FRACTURED HONOR

by Kaylea Cross

  “Thanks for coming,” he said. “He wouldn’t have eaten anything for me.”

  “I was happy to come.” She glanced over at him. “You’re a good son.”

  Beckett shrugged. “He’s my dad.” And he was a great one. The rock of the family. Beckett’s hero.

  She closed the distance between them, slipped her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder, the sweet scent of her shampoo swirling around him. Beckett suppressed a growl of longing. It was all he could do not to stop and drag her into his arms, cover that sweet mouth with his and to hell with the risk to their friendship, or Noah’s.

  “I hate that a man as good as him is going through this,” she said.

  That cooled the heat burning beneath his skin. “Me too.”

  He didn’t want to take her back to her car, but he drove her to it anyway. He wanted more time with her. A little more time spent without the ghosts in his head and maybe he could wrestle with whether to risk everything he’d built with her and her family for a chance at making her his.

  You already know the answer. You can’t go there with her.

  They arrived at her car all too soon. “Thanks for the ride,” she said with a smile, and hopped out.

  Beckett watched her walk to her vehicle, feeling like he was being torn in two, his heart at war with his conscience.

  Fuck it. I can’t let her go.

  He rolled down his window. “I’ve got an apple pie at home. Feel like a slice?” he found himself asking. It was a lame offer, but it was the only thing that came to mind besides tasting that ripe, sexy mouth and then doing everything in his power to rock her world. Damn, there were so many things he would love to do to her.

  Her smile only made the fire inside him burn hotter. “Sure, I’d like that. I’ll follow you.”

  By the time they made it to his place he was rock hard in his jeans from thinking about all the things he could do to her, his whole body taut with repressed need. Except when he pulled up to his house, he spotted a flash of pink out on the front porch.

  “Is that Ella?” Sierra asked, frowning as she got out of her car behind him.

  “Looks like.” She’d probably come over to spend time with the dog. He hoped Tiana knew about it.

  “I thought she was supposed to be at home after school today?”

  “She was.” He was going to find out what was going on.

  Sure enough, they found Walter lying next to Ella on the porch. She must have used the spare key to let him out.

  “Hi, Mr. Beckett, Miss Sierra,” Ella said, stroking one of Walter’s long ears. “I brought Walter a cookie, and we got him something else on the way to school this morning, too.” She turned to the dog. “Walter, look up. Walter,” she coaxed, trying valiantly to snap her fingers above his head.

  Walter reluctantly lifted his head and looked up, and Beckett spotted the red and blue plaid bow tie she’d put on his collar.

  Ella grinned at him and Sierra. “What do you think? So handsome.”

  Sierra chuckled. “Very distinguished.”

  “Do you like it, Mr. Beckett?”

  He thought it was ridiculous, but he wasn’t going to say that to her, especially not when those big blue eyes were fixed on him like that. “Yeah, I do.”

  He wanted privacy with Sierra but Ella seemed in no hurry to leave. “I thought you were supposed to go home after school today?” he said to her. Normally Tiana didn’t get home until six-thirty or so.

  Ella shrugged and kept petting Walter. “My mom’s working late tonight to cover for one of her friends.”

  Oh. “What about her boyfriend? Isn’t he there?”

  “Yes.”

  Beckett shared a look with Sierra. Clearly Ella didn’t want to go home, even though that’s where she was supposed to be right now. Was she lonely? Wasn’t comfortable around the boyfriend maybe?

  “Are you hungry?” Sierra asked her.

  Ella lifted a shoulder. “A little. It’s okay, though. I’ll just wait here until my mom comes home.”

  “Don’t be silly, come inside,” Beckett told her, opening the door. In the kitchen he got her a glass of milk and a couple of cookies from a package in the pantry.

  She sat in a chair at the table, gaze on her plate, one leg swinging back and forth idly, a distant expression on her face.

  Beckett glanced at Sierra, who shrugged and spoke. “So, Ella. Are you supposed to be home for dinner today?”

  The girl nodded, staring at her untouched cookie.

  Beckett frowned. “Instead you came here.”

  “I went home, but after I dropped my backpack off I came straight here to see Walter.”

  It sounded like an excuse to him. “You didn’t want to hang out with your mom’s boyfriend?”

  At that Ella’s gaze darted up to him, her expression freezing. Then she quickly lowered her gaze.

  Beckett’s instincts were jangling now. Something wasn’t right. “Ella? What’s wrong?” When she didn’t answer he crossed to her and sat in the chair beside her. He consciously gentled his voice before speaking. “If something’s wrong, you can tell me.”

  She bit her lip, seemed to hunch in on herself. “He came into the bathroom while I was having my bath one night,” she finally whispered in a rush.

  For a moment Beckett wasn’t sure he’d heard her right, because the words were drowned beneath the sudden rush of blood pulsing in his ears. He forced back the shock, the red-hot tide of anger and kept his voice level even though his entire body was rigid. “By accident?” If it wasn’t… He curled his fingers into his palms, squeezed.

  Ella didn’t answer. Wouldn’t look at him, her gaze glued to her untouched cookies.

  “On purpose?” he asked, needing to know exactly what had happened.

  She nodded and his stomach clamped tight, his fingers now denting his palms.

  He sat up straight, his heart beating faster, anger and protectiveness swirling through him. Ella wasn’t the type of kid to make this shit up. And now it made way too much sense why she’d been hanging out here after school, rather than going home if there was a chance the boyfriend might be there.

  “Did he touch you?” he bit out, his voice sharp.

  She hunched in more on herself. “No.”

  Beckett was even more uneasy now. There was more to this. He was certain of it.

  Sierra shot him an anxious look and crouched down beside Ella’s chair. “Ella, whatever happened was not your fault. You understand that, right?”

  Ella gave a reluctant nod, still looking ashamed and uncomfortable.

  Sierra watched her with a calm expression belied by the worry in her eyes. “Honey, please talk to us so we can help.”

  Ella darted a glance at her, then up to Beckett before lowering her gaze back to the plate. For a long moment she sat there, frozen, her hands clenched together in her lap. “He showed me his privates,” she whispered in a shaky voice.

  Beckett’s lungs seized and he tensed like someone had sucker punched him in the gut. Motherfucker.

  Outrage flashed in Sierra’s eyes but she stayed where she was, maintained her outward calm. “He did?”

  Ella nodded, her cheeks bright red, humiliation stamped all over her face. “And then he…rubbed himself in front of me.”

  Beckett felt sick as he envisioned it.

  “He… He wanted me to touch it, but I wouldn’t. I shut my eyes.”

  There was pain in Sierra’s eyes now. Pain that told Beckett she was remembering something hurtful. “Did you tell your mom?”

  Ella shook her head, looking miserable as tears slid down her cheeks. “He said if I told anyone, he’d kill her.”

  Bright red fury pulsed through Beckett’s bloodstream, so powerful it all but stole his breath. Every muscle in his body was wire-tight as he thought about that son of a bitch violating Ella’s innocence that way. As he remembered all the horrific abuse and injustice toward children he’d seen overseas.

  He was on his feet
without realizing it. “Stay here with Ella,” he growled to Sierra, already heading for the front door. His body was locked and loaded, spoiling for a fight with the predator down the lane.

  “Beckett, wait,” she called out, but he didn’t stop or look back.

  His mind spun, his usual control rapidly slipping away as the seconds passed. He hadn’t been able to do anything to protect those kids overseas.

  Never again. He could and would do something about this. He would protect Ella now and make her abuser pay for what he’d done, see that he was brought to justice.

  He jumped off his top step and took off in a run the moment his feet hit the front lawn, racing across the grass toward the path that cut through the forest in a shortcut to Tiana and Ella’s house.

  The bastard’s SUV was parked out front.

  Beckett slowed to a lope as he reached the driveway and leaped up onto the front porch. He was breathing hard as he hit the bell, not because he was winded, but because of the fury roaring like lava through his veins.

  For one moment he considered kicking the door in, but managed to rein in the impulse at the last moment as footsteps sounded in the hallway.

  The door opened. Brian blinked at him in surprise, then frowned, presumably because of the lethal expression on Beckett’s face. “Hey. What—”

  Beckett pulled back his arm and slammed his fist into the middle of the asshole’s face.

  Bone crunched as Brian’s head snapped back. He screeched and hit the floor on his knees, both hands cupped around his nose and mouth as blood began to pour from between his fingers. “Fuck! What the fuck?”

  Beckett grabbed the front of Brian’s shirt, jerked upward. “You sick son of a bitch,” he snarled. Seams ripped as Beckett drew his fist back again, ready to deliver another dose of medicinal justice.

  “Beckett, no! Don’t.”

  He had just enough control left for Sierra’s voice behind him to stop him. But he didn’t let Brian go. Instead he fisted the front of the asshole’s shirt and glared down at him, his chest heaving. One punch wasn’t enough to satisfy him or ease the rage pumping through his system. A busted lip and nose was only a fraction of the pain this motherfucker deserved.

  “Beckett.” Sierra’s feet thudded lightly on the wooden front steps as she ran up them. She set a hand on his back, her touch light, tentative. “No more. Don’t ruin your life over this piece of crap.”

  “Excuse me?” Brian said.

  Beckett clenched his jaw. It would feel so goddamn good to hit him again, to beat him until he couldn’t get up.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you, man?” Brian yelled, grabbing hold of Beckett’s wrist with one bloody hand and trying to wrench out of his grip.

  Not happening. This fucker wasn’t going anywhere but to jail. “Call your brother,” he said to Sierra, his voice low, dangerous. “Get him over here now.” Before I kill this fucker with my bare hands. Thankfully she didn’t interfere further and did as he said, walking back down the front steps as she spoke to Noah.

  “Let me go, asshole,” Brian yelled, still struggling, blood dripping down his chin, staining his shirt and splattering over Beckett’s fist. “I’m pressing charges.”

  “Shut. Up,” Beckett snarled, giving him a warning shake that made Brian go still. This son of a bitch had showed his junk to Ella? Had blackmailed her into silence by threatening to kill Tiana if she told anyone? Fuck that. Fuck him. And what the hell else had he done? Ella might not have told them everything. “Did you touch her?”

  “Who? What the fuck are you talking about, you psycho?”

  “You know exactly who,” he growled. “Did you touch Ella, you sick motherfucker?”

  The man’s green eyes widened slightly and he paled beneath the blood spatters on his face. “What? What did she tell you?” He tried to shake his head. “Whatever she said, it’s a lie. She’s fucking lying.”

  The urge to smash the fucker’s face in was so strong Beckett struggled for breath for a moment. It took him several seconds to get control. “If you come near her again, I’ll fucking tear you apart. Do you understand?” Holding Brian’s gaze, he let the other man see the killer inside him, the deadly promise beneath the words. “I can kill you fifty different ways and make it look like an accident. No one will ever find your body. Feel me? You go near her again, you even talk to her again, and I’ll put you down like the animal you are. That’s a promise, and I swear to God, I’ll keep it.”

  Brian gulped, then launched into an outraged tirade that Beckett paid no attention to whatsoever. He was focused on holding this predator in place where the asshole couldn’t hurt anyone else, listening behind him as Sierra continued speaking to her brother.

  “He’s on his way,” she said to him a moment later. “Should be here in under ten minutes.”

  Beckett glared down at Brian in warning. “You move from this spot, I’ll break another few bones in your face.” He shoved Brian onto his ass on the entry floor and folded his arms, silently daring him to run.

  Brian squawked and immediately tried to scramble to his feet but stopped when Beckett uncrossed his arms and took a menacing step forward.

  They held a short staring contest until the coward looked away, unable to take the accusation and strength of Beckett’s gaze. Oh yeah, this bastard was guilty. Sierra waited behind him out on the porch, pacing back and forth.

  Finally Noah showed up. He loped up the front steps in his uniform, stopped in the doorway to take in the scene with a single glance. “Well. Evening, folks. What’ve we got here?”

  “This asshole showed up on the doorstep and punched me in the face as soon as I opened it,” Brian accused, thrusting a finger at Beckett. “He broke my goddamn nose, flung all kinds of disgusting accusations at me—”

  Noah held up his hand and looked at Beckett. “Why’d you punch him?”

  “Because he deserved it.”

  Amusement glittered in Noah’s eyes but he kept his game face professionally in place. “Enlighten me.”

  Beckett told him, and the tightening of Noah’s lips as he turned back to stare down at Brian was reassurance enough that this bastard was going in for questioning.

  Noah did his job, listening to everyone’s side of the story as he took their statements separately, making notes and calling it in to dispatch before hauling Brian to his feet and slapping on the cuffs.

  “What?” Brian spluttered, twisting around to look at Noah in disbelief. “Are you fucking serious?”

  “I’ve got two witnesses who said the exact same thing, and Ella’s version of events. I’m going to talk to her next. For now, you’re coming in for questioning while we investigate this further.”

  “What about them? He assaulted me without provocation, and she saw it,” he said, jutting his jaw out.

  “They’re coming in too,” Noah said.

  A car pulled up in the driveway. Beckett and Noah turned around as Tiana climbed from her vehicle, her expression worried, auburn hair flying around her shoulders as she hurried toward them. “What’s going on? What’s happened?” Her gaze darted back and forth between them. “Is Ella okay?”

  Beckett stepped forward to meet her. “Not exactly.”

  “Where is she?”

  “My house. She’s safe, I promise.”

  She relaxed a little, only to gasp when she saw Noah walking Brian out of the house in handcuffs, her boyfriend’s face and chest covered in blood. “What the…?”

  Brian didn’t waste any time protesting his innocence. “Don’t listen to them, babe,” he said earnestly. “It’s all lies, I swear. I didn’t do it.”

  She remained unmoving beside Beckett, a dozen yards away from Noah. “Didn’t do what?” She peered up at him, her mismatched eyes searching his. “Beckett? What didn’t he do?”

  “I’ll talk to you in private, ma’am,” Noah said. “Right after I put him in the back of my patrol car.”

  Noah ignored Brian’s sputtered protests, put him in the back and
shut the door. Then he came back to them, took Tiana by the arm and led her a discreet distance away.

  Beckett knew the moment his friend told her the important bit, because Tiana gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth in horror. Her gaze shot to Beckett, shock and fear there. Looking to him for confirmation or denial.

  Beckett nodded once. “It’s true. I’m sorry.”

  Her hands lowered slowly from her face. She was pale, but there was no mistaking the lethal wrath in her expression as she swung her gaze toward the patrol car.

  Then she wrenched away from Noah and bolted right for it, murder in her eyes.

  Chapter Twelve

  Sierra bit back a protest as Tiana whirled and tore toward Noah’s cruiser. Her brother cursed and started after Tiana, clearly about to intervene, but Beckett caught his arm.

  “Give her a second,” Beckett murmured. “I wanna see this.”

  Noah shook his head and yanked free. “Yeah, not happening.”

  He caught Tiana a foot away from the rear door. Inside, Brian immediately started shaking his head and babbling, his voice muffled by the window, but they could still hear him. The bastard was proclaiming his innocence, insisting Ella was lying.

  He made Sierra want to throw up. This entire incident had shaken her, dredging up things she would rather forget.

  “I didn’t do it,” Brian argued, eyes wide, wearing an innocent expression that had no doubt worked in his favor in the past. “I would never—”

  Tiana slammed both hands against the window, making Brian duck back as though he was afraid she would shatter the glass. “You disgusting pig of a bastard,” she choked out, and hit the window again.

  Noah grabbed her, hauled her backward. She resisted and kept yelling, her words devolving into grunted curse words and threats as she vented her anger on her daughter’s abuser.

  Noah sighed. “Tiana, stop. I need you to calm down.”

  Tiana didn’t. She ignored Noah as he dragged her farther away from the patrol car and kept on shouting at Brian. Threatening to cut off his balls if he ever came near her or her daughter ever again.