One Chance (Hogan Brother's Book 1)
Page 4
Back at the shop, he figured he might as well enlist his younger brothers’ help as well. “Levi, Loch, in my office!”
He didn’t see them in the bay but knew they’d hear him and come. It wasn’t often he called to them for a meeting. Barely past the doorway and they came crashing through like a barrel of monkeys.
“’Sup?” they asked at the same time.
“What is with you two? You suddenly become twins or what?” They hated when he asked them that. As close as they all were, they each despised being compared to the other.
“Sophia’s dad thinks she might be in danger.” No point in mincing words.
“What do you need?” Levi asked. Nox knew he could count on them.
Thinking about the question, he didn’t even know what to say. “I have no fucking clue.” She had a bodyguard who seemed capable enough. “I need you guys to search around. Find out if anything is going on in town we don’t know about.” They nodded their agreeance and pulled out their phones to call or text someone they thought could help. “It needs to be on the low-low, guys. Her dad’s a security guy for some significant criminal law firm. I’m thinking it’s probably one of the pissed off clients.”
“You got it,” Loch responded as they began walking back into the shop.
The thought of something happening to Sophia because her father protected criminals pissed him off in a huge way. She was too soft, sweet, innocent to be tainted by such evil. She should be cherished in all manners.
He would make sure she was if it was the last thing he did.
Take every chance, drop every fear.
When Sophia’s alarm clock went off in the morning, she wanted to throw it across the room. She had spent most of the night locked away in her room listening to her parents express more emotion towards each other than she could remember happening. Ever.
They fought for so long, she didn’t think it would end, and they wouldn’t go to another part of the house. She didn’t learn anything new about why she was possibly in danger, either.
She did learn she was a mistake.
Dumber than dirt.
A waste of air.
All her mother’s words, of course. Nothing she hadn’t been told a thousand times before. Nothing that hurt any less each time she heard it. Her father did his best to ignore her mom. She didn’t expect the man to defend her. There was no defending against anything Mother said, but just once, she wished he had.
He’d changed over the past few years, became colder, harder. There was an edge to his temper that never used to be there. He was always kind to Sophia growing up, now though, it was as though he’d become robotic.
Living at home had become a burden she didn’t think she wanted anymore. Unfortunately, with having no experience in anything, it wasn’t like leaving was exactly an option, either. But she had to figure out something. She couldn’t keep going through the same insults and fights.
Her mother was getting more vicious with her words, and there was something in her eyes. Almost as though she was a missile just waiting to go off. The woman had never been kind, not that Sophia could remember, anyway; however, the last few months she had been as explosive as dynamite, and that scared her. She wouldn’t put anything past the older woman. Not anymore.
Climbing from bed, she went straight to her small en suite, going through a quick shower. While blow drying her hair, an incoming text had her phone buzzing across her nightstand. Only four people had her number. Her parents, Lorraine, and now Braxton. Since she knew Braxton was probably downstairs waiting on her to wake up, she didn’t think it was him. Her parents never bothered to text—usually, they just yelled for her, expecting her to come running like an obedient lap dog. She didn’t think Lorraine had ever texted her. She just called, preferring to speak instead of waiting on an answer.
Confused as to who it could be, she slowly walked over to the device, nervous about who would be on the other end. All the secrecy behind her father’s suspicions were playing with her mind.
Grabbing the phone as it vibrated again, she nearly jumped out of her skin. The displayed message made her wish she could.
Frozen in place, fear coursing through her veins, she read the message over and over until the words began to blur together.
Soon, my pretty Sophia, you’ll be mine.
The words themselves weren’t so scary, it was the intent behind the words she feared. Maybe it was someone she knew, or perhaps it was someone trying to prank her. With so many what ifs and possibilities, she had no idea what to do. How to proceed.
The phone vibrated in her hand again and made her jump and drop it, bouncing it right under the bed. Slowly bending down, she dreaded reading the new message.
Device in hand, she kept one hand over the screen as she stood to sit on the edge of her bed. Unhurriedly, she uncovered the screen.
Her screams rent the air as black dots clouded her vision.
Don’t look so scared, sweet Sophia, it won’t hurt.
Braxton came crashing through her room, face hard as stone, gun in hand, ready to blast away her tormentor. Too bad he couldn’t do anything.
“Sophia?” he questioned, his eyes searching the room.
Holding out her phone with a shaking hand, she waited as he took it. The change in him was immediate. On guard, pissed off, and ready to kill. His eyes swore vengeance.
“What’s happening, Braxton?” She had to know. She couldn’t be left in the dark anymore.
Gaging by the look in his eyes, whatever he was about to say was going to be a lie. “I don’t know.”
“Bullshit!” she yelled at him, her temper finally getting the best of her. “You do know. You don’t strike me as the type of man to not have all the information you need for a job.”
His lips were sealed tight. Something was happening, and her father didn’t want her to know what. That was alright, she’d find out. She would push until someone told her.
Until then, though, she responded, “Fine. But me being uninformed could very well mean life or death. Do you really want that on your conscience?” Guilt could be a great motivator for some people. While she didn’t think she could guilt Braxton into telling her everything, a few answers just might be enough to find out what was going on.
She hoped.
Son of a motherfucking bitch.
The little spitfire had Braxton stuck between a rock and a hard place. She reminded him so much of his own sister with her meek presence, yet hellfire eyes. Her father had been very clear that she couldn’t know what was happening. Why she was in danger.
That it had nothing to do with his work.
The threats had been clear from the beginning. Someone wanted Sophia. Their obsession with the young woman had become so compulsive that her father had hired him long before she’d met him.
He’d been tailing her for weeks when the threats got to be more graphic. Details of what the perpetrator wanted to do to her. Would do to her when he got his hands on her.
Anthony had been clear on two things when he’d hired Brax.
Keep Sophia safe at all costs.
Don’t trust his wife.
Not telling Sophia about what was actually happening when she’d asked was hard as hell. Especially now that contact had finally been made with her. Shit was about to hit the fan, and frankly, he needed her to be aware of what was happening.
Knocking on Anthony’s office door with Sophia’s phone in hand, he knew it was time to have a word with the older man about not protecting her from the truth.
Avoiding everyone all day had seemed like a good idea after her showdown with Braxton earlier that morning over the threats against her father. Or her. Or whoever the hell was being threatened.
Sophia had been a nervous wreck all day. She’d tried playing music loud enough so that she wouldn’t hear the creaks and groans of the house. It didn’t work too well. Paranoia quickly reared its ugly head, and she feared not hearing someone coming—being taken by surprise.
Filled with rows upon rows of roses, sunflowers, lilacs, and many other flora, it was normally her calming place. Sophia absolutely loved working in the garden, feeling the soil between her fingers as she gave life to the purest beauty.
Between birds chirping and the large bushes, trees, and shrubs, her own shadow became her worst enemy. She saw menace around every corner. Unable to enjoy herself for long, she’d taken solace back inside her room.
Behind a locked door.
Under a multitude of blankets.
Imagining the worst to happen.
Finally exhausted from the stress of her anxiety, she’d fallen into a panic-riddled sleep full of monsters and shadows. With no way to protect herself, she was soon entrapped in a nightmare made from horror flicks.
Cruising through the streets of town, anticipation and excitement flowed through Nox as Shinedown’s “Call Me” blared through the speakers of his car on his way to pick up Soph. It had been a long time since he’d wanted to actually date a woman, get to know her.
With Sophia, there was something about her. She emitted this aura, a mystery he wanted to unlock. She wasn’t just some dolled up society girl. There were layers to her, and he couldn’t wait to peel each one back. Expose all of her.
Watching the clock all day made the time feel as though it was going backwards instead of forward. Work wasn’t happening, so Loch and Levi had been forced to pick up his slack, not that he hadn’t done the same for them in the past. This was a first for him, though, and they both had a blast busting his balls about it.
Leaving work early had been a blessing. Spending nearly an hour picking what he was going to wear had not been his proudest moment. It was her, all her. He wanted to be his best. Not because he thought she would expect more from him, he just got the feeling she cared more about who a person was rather than what they could offer. He wanted to look his best for her.
After staring at himself in the mirror for almost half that time wearing slacks, a dress shirt, and sport coat—which wasn’t his style at all—he’d finally cursed up a storm and decided to go with his typical attire. A dark blue Henley paired with his lucky dark wash Buffalo jeans and bomber jacket over top. The coat might be a bit much since the spring weather was warming up.
It was purely selfish reasoning behind his choice. If Soph got cold, then she’d have to wear his coat, be surrounded by his scent. She’d go to sleep smelling of him.
The thought put a smile on his face. Simply thinking of her did that as well. She was a lightness he hadn’t even realized his life was missing.
When he neared her neighborhood, the houses slowly grew larger, more ostentatious in appearance. Hers wasn’t the most outlandish one he’d seen. It actually reminded him of a show home in some ways. The lawns were manicured to perfection, not a speck of grass out of place. No pebbles or leftover snow and dirt from the winter on the driveway. No cracks in the steps. Even inside, it was all show and shine. Everything sparkled like Mr. Clean’s bald head.
Except her room.
Soph’s room was the only one in the house he’d seen that had any life in it. She had bookshelves filled to the brim. Knick knacks and pictures strategically placed with love. It represented her in all its glory.
As he shut the car off, the house seemed darker than it had the day before. Quiet. Walking up the steps, he was about to ring the bell when the oak door opened slowly, Braxton stepping out.
Annoyance coursed through him. He understood the other man had a job to do, but it didn’t mean he had to be a dick about it.
“Braxton,” he greeted, trying to keep the peace.
“We need to talk.” The guy pulled no punches.
“About?”
“Sophia.” He had Nox’s full attention.
“She’s a bundled mess today. Full of nerves. I actually haven’t seen her in a few hours.” There was genuine concern in the other man’s words.
“She in her room?” He wasn’t going to wait around and talk; he’d get to her. At Braxton’s nod, he was through the door and up the stairs before the man could move out of his way.
Reaching her door, he gave a slight knock, calling, “Sophia, it’s Lennox.” When there was no answer, he tried the door knob.
Locked.
Bending down, he inspected it, seeing it was a weak lock, and he could probably shoulder his way in if he wanted. Instead, he slipped a credit card from his wallet. Wiggling it between the jam and the door, he had it open not long after.
At first, he didn’t know what he was looking at. The room seemed empty, bathroom was empty, curtains shut tight, and a bundle of blankets piled high on the bed was all there was. When a light moan and slight movement came from the bed, he understood. Not entirely, but enough to know where she was. Just not why.
Peeling the blankets back one at a time, he finally found her, overheated and sweating. Knots in her brow, eyes tightly closed as if she were warding off a bad dream.
Slipping his coat and boots off, he slid under the light sheet with her. His arms wrapped her against his body, and he softly called her name a few times before her frame relaxed into his embrace.
Gazing around her room, he tried to see what could have her in such a state when his eyes landed on Braxton standing in the door watching them.
“What happened?” he asked the other man.
At first, Brax was reluctant to speak, but he must have seen the fortitude in Lennox’s eyes; he wouldn’t give up. “She received a couple of texts this morning. Threatening in nature, but nothing serious.”
His cavalier attitude pissed Nox off. “What the fuck do you mean nothing serious? She’s obviously freaked the fuck out. What did they say?” What the fuck is going on?
Sighing, Brax replied, “From an admirer, they would have been flattering. From a stalker, they’re downright dangerous.”
If comforting Sophia wasn’t so fucking important, he’d take the ass out back for a beat down for his lack of a committed answer. “Get me on the same page you are, Braxton, quickly.”
“We’re still investigating, getting warrants, everything is still very preliminary.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” he shouted, making the precious bundle in his arms flinch.
“It means,” a new voice from the doorway spoke, “we can’t confirm anything right now.” The man entering the room was older, had Sophia’s eyes, looked tired.
“You’re her father?” he spat out.
“Yes.” Just that, nothing else.
Nox had a bone to pick with the man about the way his wife treated her, only it would have to wait until he had all the information he could about whoever was stalking his woman.
“What can you confirm?” His joyful attitude from earlier had fled the moment he saw Braxton at the door.
“Not much.”
He felt like they were going around in circles with the lack of answers he was getting. “What’s the plan then? To wait? Let something happen?” Nox expected some type of reaction from her father about the possibility that harm might befall his daughter, the lack of one was troubling. “That’s what you’re going to do, isn’t it?”
A look was shared between the two men before her father answered, “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re doing everything we can.”
Like hell they were.
“Who do you think is doing this?” He didn’t think he’d get an answer, but the pained look in her father’s eyes led him to believe the man knew who he suspected on a personal level.
“I won’t say until I know for sure,” was his only answer before leaving the room, a look of regret on his face. Braxton followed before Nox could ask any more questions.
With as man
y secrets as the Kardashian’s, he wasn’t sure he would get a straight answer from either man, even if they did know.
Sophia’s sleep had been restless and full of monsters that went bump in the night. No one to save her. No one to hear her cries for help.
Until his warmth.
She was surrounded by musk and man.
His strength could be felt in her nightmares as he held her through her own personal storm. When she’d heard voices, it was hard to remain quiet. Hearing Braxton confirm she had a stalker was astonishing.
She had to be one of the most boring people in town. It wasn’t as though she went out of her way for attention. She was always quiet when she went anywhere. The only real friend she had was Lorraine, and she highly doubted the older woman was stalking her.
When her father hesitated to answer Lennox’s question, she suspected he did know who was behind the sudden threat, but probably wanted it to go away like any other problem.
She often wondered if he felt the same way about her. Was she more of a burden now that she was older? Feeling insecure where her father was concerned was new. His distance the past few years had hurt. Burying it deep inside only made it worse.
“Soph?” Lennox whispered in her ear, breaking her free of her thoughts.
Opening her eyes, she looked into the pools of his midnight blues. Concern lit them as he searched her own.
“You doin’ okay?” He obviously knew she’d been awake, or at least suspected.
“Tired.” Her voice cracked from lack of moisture.
Slipping free of the bed, he held out a hand for her. “Come on, let’s get you some fresh air and food.”
“But what about…?” She couldn’t say it out loud, it would make the whole scenario all too real.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.” His vow was comforting.
Taking his hand, she squeezed lightly as she walked past his tall frame to her en suite. Splashing water on her face to get some color back in her cheeks, she prayed everyone was wrong. That she didn’t have a stalker, that she wasn’t possibly in any danger. Her gut said otherwise, but her mind was all too delighted to believe it was possible.