I Belong to You (Inside Out #5)(17)

Jacob chuckles. “Yes, I suppose he should.” He pulls out onto the street.

“Any news on Ava?” I ask as we reach the stoplight.

“Nothing,” he says. “But since Blake’s working with the police in California, we’ll know if anything turns up on that end.”

“Do you think she’s dead?”

“I really don’t know.”

The frustration in his tone tells me he’s giving me the truth. We fall into silence for the rest of the drive, and I think of the way Mark immediately whisked me to an airport after finding out about Ava’s escape. I also remember the taste of fear, regret, and guilt in his kiss. And I think of how those things must be magnified now that he’s here, with people around him who could be hurt if Ava shows up. It has to be destroying him—yet he couldn’t stay away. Will he ever be able to stop looking over his shoulder if Ava isn’t found?

As Jacob parks in the private garage of the seventeen-story Fifth Avenue building where the Comptons reside, I’ve begun to think about Jacob’s certainty that Mark is after Ava himself. And with my new perspective, I can’t help but wonder if, given the same risks and lack of answers Mark is faced with, my sanity wouldn’t require I look for Ava myself, as well.

Jacob motions to my door. “One of my men is approaching on your right, Crystal. You’re in such deep thought I didn’t want him to scare you.”

“Oh,” I say, not realizing how checked out I’ve been. “Yes. Thanks.”

Jacob exits his side of the vehicle and my door is opened by a tall man with long blond hair tied at his nape. Despite his dark suit, he looks more like a rock star than a lethal weapon. He offers me his hand, his sleeve rising up enough to offer me a glimpse of the tattoo on his wrist. “Asher is my name, Ms. Smith. I’m with Walker Security.”

Jacob rounds the hood to stand beside us, and Asher turns his attention to him. “I’ve let the Comptons know you’ve arrived, and the service hallway and elevator have been cleared. No one should know she’s here.”

“Good,” Jacob says, on edge and ready for any problem.

“Why are we taking the service elevator?” I ask. “The building’s security is excellent; no one gets in without invitation.”

“We have reason to believe that someone from the staff gave the press tips the last time Mark was here,” Jacob explains.

“Did the press come here today, too?” I ask.

“Yes,” Asher confirms. “Early this morning.”

My brow furrows. “Then how could the leak come from here? Mark hadn’t shown up yet.”

“But we had talked to the apartment and arranged security,” Asher replies. “And the word from some of the staff is that there have been issues for other tenants in the building.”

“Asher here has a way of making people drop their guard,” Jacob says. “He’s going to find out who it is.”

Asher smiles. “It’s the tats and ex-rocker background. They think I’m still that guy.”

Jacob points to the door. “Follow Asher. I have your back.”

Does he expect bullets to start flying? All of a sudden, I’m not sure Jacob’s claim of knowing nothing about Ava is true.

The elevator opens and Jacob follows me inside, keying in a security code for the fifteenth floor, which Dana and Steven own. “When you’re done,” he says, “call me and I’ll come up and get you.”

“I will. Any idea who’s going to be my security person?”

“Since you’ll have protection at Riptide, and Mark will have protection both here at his parents’ and while he’s at work, I’ll be able to stay point man for both of you, using backup as needed. At night we’ll have someone see you to your apartment, and we’ll be on call if you need to go out.”

Tension rolls through me. “I really hate every move I make being monitored, but I know it’s necessary. And you’ve already seen the dynamic between me and Mark, which makes you the best one equipped to protect Mark when I snap.”

He doesn’t laugh as I expect him to. The elevator stops and he holds the doors open. “Yes, I know about the two of you, as does Blake, but to every possible extent, we’ll keep the relationship private.”

“It’s not a relationship.”

His eyes narrow slightly and he looks like he wants to say something, but he only pauses before saying, “Call me when you’re ready to leave.”

“I will. Thank you, Jacob.”

“My pleasure,” he says, allowing the door to shut.

The instant that he’s out of sight, I cut to my right and go down a glossy, pale African wood hallway, nerves fluttering in my stomach. At the door I skip the buzzer, in case Dana has fallen asleep, knocking lightly instead. When it opens Mark is standing there, the knot to his red tie several inches down his shirt, his jacket off, his collar loose. I feel a jolt of pure heat as every nerve ending in me comes alive, and I quickly lower my lashes before he notices. Despite my certainty that a man like Mark Compton could never reach me emotionally, despite how he’s behaved in the past twenty-four hours, I am still devastatingly drawn to him. It must be a biological defect that I crave a man who’s destined to shred my heart.

“Ms. Smith,” he says, and the snap in his tone jolts me to the core. I look at him, giving him the control he wants over me.