Too Close To Break

by M. A. Innes

  Locking the door, he walked into the kitchen to grab some paper towels and soda. Maddox just kept laughing and Bryan kept glancing between Kevin and me, ignoring Maddox’s hyena impression, clearly unsure what to say.

  “What?”

  “He’s a douche.”

  Kevin looked down at the pizza then over to the door. My answer evidently wasn’t clear enough.

  “The pizza guy?”

  Oh, yeah. “Yes. What a dick.”

  Kevin still couldn’t connect the dots as he started heading back toward the couch. “Did he do something to the pizza I didn’t see?”

  “No.” Maddox gasped out the word as he tried to stop laughing. “He was flirting so bad it was like he was—”

  I broke in, my frustration bursting out. “Was from a bad porno. All he needed was one of those big handlebar mustaches.”

  Maddox nodded and lost the battle not to laugh again. Bryan just ignored him and looked at Kevin. “He was kind of obvious.”

  “And you’re married! What an ass.” I couldn’t move past that part.

  Kevin shook his head, not seeing it the same way, but he walked around the table and climbed onto my lap. Straddling my legs, his face got a pinched look, and he mumbled, disgruntled. “Shit, forgot.”

  I wrapped my hands around him and palmed his ass, smiling. “I haven’t.”

  Gripping my shoulders tight, he looked calm. His fingers were going to leave bruises, but at least the neighbors didn’t know how close he was to coming. He was going to kill me.

  Kevin did his best to push away everything that was probably flooding through him and looked at me, smiling. “You have nothing to be jealous over.”

  “I’m not jealous. He’s a moron.”

  “Suuure.” Kevin dragged the word out and grinned. “He’s just some guy who’s said hi to me when I was studying a few times. He wasn’t even flirting.”

  Pulling Kevin close, I gave him a kiss. If it caused the plug to move and nudge his prostate, that was just a happy accident. “You’re mine.”

  “You gonna tattoo that on my forehead?”

  Grumbling, I gave his ass a pat to punish him for the teasing. “That’s what the ring is for. Should have bought something flashier.”

  Before Kevin could reply, Bryan spoke up. “No, you two aren’t starting that shit. Pizza and dragons. Dungeon sex, remember?”

  The blush that flashed over his face was enough to distract both of us, and we laughed as Kevin climbed off me to grab the pizza. Shaking my head, I couldn’t resist poking at him. “I think you’re the bad influence here. All this talk about sex.”

  “That’s what I keep saying.” Maddox sighed, but his grin ruined the serious, put-upon expression. “He keeps saying it’s me, but I think he’s in denial.”

  Bryan looked like the pizza in his hand was going to go flying toward me at any minute, so I reached for the remote and a slice. When he started to relax as I turned the TV on, I couldn’t resist one more. “It’s always the quiet ones you have to worry about.”

  Kevin leaned into me, a grin on his face. “I know. You were one of the quiet ones too.”

  Chapter 3

  Kevin

  Jeremy was right. Not that I was going to tell him that.

  I also wasn’t going to tell him I’d looked up “bad seventies porn” online. It was a brain-bleach moment. I was never going to get those images out of my head. Unfortunately, along with the horrifying memories I couldn’t get rid of, I also understood what they’d been trying to say the other night.

  He had been flirting with me. I just wasn’t sure why.

  I wasn’t a moron. I knew I looked pretty good. I might not have had much self-esteem in high school, but not having to hide how I felt from Jeremy and escaping our parents’ house helped a lot in that department. From the way “Call me Rich,” the pizza guy, watched me it was like he was trying to convince me I was the hottest person out there.

  Who fell for that shit?

  I’d even flashed the ring and talked about “my husband” so much it sounded like I couldn’t function without Jeremy, but it hadn’t helped. If anything, that only made it worse. He kept brushing off those comments and trying to turn the conversation back around to him.

  It was weird.

  It also meant that I was going to have to find someplace else to study. Which sucked because I got a lot done at the library. At home, the TV and having Jeremy close at hand were too tempting. We both needed to work, and with classes being out for the summer, I didn’t want to drive him crazy by hovering over him all the time.

  Coffee shop, maybe?

  I frowned as I tossed my books down on the table. That would get expensive. Sucking it up and telling my new best friend that I wasn’t interested was sounding like the best option.

  “Jeremy?” I hadn’t been sure how long getting my studying planned out would take, but I’d actually done a pretty good job until stalker-pizza-guy showed up, so it hadn’t taken me as long as I’d thought. Jeremy and I’d said we’d meet at home later, but we hadn’t specified a time. There had been a few things Jeremy had needed to do for work, and then he was going to help Maddox with his website design. Maybe he hadn’t gotten back yet.

  Looking around, I spotted a note on the table.

  Gone to coffee shop with Mad to talk about design. Back soon.

  When was soon? Shrugging, I began clearing my stuff off the table with the idea of possibly making dinner to surprise Jeremy. Thinking that Bryan and Maddox might not have plans, I started hunting for my phone.

  A knock on the door had me abandoning the search for my phone and heading over to see who it was. Mentally juggling dinner options and trying to figure out where my phone went, I didn’t even think before I opened the door.

  Thinking would have been a good idea.

  I just stood there staring. An older guy, mid-thirties probably, waited there looking calm and friendly, but he made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Something about the man screamed police. I wasn’t sure if it was the haircut or the way he held himself, but there was no hiding what he did for a living.

  I must have looked completely panicked. The plainclothes cop took a step back and his hands went out to his side, nonthreatening, with his palms facing me. “Kevin Abrams? I’m Detective Avery Davison with the Major Crimes Unit. I’d like to talk to you about a call that came into our precinct recently.”

  A better person would have probably asked what was going on or made a more rational choice. “I’m sorry. You have the wrong apartment. I think he’s in D over in the other building.” I gestured toward the next apartment structure. “I get his mail all the time.”

  The cop looked at me and nodded. “I’m sorry for interrupting your day. Thank you for your time.”

  “No problem. I was just heading out.” I took a step back and then headed to the table to grab my books as he started toward the elevator. Snatching them up off the table, and finding my phone too, I headed for the door. Knowing I only had minutes to leave before the guy realized I didn’t live in D, I started for the stairs.

  There was no way I was getting in the elevator with him.

  Slamming our door must have gotten Bryan’s attention, because his head popped out of their apartment as I walked by. “Hey, do you know when they’re supposed to be back? I called—”

  Shit.

  “The girls went to grab some coffee. Come on, I’ll drop you off over there before I head to class.” Silently begging Bryan not to blow my lie, I angled my body away from the elevator, so the cop couldn’t see my face.

  I could hear the whirl of the motors and I knew the door would open at any moment. All I had to do was make it a few more seconds. Bryan nodded. He either saw the cop or just knew I was completely insane but either way, I didn’t care. “Um, yeah, good idea, thanks. Let me…let me grab my keys.”

  It was the longest ten seconds of my life.

  When he came back to the door, keys and phone in hand, he glanced
over at the cop who was focused on his phone and then back to me. I gave my head a subtle shake and prayed he’d play along for a few more minutes.

  Bryan followed me silently as I headed for the stairs just as the elevator started to open. The cop looked at us, but we were already heading down. Afraid I looked suspicious, I started to ramble. Because of course, that would make me look completely innocent.

  “The history class isn’t as bad as I thought it might be. I don’t know what everyone was complaining about. Mandy’s phone not working again?”

  There was the slightest pause behind me before Bryan picked up the conversation. “Probably not charged. It needs a new battery. And not everyone likes to memorize random shit. I’m not looking forward to history, but I need to take it next semester.”

  We kept up the ridiculous conversation about history classes he didn’t need to take until we finally got to the car. The cop had walked in the opposite direction, but I think we were both afraid he might be able to hear us.

  Climbing in, we both got silent as I carefully drove away. Finally, when we were out of the parking lot and heading over to the campus, Bryan let out a shaky breath. “What the fuck? Why was a cop at your door?”

  “No fucking clue, but he said he was looking for Kevin Abrams about a phone call that came into the police station.”

  “What did he want?”

  “I don’t know. I lied and said I wasn’t Kevin.”

  “Don’t quote me on this, but I don’t think you’re allowed to do that.” Bryan gave me a skeptical look.

  “No shit, Sherlock. But I panicked. My mother threatened to tell the cops Jeremy had raped me or something. I just couldn’t do it.”

  “Maybe it’s about something else…” Even he thought that was a stretch. “Like…”

  “I’ve never even gotten a speeding ticket, and he didn’t seem to be looking for donations. What else could it be?” I was starting to breathe faster, and I knew I was gripping the wheel too tightly, but I couldn’t get my fingers to relax.

  “They found a body you buried somewhere?” Bryan sounded a little too eager when he said that.

  “First of all, I’m smart enough not to get caught, and second, he said they got a call. See, no bodies being found.”

  “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. With the way Jeremy plans, you could get away with anything.”

  It would have been funnier if he was joking, but looking at his face, he was serious. Dork. “We should go to the coffee shop, right? That’s where the note said they were. But Jeremy didn’t say when they’d get back.”

  Bryan started nodding and I could see his brain whirling in circles. Probably doing the same insane loop that mine was. “Yes, they’re supposed to be there for probably another hour, but they weren’t sure how long it would take. Maddox said they like talking business stuff there because they both end up with new clients. I’m starting to think that neither of them needs to concentrate on building up their customer base. He was so busy that last couple of weeks of school I don’t know when he slept. Tax season wasn’t even that nuts, and I told him then he was going to get some sleep or I would—shit, oversharing, sorry.”

  I was not the only one who rambled when they were nervous.

  “Finishing that sentence would have been waaaay too much information.” Laughing at his word vomit helped push some of my irrational fears to the back of my mind.

  There were still enough rational ones to keep my brain occupied.

  The drive to the coffee shop didn’t take long, and I was so relieved to see Bryan’s car there that I was almost lightheaded.

  Bryan sagged down in the seat, almost melting. “They’re here.”

  I was feeling the same way but parking the car had to come before I could fall apart. Once the car was stationary, everything started to go a little gray. “Do you think you could go in and get the guys? I don’t feel…me walking is probably a bad idea at this point.”

  Bryan looked at me like he wasn’t sure if I was going to die in the car, or if I was just being dramatic. I wasn’t going to kick the bucket, but I also didn’t want to faint in the parking lot. And my hands were starting to shake so badly that I wasn’t sure I could play off the whole “everything’s fine” routine.

  “Okay, I’ll hurry. But don’t die or do something stupid because then Jeremy would kill me. You really don’t look good.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be back to my picture-perfect self in no time.” Leaning back in the seat, I closed my eyes and tried to take some deep breaths.

  “I’ll be right back.” He said it a couple of times as he unbuckled and climbed out of the car. “Just wait right here.”

  Like I was planning on going anywhere.

  I just concentrated on breathing in slowly and deeply like one of my therapists had shown me. I couldn’t remember how many beats I had to hold it for or if I was supposed to inhale through my nose or exhale, but even thinking about it gave me something else to obsess over.

  So it probably helped anyway.

  It had to have taken a few minutes, but it seemed like only seconds until the guys came hurrying out of the coffee shop. It wasn’t at full speed, but you could tell they had somewhere important to be. I was just hoping they hadn’t made a scene. That was all we needed, more cops.

  Jeremy opened the door before I could make my hands work enough to grab the handle. “Climb in the back seat with me, Baby. You’re going to tell me what happened while Maddox drives.”

  I had to admit I was slightly wobbly as he helped me climb out. But I felt much better as he buckled me into the small middle seat in the back and sat down beside me, pulling me into his arms. It was a little awkward, but he made it work.

  When I grumbled about the seat belt, he made it clear I was going to be safe. “I’ll probably be locked up in the state pen, but you can’t come and visit me if you’re dead.”

  I knew he was trying to tease, so I played along. “Maddox isn’t that bad of a driver.”

  “Hey!” Funny enough, Maddox took offense at that.

  “Yeah, Maddy up here is a great driver. I’m just better.” Bryan smirked. Some of his color was starting to return, and he looked more confident again. Hopefully, I didn’t look like death anymore, but I wasn’t so sure. I still felt like a train had hit me.

  “Maddy?”

  “I wasn’t sure what the cop knew, so I didn’t want to say anything that could connect back to us. I said ‘the girls’ were over at the coffee shop. Bryan played along.”

  “I was a wonderful accomplice.” Bryan sat up straighter in his seat. “If we need to bury a dead body or something, I’m your man.”

  Laughing, I nodded. “You did great.”

  “I thought you were drunk at first or role-playing something weird, actually. Once I saw the cop behind you, then things snapped into place.” Some of the laughter started fading from his eyes and he got more serious.

  Jeremy jumped in. He was clearly tired of not having enough answers. “What did the cop say, Baby?”

  I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to remember everything. Shock made it stand out. “He came to the door asking for me and saying that they’d had a phone call come into the police station and he needed to talk to me.”

  “Did he say about what?” Jeremy was trying to sound calm, but I could hear the worry growing by the second.

  “No, I didn’t let it get that far. I said that he had the wrong apartment and that I was always getting his mail. I sent him over to the other building and then started to leave.” Definitely not the best plan but I thought it was pretty good on such short notice.

  Jeremy’s fingers started running through my hair. “How did Bryan get mixed up in this?”

  Bryan spoke up. “As he was leaving, he slammed the door. I thought it was him getting back, so I looked out trying to see if he knew when Mad was going to be home. He wasn’t answering his phone again.” Bryan turned to frown at Maddox, “I told you it needs a new battery.”


  “Sorry. I didn’t realize it was dead.” Maddox seemed overly contrite, and I knew he felt bad about not being there when Bryan needed him.

  “And not the point.” Jeremy shook his head.

  “Sorry, you’re right.” Bryan took a deep breath and focused on what had happened. “Kevin started talking about ‘the girls’ being at the coffee shop and something about heading to his class. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about at first. He looked a little freaked, but it didn’t make sense. It wasn’t until I saw the cop getting into the elevator that I realized he was trying to leave the building right then. I grabbed my keys and phone and said I would come with him to meet you here. Once we were in the car, he started telling me what happened.”

  “You were a great accomplice. Cool head under fire, B.”

  “Told you so.” The fact that Bryan seemed to be taking it so seriously made me grin, even though the rest of me wanted to hide.

  I glanced over at Jeremy. He was my planner. “What are we going to do?”

  “Well, did he have a search warrant or show his badge?” I could see his brain start to work through the problem. I loved the way he could tackle anything but right then, I just wanted him to make it all disappear.

  “No.”

  Jeremy thought for a moment, then tilted his head questioningly. “Did he say anything about me?”

  “No, just that someone called the precinct, and that they had some questions for me.” I wished I’d had more to tell him but I felt lost.

  “But he didn’t know what you looked like? He just walked off when you said that he was in the wrong place?” Jeremy seemed confused at the idea. I wouldn’t have believed him either if I hadn’t been there.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s weird.”

  Understatement of the year.

  “What do we do? I probably shouldn’t have lied, but I didn’t know what else to do. If he was going to ask about the accusations she made or about our relationship, I couldn’t do it alone.”

  “Of course not.” Jeremy’s hold on me tightened. “We’ll figure it out. I promise.”