Deviated

by Schmidt, Esther E.

  “So, I met your sister when she opened the door for me. Your father just now. Are we going to follow him out to meet your mother?” Her tone is sweet and inviting and instead of stepping or leaning away from me, she inches closer.

  This action makes me pull back slightly and suddenly everything about her puts me on alert. “Anxious to meet my family to get to know your enemy so to speak?”

  She pats my chest. “Now, now, babe, don’t get your panties in a twist. I’m only mildly interested in your family. You and I both know it’s you who I need to keep my eyes on.”

  I’m not sure what happened in the days I didn’t see her, but I sure don’t trust the way she’s acting. Hell, even her fingernails are painted, and from everything I’ve read and learned about her, she doesn’t pamper herself or do any girly shit unless she’s…dammit. Unless she’s on a case…and I’m pretty sure she considers me a damn case.

  Her eyes skim over the people in the backyard and she tells me, “Catherine and Jackson Cole. Oh, and I see their daughter is here too. Erin. I don’t see her sister, Kennedy. Your dad is Erin’s godfather. Liam and Natalie aren’t here? How about their kids? Or is it just Jackson who needed a talk with Mark? Are they close to retiring?”

  “Are you done spitting out details?” I hiss through clenched teeth.

  “Nope, I have everything memorized. Go on, ask me something you think I don’t know. Oh, and your mom is an excellent dancer by the way. I’m flexible and all but I never really did any ballroom dancing. I’d rather pole dance.” She shoots me a devilish grin.

  I know exactly why because my mind is picturing her body bending while...shit. I rub a hand over my face and take a deep breath. I have to get the upper hand.

  “I get it, you did some digging and know everything about everyone in my surroundings. And no, my father nor Jackson are thinking about retirement.”

  There’s a tiny twitch underneath her left eye, letting me know how much anger is actually swirling inside her but it’s gone the next instant.

  “Right. That’s just my dad then,” she easily supplies.

  Surprise runs through me and I can’t help but ask, “Why?”

  One of her well-groomed eyebrows goes up as if she expects me to know this little detail. Her gaze trails off to my father who is watching us while he’s talking to Jackson.

  “He’s scheduled for another surgery on his hand. Hopefully they can bring the percentage up for the use of it. But my brother said it was just an excuse because he’s frustrated about the lack of full capability of the use of his hand and takes the easy way out to ditch everything and pass the gavel over to him. So, with that said, Broken Deeds MC has a new president.” Her head whips my way, making her long hair glide through the air. “Are you going to offer to make me a burger? I came here for the barbecue, and I’m hungry. Or was this a sneaky way to get into my pants? Because I’m all for doing a hit and run quickie in the bathroom. Anyway, I’m hungry and need to satisfy parts of my body so the ball is in your court.”

  “What?” I choke on my own spit from the way this woman can throw out words like a tornado taking away everything in its perimeter and smacking it down somewhere else or annihilating it completely.

  “A quickie in the bathroom. You know what a quickie is, right? Or do I need to explain...hmm, better yet, show you,” she purrs and places her hand on my chest.

  “Cullen, can I talk to you for a sec?” my father says as he grabs my shoulder and doesn’t wait for me to reply but drags me off with him while my mother addresses Esmee.

  Once inside he heads straight into his office and slams the door shut. His voice cracks through the air, “Mind telling me what you think you’re doing?”

  “I can’t,” I grumble and rub my neck while a deep sigh rips from my body.

  Dammit, I’m trained for any type of mission and yet a simple thing like getting close to a woman for information is getting to me because the woman isn’t like any other. I can’t believe she has the upper hand and I’m the idiot choking on my own words.

  My father groans. “You’re kidding me. She’s a case you’re working, isn’t she? I know her name was listed in the report of the hostage extraction. The last-minute contract that required you to be there too, this is what it’s all about, isn’t it? Why in the hell would you bring her here?” He shakes his head. “Never mind, I get it. She’s a hard one to crack with you screwing things up from the start with the report you wrote. I know since we needed to tie things up on our end too. These guys, her family…they aren’t the normal PI, mercenaries, bounty hunters, vigilante justice addicts, Cullen. They have been active for decades and doing a damn fine job too.”

  My lips stay sealed but I let my eyes do the talking and by the way my father’s face pinches it’s obvious he’s hearing me loud and clear.

  “I would hire her in the blink of an eye,” my father grunts. “And that’s all I’m going to say about it.”

  I hear him leave the room but I need a minute or two to get my bearings. I had a bad feeling when I took this case and the way it took off and how Esmee and I collide isn’t helping either. Now my dad telling me he would hire her without thinking twice also tells me he fully trusts her and how Broken Deeds MC functions and isn’t afraid to openly voice his opinion either.

  A knock on the door startles me and it makes me spin on my heels. Esmee is standing there with a concerned look on her face. “Hey, I’m sorry but I have to cut this short. My neighbor just called me and I need to head home.”

  I’m not liking the look on her face since this woman is good at hiding emotions and right now her hard shell is slightly shifting. Maybe others can’t get a good read on her but it’s as if I finally see her clearly and notice every tiny little shift in her demeanor.

  Stepping closer, I lean in to make sure to tower over her as I demand, “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s probably nothing.” She shrugs and if anyone else would be standing before her they wouldn’t be concerned, but the way she swallows right after gives me a hint of the uncertainty running through her.

  “How did you get here?” I question.

  “Cab, but I already called one before I knocked on the door just now.”

  I take her upper arm and guide her down the hall. “I’m driving, no need to wait for a cab.”

  My parents are standing near the door and I make sure to let them know to send the cab on his way when he gets here. Surprisingly Esmee doesn’t reject my interference and hops into my dark gray SUV.

  “What exactly did your neighbor tell you?” I question while I guide our way through traffic.

  “She noticed someone leaving my apartment.”

  My eyes find hers for a breath or two before I focus back on the road in front of us. “Someone? Old boyfriend? Anyone else have a key?”

  “Only Sona, my neighbor, has a key. I don’t have boyfriends. As you know I grew up surrounded by alpha assholes who are all overprotective and don’t dare touch a president’s daughter. It kinda complicates things, and makes it simple all in one go,” she says in a “Duh” tone of voice.

  Obviously, the information I have about her stated she never was in any type of relationship but for her to explain the reason makes it obvious and it makes my chest burn. This woman might have family surrounding her and yet they are binding her in a way to give her freedom, respect, love, and yet suffocate her with it all at the same time.

  “Did she get a good look at him? Or her for that matter?” I question, deliberately ignoring her alpha asshole statement.

  I can feel her stare and though it’s hard to keep my eyes on the road, I do, because I know she’s sizing me up just because I chose to ignore her words and turned the discussion to the incident at hand.

  “I have a camera installed a little further down the hall. My apartment is at the end of it and hers is before mine, so the only reason people have to come down the hall is for Sona and me. We both have access to it and most times we each have a live feed on. S
he was walking back to her desk when she saw someone dressed in all black coming down the hall. Just a glimpse, so she rewound and saw he came from my apartment.”

  “Did she check your apartment?”

  “Hell, no. Sona isn’t stupid. She’s my best friend and knows the kind of stuff I’m wrapped in most of the time. She called me and is still in her apartment waiting for me to let her know when I’m done checking out everything.”

  “Good,” I grunt and head into the parking garage underneath her building.

  A handful of minutes are wasted until we finally step out of the elevator and head down the hallway. Esmee gives a finger wave to the camera—probably to let Sona know she’s here—before she reaches for her gun while holding out the keys to her apartment. She leans forward and I also inch closer.

  “No signs of a break-in,” I mumble over her shoulder, making her go rigid before she relaxes.

  “I have eyes, Cullen,” she snaps on a low whisper and slides her key in to slowly open the door.

  I palm my Glock and move with her when we step inside her apartment. The both of us quickly realize no one’s in the living room and everything seems untouched. Damn. This woman doesn’t have any personal shit in her living room so it’s easy to notice with one glance that nothing has been disturbed. I follow her into the bedroom where Esmee freezes while her eyes are locked on the wall in front of her.

  Now this? This is personal. One damn wall in her whole apartment and I can tell this means everything to her. It’s an open display of memories, thoughts, reminders, joy, and every other damn emotion screaming loud.

  There’s one tiny frame on the floor, but when I glance over the wall there isn’t an open spot. Esmee is still rooted to the floor and when I follow her gaze, I see it’s locked on one spot. Inching closer I now notice the frame on the floor is shattered and it holds a picture of Abe, the guy who was killed during the hostage extraction.

  When I check the spot Esmee is staring at, a jolt of anger surges through me. It’s a photograph of Esmee—clearly taken from a distance—during a morning run or something. There’s a halo drawn above her head and it looks like it was drawn in lipstick.

  And I suddenly realize… “Benched my ass. You’re working a case and the guy who was in your damn house left this for you,” I growl and am ready to tear into her about my point of view on this whole vigilante, under the damn radar shit, but when my gaze hits hers I instantly swallow the rest of my words.

  She’s staring at the broken picture on the floor. The look in her eyes is haunted and is tearing a hole into my soul. Grief is edged on her face and any other sane person’s eyes would spill but the woman before me visibly pushes it all back until there’s a firm mask in place where it’s all hidden behind.

  “I checked out a lead last night and by this you might say I’m on to something.”

  “You think?” I snap and try to keep my cool but clearly, I’m not doing a good job.

  “Bringing you back to my apartment was me not thinking. You need to leave,” she snaps back in return.

  I shake my head. “Too bad, because I’m not leaving, so I’m giving you two choices here. Either I call it in or you’re going to tell me everything and then I’ll decide what to do.”

  She puts her Glock away and crosses her arms underneath her damn fine breasts, highlighting them for me before I drag my gaze up and find her glaring at me.

  “How is that giving me a choice?” she huffs. “Besides, what are you going to tell anyone? I could have done this myself, make you look like a fool.”

  Stepping into her personal space I ignore her ramblings and instead ask, “How many people are aware you’re working a case?”

  There’s the twitch underneath her eye again.

  “Dammit,” I grunt and step away to give her my back because anger is building in my veins. “You’re taking this on without anyone else knowing about it.” Spinning back, I point a finger at her and snap, “I know damn well how good you are, but you do realize the moment shit escalates there is no other choice but to request backup. I have no clue how you guys work or how you justify all you do, but come on.” I’m shouting out my words by now and I have no other choice but to bite my lip to prevent more words ripping out in anger.

  Her head tilts slightly. “What if I gave you two choices?”

  “Which are?” I shoot back.

  “You keep this between us and be my backup. I will allow you a little glimpse behind the scenes of Broken Deeds MC, so to say.”

  This might actually be an opportunity to work closely with her and turn everything inside out. It’s clearly the break I need, though somehow it leaves a bad taste in my mouth by using her this way.

  Not wanting to seem too eager to jump on this chance…plus, I’m kinda intrigued what the other option is she’s offering. “Or?”

  She shrugs. “Or I won’t shove my gun up your ass and threaten to make you an even bigger asshole than you already are.”

  Yeah, no. No one is coming near my ass; being up her ass is clearly the better option here.

  Chapter Five

  ESMEE

  Prioritize. It’s a word I always repeat inside my head when a situation flows out of control. The whole “first things first” thing. I had a hunch about the case I’m working on and deliberately put myself out there to see if the guy who I think is the actual serial killer took the bait. Needless to say, he did.

  Only I’m now aware I’m on the right track of retracing his steps. As to who the unsub—unknown subject in my investigation—actually is? I have no freaking clue…but I do have his full attention, he’s made that clear enough.

  At first the case was two missing women and one dead body. All with similarities involving their case. When I did some digging, I discovered three more shallow graves were found with remains over the last five years, solving three missing person cases along with it but connecting them to my serial killer case. I also linked six other missing persons who I suspect are connected. But I also managed to find one of the two women who was reported missing.

  Well, she wasn’t missing, she just left her asshole husband and everything else behind, and simply moved to another state. Lucky, because she isn’t missing, dead, or in any way connected to this case that I quickly understood involved a serial killer. When a case like this evolves, I need to contact my father but with the shift of leadership within Broken Deeds MC, and all the insanity around it, I’ve kept it quiet.

  My dad gave me the case to keep my mind occupied, and I love a good challenge and this case is huge. Add the fact no one else knows about me working on it and the part where I’m benched, I need to keep everything to myself. I’m pretty sure my brother—who is now the president of Broken Deeds MC—would take it away from me without blinking.

  And if this asshole standing in front of me wasn’t such a pain in the ass, we could work on it together. Though I’m pretty sure he’s working a case already and I’m the center of it. Why else would his full focus be on me? But maybe if I showed him how we work—the good we do since there are certain situations where law and order prevent the good guys from catching the bad ones—it might be a chance for the better for all of us.

  He places his hands on his hips and gives me a hard look. “If I’m your backup you’re not allowed to keep anything from me. I’d need all the details but also your plans and any actions you might take. No heading out alone, vigilante shit you obviously pulled to get this guy’s attention. You and me are attached at the hip until this case is solved.”

  “Eager much?” I mutter. He raises his eyebrow and it makes me huff, “Fine. No secrets between us, but that goes both ways.”

  “We’re going to go over the case you’re working on, then you’re going to pack a bag and move in with me until we catch the guy.”

  I’m very much aware he skipped the agreement of no secrets between us. I’m not stupid, I know very well this man has a hidden agenda. The guy is CIA, what else should I expect. And the whole �
��Pack a bag, you’re coming with me,” alpha bullshit has been shoved down my throat since I was able to walk, so this too isn’t very surprising.

  All of it makes the corner of my mouth twitch. Guys around me have all been cut from the same wood. Well, maybe Abe was slightly different since he saw me as one of the guys. Sadness hits me and I really don’t need it when I’m facing the asshole in front of me.

  I quickly spin on my heels. “Follow me, I have a file in my safe I want to show you.”

  Reaching for my phone, I multitask by sending a quick message to Sona to let her know everything is okay. Well, I might have added the fact I’ll be staying with the CIA guy and if I don’t respond to her daily, I’m probably behind bars because the man is driving me crazy.

  SONA: You behind bars? *snort* You should drive him crazy. Or do him. Yes! Do him. I’ve come to the conclusion sex toys aren’t better than the real thing, so I speak from experience. They are extra fun while playing with the real thing, though.

  I shake my head and shoot her a quick reply to be careful with her author friend and that we’ll stay in touch. This way I can keep an eye on her and she can return the favor. Though, I’m very capable of taking care of myself but I know how much she worries. I lean in and shield the way I open the safe to retrieve the file.

  Placing it on the table, I turn to grab a detector from a drawer in my desk and make sure to scan everything in my house. Cullen is eyeing my every move and when I’m finally done with double checking for any bugs or cameras, I take a seat at the table and open the file.

  “I don’t have to remind you what I’m about to tell you needs to stay between us?” I wait for him to nod before I continue, “If Broken Deeds MC takes a case there are usually one or two members directly involved depending on the priority and what kind of case it is. If it’s a big one or if it escalates, the whole MC is pulled in.”