Ethan (Face-Off Book 5)

by Jillian Quinn

  I shrug. “I have no idea. Ever since the night we kissed, I’ve asked myself the same thing.”

  “Either way, we’re lying to him. I hate the secrecy.”

  “Will is like a brother to me. I met him not long after—” I stop myself from saying more, out of fear Mia will want to rehash my past.

  “Not long after you lost your brother,” she finishes for me.

  I narrow my eyes at her. “How do you know about Erik?”

  She frowns. “I’m a reporter. Did I ever tell you why I wanted to become a journalist?”

  I shake my head. “No, you never did.”

  “Because of you.” She digs her pointy finger into my bicep. “You left me without saying goodbye. You broke my heart that day. I thought if I could learn how to track down information that I could find you. Then, you showed up, not long after my first semester of college, as if nothing happened. But you were different and much darker than the boy I talked to on the swings in my backyard. The Ethan I knew was long gone.”

  “You know about Erik, then.” Bile rises from my stomach, choking me.

  She bobs her head. “Yes, but the newspapers didn’t provide a lot of details. I only know that he died in a car accident. You were dreaming about him this morning.”

  It took me years to tell Will about my brother. He knows all of my darkest secrets. Sometimes, a reporter has the nerve to ask me about Erik, and every time I shut them down. No one outside of my inner circle can know about my real life. It’s none of their business.

  “I have nightmares about my brother. I hate that I lived and he died. I feel guilty. We were twins. A part of me died with Erik. It left me hollow. I still am. Your brother came into my life at the right time. He reminded me so much of Erik. I started to smile again. I felt alive when I was with Will.”

  She holds her free hand up to her mouth, and her eyes well up with tears. The pain on her face slices into my chest. I swipe a tear from her cheek and decide to keep going. After telling her this much about my past, she should hear the rest of the story, even though I would rather not share it.

  “Erik had a blood clot that traveled to his brain and caused a stroke. It was a ticking time bomb. I was driving the car.” With a heavy sigh and continue, “I tried to help him when he started seizing and ended up hitting the guardrail. It all happened so fast. I woke up in the hospital. The last time I saw my brother alive was right before the car flipped. Almost everything after that is a blur.”

  She tightens her grip on my hand. “You were you hurt, too?”

  I nod. “I had some short-term memory loss for a few months, a broken leg, a pinched nerve that still hurts sometimes, and a cut above my eyebrow. I hit my head hard on the steering wheel. When the airbag broke, I cracked my thick skull on the window, and well, that’s how I got this souvenir.” I point to the scar above my left eyebrow. “This isn’t from hockey, even though I tell everyone that’s how I got it. At the time, it sounded cooler to say it was a battle scar.”

  “I understand you so much more now. Your brother is the reason Will is so important to you and why you need his approval.” Mia swallows hard and wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. “I don’t want to be the one to take him away from you. I can’t… not after you’ve lost so much.”

  I silence her concern with my lips. The simple act causes her to still until our lips separate. “We’ll figure this out. I promise.”

  “E, I don’t want your friendship with Will to end over us dating… or whatever it is we’re doing. He’ll be pissed if he finds out we’re having sex behind his back.”

  Before I can respond, my cell phone rings, the obnoxious sound interrupting our conversation. I fish it from my pocket and glance at the Caller ID. It’s Will. Of course, it is.

  I hold the phone to my ear. “Yeah, I’m here with Mia.”

  He asks about our shopping adventure and tells me to put it on his credit card. Alanna has the information on file. I’d prefer to buy Mia the dress for our dinner, but Will insists on doing something nice for her.

  “The association called,” he says. “Did you hear from them?”

  “Nope, not yet. What did they say?”

  “We can move in next Thursday. The repairs are almost done. Only one more week of sleeping on Mia’s sofa. You coming back to her place or what?”

  I glance over at Mia and wink. “Yeah, I guess I can rough it with you for a few more days. Unless you want to come stay at the Ritz with me.”

  “Nah, Mia can use the company. When are you guys coming back? I want to grab dinner at the Mexican place that opened down the street.”

  “Umm… okay. We should be home in the next two hours.”

  We say our goodbyes. My heart sinks into my stomach when I see the deflated look on Mia’s face.

  “We’re not going to dinner now, are we?”

  “No,” I confess. “But I’ll make it up to you this week.”

  “When Will isn’t around?”

  I sigh. “I didn’t want to tell him no.”

  “I’m not mad, E. I get it. Keep it casual. Friends with benefits don’t go to fancy dinners with each other. So, I guess I won’t be needing a dress.” She releases her grip on my hand.

  “We’ll find a way, okay? Tonight is a small bump in the road. Get the dress because you’ll need it, and your brother will get suspicious if you don’t come home with at least one bag.”

  “Right.” She bites her lip. “Good point.”

  I pull her onto my lap and plant soft kisses along her collarbone and shoulder before making my way to her lips. She smells of her flowery perfume. Drinking in her delicious scent, I burrow my face in her neck. A chill runs through her body that causes her to tremble in my arms. I love having this effect on her.

  “You two doing okay in there?” Alanna asks from the other side of the door.

  Define okay.

  “Yes,” I say. “We need more time.”

  I need more time to tell Will.

  “Oh, okay. Perfect. I’ll be in the shoe department if you need me.”

  The second Alanna disappears, my mouth is on Mia’s, and my tongue is parting her lips. We need this time alone before we have to go back to her apartment. Before we have to face Will.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Mia

  When I walk into Old City Records, the bell over the door chimes. Connor pokes his head out from the backroom and waves with a bright smile on his face.

  He strolls down the center aisle toward me. “You’re early.”

  I glance at my wrist to check the time. “Only by a few minutes.”

  “I was cleaning up in the storeroom. Do you mind holding down the fort until I finish?”

  “Go right ahead. I can handle the customers.”

  I slip behind the counter and drop my purse to the shelf beneath the register. Connor taps his fingers against his thigh as the beat picks up and John Lennon’s voice comes through the overhead speakers. An awkward pause passes between us, where he hums the tune, staring out the window that spans the front of the store.

  “I love this song,” he says. “I’ve been rocking out to The Beatles all day. They help me clear my head.”

  “I can see that.” I sit on the stool behind the counter and prop my feet up on the small wooden ledge.

  Connor’s behavior is odd, but it doesn’t prove a thing. All of my leads ran cold before I could make any headway. Fred has been crawling up my ass about my lack of useful information. He even threatened to remove me from the case, so I have to step up my game.

  “Were you busy today?”

  Connor shrugs. “An older couple stopped by around lunchtime. They were looking for Abbey Road. That’s what got me in this mood. Other than that, I’ve had a pretty quiet day.”

  When my cell phone dings, I fish it from my purse and smile when I see Ethan’s name on my screen.

  “I’ll let you take that,” Connor says. “I have to get back to work. We can order a pizza later if you want.
My treat.”

  I flash a closed-mouth smile. “Sounds great. Thank you.”

  Once Connor disappears into the back of the store, I read the text message from Ethan.

  Ethan: I need to see you. Dinner later?

  Mia: I have to work until ten.

  Ethan: I’ll pick you up.

  Mia: See you then.

  The countdown until Ethan and Will move back into their apartment started a few days ago. My heart aches with each passing day. He wants to tell Will about us. I do too. But both of us are afraid of losing Will over our relationship.

  I’ve grown accustomed to kissing Ethan before bed and eating breakfast with Will in the morning. I’ll miss both of them for different reasons. At least we have a few more days together.

  Twice in over two hours, Connor stepped out from the back office. Once, Connor said he was running down the street to grab a soda from the pharmacy, the other time a pizza. He came back with a duffle bag over his shoulder from his pharmacy run and a pizza in his hand the next.

  We ate a few slices together and talked about vinyl records and music from the seventies, all while I tried to uncover more information about his business. Same as usual, I got nothing. Connor covers his tracks well. Or at least he was doing a pretty good job of it before a dark-haired man in his late twenties strolls through the front door.

  Dressed in a black suit fitted to his muscular frame and a crisp white oxford, this man screams money. Lots of it. He shoves a hand through his dark, wavy hair and fixes his gaze on me.

  “You must be new,” he says.

  He’s maybe ten years older than me and easy on the eyes. A thin scar sweeps across his right cheek, intensifying his dark, masculine features.

  I give him a polite smile and nod. “I started a few weeks ago. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

  He scans my face before his gaze falls to my breasts. “Is Connor here?”

  “Who should I say is here to see him?” I slide off the chair and come around to the other side of the counter, awaiting his response.

  “An old friend.” That’s all he offers. He tilts his head to the back of the store. “Is he in his office?”

  Noting the change in my expression, he takes that as a yes. Before I can get in another word, the man darts past me. I follow behind him, begging him to wait, but he’s determined to get to Connor. Signals go off in my brain, red flags waving one after the other. All night, Connor has been acting strange. Then, his old friend shows up unannounced.

  How convenient.

  Maybe tonight is the night.

  Every lead I’d followed was completely bogus until now. The strip club was a waste of time. The only illegal thing about that place was the price of the drinks. All of my stakeouts with Clarke were nothing more than snack-induced comas filled with stale coffee and girl talk. At least it gave me a reason to spend more time with Clarke outside the office. Still, it would’ve been nice to gain some intel or at least one solid lead.

  The man pushes open the cracked door with the tip of his shoe, revealing a surprised Connor. He looks at the man first, horror scrolling on his face, and then to me. His expression softens when he locks onto me.

  “Can you give us a minute, Dora?” Connor clears his throat and swallows.

  I almost laugh every time he uses my fake name. “Sure.”

  The man steps inside the small office and closes the door behind him. Pressing my back against the wall, I crane my neck to listen and hear nothing, not a single sound. They must be waiting for me to leave.

  Dammit.

  I tiptoe down the hall in hopes of catching a bit of their conversation. But I can’t hear a thing. I should’ve come to work more prepared. On my stakeouts with Clarke, we brought listening devices. Of course, now I need them. I rushed out the door at work, afraid to be late for my second job, and forgot the gadgets in my cubicle.

  Connor spends a lot of time in his office and never forgets to lock up before he leaves. Whatever he’s hiding must be inside. I can’t make out a single word spoken behind his closed door.

  The Mafia funnels most of the cocaine and heroin in the country through Philly. Even though Connor seems innocent enough, I’m not here because he’s some average Joe. Connor is a drug dealer and who knows what else, but I have to prove it first. I have to get this story no matter the cost. A few of my colleagues launched their careers with one story. I could easily do the same with a high-profile case like the Old City Records Ring.

  After twenty minutes of waiting, maybe more, I jump at the sound of the bell ringing throughout the store. There’s a rustling inside Connor’s office. I make a beeline for the front counter, the nervous energy pushing me to move faster.

  Relief washes over me when I spot Ethan flipping through a box of records.

  “Hey.” I close the distance between us and thread my fingers between his.

  He squeezes my hand and smiles.

  “I have another half hour before I can leave. Do you mind waiting?”

  He shakes his head, and a dark strand of hair falls in front of his bright green eyes. My heart claws at my chest. He’s beautiful, absolute perfection, and all mine.

  “Of course not,” he says. “For you, I have all the time in the world.”

  The corners of my mouth turn up into a wicked grin. “Stop trying to flatter me.”

  “Flattery will go far tonight.” He laughs. “That was Will’s fortune the night we went to Scores. He opened a cookie at Chinese Garden right before we met you and Clarke.”

  “I see.” I unhook my fingers from his when Connor and his friend strut down the center aisle toward us. “Try to behave yourself,” I say under my breath. “That’s my boss.”

  He glances up from my face. His eyes narrow as he looks at Connor and the man next to him. They stop in front of us. Connor smiles. His friend flexes his jaw.

  Connor studies Ethan’s face and recognition sparks in his eyes. “I know you. Waters, right? I haven’t seen you in a long time. What’s it been? Like ten years.”

  Ethan shoves his hands into his jeans pockets, his body growing rigid. “Yeah,” Ethan replies after a long pause.

  Do they know each other?

  Connor’s gaze travels between Ethan and me. “You two together?”

  I nod. “Ethan’s picking me up.”

  Connor smirks. “I didn’t know you were down with that.” His words confuse me. “How much are you looking to cop?”

  I narrow my eyes at Connor, confused by his unusual question until I realize he’s asking me if I want to buy drugs.

  What the fuck?

  “We’re not,” Ethan says before I can answer.

  The dark-haired man adjusts the black duffel Connor brought back with him earlier over his shoulder and excuses himself. He slips out the door, and Ethan and I stand awkwardly in front of Connor.

  Connor peeks up at the clock on the wall behind the counter. “You can leave early. I’ll close up tonight.”

  I flash a closed-mouth smile at Connor and reach behind the counter for my purse. “Thanks. Have a good night.”

  “You, too.” Connor stretches his hand out for Ethan to shake. “Waters, you know where I am. Come see me. Anytime.”

  Ethan leads me outside with his hand on my back, his nervous energy shaking through me.

  I live a few blocks from the record store. We make a left toward my apartment without speaking. Where do I begin? I have so many questions.

  “Are you hungry?” Ethan asks, ending the silence between us.

  “No, Connor ordered pizza. Are you?”

  He shakes his head. “The only thing I’m hungry for is your pussy.”

  I smile, but it quickly fades. “What was all that about, E? How do you know Connor? Why did he think you would want to buy drugs?”

  He looks down at his feet, his gaze moving upward when a man in a Flyers T-shirt says to his friend, “I think that’s Ethan Waters.”

  Ethan acknowledges them with a feigned s
mile and a nod. The boys don’t stop us. We keep moving down Market Street. Ethan has a strained expression on his face that gives me the chills, his disposition so cold and gloomy I can’t stop wondering what happened back at the store.

  “Answer me, E.” My tone catches his attention. “How do you know Connor?”

  “We were friends a long time ago.”

  “Connor is a drug dealer.”

  He shrugs. “I’m a hockey player.”

  “Don’t do this. Please tell me the truth. You damn well know that I’m working at Old City Records on a case. Stop being so cryptic with me. I need answers.”

  “That part of my life is in the past.” He grabs my hand when we cross the street at the stoplight. “Let’s leave it at that.”

  “No,” I say loud enough to garner the attention of a couple passing us. “That’s not good enough. You owe me some answers.”

  “Keep it down,” he growls, his voice deep and low.

  He’s reverting to the asshole that returned years ago. I don’t like his alter ego.

  Once we reach my building, he drags me into the dim hallway and up the three flights of stairs. Not until we reach my apartment does Ethan release his grip on my hand. I remove the keys from my purse and open the door for us. Within seconds of shutting it behind us, Ethan has me pinned against the wall with his big body.

  “Will isn’t coming home tonight,” he says.

  “I know. He texted me earlier.”

  Ethan leaves a trail of hot breath along my skin as he fumbles with his zipper. “I want your pretty lips wrapped around me.”

  “Why are you acting like this? Fucking answer me!” I yell so loud it’s as if something inside me snaps. “I’m so sick of this shit. You can’t go into that dark place. Years ago, you did the same thing and pushed me away until I hated your guts. Not every problem in your life can be solved with sex. Talk to me, Ethan.”

  “Why?” He presses his palms to the wall on each side of my head. “So you can write a story about me? My life is not for sale. It’s not something I want on display for the entire world.”

  My heart aches. “You don’t trust me?” I stare into his eyes to gauge his reaction. “I thought by now you would know that I can keep a secret. I would never use anything you tell me, personal or professional, to sell papers.”