Chapter Five
It was on the tip of her tongue to deny it. But she owed Jake more than that. She’d never lied to him before and she wasn’t about to start now. But would it really be a lie? She didn’t plan on taking the whole necklace. Just the diamond.
“How did you know?”
He shrugged and popped the last of the chocolate croissant she’d refused into his mouth. He chewed slowly, his eyes on her. Did she look guilty?
Then she noticed the look in his eyes. The look of knowing you were doing the right thing, even though no one else would agree.
“You’re planning the same thing.”
He shrugged again and as well as answered her question when he looked away.
Hell.
This made things a lot different, didn’t it?
What now?
They were both here for the same thing.
At least now she had the assurance that Jake wouldn’t turn her in if he were planning the same thing. But why? Questions flew through her mind faster than she could contemplate them.
“I had a replica made,” she said. “Just the stone. I’m not taking the whole necklace.” She didn’t like the necklace. She looked down to the necklace around her neck, the stone sparkling in the overhead light, and then over to the outline on Jake’s chest. Well, at least she hadn’t before tonight.
He nodded. “I was going to take the whole thing. It’d be a great fuck you to Leonard.”
“You were?”
He looked sad for a moment and then a lazy smile spread over his face. “It’s yours, Princess. I’d never take it from you. But I’m not going to let you get in trouble, either.”
Ana shook her head, unable to believe her ears. Jake would risk everything to take the necklace? She didn’t have anyone who would miss her. Sure, she had acquaintances galore, she usually had more invitations on a Friday night than she knew what to do with. But it was always going out somewhere or being seen. She had no friends who’d want to stay in and watch a movie and order pizza, who wanted to have deep intimate conversations and share secrets. She was getting close to some of the folks she worked with at the shelter, but their lives were transient. It was difficult to make too many connections there. When she disappeared, everyone in her life would just assume she was somewhere else, with someone else. The tabloids wouldn’t be surprised to learn she’d disappeared. They’d been waiting for a scandal from her for years.
She knew that a big part of the reason she had no real significant ties was because she always kept people at a distance after losing her entire family at such a young age. The therapist she’d seen after her grandmother’s death had explained that. She’d never quite figured out how to get over it though.
But Jake had so much to lose.
He had a stellar reputation.
“What about your parents?” she asked sof
tly.
Jake began gathering up the remnants of the food they’d eaten, piling all the discarded wrappings in front of him. He folded the potato chip bag neatly and put it in the pretzel bag.
“What about them?”
“Won’t they be upset that you’re leaving SI?”
He signed deeply and sat back in his chair, running his hands through his hair. He looked down at his neat mound of trash and Ana wondered what he actually saw.
“My parents know what’s important,” he said. “As for SI, I don’t think it’s going to be around much longer. Not in the way we know it, at least. Leonard is running it into the ground, but he’s majority shareholder. A guy I know has been quietly trying to buy shares, trying to get enough to make some kind of difference, but so far it’s slow going.”
“Why hasn’t he come after my shares?”
“I asked him not to. At least not yet. I know how you feel about Leonard. Everyone knows how you feel about Leonard. If Brad is seen talking to you, word’s going to get back to Leonard.”
“If you know the guy and trust him to do what’s best for SI, then I’d vote his way. Or sign over my shares. There’s a small part of me that would hate to see the company my family has worked so hard for go up in flames, but in the end, it’s a very small part. I certainly don’t want anything to do with it.”