by LaQuette
He was halfway resolved to do just that, but then he remembered the fear he’d seen painted across Camden’s face earlier in the day, and couldn’t walk away. If he ran, Camden would never be safe.
Elijah took a quiet breath and steadied himself. If this motherfucker was bold enough to step inside Elijah’s home, then Elijah had to be bold enough to protect Camden.
When he heard the intruder take another step toward the basement stairs, Elijah stepped into the dark hallway, aimed his gun at the head of the shadowy figure, and yelled, “Freeze, NYPD!”
The silhouette instantly stopped moving.
“Get on your knees and keep your fucking hands where I can see them, or I’ll blow a hole in your goddamn head!”
His heart pounded in his chest as he neared the intruder. Just because a man was on his knees didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. He stepped carefully until he reached the intruder, then grabbed one of his arms and tugged it behind his back as he planted his gun at the base of his skull.
“Facedown on the floor right now!”
The intruder complied, easing himself onto the floor with the help of Elijah’s knee pressing in his back. When the man was facedown, Elijah tucked the gun into his holster. He quickly handcuffed the perpetrator and yanked him up from the floor, slamming him against the wall.
Elijah pulled his gun out again, training it on the intruder before reaching out and turning on the light. He blinked as his eyes adjusted, and cringed when he saw the intruder’s face.
“What the fuck are you doing, Emmanuel?”
Elijah dropped the hand with his gun to his side as he focused on his younger brother’s face. “Do you realize I could’ve killed you? Why are you sneaking around my damn house?”
His brother, the same height and burly build as Elijah with a shaved head, a thin goatee, and sandalwood complexion, cocked his right brow and tilted his head.
“Exactly which of those questions would you like me to answer first, big brother? Is there any particular order you’d like them answered?”
Elijah squinted his eyes as he leveled his gaze at his brother. “Don’t be cute, Manny. I could’ve killed you. You know you’re always supposed to call before showing up at my place. Let me fucking know to expect your trifling ass before you step up into my crib.”
“I told you last week Vivienne, me, and the ’rents were coming up here to spend a long weekend with your grouchy ass, celebrate you going back to work.”
Elijah shook his head as he pointed a finger at his brother. “Bullshit, Manny! You told me y’all were thinking about heading up here this weekend or the next. I clearly remember you telling me you’d call me to let me know if it was a go.”
His brother’s features tightened into a perfect mix of anger and annoyance. “E. I called you Wednesday and told you we’d be here sometime Friday for the weekend. You said you had to go to your station, on either Thursday or Friday. You were still waiting for a call from your captain. If you weren’t here when we arrived, let myself in.”
“Shit.” Elijah passed his free hand down the length of his locs and shook his head. He had spoken to Emmanuel on Wednesday. That was before all hell broke loose and he was saddled with a protection detail. “Fine, I got my days mixed up, but that still doesn’t explain why you were sneaking around in here. Your steps were too careful.”
“Your SUV isn’t in the driveway or anywhere on this block, yet the lights were on in your basement. I was checking to make sure nobody ran up in your shit. Now, would you mind taking these fucking cuffs off me before my wife and our mama walk in here?”
Elijah turned his head toward a backyard-facing window and saw movement in his carport. Just what he fucking needed, a house full of family when he was hiding Camden Warren in his basement.
“How long y’all staying?”
“Till Monday evening. We each took a day off. Mama was insistent we spend this time together before you disappeared into that precinct again.”
Shame bled through Elijah. His mother’s assumption wasn’t wrong. Going back to work would cut into their family time. But once this ordeal was over with Camden, his desk job wouldn’t impose such demands on his time. He’d be a better son and brother this time around. He just needed to get beyond Monday, and everything would be all right.
“The keys are downstairs,” he growled through clenched teeth, slipped the gun in the holster, and walked past his brother, his footfalls heavy on each stair to warn Camden of his arrival.
When he entered the basement, a brief glance revealed an empty room absent of Camden. Panic pulled at the base of his skull. Did Camden leave? Was he out there alone on the streets in harm’s way, all for a silly misunderstanding with Elijah’s inconsiderate brother?
“Camden, it’s me,” Elijah announced as he stepped farther into the open room. “You still here, man?”
The closet door opened, and Camden stepped into the room. Relief curved Elijah’s lips into a half smile until he saw the grayish tint to Camden’s skin and the frantic way Camden’s eyes were darting back and forth.
Almost every interaction Elijah had with the man revealed Camden to be a cocky asshole. Sickeningly self-assured and resolute in his belief that his smarts, his title, his pedigree made him untouchable. But standing in front of Elijah now, Camden resembled nothing of his former self. Camden was scared.
Elijah met him in the middle of the room and cupped a hand to his face. “Hey,” he whispered, hoping to soothe the panic flowing through Camden. “It was just my silly-ass kid brother. They haven’t found us. You’re fine.”
Camden pressed his face into Elijah’s palm, responding more to the tactile stimuli than the verbal. “Everything’s fine.”
Camden closed his eyes for a beat, then opened them. He searched Elijah’s gaze for assurance. He swallowed, then cleared his throat before speaking. “Are you certain, Elijah?”
“Well, we’re not in any physical danger. But there is an issue we need to deal with.”
Elijah could see the question forming between Camden’s pinched brows. He opened his mouth to inform him of the proverbial monkey wrench in their plans, also known as his family. But before the first word could leave his tongue, he heard footsteps on the stairs and his brother’s boisterous voice filling the air.
“A-yo, E. Stop playing and take these damn cuffs off me?”
When Emmanuel stumbled closer, he stopped just short of where Elijah and Camden were standing and zeroed in on Elijah’s hand against Camden’s cheek.
Emmanuel lifted a knowing brow and grinned like a teenaged boy before speaking. “My bad, E. I didn’t know you had—” Emmanuel paused for a long second and nodded his head toward Camden. “—company.”
Chapter Ten
ELIJAH dropped his hand quickly and turned to his brother. “That’s what happens when you don’t call before you drop by.”
Elijah excused himself to retrieve the handcuff keys from the safe. He removed the restraints, throwing them and the keys back in the safe. He then pulled his gun and holster off, sliding them next to the keys before relocking the safe door.
“I did call,” Emmanuel answered. “Not my fault senility is setting in early.” He smiled as he looked back and forth between Elijah and Camden. “So, you’re not going to introduce me to your guest?” Elijah’s lip curled as he watched the gleam shining on his brother’s face. Since they were kids, Emmanuel had lived to make life difficult for Elijah. Finding him in what could only have appeared to be a cozy moment between two well-acquainted people was just the ammunition a needling little brother would pounce on. It didn’t matter that both Elijah and his brother were grown and in their thirties. Emmanuel would always be Elijah’s pain-in-the-ass brother.
“This is Camden.” Elijah pointed to the middle of the room where Camden stood and watched as his brother walked over and extended a hand in greeting.
“Hi, Camden. I’m Elijah’s brother, Emmanuel. Most people call me Manny.”
Camden sm
iled, and Elijah noticed it didn’t reach his eyes. When Camden shared a genuine smile, his eyes sparkled with intelligence and his easy sense of humor. This was a professional smile, one you put in place even when you didn’t feel like smiling in front of the world.
“Hello, Manny, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The polite tone in Camden’s voice grated on Elijah’s nerves. He didn’t understand why. Camden’s tone wasn’t bracing, but it wasn’t warm and welcoming either. To Elijah, this was Camden’s show voice, and after hearing the raw guttural sounds their joint orgasms pulled from Camden, this facsimile was a poor imitation to Elijah’s ears.
“I didn’t know Elijah had a brother.”
“I’m not surprised he didn’t mention me.” Elijah narrowed his eyes as he watched his brother move closer to Camden. “I’m the sexier, more successful brother. He’s afraid I’d steal all his dates.”
Elijah waved a dismissive hand as he moved closer to Emmanuel. “Yeah, because every man wants to spend his time with a self-important, inconsiderate asshole like you. Right, Manny?” Elijah continued to glare at Emmanuel, locking gazes with him, returning hard stare for hard stare until Emmanuel cracked first, resulting in them both breaking into laughter.
Elijah had spoken the truth. His younger brother’s ego straddled the line between confidence and conceit. He was self-absorbed, and Lord knew, he displayed the asshole gene that seemed to run rampant through the males of the Stephenson family more than either Elijah or their father. But no matter his shortcomings, Emmanuel was his brother, and Elijah was always glad to see him.
The two men clasped hands, pulling each other into a tight hug. “Manny.” Elijah pointed to Camden before returning his gaze to his brother. “Would you give us a minute? I need to prepare Camden for the Stephenson tribe. We’re a hard pill to swallow in large doses.”
Emmanuel nodded and left them alone in the basement. Elijah waited a moment, making certain he heard Emmanuel’s footsteps above them on the first floor.
“What are we going to do now that your family is here? It’s not safe for them to be around me. What if these maniacs find me and your family is here, Elijah?” Camden rattled off his questions in quick succession, leaving no opportunity for Elijah to answer. His hands were planted against his trim waist, his shoulders high, his chest moving rapidly as he took large gulps of air.
There it was again. The panic that Camden stuffed down, keeping it hidden from the rest of the world. He’d seen a glimpse of it when they’d shared dinner over the kitchen counter. But now, it seemed to be too much for Camden to handle.
Elijah placed a calming but firm hand on one of Camden’s shoulders, giving him something to anchor himself with.
“Hey,” he murmured. “My father is an armed, retired cop. There isn’t anyone better at protection than him. My brother isn’t a cop, but he’s run through Daddy Bootcamp just like I have; he’s not helpless in a situation like this. And don’t get me started on my mama and my sister-in-law. Those two are scary when they’re pissed. I’d pity anyone who thought to darken their doorstep.”
That last line seemed to bring Camden’s gaze back into focus, giving way to a slight smile curling the corners of his mouth.
“If they’re that tough, are we gonna tell them why I’m here?”
Elijah shook his head. “My dad maybe, but I don’t want to ruin this weekend for my mother.” Evelyn Stephenson had been Elijah’s rock. She’d pulled Elijah every step of the way during his rehabilitation. Sometimes dragging him kicking and screaming when he couldn’t muster the motivation to work at his own recovery.
She had worried about Elijah since the shooting. Knowing he was going back to a supposedly safe unit in the precinct was a relief for her. He wouldn’t scare her by letting her know he was on a dangerous detail.
“Let’s keep it simple, Camden.” His father might be the ex-cop, but his mother and sister-in-law were top-notch investigators. Those two could smell a lie like a rat did cheese. If they went in with a convoluted scheme, they’d know it.
“Being too elaborate will get us caught. You’re a friend visiting from out of town. I got my signals crossed with your travel dates.” As long as Camden stuck to it, they should be in the clear.
Elijah watched Camden carefully as he shook his head. He seemed calmer; some of the tension in his shoulders seemed to bleed away as he dropped his hands from his waist. But there was still a sense of dread floating around him in the careful way he took slow, shallow breaths.
“The me being a friend visiting is a solid plan, Elijah. But still, this is your family we’re talking about. I’m hiding from people who didn’t think twice about putting a bomb under my car. Is it wise to keep me here?”
“We don’t have much choice right now. Moving you is dangerous. It would probably take my captain a couple of days to mobilize a move for you anyway. Telling my family about you could be a risk too. They won’t be here for long. We’ll pretend to be besties for a few days, and they’ll be on their way.”
Camden rubbed a hand up and down against his opposite arm as if he was trying to brush a chill away. “If you think this is best, I’ll go along with it.”
“I know it is.” Elijah motioned for Camden to follow him, and they both headed for the stairs. When they rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen, Elijah’s heart danced a little at the sight of the small, round woman with a cherub’s smile and wide-open arms waiting for him to step into them.
“There’s my favorite son,” Evelyn sang as Elijah bent down, wrapped his arms around her waist, and lifted her off of the floor in a bear hug.
“You know I can hear you, right, Ma?” Emmanuel’s comment went ignored by Evelyn as long as Elijah held her. He kissed his mother on the cheek, then placed her back on her feet as he gave his brother a smug smirk.
“Why be mad at the truth, Manny? I told you she loves me more. And we both know she’s not the only one either.”
Elijah stepped around his mother and into the arms of his sister-in-law, Vivienne. “Come here, girl, and give me some sugar.” Elijah made an overexaggeration of his display of affection for Vivienne because he knew it ticked his brother off.
With a close-faded Caesar haircut that accentuated her high cheekbones and full, heart-shaped mouth, the brown-skinned beauty’s affections were a prize his brother had been lucky to receive. “I was just telling my brother he ought to thank his lucky stars you were gracious enough to marry beneath your station, because we both know who got the better deal in this marriage contract.”
She giggled and waved a hand at him. “Elijah, are you sure you’re not checking for us ladies? You’ve got better game than any straight man who’s tried to kick it to me before. You should teach a class.”
“I did,” Elijah answered with a playful wink of his eye. “How do you think my brother pulled your card?”
“Elijah, stop flirting with your brother’s wife.” Elijah’s smile grew wider as he turned to embrace his father.
“But, Pops,” Elijah answered, “it’s so much fun.”
His father matched Elijah’s wide grin with one of his own as he pulled Elijah in for a hug.
Walter Stephenson carried the same height and build as his sons, tall, solid, strong, and unmovable in most things. But when it came to loving his family, the older man took advantage of every opportunity he had to show them they meant everything to him.
Walter ran a hand down the length of Elijah’s locs and smiled again. “I see Captain Searlington still hasn’t made you cut all that hair off.”
“Nope.” Elijah grinned. “She knows I’d sooner turn in my badge.”
“You sound awful confident you’re worth all that grief I know you’re bringing her.”
Elijah shrugged his shoulder. “I am my daddy’s son. They don’t make ’em like us Stephenson boys.”
“Damn right, son, they sure don’t.”
His father clamped his hand on Elijah’s shoulder and pointed to the doorway.
&nb
sp; “Now, one of these things is not like the other, Elijah.”
Elijah already knew where this was going, and the hair on his arms stood up in anticipation of his father’s line of questioning.
This was how interrogations had always begun in Elijah’s house as a child. First his father would come to him with a playful, disarming tone that lulled Elijah and his brother into a false sense of security. Once his father had fattened them up for the kill, he’d tag their mother in for the win, and she’d decimate any lie he and his brother had cooked up.
Keep it cool, and everything’ll be fine.
“No worries, Pops.” Elijah kept his breathing even and his smile tempered as he glanced at Camden standing in the kitchen doorway.
Much to Elijah’s surprise, Camden was leaning against the doorjamb, arms crossed against his chest, one ankle overlapping the other. He wore an amused smile that made him look carefree. His blue eyes sparked with laughter, and the laid-back picture he made reminded Elijah of their one night of conversation and lovemaking.
“Elijah.” His father’s voice intruding on his thoughts brought him out of his musings. “You were saying?”
Elijah shook his head and cleared his throat, giving himself a little time to put his game face back on.
“Pops.” His voice cracked a little again. Determined to sound like the grown-ass man he was, Elijah cleared his throat again and willed his voice to remain steady. “Everyone. This is my friend Camden. We’d made plans a while ago for him to hang out up here, but I completely spaced on the dates. It didn’t dawn on me that you guys would be here this weekend.”
There was silence in the room; all eyes seemed to be on Camden, then on him. All Elijah had to do was keep it together, and the rest of the weekend would flow smoothly.
Finally breaking the silence, his mother pulled her gaze away from Camden and leveled it at Elijah. “Your friend?” The careful lilt to her voice painted the air with suspicion. “Elijah, I’m not that old that I can’t see what’s going on here.”
