Wilde for Her (A Wilde Security Novel) (Entangled Brazen)

by Burrows, Tonya

  “And you did a helluva job of it.” Jude’s expression softened and he tapped the end of the bed twice with his palm before going to the door. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Where the hell is he going?” Greer asked.

  “I doubt we want to know,” Reece said.

  Jude returned ten minutes later with a package from the hospital gift shop and tugged on the sheet covering Vaughn’s legs. “Now I believe Cam mentioned a cast…”

  Vaughn groaned. “Don’t you dare. I’ll make you bleed.”

  “You couldn’t make a hemophiliac bleed right now, bro.” With a grin, he produced a ten-pack of neon markers from the gift shop bag. “And I’m thinking you need a pretty pink unicorn on your cast.”

  …

  All five of them spent the evening together in Vaughn’s room, eating a dinner of delivered Chinese and vending machine soda. Reece demolished his General Tso’s in no time, then began flipping through news channels on TV, no doubt already running financial figures and damage analysis in his computer-like brain, trying to figure out how they would salvage their business when half of their building had been blown to ruins. Greer sat in a second visitor chair, aged a decade by exhaustion and worry, picking at his lo mein with a pair of chopsticks. Jude skipped dinner and continued drawing on Vaughn’s cast, finishing the unicorn and peppering the top of his foot with hearts and swirls. Nobody spoke, but as usual, their memories of a better time filled the silence—the eight-hundred pound gorilla in the room that everyone studiously ignored.

  Still, it was kind of nice to be all together for a meal. Minus the hospital and take out cartons, it was almost like a real sit-down family dinner. Or at least as close as the Wilde brothers had gotten to one since before their parents died.

  A bittersweet longing filled Cam’s chest as he poked at his moo goo gai pan. He thought of Eva’s idea of a family, then thought of his own parents. He’d had that ideal once and it had been shattered by a senseless act of violence. Maybe that was why he just couldn’t bring himself to believe in the kind of future Eva wanted.

  The murder of their parents had impacted each of the brothers in different ways. Jude had become insolent. Vaughn, reckless. Reece, callous. Greer, detached. And Cam? What had he become? He had no idea, but suspected it wasn’t something he was happy with.

  They’d lost the foundation of their family that cold October night twenty years ago, but had gained the kind of forged-in-battle bond usually seen in brothers-in-arms rather than in true blooded brothers. Cam saw that bond now, so tangible he could almost touch it, but still took little comfort from it. He had his brothers, yes, but, dammit all, he wanted the kind of family Eva talked about. The real thing, the kind that sat down to meals together every night and chatted about their days. The kind who celebrated holidays and birthdays with more than a beer and a slap on the back.

  Didn’t matter now.

  He’d been such a goddamn pussy, carrying a flame for her all these years, unable to be honest about what he wanted with her from the get-go. He didn’t want friendship. Never had, but the thought of loving and losing her had made him keep his distance. And his silence had pushed her straight into Preston Linz’s arms. Hell, breaking his silence after all these years had probably accomplished the exact same thing.

  Cam didn’t think he’d ever forgive himself for that.

  Looking at Vaughn laying in the hospital bed, so bruised and swollen, he realized he had a lot that he wasn’t going to forgive himself for and lost his appetite.

  By the time visiting hours ended, Vaughn’s cast looked like the pages of a teenage girl’s notebook. He promised creative, humiliating revenge, and everyone—even Cam—laughed. It took Vaughn feigning sleepiness for Greer, Reece, and Jude to start making noises about leaving and another fifteen minutes before they actually cleared out.

  But as soon as the door shut behind them, Vaughn’s eyes popped open, and he nailed Cam with his spill it glare. “Want to explain to me what that was all about?”

  Cam jerked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the door. “Jude was pissed because—”

  “Not that. Eva. You know exactly what she was trying to tell you by wearing that ring.”

  Dropping heavily into the seat Reece had vacated, Cam dragged both hands over his head. “I know.”

  “And you are stupid in love with her. So explain to me why you’re sitting here instead of annoying our neighbors with rowdy make-up sex?”

  “Because…I can’t.”

  Vaughn hissed through his teeth. “That’s probably something you should get checked, bro.”

  “Jesus. If you weren’t already down and out, I’d punch you.”

  “Nah, you wouldn’t. You know I’m right about this.” He yawned. Maybe he wasn’t faking sleepiness after all.

  Cam stood to make tracks and let him get some rest, but Vaughn pointed a finger at him, pinning him in his place. “Hold it.”

  “Bro, you’re exhausted. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “Nope. Sit your ass back down.”

  Cam sat. “Now you sound like Greer.”

  “Good. I’ll take that as a compliment.” He paused to shut his eyes and let his ragged breathing from the strain of so much movement even out. Just as Cam started wondering if he could make an escape before Vaughn gathered his strength, he opened his eyes again.

  “You recall me saying you’re stupid in love? Emphasis on stupid. That fight you and Eva had in the hall was almost as painful to listen to as the rest of my injuries.”

  Yeah, he wasn’t going to sit still for a lecture on relationships from Vaughn of all people. His twin’s idea of long-term started and ended with one-night-stand. “Vaughn, I love you, but stay the hell out of my business.”

  “No, I’m not done. So she used you to get over her ex? Boo-fucking-hoo. You enjoyed every second of being used and if she hadn’t, she never would have come to the conclusion that she did.”

  “What, that I have a superhero complex?”

  “Well, yeah, you do.”

  He strode to the door. “All right. I’m outta here.”

  “Camden,” Vaughn said in exasperation behind him. “She loves you. And you know I don’t say this lightly, but I like her for you. Don’t throw away the best thing you’ve ever had.”

  …

  Best thing he’d ever had.

  Vaughn’s lecture haunted him throughout the taxi ride home and followed him around the too-empty condo until he couldn’t stand it anymore and stepped outside. He needed a ride, couldn’t keep relying on taxis or his brothers, and he hadn’t even looked at the insurance paperwork for his toasted 4Runner yet. So, with nothing more than a flashlight and the icy wind for company, he set about finally fixing the Hummer’s slashed tire and hoped the busy work would keep him from thinking too much.

  He was wrong.

  Best thing he’d ever had.

  The words rattled around in his skull as he removed the ruined tire and tossed it into the snow, then fit the spare in its place.

  Yeah, no doubt about it. Eva was the best thing in his life. But right now, she was also the worst. Every cell in his being screamed at him that she was his—even as pissed off as he was at her, his body ached for the soft, tight heat of hers—but she didn’t see it. She couldn’t see it, or she’d have thrown Preston’s ring back at him the moment he tried to give it to her. Instead, she kept it. Even considered his proposal.

  A more rational part of him got that this was all his fault. She’d only agreed to see Preston again because she was angry at him. He’d betrayed her trust. And after he’d sworn to himself he wouldn’t.

  Cam released the tire jack, slid it out of the way, and yanked open the Hummer’s door hard enough that the hinges protested. The screech of sound dragged him out of his head, and he realized he’d also been grinding his teeth the entire time he changed the tire.

  Jesus Christ.

  He slid into the driver’s seat and leaned his forehead against the cool steerin
g wheel. Opened and closed his mouth a few times to work the ache out of his jaw, and then just sat there, breathing. Each exhale clouded in the cold, but he didn’t switch on the behemoth excuse for an SUV because anger and fear burned in equal parts beneath his skin.

  Fear?

  Holy shit. That was exactly the emotion clouding his every thought right now. He was so damn afraid he’d lose Eva somewhere down the line like he’d lost his parents, like he’d nearly lost Vaughn yesterday. But instead of grabbing and holding on to her with everything he had in him, he’d shoved her away.

  Cam banged his forehead against the wheel, once, twice, three times. Idiot, idiot, idiot. Groaning at himself, he sat up and cranked the ignition. He had to go talk to her.

  Man, Vaughn called it right: Stupid in love.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Eva had been shaking with anger since she left the hospital. What the hell did Cam know about her ideal family anyway? And fuck him for that comment about her not knowing what she wanted. She knew exactly what she wanted and she would have told him if the dumbass had just closed his mouth and listened.

  She’d also been banging things around her mess of a kitchen for the last hour, not really accomplishing much in the way of cleaning, but the clang of pots and pans against the sink was satisfying. Maybe she could use one to beat some sense into Cam’s head.

  Now there was a satisfying thought.

  Still, she should probably do some actual cleaning. Shelby was away for a few days, visiting their mother at the psychiatric institute in Virginia—God knows why she even bothered after what happened between them—but Eva might as well take advantage of her sister’s absence and put the house back in order. Besides, the monotony of chores might help her find her Zen place so she could deal with Cam tomorrow on an even keel.

  And she would deal with him. This thing between them was far from finished.

  Somewhat steadier, Eva started unloading the dishes she’d tossed in the sink. Some of them looked clean already, but she’d been so pissed off she hadn’t paid any attention to whether the plates stacked on the counter had been clean or dirty, so they were all getting washed. She stoppered the sink and turned on the water as hot as she could stand it, then added a few squirts of dish soap.

  The doorbell rang.

  Cam?

  Her heart did a funny jitter thing.

  She left the sink to fill and strode into the living room, grabbing her side arm from the closet on the way. Just in case. A woman home alone could be too much of a temptation to some desperate criminal, and it was late enough at night that she didn’t feel one-hundred percent safe opening the door without her gun. She checked the peep hole, her heart now threatening to gallop out of her chest at the thought of having it out with Cam tonight—

  Preston.

  Sighing, she tucked her weapon into her waistband and pulled her shirt out to cover it. Unlike Cam, Preston wouldn’t get why she’d answered the door with it, which was just another reason in a long list of many why it’d never work between them. Why it took her so long to figure that out, she didn’t know. She’d kick herself for it later.

  She opened the door and barely got a squeak of sound out before he pulled her into his arms.

  “I’m so sorry,” he breathed into her hair, and his hands roamed a little too far down her back for comfort.

  “For what?” She ducked out of his embrace and ignored his stricken expression.

  “You haven’t heard? It’s all over the major news stations. I thought…with him being your best friend…”

  “Oh. Cam.” She wasn’t sure how she felt about him being here just because he thought Cam was in the hospital.

  He wrapped his arms around her again. “I’m so sorry. I’ll admit I never liked Camden, but I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now. I’m here for you, okay? Anything you need.”

  “What are you—Cam’s fine.” She shoved at his shoulders until he backed up a step. “Vaughn got hurt, but he’s going to be okay.”

  “Vaughn?”

  “Yeah. Cam’s twin?”

  He blinked like he had no idea what she was talking about. She planted her hands on her hips and stared in complete amazement. “Wow, you really didn’t listen to me much when we were together.”

  Yet another reason their relationship wouldn’t have worked.

  For the first time, she saw Preston Linz without the filter of her idealism, and she wasn’t liking what she saw. Preston put on a good act, but he only cared for one person: himself.

  “Twin?” he said through his teeth. “There’s two of him?”

  “Of course not. They’re two completely separate people who happen to look alike. What the fuck’s wrong with you? You’re acting like—Oh, shit. The sink!” She left him standing in the open doorway and ran back to the kitchen, catching the faucet just in time before the basin overflowed with water. The bubbles were another matter. They had multiplied like rabbits and spilled over onto the counter and floor.

  Cursing, she plunged her hand into the scalding water to find the plug and felt Preston at her back, uncomfortably close.

  His breath rustled the hair by her ear. “Were you fucking them both?”

  She jerked backwards in shock, but found his body behind hers, pinning her against the sink.

  “Because Camden’s been fucking both you and Lark.”

  But at least we both figured out the kind of man he was before we made any stupid mistakes, right?

  Eva’s heart pumped double time, spilling adrenaline into her blood. Lark had been in Vaughn’s hospital room. Only one reason she’d have gone to see him. They had some kind of relationship—and Preston thought Vaughn was Cam.

  Oh, no.

  The contract on Cam’s head. Soup’s death. All of it started after Preston saw her and Cam together at the bar in Key West.

  A rising sense of dread trickled down her spine. “Preston, tell me you didn’t—” But she didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence. An engine rumbled to a stop in front of the house and a car door banged shut. Footsteps crunched on the snow of the walkway, then the porch’s screen door creaked. She’d left the interior door open, and the footsteps paused.

  Please not Shelby. Or—

  Cam appeared in the archway between the dining room and kitchen, his gun drawn, his eyes flat as he took in the scene in front of him: Preston pinning her against the sink with his body, her shirt soaked down the front, the white fabric translucent.

  For one horrifying moment, Eva feared he’d get the wrong idea, but Preston nixed that by grabbing a knife out of the butcher block. He pressed the blade to her neck and swung her around, using her as a living shield, and her whole body went cold. Her brain shut down. She couldn’t form a coherent thought, leaving her confused and shaking.

  “Whoa, okay. We don’t need to hurt anyone.” Cam raised his hands in front of him, let his gun dangle from his index finger as he bent down and set it on the floor. Straightening, he stripped off his jacket, then his shirt. “I’m unarmed, see? No back-up weapons.”

  He continued to speak to Preston in calm, soothing tones, and his voice served as a beacon in a sea of darkness for her to focus on. She heard her name. Once, twice. The kitchen came back into focus, slowly at first, then in such sharp relief, it gave her a headache.

  “Eva,” Cam said, “you okay? Eva?”

  “Y-yes.” The knife bit into her skin, but seeing Cam acting so calm relaxed her enough that she was able to think again. Control. She needed to get control, even if it was only over the way she died. She swallowed, felt the knife’s edge dig deeper, and ignored it. “Yes, I’m fine. Preston hired our bomber. I think he may have killed Soup, too.”

  “Damn junkie should have done his job in the first place,” Preston said. “All he had to do was get Camden out of my way. Instead, he took my money and ran. I couldn’t let that stand.”

  Cam nodded. “Yeah, but like you said, Soup was a junkie. Nobody cares about him, right?�
�

  “Exactly,” Preston said.

  “The car bomb didn’t kill anyone and Gordon Dunphy will go down for that. You’re smart. We can’t prove you were involved in anything—except for this. Right here, right now. But you’re smart, right, Preston? You get that if you hurt Eva tonight, you will get caught. She’s a cop. Assault an officer of the law, that’s a long prison sentence. Murder an officer, that’s automatic life.”

  “I’m not going to hurt her. I want her to make a decision. The right decision.”

  “She already has.” Cam turned his pockets inside out and held up the ruby-studded ring. His gaze locked on hers. “She gave this back to me tonight.”

  Preston’s breath grazed her ear again and she shuddered in revulsion. “Is that true?”

  “Go ahead,” Cam prompted. “Tell him what you told me.”

  She opened her mouth to play along, but stopped. There Cam stood, bare chested, his pockets turned inside out, the ring he’d bought for her in his hand, and a plea in his eyes. Outwardly, he appeared calm, but she saw the terror trembling through him—and she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t choose Preston over him, not even to save her life. She held his gaze, saw his eyes widen.

  No, Cam mouthed. Don’t.

  “I love you, Cam. I’ll always pick you.”

  …

  Oh fuck.

  Cam launched across the kitchen as Preston let out an inhuman howl of rage, and the knife dug into her neck. Eva dropped to her knees and—

  Blood. So much blood.

  No, no, no. He couldn’t be too late.

  Except she was moving, sweeping out her leg, knocking Preston’s from under him. He stumbled backwards, and Cam caught him in a tackle around the middle, shoving him into the scalding water in the sink. The guy screamed, the sound carrying up though the water and bubbles.

  “Cuffs!” Cam said and Eva scrambled out of the kitchen, slipping and sliding until she hit the dry linoleum of the dining room.

  Preston bucked, slashed out with the knife, and caught Cam’s bare chest with the edge, but he shoved the asshole’s head under the water again. He knocked Preston’s hand against the counter until the knife dropped, then kicked it out of the way and hauled Preston away from the sink, flattening him out on the kitchen floor.