JACE-1(Lane Brothers, Book 3)(3)
See, this is why I took the path I decided on. Part of me always had this foolish need to prove myself to this man, even knowing that he doesn’t deserve so much as a single insight into the real me.
I would rather not think about what’s been motivating me for three years now, but I want an opportunity to look him in the eye when this all ends and tell him exactly what I’m made of.
Not yet, though. Not until I’ve done what I have to.
“You’re engaged?”
I find I like the shocked look on his face and the fact that he just gasped like some injured victim.
“Yes and I’m getting married soon. Ronny called me, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and came over here to talk wedding stuff, too. Now you know, so will you please just leave?”
“Married?”
“Yeah, and don’t sound so surprised. There are men who want more from me than sex, you know.” I say, wincing inwardly at my words.
All Timothy wants from me is the connections my father brings to the table. Sex seems to be the last thing he considers when looking at me, but Jace doesn’t need to know this.
Jace is scowling at me darkly and seems less than thrilled by my news.
“Our relationship was not just about sex,” he says through clenched teeth, his face set in a stony mask of anger that makes me smile inwardly.
“No? You could have fooled me, Jace. All we did since we met was circle each other before falling into bed. You did everything in your power to mould me into your ideal woman before dropping me like a hot potato. What, you weren’t completely satisfied with your handiwork after all?”
I’m treading a thin line here, but why not? It’s my job to get into the Lane family again and find out all that I can about this situation with a group of extremists loosely known as the Pure Patriots.
It’s my job because the little socialite airhead under her daddy’s thumb, and the chick Jason Lane didn’t think was good enough for him, turned out to be one of the lead profilers for the FBI.
My job’s a little under the radar, thanks to the fact that my first and only case thus far has been to nail my own father to the wall for corruption. And now the Pure Patriots.
I don’t even notice when Jace moves and starts coming my way. He backs me up against the wall and stands looming over me with a combination of anger and sadness in his eyes.
“You don’t think I loved you, Trace?” he asks in this hurt voice that makes me want to take it all back and comfort him.
You just keep yourself together and ignore those twinkling blue eyes and stick with the program here.
“Love? You want to talk about love, Jason? Let’s talk about how you left me in an apartment I couldn’t pay for since my parents cut me off. Let’s talk about the fact that I spent a month watching you date anything with a pulse…no, you know what, let’s not. I want you to leave. Now.”
“Tracy—”
“Get out of my life, Jason. I’m just here to catch up with the girls about my wedding and then I’ll be gone for good.”
I’m going to get what I need to finally wrap this case up if it freaking kills me. Hopefully not, but I’m starting to think that death would be preferable to what my father will unleash on me when everything’s said and done.
“Tracy, listen, about Veronica—”
I block it out and shuffle to the door, holding it open with a stern expression that lets him know how much I want to hear what he has to say.
It gets through, thank God, and he finally walks out with a sigh.
“Stay away from Ronny, Tracy. You have no idea what that woman is capable of,” he says, turning back to give me another look.
“I don’t care. Stay away from me, Jason, and for God’s sake, leave Ronny alone. Your family has given her enough grief as it is.”
I close the door with a sigh, ignoring that look of hurt and betrayal he throws me.
The ticket to finally being done with this mess is staring me right in the face, and I’ll do what I have to to get it.
No matter how much it hurts to be here with the man I let go of a long time ago. Or how much it’ll hurt to have to see the family I left behind.
Chapter Two
Jace
She’s getting married.
That’s all I’ve thought about since the words left her lips, all I could focus on while she spouted that bullshit about me never loving her and changing her and…
Is that what Trace thinks? That I changed her and came away dissatisfied with the end result? The truth is so far from the filth she just hurled at me that I’m still reeling and struggling to wrap my head around it all.
Tracy Mayfield was the one bright, shiny thing I’ve ever allowed myself to have in this life I chose to build. My job is not what many would call aboveboard, and for this reason I decided a long time ago to cut all ties and just do what I need to do to serve my country.