Take My Breath Away (The Every Breath Duet Book 2)

by Faith Andrews

  Setting out for the thirty-minute drive back home, I turned on the radio to busy my brain with something other than an irrational conversation between myself and, well, myself. The shower and the car seemed to be my two favorite places to argue with my subconscious these days.

  Oddly enough, the first song that blared through the speakers was a coffeehouse-version remake of Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend.”

  The corners of my mouth instantly curled up in an irresistible smile.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I giggled, turning up the dial to listen more closely to the lyrics that I already knew but had never paid close attention to.

  Even a skeptic would be forced to believe in the signs that were popping up and practically slapping me in the face.

  Sometimes we have to evaluate why the ones we love lie in the first place. Is it for their own gain . . . or is it to protect us?

  He’s a good man . . .

  Ooh, you make me live, whenever this world is cruel to me, I got you to help me forgive . . .

  “Oh, Sam,” I sighed as I listened to the rest of the song and let it carry me away in its message that spoke to me about my best friend. The one man who had never let me down.

  Somehow, I knew that once I found my way back home—to Sam—everything would work itself out. It would take time and patience—thank you for the reminder, Henry—but I couldn’t punish Sam any longer for what he did.

  I now understood he did it for me. Lying to me was a necessary evil, a means to an end. And there was no way he tricked me into falling for him—I did that of my own accord.

  I loved Sam. I loved him with everything I had. Regret for doubting that love for the past few days burned from the inside out, but I would make up for it. He would have to be patient with me, too, as it would take some time to rebuild the trust he’d tested. Nonetheless, for the duration of the ride home, I felt as if I was heading toward that light at the end of very long and scary tunnel.

  Chaos was a friend of mine who had a penchant for sticking around when he wasn’t wanted. It was time chaos got the message, hit the road, and left me alone for good.

  Sam

  MY ONE AND only regret was agreeing to help Hunter.

  In an effort to protect the woman I wasn’t supposed to love but coveted with the entire breadth of my soul, I lied, broke her trust, and ultimately ruined fucking everything.

  I would never forgive myself for hurting London while ironically trying to keep her out of harm’s way. And I would certainly never forget the look on her face when she realized what I did—that the love we shared was built on a massive lie that I could never take back.

  My regret was a guilt so crippling it was all I could think about. It had morphed from a sensation that resided only in my gut into a tangible, breathing monster that I could see, smell, and taste as it threatened to taunt me for all of eternity.

  Yet, here I was again—broken and distraught, desperate and defeated—offering my help to a man who didn’t so much as deserve to breathe the same air as me.

  “Is he on his way?” I asked through gritted teeth. Hunter had just gotten off the phone with Memphis, after instructing him to meet us here.

  “Yeah. He should be here soon.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  “Oh, I want to know everything,” I insisted. “From here on out there are no games, no secrets. Not from me, and definitely not from London. It might be impossible to believe, but I want this shit over and done with more than you do. The quicker it’s over, the quicker you can get the fuck out of here and the quicker I can work on getting London to forgive me.”

  It was the one thing I desired. I would worry about getting her back after that. I was no stranger to waiting; I could do it again, if need be. Right now, all I wanted was for her to look at me without the glare of disappointment that shone in her eyes. I wanted my best friend back.

  Hunter rumbled with patronizing laughter. “What makes you so sure that’s gonna happen, huh?”

  He was quick to remind me that London’s forgiveness would not come easy. Not that I didn’t realize that on my own, but I wouldn’t let it stop me from trying. I’d never stop trying. In fact, that was why I would help them get this mess taken care of as quickly as possible. With Memphis and Hunter out of the way, London would finally have the peace of mind she deserved. She would be able to see clearly again. And she would surely discover the truth behind the truth—that I loved her so much, I risked losing her to keep her safe.

  “How about you leave that to me and tell me where Memphis’s been? What’s he up to, Hunter?”

  He scratched the back of his head, looking down at his feet. “He’s at Ella’s. He’s looking for the key to the safe deposit box.”

  White-hot rage blinded me. Did he have no conscience? How could a son do that to his own mother?

  “So, that’s your big fucking plan? Rob Ella blind and then hope these assholes leave you alone?”

  Pacing my living room, Hunter became uneasy again. “We have to get the money, man. Once we do, we don’t owe them a thing.”

  “Yeah, until you go back to the same old habits. You’ve done it before. What’s gonna stop you the next time?”

  Narrowing his eyes, he stared back at me with determination as he said, “London.”

  I laughed in spite of the way his ridiculous declaration made me want to knock his teeth out of his mouth. “She wasn’t reason enough before. Why now? What’s changed?”

  “She’s always been the reason. You of all people should know that.”

  I did. Of course, I knew. London was the reason I opened my eyes each morning and greeted every new day with a smile. She was the reason my heart was finally full. And she was the reason I hated myself for what I did. London Monroe was the reason for everything—it was the one similarity I shared with Hunter.

  I asked her to choose between me and a madman once before. One could argue that she chose me by default, but I knew that wasn’t true. Eventually Bryce would have shown his true colors and I would have been there, waiting in the wings, as I’d been all along.

  But this was different. London had a past full of memories with Hunter. A piece of her heart would always be reserved for him. I was certain she still loved him, despite his faults, regardless of how he’d failed her. And the truth was, I had failed her, too.

  The playing ground was a fair one. I had to trust that she would one day understand that I was the better man. There was no hidden agenda to my actions, nothing to gain.

  Hunter could not say the same. How could he even think he deserved another chance with London?

  But that was the thing, wasn’t it—he wasn’t thinking at all. The second he got himself mixed up in this never-ending gambling ring, his solitary focus was no longer London. It was money. And in his quest to take the easy way out, he lost sight of everything else. The easy way had become the hardest. He was in so deep there was no getting out on his own. He needed our help. That’s why he was here. I had to make him see that before London did.

  London

  About halfway home, my phone rang with an incoming call from Allie.

  I answered it, pressing speaker mode so I could talk to her while driving. “You must’ve read my mind. I was going to call you in a little bit.”

  “London, you need to come to your mother’s house. Quick.” The hushed and frantic tone of her voice sent the hairs on the back of my neck to attention.

  “What? Why? What’s going on?”

  “I’m here with Memphis.”

  Not only did the mere sound of his name bring me distress, but it was extremely odd for them to be there together.

  “I-I don’t understand. Why are you there? Is everything all right?” It knew it was a stupid question but it slipped from my lips anyway. Nothing had been all right since Memphis and Hunter came back to New Bedford. Everything they touched, they destroyed.

  “Just-just get here a
s soon as you can. Your brother is ransacking the house for some safe deposit key. I tried to stop him, but I don’t know what else to do. Sh-should I call Sam?”

  “No!” I shouted. “No, don’t call him.” Sam didn’t need this extra stress. It had only been three days since he underwent a major operation. I might’ve thought of him as my super hero, but he wasn’t indestructible. I didn’t want to involve him if this was something I could take care of on my own. I had no idea what Memphis thought he might find, or where the hell my mother stored this mysterious safe deposit key I knew nothing about, but maybe I could talk some sense into him. I had to try.

  I pressed hard on the gas and sped up. “Allie, just stay put. I’ll be there in less than ten minutes. Don’t call Sam, okay?”

  “Okay,” she whimpered. “And London?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m sorry. I thought I could help him, but I think he’s beyond help.”

  I practically rocketed into the driveway and threw the car in park. Slamming the door closed as I got out, I looked over to Jean’s house to see if she was home. Her car wasn’t there, nor was there any sign of her. Maybe Sam had called her after I left. I never got around to calling her myself.

  Sam shouldn’t be alone. He needed her. I immediately felt horrible for not contacting her sooner and dug into my purse for my phone. But before I could dial Jean, Allie was storming through the front door and racing down the porch steps two at a time.

  “Thank God you’re here. He’s not listening to anything I say. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”

  I found that hard to believe—he ignored my emails and calls for so long—but I was here now and he couldn’t ignore me if I was standing right in front of him.

  I rushed past her, calling his name as I entered the house. “Memphis! Memphis, where are you?”

  “He’s upstairs. In your Mom’s room.” Allie came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’ve never seen him like this. He’s not the Memphis I remember. It’s awful.”

  I hadn’t seen my brother in years. I didn’t know what to expect, either. But if he looked anything like Hunter did when I first laid eyes on him after all this time, it wouldn’t be easy.

  Memphis was always a very handsome, very tall man. Growing up, we often wondered where the hell he inherited his height from. Mom and I were on the shorter side, and from what she told us about our father, he was nowhere near as tall as his son.

  Good looking, smart, and funny, Memphis always had a lot of friends—both male and female. To say he garnered tons of attention was an understatement. Everyone knew who he was. Teachers and neighbors loved him because he was respectful and polite. The whole town expected great things from him, even after his childhood dream of becoming a major league baseball player eventually fizzled out because reality set in.

  When he moved away for college, Mom was heartbroken. I remember her saying that she knew she was letting him go for good that day. New Bedford held him back from his full potential. No matter how well-rounded or well-liked Memphis was, he’d grown up without the guidance of a father and couldn’t wait to experience the world, leaving small-town living and the rest of us in the dust.

  It hurt for a while. We missed him, but he flourished in California. Mom didn’t begrudge him that because that was the kind of mother she was. Even when she fell ill, when she held out hope that her son would come through as a kidney donor, her love for him never waned.

  I saw his behavior as nothing short of selfish and irresponsible. How could he forget his roots? How could he forget about us? But we all went on living our own lives without his involvement. It was how he wanted it, I guess. What more could we do?

  And now here he was, after all this time. I shouldn’t have been apprehensive to see my own flesh and blood. But I was. Between the circumstances and the passing of time, my heart galloped in my chest as I approached Mom’s room and caught sight of him, his back facing me, his massive height slumped over a dresser drawer as he rummaged through it.

  “Hi, Memphis,” I croaked.

  At my voice, he momentarily stilled to greet me over his shoulder. “Hello, London.”

  It was not the warm and fuzzy welcome you gave your sister whom you hadn’t seen in years. It was laced with annoyance, as if he expected I was here to spoil his fun or rat him out to Mom.

  I ignored the ache in my heart from his dismissive acknowledgment and walked closer to where he stood, hunting between the piles of Mom’s neatly folded clothes.

  “What are you looking for, Memphis? Maybe I can help?”

  “Yeah, because that’s why you’re here.” He scoffed. “I’ll find it by myself. Don’t need to get you involved.”

  He said the last word as if it were an expletive. I imagined Hunter—and Sam—had warned him to not implicate me in any way. I respected that they were protective, but I was also a big girl. And the desperate man in front of me was my brother. I hated him for what he’d done and who he’d become, but I loved him because it was innate.

  Before Sam, before anyone else, Memphis was my first friend. My older, wiser, funnier brother who took the time to build me blanket forts and read me ghost stories, who pushed me on the swings until I thought his arms would give out, who taught me to ride a bike, who introduced me to my husband.

  I had so many fond memories of our childhood together. Too bad those mental snapshots were now discolored and washed out because of the distance he’d wedged between us. Maybe it wasn’t too late to get that back. Maybe we could start fresh once this was all behind us. Make some new memories. Pick up where we left off.

  But first—we had to take care of this.

  “Memphis, Mom doesn’t have a safe deposit box. When she got sick, we went through all of her finances together. She even set up a will. I would know if she had one or if she had anything of value. Is that what you’re looking for?”

  “Bullshit!” he shouted as he stood up and slammed the drawer shut. “You’re lying! She had old jewelry from her grandmother, some savings bonds from when we were kids. If they’re not in the safe deposit box, where’s she hiding them, huh? I know you know where they are!”

  He lunged toward me and Allie was quick to step between us with her arms outstretched in either direction. “Hey! Calm down. She’s here to help. We both are. Why don’t you hear her out, Memphis? Why would she lie to you?”

  “Why wouldn’t she?” he shrieked. “Why should she help us? We certainly don’t deserve it! I don’t know why she’s even here. Why’d you call her, Allie? I don’t want her here!”

  There was no ignoring the sting that came with hearing that. Tears burned the tip of my nose and the corner of my eyes, but I would not cry. I wasn’t weak, he was. He let Hunter drag him down with him. He ran away and shut us out.

  Summoning strength to break through my brother’s stone cold aversion to my presence, I stepped forward and poked a tiny finger into his heaving chest. “Well, isn’t that too bad, because here I am, and I’m not going anywhere. And even if Mom had a million dollars stowed away somewhere, I wouldn’t give it to you. Not like this.”

  His eyes went wide and his nostrils flared to double their normal size. “Don’t fuck with me, London. This is serious. They’re coming for us and if we don’t pay up they’ll—”

  “They’ll what?” I interrupted with my hands on my hips. “Kill you? I’m sure these people have better things to do than chase after a couple of degenerates who owe them a few bucks.”

  “It’s not a few bucks, London! We owe them close to fifty grand! I need that money and I need it now! This is not a joke!”

  Fifty thousand dollars? I knew they were in over their heads, but I had no idea they were in this deep.

  “Oh, my God,” Allie cried behind me.

  The tears I tried so hard to keep to myself gushed forth with no force necessary. “Where do you think you’ll find that kind of money, Memphis? Mom doesn’t have anything close to that. And I’m broke thanks to what Hunter did to
us the first time. Maybe you can ask your boss for an advance at work.”

  “Work?” He laughed, shaking his head. “I got fired from my job three months ago. Why do you think we’re here? We don’t have any other options!”

  My lungs fought to complete the simple task of inhale-exhale. Panic set in, boiling within until I could no longer keep my anger at bay. “How could you let this happen, Memphis? What the hell do expect us to do? There is no easy answer to any of this!” I screamed so loud my throat felt raw.

  Memphis collapsed onto my mother’s bed and dropped his head into his hands. The room remained silent as Allie and I waited for him to say something. Anything. Finally, he rose to his feet, slapping his hands against his thighs. “We’ll have to sell the house,” he blurted, like it wasn’t the most insensitive—not to mention insane—thing he could say.

  I was speechless, but my open-mouthed expression prompted him to explain—as if he’d ever get me to agree with his ridiculous solution.

  “It’s the only way! If I don’t show them I can come up with the money in a reasonable amount of time they will kill us, London! Whether you want to believe it or not, that’s what these sort of people do. We have to sell the house and you have to help me convince Mom.”

  Sell the house? Was he really asking me to do this? To break my mother’s heart . . . now? When she was still so fragile and unsuspecting.

  This was our childhood home. My mother’s legacy. She worked her ass off to keep this roof over our heads; she sacrificed everything to make us happy here. And now he wanted her to hand it over to him—no, he wanted her to hand it over to criminals—to save his ass.

  The look on my mother’s face when she found out about this flashed before my eyes and made me feel weak. My knees nearly buckled at the thought of crushing her this way. And even though I feared Memphis might be right—there was no other way—I didn’t know how we could actually go through with this.

  Sam

  “IT’S BEEN OVER an hour, man. Where the fuck is he?” The clock on the cable box taunted me. I was furious that Memphis had the balls to take his sweet ass time in a situation like this.