Tangled Web: A Small Town Romance (The Cortell Brothers Book 6)

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  “Exactly,” I snapped. “And it’s killing him. He’s laying around the house, just staring at the walls. He smells and he hasn’t taken a shower all week!”

  Eric, ever the diplomatic one of the group, piped up. “He just needs time. It’s hard to find out that the person you love has so many secrets.”

  “Hard, yes. But this is killing him, and if any of you bothered to stop by, you would see that.”

  “I live with him,” Joe argued. “He seems normal to me. Maybe a little sad, but we’re guys. It’s not like we spill our emotions.”

  “Yeah, that’s why you were curled up in bed with Sofia’s pillow when she left,” Kat retorted.

  “Hey, that was one time, and I was seriously depressed.”

  “The point is,” I interrupted, “Andrew needs something to focus on. He needs motivation. Like, when he was following us all around and making sure we didn’t fall down any steps.”

  “No,” Anna groaned. “Please, things just got back to normal. I can’t go back to having one of these guys follow me around twenty-four/seven.”

  “I second that,” Kat raised her hand. “I’m not up for being the solution to this problem.”

  “He would do it for any of you,” I pointed out. “Kat, who brings you pizza when Eric won’t let you have any?”

  “He does what?” Eric snapped. “You never told me that!”

  “That’s because it’s pizza and I shouldn’t have to hide that from you,” Kat spat back.

  “And Anna…well, he must have done something for you.”

  “Nope,” she shook her head. “He’s all Team Kat.”

  I rolled my eyes, getting seriously irritated with all this. “Carly, come on, you get it. Would you have wanted Josh to walk away from you because you killed a few people?”

  “I like how we’re talking about killing people like it’s going for coffee,” Will grinned. “Is this the new normal in our family?”

  “Maybe we could get a slogan of some kind. You bring ‘em, we kill ‘em.” Joe laughed. When no one else laughed, he huffed in annoyance. “What, it’s funny when everyone else jokes about it, but not me?”

  “Can we please just get back to Andrew and pulling him out of this slump he’s in? We need a plan.”

  “He needs to get laid,” Robert muttered. “Sorry, but the only way to get over her is to get under someone else.”

  “Really,” Anna said, her arms crossed over her chest. “Was that your motto with me?”

  Robert paled, shaking his head slightly. “Uh…”

  “Uh…” she mocked. “That’s what I thought. Fine, I’m in. Whatever it takes.”

  “Kat?”

  She sighed at me, but nodded. “Fine, but don’t any of you get any ideas and start thinking that just because I’ll go along with this that you can start following me around.”

  “Wait, what exactly are we agreeing to?” Anna asked in confusion.

  I swallowed hard and looked at Kat and Anna. “We’re going to have to pull out all the stops. That means luring Andrew out of the apartment, and right now, I can only see one way to do that.”

  “Oh hell,” Anna muttered.

  Andrew

  Life really sucked without Lorelei. I had this nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach that was constantly bothering me. The only way I could describe it was to feel like I was being eaten from the inside out. Logically, I knew that I had done the right thing. She had killed someone, possibly many people, and if I didn’t do something, she could continue to kill. It was the only choice I had, so why did it feel like the ultimate betrayal?

  “Andrew, the baby really needs something from the bakery,” Sofia said as she walked out of her bedroom rubbing her belly.

  I grunted and continued to stare at the wall. My short stint in jail did nothing to ease the guilt I constantly felt. Jack had locked me up while he processed all the information and sent it back to McDowell County. He said it was for a whole list of crimes, but then he just let me go when he was done. It was very anticlimactic, and made me feel even worse. I felt like I should be locked up right beside Lorelei.

  “Hey, are you listening? The baby needs his Uncle Andrew.”

  I glanced over at her and sighed. “Maybe Joe can take you.”

  “No, he can’t,” she narrowed her eyes. “He’s busy.”

  I sighed again and stared off into space. I wasn’t sure what would get me up and motivated, but it sure as hell wasn’t some bullshit about needing something from the bakery.

  “Fine, I’ll just go by myself.”

  I knew what she was doing. She thought that would get a rise out of me, that I would get up and walk her down the stairs. Normally, I would, but I just didn’t have it in me.

  Her phone rang and I heard a big sigh as she answered. “Yeah? Oh, hey, Kat…Uh-huh…Oh, no. Really?…Where’s Eric?...Okay, don’t panic. I’ll be right there.”

  I turned and frowned. “What was that about?”

  “Kat’s having some pains and Eric is still working.”

  I jumped up from the couch. “Is she okay?”

  “She probably is, but given what happened already, she’s worried.”

  “I’m driving,” I said, not even giving her a second to question me.

  “What? Now you’re going? So, it wasn’t important when I needed—”

  I swooped her up in my arms, cutting her off as she squealed. I marched for the door and opened it, barely missing her head. I didn’t even bother to shut the door. I marched down the stairs, ignoring her protests as I raced out the door and to my truck. I opened the door and very gently set her inside, patting her tummy before shutting the door. For a moment there, I almost forgot about what this part felt like. The fear and uncertainty were overwhelming and all I could think about now was getting to Kat and making sure she was okay, and keeping Sofia safe in the process.

  “Pull over here,” Sofia said, pointing to the bakery.

  “Now’s not the time for snacks,” I said with a little too much bite.

  “I’m not hungry. Kat’s at the bakery.”

  I jerked the wheel and pulled to a stop in front of the bakery. Sure enough, Kat’s car was parked out front. I ran around to Sofia’s side and hoisted her up in my arms, ignoring her glare as I carried her inside.

  “I can walk on my own.”

  “Not now, Princess.”

  I searched out Kat, immediately seeing her when she stood. I rushed over to her, knocking over chairs with Sofia’s feet. I got a few nasty glares from the patrons, but none of that mattered.

  “Why are you carrying Sofia?” Kat asked in confusion. “I thought I was the injured one?”

  “The what?” I asked.

  “Remember?” Sofia said, “You just called me and said that something was wrong?”

  I glanced at Sofia and then back to Kat. Her eyes brightened and then she hunched over, clutching her stomach. “Oh the pain,” she moaned.

  It didn’t sound very real, but I wasn’t about to take that chance. “Where does it hurt? Are you bleeding? Should we go to the hospital?”

  “Can you put me down?”

  “Quiet, Princess. I’m talking.”

  Kat shook her head. “It’s all over.” She clutched her head and then winced. “Yeah, my stomach is just…all in knots.”

  “But you just held your head. What’s wrong? Is it a migraine? How bad is the pain?”

  “The pain?”

  “In your head!”

  She nodded. “Oh, right. Yeah, it’s pretty…good. I mean, for a headache.”

  “Then what hurts?”

  “Uh…huh?”

  I sighed heavily in frustration and gently set Sofia down in the chair. I gently pushed Kat down and knelt in front of her. “Quiche-girl, I need you to tell me where the pain is.”

  “It’s in her stomach,” Sofia said at the same time that Kat said, “In my leg.”

  “Which is it? Your stomach or your leg?” When Kat looked confused, I pulled ou
t my phone and called Eric.

  “What are you doing?” Kat exclaimed.

  “I’m calling your husband. I don’t know what the hell is wrong and I’m not taking any chances with you.”

  “No, you really don’t have to do that,” Kat rushed on. “I’m feeling better already. The pain in my head…and my leg, are so much better.”

  “Yeah,” I glared at her suspiciously. “Not risking that.”

  The phone rang and rang so long that I really didn’t think he was going to pick up. “What? I’m really busy.”

  “Your wife…there’s something wrong with her.”

  “What is it?” he asked, his voice panicked, but calm at the same time.

  “I’m not sure. I thought it was the baby, but then she said something about her head and her leg.”

  “Where are you?”

  “At the bakery.”

  “Be right there.”

  He hung up and I glanced at Kat, concern racing through me. I had this slight feeling that she was pulling one over on me, but after all the complaining they had done about being carted around and watched like hawks, I just couldn’t picture any of them doing this to us. They wouldn’t risk it.

  Turning to Sofia, I studied her. She looked a little sweaty and that couldn’t be good. “How are you? Are you okay?”

  “Uh…totally. I just…” Her eyes flicked to Kat and then back to me. “You know, worried about Kat.”

  I picked up Kat’s hand and pressed my fingers to her wrist, counting the beats.

  “What are you doing?” Kat asked.

  “Checking your pulse.”

  “But…you’re not watching the clock.”

  “Am I supposed to?”

  She gaped at me. “What exactly are you checking if you’re not watching the clock?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Your heartbeat? It’s still going, so that’s a good thing.”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake,” she said, snatching her hand away from me.

  The door to the bakery flew open and Eric came rushing in with Robert and Josh in tow. Carly and Anna walked in behind them with what looked like a hidden smile on their faces. Before I could figure out what that meant, Eric was rushing over.

  “Are you okay?” He glanced at me and then back at Kat. “Uh…” He squeezed his eyes shut and murmured something under his breath. “Uh…anything hurt? Should I take you to the hospital? I called Will and Charlie already.”

  “You really didn’t have to do that,” Kat said. “I’m sure I’m fine.”

  “No you’re not,” Sofia cut in, her eyes going wide. “Don’t lie to them. This could be serious.”

  Kat’s nostrils flared. “But not so serious that I would have to go to the hospital.”

  “Uh…yeah. We should just wait for Charlie,” Eric nodded. “I’m sure everything’s fine.”

  “Everything’s fine?” I asked, my eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Since when do you take that attitude?”

  “It’s really fine. Nothing that a pastry won’t fix.”

  “A pastry will fix your leg?” I asked.

  “Or a headache,” Sofia rushed on. “Sugar can help everything.”

  “See, it’s not the baby,” Eric asked.

  “No, the baby’s fine,” Kat reassured him.

  Sighing, I leaned back on my haunches and finally felt relief flood me. “Good, that’s really good. Well, since you have this under control, I’ll just head home,” I said, standing up.

  “No!” Sofia shouted. “You can’t…because...” She glanced around frantically and then her eyes landed on Carly. “Because Carly’s pregnant too!”

  Somewhere in the bakery, gasps could be heard. My eyes flicked to Carly, who looked completely shell-shocked. Josh looked almost pale.

  “Are you really pregnant?”

  Carly’s mouth opened and closed comically before she finally nodded. “I didn’t want to say anything.”

  “Why not?” I asked. “Did you think this was bad news?”

  She shook her head slightly and her face flushed as she glanced around the bakery at all the people staring at her. “Um…No, I was actually more worried about the town.”

  “The town?” I asked, a little confused.

  “You know, because everyone’s being an asshole, thinking that we’re about to murder someone or get someone killed,” Josh cut in. “Maybe it’s best if you stay. You know, in case this gets out of hand.”

  I winced, glancing around at the crowd that grew suspiciously silent. “Fuck them,” I finally said. “We know you’re not a murderer.” Not that I could say the same about the woman I loved. Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it would take the heat off Carly. Or maybe it would make it worse because they would think our family was psychotic.

  “Well, sure, if it’ll make you feel better,” I said, puffing out my chest a little. “I’ll stay.”

  “Hey, while we’re waiting, maybe you could get me a scone?” Kat asked.

  “A scone.”

  She nodded, “And maybe one of those Frappuccinos that Mary Anne makes, you know with the caramel?”

  I looked at her funny, still wondering what was wrong and why I had to be here. I went up to the counter, noticing the small crowd that was forming in the bakery and sighed.

  “Quite the crowd you’re collecting today,” Mary Anne winked at me.

  “Not by choice,” I muttered, pulling out some money.

  “It’s a shame Derek isn’t here. I love it when all of you are together. It really spices things up around here.”

  I grunted in reply and she leaned on the counter. “What happened to Lorelei? I haven’t seen her around here in weeks.”

  “Uh…she had to go home for a little bit.”

  “And everything’s good between you two? She seems like quite the catch.”

  I internally chastised myself. I should be happy she was gone. But I kept remembering the whole thing about how she said she would let a bear eat her. Nobody said they would let a bear eat them. That was just crazy, but she had said it. That couldn’t mean that she felt nothing for me. She had to feel the same way about me that I felt about her. Only I had turned her into the police.

  “She’s very talented,” I said diplomatically.

  I thanked Mary Anne for the coffee and took it over to Kat. “You know, I think I’m just going to head out. You’ve got things under control here.”

  “No!” Kat shouted. “You can’t go yet. We’ve still…”

  The door to the bakery opened and Will walked in with Charlie.

  “We’ve still got to see what Charlie thinks,” Kat finished.

  “Yeah, but you don’t need me for that.”

  “What if she prescribes pizza?”

  I sighed. “You’ve got Eric for that.” I headed for the door just as Charlie shouted out, “I’m pregnant!”

  I slowly turned, staring at Charlie. She shrugged. “Uh…yeah, it happened.”

  “Wait, so all of you are pregnant?” I asked.

  “Uh…yeah, I guess so,” Charlie nodded.

  “Will?”

  He turned to me and nodded. “Oh, yeah, right. Yep, she’s totally pregnant.”

  “You don’t seem very happy about this.”

  “Oh, I am. This is my happy face.”

  “That’s not your happy face.”

  “Really?” He grinned wide, but it was all fake. “See? Happy.”

  “What’s really going on here?”

  They all looked at each other and then back at me.

  “What do you mean?” Sofia asked.

  “Look, you guys don’t need me here, but you’re trying to get me to stay. And Kat, you’re injured, but you don’t know where, and Eric should be rushing you off to the hospital, but instead, he’s playing it cool. Then all the sudden Carly’s pregnant? And if there’s really an emergency, where the hell is Joe? Oh, and let’s not forget that the woman scared to death of commitment is pregnant. Yeah, sure, I believe all of this.” />
  “My feet really are sore,” Kat shrugged pathetically.

  “Look, if this is some weak-assed attempt to cheer me up, you’re doing a really shitty job. I’d rather be at home, wallowing in self-pity than have you guys faking pregnancies and ailments that you can’t even decide on!”

  I spun around to head for the door just as the overhead bell jingled. I stopped when I came face to face with the very woman I had sent away. She was here, in the flesh, looking just as she did when she left. Only she was fucking pissed, and I was her target. I swallowed hard, trying to figure out what to say.

  “Lorelei,” was all that came out.

  I was about to freak the fuck out, but then a thought crossed my mind. What if she came back to finish the job? I had ratted her out, and she had to know by now that it was me. If I couldn’t testify, she would be free and clear. There was only one thing to do, play this off as missing her and then run like hell for my life.

  “Hey! You’re back!” I said, a grin stretching from ear to ear. “What a great surprise!”

  “I’m sure, since you thought I would be in prison.”

  You could have heard a pin drop in the room. Everything was still as we squared off. Well, she squared off and I stood there shaking in my boots. I glanced around the room and laughed nervously.

  “What?” I said in this weird, squeaky voice as I laughed uncomfortably.

  “What’s she talking about?” Mary Anne asked.

  “Pshh, I have no idea. What…what are you talking about?”

  God, I was fucking nervous as hell.

  “I’m talking about you trying to send me to jail for murder.”

  Lorelei

  All at once, everyone was talking, asking why I would be sent to jail for murder and why Andrew would have any part of it. I figured that at this point everyone knew about it. I guess I was wrong about that. But it didn’t really matter. It wouldn’t be long before everyone was warned about the murderer hiding in their town. Jack and Corduroy would most likely be keeping an eye on me. And even if they weren’t, the tracking anklet I was now sporting would do the work for them. My freedom was essentially stripped.

  “Look, I know that you’re probably wondering what that was all about,” Andrew said, his whole body shifting into a protective stance, like I was about to pull out a gun and shoot everyone.