As much as I didn’t want to, I believed him. I knew my brother. He was a terrible person, but he wasn’t capable of something like that. He just didn’t have it in him. But that didn’t mean I was willing to be pulled down into the muck with him any more than I’d already been.
“You need to leave. Right now, Shep.”
He looked at me in complete bewilderment. “You’re really not gonna help me?”
“I’m really not,” I replied, determination dripping from my voice. “Maybe if you’d shown me even an ounce of brotherly affection growing up, I’d have it in my heart to help you. But you didn’t, and I don’t.” My voice came out as a croak as I said, “I tried to get you to love me. That was all I ever wanted from you, a brother who cared about me and would protect me. I tried to be a good sister to you, but you broke my heart over and over again. You treated me like I was nothing more than shit stuck to the bottom of your shoe. You, Mom, and Dad not only made my life a living nightmare, but you actually got off on hurting me. So no, I will not lift a finger to help you.” Reaching across the counter, I grabbed my cell phone and held it aloft. “You’ve already ruined my life enough. That stops now. You have five seconds to get the hell out of my house, and my life, before I call the cops.”
Shep stared into my eyes for several seconds, an emotion I’d never seen on him and couldn’t place stark in his eyes. He didn’t say a word as he turned and started for the back door.
“Oh, and Shep,” I called, making him pause and look back at me over his shoulder. “Don’t ever come back. I’m done letting you break my heart.”
For a second, I thought I saw guilt in his eyes before he turned and disappeared into the woods behind my house, but that couldn’t have been right. It was probably just a trick of light, but it didn’t stop my heart from aching as I brought my phone to life and hit the speed dial for the number I’d programmed days before.
“Detective Wanderly,” he answered in a deep, authoritative voice.
“Uh, hi. This is Eden Brenner.”
“Eden? Is everything okay?”
“Well.” I bit down on my bottom lip so hard I tasted blood as I fought back the lump in my throat. “Not really. My brother just left.”
There was a pause, then “We’ll be right there.”
And as humiliating as it was to admit, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d just betrayed my own flesh and blood.
* * *
Detectives Walker and Wanderly took up my entire couch with their massive frames as Lincoln stood with his shoulders propped against the living room wall. I sat nervously in the chair, twisting my fingers together in a death grip as the waves of silent anger rolled off him and slammed right into me.
“Do you have any idea how he got in?” Detective Walker asked, looking up from the tiny notepad he’d been scribbling in as I told them all about my latest encounter with my brother.
“I’m assuming he picked the lock on the back door.”
That anger morphed into rage, hitting me so hard it nearly knocked the air from my lungs.
Trick’s forehead creased in confusion. “Then how did he bypass the alarm system?”
It was like a lightbulb went off in my head, and I suddenly realized exactly why Lincoln was so pissed. “I, uh… didn’t have it set.”
That time it was Lincoln who spoke. “And you didn’t have it set because…?”
The way he spoke like he was a disappointed father set my blood to a simmer. “Because I forgot,” I replied impudently.
“Your brother had already broken into your house once. There have been more than just a handful of robberies all over town, as well as a murder, and you forgot?”
We entered into a glaring contest, not giving a damn if our hostility made the other men in the room uncomfortable. “Yes, Lincoln,” I snarked. “I forgot. No need to be an asshole about it.”
He pushed off the wall and pulled his hands from his pockets in order to cross his arms over his chest as he moved closer to me. “See, that’s where you’d be wrong, baby. My woman forgetting to set a goddamn alarm system, inadvertently allowing her criminal brother on the run from the police and a gang of other criminals worse than him to break into her house for a second fucking time most certainly warrants me being”—he leaned in close to me and bellowed the last two words—“an asshole!”
I shot from my chair, closing even more of the distance between us until we were practically nose-to-nose. “Let’s get one thing straight right goddamn now. I am not your woman, Lincoln, so what I do or don’t do isn’t any business of yours. I don’t even know why you’re here right now!”
“I’m here because you’ve proven yourself incapable of looking after your own safety. Since that’s the case, I’m gonna make it easy for you and do it my damn self.”
“I… you… that’s… Gah!” I finished on a shout, throwing my hands wide. “You’re such a jerk!”
“I can live with you thinkin’ that if it means you don’t get caught in the crosshairs of the shit your brother’s stuck in.”
“It’s not your place!” I cried. “I’m not your concern, Lincoln, and my safety isn’t your fucking responsibility.”
His face turned to stone as he replied, “You’re delusional, you really think that, darlin’.”
Grabbing hold of the hair at the crown of my head, I spun to the detectives. “Can one of you talk some sense into him, ’cause I’m at risk of a concussion if I keep running into this particular brick wall.”
Detective Walker lowered his head in an attempt to hide his smile, whereas Trick had the nerve to laugh outright.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but I’m with Linc on this one,” Trick said. “What you did wasn’t smart. It was my wife, I’d be just as pissed as he is.”
“I’m not his wife!” I exclaimed loudly. “I’m just a neighbor!” I whipped back around to the infuriating man. “You wouldn’t be treating Nona like this if she were in my shoes.”
“No, probably not,” he answered casually. “Then again, it wasn’t Nona beneath me a couple nights ago, and it wasn’t Nona coming around my fingers.”
My whole body jerked back in shock. “I cannot believe you just said that,” I whispered, my brain screaming in affront while my body had a different reaction entirely.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Eden
He shrugged. “Just stating the truth. No offense to Nona, but she’s not the woman I intend on havin’ in my bed for a good long while. You are. Therefore your safety is totally and completely my concern, and I’ll be damned if I let you get in my way of me making sure nothing happens to you. I’ve grown pretty fond of that sweet body of yours, baby. Be a goddamn shame if I had to miss out on it ’cause I was doin’ jail time for ripping the lungs out of the person who threatened to harm it.”
My heart did backflips in my chest. There was something seriously wrong with me, because instead of being incensed at his barbaric declaration, I was seriously turned on.
There was nothing I could say to that, so I didn’t bother. Facing the couch once more, I asked, “Can we just get back to the matter at hand, please?”
“Think that’d be smart,” Detective Walker declared, visibly battling his amusement and doing a piss-poor job of it. “Did he say or do anything else that stands out in your mind? Anything you think we should know?”
I thought back to the conversation between me and my brother. “He admitted to the robberies,” I told them, “but he seemed genuinely shocked when I told him about the murder. I can’t imagine why he’d admit to one crime but pretend not to have any idea about the other.”
Lincoln let out a derisive snort. “He might be stupid, but no one’s that big an idiot. The sentence that comes with a murder conviction’s a whole hell of a lot heavier.”
I shot a look in his direction. “You think I actually like defending him? I don’t, Linc. You know how I feel about my family, but he’s a terrible liar—unlike some people.” Lincoln and I shared snarky looks on that comment. “Wh
y do you think his rap sheet’s so damn long? If I believed him, it’s because he’s telling the truth.”
“Baby, he’s desperate. He said it himself, he’s got people on his ass gunnin’ for blood. Desperate men are capable of anything.”
“I know that, but he was still in the same clothes he’d been wearing the first time he came here, and it was obvious by the look and smell of them that he hadn’t just changed into them, but had been wearing them this whole time.”
The atmosphere in the room changed, and all three men went on red alert. “What do you mean?” Trick asked.
I resumed my seat and propped my forearms on my knees. “He hasn’t bathed in weeks. I could tell just by looking at him. And his clothes were damn near in tatters, stains and holes all over them like he’d been wearing them just as long. But there wasn’t any blood. Not a speck. How can a man who stabbed someone to death not have a single drop of blood on him?”
Walker leaned back and rubbed at his scruffy chin in contemplation. “He could’ve changed.”
I shook my head. “No one would willingly change into those clothes. They were rank. They’re all he has. And like I said, he hasn’t bathed in forever. There was dirt and grime all over him, under his nails, but no blood.”
“Eden, sweetheart,” Trick started softly. “You know we still have to find him. I get you believe he didn’t kill anyone, and you very well might be right, but we still have to investigate.”
“I know,” I replied just as softly. “That’s why I called you. He needs to pay for everything he’s done. I’m not trying to stop that.”
“And you’ve got no idea where he’s staying?”
“None,” I answered with a shake of my head. “It’s been getting cold at night and he didn’t have a jacket, so he’s obviously got some kind of shelter, but nothing with running water.”
Trick nodded and stood. Walker did the same, stowing his pad and pen in the inside pocket of the suit jacket he’d matched with jeans and a button-down. “Okay, this is good. Thanks for calling. And if he shows back up—”
“I’ll call, don’t worry,” I said. “But I don’t think he will.” He lifted a brow in question. “For starters, he told me the people after him were going to kill him, and I still wouldn’t give him money to help him get out of town. Then I kinda… well, I told him I’d be calling you guys. And when he was leaving, I told him to never come back.”
He tilted his chin at me in understanding, and he and Detective Walker headed for the door. They both stopped to lean down and give Rocky’s head a pat before leaving me alone with Lincoln.
Damn.
I slowly turned back around, unsure what the hell to do next. He stood there in the middle of the living room like a modern-day knight in shining armor. Only his armor consisted of flannel, faded jeans, and motorcycle boots. “You got an extra pillow and blanket?”
My chin jerked back in surprise and confusion. “What? Why?”
“Your couch, darlin’.”
No less confused, I stated, “I’m not sleeping on the couch.”
He gave me a devastating grin, complete with perfectly white teeth and dimple. “No, but I am.”
My breath quickened, and my heart began to beat frantically against my ribs. “Linc, that’s not necessary. I’ll set the alarm.”
“I’m sure you will. But I’m still stayin’.”
I didn’t think I could handle him being so close for such a long time, whether I was sleeping or not. I was barely hanging on as it was. “Lincoln—”
His voice came out rough, devoid of cockiness or humor as he said, “Baby. I don’t think you get how serious the guys after your brother really are. There’s not much that gets worse than them, and you can bet your ass you’re already on their radar, like it or not. Please don’t argue with me. I need this. I need to know you’re safe, and the only person I trust to keep you that way is me.”
I couldn’t argue with that even if I wanted to, which I really didn’t. The sincerity in his eyes slayed me, and I found myself relenting. “I’ll get you a blanket and pillow.”
I struggled to admit it, even to myself, but the truth was I wanted him there. Not only because knowing what I knew now about the men after Shep terrified me, but also because I missed him. As hard as I tried not to, I missed him like crazy. It had only been four days, and we barely knew each other, but there it was. It didn’t make a damn bit of sense, but where the brain functioned on rationality, the heart was completely different, and mine was crying out for him to the point that I feared it would for a long time.
When I came back into the living room, he was standing beside the couch, kicking off his boots. Rocky was curled up in the seat of my chair, tucked in for the night.
“Here you go.” I passed him the cozy throw I usually kept at the foot of my bed and one of the many pillows I surrounded myself with at night. “You, uh, need anything else?”
That dimple popped out as he smiled. “No, baby. This is good. Thanks.”
“Okay, well….” I was stalling, trying to drag out every last second with him that I could whether it was smart or not.
“Go to bed, Edie. You need to rest.”
“Yeah. Yeah, okay,” I agreed, dazed from the smell of his cologne when he moved closer. “Rest is good.”
A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest, making me ache all over. “It is.” Humor filled his voice as he reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “And I’m thinkin’ you might really need it right about now.”
He leaned in close, and I could have sworn he was going to kiss me. And god, how I wanted him to. “Uh-huh.”
Instead, he shifted at the last second, his lips landing at the corner of my mouth. “Sleep good, baby.”
“You too,” I replied, doing my best to hide the sag of disappointment in my shoulders.
As I made the walk to my bedroom, I kept telling myself that this was for the best, but there was too big a part of me that wasn’t so sure about that.
* * *
Lincoln
My chest rose with a deep inhale. I’d been unconsciously counting each one since I laid eyes on her after four long days of hell. It was as if I hadn’t taken a full one until that very moment. I hadn’t even realized I’d been taking half breaths until I spotted her standing behind her car. Then all the air I’d been lacking for days came rushing back into my lungs.
I lay on my back in Eden’s dark living room with an arm cocked behind my head, staring up at the shadows cast along the ceiling. The couch was surprisingly comfortable and managed to fit me perfectly, so that wasn’t what was keeping me awake.
It was the smell of her drifting from the pillow beneath my head. It was the warmth of my surroundings, the love and pride she’d taken in every single decoration or photo in the house. It was the soft, barely there sounds she made in her sleep that filtered down the hallway. They might as well have been as loud as a chainsaw. She was everywhere, in everything, buried beneath my skin so deep that I knew I’d never be able to work her out. And fuck me, but that was just fine.
For the first time in my life, I actually had a woman I wanted there, and I’d fucked it up.
Stirring from beside me caught my attention just in time to see Rocky hop off the chair, padding out of the living room and down the hall to Eden’s bedroom.
“Traitor,” I mumbled into the quiet. Then I turned onto my side and searched for sleep.
* * *
Eden
I hadn’t slept for shit.
Every time I managed to doze off, I’d have a dream about Lincoln and wake in a sweat with a persistent throb centered between my thighs.
The last time I woke, the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, but I knew there was no chance of getting back to sleep. I was up for good.
With a quiet groan, I rolled to my back and bumped into something large and furry.
Pushing up onto my elbows, I looked at Rocky sprawled out on the other half of my bed. “Well hey ther
e, little monster.”
He lifted his head and gave his tail a lazy wag before falling back down and drifting back to sleep.
Blowing out a frustrated puff of air, I threw the covers back and climbed out of bed, padding across the floor to the bathroom. I did my business, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and headed to the kitchen for some necessary coffee.
Halfway down the hall, I stopped when the light from the guest bathroom caught my attention. The door was cracked halfway open, and Lincoln was standing at the sink washing his hands… in nothing but his jeans.
The sight of the muscles in his back stretching and flexing mesmerized me, and all I could do was stare. His whole upper body looked like it had been cut from stone. It was pure, unadulterated perfection, and as I stood cemented to the spot, my mouth went completely dry. My nipples tightened, and wet pooled between my legs.
Oh god. I couldn’t handle this. It was too much.
With a force of sheer will, I unglued my feet from the floor and resumed my walk to the kitchen.
On autopilot, I started the coffee to brew, all the while thinking of that night at the police station and how badly it hurt to find out the truth of what Lincoln had done. I just didn’t think I had it in me to forgive this time. I’d been used and humiliated too many times in my life by too many people. As much as my heart hated the idea, this had to stop.
“Coffee, thank Christ.” Lincoln’s chest hit my back as he reached over my head to retrieve a mug from the cabinet. “Mornin’, buttercup,” he said gently in my ear. “You sleep well?”
My body broke out in goose bumps as I shifted to the side to get out from between him and the counter.
“Not really,” I muttered.
He turned and propped his hip against the granite where I’d just been standing, lifting his full mug to his lips and taking a sip. “Me either. Trying to sleep with you just feet away drove me crazy all goddamn night. I’m thinkin’ tonight—”
“I can’t do this,” I interrupted.
Out of My League: a Hope Valley novel Page 20
