The Exception, page 23
“Better than expected. She agreed to stay in the hospital for the length of time the doctors recommended, a month. They’re adjusting some of her meds. She claims she stopped taking them because they made her tired all the time. We’re going to see how things go before I bring the girls to visit, but hopefully she’ll be well enough for me to take them for a few hours soon.”
“What about after she’s out? Will you bring her to New York?”
He nodded. “I want to protect the girls and make sure they’re safe, not keep them from their mother.”
“You’re a really good uncle, you know that?”
“They’re great kids. I hate that they’re going through shit that’s a lot like what I had to deal with growing up. But my mother was an only child, so there wasn’t anyone else. I’m glad I can be there for them.”
“Do you want children of your own?”
Jagger’s eyes jumped to meet mine. I’d gotten good at reading what was on his mind. And now he was giving me a warning.
I held up my hands. “I’m not asking you to have them with me. Just wondering since you’re so close with Amelia and Olivia.”
He looked away. “If you’d asked me a few months ago, I would’ve said no.”
“And now?”
He pushed up from the couch. “And now…I need a drink. Would you like one?”
I shook my head. I was disappointed at the abrupt end to our conversation, but tried to look on the positive side. He hadn’t said no, and it seemed he was allowing himself to think about possibilities he might not have considered previously. So I didn’t push.
I stood and walked over to stand on the other side of the kitchen island while he fixed his drink.
A text flashed on my phone.
Miles: Honey, I’m home! Just landed.
I smiled.
Sutton: See you soon.
“Miles just got to JFK,” I said. “I should get going.”
Jagger rattled the ice cubes in his glass as he stirred, then sipped. “When will I see you? I know you have dinner plans with your parents because I spoke to Edmund earlier. He and I are getting together for a few hours tomorrow afternoon to go over a strategy we’ve come up with that we think might satisfy the DOJ.”
I nodded. “Mom pushed dinner to eight, but I didn’t realize it was because Edmund would be with you.”
Jagger came around the island and cupped my cheek. “I’d like to celebrate your birthday with you. Is there room for one more at dinner? I can see if Louise can babysit the girls. They’ll be in bed by eight anyway.”
I blinked. “You want to go to dinner with my mother and Miles and Edmund?”
“It sounds like that’s the only way I’m going to be able to see you on your birthday.”
“But…what about Edmund?”
“I was thinking I should have a conversation with him soon, anyway. He walked into my office and almost caught me watching the security feed this week, and I’d rather him not find out about us any other way than me telling him.”
“Really? You want to tell him about us?”
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Not at all.”
“Good.” He pressed a kiss to my lips. “Then it’s settled. I’ll speak to Edmund in private before dinner tomorrow.”
Sutton
Miles had showed up at ten o’clock last night wearing sparkly gold glasses with a bottle of XO Patrón in one hand and two shot glasses in the other that read Swallow It All Like a Lady. Needless to say, Sunday morning I woke up with a bit of a hangover. I stayed in bed for an hour, scrolling on my phone until the smell of coffee wafting through the air coaxed me to my feet. I found Miles in the kitchen, standing under a Happy Birthday, Bitch sign that he must’ve brought with him.
“Happy birthday, cookie. May your day be gayer than the roller-skating party I went to during Pride in San Francisco.”
“Thank you.” I smiled, and he passed me a mug and looked toward the living room.
“That bag was delivered for you. It hasn’t been easy to control myself the last hour while I waited for your lazy ass to get up. I already looked up the logo, so I know it’s from an expensive jewelry store. Hurry and open it before I do.”
I swallowed a healthy gulp of caffeine and carried the mug with me to the other room where a haughty-looking, matte-black bag was tied with a big red bow. Inside was a card and a box. I slipped the note from the envelope first and read, Happy birthday, beautiful. I can’t wait to fuck you with only this on.
Miles peered over my shoulder. “That’s hot.”
I pulled the card against my chest. “Nosy.”
“Open the damn gift already.”
I shook my head as I slipped the black box from the bag and flipped it open. Inside was a stunning choker with three strands of pearls connected to a large, diamond-encrusted sapphire clasp. The center stone had to be fifteen carats.
“Holy crap.” Miles gawked. “Is that…a collar?”
“What do you mean a collar?”
“It’s a necklace a Dom gives his submissive. It’s usually a leather choker or some shit.”
“Oh my God, really?”
Miles nodded. “I’m pretty sure it means you belong to him.”
I ran my finger over the sparkling sapphire. “Do you think this is real? The color is incredible.”
“It’s definitely real. I researched the store the minute Nestor handed me the bag. It’s high end. Most of their stuff is one-of-a-kind pieces. They don’t sell costume jewelry.”
I lifted the necklace from the box for a closer look. “It’s really beautiful.”
Miles smirked. “Good thing you got a rich Dom, because the leather ones you see in the window of adult stores are pretty damn tacky.”
I laughed. “I really don’t think it’s meant to be a collar. He bought me a pearl anklet too. The thought behind the pearls is actually really sweet.”
“Would it bother you if that’s what it was meant to be?”
I thought about it. I was crazy about the man. Not to mention, I was more than satisfied with how things were between Jagger and me in the bedroom. Plus, if I belonged to him, that meant he belonged to me. I shook my head. “I think I already belong to him, Miles.”
A few hours later, my best friend and I were heading out for brunch when the doorman stopped me. “I just tried to call you, Ms. Holland. You got another delivery from a messenger.”
“Oh?”
Nestor reached into a drawer and pulled out an envelope, extending it to me.
“Thank you.”
He tipped his hat. “Have a good day.”
“You, too.”
Miles wiggled his brows as he opened the door for us. “Another gift from your master?”
I turned the envelope over, expecting to see my mother or Jagger’s handwriting. But I froze with one foot out the door when I realized it wasn’t from either of them.
“Oh my God.” My heart pounded in my chest. “Miles, it’s a birthday card from him.”
• • •
Detective Wallace yanked up his pants by the front buckle as he paced in my living room. “So this is the first contact he’s made in six years?”
Miles reached over and covered my hands with his, stopping them from twisting and wringing. I hadn’t even realized I was doing it. “Thanks,” I whispered before turning my attention to the detective I hadn’t seen in years. “The last time he sent me anything was a card on my nineteenth birthday.”
“Why do you think he made contact again after all this time?”
I shook my head. “Maybe because I’m back in New York for my birthday? I moved out to California to go to school six years ago this fall.”
“But the cards stopped coming when you left?”
I looked to my mother, who had showed up an hour ago even though I’d told her she didn’t have to. “Mom? Did they really stop, or did you just tell me they did so I wouldn’t get upset?”
She shook her head. “They really stopped coming. I don’t live here anymore, but I did for more than a year after Sutton left while my husband and I did renovations to his place, and no card came. Plus, I sometimes still get mail here and the doormen just hold on to it. Nothing’s come.”
Detective Wallace scribbled some notes in his flip-top pad. “So if he knew you weren’t living here, this guy has likely been tracking you all this time.”
A chill ran down my spine. “But how? How does he know I’m back?”
“I don’t know.” Detective Wallace pulled something that looked like a tweezer from his pocket and used it to pick up the card. “Hopefully he left some DNA on this so we can find out.”
“What is she supposed to do?” my mother asked. “Sit here and wait for him to show up one day? What have the police done in the last six years to catch this man?”
“It’s still an open investigation, ma’am. But there isn’t much we can do without new evidence. Now we have some. We’ll also have the security video footage pulled from the lobby and see if that gives us anything.”
I looked to my mom. “Nestor said he was pretty sure the guy had been here before to deliver.”
Detective Wallace nodded. “If he used a messenger service to drop it off, the company should have records where the envelope was picked up. If he brought it himself, hopefully we’ll get him on camera.”
I felt all the color drain from my face. I don’t know why I’d assumed that the doorman recognizing him meant the card had been brought by a legit messenger. “You think he comes to this building so often that Nestor recognizes him? What does he want? What is he doing here?”
My front door burst open, and all four of our heads turned to watch Jagger storm in, followed by Edmund. I stood, and he rushed over and wrapped me in his arms.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded. “I’m fine.”
“I’m going to find this fucker and kill him.”
“That’s probably not a good thing to say in front of the police, son.” Detective Wallace stood and extended his hand. “Detective Richard Wallace. And you are?”
Jagger left the detective’s hand outstretched while he patted me down like he was looking for holes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a little shaken up, that’s all.”
He blew out a breath and finally acknowledged the waiting detective, clasping the man’s hand with his. “Jagger Langston.”
“And your relationship to Ms. Holland is…”
“I’m her…boyfriend.”
My mom’s forehead wrinkled. “Umm... Did I miss something here?”
“I’ll explain later, Mia,” Edmund said.
Detective Wallace asked a few more questions, none of which any of us had answers to. Eventually, he flipped his little notebook closed and used a handkerchief to pick up the birthday card and put it into a plastic bag. “I’ll be in touch once I know something.”
Jagger folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve already spoken to Commissioner Frank about having my security team kept in the loop.”
The detective frowned. “Great. You’re one of those. I do my job the same whether I have the boss up my ass or not. In fact, all that does is take time away from going after the bad guys.”
“Considering it’s been eight years since Sutton was assaulted, and you still haven’t caught the guy, I’m not entirely convinced that doing your job is enough.”
The detective’s face heated. Edmund noticed and stepped between the men. He laid a hand on Jagger’s shoulder. “Everyone is just a little upset right now. Thank you for coming so quickly, Detective.”
Wallace mumbled something I didn’t catch, then nodded to me before walking to the door with Edmund following.
My hands were clammy, and I felt like my clothes were sticking to me, even though the apartment had central air. “I’m going to go wash up and get changed.”
Jagger and Miles both stood at the same time, like they were planning on going with me. I smiled. “I’ll be fine.”
In the bathroom, I washed my face and doused my wrists with cold water, then I went to the bedroom and changed into a pair of yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt. It wasn’t lost on me that this had practically been my uniform for a full year after everything happened eight years ago. When I’d finally spoken to a therapist, she’d told me it was likely part of my PTSD, and I was avoiding wearing anything that might attract a man’s attention.
I sat down on the bed, replaying the last hour in my mind until there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
Jagger slipped inside, shutting the door behind him.
I smiled halfheartedly. “Are you coming to check on me or looking for a place to hide from my mother? I’m sure she couldn’t wait to interrogate you about what’s going on between us.”
Jagger sat down on the bed next to me. “Both.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder. “I can’t believe this is happening. I thought I’d finally put this nightmare behind me and moved on.”
“I’m sorry, but I promise you, I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
“I just feel so…violated. Like this guy has been watching me for who knows how long, and I had no idea. He might’ve been walking in and out of this building.” I looked around. “Could he have been inside this apartment and I didn’t know it? Am I that oblivious? I feel like such an idiot.”
Jagger scooped me up and settled me on his lap. He brushed hair from my face. “You are not an idiot, and I don’t want to ever hear you say something like that again. To be safe, I already called my security team and told them I want twenty-four-seven protection on you, at least until this guy’s caught. I doubt he’s made it into your apartment, but I’ll also have them do a sweep of the entire place to make sure there aren’t any cameras hidden or anything.”
I felt all the blood drain from my face. “You think he hid cameras?”
“No, but I’m not taking any chances.”
Jagger’s thumb rubbed back and forth on my knee. It was one of the few times he’d touched me that my body didn’t ignite. That made tears well in my eyes for an entirely different reason.
“I’m going to keep you safe, Sutton. I promise.” Jagger caught my chin in his hand and tilted my head up so our eyes met. “Do you understand?”
I nodded.
“Good.” He kissed my forehead and held me close for a long time before speaking again. “I’d just finished my conversation with Edmund when you called. About us.”
I looked up at him. “How did that go?”
“He told me he’d kick my ass if I hurt you, whether I was his boss or not.”
That made me smile. “He’s my favorite of my collection of stepfathers.”
“Unfortunately, he’s witnessed me with a different woman on my arm at every event over the years. So I think it’s going to take him a while to trust me with you.”
My nose wrinkled.
Jagger kissed the tip of it and smiled. “The feeling is mutual, sweetheart.”
• • •
Hours later, we all sat around the dining room table eating Chinese food. We’d decided to order in, rather than go out for my birthday. My mother passed me the cardboard carton of Kung Pao chicken.
“I really hate the idea of you staying here.”
“She’s not,” Jagger said. “She’s staying at my place.”
“Oh good.”
I blinked a few times. “Hello? You two know I’m sitting here, right?”
Jagger frowned. “Do you want to stay here after what happened today?”
“No, but…”
He shrugged. “It’s settled then. You’re staying at my place. Miles can stay in the extra apartment. He’s only here for one more night anyway, right?” He looked over at Miles, who nodded.
“Works for me.” Miles shrugged.
“But the girls are at your place,” I protested.
“What girls?” Mom pointed to another container. “Can I have the fried rice, please?”
“Jagger’s nieces are staying with him.”
“Aww…” Mom’s eyes lit up. “Do you want kids of your own, Jagger?”
“Mom,” I warned. “Please.”
She shrugged. “What? We have a good nose. I’d like to see it passed on.”
“I’ll speak to Amelia and Olivia,” Jagger said. “Neither of us is going to sleep tonight if you’re here.”
“I won’t sleep either,” Mom said.
Miles watched our exchange like a tennis match.
I sighed. “How about I stay in the extra apartment with Miles?”
Jagger frowned. “If that’s what you really want.”
“It is. Thank you.”
“I’m putting a guard outside the door then.”
I smiled, feeling loved and protected. “Okay.”
“Works for me.” Miles shrugged again. “Hey, Mia,” he called from the other end of the table. “Did you see the necklace Jagger got Sutton for her birthday?”
“Oh my God.” My hand covered my heart. “I forgot all about the necklace. I’m so sorry, Jagger. I didn’t even say thank you. It’s absolutely stunning.”
“What do you call that type of design?” Miles smirked and gestured to his neck. “It’s sort of like a collar.”
I was going to kill him. Though when my eyes caught with Jagger’s, there was a gleam there. I cleared my throat and looked at my mother. “It’s a choker with a beautiful sapphire in the center. I’ll show you after we finish eating.”
“I can’t wait.” Mom beamed.
The five of us finished dinner and sat around talking for a while. Mom got to ooh and ahh at my birthday gift from Jagger, and I was honestly grateful when she said they were going to get going. It wasn’t even eight yet, the time our dinner reservation had been, yet it felt like midnight. I was mentally spent and physically running on empty as I closed the door behind her and Edmund.
“I’m going to go pack my things,” Miles said.
“Okay. I’ll do that in a minute too.”
Jagger was on the couch. The box containing his gift still sat on the coffee table. I gestured to it, standing before his spread legs. “Your gift was really overboard.”
