Cook's Choice: A Bad Boy Protector Romance (Lost Boys Book 4)

by Janice M. Whiteaker

  “Cause you’re one hell of a bitch, girl.”

  19

  “WELL HELLO THERE.” Violet scoots to the edge of her recliner. “I was just about to take my afternoon nap.” She gives me an exaggerated wink. “But I’d rather keep my eyes open if I get to look at you.”

  “Then I guess it’s your lucky day.” I step into her room, scanning the space. “I thought Carly might be in here.”

  “I haven’t seen her since you were pawing all over her at lunch.” She primps her tightly curled hair on one side of her head. “Lord, it’s been years since a man had at me like that.”

  Wow. I thought Carly would be shocked by the things I whisper in her ear at night. Violet is making me second-guess that assumption.

  “Her office is closed up, so I thought maybe she’d come here.” I start to back out of the room, intending to leave Violet to her nap.

  “I’ll come with you.” Violet worms her way out of the chair, gripping her walker. She peeks into the brightly-colored bag hanging from the crossbar then heads my way. “I need the exercise after all that food anyway.” She pauses at my side. “Otherwise I’ll get backed up.” She tips her head to look up at me as she passes. “Maybe you could make a prune dessert or something.” She pats her belly. “Might move everything through easier.” She wrinkles her nose. “And it would sure as shit taste better than that Metamucil crap.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” I actually mean it. I like making shit work in the kitchen, combining things people don’t expect in ways that blow their minds.

  And I especially like doing it for Carly. Her reaction to food is so unfiltered and honest and real. Probably because she’s used to eating fucking ramen, but I’m going to believe it’s because she likes what I feed her.

  Violet waves at a group of women as she shuffles down the industrial carpet. “You girls seen Carly?”

  They all shake their heads. “You checked her office?”

  “Handsome here did. Said she wasn’t in there.”

  “I said the door was shut.” I lean in closer to be sure Violet can hear me. “The door was closed.”

  Violet stops and turns my way. “I’m not deaf.”

  “I thought maybe you didn’t hear me earlier.”

  “Of course I did, but I assumed you’d knocked like a normal person.” She shakes her head and turns to start shuffling again. “If I go all the way down here and find her where she should be, I’m going to take back a few of the nice things I’ve said about you.”

  “Men never know where anything is.” One of the women from the group falls in line with us, her own walker occasionally banging against Violet’s. “You can tell ‘em the exact spot and they still can’t find it.” She eyes me. “They can be nice to look at though.”

  I glance back to find a few more old ladies bringing up the rear, each one of them checking my ass out.

  They’re not even trying to hide it.

  We make it to Carly’s door and I lift my knuckles to rap on the wood. Violet’s hand flies up to grab my arm. She slowly leans in to press her ear against the door. A second later her eyes go wide and her already pale skin goes white.

  Her head snaps to the woman at her other side. It’s the woman from lunch, Evelyn I think Carly called her. Violet points to the door handle and backs up, letting the other woman move in.

  I dodge Violet as she tries to grab me, rushing to Evelyn’s other side so I can press my ear to the door.

  The muffled words are difficult to hear, but the tone is one I recognize immediately.

  And it sends me three long steps back, ready to kick the door in. “Move.” I whisper-yell it at the woman blocking my path.

  Violet just tucks in tighter to Evelyn’s side, shaking her head at me with one finger pressed to her lips. A second later the woman at her side nods and steps back, tucking a few narrow pins into her own walker bag.

  In less than a heartbeat, Violet is flinging the door open.

  King’s eyes immediately find mine.

  He looks older. Wilder.

  His skin is grey and covered in a sheen of sweat. His clothes are wrinkled and stained. He looks nothing like the man he was.

  King looks broken and battered.

  “I shoulda shot you when I had the chance, boy.” He lifts a blade against Carly’s neck. “But maybe this will be better. I finally get to take something from one of you ungrateful bastards.” His dry lips pull into a sickening smile. “And you get to watch it happen.”

  The bodies of two old women and their fucking walkers block my path to Carly. To the only thing that matters to me.

  And she’s going to kill me for knocking them down to get to her, but I’ll deal with that later.

  I just need her to be alive. Safe.

  Away from that son of a bitch.

  I start to move, only making it two steps before King’s eyes suddenly widen, and the hand holding the knife jerks.

  A gunshot sends me stumbling back in surprise.

  “You missed him.” The lock picker goads Violet as she aims again.

  “I don’t want to hit our girl.”

  Another shot, this one hits the computer on Carly’s desk.

  The next one comes right after and sinks into the filing cabinet in the corner. Carly takes advantage of the confusion and noise and shoves King hard, pushing his arm away from her body as she scrambles to put her desk between them.

  I fumble around, trying to catch Violet’s hand before she kills Carly.

  “I got this.” She pulls the trigger on the tiny pistol again, this time managing to nick one of King’s feet as he stumbles away from Carly.

  “You fuckin’ bitch.” King bounces on one foot for a couple hops before toppling over.

  Evelyn leans into Violet’s side. “Shoot him again.”

  “I can’t ‘cause he let her go.” Violet flips the safety on her hot pink pistol before trying to tuck it back into her walker bag.

  “Nope.” I jump in between them and snag it on my way to grab Carly.

  “I better get that back.”

  “Not gonna happen.” I rush to kick the knife away from King then grab Carly and pull her against me. “What the fuck just happened, Pinky?”

  She sags against me, tucking her face into my neck. Her body gets very heavy.

  I shake her a little. “I need you to stay with me, Carly. I can’t handle it if you go down.” I lean back so I can make sure he didn’t hurt her. “I will lose my shit if you aren’t here to talk to me right now.”

  The faint line of blood trickling from a thin slice in her skin sends my rage into overdrive. I spin to the man on the floor, ready to take it all out on him.

  But King’s not moving.

  “I think you killed him, Violet.”

  “Oh, shut up Evelyn. No one cares what you think.”

  Yelling carries down the hall outside the door. A second later there’s a crowd of people pushing their way past Violet and Evelyn. Josie is the first one in, stopping short when she sees the man on the floor. “What in the hell happened?” Her eyes lift to the flowers on Carly’s desk before bouncing to mine and holding a second before turning to King. “Is that—” She steps in a little closer. “Is that the man that sent her that picture?”

  “Sure as hell is.” Violet gives a smug nod. “Son of a bitch didn’t know who he was messing with when he came for that girl.”

  Carly’s still holding me tight as she turns to Violet. “Why do you have a gun?”

  Violet’s head bounces back a little. “Did you think I didn’t?”

  “Of course I thought you didn’t have a gun.” Carly’s cheeks are starting to regain a little of their color. “Why do you need a gun in a place like this?”

  Violet points to the body crumpled on the floor, her penciled brows high on her forehead.

  Josie turns as the security guard runs up. “Call 911. We need a squad and the police.” She takes a few tentative steps toward the man lying motionless on the floor.
“Hello? Are you okay?”

  King doesn’t move.

  Josie’s eyes come to mine. She slowly reaches down to press a couple fingers against his neck. “I think he’s dead.”

  I look Violet’s way.

  “I shot him in the big damn toe. No way did that kill him.”

  Carly’s body gets heavy against mine again. “He’s dead.” Her eyes are glassy as they lift to mine. “Herbert is dead.”

  “Take her to my office.” Josie points to the door. “Get her out of here. I’ll handle this.”

  I heft Carly’s body up, cradling her against my chest as I rush out of her office and through the rapidly-gathering crowd. As we pass the front entrance, Roy and Shirley are running through the doors. “What’s going on?”

  Shirley moves in close at my side, one arm out in front as she helps clear a path down the hall and into Josie’s office. As soon as we’re in I carefully set Carly into the high-backed office chair behind the desk and drop onto my knees in front of her. She leans into me, holding me tight.

  Looking to me for comfort.

  Before her I wouldn’t have thought I was capable of giving it to her.

  I stroke her hair, smoothing it away from her sticky skin.

  “He was the one who shot at us that day.” She squints a little, shaking her head at me. “Why would he do that?”

  I smooth my fingers across her face, wiping away the sweat making her skin clammy. “We’ll figure it out, Pinky. I just need you to take deep breaths and try to relax.”

  “He raped my mom.” Her eyes snap to the door as her nostrils flare. “That son of a bitch ruined her life.”

  The shock of Carly cursing is almost as jarring as the flash of anger in her eyes.

  “But he won’t ruin yours, Carly.”

  Her eyes drop to mine, moving over my face. “No. He won’t.” She barely smiles. “He might have done the opposite, actually.”

  “Here you go, honey.” Shirley moves in at Carly’s side with a bottle of water and a pile of damp paper towels. She cracks the cap on the water and passes it to Carly. “Take a drink.”

  Carly sips a little, then hands it to me while Shirley lays one of the towels across her forehead. “Just relax.”

  “Thank you.” Carly smiles at her.

  “You don’t worry about thanking me, honey. You just worry about staying upright, because if you go down he’s going to lose his mind.”

  “He said that.” Carly closes her eyes and leans back in the chair.

  “Did he?” Shirley looks my way. “Good for him. He’s learning to use his words.”

  My ears barely heat. I’m too busy stroking any bit of skin I can touch on Carly.

  King just almost took her from me.

  I remember when Tracker lost his mind over King taking Kerri. I thought I understood how he felt. Believed I could imagine what it was like to have everything that matters almost taken from you.

  Not even close.

  That’s what this was. King almost took everything from me.

  Because somehow, this sweet, mild-mannered woman with a stubborn streak wider than the Grand Canyon, has become my everything in less than two weeks.

  I hold her hands in mine, the sight of her pale skin making my stomach so tight it hurts. “I’m so sorry, Pinky. I should have come into your office when I passed the first time. I drop my head to her lap.

  I knew I would let her down eventually. I just never imagined it would be like this.

  “Shut up.” Carly slouches lower in her seat. “This isn’t your fault.” Her eyes open a little. “It’s mine.” Her lashes lift as she looks to the ceiling. “And I’m kind of proud that it is.”

  I reach up to stroke along her cheek, the coolness of her skin bothering me more than I try to let on. “Your mother would be proud of you.”

  Carly shrugs. “Maybe. Maybe not.” She gives me a small smile. “It doesn’t really matter.”

  “I’m proud of you.”

  Her smile lifts a little. “That matters.” She leans forward, falling against me again, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Does this mean The Horsemen are done with you?”

  It’s a good question. One I’m not sure I have the answer to.

  “What in the hell is happening here?” Moon rushes into the room, his wild eyes a stark contrast to the high-end clothes he’s wearing. The black pants and matching button-up might as well be his uniform because his wardrobe is full of them. “I came to see how things were going and there’s fuckin’ cops trying to beat me here.” He grabs Shirley as he passes. “You okay?”

  She nods, reaching up to pat his face. “Such a sweet boy.”

  I tip my head toward the door. “Carly’s friend Josie is down the hall with King.”

  Moon’s face goes pale. “King?”

  I nod. “He’s down and she’s got a security guard with her, but I’d feel better if you were there.”

  Moon nods and starts to take off.

  “Watch out for the old women.”

  He turns back, dark brows drawn together in question.

  “They might be armed.”

  “Armed? Like weapons?” Moon leans to peek down the hall.

  “And they’re handsy.” Carly sits up a little straighter. “I should go back with Josie. She might need help.”

  “I got it, Sweetheart.” Moon darts away.

  Him calling Carly Sweetheart doesn’t grate on me the way it normally would. The burn is still there, but I’m not reacting to it anymore.

  Moon’s my brother. One of the best men I know.

  I need to treat him like it.

  “What’s wrong?” Carly’s hands move over my shoulders, sliding up to my neck, tracking the tattoos there with the tips of her fingers.

  “I’m an ass.”

  She rests her forehead against mine. “I like you anyway.”

  I press my lips to hers, breathing in the sweet smell of her skin.

  “Cops are here.” Roy comes in and wraps his arm around Shirley. “They’re trying to clear the front hall but they’re having a heck of a time.”

  Carly sighs, pushing up from the chair. “I’ll go help.”

  I grab onto her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  I never thought I had the capacity to be the kind of man who worries about a woman. Gives her the attention and affection she deserves.

  But I can’t stop worrying about Carly. Can’t keep my hands off her. Can’t think of anything else.

  “I’m okay.” She inhales long and deep, pushing her shoulders back as she smooths down the front of the yellow sweater she put on this morning. “And no one else can make those women behave.” Carly stares straight ahead as she marches out of the office and into the thick of it. “Okay girls, time to go to your rooms.”

  “But we’re witnesses.” Evelyn leans into one of the cops, batting her eyes at him. “I saw the whole thing.”

  “If they want to come talk to you I will be sure they know where to find you.” Carly moves in and I’m expecting her to shoo them on their way. Instead she walks up to Evelyn and pulls her into a tight hug. “Thank you.”

  The old woman pats her back. “We might give you a hard time but you’re our girl. We aren’t going to let some asshole take you from us.”

  Carly sniffs a little as she moves on to Violet, falling against the tiny woman.

  “Oh, Sugarbear.” She holds Carly tight. “That man deserved more than I gave him.” Her eyes narrow on one of the officers. “And I’d do it again.”

  Carly helps get the women on their way except for Violet, who, much to her delight, was taken into Josie’s office by a young cop to give a statement. She was thrilled until she found out they were taking her gun as evidence, then the sound of her outrage carried down the hall.

  Carly stands straight and stoic as the medics quickly wheel King out of the room and out the front door into the back of the waiting ambulance, taking off with lights and sirens running.

  “He’s not dead.
”

  “Did you want him to be?” I’m not judging, just curious as to where her head is.

  Carly continues to stare out the front of the building. “I think so.”

  20

  “ARE YOU SURE?” I sit in the middle of Levi’s bed in one of his t-shirts and a pair of my pajama pants.

  The phone call woke me up from the first sound sleep I’ve had in the week since King took one last stab at Levi and his friends.

  Literally.

  The voice on the other end of the line is quiet for a minute. “The hospital called a few minutes ago to inform us.”

  “Okay.” I stare straight ahead, not really sure how to feel about the news. “Thank you for calling me.”

  “It’s not a problem. I’ll be in touch.” The line goes dead in my ear, but I sit there for a minute without realizing it.

  He’s dead.

  “Carly?” Levi stands in the door, a cup of coffee in his hand. “What’s wrong?”

  I let the hand holding my cell drop to my lap. “Herbert’s dead.”

  I won’t call him King. That’s not what he was. Not even close.

  Herbert Wallace was a pig. A narcissistic sociopath with a thirst for power, and a need to inflict pain.

  He’ll get none of that from me. Even in death.

  Levi is silent. “Are they sure?”

  I nod. “He died this morning.”

  Levi slowly comes into the room. He sits on the edge of the bed, holding out the coffee for me. “Have you called Josie yet?”

  “I’ll tell her when I get to work.” I sip at the steaming hot liquid Levi brings me every morning.

  “You can’t go to work today, Carly.” Levi rests one hand on my thigh.

  “I have one of the cops coming in to teach the ladies about self-defense.” I drop my head back. “He’s supposed to be lecturing them about guns.”

  “How many did you find when you did the search?”

  “Three.” After Violet’s little incident, Josie and I had to bring in an attorney to go over the rules and regulations each resident signed when they came to live at Elm Grove.

  They prohibit weapons of any kind.