WHEN THEY ARRIVED at the hotel near O’Hare, Jake refused to let go of Madi’s hand. He pulled her out his side of the door as they arrived at the back entrance. His security had arranged for them to enter through the back, in order to not draw attention. They took the service elevator to the twelfth floor. The apprehension in the elevator was palpable. Even Kendra was quiet.
Greg was waiting outside room 1255 and nodded his head to Madi as if to say hello without words.
“Is she in there?” Rob asked.
“Yep. She’s a handful too. She’s been rude to the staff and has told me more times than she can count that she feels like she’s being held prisoner. Jake tightened his grip on Madi’s hand. He turned to her, asking, “Are you ready?”
As Madi nodded, she saw Rob take a step forward. “Jake, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he whispered.
“I want her to hear the truth,” Jake responded in protest.
“If Madi goes in there, Allison might feel defensive, maybe even threatened. I think there’s a greater chance of her telling the truth if she believes you two are over. I’m sorry to say it, Madi, but you can’t go in.”
Jake stared at her. She seemed to be deep in thought, but as usual, Jake had no idea what she was thinking. He opened his mouth to speak, but he didn’t know what to say that would keep her from running. She lifted their intertwined fingers, as if to study them for a moment. She dropped her hand from his and a small pain shot through his chest. As he once again tried to speak, Madi opened her purse and handed him a pen.
Jake scanned her hand before staring up into her eyes. She turned toward Rob. “Can I listen?”
Rob immediately removed his earpiece and handed it to Madi. Jake smiled as he tucked the pen into his shirt pocket, tapping it in place over his heart.
“I love you,” he said, gazing deeply into her eyes.
“Get the bitch to confess,” Madi responded, and the corner of his mouth curled into a smile.
Rob ushered them away from the door. Jake took one last glance at Madi’s face before taking a calming breath. Greg handed him a key card and he slid it into the door, turning the handle.
It made him feel better to know Madi was listening. He hoped he could get Allison to tell him what had really happened. During the drive, he’d wondered what angles he should use when he approached her. He’d considered angry, hurt, confused and regretful. He decided that he’d gauge her reaction to him and go from there.
As he entered the room, she jumped from the bed and turned to face him. The door slammed shut behind him. It was just the two of them.
“Jake,” she acknowledged as he flipped the card in his hands.
“Is there something you want to tell me?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” she questioned. “Do you expect me to tell you I love you? Because I don’t.”
“I don’t want your fucking love,” he said. “I want the truth!” Angry Jake it was.
“The truth is I came to Australia to see you. You called and asked me to come over and we had sex.”
Jake took an enraged step forward. “That’s not what happened, and you and I both know it. He turned to leave as he said, “I didn’t come all the way here so you could spit out more of your lies.” As he reached for the door, she yelled out.
“Jake, wait!”
His head dropped back as he turned to face her. “What?”
She fiddled with her shirtsleeve and reached for a cigarette on the table. “Do you have a light?” she asked.
“I don’t smoke,” he said in an irritated voice.
She removed the cigarette from her lips, stared at it for a moment, and tossed it onto the table before moving toward the window.
Jake closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath, attempting to summon a small level of patience.
“Chicago is so different from L.A., isn’t it?” she asked, glancing back at him briefly before playing with the curtain on the window. “L.A. is so big it’s almost impossible to run into someone unintentionally, you know?”
Jake sighed as he furrowed his brows. He wasn’t interested in small talk.
“But fate just seems to have a way of tying lives together, like ours for example,” she said as she pointed back and forth between them. “And karma…” She laughed with a shake of her head as she walked back toward the table. “Karma just insists you pay one way or another. Why did you have to be the one I was linked with? Whyyou?”
