Chapter 7

• Crystal's POV I hadn't always known who or what my father actually was. And then when I finally did discover it for myself, I didn't want to believe. Blame it on Marrek and his condescending tone when he told me the truth. A truth I didn't want to listen to. And then, of course, I had to look into it. Marrek had known that. Though, even now, I didn't know if Marrek had honestly been telling me for my benefit, or if he'd simply wanted to see what my reaction was going to be. That had been two years ago. Since then, I had made it my mission to find out exactly everything my father was involved in, who he was involved with, and who he had employed for him. The list was long. Much longer than I would have liked. It had been almost a year ago now that I had contacted the FBI and since then I'd been their prize witness. Their sole source of intel. And their biggest secret. I had been dealing with two FBI Agents and the director. That was it, no one else was allowed to know who I was. No one was allowed to know that the FBI had been building a case against Lawrence Carver with my help. For their safety and for mine. I hadn't wanted to do this. How could I put the man who raised me, who gave me nothing but his unconditional love, in jail? I hadn't had an answer to that. But the more I had been digging into what my father had been doing, the more I realized he needed to be put away. Not for my safety, no, my father wouldn't lay a hand on me . . . though if he ever found out what I was doing that was likely to change. But for the safety of pretty much everyone else. I stared back at Jackson while he seemed to look at me with fresh eyes, with a fresh perspective. I figured it would be best to explain . . . some things, before he started putting anything together himself. "Two years ago," I started. "I was . . . enlightened, to the things my father was doing. And I ended up deciding I couldn't sit by and watch as he destroyed any more lives. Though, I also knew there was no way I could bring him down by myself, so . . ." "You contacted the FBI," Jackson said, eyes narrowed in a suspicious way. I shrugged. "Yes, I did. They were skeptical at first until they saw that I was truly innocent in all of this and wanted to help stop my father." I walked over and stared out a window at the ocean surrounding us. "I meet up with them a few times every couple of months. Give them intel and so forth." Jackson said nothing, but I could feel his gaze burning into me. I turned to face him once more. "Recently, however, my father got wind that someone was giving information to the FBI. So, he sent someone to take care of it. And suddenly any and all evidence that had been gathered against Lawrence Carver just disappeared." I shrugged as I went back to staring out the window. "That was over a month ago now. My father had also tried to learn the identity of whoever was selling him out, but luckily for me, that secret had never been in writing, on any recording, or put into any computer. So, my father couldn't find out." I let out a resigned sigh. "That's not to say he won't still find out." I turned back to Jackson, staring him down. "My time is running out and the FBI are becoming impatient. Luckily, I had saved every last detail of the evidence to a backup micro SD card." I glared harshly at him as I said my next words. "An SD card I kept hidden in a necklace that you so gloriously, stole from me." Jackson was silent for what felt like an eternity. He stood there staring at me and seemed to still be taking in everything I had said. Finally, he spoke. "Well, this just got very interesting." He smiled at me and I felt like wiping that smug look off his face in a very violent way. Instead, I glared at him and crossed my arms over my chest. "I need that necklace back," I told him. He shrugged nonchalantly. "So you've said." He walked away from me and over to the bar at the end of the room. I watched as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. "But seeing as how I no longer have it," He said as he took a sip from his glass. "This is so very clearly, not my problem." I continued to glare at him as I took a step toward him, still keeping my distance. I didn't need his diseases on top of the rest of the problems I was currently having. "The way I see it," I said. "it is your problem." I stared back at him defiantly, refusing to back down. "You either help me get the necklace back, or you're going to regret it." Jackson laughed. "And you'll be the one to make me regret it, will you?" He gestured to Marrek still standing in the doorway. "Him, I'd believe a threat from, you? Nah, you're too . . . prissy. Too concerned with breaking a nail." I crossed my arms over my chest, my glare unwavering. "So because I'm some prissy little girl you think my threats are empty?" "Babe," Jackson said as he polished off the rest of his drink. "This has absolutely nothing to do with you being a girl. I know some deadly girls. You're just not one of them." I pulled my gun back out from my waistband. Jackson scoffed. "And that, for you at least, is just a prop. You've probably never even fire-" The rest of his sentence was cut off by a bullet. The empty glass in his hand shattered as the bullet ripped through it. Jackson let out a shout of surprise and jumped back, glass shards all over the floor. He stopped for a second to pick a few out of his skin. Mostly out of his arm and palm. He glared dangerously at me, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapping it around his bleeding hand. I didn't feel sorry. I walked right up to him and stared him down. "You're going to help me get that necklace back or the next thing that's going to explode isn't going to be a glass." Jackson continued to glare down at me, which really wasn't that far down anyway. I was actually above average height and my eyes were level with his chin. So really, the effect he was looking for wasn't going to affect me. If I was shorter, hell yeah he'd be intimidating. But I was angry, in the mood for revenge and determined to get my way. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Jackson continued to try and stare me down. Continued to try and intimidate me and when he finally realized he wasn't going to succeed he just raised an eyebrow at me. "So I get the necklace back or you kill me?" He questioned. I shook my head. "No. You're going to help me get it back. I don't trust you to actually get it back by yourself. You'd likely end up disappearing on me again." Jackson didn't deny that. "What if I can't get the necklace back?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Then you and I are going to have some serious problems." "You mean besides you aiming a gun at me?" I smiled bitterly at him. "I don't think I'd bother wasting a bullet on you. I'd just as soon strangle you with my bare hands." He stared at me and instead of looking annoyed or angry as he had in the past few minutes, he looked amused. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked toward me. "Alright," He said simply. "I'll help you get the necklace back." I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him. He noticed. "What?" He asked. "Don't believe me?" I shook my head. "I don't believe how easily you're going along with it." He shrugged. "I know when I'm beat," I seriously doubt that. "and I do value my life so, I'm willing to be cooperative." He took his time to look me over from head to toe. He locked eyes with me and the look in his eyes said exactly what he was thinking and that he wanted me to be aware of it as well. "Besides, working in close proximity with you will be . . . interesting." I immediately shook my head. "No. There is no, interesting. There will be none of that. Do you understand?" Jackson's smug smile returned. "As I said, you and I in close proximity," He emphasized this by stepping way too far into my personal space. "Babe, you won't be able to resist." He gestured the length of his body." I glared at him and refused to allow him to make me uncomfortable. I didn't back up. I stood my ground. I looked him over from head to toe and let obvious disinterest fall across my face. I shrugged nonchalantly. "As someone in the modeling career I can say without any room for debate, that I've seen better." His eyes flashed with something I couldn't identify and then it was gone and his smug smile remained. "Was," He corrected. "For someone who was in the modeling career." I glared at him and felt my face heat up at the memory of exactly why I was here. Of exactly what he'd done to get me here. "Get out of my personal space before I make you regret stepping into it." "And if I'm not mistaken," Jackson continued, ignoring my threat. "You and I are already quite familiar with each other's personal space. Or am I simply imagining that long, hot, sweaty night?" My face felt like it was on fire. And this time I didn't suppress the violent urge that overtook me. I brought my knee up between his legs and watched in satisfaction as his face contorted and he crumbled to the floor. I stepped over him. "I warned you," I told him. When I looked over my shoulder, I could see Noah staring in wide-eyed surprise, his hands unconsciously going lower when he noticed me staring at him. Marrek, on the other hand, was smiling as he leaned against one side of the doorway. It was awkward what with him actually being wider than the doorway and not actually fitting in it, but he somehow made it look natural. Hunter could not have been more disinterested. I walked up to Marrek and motioned for him to move out of the doorway and back out onto the deck of the yacht. He stepped back and I followed him, closing the door behind me to limit what Noah and Jackson would be able to hear. Not that Jackson would be listening to us all that much at the moment. Marrek stared over my head at the door behind me. "I don't like this," He said. I crossed my arms over my chest. "I don't care. And I don't have any choice but to work with him to get the necklace back." Marrek shook his head. "You could just get the name of whoever he sold it to and let me handle it." It was my turn to shake my head. "No, Marrek," I replied. "I don't need you getting into that kind of trouble for me." Marrek shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time I caused trouble in another country." I frowned at him. "I'm well aware, but I mean it. I don't want to get you into trouble. I asked you to find him and you did, now let me handle things from here." Marrek stared at me for a long while before nodding slowly. "Alright," He said. "And I only say that because I know you can handle yourself. You had a great teacher after all," He finished with a smirk. I rolled my eyes. "I think he was subpar, at best," I told him. He narrowed his eyes at me threateningly and I couldn't help but laugh. Marrek stared off at something in the distance only he could see. "Seriously though, if you have any problems you call me immediately. I don't trust this guy and neither should you." I nodded my agreement. "I don't trust him," I told him. "But I don't have a choice in working with him right now." Marrek nodded. "I know," He looked back to me. "He's planning something," He told me. "He agreed to help way too easily and with way too much amusement. You need to be on your guard with him." Marrek pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me. "Here," He said. "contingency plan." I stared down at the long cylindrical object in my hands. "Marrek, this is a stick of dynamite." Marrek just stared at me. "And?" "Why the hell were you carrying it around in your pocket?" "It never hurts to be prepared." "Prepared for what, exactly?" Marrek shrugged. "If necessary I was going to bring down the yacht." "With me on it?" "I'd fish your body out of the water. Or the pieces of it." I shook my head and turned away from him. "You're an asshole Marrek," I said as I walked back through the door. "Oh yeah," Marrek replied before whistling for Hunter and walking away. Jackson was leaning up against the wall. "Sending your guard dog away?" He questioned, his eyes flashing with anger. "Sure that's a wise decision on your part?" I smiled at him sweetly. "Believe me Storm, I don't need a guard dog to handle you."