Chapter 15

**Jake’s Dark Secrets**

I believed I knew Jake. The way his eyes darkened when he gazed at me, his voice, and his touch. At least I believed I knew every inch of him by heart. However, love had blinded me, concealing the underlying fissures. A nagging feeling of unease twisted in my gut as I sat in front of my laptop. Because the more I looked, the less I recognized the man to whom I had previously dedicated my life.

I was scrolling through financial data, buried paperwork, and old articles when the faint light from my screen went over my face. I got a chill when I saw Jake's name next to Dominic's. In addition to being business partners, they have a deeper, darker relationship. In murmurs and redacted reports, there was a trail that spoke to a shared history tainted with treachery and blood.

Dominic was more than just an influential businessman. He was a puppeteer who controlled more strings than I could count, a kingmaker. I wasn't sure I was ready to know what Jake had seen or done, if he had been a member of his inner circle.

Seven years ago, I clicked on the headline: **Mysterious Disappearance of Archer Holdings CEO, Victor Archer** My brow went down. Though I couldn't place it, the name sounded familiar. I typed another search after lingering my fingertips over the keyboard. The last time we saw Victor Archer was at a private event that Dominic Moreau had hosted. According to witnesses, he left the event early, taking Jake with him.

As I started a new file, my heart raced. An official police report. On a desolate highway, Victor Archer's vehicle was discovered abandoned. The car showed no signs of struggle and was immaculate. Not a finger print. Absence of blood. Just...gone. With no leads, the case had gone cold. Jake had been interviewed by the police but had been excluded.

It's too tidy. Too flawless.

My thoughts was racing, so I bit my lip. Despite his natural charisma, Jake had a darker side that he hardly ever showed me. And now I was starting to see why.

I was startled out of my reverie by the buzzing of my phone. A blocked number.

I answered after hesitating. “Hi?”

My spine froze when a distorted voice spoke. “Emma, quit digging.”

I swallowed forcefully. "Who's this?"

Stillness.

After ththatthe line died.

With my heartbeat thumping my ribcage, I held my phone tightly. I was shaking when I phoned Jake's number. He remained silent. Naturally, he didn't. With a knot in my chest from aggravation, I threw my phone on the desk and combed through my hair.

Did I actually face danger? Was it only a scare tactic?

I needed clarification. They could only be given to me by one person.

Jake was hard to find. When things got messy he was prone to vanishing. But when he wanted to ponder, I knew where he went and his routines. When I eventually found him, it was after midnight and I was in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. In the dim streetlight, his black SUV was parked outside, sleek and threatening.

I was hesitant before entering. I was completely engulfed by the enormous empty expanse, and the air smelled like oil and dust. Then I saw him.

Jake was standing next to a group of wooden crates, his shoulders stiff and head bent. He was not by himself.

Dominic Moreau was also present.

I stayed hidden in the shadows, pressing myself against a metal beam, my breath catching. Even though they spoke softly, the weight of their exchange reverberated throughout the empty room.

"Emma has been researching the past," Dominic blurted out. "She's getting too near."

Jake let out a loud sigh. “I’ll take care of it.”

"The way you treated Archer?" Dominic's tone was piercing, almost playful. "Loose ends were always your thing."

I had a queasy feeling in my stomach. My hands shook on the cool metal as I gripped the beam for balance.

"I'll deal with it," I said. This time, Jake's voice was more difficult. No hesitancy or regret existed. Steel only.

With a laugh, Dominic moved toward him. "Hopefully so. For if you don't—" Suffocating and thick, he let the words to linger between them. Without saying another word, he turned and vanished into the night.

My thoughts reeled, and I remained frozen. Deal with it. the way you treated Archer. Oh God. The disappearance of Victor Archer had affected Jake. Perhaps worse.

My foot caught on a loose nail as I stepped back carefully, forcing myself to move, my pulse pounding. The piercing noise reverberated throughout the warehouse.

Jake jerked his head up. He fixed his gaze on me.

We both remained motionless for a moment. Unspoken realities splintered in the space between us. He then moved in my direction.

He murmured in a low, foreboding voice, "Emma."

I turned and took off running.

With my fingers fumbling, I yanked the door open and just made it to my car. Just as Jake stepped out of the warehouse, the engine roared to life. My adrenaline was pumped by his very presence, even if he didn't pursue me. My thoughts were racing as I rushed off, my hands gripping the wheel.

I had demanded the truth.

I got it now.

Jake was more than simply a slave to Dominic. Something horrible, something that had already taken lives, was intertwined with him. The next person on their list was me.

Another emotion, however, blazed beneath the anxiety that gnawed at my breast.

perseverance.

Jake was foolish if he assumed I would simply leave.

Once, I had loved him. I believed in him. Now, at any cost, I would expose all the secrets he had attempted to conceal.

notwithstanding the possibility of ruining him in the process.

I choose not to return home. I chose to park two blocks from my apartment and then sit in the car with my hands on the steering wheel. I couldn't sleep since my heart was still pounding after the encounter and my thoughts was racing.

I needed assistance. Someone who understood how to function in the world I had just entered.

I was able to think of only one person.

It was a name I hadn't mentioned in years.

My phone came out, and after a brief moment of hesitation, I dialed.

A drowsy voice responded after the line rung twice. “Emma?”

I swallowed forcefully. "Aiden, you're needed."

Stillness. A quick intake of air followed. “Where are you?”

My worry began to creep in as I looked around. "A secure location. For the time being.

Aiden became attentive and sharp in his voice. “Tell me everything.”

I did as a result.

When I was done, there was just one answer.

"I'll be over to you. Keep still.

Even though he couldn't see me, I nodded and let out a shaky exhale.

Because I felt less alone than I have since this nightmare began.

I knew in my heart, however, that this was just the beginning.