“If you need me, call me. I don’t care the day or the hour.”
“I will. Please contact me if there are any more developments.”
“Will do---later then. Bye.”
Chapter 20
The drive to his chalet home was long and tiring.
As the hour drew close to 11:18 pm, they arrived.
Like before, they parked in the garage alongside the other sporty vehicles.
A quiet darkness swathed the parking area, and along with it there was just peacefulness. Which is why it’d been so difficult to leave behind all those months ago, she pondered, climbing from the car, and then paused within the open doorway.
But, now she was here, regardless of how fleeting that time was.
And regardless of what happened between them, he’d always be her home…
Passing a quizzical frown, he peered over the top of the car. “You ok?”
“Yes.” Her smile was nostalgic for some reason. Perhaps, it was because they were here where their torrid love affair begun, she digressed mentally. But, things between them were too sensitive for that to be voiced. So, she said, “Guess I forgot how peaceful and calm it was here.” Along the way, their gazes clung. “It’s great to be back.”
“I’ve missed it, too.” After breaking eye contact, he closed the driver’s side door. “Being here reminds me that the world isn’t built on pure bullshit. There is actual good in it.”
“Imagine for a moment if the world were actually perfect.” As he joined her side, she faced him fully. “Think about it. No ugliness, hurt, or cruelty? It’d be a beautiful thing.” While he bent down to retrieve her overnight bag, she studied him closely, and it seemed that he was still somewhat tensed. “Perhaps I’m the one who should be concerned. You’re asking me if I’m okay…what about you? The whole drive you were quiet. There’s a reason for it. Why? Talk to me.”
“Bella, stop it,” he sighed, blowing a breath. “I told you nothing’s wrong---”
“I know what you told me.” She grasped his chin and forced his gaze to hers. “And while you’re saying it, you’re not fine. Something’s eating away at you, and before we leave here, I’m going to find out what is.” Then, after giving him a reassuring smile, she released him, and he seemed somewhat disappointed as she did. “Don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get cozy before a warm fire.”
“Come on.” He placed a hand midway her back and gently prodded her forward. “Time to get you in.”
Naturally, at such a late hour, the house was quiet.
She paused by the sofa in the living room.
But, to her delightful surprise, a cozy fire leapt within the fireplace and warmed the entire space. Yet, a dangerous and direct heat exuded from him while he stood so closely behind her. If she’d just move a tiny inch backwards, their bodies would touch. While she was absorbing that realization, he suddenly swept past her and moved towards the fireplace, much to her disappointment.
Staying silent, she watched his machinations.
Quickly, after extracting the poker from its holder, he stoked the fire. Now, behind the fire screen, the bright red flames danced wildly and blazed higher. For a long moment, he stared solemnly into the burning inferno. Then, as if coming to, he propped the poker against the brick wall and passed her a fast glance over his shoulder. “The drive was long,” he muttered quietly, releasing a pent-up sigh, and sank down onto the floor. The firelight illuminated his large body while he did. As it shone on his face, shadows played along his handsome features. While he tried to pretend to be at ease, he wasn’t, for tautness seized his very nature. “Why don’t we just take a load off and then go to bed?”
Though she eyed him with concern, she didn’t press. “Alright.”
But, she would find out what was troubling him, she vowed, drawing closer to him; that something was huge. It was powerful enough to affect his carefully built demeanor.
“You want to tell me what’s going on?” she probed in a quiet tone, taking the spot beside him on the floor. Then, turning slightly towards him, she took in his tensed features and was filled with even more concern. “It’s obvious that something’s bothering you.”
“Really? Is that so?” Tensing further, keeping his gaze averted, he stared into the burning fire. Within his gray orbs, a direct reflection of red flames glowed, and the firelight flickered with slight pulsating jumps. “Know what I’ve learned over the years? Things just are, and you just find ways to deal with it.” His shrug was quick again. “Talking about it won’t change a damn thing.”
“And how would you know that unless you do?” Before good sense could lay claim to her, she grasped his hand in hers. Her action spurred one from him, and as their gazes clashed, her entire insides ruptured with longing and need. In his eyes, she witnessed the same wants. At the realization, her hold on his hand tightened, and her quiet plea crept out. “Please don’t shut me out….talk to me.”
“Have you ever had good intentions…” he asked seriously, holding her gaze. “…but then those very intentions lead to something that you hadn’t counted on or expected---and that something actually ends up being a hellish thing?”
“Yes,” she swallowed hard, struggling past her guilt for the zillionth time. Wasn’t that happening now with every passing second of her treachery against him? Only heartbreak would result from it. “Unfortunately, more times than I’d care to admit.”
“Regrets always harbor 20/20 hindsight, don’t they? Through a perfect lens, things are seen so clearly.” With reluctance, he broke their visual hold and took his to the fire again. But, they were both unwilling to relinquish their physical contact. On natural instinct, their hand hold tightened. Within the bind, they both sensed a desperate and mutual need. Voicing it wasn’t even necessary. Wasn’t it simply already in their feel? Finally, his pointed question came. “Why can’t we ward off the bad before it happens?”
“Are you just asking me a general question?” she asked quietly, staring at his taut jaw line. Again, she wanted to smooth out the tenseness and hardness that gripped it. “Or has something bad actually happened?”
“All my existence, I’ve always prided myself on being nothing like him.” Under the firelight, his gray eyes gleamed brighter. “But, there are instances that make me question if I’m wrong. Sometimes, it feels like darkness breathes inside of me, one that I can’t harness.” Now, uncertainty played in his gaze. “Maybe just as he is---I am cold, vindictive, and cruel---”
“You are nothing like Carlo, do you understand me?” At her rapid and passionate defense, a look of incredibility stole his features. As he watched her, an embarrassing flush spread along her face. She cleared her throat uncomfortably and plodded on. “While I am involved with him, I’m not so gullible that I don’t realize his faults.”
“If he and I aren’t one in the same…tell me this.” The tumultuous energy radiated from him and straight to her easily. That’s how potent the moment was, and once more, their stares connected with a profound intensity. “Why do I hurt people then?”
“I don’t believe that, not for a minute,” she whispered, swallowing hard again. To see him in such a twisted and unsure state was hard. Couldn’t he see that he was all human and good? “You’d never hurt anyone---not like that.”
“Maybe not directly---like ordering a hit or drive by shooting. But, sometimes, my actions lead to others getting hurt unintentionally.” He released a hard breath. “That’s the bullshit that’s difficult to live with.”
“Was there someone indirectly hurt because of you?” she hedged, choosing her words carefully. “Or again, are we speaking hypothetically?”
His gaze cooled. “Does it really matter?”
This time, however, he did disengage his hand from hers. At once, the emotional barriers rose and stood tall, closing off any intimacy that’d lived amongst them seconds before.
“Of course, it matters---”
“You know what?” Giving an abrupt laugh, he sho
ok his head. “I don’t even know why we’re having this conversation to begin with.”
“It’s telling why we are,” she argued feverishly. “So, tell me what’s going on---”
On the table, his cell phone rang.
In a quick second, he was on his feet and crossing the room. After hesitating for a flash second, he snatched it up. Stiffening further, keeping his back to her, he responded in a low, monotone voice. With every fast, quipped, and abrupt answer, he tensed even more. “Ten minutes? Alright…we’ll meet in the study…bye.”
She rose up from the floor. “I’m assuming you were talking to Cassius.”
“We have to discuss a few things,” he quipped tightly after turning to face her. He flicked his eyes over her fast. Again, the emotional barriers were up between them again. “It’s late. So, why don’t you go ahead and go to bed.”
“I’m not sleepy.” She passed him a defiant look across the room. “What’s so important that you and Cassius have to talk about this late? It’s close to midnight not to mention its 20 degrees outside. Can’t it wait until morning?”
“No, it can’t.” He released a tight breath. “Don’t concern yourself with it---”
“How could I not?” A renewed desperation filled her as she trailed to him. Crossing both arms across her chest stubbornly, she stared up at him. “After everything that’s happened in these last weeks, it should be clear to you that I am involved.”
“Bella, for goodness sakes,” he snapped, finally losing control of his temper. “I don’t have the time, energy, or patience to go twenty rounds with you.” His jaw line tightened. “Now, just go to bed.”
“Why won’t you trust me?” The hurt filled her as she looked at him. “It’s because of him, isn’t it?”
“Don’t put words into my mouth,” he said stiffly, and rigidness emanated from his body. “Again, it seems that you’re self-imposing your own thoughts on the matter.” He released a pent-up sigh. “Seeing as this conversation isn’t getting us anywhere, let’s just drop it.”
“Still, it’s obvious that you’re being selective.”
“Selective?” he asked with an abrupt laugh. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means that there are some things that you feel comfortable talking to be about. Other things, not so much.”
He gave a noncommittal shrug. “If that’s the way you want to see things, I can’t change that.” A heavy sigh left him again. “Bella, just go to bed.”
“So, that’s it?” Her eyes searched his face. “You’re not going to tell me anything?”
His features hardened further. “You guessed right.”
“Well, fine,” she said, miffed and hurt at the same time. “Don’t tell me then.” Fuming, in a huff, she stomped towards the stairwell.
“Bella, wait.”
“What?” she asked sulkily and turned towards him.
The sight of his anxious features deflated her anger at once.
“All and everything that I do is to protect you.” His troubled gaze held hers across the way, and so many unspoken things swam within it. Namely, it appeared that one seemed to be regret. Then, turning, he broke their intense visual contact, and once more stared into the leaping firelight. “Please just hold onto that.”
With those words, she fled up the stairs.
***
Minutes later, he faced Cassius in the study.
“….Bingsby Smokes was lying dead in the alley with a note pinned to his chest,” he muttered quietly, recounting the dark moment, and stared out at a night that was as impressively morose. For the millionth time, regret tinged his conscience. “Fuck, I hate that he lost his life because of me. Our plan was foolproof.” He whirled around to face Cassius. “So, how in the hell did Lucinda Ricci get wind of it?”
“People like that are vultures,” Cassius relayed, sitting forward on the sofa with his huge body. “As soon as something happens, they’re just waiting to swoop in.”
“Well, we’ve got trouble. Serious trouble.” His heavy scowl deepened. “Trouble that goes by the name Lucinda Ricci.” A fierce curse left him. “Damn it, Cassius. I though that you were handling her.”
“Relax, man. Alright? A woman like Lucinda Ricci is hard to tame. More than that, she’s hardly the fool.” Cassius’s brows pierced together in a high frown. “She’s very astute. So, naturally, she’s leery of my sudden attention. I’m trying to play things safe---give her enough space. All at the same time, my goal is to make her interested.”
“Is it working?”
“I’d say yes,” Cassius admitted, and a warm flush stained his brown features. “I’ve seen outright evidence that she has interest in me.”
“Question is---do you have any in her?”
“Hell, no. Of course, I don’t,” Cassius said quickly. “Better than anyone, you know my viewpoint on emotional entanglements.” He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Like I said, coming on too heavy or strong would be the wrong thing. She’ll see right through me if I do.”
“Time is the one thing we don’t have.” Leaning down, he braced both hands along the edge of the desktop; and he couldn’t be tenser than he was now. “Bingsby Smokes uploaded evidence on a flash drive---a flash drive that Lucinda Ricci has her dirty paws on. There’s enough dirt on it to put Vitali and his cohorts away for good.”
“Which means that she now has the upper hand,” Cassius mulled aloud with a thoughtful look. Sighing hard, he stood up, suddenly agitated himself. Then, after halting his incessant pacing, his dark stare fell on him. “Hell, she can play it anyway. She can put the screws into the both of you. Either way, she won’t lose.”
“Now, you understand the pertinence of the moment.”
“Don’t worry.” A strange light gleamed in Cassius’s dark eyes. “I’ll get the drive. After that, we’ll put those sick son-of-a-bitches away for good.”
“That day can’t come soon enough.” Once more, he was filled with disdain. “While I’ve always known that Vitali was irredeemable, this sex trafficking ring of his only solidifies it. Can you believe that bastard was trading out girls as young as sixteen?”
“Cutting his dick off wouldn’t be punishment enough,” Cassius said bitterly, and then stood. Finally, his dark stare fell on him. “We’re going to stop him, once and for all.”
“You’re damn straight.” As he straightened to his full posture, his own look hardened. His features were so rigid that his face muscles hardly moved. “We’ll send him straight to hell.”
***
“We’ve had a quiet evening on this side of Atlanta today folks,” the news reporter murmured in a cheery tone. “Traffic is running smoothly and clearly…no accidents…”
Frowning, still partially wet from the shower, she wrapped the towel more snugly around her nude body. As the news reporter droned on, she passed a bored look at the television. Of course, it was the typical super-cheerful newscast for the late evening news. They were delivering confident smiles and gestures within a bevy of both positive and negative news. “Wish I was in good spirits as well.” Crossing the room, she meandered in the direction of the bed and then sat down once reaching it. “Then, maybe I wouldn’t be so crappy. Of course, as always, you’re good at pressing my buttons and getting me worked up.”
“You’re not playing fair, Braden.” Giving a restless sigh, she fell back onto the bed and stared moodily at the ceiling. Then, after flipping onto her side, she caught an easy view of the television. “Why can’t you see that?”
“Tonight, we’re reporting live from Central,” a one of the other reporters recounted, holding the microphone close to her chest. As suspected, the reporter was dressed in a winter coat and hat. But, it didn’t mar her pixie features at all. “It’s some unfortunate news…a person has been killed…”
“What?” she murmured in surprise, sitting up, and listened closely. “Isn’t that where Rowell said the girls were found?”
“Our sources indicate that the murder
happened right here on Central. According to witnesses, a large clothed man is suspected of the killing…the victim is Bingsby Smokes…Authorities are trying to pinpoint and identify the person responsible for such a senseless murder…… Law enforcement reports that there is a link between this homicide and the missing girls that were found today…””
Suddenly, the deceased victim’s image flashed onto the screen.
As soon as it did, she froze on the bed.
“What?” she whispered in disbelief. “It can’t be…”
“…33 years old Bingsby Smokes was known by many along this area and they’re all saddened by this news….all family will be notified…if you have any information about this crime, please contact the Atlanta police department at this hotline number…”
“No, no, no.” She dived from the bed and paced the floor. “This can’t be happening.”
But, Mr. Goth was dead…
Pausing, she clasped her shaky hands together.
Is this what he’d been referring to earlier?
The part about someone suffering indirectly….
“I knew something was horribly wrong. But, I never would have imagined this,” she whispered, distraught, and her unseeing gaze landed on a point across the room. “What are you involved in, Braden? Have you done something that you’ll regret for the rest of your life?”
She started pacing again.
“But, you’re not a killer.” Closing her eyes, she raised a closed fist to her mouth. “I know you, and the kind of man that you are. You’d never kill someone in cold blood.”
Yet, something did happen…
That something was why he was so agitated and eager to flee town…
There was only one way to find out.
Quickly, loosening the towel, she allowed it to drop to the floor. Then, after snatching the flimsy sheer robe from the chair, she slipped it on.
Rise of the Titan Page 50
