After a moment of silence, he finally agreed. “Fine. Hurry your pretty ass up.”
His footsteps faded as he left her door and headed for the stairs. He must’ve lost his footing on the way—Syd heard him slam to the floor, a string of curses following.
She pulled her cell out of her pocket and called her brother again. As soon as he picked up she breathed a sigh of relief. “Theo, I’m going to go talk to him. When will you be here?”
“Less than ten minutes, Syd. Don’t go down there, please,” he begged. “What if he hurts you?”
“He won’t. I’ve seen him drunk before—he doesn’t get violent, only stupid,” she assured him, half trying to convince herself.
“But you said he was breaking things downstairs. Just wait for me, please.”
She shook her head. “Try to picture a five-year-old having a temper tantrum. That’s Brett right now. I’ll be fine, but hurry up.”
She heard the motor rev higher. “Five minutes, maybe less. Be careful.”
She disconnected and opened the bedroom door, tentatively taking a step into the hall. She cautiously made her way to the main floor, stopping a few steps short. Brett was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his broad chest, tapping his foot impatiently.
“Well, it’s about fucking time, Nikki.”
She bit her lip, suddenly unsure about her decision to talk with him. There was something different about Drunk Brett this time—he looked wilder, more unpredictable…angrier.
Maybe Theo was right.
“What do you want, Brett?”
“To talk, baby.” He narrowed his shiny blue eyes. “Why are you still standing on the stairs?”
“Well, you’re drunk, and you broke God knows what. You can’t blame me for being a bit wary of you, can you?”
He frowned. “I’m not going to hurt you, Nikki. You know I wouldn’t damage my property.”
Syd studied him. Maybe he wasn’t angry—more than anything he appeared to be sulking. She nodded her head toward the living room. “Go and sit. We’ll talk there,” she conceded.
He snarled at her. “Who the hell do you think you are ordering me around? You don’t get to do that. I tell you what to do!”
Syd gaped at him.
His gaze moved slowly up and down her body, growing more heated by the second. He nodded toward the living room. “I’ll wait for you in there,” he mumbled, and turned away.
I should have waited for Theo. He was right, I should have waited.
When Brett was out of sight, Syd quietly reached for the front door and unlocked it so Theo could come in as soon as he arrived. Once that was done, she went in to talk to Brett. The living room, once an open and airy space, was now stifling with Brett staring at her the way he was. He was sitting on the dark brown overstuffed sofa chair, so Syd took residence on the cream-colored couch opposite him, making sure the coffee table provided a bit of barrier between them.
“You wanted to talk. Talk.”
He didn’t meet her eyes. “Why do you act like I don’t exist?”
She blinked at him.
“Nikki, we’re getting married in less than a year. Married. Husband and wife. And you don’t love me.”
She sighed. “Brett, look I’m sorry. You have to understand the circumstances surrounding our engagement aren’t exactly that of a typical couple. We’ve been over this—you can’t expect me to suddenly love you.”
His head jerked up and he glared at her, eyes bright with liquor. “Why not? We’ve been engaged almost eight months already. Am I that bad a person that you can’t love me again?”
“Brett, come on. You know I loved you more than anything in university.” She frowned. “But you changed, became someone I didn’t want to love, someone who was vengeful and egotistical and cruel. Someone who started treating me as if I was property instead of a person, and who thought they could control every single aspect of my life. That’s the person you still are now. I’m sorry. Maybe in time—but I’m going to need more than eight months.”
It’s only until we can figure out this mess with Papa, she reminded herself. Then I can divorce him.
His face flushed and his hands balled into fists. “There’s someone else, isn’t there?”
Syd stared at him with wide eyes.
“There is, isn’t there?” he ground out.
Yes. But not for much longer, unfortunately.
“No, Brett! Don’t be ridiculous. There’s a lot at stake here. I’d never mess it up just to have a fling. I’d never put my father through that. He’s already being put through enough by you.”
He stood and moved toward her, eyes narrowed. “Watch your tone, Nikoleta.”
Syd frowned up at him and quickly turned her head away.
“Tell me then,” he continued, “Why won’t you love me?”
“I told you, Brett, I…”
“I don’t mean emotional love right now,” he roared. “I mean physical love. I have to prove to my father that you’re mine now.”
“What does your father have to do with this?” Syd asked, confused.
“Why won’t you touch me? Or kiss me?”
She shimmied as far away from him on the sofa as possible, her back finally bumping into the armrest. “I… I need time,” she stammered.
Theo!
Brett stepped around the coffee table and towered over her. “Well, guess what? You’re out of time, Nikoleta,” he growled, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her onto the sofa, making it easy to climb atop her. The suddenness and force of his movements made Syd’s head snap back against the armrest, and she was momentarily dizzy with pain.
He clasped both her wrists with one large hand and straddled her. “I’m not waiting for you anymore.”
“Brett, what the hell are you doing?” Syd yelled, turning her face away from the alcoholic stench of his breath.
“I’m taking what’s mine.”
His free hand slid up and underneath her thin pink T-shirt and shoved her bra out of the way. He roughly latched onto a breast, squeezing hard.
Syd gasped and sat there unmoving, frozen in shock.
His hand left her chest and slinked around her back and down to her ass, lifting her up and pressing her into his groin. “See? It’s not too hard to love me,” he spat out. He let go of her behind and tried to wiggle her sweatpants off her.
Another bolt of lightning lit up the room, and as a boom of thunder sounded, the promise of what was about to happen crashed around her, snapping Syd out of her stunned state and back to reality. She twisted beneath him, trying to free herself. “Get off me!” she screamed.
“Get the fuck off my sister!”
Theo stormed into the room and grabbed Brett’s shoulders, flinging him off Syd as if he were nothing more than a ragdoll. Brett tumbled to the ground and quickly righted himself into an unsteady crouch.
Theo advanced on him. “I’d strongly suggest you get the hell out of here, Hudson,” he roared. “And be quick about it before I do something you’ll regret.”
“Fuck you,” Brett spat, getting to his feet. “That’s my wife. I have the right to do whatever I want to her.”
“Syddie!” Cara ran into the room and pulled Syd out of her semi-frozen state and off the couch.
What’s Cara doing here?
“You fucking asshole.” Theo pulled his fist back and punched Brett square in the jaw.
Brett stumbled back, but Theo didn’t give him a chance to regain his balance. He grabbed the back of his shirt and roughly led him through the front door and into the rain. A moment later he returned, slamming the door shut behind him.
Theo ran back into the living room and pulled Syd away from Cara and into his arms. “Shit, Nikki. I told you to be careful,” he whispered, hugging her.
“I… I…” Syd began to quake with tears.
“Aw, sweetie,” Theo cooed, squeezing her tighter.
“What happened?” Cara asked softly.
Theo continued
hugging her, rubbing her back and smoothing her hair off her face while she tried to compose herself. “When I came in, Brett was…forcing himself on her.” His jaw clicked. “I should’ve killed the son of a bitch.”
“Oh my God, Syd,” Cara whispered, lowering herself onto the couch and taking one of Syd’s trembling hands in hers.
“I’m okay. It’s okay. It’s over. He was drunk and upset.”
“Stop making excuses for him,” Theo ground out. “I don’t care who he thinks he is, no one should ever do that, period.”
She smiled softly and pulled away from Theo, trying to make light of the situation, because it was the only way she could deal with it. “It’s not like he hasn’t fondled me before.”
“This isn’t funny.”
She nodded and frowned. “You’re right, it’s not. What he did—or was trying to do—was vile. I’m not making excuses for him, and I will never forget he did this.” She sat next to Cara, whose face was still scrunched up with a mix of anger and worry. “I would never have thought him capable of anything like that.”
“Yeah, well, did you even think he’d pull a stunt like he is now with Papa?” Theo asked.
Syd shook her head no. “I’m all right. I promise. And,” she continued, turning to her brother, “I’ll be more careful in the future.”
“You better, little sis. And that piece of shit better watch his step.”
She turned to Cara. “Now, what on earth are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you to come by.”
“Theo called me for backup.”
“You? Backup?” Syd snorted. “What were you going to do, throw a stiletto at him?”
“Hey, I pack a mean punch, missy,” Cara defended. She squeezed Syd’s hand, serious again. “Honey, you’ve told me time and again how you’re against the idea, but really, please call things off with Brett. We can figure something out if he follows through on his promise to rat out your dad.”
“No.”
“I’ve tried telling her the same thing, Cara,” Theo piped up, raking his wet chestnut hair off his forehead. “And, as much as I hate the whole idea of it, Syd is right.” He turned to his sister. “I don’t think Papa has told you yet, but I’m moving back in with him for a while. He’s not doing so good.”
“He finally admitted it?”
He nodded. “He’s weak. Gets these sudden dizzy spells. I took him to the doctor and all she said was that he appeared to be in decent health, and it looks like stress is getting to him. He’s not sleeping much, so that doesn’t help. I feel better knowing I’m near him in case he needs me.”
Syd reached up, took hold of her brother’s hand and pulled him down to sit beside her. “Thank you for being there for him,” she whispered. “I knew this situation was affecting him more than he let on.”
“And you think if Brett really did have him extradited, that things would only get worse,” Cara said, a statement more than a question.
“Yes. It’s not worth the risk, not right now.”
“Meanwhile, I’ve got some calls in to a few more contacts to maybe get a lead on how to deal with this situation in case the details of what happened in Greece surface,” Theo added. “If we can figure out a way to avoid extradition, we’re golden and Brett can go screw himself.”
“But what about Caleb?” Cara asked. “What’s going on with all that?”
“You know about that Caleb guy, too?”
Cara rolled her eyes at Theo. “Of course I do, I’m her best friend. She knows better than not to tell me she’s dating an international rock star.”
Theo choked on spit. “Excuse me? An international rock star?” He shifted widened eyes from Cara to Syd and back again. “Rock star?”
“Caleb Jones from Divine Intervention,” Cara clarified.
“Caleb fucking Jones. Holy shit.” He stated at his sister, still in apparent shock. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” She sighed and sank into the couch. “No sense talking about the past.”
Cara gaped at her. “Did you call things off with him?”
Syd frowned. “No. Not yet. But I haven’t really been talking to him very much lately. I’m trying to distance myself from him so it’s easier for both of us when I do finally let him go.”
“But you love him!”
“You love him?” Cara gasped. “Why didn’t you tell me you loved him?”
Theo laughed and stuck his tongue out at Cara. “See, there are some things the brother knows before the best friend.”
“Now, children, try to behave,” Syd said. “It doesn’t matter who knows what first, it doesn’t change the fact I have to figure out how to let Caleb go.”
“Don’t you dare,” Cara warned. “Don’t you dare give up the first good thing you’ve had in years.”
“I have to. I’m engaged.”
“I hate this!” Theo let out a frustrated growl and popped up from the sofa. He pulled off his rain-soaked T-shirt and draped it over a chair, sat back down beside Syd and ran his fingers through his hair again, pushing the dripping wet waves off his forehead.
If there was one thing her mother had taught her, it was to not ever dwell on the bad in life. Sometimes the bad to reminded one to be appreciate the good when it happened. Everything happens for a reason, she would say, and the only way to get through a rough situation was to remain positive no matter how hard it may be. And so, after everything Syd had been through, she tried as hard as humanly possible to focus on the good, the happy, the promising. Lately there hadn’t been too much of the good stuff to focus on, so when Cara glanced at her brother’s lean frame with an interest she hadn’t shown before, she latched onto the opportunity and smiled.
“Shall I leave you two alone?” she taunted, smirking.
“What? No!” they said in unison, each appearing as flustered as the other.
Syd snorted. “Guys, I’m fine, really. I promise. I swear. Scout’s honor. You don’t need to stay and babysit me.”
“But what if Brett comes back?” Cara asked, nervous.
“He won’t, and, God forbid, he does, I’ll call the cops on him.”
Theo nodded. “Okay. But you call me if you need anything at all, okay, sis?” He held up his sopping wet T-shirt between thumb and index finger, ever so dainty. “Uh, you don’t still have any of my stuff here, do you, sis? I’d love a dry shirt.”
Syd nodded. “In the guestroom there’re some of your old college tees that you pawned off on me. Go grab one. Oh, and can you let Puff out of my room while you’re up there?”
“Sure thing.” He kissed the top of her head and sprang up the stairs.
Syd grinned when she noticed Cara shifting her eyes to follow Theo as he made his way. “Ahem.”
Cara’s head snapped toward Syd and she cleared her throat. “What?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. I just caught you looking.”
Cara’s face flushed. Cara’s face never flushed. “I wasn’t looking at anything,” she retorted quietly.
Syd glanced up when she heard the thunder of little paws in the upstairs hall, followed by footsteps. “Uh-huh. We’ll have to talk about this later.”
“There’s nothing to talk about, I swear…” Cara’s voice drifted as Theo came back into view and her gaze wandered over him.
He froze, stunned. He scratched his head and swallowed hard. “Uh, yeah, so I’m going to take off now, Nikki. Call me if you need anything, okay?” He moved behind the sofa and wrapped his arms around her, hugging tightly. He wouldn’t meet Cara’s eyes. “Goodnight, Cara. Thanks for the support tonight. It, uh, it was good to see you.”
“Yeah,” she answered lightly. “Thanks for inviting me to the festivities. If you’re sure you’re okay to be alone, I’m going to head out, too.”
Syd got up and walked her brother and best friend to the door. “Thanks for rescuing me, bro,” she said affectionately, giving Theo another hug and kissing his cheek. She turned to Cara. “And you, I�
��ll be fine. Thanks for giving me something else to think about.”
Cara’s eyes narrowed. “I did not give you anything to think about.”
“Yeah, you did.”
“What?” Theo asked, glancing from one woman to the other. “What? What?”
“Nothing,” Cara said between clenched teeth. She sighed and pulled Syd in for a hug. “You’re a royal pain in the ass, you realize that, Syddie?” she whispered.
“It’s my specialty.”
Cara pulled back, face full of concern. “Promise me you’ll keep trying to come up with ways to avoid marrying that dimwit so you can stay with Caleb?”
I think about it all the time.
She nodded. “I promise. Now go. Scram. I need my beauty sleep.”
As she shut the door behind them, making triple sure it was securely locked, she made a kissy sound and Puff darted down the stairs. She knelt to pet the dog. “Want to keep Mommy company tonight?” She was answered with a frenzied burst of affectionate licks.
Chuckling, Syd made her way into the basement, Puff following closely behind. She grabbed hold of the easel and made the trip carrying the awkward piece back up the stairs.
“You know, the least you could do is offer to help,” she grumbled to Puff, who was doing nothing but complicating the matter by stepping underfoot. After several trips, she was done setting up her easel and she sat on a kitchen stool, staring at the hand-drawn image of Caleb to her right, eyes blurring with tears. This was the first time she’d brought out the picture she had sketched of him that night she’d found him in her kitchen. She traced her fingers lightly along the outline of his face came back to her in vivid detail. In that moment, seeing him sitting in her kitchen in the moonlight, so at home and so at peace—it was then that she fell in love with him.
She sighed and began mixing paints on her palette.
Everything seemed right with Caleb. She had a blast talking with him, fighting with him, debating with him, joking with him. She loved the way he looked at her and how she felt when she was with him. She craved him, longed for him and ached for him when he wasn’t around. It was easy to picture her future with him—a wedding, children, family vacations. He was truly everything she ever wanted.
Little White Lie Page 17
