Getting closer, though, would be the worst idea. I’d gotten a weird feeling when I first met Patrick. Now my senses were on high alert, so I did the next best thing. I pulled my phone from my back pocket.
Holding my phone up and positioning it to keep it hidden, I did the very thing I always frowned on whenever I’d heard something serious was going down and people had recorded it on their phones.
That’s what I did. Recorded them. All three of them for the two minutes they stood around talking. Talking and looking shady as shit.
I went to Dad’s the next morning feeling very different.
Sam was with Dad in the kitchen, talking. They didn’t see me yet.
“We looked everywhere for them and nothing,” Sam was saying. “They could have left town already.”
It was only when I stepped forward that he looked at me and Dad twisted in his chair to see me.
“Hey guys,” I beamed.
“Morning.” Dad had that cautious look on his face. It was a given since he’d seen me more this week than he had in any whole month. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I think I have something that might help.”
Sam looked over to me, and something brightened in his expression.
* * *
Watching the recording sent us to the station.
Sam said the guy who’d been with Patrick was part of his unit. His name was Oz. Both men were part of the said unit who’d framed him, so it was a damn good thing I’d exerted the caution I had.
The person they met, however, was someone he didn’t recognize.
Dad got a specialist to run the images through the system. There was nothing on Patrick or Oz, but plenty on the new guy, who was just referred to as Hammond. No last name.
The list of misdemeanors against Hammond was so lengthy there was a separate file with details.
“So, it looks like they still have business in town with this guy Hammond,” Dad noted. The three of us sat in his office brainstorming. “Sam, was anything mentioned about your next move? Next mission, or anything?”
Sam shook his head. “No. Sometimes nothing comes up for months. There was nothing in the works. Nothing I knew of, anyway. This is something else.”
“Hammond’s offences detailed a lot of theft,” I offered, thinking back to the list of stuff I saw on him. “Maybe he’s useful in that way.”
“I think I need to spend some time looking over Hammond’s details,” Sam stated, glancing at me then back to Dad. “Can we do that?”
“Of course. I’m just really wondering why they need a guy like Hammond. Although his profile looks very colorful, he looks small time in comparison to what you’ve told me the guys can do.”
“They only pick people for specific purposes. His usefulness is gonna be somewhere in his list of crimes,” Sam pointed out.
Dad stood. “I’m going to get the guys looking for Hammond. Who knows, if we get him, then we could mess up whatever plans your boys have.”
It all sounded very full-on to me, and made me more curious to know what was really going on. I wished I hadn’t gone into my state of hiding for the last few days. I’d know more now.
Dad looked to me and raised his brows. “Good job, Olivia, but you know I’m not happy, right? You could have been seen.”
“But I wasn’t,” I pointed out with a smile.
“That’s not the point, baby girl.” He hadn’t called me that in forever, and the fact that he just did spoke his worry over me and that he was going to go into parenting overdrive.
I rolled my eyes at him. “You’re welcome, Dad. Let’s leave it at that, because really, I know you want to thank me. A lot.”
Sam smirked. When Dad looked at him he pressed his lips together, trying to hide his amusement.
“Right then, should we go?” he asked Sam.
Seeing my chance for a break, I stood up and walked closer to them. “Actually, I was thinking of getting lunch…with Sam,” I stated.
While Sam straightened up and stared at me, Dad’s shoulders went rigid with tension.
“Lunch?” Dad asked with raised brows.
“Yeah, lunch,” I answered.
He looked at me like he wanted me to elaborate a little more. When I didn’t he focused on Sam, more worry filling his eyes. Understandable worry. He’d told Sam to stay away from me and explained very valid reasons why.
The other day there was also something he’d said that was more valid than his fears. He’d said it’s been a long time since I needed him to step in and take over as my father. I wasn’t a child anymore. Sweet as it was that he was looking out for me, anything Sam-and-I related was Sam-and-I related.
Right now I just wanted the truth.
“Okay, see you later?” Dad held his palms up and gave me a hopeful smile.
When I nodded, he leaned forward and planted a kiss on my forehead. Before he left, though, he looked over to Sam.
I didn’t miss the warning in his glare. I also didn’t care what it meant either. He was just looking out for me, but this was something he couldn’t control.
“Lunch?” Sam asked, standing.
“Yes.” This was me being the friend.
It was me once again taking Jada’s advice. This morning I realized I could do that. I could be a friend and push aside the crazy emotions that I couldn’t deal with right now. I could be the friend he always knew and listen to him, help him. Maybe everything else would fall into place after. It felt like it was already starting to with the progress we’d made this morning. Last night too. It helped me in my choice to help him in whatever way I could. That was my choice. Be the friend and help.
“We should go someplace where you can talk and tell me everything.” That’s what I wanted.
“Everything?”
“I got the Cliff’s Notes’ version the other day. I want to hear it properly. All of it.”
He tucked his hair behind his ear and motioned to the door. “I know a place.”
Chapter 8
Sam
* * *
I talked and she listened.
We didn’t actually go anywhere to eat. Instead we bought some sandwiches at the deli and drove out to the woods, near the lake.
It was the same woodland area I used to hang out at with Coop. The same woods I found her in that night when she first told me how she felt about me. Or, rather, I had to guess.
We sat there talking and I told her everything. Not just the recent problems. But everything, from how I joined with the unit, to some of the things I’d done over the years. Everything. I was pretty certain I must have broken a hundred laws in the three hours we sat together on the thicket of grass under the willow tree.
I didn’t care, though. This was Olivia, and she was giving me the opportunity to be up front with her. Upfront and open. No secrets, no lies. Just everything on the table. All of it.
It was the least I could do since she helped me big time. Although I would have preferred for her not to put herself in potential danger. If those guys had seen her, they would have had her. If that happened, I wouldn’t know what to do.
If anything happened to her, it would kill me. That would be it, the end of me.
The past week told me that those guys weren’t the people I knew. They were the conniving assholes I suspected them to be, but suspecting one thing and having it actually happen were different.
I hated that Olivia put herself in a dangerous position, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t grateful for all she found. Hammond was a lead we wouldn’t have had without her. We also had an area we hadn’t looked much into: East L.A.
I didn’t know what the hell they were up to, but it didn’t sit well with me that we were about to enter into a new week in two days and they hadn’t made any moves with the chip.
Olivia sat up straighter; she’d been resting against the tree. She hugged her knees to her chest and gave me a small smile.
“It sounds like Call of Duty.” She sighed. “Coop would say
that.”
Coop would absolutely say that. I smiled. “Yeah, it kind of is. Or it was until they framed me.”
“Why didn’t they include you, Sam? You all worked together for so long, why wouldn’t they just include you?”
I hadn’t bothered to contemplate that. I knew the answer. “They knew I would never agree to something outside mission protocol. I’d stopped being bad a long time ago, and there was nothing that could sway me. They didn’t know me when I was like that. They just knew I would never agree, but they also knew I’d try to stop them. That’s why they tried to stop me.”
“You should be behind bars.”
Or dead. I left out the part about the biker trying to gun me and Joe down. Apart from the fact that Joe asked me not to say anything, it wasn’t part of what I needed to tell her.
“Behind bars and out of the way.” The biker signaled they knew I was on bail, and I’m sure they must have known I didn’t die. So something more would happen. The same way the government officials that set up our unit knew I was supposed to get myself out of the mess I was in, Xavier and the guys knew I’d be looking for them and trying to stop them.
I knew I had to watch my back, and the people with me. That biker would have killed Joe too.
I crackled my knuckles. They would pay for that. They would fucking pay for that. That made me more mad than framing me for Bradley’s death.
“I guess they never thought it would play out like this,” she said breathlessly.
“Nope, I was just supposed to get the chip and hand it over. I would have done it without question and never know any different.”
It would have been a box ticked, and then we’d go our separate ways until the next mission was organized. I wouldn’t have known any different. They had a plan, though. Something interesting to involve a guy like Hammond.
“Dad said he put in a request for further investigation into Bradley’s death.”
“Yes, it means they can widen the search and look for further evidence.” I just hoped they could find it. There were so many other things that could be done to investigate the case rather than let it get to trial, and then I wouldn’t know what would happen.
“That’s good, right?”
“Yes. It’s a good thing.”
She looked away from me and stared out to the lake. “I’m sure you had better things in mind when you planned to stick around for a while.” When she turned back to me there was a sadness in her eyes that tugged on my heart.
“I certainly did.”
Things had changed again between us. The path we were on last week, on this very day, had changed course.
I’d told her I wanted her back, and she said the same to me. For one day and a half I had hope. I had hope that it could really happen. It really seemed like it was all within my grasp.
“So, what were you going to do after you stuck around for a while? Go back to Mexico? Sounds like you guys could do anything, really.”
I’d made it sound like I was going to stick around for a while and try to win my girl back, but I didn’t go into details of what that meant. Not with her.
“I was going to stay.”
A glint of wonder flickered in her eyes. It masked the unspoken pain she tried to hide. “You were?”
“I was.”
“Was?”
I shrugged, not wanting to go more in depth. It wasn’t like I could actually give an answer. I was in no position to. Suspect for murder, that was me, and all we had were a bunch of theories floating around. And Joe telling me to stay away from his daughter. Fuck.
“I should probably get you back to Joe before he starts worrying. Out any longer and that would be a poor job of staying away from you.” I stood and put out my hand to help her up.
She took it, stood, but didn’t let go.
“He shouldn’t have said that to you. I’m not a kid anymore.”
I couldn’t resist the urge to smirk. She used to hate it when I called her kid. When I thought of the situation, though, my smile receded. “No, you aren’t a kid anymore.”
“So it’s my decision on whether I have you in my way or not.”
That hope sparked in my heart again, just a little.
Between that and holding her delicate hand in mine, it was enough to lose track, just for a few seconds.
“What did you decide?”
She held my gaze, eyes fixed on mine, eager, yet so very cautious. Guarding her heart, which I wanted as badly as I wanted her.
“Sam…” her voice trailed off. “When it comes to you, I can’t think straight. I’m just doing the best I can, and being a friend.”
Friend… I could almost laugh.
Releasing her hand, I touched her face. If I had any hope of using my common sense I shouldn’t have done that. It was too late, though, and I gave into the one weakness I’d never been able to overcome.
Wanting things I couldn’t have just made me want them more. This girl was as forbidden to me as she always was. There was always one reason or another as to why I shouldn’t be with her. I was the guy from the wrong side of the tracks, she was Coop’s little sister, too young for me, then too good for me, I let her down in the worst way I thought I could and left her when she needed me most, then I stayed away. Now it was this shit, and Joe outrightly putting her off limits to me.
I ran my thumb across the smooth, silky underside of her jaw. Loving the feel of her, loving the sunshine beaming on her warm brown skin.
Loving the way her defenses crumbled right before me the more I touched her.
I leaned closer and stopped inches away from her gorgeous mouth.
“Friends… We’re not friends.” We never were. I couldn’t be, not with her. I wanted her too badly to try.
I slipped my hand behind her head and closed the space between us by crushing my lips to hers. A soft moan hummed from her lips, driving me insane with the sound. It made me recall with perfect clarity how she sounded when I pleasured her. I wanted to do that now, right out here. Outside in the seclusion of the trees where I could rip that little top off her and feast on her gorgeous breasts.
Damn it to hell, I wanted to. More so when she pressed into me and I tasted the sweetness of her. The sweetness of her tongue as it tangled with mine as I explored her mouth.
The kiss was hungry, heated with my need for her, my need to take her right here and taste her everywhere.
But my senses returned when I cupped her breasts and my cock hardened.
My senses returned to me tenfold on the wave of intense need.
It came back to me and reminded me of the situation I was in, and the one I placed her in.
If I went to prison, would I want her holding onto me, waiting?
Waiting and watching life go by? When it came to her, I couldn’t think straight. There was only one answer. It was always that I wanted her.
Always that…
However, you couldn’t always get what you wanted. There was a reason for that. Good reasons.
I pulled away on that thought and she looked at me like I’d just slapped her.
“What?” Her eyes were now clouded with sexual need. She looked like I felt.
“I can’t…” Déjà vu. Damn it. I told her the same thing when she was sixteen.
“Why?”
I shook my head. “Your dad’s right. Joe’s always right, this time’s no different. I should stay away.”
“Shouldn’t that be my decision?”
“It’s mine too, and if I…if I love you the way I do, I’ll want the best for you.” I stepped back.
She looked hurt. But better for her to look like that now than later when there was more to hurt her with.
I wanted the best for her, and that wasn’t me.
She could do better than me.
I always knew that. Now I was just accepting it.
Chapter 9
Olivia
Sam was right.
We weren’t friends.
I didn’
t know why I thought we could be, or rather that I could be. We weren’t friends at all. We never really were.
All those years I thought of him, all those years I saw him and wanted him to be mine, just confirmed that to me. I’ve never seen Sam as a friend. And what the hell did I think was going to happen spending all that time with him in the woods?
That kiss was inevitable. With my mind filled with the knowledge of what happened, accepting what was happening and pushing aside the situation to be selfish, the kiss was just the start of what I wanted him to do to me.
And was it wrong that, although the man was telling me he was choosing not to be with me, all I was fixated on were those few words he spoke to my heart.
If I love you the way I do, I’ll want the best for you.
I tried to turn off my mind, to stop hearing the echo of him telling me the words I craved, because it wasn’t in the context I wanted to hear them.
Thinking about it now just infuriated me, because it was Monday morning and I hadn’t seen Sam since Saturday. He took me back to Dad’s and went somewhere. Then there was yesterday. I went to the house, knew he was there, and didn’t see him because it was very clear the man was avoiding me.
I didn’t bother to mention the whole fiasco to Jada when I saw her earlier. I was sure she was tired of it. Plus, I was neither coming nor going.
I shuffled in my chair and looked at the files before me for my new client, Saunders Peter. I didn’t know how a parent could give their child a surname for a name. Didn’t they think it was weird? Saunders. I’d never heard it before as a first name.
Saunders was in dispute with his business partner over a trademark. His business partner, Kevin Walton, decided to go solo and take the trademark with him. They were a cosmetics company who, as it seemed, were very up and coming. Kevin had the ideas, though, and argued that the logo and brand images and design were all his ideas.
Saunders argued the same.
The trademark logo was a pink hummingbird flying amongst a circle of gold butterflies on a black background.
Yours Truly Page 6
