Page 92 of Diamond in the Rough

“You all right in there, Buddy?”

“Yeah, fine…thanks for asking.”

He closed his eyes and thought of what he’d put as a combination. His first meeting with Maddox or his second in the cooler. The first night spent at Maddox’s house or the second night after Maddox had rescued him from Richie.

The first day he’d spent with Maddox on the island where he’d dragged Jake out of the sea, or more special to Jake, the second day, when they’d lounged on the beach. The day he’d been so overcome by emotion he’d cried, forced Maddox down on the sand and straddled him.

He’d kissed Maddox without asking and begged him to allow it. Maddox let Jake take control if only for a little while, and he’d taken what he’d wanted, kissed and touched him how he’d needed with no holding back from either of them.

The case clicked open, and Jake gasped. He convinced himself it was a coincidence. There was no way that day had lodged in Maddox’s mind the same way it had lodged into Jake’s. Beethoven must’ve croaked it on that date; that was the only explanation.

Inside were a few wads of cash, the diamond in its box, and a folder. Jake pocketed the diamond, tossed the cash into his bag, and reached for the folder. He frowned in confusion when he flicked it open. Passports. Six of them. Not only passports but bank statements and bank cards.

Jake picked out a passport at random and grimaced when Tom stared back at him, except the name next to his picture wasn’t Tom, it was Henry.

“What the hell?” he whispered.

He tried the other passports: Amber, Carl, Maddox, all with different names. He glared at Lewis’s passport, then leaned forward, slotted it under the lid of the toilet, and flushed.

Jake breathed deep before looking at the final passport. His passport. His photograph, but not his name, or his birthday, or his place of birth.

“Maverick Grey? Seriously…Maverick.”

Jake looked through the bank statements and found some that matched his new name. An offshore account. His lips popped open at the amount of money, and he quickly checked the other statements. They all had money. They all had passports. They all had bank cards.

Jake closed the folder and rested it on his thighs. He traced his finger along the writing on the front.

“Plan X,” he said

****

Jake tried not to act suspicious, but he felt like every pair of eyes was on him. Their glances may only have been fleeting, curious, especially when they noticed the bruises beneath his eyes, but Jake’s heart quickened each time he made eye contact. Nervous sweat coated his skin, and when he saw security, he immediately sought out the exits. They didn’t approach him, but there was definitely some kind of buzz, and Jake spotted more and more security as the hour ticked down. They were looking for Jake, not Maverick. Not Maverick, who had bought a ticket and gone through security with no major issue.

Waiting to board the plane was the hardest part. He was exposed, waiting to be found out, and if he was, there was no escape. He’d be arrested, charged, and sent to prison. If it was a prison with Maddox, it didn’t sound so bad, but if it wasn’t, if he was alone…

He was scared, but the fear drove his heart wild, and a giddiness had him twitching and shuffling in his seat.

“You look like you’ve been in the wars?”

Jake leaned back in his chair and glanced at the guy beside him. “Got hit by a car.”

“Ouch.”

“That’s an understatement. I broke my leg once, hurt like a bitch.”

Jake lifted his bad arm. “Was my shoulder.”

“It hurting?”

The pain was put on the back burner while he waited to board the plane. Too nervous for his ribs or shoulder to throb with fire, but he certainly felt nauseous. “Not so much at the moment.”

“Did you hear about that huge fire?”

Jake shuddered. “No.”

“It’s all over the news.”

“It seems like there’s always a fire on the news.”

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