On the verge of going full harpy, she drew in a deep breath to calm down. Arriving, she parked in his driveway. He was at the door waiting when she walked up. Looking grim, he let her in without a word.
“I won’t stay but a minute,” she began. “I just came to say I would never be involved in anything illegal or include anyone I employ.”
“I was wrong for not calling you about it up front. We’d just met. I didn’t know any more about you than you know about me, and I was more concerned with how this might affect my brother.”
“I understand. Thanks for listening.” She’d said what she’d come to say. Still hurting and upset, she turned to leave.
“Jasmine, wait. Please.”
She stopped.
He whispered, “Baby, I’m sorry I hurt you. I’ve been mesmerized by you, calling myself Torr the Brave, sending you lilies, but when push came to shove . . .” His voice trailed off. “I debated when to talk to you about it, believe me, and decided to wait until our date on Saturday. Kel told me to talk to you right away, or he’d tell you himself.”
“And he did.”
“Yeah, so much for listening to his big brother.”
That cut some of the tension, and she turned to face him. “I’m the baby too. I don’t listen to my big sisters half the time either, so I’m Team Kel.”
“He thinks the world of you.”
“The feeling’s mutual.”
“I’m growing feelings for you too.”
In spite of the friction, the air between them remained charged with the unspoken mutual attraction that had sparked the night they’d met. She looked away for a moment to gather her words. “Not sure what to do with mine now.”
“The honesty is appreciated, and I understand.”
“Do you? Not to be mean, but you’re rich and fine, and I’m sure women probably come very easily to you, Torr. Fitting someone else in this slot won’t be difficult.”
“And if I don’t want anyone else in your slot? Then what? If I could run time back and handle this differently, I would. But I can’t. I don’t want whatever we’ve started here to end. Not this way. Not without us learning who we could be together.”
“Heady words,” she replied quietly.
“Heady truth.”
She’d never had a man bare himself to her this way, and she didn’t know how to react. The reason for the visit had been to give him a piece of her mind, not her whole heart. And yet, here she stood wanting to grab what he professed to be offering. Wanting to learn what being with him could be. At her age, was she so desperate for hoping such a thing was possible with a man she’d met only a few days before? It was time to do some baring of her own. “I get why you put your brother first. I’d do the same had it been one of my sisters, but I won’t apologize for being hurt and disappointed because whatever’s happening with us feels special to me too.”
“Then can we go forward? Start over? Do whatever we want to call it to keep this going?”
She prayed she wasn’t setting herself up for a broken heart, but she was a grown woman. Whatever the outcome, she’d survive. “I’ll see you Saturday at Andre’s for our lunch.”
And she left.
CHAPTER FIVE
The next morning, Jas let herself into CODEX and placed her coffee and belongings on her desk. It was Friday. Simone had the day off, so she’d be working alone. Last night’s visit with Torr was still on her mind. She did want to move forward to see where their relationship would lead and was glad they’d talked. He’d sent her a text earlier to say good morning, wish her a great day, and let her know he was on his way to DC to handle some business tied to his company. She’d sent a heart emoji in response. He promised to call her when he got home.
She looked forward to their lunch tomorrow and to hearing what he knew about the Vernon case. Last night had not been the time or place for that discussion. She still wasn’t happy to learn her name was in the mix, and neither were her parents when she called them about it after leaving Torr’s house. They promised to reach out to their Fed contacts on her behalf. Her big sister Ceylon also called and promised to have her back if she needed to lawyer up. No one intimidated Ceylon Ware in a courtroom. Not even the US government.
Her worries set aside for the moment, she heard a knock on her still-locked front door. A glance up at the surveillance camera showed one of the young bicycle bros from next door. She left her desk to see what he wanted.
He handed her a box wrapped in glittery purple paper. “It has your name on it. Someone must have left it by our front door by mistake.”
“Thanks,” she said, curiosity piqued. He departed, and she set it on Simone’s desk.
The moment she unwrapped it, a foul odor made her wrinkle her nose. She cautiously undid the cardboard flaps, and the sight of the two bloated severed hands inside roiled her stomach so violently, she ran to the restroom and gave up her breakfast. A few minutes later, still shaken, heart racing, she called 911.
Two patrol officers arrived first, followed by two detectives from homicide, who, after examining the grisly contents, found a note tucked inside the box that read: Tell Elliot Vernon hello from hell.
By the time Jasmine made it home later that afternoon, she was done. She was also still reeling, mainly because she had no idea who could’ve sent her something so awful. When the detectives who’d taken her statement learned she was Captain Ellen Ware’s daughter and had a personal tie to the Vernons, they asked if she’d be willing to walk through the Vernon home to see what might be missing. Wanting the madness to be over, she’d agreed.
The interior stank of the spoiled food the suspects had tossed out of the fridge and onto the floor, which was also covered with everything from broken glass to the scattered stuffing from mattresses, armchairs, and the sofa. She’d had no idea how she’d figure out what might be missing in the midst of such chaos. Wearing a cloth mask given to her by the detectives so she wouldn’t have to breathe the rancid air, she’d stepped over clothing from bedroom closets and cleaning products from beneath the kitchen sink. The contents of laundry detergent boxes and the kitchen canisters had littered the floor as well. Loretta loved flowers as much as Jas’s mom, and the empty vases that always stood on the fireplace mantel had been there. But missing from its spot was the framed photo of the smiling Vernons, her parents, and herself as she cut the ribbon in front of CODEX the day she opened for business. Finding that odd, she’d spent a few more minutes visually searching the rubble but didn’t see it. A short while later, she and the detectives had stepped out into the fresh air. She’d told them about the photo and asked if she could get the place cleaned up. She assumed the Vernons would come back at some point, but she didn’t want rats and roaches moving in in the interim. They’d made a note of the missing photo, told her they’d let her know about a timeline for cleanup, and driven her back to her business.
Now home, she’d talked to her parents, her sisters, Terri, Simone, and Kel. They’d all asked how she was doing and offered to stop by. She’d turned them all down. Space to breathe so she could process the awful day and get the image of those hands out of her mind was all she wanted. That, and to hear Torr’s voice.