Page 45 of Tempting Tessa

The message finally came as the midnight blue sky turned purple with the approaching sunrise.

Her phone vibrated on the nightstand, the soft buzz cutting through the stillness. She snatched it up and scanned the text.

We need to meet.

She replied,Rose garden in five, shutting off Tommy’s alarm so the cameras wouldn’t wake him.

She grabbed the shotgun resting near the back door. The castle was quiet, and its age-old stones and towering walls exuded a presence that both comforted and unnerved her. She stepped into the crisp night air, her breath faintly visible.

She made it with plenty of time to spare, Jessie taking longer than five minutes. Apparently, she’d been farther away than Tessa had assumed.

Jessie wore a thick jacket with the hood pulled up, her posture hunched. Tessa waited for her to approach, shotgun pointed at the ground but ready.

“You destroyed my favorite drone,” Jessie said, her voice rougher than Tessa remembered. It wasn’t just the tone but the cadence. Had Hager or Harris damaged her vocal cords?

“You destroyed your brother’s life,” Tessa shot back as she noted how much Jessie had changed. Her face was thinner, her jaw more defined. Even with the bulky jacket, Tessa could tell she’d lost weight.

“It wasn’t by choice. Listen, you need to get Tommy out of here. Away from Viktor.”

“His real name is Harris. Harris J. Brewer. He’s my stepfather.”

“I know. I also know he’s a monster.”

“Then why are you working with him?”

Her head dipped, the hood obscuring her features. “I have no choice.”

“You always have a choice, Jessie.” Tessa’s voice cracked, betraying her anger. “You made all of us believe you were dead. Do you know the guilt Meg has carried for the past year? The guiltall of ushave carried?”

Jessie’s head snapped up. “It was either me or you,” she whispered.

Tessa froze. “What?”

“He rescued me,” Jessie continued, “but he said if I didn’t do what he wanted, he’d kill Tommy.”

That didn’t answer her question, but it did confirm her theory. “Why did he need you?”

Jessie hesitated. “Because he couldn’t have you.”

Tessa’s breath caught in her throat. She searched for another question, but her mind wouldn’t form one.

Jessie took a step toward her. Tessa couldn’t help it, she brought the shotgun up like a shield across her chest. Jessie stopped. “He’s sick, T. He acts like I’m his daughter. He talks about how much he loves you and how you betrayed him. I’m your replacement. He watched us for years before he concocted this mythical family.”

It took Tessa several heartbeats to process what Jessie was saying. Her grip on the gun tightened. “He killed my mother,” she said, her voice cold as her pulse roared in her ears. “If anyone was betrayed, it was her.Me.”

Jessie’s expression shifted to shock, guilt flashing across her face. “You never told me that.” She took another tentative step forward, but Tessa continued to use the weapon as a shield and stepped back. “He says this is his legacy… That we’re going to destroy the swans for what they did and remake the world power structures to prove his intelligence.”

“What theswansdid?” Tessa echoed. “What does that mean?”

“There was a mission in Syria a few years ago. We took down a group that was planning a cyberattack during the pandemic. It was more of a gray swan event, but the pandemic created all sorts of opportunities for men like Viktor—I mean, Harris.”

“Let me guess, he was behind it.”

Jessie nodded. “He and a team of hackers. He’d promised them millions. It all went belly up because we were sent into a political protest in Berlin that went wrong. Harris’ hackers were killed. All of them.”

In the back of her mind, Tessa prayed Jessie was telling the truth and this wasn’t an elaborate misdirection. She scanned the gardens, the approaching dawn minutes away. Nothing seemed out of place. “Why didn’t you come to me to begin with? Why did you let this go this far?”

Jessie’s expression turned fierce. “Tommy is my brother. I look out for him. You don’t have any siblings. You don’t know what it’s like. I will never put Tommy in danger. That’s why I’m here. Viktor is always watching me—I have to get back. Please, T. Take Tommy and get as far away from here as possible.”

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