Out of Control(69)
Jess took a sip of her drink and sighed. “It’s nice here, isn’t it?”
“It is. Maybe we should both stay here. Have a long vacation until Zach throws us out.”
“I doubt he’ll do that. He told Jake he loves you.”
“He told me as well.”
“And you love him, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re going to tell him?”
“I already did. I left him a note, but I said it didn’t matter. I was a little scared…and pissed off.”
“For what it’s worth, I told them it was a mistake not to tell you.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t try to hide her sarcasm.
“Hey, it wasn’t my call.”
“You could still have told me.”
“Yeah. Jake would have killed me, but I still should have told you. Sorry. That reminds me…”
Reaching behind her, she grabbed her bag and pulled out her cell phone. “Jake, I’ve found her.” She raised her brows then handed the phone to Dani. She resisted the urge to ignore it and took the phone, raising it slowly to her ear.
“So have you punished everyone enough?”
“Hello, Jake, nice to hear from you.”
“That’s what this is about isn’t it? You’re getting a little revenge on us all for not telling you what was going on.”
“Maybe,” she said cautiously.
“Well, enough. I’m sick of Zach calling me up and whining in my ear. He’s turning into a complete miserable bastard.”
“Is he?”
“Don’t sound so goddamn cheerful about it. Just get over there and sort him out.”
She was smiling when she handed the phone back.
“So are you going?” Jess asked.
“I guess so. I’ll book a flight.”
“So why haven’t you gone before?”
“Maybe Jake was right, and I did want to punish you all a little.”
“Very childish.”
She grinned. “Yeah. But I’ve enjoyed being here alone. I’ve had time to think. And I suppose I’ve been waiting for something to make me move. Once I’d accepted I was going to go see him, it was weird, like all the urgency oozed from me.”
“You’re scared.”
“Hell, yes.” But maybe it was time to haul her ass over there and face her greatest fear.
“He’s probably scared as well,” Jess said.
“Well, he likes being scared—so he should feel right at home.”
Chapter Nineteen
The taxi dropped her off in front of a huge set of double gates.
“You want me to wait?” the driver asked as he handed her bag out of the back.
Did she?
Actually, she wanted him to take her back to the airport.
“No,” she said.
She watched as the cab disappeared down the winding road. She was in the mountains here, the city spread out below her.
Taking a deep breath, she pressed her finger to the doorbell. Nothing happened. Maybe she should have had the taxi wait.
She pressed again and a second later, a woman’s voice came over the speaker.
A woman?
Had he replaced her already? But the fear was fleeting. She didn’t really believe that. She was probably a housekeeper or something.
“I’d like to see Zach, please.”
“I’m afraid he’s not here. Would you like to leave a message?”
Dani bit her lip. The woman probably thought she was some sort of celebrity groupie. Why hadn’t she thought this through? She hadn’t even gotten a number for him; she’d have to call Jess or Jake.
“Shit,” she muttered, then realized the woman could probably hear her. “Sorry. Look, I’ll come back—”
“Dani?” the woman cut her off. “Is that Dani?”
She didn’t wait for a reply and the speaker went silent. Dani stared at it for a moment. Then the gates slowly slid open, revealing a wide driveway leading up to a rambling villa.
Dani stepped inside as the front door opened and a small white and ginger dog rushed out. She dropped her bag as Skip raced the distance between them and leaped into her arms, licking her face. She opened her eyes to see a woman approaching her—presumably the voice. In her fifties, but tall and slender, she widened her smile as Dani approached, Skip still in her arms. She put him down as she came to a halt.
“Dani?”
“You know me?”
“I recognized the accent. Then you swore and I was sure. Zach says you swear like a soldier.”
“Probably because I was a soldier.”
“Let’s just say, I’ve heard a lot about you. A very lot.” Then she took the last step, closing the space between them, and took Dani in a huge hug.