Page 88 of Black Jack (Advantage Play 5)

“Yes,” I force out. The knowledge that I’ve made a deal with the devil overwhelms me but isn’t enough to make me change my mind. For her, I’m afraid I’d do anything. If she finds out she has me wrapped around her little finger, despite my best efforts to untangle myself from the mess of emotions I’ve found myself in, then I’m screwed.

“Good,” Kingston announces. “Be somewhere public with Bianca all day tomorrow. I’ll let you know when it’s finished.”

“But what if I can’t––” Click. The call goes dead. “Find her,” I finish with a sigh.

Now, I gotta go convince a girl who hates me that we should stay married.

Great.

I make a pit stop at the toy store for a necessity that might win Bianca over. The owner had just locked the doors, but he must’ve seen the desperation on my face because the bastard took pity on me and unlocked them. Satisfied with my purchase, I toss the plastic bag onto the passenger seat before driving straight to our apartment. I just hope she’s still there.

28

Jack

The doorman sighs when he sees me. I swear I can see the pity in his gaze as he pulls open the door to our apartment building.

“I’m really sorry, Mr. Connelly,” he mumbles once I step across the threshold.

I pause and turn to him. “Is she still here?”

There’s a moment when my hope begins to spark, but he snuffs it out with a somber shake of his head. “No, sir. She left a few hours ago with a bunch of boxes.”

Of course, she did.

That woman’s going to be the death of me. Literally.

“Any idea where she went?” I ask.

“No, sir. I don’t. She left with a man, though. He’d stopped by a few hours before, then returned with a dark truck and helped her bring the boxes down, then loaded them up.”

“What’d he look like?”

“Older. Brown hair with a bit of gray. Kind of bulky build. Looked like he worked out.”

Embry.

I slap the doorman on the back, and lift my chin. “Thanks, Barry. I appreciate it.”

“Any time. Will you be staying here?”

My stomach flips upside down at the thought. “Not without Bianca,” I answer. Then I step inside the building and ride the elevator to the top floor. The place is almost untouched, but her familiar scent lingers in the air. I close my eyes and breathe deep, praying it won’t be the last opportunity I have to smell it.

On the counter sits the black velvet box I’d given her, the thick concealer she’d use to cover her birthmark, and a folded piece of paper with my name scrawled across the top. Carefully, I open it up, afraid it’ll evaporate into thin air and return to its original owner if I jostle it too much.

Jack,

Thank you for the earrings. They really are beautiful, but I couldn’t stomach the idea of taking them. Not when they were meant to mend a relationship that I’d severed long before we ever met. Besides, if you’ve taught me anything, it’s that I don’t need shiny things or pounds of makeup to make me feel pretty. I just needed you.

You’ll always be my guilty pleasure.

-Bianca

My blood boils, swirling with my desperation as I slam my hand against the counter before shoving the note and box into my front pocket. The concealer goes sailing toward the garbage can with a flick of my wrist, but I pause when I reach the door. There’s something else I need to grab first. Something I’ve kept hidden from Bianca for too long. Racing to my room, I find what I’m looking for, then I’m out the door.

As I wait for the elevator to open, I dial Embry’s cell and wait for it to connect.

“Come on, come on,” I mumble under my breath.

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