band aid or two won’t heal.”

He released his hands from hers, then sat down on the edge of the bed. The way he squinted at the fire told her the pain of a headache was nagging him more than any scrapes on his knuckles.
So she crawled up beside him, and pressed her chilled fingers against his temples. “Feel better?”

She took his moan for a “yes”.

A soft breeze kicked up, bringing the citrus scent of Jake’s freshly washed hair to her nostrils. She kissed the top of his head, before sliding her arms around him.

“I’m sorry about Vitalie,” she heard him say. “I had to do it though. You know that, right?”

“Of course I know, Jake. You saved my life.”

“I just don’t want you to think less of me. I mean, the things I’ve done”

Of course she felt bad about Anston. Even after what had happened, it was hard to erase a lifetime of loyalty. But if Jake felt badly, she wanted to make sure he knew he shouldn’t. She crawled around to face him, bringing her mouth to his.

“Summer, stop.”

She fell back on her knees when he jumped off the bed, her heart seizing when he wiped the kiss from his lips. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Did I do something?”

“You didn’t do anything, sweetheart.”

“If this is about my engagement to Geoffrey, you don’t have to worry. I’m not marrying him.”

“It’s not Geoffrey. Believe me.”

“Then what is it?”

His chest heaved with a breath before he cursed through clenched teeth. “I didn’t want to tell you this but I guess I have to now.”

She watched his brow wrinkle and her pulse quickened. ”What is it, Jake? You’re scaring me.”

“Your father.” He finally said. “He was behind the attack after all. He was in cahoots with Vitalie.”

The breeze kicked up like it understood, sending a chill through her body. She could feel the fear gather inside her, the same crippling helplessness that had plagued her whole life. But this time she felt strangely immune, like the pliable parts inside her had hardened.

Now she was angry.

“You went to see him after you left Vitalie’s, didn’t you. You were going to kill him.” She stared at the fire and let her eyes water. “Why didn’t you, Jake?”

She wasn’t looking for an answer. It was more of a vent of a lifelong angst. With a shake of his head he knelt down in front of her, lifting her chin to meet his gaze. “Sweetheart, I think we ne
ed to talk about a few things.”

She swallowed hard. “Like what?”

“Well for starters, I know what you were planning with Geoffrey. I know about eloping to Switzerland.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, and I want you to go.” His voice wavered, his gaze now focused on her hands in his. “If you are with him, you’ll be out of harm’s way.”

His word hit her like a well-marked blow. She pushed herself up and stood in front of him. “You must think I’m the most gullible woman you have ever met. You act like you care about me to a make sure I do things your way!”

“You think I’m faking this!” He jumped to his feet and snatched her hand, pressing it against his hardened cock. “Feel this? This is what you do to me, Summer. You think it’s easy for me to send you off to marry another man.” He shook his head. “Learning to walk again was hard, but it is nothing compared to this.”

“Why is this so complicated?” she yelled. “Vitalie is gone, Geoffrey will be and if my father did it, arrest him and turn him in!

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because the only evidence against him might implicate you too.”

The fire crackled behind her. “What evidence are you talking about?” she croaked, not sure she wanted to know
.

He looked at her a long moment, then took a breath. “There’s a tape. An audio tape. It looks like Vitalie recorded conversations with Al about their dealings.”

She nodded, running her hands down her goose pimpled arms. “Have you heard it?”

“Not yet. I wanted to wait until after the match tomorrow. I wasn’t even planning on telling you about it.”

“Well, where is it?” she asked, turning toward the house. “Maybe we should listen to it now.”

“Summer wait!” he grabbed her arm and spun her around. “I can’t do that.”

“Why?”

“Because if I hear something I shouldn’t, I have to arrest you. And that’s the last thing I want to do.”

She winced, absorbing the glancing blow. Going to jail would be terrible, but the alternative in marrying Geoffrey wasn’t much better. Feeling her knees begin to weaken, she sank into his chest. His strong arms curled around her, his heartbeat sounding in her ear. “What’s going to happen to me?”

“Nothing as long as you leave the country. At least for a little while. The Feds will cut you as a loss as long as they can nail your father.”

Inside his embrace, the plan seemed almost bearable. He seemed so incredibly at ease with the situation. As if saying good-bye was no more than an inconvenience. But for her it seemed the world was ending.

As if hearing her thoughts Jake held her tighter. “Summer, it won’t be that bad. I pr
omise you this is what’s best.”

This whole thing between them may have been just another fling to him, but to her it meant much more. She had given him her body and he’d stolen her heart. Risks she had no regrets taking. When he scooped her up and carried her to the bed, she was reminded she never had a real choice in the first place.

With her back to his chest, they huddled together, for a while just watching the fire. “Jake, have you ever been outside in the winter, and your hand gets really cold and you come inside and it starts to warm up. At first it hurts so badly, you can’t stand it.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s how I feel. I feel like there is this part of me that was frozen before I met you. And now that it started to melt, it hurts.”

“I don’t want you to hurt,” he said, with a quiver in his voice. “I want you to understand that this is what is best for you.”

“You are what’s best for me.” She turned herself towards him. His musky scent lingered with the rain and fire creating a strange and arousing combination. She brushed her hair aside and kissed his neck, slipping her fingers around the collar of his shirt.

His muscles relaxed under her touch and she was impressed that in such a short time she’d learned him.
She could read his body language, sense his desire. Nothing could turn her on more.

“Sweetheart,” he whispered with his lips against hers. “The first time we made love I was really rough with you. Had
I known it was your first time...”

“I know.”

“I just want you to trust me.”

“Then I want you to trust me.” She slid her hand up his t-shirt, her fingernails teasing the muscled ridges of his chest. “It’s okay to be gentle and tender.”

Feeling bold she found the fly of his jeans and with surprising dexterity released him. He inhaled sharply when she touched him. “Do you like that?” she asked.

He nodded and his satisfaction pleased her. With devious intentions, she removed both their clothes, taking her time like they had some to spare. She studied his naked form against the shadows of the fire. The broad shoulders, t
ussled dark hair and the smirk that could melt ice. Pure sex in male form and her heart raced in response.

The stars above had returned and the moon was close to full. Despite the grandeur she closed her eyes, completely taken by his tender touch. His dark hair tickled her chin as he suckled one breast, his fingers working leisurely on the other. It amazed her how intuitive he was to know exactly when and how to touch her, even in such a short amount of time. It was freeing and frightening all at once when he finally slid inside her.

The force of her climax paralyzed her. It went on and on, with peaks and valleys under the command of his expert touch. She clawed his back and he groaned in response, holding her tightly against him. He thrust deep and hard, but at a pace that didn’t rush her. She wanted this to last. Wrapping her legs around him, she let him take her where he wanted to go. Anywhere. Anyway. Just as long as he made her his.

“I’m with you, baby.” He breathed. “Hold on to me.”

And she did. For dear life, relishing the feel of his release inside of her. This was what ecstasy felt like. This was rapture. This was love.

When the wave finally receded, he collapsed beside her and pulled her against him. “You are definitely a woman with many talents, you know that.” He brushed his lips to her forehead. “No one has
ever made me feel like you do.”

She wrapped her arms around him, kissing his shoulder and stroking his chest. She wanted so badly to tell him how she felt. How she’d never even been close to loving a man in her whole life and how it seemed she had saved it all for him. She gulped down a lump in her throat a
nd lifted up to face him. “Jake.”

“Don’t,” he said quickly bringing her back to him. “Plea
se baby, just let me hold you.”

“Okay, but I was just...
”

“Tomorrow,” he croaked and the fire reflected in his glazed eyes. “Tomorrow, swe
etheart. Then I’ll let you go.”

The ocean waves crashed on the beach beyond and the flames crackled in the fire beside them. With a smile she rested her head on his shoulder, savoring the moment and knowing that she never could again.

***

The sweltering heat had returned to
South Florida, and Summer couldn’t be more pleased. Muggy and stagnant, it was the perfect weather to overwhelm her opponents. Not that she needed Mother Nature’s help, but the advantage was always nice.

For once, Jake didn’t seem to mind the heat either. On their way to the court he had filled the space with idle chatter about crowd psychology, and how the press would be less aggressive if they were fighting dehydration. He was sure the news of Vitalie had been withheld, but just in case, he had instructed her to avoid the press as much as she could.

The USTF security plowed through the photographers like a tornado and Summer was nestled in the eye. She had stressed all morning about what to wear, but the shower of catcalls confirmed the pale yellow dress was the right decision. Tossing her braid over her shoulder, she posed for a few pictures, letting the sun hit her like a spot light. All eyes were on her, including Jake’s wide ones who watched with a scowl a few feet a way. Every once in a while he would bark at the crowd to stay back, like a principal scolding unruly children.

She turned a corner down the underground corridor then stopped at the center court entrance. A burst of hot air brought with it a wave of nausea, the same one she fought off a few moments earlier. Butterflies had never been an issue for her. Her nerves were usually iron-clad. But then she’d never been held at gunpoint and planned a sham wedding in the span of twenty four hours before. She earned her right at an upset stomach.

“Summer, ten minutes until you take the court.”

“Thanks, Steve.” She took her racquet bag from his shoulder and peered out at the crowd. It was a full house. Twenty thousand at least.

“I hope you don’t mind but I put the word out for Geoffrey to come down here.” He leaned in as if sharing a secret. ”I thought you could use the support since Vitalie’s not here.”