Page 80 of (Un)Rivaled

“So you drugged me and left me here?”

He moved closer, rubbing his thumb over my cheek. “No, no. I was only making sure we could talk without interruption. I’d hate for your husband to show up and ruin all my fun.”

I swallowed at the sound of Gray’s name. Nausea rolled through my stomach, making it hard to breathe. “What did you do to Gray?”

Jack shook his head. “Nothing you need to worry about. Sent him on a little wild goose chase. Luckily for me, he was already looking in the wrong direction, so I just steered him a little more that way.”

“What do you mean?”

Jack walked over to the table and grabbed a bottle of water. He cracked the lid as he stepped back toward me. “See, I’ve been watching you for a while, Devyn. I discovered something interesting about your little band of misfits. Turns out, we want the same thing.”

“World peace?” I snarled.

“Nice try,” Jack chuckled. “But no.” He held the water bottle to my lips, and as much as I wanted to refuse, I couldn’t. I held my mouth open, and he poured a little inside. “It turns out, we have a mutual enemy. Your stepfather.”

“David?”

“You see, when I first came to New York, well, I was angry. Theo had taken something from me, and I thought,what the hell, it’ll be fun to take something away from him.” He pulled the bottle back and tapped me on the nose with it. “Your sister, Calla. I could already tell Theo was falling for her and thought it would be a lot of fun to break him like that.”

I chuckled as I leaned backward in the chair, trying to meet his gaze. “Calla would never go for that.”

“A lesson I learned a little too late.” Jack moved behind me, and my pulse skyrocketed, hating I couldn’t track his movements. He placed his hands on my shoulders, and I shuddered, wishing I could reverse time and take back all the moments I had spent with this man. There were only two nights, two nights I wished I could erase from my memories. But then again, they led me to Gray, and I would never regret the time we had together.

Jack’s fingers trailed along my neck. “But then I met you, Devyn. I thought I could let go of my anger, let go of my resentment. Then, when your stepfather approached me with an offer, I knew I’d be a fool to refuse.”

I bit my lips together, trying not to give him the attention he clearly craved, but my curiosity won out over my stubbornness. “What did he do?”

Jack leaned down and traced his nose along the column of my neck. “He offered meyou, Devyn. He promised to help get you on my side and convince you we were a good match. And on top of that, he offered to help me become the head of the company. Said that with his connections and resources, I’d be untouchable. All I had to do was keep Calla away from Theo and get her back into the fold.”

That motherfucker. I supposed I should have been happy he only wanted to control us, as opposed to how he usually handled his adversaries. But after spending hours stuck in this godforsaken chair listening to myex-fling describe his master plans with my evil stepfather, I was finished being a pawn in someone else's game.

Please forgive me, Gray.

I melted into Jack’s embrace, letting all my fear and dread wash over me. He glanced down at me, his eyes widening as he took in my submissive form. “And now what?” I asked, batting my eyes to push away my tears. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Oh, angel,” Jack said as he shifted in front of me. He crouched and ran his hands along my thighs. “Because you fucked me, and then you fucked me over. When I had nothing to give him, David took everything else from me. You left me in ruins, but he burned those down to ash. So he needs to know what it’s like to feel helpless, to have someone else control your fate.”

“Let me help,” I whispered, staring into his dark blue eyes. Had I ever really looked at Jack before? Had I ever taken the time to get to see the man lurking underneath the smooth veneer of power? Because there was no warmth lurking in his expression, nothing but calm resignation, and that was the scariest thing of all.

“Devyn, angel,” he said as he leaned forward and took my hands. “Youarehelping. Because with your death, I’ll be able to do what no one else has done before. I will finally defeat him, send him off to prison for your murder.” He shifted away from me and moved toward the fireplace. As he turned, he held up my phone. “After all, who could blame him? After everything you and your sister tried to blame on him? David, well…” Jack shook his head. “He just snapped. Really tragic, if you think about it.”

“You’ve lost your fucking mind!” I screamed, pulling at my bindings. But my strength failed me, and I slumped down into my seat further. Hope seemed like a dwindlingember, one buried so deep, I couldn’t reach it, no matter how hard I tried.

Jack smiled at me as he walked back toward the door. “Maybe I have. But you’re the only one who knows that, and you’re only going to be a problem for a few more hours.”

FORTY-FIVE

“Useless,” I said as I shoved open the doors of the sheriff’s department. “Absolutely fucking useless.”

Tomas and Laurel stayed behind me, trying to smooth things over in my wake, but I had no interest in that. I was going full scorched earth, and if you weren’t helping, you were in my way. I didn’t care what bridges I had to burn to get Devyn back. Hell, I’d burn the whole town to ash if it meant my wife was back in my arms.

When I reached my truck, I smacked the side of my fist on the door panel, barely feeling the pain that followed. It had been almost five hours since we’d heard from the kidnapper, almost five hours since my heart exploded inside my chest. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was her, out there somewhere, waiting for me. I’m sure Devyn was afraid, but I also knew my girl. If anything, she was probably being reckless, unable to stop pissing off the person who thought they could take her from me. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. I didn’t know if that made me more afraid for her or unbelievably fucking proud.

Someone’s hand landed on my shoulder, and I whippedaround, ready to fight anyone who tried to get in my way. Tomas stepped back, holding his hands in the air. “Be cool, Gray. It’s just me.”

“Shit,” I hissed as I leaned against my truck. I ran my hands over my mouth and beard. “I’m fucking losing it, man. I need her back.”

“I know,” Tomas answered. “We’re going to make sure that happens. But we need help, and you threatening the cops isn’t doing us any favors.”

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