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Chapter One
As the black SUV pulled up to the curb in front of the towering skyscraper on Fifty-Seventh Street in Midtown Manhattan, Jessie took a deep breath as she prepared to re-enter a world that she walked away from a year and a half ago.
She slipped on her silver-rimmed aviator sunglasses just as the door opened. Grabbing her purse and backpack, she gracefully slipped out of the backseat and stepped onto the sidewalk.
The older FBI agent, who had been one of her shadows, gave her a reassuring nod.
“You’re safe now, Ms. Marchand,” he reassured her. His tone was kind but also firm.
Jessie managed a small smile, though she wasn’t sure if she would ever feel one hundred percent safe again. “Thank you,” she replied softly. The sound of her voice carried the weight of everything she had been through.
She glanced up at the sleek modern building where her penthouse took up the top floor. It felt surreal to be back after being away for so long.
As the SUV drove away, she walked toward the entrance. The doorman she knew stood wide-eyed as he held the door open for her.
“Welcome home, Ms. Marchand,” he greeted her. “It is nice to see you back.”
She smiled. “Thank you, Andy. It’s good to be back home,” she said, walking through the door and straight to the private elevator. She wasn’t up for any chit-chat. She wasn’t trying to be rude. She just wanted to get settled and reacclimated before being bombarded with questions.
As soon as she inserted her elevator keycard into the slot, the doors opened, and she quickly slipped inside. The elevator ride up felt endless, each floor bringing her closer to the life and memories she had left behind.
When the doors finally opened, she entered the foyer and set her purse and bag down on the entryway table nearby. She inhaled as the familiar scent of lavender hit her nose. The heavenly aroma was her favorite because of the calming effect it had on her, especially during stressful times.
She kicked off her sneakers and wandered quietly through the five thousand seven hundred square foot space. Besides her houseplants that had grown wild near the floor-to-ceiling windows, everything else looked untouched. It was like time had frozen.
As she walked down the hall toward her bedroom, she did notice the faint scent of cleaning products, evidence that someone had been maintaining the place in her absence. She figured that was the FBI’s doing since the Agent in Charge had assured her that her assets, including her penthouse, would be kept in order.
When she reached her bedroom, she went straight to the enormous walk-in closet, changed out of the jeans and blouse she was wearing, and pulled on a pair of black leggings and her oversized New York Islanders sweatshirt. Upon exiting the closet, she stopped in front of the full-length mirror and took in her appearance. The dark circles under her eyes showed just how exhausted she was. She had lost some weight, which wasn’t intentional. Unlike most people who turned to eating when stressed, she was the opposite and had to force herself to eat.
With a deep sigh, she walked back into the bedroom, went directly to her king-sized bed filled with pillows, and threw herself into the middle. She molded into the cloud-like plushness of her mattress, though the softness did nothing toease the ache in her chest. As she lay there, her emotions began to overwhelm her. She was home and free to live an everyday life again. But at the same time, it was also terrifying because what had this whole fucked up situation cost her?
She didn’t try to stop the flow of tears as they poured out of her eyes. Grabbing one of the pillows, she buried her face in it as she sobbed.
She thought of her boyfriend, whom she loved with all her heart.
Mac Ramsey was a former Navy SEAL who owned one of the country's top five private security firms. Having a strong and intelligent man like him by her side, she should’ve been protected and never should have had to disappear into protective custody. But that hadn’t been the case, thanks to bad timing.
When the shit had hit the fan and her life was in danger, Mac had been out of the country assisting his team on a top-secret mission, which made him unreachable. She had been left to make one of the hardest decisions of her life. What would his reaction be when he found out she was back? Had he been worried? Had he moved on? God, she hated this!
As she cried, her thoughts drifted to her father, whose sudden death was what had thrown her into this nightmare. Inheriting his investment firm had been a challenge she was prepared for. But the threats that followed soon after had been something else entirely and not what she had expected.
However, she hadn’t let the threats scare her until it had almost cost her her life.
When the FBI suggested she disappear until they could catch the person, she had resisted at first, but the car accident—the realization that someone had tampered with her brakes had been the final straw. When the threats started to be directed toward others, she couldn’t risk anyone else’s life, nother friends, employees, or Mac’s. So, she had gone into hiding, sailing around the world under an alias, cut off from her life. She had no phone and hardly any internet, which she could only use in the presence of the agents assigned to her. Her uncle was the only person who knew she was safe, though that was all he knew. They agreed that he would run the day-to-day business in her absence, but if any major decision needed to be made, the FBI would assist in connecting them somehow.
At first, she thought the agents were joking with her when they told her it was over, that they had caught the guy responsible for the threats and attempted murder. But after showing her proof, she had utterly broken down with mixed emotions of relief, joy, anger, and hurt.
However, she was back now. Jessie Marchand, billionaire, ready to reclaim her life.
But the wounds were still fresh, and the fear of how her return would be received gnawed at her.
As she lay in the bed clutching her pillow, she wiped her tears and took a deep breath. She had made it through the worst, but now came the most challenging part—facing the people closest to her, the ones she had left behind.
And for the first time in a long while, she allowed herself to hope that maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t too late to make things right. With those optimistic thoughts, she closed her eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.
???
Jessie jolted up as her phone's obnoxious ringtone pierced the silence surrounding her. Her heart pounded in her chest from being woken in such a manner. She cringed, hearing the shrill, high-pitched jingle that sounded like a bad carnival tunemixed with a car alarm. She rubbed her eyes, still feeling as if she was half-asleep.
