“Good luck,” Ford said to me, a ghost of a smile on his face. “She nearly clocked me in the jaw when I tried to wake her up.”
It was the first time I’d seen any sort of expression on Ford’s face, but not the first time I wondered if he was truly loyal to Hut. He seemed both hesitant and exasperated with him as he let out a breath and walked into the kitchen.
I darted my attention to the stairs and swallowed. Hut had made it as clear as day that we weren’t meant to have any kind of friendship with Lola, and yet, here he was, telling me to go up to her room and wake her up. It made it all the more obvious that the only thing that mattered was the drugs he sold.
The stairs creaked under my weight, and I stared down the hallway, noting the two doors on one side and three on the other. I opened up the first one, being greeted with a bathroom that was circa 1980s, and closed it. The next door revealed a bedroom that looked like it hadn’t been slept in for months. I switched to the opposite side and opened up the door to what I was sure was Hut’s room. The one next to that was a small closet, which only left the final door at the end.
I halted outside the door, listening for any sounds, but it was silent, so I rapped my knuckles on the wood, softly at first and then harder when there was no response.
“Leave me alone!” Lola shouted, her voice croaky and sleep-induced.
“Lola?” I ventured, cracking open her door. “It’s Brody.”
“Ugh.” Her arm lifted from under her blanket as she stretched her body out. “What do you want?” Her hazel eyes cracked open as she stared at me upside down.
I was enthralled with the way her hair fanned out around her. There was a raw beauty to her that I’d never witnessed before. She didn’t cake her face with makeup to cover what I was sure she thought were imperfections. Instead, she wore them like they were what made her, and she’d be right.
It wasn’t the perfectness I found attractive, it was the opposite. Each flaw should be cherished because they made her who she was.
“Hut needs to talk to you.”
She rolled her eyes and sat up, the strap of the tank top she was wearing slipping off her shoulder. Her slightly tan skin called to me, and I wondered if it would be soft to the touch, whether running my rough palm over it would have her sighing and begging me to touch her elsewhere.
Fuck. I couldn’t think like that.
She was a kid.
I was undercover.
I needed to get my thoughts under control and lock them away in a box never to be opened.
“Why?” She lifted off the bed and pulled a pair of jeans on. I diverted my attention, not needing to see any more of her than I already had.
“He said his stash has been stolen—”
“Motherfucker!” She leaped up and barged past me, her footsteps pounding down the hallway and stairs. “Hut!”
I followed after her, gritting my teeth, and telling myself not to look at her ass, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to. I was going to hell, that I was sure of.
“Lola?” Hut called back, but now we were in the living room, and she headed right for the framed piece of shit artwork on the wall. A safe appeared in its place, but the door was jimmied open, revealing a whole lot of nothing.
“That piece of worthless shit!” Lola spun around, her gaze roving over each of us, and finally stopping on Hut. “Crystal was here when I got home.”
“Fuck.” Hut ran his hand through his hair. “And you left her unattended? What the fuck were you thinking, Lola?”
Lola puffed out a breath and slammed her hands onto her hips. “I was thinking that I’d worked two doubles, then gone to class and worked another shift. I was fuckin' tired, Hut. And I didn’t have time for her usual bullshit.”
“So you left her here, where she could steal my shit?”
Lola rubbed the palm of her hand over her forehead and heaved a sigh. “I shouldn’t have left her on her own, but Jesus, I was exhausted.”
“Yeah, well…” Hut stepped toward her, and my feet moved me closer without a second thought. I may have stood by and watched him hurt her last time, but there wouldn’t be a next time. I couldn’t live with myself if I let that shit slide again. “You’re gonna get your ass out on the fuckin' streets and find the bitch. Otherwise, you’ll owe me what it’s worth.”
Lola opened her mouth to reply but stopped herself and nodded. “Okay.” Her body sagged in the same way a balloon would. Where had the fight she displayed only moments ago disappeared to? Not another word was spoken as she moved up the stairs, the floorboards creaking as she did.
“Quinn, Jace? You head out and look on the north side. Ted, the west. Ford and I will take the east, and Brody, you take Lola and look on the south side.” I nodded, just the same as the other guys. “You find that bitch, and then you drag her back here so I can show her what happens when she robs her own son.”
Hut stormed out, all the guys hot on his heels while I stood and waited for Lola. The prospect of spending the day with her was both exciting and distressing.
LOLA
My peaceful day off turned into anything but that. Being woken up at seven this morning was not in my plan, and neither was walking the streets of the south side with Brody by my side.
I’d been looking forward to staying in bed all morning, dammit.
His imposing height and silent strength made way for us to check the local drug dens. Each one had been unsuccessful, and there was only one left to check out on this side of town.
“Next one is down the street,” I said, pointing ahead of me and yawning.
“Tired?” Brody asked, his dark-brown eyes focusing on me.
“Yeah.” I moved my neck from side to side, trying to relax my muscles, but it was no use. I hadn’t gotten the rest that I desperately needed.
Brody pushed his hand into his pocket, his muscles tensing from the action. The tattoos on his forearm danced as he pulled out his keys and tossed them to me. My quick reflexes kicked in, and I grabbed them, wincing as one of the keys scraped against my palm.
“Go take a nap in the car. I can do this last one on my own.”
I halted, staring at him as he took two more steps and then stopped and turned back to face me. What was he playing at? Was this a test? Did Crystal even steal Hut’s stash? It wouldn’t be the first time Hut had tested my loyalty, but back then, I’d been just another one of the people he dragged around on a string—a puppet master. Only I’d cut my strings a while back, he just didn’t know it yet.
“Why?” I tilted my head to the side. “Why are you trying to get rid of me?”
His shoulders tensed, his jaw ticking once again. His annoyance was clear, but I didn’t think he meant to show me that. He’d been careful any other time I’d seen him—aloof—yet now he was showing me a side to him he’d kept secret.
“You’re tired,” he ground out like the answer was simple, but it wasn’t. Nothing was simple when it came to Hut and his crew.
“And?” I placed my hand on my hip and held the keys out to him. “I don’t need your sympathy, Brody.”
“Good.” He left the keys dangling off my finger between us. “Because you’re not getting it. You said you’d been working a lot, and I’ll be honest, every time you yawn, you’re making me want to nap too.”
I raised a brow. “Then you go to the car and take a nap.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “And why would I do that?”
“Well…” I tossed the keys in the air and caught them. “You said you want to nap”—I shrugged—“so go nap.”
Neither of us looked away, caught in a web that was becoming tighter and tighter the more time we spent together. Everyone else had been a blip in a dark room, but since I met him, the lights had been turned on, and some unknown fight had reared its head. A fight that had been simmering under the surface for the past year, but now it was boiling over, ready for its chance to run free.
“Fine.” He huffed out a breath and r
eached for the keys in my hand, but I closed my fingers around them. “Don’t take a nap. It’s no skin off my nose.”
The pads of his fingers skimmed across my knuckles, and he stepped closer, his cologne invading my senses. His eyes narrowed, but the ghost of a smile flashed across his face, and I knew it was a front he was putting on. I had a feeling there were many sides to Brody, and my instinct was to find out exactly what they were, but reality told me I couldn’t.
I had to get out of that house, and if I got involved with Brody, I’d never be able to leave.
I uncurled my fingers and didn’t move my gaze off his. I wouldn’t show an ounce of weakness, no matter what my brain was telling me. He plucked the keys from my hand and took a step back.
“Let’s go check out this last house then.”
I cleared my throat, nodded, and followed him down the street, aware of everything and everyone around us. People sat in front of their run-down houses, their eyes following our every move. They knew who I was with one glance, but Brody was a new addition. He’d solidified his presence in Hut’s territory by our house, but obviously not ventured out this far.
“This is the one,” I said, pointing to the next house. Its front lawn was littered with needles and empty bottles, the front door held open by a large rock.
Brody’s arm came out, stopping my forward motion. “I’ll go first.”
I gripped on to his forearm and rolled my eyes. “I’ve seen and been in a lot worse, trust me.”
He turned his head, his dark-brown eyes darkening. “You shouldn’t have to.” He stepped closer, his palm grazing against my hip and making me shiver. “You shouldn’t be put in this situation at all.”
I chuckled. “You trying to step in and save the day, Brody?” I pushed his arm off of me, hating that all I wanted to do was pull it closer. “I don’t need a man to protect me. I can do it all by myself.”
My feet stomped against the ground, my anger fueling each step closer to the house. Who the hell did he think he was? He didn’t know me. He didn’t know what I’d lived through. He didn’t know that each day was a survival just to make it to the next one.
“Fuckin' kid,” I heard him murmur.
I spun around so quickly that I made myself dizzy, but I didn’t care. “No.” I pointed at him as he sauntered toward me, each of his steps measured. “You don’t get to do that.”
“Do what?” He raised his brow.
“Call me a kid.” He stepped closer, leaving only a couple inches of space between us. He knew what he was doing—trying to make me feel small—but I just tilted my head back and didn’t let my anger leave me. “You may be older than me, but you’ve got no idea what my life is like. You have—”
“I’ve got no idea?” He moved closer, his chest hitting mine, and fuck, I didn’t want his touch to render me useless, but I couldn’t help the fire he set off inside me. “You’re nineteen, you live in a drug dealer’s house, you’re gone all day, most probably out running for Hut—”
“I’m fuckin' not!” My hands clenched into fists at my sides, my breaths sawing in and out of my body. “I wouldn’t run anything for that piece of shit.” It was out of my mouth before I could even stop it. When his lips stayed in a flat line, I frowned.
“So what are you doing all day, Lola?” The way my name rolled off his tongue shouldn’t have called to me, but fuck, it did.
“I…” I shook my head and stepped back. “I go to class and work my ass off.”
His eyes narrowed on me, his head tilting to the side, probably trying to work out if I was lying or not. Too bad for him it was the truth. Not that I hadn’t run for Hut at one stage—I had—but I got out before anything too bad happened. It was a time when I thought I knew who my stepbrother was. How wrong I’d been.
“Let’s check this house out and then get home. I don’t have time to prove shit to you.” I twirled around and stumbled into the house, checking every nook and cranny for Crystal, but just like all the other houses, she wasn’t here.
I didn’t say another word to Brody as I walked back to the car and pushed inside. My brain was going haywire, and I couldn’t comprehend what was happening to me. My plan was straightforward and simple. Save money and get the hell out of the house.
Only, it was starting to not feel as simple as I’d thought.
The door slammed shut, and I turned to face Brody, staring at his side profile and cataloging his straight nose and full lips. Why did his scruff make me want to run my hands over it? And why did each of his movements have me squirming in my seat?
I shook my head.
I couldn't go there with him. He was nearly twice my age, and I needed to get out. That was all that mattered.
Right?
Chapter Six
BRODY
The music blasted throughout the house, but my pounding head couldn’t take it anymore. For three days we’d been searching for Hut’s mom, but had zero luck. She’d disappeared off the face of the earth, but one good thing came from it—I now knew where he kept his stash.
Hut was in the middle of the living room, snorting up a storm with Quinn, Ted, and Jace, but Ford was missing. He was never anywhere Hut wasn’t, and if I weren’t sick and tired of attending these parties, I’d probably go and see where he was at, but as it stood, I needed out of this house, if only for a little while. I needed a reprieve from all the partying and the surveillance. I just needed a goddamn break.
I gave Hut a chin lift and pointed at the front door, silently telling him I was leaving, but he couldn’t even focus on me for three seconds. I’d worked nonstop on this case, so surely I was owed a Friday night to just chill the fuck out at my own place—the apartment where I was staying.
I yanked open the front door and jumped over the steps, not willing to stand on the rotten wood. The street was dark, half of the lights not working, but it didn’t bother me. I was used to walking in the dark, not wanting to be seen.
“Whoa,” a soft voice said, causing my head to turn in that direction.
Lola’s tired face was the first thing I saw, and my instinct was to ask if she was okay, but I couldn’t because things with her were already becoming murky in my mind. I was on this case for a reason—to bring Hut down—and if it meant using her to do it, then that was what I had to do. Even if part of me was telling me not to, I didn’t have a choice.
“You scared the shit out of me.” Her small hand landed on her chest, and my gaze zapped down to it.
Fuck. Don’t look there.
She chuckled, the soft tinkle making my skin buzz.
“Sorry,” I automatically replied, and moved past her.
Her hand snapped out and wrapped around my forearm, her fingers not able to meet. I wasn’t sure whether it was because her hands were so small or because my muscle was too big for her. Either way, I shouldn’t have liked the way her hand looked on me. Not one bit.
“Brody?” A car drove past, its lights illuminating the frown on her face. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” I drew in a breath. “Just got a headache from the music.”
Her lips quirked on one side. “Your old body can’t take it, huh?”
A laugh burst out of me, so unexpected that I shocked myself. “Shit, Lola.” I shook my head as the laughter waned into chuckles. “You’re on it tonight, huh?”
She shrugged and let her hand slip off my arm. “What can I say? I’m badass.”
“Yeah?” My voice lowered, and I stepped closer to her. “I bet you say that to all the guys.”
“Maybe I do.” She bit down on her bottom lip, and fuck me if I didn’t want to yank her closer and do the exact same thing to it. “Or maybe there are no guys worth sayin' that to.”
Sadness echoed in her eyes, and all I wanted was to take that away, to have the look back that was displayed there not two seconds ago.
“You like pancakes?” I asked, the words slipping out of my mouth before I could stop them.
“Who doesn’t like p
ancakes?”
“Wanna come get some with me? I’m starving.”
Lola glanced over at the house, the pounding beat of the music now louder than it was when I was inside, and winced. “Fuck it.” She spun around and walked back to the sidewalk. “A girl should be treated to pancakes every once in a while, right?”
I followed her, pressing the fob on my keys so my car would light up and show her the way. “I agree.”
She halted at the passenger side, looked over at me, and smiled the brightest smile I’d ever seen. How the hell could one smile have that kind of effect on someone? I was meant to be a hard-ass, a guy who brought down the biggest of criminals, and one smile from a nineteen-year-old girl had rendered me speechless.
Fuck.
Maybe asking her for pancakes wasn’t the best idea, but logically, I knew that if I wanted to use her to bring Hut down, I had to get to know her a little. I had to get her to trust me. I just had to remember where the line was drawn and not cross it.
Easy enough, right?
We both got inside, and I pulled out into the road, the radio station humming through the speakers filling the otherwise silent car. It was after midnight, but that didn’t mean shit in this neighborhood. People didn’t come out until dark around here and only ventured back into their houses when the sun was starting to come up.
I pulled into the parking lot of the local diner, and into a space near the door, not wanting to walk across the empty lot at this time of night. Any other time, it wouldn’t bother me, but my protective instincts kicked in when I was around Lola, something I didn’t want to admit to myself.
The waitress placed us in a booth toward the back and poured us both a coffee while we looked at the menus.
“I’m so hungry,” Lola moaned, scanning her finger over the menu and stopping on one of the pictures. “I think I’m gonna get this.”
I glanced at the menu where she was pointing at a stack of pancakes covered in maple syrup and crispy bacon on the side, and I had to admit, it looked good. We placed our orders and sat in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes.
Fallen Duet: Brody & Lola: Free Fall & Down Fall (Easton Family Duet Boxsets Book 1) Page 6
