by V J Lee
“She took you away from me.”
Shaking his head, trying to clear out the confusion, he continued, “Explain that one to me, seeing how it was you who was gone for three years?”
“You never came looking for me. Before her,” Petra spat, “you always came after me. Instead of running back to me like you always did, you ran to her. I called. You were distant and cold, and I knew it was her fault. When I asked you for money, instead of helping me, you told me to get a job. Again, her fault. Had you not been with her, you would have come back to me and been able to be with your son sooner.” She said “her” like a swear word, disdainful that Rissa was even a topic of discussion.
He grabbed her arms and pressed her into the counter. Wine sloshed out of the wine glass onto the hardwood floor, looking like drops of blood.
“YOU LEFT ME SIX TIMES!” he shouted. “Six FUCKING times, I came crawling back to you! Six FUCKING times, you broke my heart! The last time, I was done! Rissa was my sanity in that crazy, insane, fucked up world you subjected me to! She made me see what it was like to be in a real, grown-up relationship, with someone who put me first for a change. Someone who cared about my needs and wants. It felt good … it felt damn good. She didn’t keep me from you; you kept me from you. I needed her love, and goddamn it, she gave me everything I needed.” He broke away from her and raked his hands through his hair.
“If she was that great, why aren’t you with her?” Petra sneered. “You came to me … and came in me … remember that night? So, she must not be as great as you seem to remember.”
“Petra, I’m just trying to say she did nothing wrong, so stop treating her so poorly.”
“Why? Does she keep coming to you crying about how mean everyone is to her?”
“No, she would never do that. She isn’t one to complain about anything. I have eyes. I have ears. I know what you’re up to, and it stops here and now. I want your name off the cottage.”
Petra placed her glass in the stainless-steel sink, then slowly turned. “What are you going to do for me? I’m going to be your wife, not her, so you had better start treating me like it. You wanted me by your side forever, not her. I hold all the cards. She has nothing.”
Well, she did hit the nail on the head. As of tomorrow, Rissa would have nothing left, but her parents and her job.
“You do realize that you haven’t signed a prenup yet, right?”
That got her light green eyes to reveal her hand. “What do you mean, prenup? We never spoke about a prenup when we decided to get married …”
“Maybe that’s because we didn’t decide to get married. I never asked you, Petra. You woke up one day and said, ‘Jacob wants us married, so we are getting married. Here’s the bill for the engagement ring I bought.’ So, I’ve been working with an attorney, drafting a prenuptial agreement, and it’s ironclad. Because, what are you worth, Petra?” Trevor tapped his chin with his forefinger, pretending to be deep in thought. “Oh, I know. Nothing. Now that I have my family’s inheritance, I’m worth what, Petra? I bet you know better than I do. Seventy-five million in cash assets, roughly?”
“Not counting the businesses and properties,” Petra responded, her eyes wide.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. So, think hard. What my lawyers and I come up with all depends on you, and how you not only handle this cottage situation, but how you treat Rissa from now on. Oh, and just so you know, if I die for any reason, you get nothing. I would hate to be worth more to you dead than alive, my love.”
He turned on his heel, and headed for the guest room, where he spent most of his time.
* * *
His boss was staring at him, expecting him to say something. What did Jock say? Shit, maybe he should have been listening.
“I asked if you have any information on the missing women,” Jock repeated, as if he could read Trevor’s mind. He leaned forward in his leather chair, gray eyes boring into him across the oversized cherry wood desk. Papers had been stacked neatly in the right-hand corner.
“No, every lead I thought I had, turned out to be nothing.”
“I didn’t think so. It’s not like you’ve been working your ass off or anything.” When he shot a confused look at his boss, the older man continued. “I understand that you have a full plate, what with your son, engagement party, bachelor party, fiancé, wedding and tying up the loose ends of your parents’ estate …”
Trevor scooted down in his chair, so his neck was able to lean against the fabric headrest. “So, is this an ‘I need to get my head out of my ass, get in there and work my ass off’ speech?”
“No, I brought you here to give you the ‘I’m gonna put a bullet in your balls’ speech.”
Trevor immediately corrected his posture and sat up straight.
“You know how much I love you. The rest of the guys love you, too. We’re all going to your wedding … only because we care about you.”
“But?” Trevor had to know what was on Jock’s mind.
“But we love her more. Rissa is like my daughter. I know she thinks of me as an uncle, but for me, she is the daughter I never had. I hate to see her hurt.”
“She seems fine to me.”
“You would think that. Everyone does. She will be happy for you, as long as you are happy. She truly does want the best for you. If Petra makes you happy, you will never know she is upset.”
Putting his head back again and closing his eyes, Trevor said, “God, I love her like I never thought I could love a person. When I’m away from her, she is all I can think about it. When I’m with her, her scent makes me hard. The only thing I can think about is getting into her. I thought the love and lust would fade, but it gets brighter, clearer, stronger every day. She makes me want to be a better man, do better things.”
Jock made a face. “God, Trev, TMI. You know, when you find a person who makes everything right in your world, you have to hold them close, never releasing them. So, it’s great that you and Petra are getting married. I know I should have made an honest woman out of Susan, but she just got tired of waiting around, waiting for me to commit to something other than the Agency. Regardless, as long as Petra and Jacob make you happy, Rissa will be happy for you.”
Trevor stared at Jock with a combination of shock and disgust. “I wasn’t talking about Petra. I meant Rissa.”
Jock bolted out of his chair, sending the wheeled object into the wall behind him. “What kind of fucked up games are you playing, Trevor?” He started around his desk, rolling up the sleeves of his white Oxford, revealing muscular forearms. “What is it with you? You can’t love the one you’re with? You can only love the one you don’t have? You get Rissa back, and you’ll be jonesing for Petra. I can’t say I approve of this vicious, fucked up cycle you’ve got yourself into here. I really am considering shooting your balls off.” Jock paused, as if a thought had just occurred to him. “No, wait … better yet, I’ll call Cosmo. Maybe a little torture is in order? That guy could keep you conscious for hours, while inflicting ten outta ten on the pain scale. Granted, he makes a bloody mess, but I seriously wouldn’t mind cleaning up after that.” Jock hiked up his pant legs to sit comfortably on the corner of his desk. “Trevor, answer me this: If you love Rissa as much as you say you do, why did you propose to Petra?”
Trevor stood, putting the chair between him and his boss. He wasn’t afraid to admit he was scared of Jock. The man had menace radiating from every pore. “I didn’t ask her to marry me. She just told me that’s what we were going to do, for Jacob and our stupid snobby gated community neighbors … hell, she even bought herself the ring. I wish I could be Jacob’s dad without being Petra’s husband, but unfortunately, they’re a package deal.”
Jock stretched his long legs out in front of him and crossed his ankles. “Do you remember what you said to Rissa when you gave her that ring? You handed it to her then told her, ‘don’t get excited … it’s not an engagement ring, it’s just a promise that I will always love you.’”
&
nbsp; Trevor couldn’t sit back down. Uncomfortable conversations, especially with his superior, made him want to fidget and pace. He didn’t want to get too close to Jock. The man was lethal—he had seen it firsthand. He never wanted to be on the receiving end of that, but was preparing to get his ass kicked. Better a fist in the face, than a bullet in his balls, Trevor figured, but both options seemed pretty daunting. Good to keep moving … a moving target was more difficult to hit. “That hasn’t changed. I just told you I still love her.”
Crossing his long arms across his broad chest, Jock replied, “Not what I’m getting at. She came in here after that happened and told me what you said. I waited for her to be pissed, maybe cry or rant. Do you know what she did? The woman held her precious, tiny hand up and said to me, ‘How can I not get excited? This kick-ass ring is a promise that he is going to love me forever!’When Petra stepped back into your life, I would catch her staring at that ring, and she would say to me, ‘Don’t worry. He will keep his promise.’ You started spending more time with Petra, less time with Rissa, and she would say, ‘He’ll never break his promise.’ Even when you told her that you slept with Petra and you had decided to be a family for Jacob, she took the ring off, but still, she said, ‘Sometimes promises change. It doesn’t mean he loves me any less, just that he needs to love his family more. And that’s okay. They need him.’” Jock fixed Trevor with an unblinking gaze. “Can you believe it? She has always given you the benefit of the doubt. She has always believed you were a good person. She wouldn’t have loved you so madly if you weren’t.” Jock proceeded to crack his knuckles, and Trevor prepared to be punched in the throat.
“Most women would have been pissed that they didn’t get an engagement ring. Not Rissa. She was happy to have anything from you. Most women wouldn’t have accepted Jacob as their own, not even knowing if you truly were the father or not. Not Rissa. She would never assume, nor suggest that the kid isn’t yours. Most women would have never let you protect and take care of another woman, one who had hurt you six fucking times and manipulated your return to her six fucking times. Every time, you went running back to her like a little bitch. Not Rissa. She had no ill will against Petra. Told you to do what you need to do for your family.” Jock sighed. “Hell, Trevor, when you started spending almost every night at Petra’s, any woman would have thrown your shit out on the front lawn and set fire to it. Not Rissa. She opened her arms and her legs to you whenever you wanted. Any woman would have hated you for leaving her, especially to go back, yet again, to Petra. Not Rissa. She knew you. Your family needed you to protect them. Not even when you got Petra a job here at the Agency and talked me into opening a daycare in the building, did she utter a word of protest. To this day, I have never heard her say a bad word about you or Petra. Which brings me to the point of my rant. Are you listening?” Trevor nodded.
“I. Do. Not. Like. The way Petra talks to Rissa … and about Rissa. But most of all, I sincerely dislike that you let it happen. That stops today. The snide remarks, the sexual innuendoes, the blatant public displays of affection. Done. No more. I will not lose an agent of Rissa’s caliber, because of you two. If it continues, not only will I shoot your balls off and hand you over to Cosmo, I will also have the Vamps drain you dry, and then give you over to the Spirit Wolves on a new moon.” The lines of tension around Jock’s eyes and mouth made it very clear he wasn’t kidding.
Trevor closed eyes. “Help me get her back … please ….”
The older man shook his head. “I can’t do that, Trev. You ripped her heart out and shoved it down her throat. Just remember what I said. Do not hurt her again. Do not cause her any more pain. She’ll never show it, but this whole thing is killing her.”
Chapter 6
It had been a week since the Spirit Wolf attack. Rissa’s staples and stitches were out, and the scars were just what she’d hoped they would be. She looked like a badass. She looked like a seasoned veteran, though they were still sore and itchy as hell, as the muscles and tissues healed from the inside, out.
Rissa was able to remain in the cottage, but she wasn’t about to let Petra hold it over her head, so she was making arrangements to move out, as soon as possible.
Jock had ordered her to travel to the Loveland branch of the Agency, because there were men missing from the area. Just like the local missing women, no one close to the men even knew they were gone. There were also some teenagers causing problems, which they wanted her input on—code for “see if they’re human.”
He was sending a chaperone with her, as if she needed protecting. She wasn’t Petra. The trip would be short, but they needed a couple of days to check out some of the local gangs, to verify their humanity and to determine if they were affiliated with the teens in question. She was happy to go. Some distance between Trevor and his fiancé was just what the doctor ordered.
She heard a car’s wheels crunching up the driveway, just as the sun started to set behind the Rocky Mountains, causing the blue sky to turn dusky pinks, purples and oranges. Rissa walked out to the porch of the cottage with her overnight bag in tow, locking the front door behind her. The spring air was warm and refreshing, energizing her. Like the flower buds starting to open in her front yard, renewing themselves, it was time she did the same. It was time she let go of her old baggage, and try to put herself first, for once.
She would start with the outside and work her way in … maybe try some acrylic nails and a new hairstyle. A new look, complete with some new clothes, could lead to a new life. She could find herself a man who wanted to marry her and give her kids—someone who would hold onto her and never let her go. For now, she was the only person she knew she could count on.
The black sedan with tinted windows pulled around so the trunk was in convenient reach. The trunk popped open, revealing a small black bag, just like hers. All of the agents had the same cars, same bags, and wore pretty much the same kind of clothes. Little clones who could blend into crowds and blend into traffic … if people only knew who they truly were. Walking around to open the passenger door, she felt a blast of cool air, but what enveloped her was a sweet, familiar scent that wafted out of the dark interior. It was like clean soap and exotic spice—a scent she knew well. Trevor was in the driver’s seat.
“So not getting in this car with you,” she spat out.
He shrugged. “Then I guess I’ll go it alone. No biggie, I’ve watched you long enough. I think I can tell who is human, and who’s not.”
She snorted. “You could not. You would never be able to tell the difference between human and Other. You can’t even differentiate between good and evil.” On impulse, she slid into the cool car and latched her seat belt.
Trevor arched his brows. “Thought you weren’t getting in?”
“You think I’m going to let you screw up my case? No way in hell. Now, shut up and drive.” She knew she shouldn’t go. She should get out of the car and let him make the trip alone. But work was all she had now. She always went above and beyond, and that wouldn’t change, even in her current situation. She wouldn’t let her pride stand in the way of her job.
As Trevor took the frontage road to the interstate, Rissa couldn’t help but check out his profile. He was a good-looking man, that much was certain. He had classic “All-American Boy” good looks, cut with a little something more. Danger? God, she was going to make herself nauseous.
“How’d you get stuck babysitting? I figured one of the Washingtons, or Steve, or even Jock himself, would be tagging along with me. I can’t imagine Petra is very happy that you are on a business trip, leaving her alone and defenseless.”
“Well, Jones and Davis fought about it for a while, then decided that they didn’t trust one another alone with you. They’re probably still in the gym, trying to figure out who is the strongest. They’ll likely be there when we get back. Jock and Chuck had a top-secret meeting with the big wigs about all the missing people. Petra had to go out of town herself for a few days for … something. I had to finali
ze some stuff with the lawyers, so I couldn’t go with her. That left Steve to supervise her and Jacob. The only other person near equal to you in fighting skill was me. So, you’re stuck with me, babe.”
“Not anymore,” she let slip out. Before he could read too much into her comment, she changed the subject. “So, did you get your parents’ estate finalized?”
Not taking his eyes off the road, he answered, “It was final a while ago. They had all the legal loose ends tied up before they died. Everything was in order, so I just needed to sign some papers. I had some other things to do, but Travis was there to help. It was nice seeing him.”
“How is he doing?”
“Good. You know Trav, always on the hunt.” He paused to look at her, taking his eyes off the road for an unsafe amount of time. “Jacob misses you.”
“Please, don’t. Don’t go there,” she warned. “And keep your eyes on the road.” Rissa’s voice softened a bit. “You know, your parents would have loved him.” She watched as his knuckles turned white on the steering wheel, causing the leather cover to creak under the pressure of his grip. She continued. “They would love that you have a family and are happy.”
“They liked you.”
She shifted her gaze to the scenery breezing past her. “No, not really. They thought I was beneath you, and you know it … ever since we had dinner together and I ate my entire meal with my salad fork. They always felt Petra was your perfect mate.”
“She’s not. I know that …”
Rissa interrupted him. “I don’t want to talk about this.” She turned away from him and pulled the lever to lean her seat back as far as it would go. She kicked her shoes off and pulled her knees to her chest, curling into a ball with her back to him. Her eyes closed and welcomed the opportunity to sleep.
