The Billionaire's Secret: Billionaire Obsession (Tycoon Billionaires Book 5) (20 page)

“No. But you’re incorruptible. Unbribable. Graves knew that, so he sought out your sister instead. He’d obviously heard how corruptible
she
is.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Emma said, tears welling in her eyes. “I didn’t know it would end like this.”

“What?” Jake said. “That he’d double-cross you and use you as collateral damage?”

Emma whimpered on the cold floor. Jake pointed his gun dramatically at Simon. “I’m not afraid to kill him,” Jake said. “It would be my pleasure. Astrid, Emma – cover your eyes.”

He fired the trigger, simultaneously moving his gun so that the bullet smashed into the huge mirror behind Simon, shattering it into smithereens and making Simon roll onto his front for cover. Graves recoiled from the blast, so Astrid – who’d covered her face at Jake’s instruction – raised her own gun and shot Graves in the shoulder, pinning him to the mirror behind him, and cracking it down the middle. Jake sped over and pulled Graves to his feet, then punched him hard – taking his gun away and kicking him in the stomach to wind him while he was down.

At the sound of gunfire, the cops piled in, rushing over to arrest Simon and Graves. Jake shouted instructions at them, then he ran to Astrid and pulled her into his arms. “You okay, my love?”

She nodded. “I think so.”

“You did great, babe. I’m so proud of you.”

Astrid threw him a smile of relief, then she turned to check Emma was okay. But she was crying – crumpled on the floor – so Astrid crouched down with her.

Jake surveyed the scene, as the excitement buzzed all around – rights were being read, and cops were shouting at Graves, Simon, and each other. He stood over Emma and Astrid. “Emma, I should tell these cops that
you
were involved in this.”

Astrid stood up, leaving Emma strewn on the ground. She placed her hand on Jake’s arm. “Please… she’s sorry. She didn’t mean –”

Emma’s face suddenly contorted and she cried out in agony. Jake wheeled round to see that Simon had broken free, grabbed a gun, and shot her in the shoulder.

Shocked silence gripped the room. Simon held the gun toward Emma with shaking hands. “I’m going to kill her,” he shouted. “And then I’ll kill Astrid!”

Jake held up his hands to placate him, but two cops behind leapt forward and slammed into him, tackling him easily to the ground, where they disarmed him and put him in handcuffs. Jake ripped off his shirt and pressed it against Emma’s gushing shoulder. She was wailing in pain. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“I think that’s enough penance for you,” Jake said. “Astrid, call an ambulance… She’ll be okay. I’ve had personal experience of a bullet in the shoulder. It hurts like hell, but she’ll recover.”

Astrid grabbed her phone and called the first responders, who arrived quickly and removed the bullet from Emma’s shoulder right there in the disused warehouse. She was taken away to the emergency room, but the paramedics assured Astrid she’d be fine. Astrid wanted to go with her, but the police who’d arrived with the paramedics wanted to ask Jake and Astrid some questions, so they stayed to answer them in a blur.

Eventually, the police said they had enough information for now, and Jake and Astrid found themselves alone in the warehouse.

They gazed at each other. The tension swirled between them – full of relief, love, and pumping adrenaline. The warehouse walls seemed to exhale – glad it was all over. Astrid burst into laughter. “Jesus, that was…”

She shook her head and trailed off. Jake wrapped her up in his arms. “You did amazing. Your sister should be okay. How do you feel?”

“Shattered. Like those mirrors.”

He cupped her chin. “It’s true that the
old
Astrid is shattered in pieces. But now the new Astrid can emerge from behind the smeary reflection, and shine.”

She chuckled. “Very eloquent. I feel new. Shiny.”

He gazed at her beautiful face and felt his affection soar. “You look it.”

Astrid opened her mouth to reply, but Daniel wafted inside – now the danger was over. “Well,” he said. “All’s well that ends well, huh?”

Jake smiled. “I guess so.”

“But there was just one more thing,” Daniel said, delving into his jacket.

“Oh yeah?” Jake asked.

“Yeah.” Daniel pulled out his gun. “Hand over the treasure map.”

Jake sighed – this guy just didn’t take no for an answer. “Not in a million years.”

Daniel pointed his gun at Astrid. “Give it to me now, Jake. Or I’ll kill her.”

Astrid stood firm, not even flinching. Jake was so proud of how far she’d come in such a short time.

“Why do you want it so badly?” Jake asked. “You don’t even know how much money’s buried there.”

“I don’t care,” he said. “I just want to beat you.” He glanced at Astrid, and realized she was still holding her gun – but it was pointing down at the floor.

“Drop it, Astrid,” Daniel said. “And get your hands where I can see ‘em. You shoot me, I’ll shoot you quicker.”

Jake nodded. “It’s okay. Do as he says.”

She lowered her gun to the ground and put her hands up. “This is a mistake, Daniel.”

“The only mistake you made was getting together with this guy.” Daniel stepped toward Jake, still directing his gun at Astrid. “Give me the map, Jake. No fucking about with me this time, or I’ll blow her head off. I
will
do it. It’s just the three of us – no witnesses. I’ll say it was you who killed her.”

Jake realized he had no choice, so he reached into his jacket and pulled out the precious map he’d been protecting all this time. He handed it to Daniel with a sly grin, because when all was said and done, he knew he didn’t really need it anymore.

Daniel grabbed the map with a triumphant smile on his smug face, then he walked backwards toward the exit, holding his gun aloft – pointing it at Astrid.

“Bye bye, losers,” he called out as he reached the door. Then he turned and ran.

Jake stepped over and hugged his beloved. “You okay, sweetheart?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I guess it was inevitable that Daniel would double-cross us.”

“I know.” He pulled her close, relishing the fact that his prize was right here in his arms. He gazed mischievously into her eyes. “Hey, you still wanna come on that treasure hunt with me?”

“But the map… Didn’t Daniel just take it?”

“You think I don’t have a back-up?”

“You’ve memorized it?”

“Sure I have.”

She laughed excitedly. “All right. Come on then. I can probably stretch to a little more adventure with you, before retreating back to the quiet life for a while!”

Astrid called her parents and told them to get to the hospital to be with Emma as soon as they could. They sounded frantic, but somehow Astrid had never felt so alive. The world was an amazing place, full of adventure, and Jake had triggered her sense of fun. And he was so handsome and sexy!

They headed back to the car, and Jake rolled down the top, then they set off after Daniel with the wind blowing in their hair. Astrid’s excitement whooshed through her like the autumn breeze through the trees.

“We’re heading back to New York,” Jake said, raising his voice against the wind. “The treasure’s buried near where I grew up.”

“What if Daniel gets there first?” she asked, fishing her hair out of her mouth. “He’ll steal it.”

Jake glanced at her with determination on his face. “Not while I still have my strength. He’s not stealing my legacy.”

Astrid smiled, trusting him completely. She gazed at him with her eyes full of love and excitement. He took one hand off the wheel and wrapped his arm around her, so she leaned across the center console and got comfy against his strong body.

Jake held her tight as they cruised down the highway toward their next adventure. At one point, when they were nearing the interstate, Jake spotted Daniel’s car, and he overtook him, making Astrid laugh. But Daniel managed to edge in front, then he sped off in the fast lane.

“I wish I had my Ferrari,” Jake said. 

They drove at high speed after Daniel for a couple of hours, down wide highways and over steel bridges. Astrid had never felt so exhilarated. Being with Jake was such a thrill. This was the most fun she’d had since she was a child. The highways made her feel energized and alive – but eventually they hit New York State, left the freeway, and drove toward a smaller town via a two-lane road.

Jake drove them into a secluded area, which was hilly with a river running through it. Astrid had never been here before, and she hadn’t realized the location of the treasure would be so pretty. The green hills looked stunning framed by the bright blue sky – with the warm yellow sun oozing down on them lazily. There was no one else around, but Daniel’s car was already parked – abandoned in a field so he could set off on foot to the location on the map. 

“Where is he?” Astrid asked. “Are you sure this the right place?”

Jake pulled the car up beside Daniel’s and cut the engine. “Definitely. He must’ve wandered off. I bet he was confused by the river. Come on, sweetheart.”

He grabbed a tire iron from the trunk, then they held hands and ran to the place where Jake said the treasure was buried. He kissed her passionately, making her laugh, then he started to dig. The earth was crumbly and easy to move, so he quickly dug down a few feet – eager to uncover the treasure he’d been waiting for, for so long.

Anticipation swept through Astrid. “Your destiny’s right here, Jake.”

“It sure is, sweetheart.” He threw her that playful grin she loved so much. She opened her mouth to speak, but his tire iron clunked against something metallic buried deep in the ground. Astrid could barely contain her excitement as Jake pulled out an old metal locker – measuring roughly one foot deep and long. He rattled the rusted padlock, then grabbed his gun and blasted it open.

Anticipation seized Astrid, sending prickles of tension up her spine.

Jake glanced excitedly at her, gripping the lid, ready to reveal the contents to the world after all these years. But a voice behind him made him freeze.

“Not so fast. I want half of whatever’s in that box.” Daniel appeared, with his gun drawn.

Astrid’s heart sunk.
No
!

Jake’s expression was totally blank. He watched Daniel approach, smirking slightly.

Daniel halted in front of them. “Open it.”

“All right.” Jake flung open the creaking rusty lid, so Astrid craned to look, but she couldn’t see the contents. Jake gazed inside – remaining silent for a moment as the tension tingled around them. A playful grin crept over Jake’s face, before he let out a hearty laugh. As Astrid watched, she saw Jake slip something in his pocket, but Daniel hadn’t seen, because he was too busy trying to see what was in the treasure chest.

“What is it?” Daniel asked, hungrily. “Gold? Diamonds?”

Jake reached in and pulled out a gray rock. “You want half of worthless junk, Daniel? You can have it all.”

Daniel’s voice trembled. “What?”

Jack backed away. “There’s nothing of value in there. Look for yourself.”

“No treasure?” Totally baffled, Daniel lowered his gun and looked.

Jake grasped Astrid’s hand. “It’s full of rocks, Daniel,” Jake said. “Just like your fucking head.”

Daniel’s irritation cracked. “Rocks!”

“Yeah. You wasted all that time chasing us – fucking us over – all for rocks.”

Astrid was confused as to why Jake had spent all
his
time hunting rocks, but she was sure there was more to this than he was letting on. He aimed his gun and shot two of Daniel’s tires – but Daniel didn’t even notice, because he was rooting through the chest, desperate to find the real treasure.

“Let’s get out of here, sweetheart. I got what I wanted.”

“Did you?” she asked.

“I sure did.” He pulled her close and kissed her passionately. Astrid’s heart twisted with glee. They laughed, then held hands as they strode back toward Jake’s car. Astrid glanced over her shoulder and saw Daniel upending the box and tipping the rocks over the ground – still unable to believe there was no treasure. Somehow this revenge on Daniel seemed poetic. Even if there
was
no treasure, she and Jake had each other.

Jake opened the car door for her so she climbed in, realizing Daniel was now frantically digging in the ground like a dog.

Jake slammed the driver’s door and flicked on the engine. “He’ll be here a while, I think.”

Astrid turned to face Jake, as he watched Daniel with a satisfied smile on his face.

“You’re not really going to leave him stranded here, are you?”

Jake shrugged. “He’s totally occupied with trying to find something that doesn’t exist – don’t you think he needs to learn his lesson?”

“Maybe people like him never will.”

He kissed her. “Maybe. I’ll let him sweat for a while. Then send someone to pick him up later.”

“Okay.” They exchanged a smile. Nervous anticipation flashed through Astrid. She cleared her throat. “Er, you said you didn’t mind the box being empty because you’d gotten what you wanted?”

“I sure did.”

“And… what was that?”

He leaned over and hugged her tight in his strong arms, kissing her tenderly. “You of course, my love.”

She grinned. “I was hoping that’s what you meant.”

“Yep, I’ve got my gorgeous, brave, wonderful woman by my side. And my past demons are put to rest. All thanks to you. You do make a difference, Astrid. Much more than you ever realized.”

Pride to swirled inside her. Suddenly she could see he was right. “And you don’t care about the money? The fact there was no treasure, I mean?”

“Nah. I don’t need to…” he chuckled mischievously. “
This
treasure should keep us going for a while.”

He delved in his pocket and pulled out a huge diamond ring, which glistened in the sunshine.

Astrid gasped in shock. “Wow… that’s… it’s so big. And sparkly!”

“The world’s most expensive diamond ring – it’s been missing for decades, but my dad always knew where it was. I wanted it as soon as he told me about it. I intended to sell it – it’s worth a few million. Then I could stop being a private investigator, and start living my life as a better person. But you know what else Dad told me?”

She shook her head. “What?”

“He told me to find a beautiful woman, and ask her to marry me.”

Excited shock spun inside her. “Oh really? And are you going to?”

He reached out and slipped the sparkling diamond on her finger. “You want to?”

“Hmm…. Do I want to marry you?”

“Yeah.”

She pretended to consider this. “Would I like to marry Jake Quinlan? He’s trouble, you know.”

He chuckled. “That’s what everyone keeps saying. Maybe it’s time I changed my ways. Do you think I can?”

She leaned over and kissed him hard on the lips. “I hope not.”

“Is that a yes?”

“It’s a most definitely, one-hundred percent yes!”

He kissed her excitedly, easing his tongue in her mouth and offering promises of what was to come. “Thank you for making me the happiest guy alive, Astrid Lawrence. But… I guess we’d better get out of here before Daniel realizes there really isn’t any treasure.”

She laughed, feeling free. “Agreed. Let’s go start our wonderful adventure together right now.”