Page 130 of Quiet Longing

Two large cargo boxes sat open on Rhys’ office floor. Several items had been removed, bundled carefully in bubble wrap, and I recognised the figurines instantly.

“How … how do you have these?” I asked, standing before promptly sitting back down again. I was in shock.

“Charli, there are some things I need to tell you about Jesse,” Rhys said, and I swung to face him, heart suddenly pumping.

“Please tell me you didn’t,” I begged. I wasn’t sure what the hell he did to get my collection back, but Jesse would be murderous. What if he … what if he tried to ...

I was starting to hyperventilate when Rhys took my hands into his large, warm ones, his expression somewhat remorseful. This was going to be bad. I could sense it.

“First off, please don’t panic. Jesse will never know you were involved. My guys raided his penthouse and took a bunch of other valuables so it looked like a regular burglary.”

“Yourguys?” I whispered, startled.

“An ex-legion friend and two of his colleagues. They, well, they specialise in this kind of thing.”

“Burglaries?”

“In a sense, yes.”

“My goodness, Rhys, what on earth have you gotten us into?”

“Listen, Leon owed me a favour anyway. And as I said, they made it look like a run of the mill burglary. You aren’t connected at all. Besides, Jesse’s currently got way worse problems to contend with right now than a home break in.”

I frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

Still kneeling in front of me, Rhys let out a slow breath, eyes flicking away before returning. “Jesse’s been arrested by the FBI.”

“He’s what?” I exclaimed loudly, my eyes bugging out of their sockets.

Rhys nodded. “It turns out he’s been skimming money from his law firm and also helping certain clients of his launder their ill-gotten gains.”

I blinked at him, my mouth opening and shutting like a fish. My head hurt. This was too much to take in all at once. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. The prick could go to prison for a long time. Couldn’t have happened to a better man if you ask me.”

“Oh my goodness,” I whispered, my mind racing. Then, as a certain realisation dawned, I started to panic. “Oh my goodness,” I repeated but with much more trepidation, several memories surfacing. “What if they think I helped him? I’m an accountant, Rhys. What if they think I taught him how to launder? Fuck … this is so bad.”

My memories became clearer, Jesse asking me lots of questions about how people open offshore accounts and the type of accounting software used in money laundering. I was so stupid. I’d thought it was because he’d been watchingOzarkat the time and wanted to know how realistic the show was. I had no idea he was using my knowledge to figure out how to commit a crime himself.

Tears sprang to my eyes as my panic overtook me. I thought I’d gotten away from Jesse, but maybe he was going to destroy me in the end just in a different way.

“Hey, hey, they don’t think you helped him. You’re already in the clear,” Rhys said, squeezing my hands in reassurance. I stared at him in disbelief.

“How can you possibly know that?”

“Because the whole reason I found out about this was through another ex-legion friend of mine who works for Europol. I had him use his connections to look into Jesse, and—”

“You had him investigate Jesse?Rhys. I told you I didn’t want that. I said I was happy just to have my divorce and get away from him. I can’t believe you’d go behind my back like this.”

I pulled my hands from his and shifted away, needing some distance.

“Yes, I’m aware of that.” His voice was laden with guilt. “And I fully accept if you feel you can’t trust me anymore for going against your wishes, but I couldn’t rest knowing he was out there living his life, Charli, free to do to some other poor, unsuspecting person what he’d done to you.”

My heart clenched because, even though I was very, very pissed with him, I felt the same way. The thought of Jesse hurting someone else often kept me awake at night, too. But that didn’t change the fact Rhys had been actively plotting against Jesse these last weeks and told me nothing.Nothing. I knew his reasons for breaking my trust were ultimately to protect others from falling victim to my ex-husband, but his secrecy hurt. A small fraction of my heart cracked inside my chest. Then my mind tracked back.

“Wait, you said I’m in the clear. How do you know that?” I breathed.

Rhys’ chest deflated a little. “Piotr told me the FBI already investigated you when you and Jesse were still married. They deemed you not to be involved in his crimes shortly after.”

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