Happiness looked so good on her.
“Jade?” A dangerous and enticing idea flew through my mind when I thought about her happiness. “Do you ever want to get revenge on Knox?”
That bright smile was wiped off her face in half a second. She shook her head quickly, as if the suggestion was preposterous to her. "Revenge? Are you crazy? I don't have a death wish."
"What if you could do something to make it hurt, but he wouldn't have any idea it was you?" I probed deeper to gauge her risk tolerance.
Jade stared at me for a good minute, but then leaned across the table, the curiosity in her voice adorable. "What do you have in mind?"
Perfect answer.
I promised her I’d explain it all once we got there; the drive was about an hour south. Somewhere mid-way, we stopped at an unmarked car repair shop to switch to a car, Jade looking mightily uncomfortable.
"Is this...is this the real kidnapping now?" she asked, both joking and serious, stealing glances at the dim corners of the bare space.
"No. That part’s over." I chuckled. "Can you throw a football or would you rather I do it?" The secrecy was driving her insane, I could practically see the gears grinding in her head.
Stunned, she stuttered, “You can-you can do it."
"Great, then you’ll shoot."
I wasn’t sure why I didn’t want to tell her the plan. Maybe because her fear would kick in again and she’d try to put a stop to it, but if we were already there…she’d take the shot.
We parked a few streets away and I turned to Jade, passing her a black hoodie. “Put this on, please.”
She withdrew it from my hands and looked it over, cautiously complying. Three minutes later, I pulled her into the bushes right outside the building. This location was perfect and Xavier’s security was lacking. The bushes were in a blind spot for one of the cameras, while the others faced in opposite directions.
"Here's what's going to happen.” I stepped behind Jade and spoke into her ear. “You're going to shoot through that large window, preferably somewhere in the middle, and then I’ll do the rest, okay?" I whispered, passing her the handgun, the silencer already in place.
"Sure. And then we’ll go to jail together?" Jade craned her neck to look back at me, and the scent of her skin made me weak in the knees.
"Not unless you want to,” I assured her quietly. “Do you trust me?" I didn't know why I asked that; she really had no reason to.
"Pfft, I don't know, should I?!" Her loud whisper rustled the leaves around us as we stood inside the big bush together, this whole situation becoming comical with every ticking second. "Let's see, here's what I know about you: your first name and that you can cook!”
I opened my mouth to say something, but she held up a finger. “Wait! I also know that you have very poor sleep hygiene and your ex-girlfriend is potentially a stalker. Not much to gooff here, to be honest!" She held back her laugh, momentarily forgetting where we were.
I smiled for a second too before breaking the news to her. "This is Xavier’s dealership.”
Jade’s jaw dropped before I could finish the sentence.
“Are youinsane?!”
“Completely,” I confirmed as we stared at each other, Jade looking both petrified and amused.
“This is one of his smaller dealerships. We can start here.” I kept talking, helping her feel more at ease. “You’ll shoot and I’ll throw the Molotov cocktail. Then we’ll go home and have some wine. Any questions?”
Jade blinked, trying to find her voice. “But he’ll just claim insurance?”
“Not on this one.”
Her eyes widened again, like she wasn’t expecting such a quick answer. “How do youknowthat?!”
“Because he cuts corners.” I’d already done the preliminary research. Xavier thought he was untouchable, specifically declining arson coverage on his insurance policy to save money.
“He’llmurderus, Alex!”
Jade’s panic was palpable. While Knox may have been a monumental abusive dickhead, he didn't actually kill anyone. I did.