“I called ahead for the detective, but I want to let him know we’re here. Help yourself to some water.” He motioned toward the bottles on the table. Then he was gone. Unsure what to do, I grabbed a bottle and took a long sip. I wandered over to the windows and stared out.
The clouds were low, gray. People streamed into the building, some in blue uniforms, others in dress clothes. I turned to face the door as it opened.
“Thanks for coming, Ms. Trask. I’m Detective Jim Davenport.” He held out his hand and I shook it, my gaze staying steady on his light brown eyes, a shade or two lighter than his skin. Letting go, he gestured toward the table. I settled into the chair he held out, taking in his neat, mint-green dress shirt and pinstripe blue-and-green tie. He settled into the head chair next to mine and we were still the same height.
Officer Reims sat into the chair across from me, reaching down the table to snag a couple more waters. He passed the first to Detective Davenport before uncapping his own.
“Why don’t you start at the beginning, Ms. Trask.” Detective Davenport suggested. “The first time you met Jordan Jones.”
I dropped my purse next to me onto the floor, folded my hands on the table, and launched into the story no one had ever believed.
More than three hours later, Officer Reims once again opened the passenger door to his vehicle. Another thought occurred. “Is this normal? I mean, you escorting me to the police station and now the hospital like this?”
Officer Reims’s neck reddened but he’d already put on his aviator glasses so I couldn’t see his eyes. “Not normal. To the police station, yes, but normally we’d let you head over to the hospital on your own. While we were meeting, your boyfriend called the department, alerting our chief to your history with Jordan Jones. Since we were sifting through the details of yours and your friend’s attack, both with matching descriptions, Chief Bennett sent orders through my sergeant for me to escort you around today.”
My boyfriend? I let that slide for a moment, more interested in reassuring myself Noelle wasn’t injured. Officer Reims took my elbow and led me through the hospital and up the elevator. At the door to one of the rooms, he ushered me in.
My heart rate escalated and my mouth dried up faster than an Outback stream. I was three feet from a man’s broad back. Jordan? Here? I stumbled back. But no, that hair. The tall, lithe back tapering into narrow jean-clad hips . . .
“Murphy?” I asked, my voice cracking.
He turned quickly, his eyes snapping quick images of me before he wrapped me in his arms and pulled me tight against his chest. “You worried me.” Murphy’s voice hit my ear but so did the rumble in his chest, and déjà vu slammed through me.
“Why are you here?” I asked, confused.
His lashes were long and dark. They were straight with no curl, giving him a sleepy look. I used to smooth those dark brows before I kissed him in the morning. His nose was a tad too long. Still the most handsome man I’d ever seen.
“I phoned the police department to talk to one of the detectives. He told me your friend was here.”
“But—”
“Hey, Mila. Sending Murphy Etsam to check in on me kind of makes up for your scary-mean stalker.”
Much as I didn’t want to, I extricated myself from Murphy’s embrace and went to Noelle’s side. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay? What happened? Where are you hurt? How bad is it?”
“First, I’m pretty much fine. He scared me pretty bad, and I sprained my wrist, but otherwise, no problem. Second, that creepy asshole waited outside my building. He must have followed you after all. Well, probably me since I came in after he’d been detained and I wasn’t particularly stealthy about it. Still, I’m so glad you went to my place since I have door security.”
“Outside? Waiting for you?”
Noelle threw me a pitying look. Her blue scrubs were wrinkled and her left wrist was bandaged. A bruise bloomed, red and angry, under her eye.
“No, sweetie. He was waiting for you.”
I turned to Officer Reims, who hovered at the door. “So you know, we consider him armed and dangerous now that he’s attacked Ms. Markham,” he said.
“You’ll find him? Put him in jail?” I asked. “And you’ll tell me when that happens?” The mere idea of Jordan in jail weakened my knees. God, I needed to believe the police would finally take care of him, keep my friends safe. Relief swept through me, making me lightheaded. I wouldn’t have to keep running.
“You’ll be contacted as soon as he’s apprehended,” Officer Reims affirmed. “But in the meantime, it’s probably not smart for you to go out alone.”
Constant company appealed much more than disappearing, trying to start over again.
But a word Office Reims had said lingered in my mind, causing the panic to build in my stomach again. “Armed?” I asked Noelle.
She shuddered. “He came at me with this big knife.”
I squeezed Noelle into another hug, my heart racing at what could have happened.
“I’ll make sure she’s not alone,” Murphy volunteered. My shock was echoed in his rapid blinking and the tightening around his mouth.
I stiffened. “No way.” The words tore from my throat. I couldn’t handle being near Murphy for five more minutes, let alone days. Seeing him, here and now, made my heart clench. Much as I wanted to be over him, I wasn’t.
Noelle gripped my wrist and pressed her lips to my ear. “You’re going along with him hanging out with you,” she whispered. “If for no other reason than your stalker-uncle attacked me, and I’m asking you to. But there are other reasons, not least of which is talking to Murphy like you’d planned.”
She released my wrist. I never planned to talk to him. I wanted to watch him sing that awful song, flinging my words back at me with cavalier disdain so I could decimate my heart and never love anyone but Alpie and Noelle again.
Murphy was mucking up my plan—with Noelle’s blessing. My eyes darted back and forth as I touched the middle of my top lip with my tongue. I didn’t want to be alone with Murphy. Not while I was so raw and rung out from worrying about Noelle not to mention my own scare with Jordan. The cuts on my neck itched, reminding me how much worse the situation could have been.
I inched away, preparing to dart from the room. Murphy must have sensed my desire to get away because he touched me. Just three fingers on my shoulder. Noelle’s eyes widened as I melted. I always did when it came to Murphy, the cheating rat-bastard. Except . . . except we weren’t together when he decided to bed all those bloody women. We weren’t together because I broke up with him. There’s a man from my past. I need to sort things with him if I can ever truly be with you properly. Bloody damn Murphy for taking me at my word.
“Let me do this for you, Mila. I have the resources to speed up the process so the police can find him. I have a few days until I need to leave. And . . . and we need to talk.”
My spine snapped to attention when his voice cracked. Sure, now that he’d seen Jordan attack me, he wanted to talk. Anger sizzled along my nerve endings and I stepped away from him. Better the anger than the deep despair.
“I’m not sure I have anything to say to you,” I said. “And I definitely do not want your help.”
“Well, I sure as hell have questions for you,” he snapped back.
“Because of the report in the paper this morning? Too little interest way too late, Etsam.”
He breathed out through his nose, his nostrils flaring. “My mum flew here to see me,” he said, his voice quiet. He swallowed hard as his eyes shadowed with pain. “I-I didn’t know.”
My anger faded, replaced by the same soul-deep sadness emanating from Murphy. After all this time, he finally knew why I left. And he was here, asking me to talk to him.
Noelle slipped her arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to her side as I sagged under the weight of his words and the emotions they evoked. I hugged her back with my right arm, desperate for some support. Noelle, my rock, the one person who d
idn’t ask a million questions about my motivation and integrity. Well, her and Alpie. They were the only ones I needed.
“You better take care of her,” Noelle said in her best nursing voice. I dropped my arm and gaped at her. “She’s been through a lot since your breakup and she deserves to be happy and safe.”
“Noted,” Murphy said.
He shifted in so I felt his body heat against my side. He smelled like my happiness. Home. That was stupid. And ridiculous. Murphy couldn’t be what I’d imagined any more than I was the same girl he’d loved. I was different. Broken. And Murphy played his part in destroying me.
“Would that work, Officer?” Noelle asked. She slid off the bed, cringing slightly as she landed. “Shit, that hurts,” she hissed.
“You’re sure it isn’t broken?” I asked.
“I have the x-ray to prove it,” Noelle quipped. She smiled and her eyes glinted. “I punched him in the nuts. It’s worth the sprain to know he’s running around with bruised balls.”
“Good on ya,” Murphy said, his voice low. “I’d like to get in a few myself.”
“We don’t advocate assault, Mr. Etsam,” Officer Reims said, but his voice didn’t hold much censure.
“He said he’d like to, not that he would.” I glanced up at Murphy. A mistake. That tiny smile lifted the corner of his mouth while his gunmetal eyes glinted with humor. They’d always reminded me of the ocean just before a storm. All the pictures of him over the last year showed his icy gaze. But here, now, his eyes were filled with warmth.
“Mila will keep me in line. Always has.”
Murphy winked and Noelle moaned softly. I understood her distress. Hell, he affected me the same way.
“Turn off the charm, Etsam,” I said. “It isn’t going to work.”
“Oh, it’s working,” Noelle simpered.
“Well, I gotta go,” Noelle said.
“Whoa!” I said. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Her widening eyes expressed concerns for my stupidity. Maybe I was stupid. “I’m going to finish my shift.”
“But your wrist,” I said, my voice as feeble as my will whenever Murphy was involved. Noelle couldn’t leave me. I turned on my most pleading expression.
“I’ll get some pain meds and some help,” she said, waving her good hand in a dismissive gesture. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll call you later.”
“I want you to stay with me. That way I can be sure you’re safe. And you can help me.” I finished the last words a breath above a whisper.
She gripped my shoulders. “Until your uncle’s caught, I think I’m going to keep a real low profile. He can’t be happy I tried to emasculate him.”
“Wish you managed,” I whispered. Murphy stiffened behind me. Dammit. Not his business.
Noelle cupped my cheek as her eyes found mine, steadying me. “Would’ve been too late, sweetie.”
Too late—for my baby and for my happiness. I wiped away the tears clinging to my lashes. No point in letting them fall. They didn’t change the past.
Nothing could.
6
Murphy
Mila walking into the hospital room a few minutes ago about brought me to my knees. Her voice, usually so confident, dripped with hesitation. And her eyes . . . bloody hell. Those brown eyes were muddied with fear and shock. Because of me or her uncle, I wasn’t sure.
Had I changed so much that she couldn’t lean on me for help? Reckon so.
At first, it’d been self-preservation, but somewhere along the line, when the songs wouldn’t come and Hayden stepped up, I became a walled-off hoon. Sure, I couldn’t create new songs, but I could still perform. I was the band’s greatest asset at live shows.
None of it helped me in this situation. Thrown back to the night Mila left, my chest ripped open, and I was just as empty as I’d been then but I had a year’s bitterness sloshing through my midsection.
Mila’s gaze pleaded with her friend, who pretended to ignore her. Nice sheila, Noelle. Anything she wanted, Noelle could have as far as I was concerned. Noelle narrowed her eyes, darting them back to Mila. No idea what Noelle was trying to tell me but, as I’d told Jake, Mila came first. Protecting her from her uncle and . . . well, finding a way to put the past to rest.
My teeth clacked shut as a growl built in my throat. Mila forced me into debt I didn’t want to owe but had no choice but to repay.
“You sure you’re up to your rounds?” I asked. “I could get you home and settled. Rather, my security team can. I’m sticking close to Mila till the wanker’s caught.” Once again, I ignored Mila’s stink eye she sent me.
“That’s okay. I’ll probably stay with a friend.” She took a shuddering breath. Jordan had said more to her than Noelle shared with Mila. Much as I appreciated her discretion, Mila needed to understand the peril. “Rather not meet him again. Especially now that he has a reason to hate me, too.”
Mila flinched. Her pale skin faded to an intense white. I shuffled in a bit closer, ready to wrap my arms around her in case she fainted.
“Well, then, how about you call Mila after your shift? Voice, not text. I want to make sure you’re okay, too. And Mila will feel better knowing.”
Mila glanced up, surprise and gratitude swirling through those brown depths. Yeah, yeah, I still remembered how to take care of others.
Noelle grinned, her eyes lighting with impish excitement. “Sure will. So you’re staying with Mila? That’s good. I won’t have to worry.”
“Noelle—”
“Yes,” I said, cutting Mila off. I reached out and squeezed her shoulder. Her breathing paused before she exhaled hard.
“I can’t worry about you and also focus here,” Noelle said, her attention back on Mila, her face falling into stern lines. “I need you to do this for me. Please.”
After an interminable moment, Mila dipped her dark head in agreement. I rubbed my thumb up and down the side of her neck, trying to say thank you. I paused on her hammering pulse. From nerves or excitement? Both at the moment, I reckoned, and I didn’t like it.
I’d moved years beyond sweating over what a girl thought of me. The last time was before I asked Mila on a date. Some things never changed.
“We’ve got to find a place to say,” I said.
“I have to go home,” Mila said, her voice filled with tension.
“No you don’t. We should go somewhere Jordan won’t look for you.”
“I have to check on Alpie. My pet,” Mila said.
Bollocks. Of course the woman had a pet. She’d always been too softhearted—didn’t matter if the hurt being was an animal or a person, Mila wanted to take away the hurt.
“We’ll go by your place then,” I said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Murphy,” she replied.
“Let me help,” I ground out. Being noble was bloody hard. Or maybe I wanted to punch something and that was why I struggled to get my desire under control.
In response to my tone, Mila’s spine shot straight and her chin tipped up to a defiant angle. She pulled back, but I settled my hands along her spine and held her hips. “I don’t need your pity.”
“This isn’t pity,” I coaxed. I sucked in a gulp of air, released it along with some of the tension building in my neck. “I—I need to hear your story. From your mouth. Please, Mila.”
Her cheeks flamed with color. My words dropped liked stones onto both of us. I didn’t want to rehash our pain in such a public place, and Mila’s stiffening body didn’t bode well for us to move our very important convo private.
“Will you do one thing for me?” I waited but she didn’t raise her head. “We’ve always been truthful. At least I thought we were. I promise, no matter how hard it is to say, I’ll tell you the truth. Just as I always have.” She tried to push me, gain some space but I just outwaited her. Our dynamic snapped back into place that fast. And it was so fucking perfect. I’d missed this. No. I’d missed Mila.
Except under that missing was a
sea of anger. She’d lied to me, broke up with me.
“Fine. I’ll tell you everything.” Her shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Not what I want, love. I want you to promise you’ll tell me what you’re thinking and feeling. Even when it’s hard.”
The silence stretched between us as she studied my eyes and I studied hers. I would never understand how people overlooked brown hair and brown eyes. Jake once called such women monochromatic, but Mila wasn’t. In her eyes, green swirled deeper and richer against the brown. Her hair spanned an amazing array of colors from the palest blonde to a rich auburn.
“I’ll start,” I said. “I’ve been very, very angry with you for a long time. It’s fucked with my head. I don’t want to be that bloke anymore. Hell, I haven’t wanted to be him ever.”
She pulled back, out of my arms, but I followed. “You can’t blame me for that, too,” she said, struggling against my grip.
“I’m not blaming you for anything. I’m explaining to you that I made mistakes.”
“You are blaming me! I can’t take on your emotions. I won’t.”
I sighed as I wrapped her tighter in my arms. “I handled losing you poorly. Now, I’d like to take you home so that we can talk. Because we have a lot to speak about.”
She stilled, a gazelle having scented a lion, waiting, preparing to run. I caressed her careening pulse, as much in comfort as to point out my effect on her. Finally, she gave a little nod. I maneuvered her out the door, and we met Officer Reims in the waiting room. He held a Styrofoam cup filled with a foul-smelling substance—no way to confuse that with coffee—while chatting up a nurse. Must be a mutual love of uniform because the woman never bothered to glance at me. Usually, women loved to gawp at me. Ten minutes in her company, and Mila destroyed my mojo. Not that I cared, really, but still . . .
Hold You Close (Seattle Sound Series Book 3) Page 6
