by Jayne Rylon
Nor would he blame her if she wanted another try at life with her husband by her side, though he still believed she deserved better than someone who would cut and run, no matter the circumstances.
The more he looked at her, his chest aching at the thought of losing her now that he’d only finally seemed to have a shot at a future with her, the more he realized how epically dumb he’d been wasting time this past year. If he’d acted sooner on the admiration, lust, and respect he felt for her, maybe they’d be solid enough that even Steven Brown wouldn’t have a shot at tearing them apart.
Tom placed a light kiss on her forehead, ridiculously pleased when she smiled and burrowed into his chest in her sleep. Then he carefully untangled himself from her and stood. For a few more minutes, he watched her, terrified to leave.
Then he quietly backed up the first couple stairs before turning and heading to his room. He hauled out fresh clothes, tugging on jeans and holding his shirt in his hands as he stared into the mirror.
The chain with his wedding ring glinted in the soft light. He lifted the gold to his lips, kissed it, then reached behind him to unclasp the chain for the first time in thirteen years.
Willie had been as understanding as always of his souvenir from a brilliant past. That didn’t mean she should have to share his future with ghosts. If she cared to spend any of it with him. And that was a big fucking if at this point.
He crossed to the hand-carved wooden box he’d made for other mementos, like the newspaper article Willie had mentioned, then lifted the lid. Safely tucking the necklace inside, he shut it once more, his hand lingering over it while he caught his breath.
“See you on the other side,” he whispered, then yanked his shirt over his head.
Tom jogged down the stairs as quietly as possible and let himself out. When he hit the ground, he ran faster. Over to the open-backed metal staircase that led to the second-story Hot Rods apartment. He took the stairs two at a time, but didn’t stop when he got to the landing, instead continuing around the bend and up to the rooftop deck his kids had built for sunning themselves, enjoying the view of the fields that stretched beyond Middletown, barbequing and doing who-knew-what together out of sight from the rest of the world below.
He plopped onto one of the lounge chairs and hauled out his phone to text Eli.
Meet me upstairs. Bring Nova.
He figured there’d be no keeping Kaige away since his wife was every bit as snarled in this mess as Willie.
Rebel, too. Bryce was the largest, most intimidating of the bunch, even though Roman was far deadlier in a fight.
Tom hoped it didn’t come to action again. He hated that he’d given in to base instincts the day before. As he sat there, he heard the familiar engine of Willie’s car as it started then began to fade. He jogged to the side of the garage’s roof deck in time to see her taillights zipping away. Shit!
Crushing every impulse that screamed at him to chase her down and bring her back, to explain why he’d acted like such a moron the night before, he made sure he did things right. If that meant letting her stew at her house for a couple of hours until he could slice her with the accuracy of a surgeon’s scalpel instead of blasting her full-force, resulting in the traumatic mess a shotgun would inflict, he’d do that.
He stared at the sky, trying not to give in to the urge to pummel the concrete wall beneath his fists. Slowly, he stepped away from the edge and sank into a chair again.
Before long, boots clomped up the metal stairs. Then three of his sons joined him, spreading out in a semi-circle around where he sat. They stood, arms crossed and feet spread, looking every bit the badasses they could have become if he hadn’t rescued them from hard-knock lives on the streets.
“It was really him, wasn’t it?” Kaige didn’t bother with hellos. “Nola’s dad?”
Tom nodded, wincing. “You didn’t say anything, did you? I haven’t told Willie yet.”
“Fuck,” Eli snarled.
“Hang on a minute.” Bryce’s stare whipped between them all. “Are you saying the guy isn’t dead?”
“Pretty sure it wasn’t a phantom’s nose that did this to my hand.” Tom held up his fingers for inspection.
“Ho-ly fuck.” The big guy wavered for a moment. “How did this happen?”
Tom explained everything. How he’d asked Rick to help find closure for Willie and had inadvertently opened a much bigger can of worms, dumb shit that he was. Still, he’d rather have her find out like this than because she ran into the guy out in public somewhere at random. Worse, Steven could have eventually wised up and come after her, or tried to use his marriage to her for some underhanded purpose, like stealing her social security or some shit later on.
A man who lied about dying might be unethical and dangerous in any number of ways.
“She knows something’s up. I didn’t come home until late last night. Blew our date to hell.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. At the moment he didn’t care if he was about to drop too much information on his kids. It was payback for the zillions of times they’d done it to him, either because they legitimately needed advice about a personal situation or because they liked to bust his balls. “I couldn’t get it up knowing I was lying to her. It didn’t feel right to make love to her under those circumstances.”
“Ugh!” Eli looked away.
Bryce frowned then nodded.
“I can see that.” Rebel put his huge hand on Tom’s shoulder. “I think you made the right call there.”
“We can’t keep this a secret,” Kaige jumped in, worry for his wife and daughter evident in the deep lines scoring his face. “This guy knows where they are now. Or he’ll figure it out soon enough. We have to get it on the table before someone gets hurt. Son of a bitch…more hurt.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Tom agreed. “We’re gonna take Willie, Nola, and Amber over there to confront Steven. They have a right to know the truth and decide what to do with that information. We’re also going to have their backs. They’re not going in alone.”
“We’ll leave the rest of the guys here to watch over Ambrose and Quinn. They don’t belong in the middle of this.” Eli made Tom proud with his total understanding. Maybe he’d done something right in his life, raising these kids.
“Exactly.”
“When are we leaving?” Kaige asked.
“Why don’t you round up Nola and Amber. Gavyn, too,” Tom instructed, forming a plan. “I’ll go get Willie. I think I should tell her alone. When she’s ready, I’ll text you to bring the girls over so she can share with them, if she decides that’s what’s best. I don’t know that there’s much we can do to soften the blow, but at least we’ll be there to offer our support.”
“Not a real big consolation prize.” Kaige shook his head.
“I know, son. Nola is strong, though. You two are already bonded to each other. She’ll be okay, if you help her through it like each of you have with the other Hot Rods and their issues. Holden might be a good one to talk to them later tonight, about abandonment and how it can jack up your self-esteem. We’ll protect them as best we can from the fallout.”
Eli put his hand on Kaige’s shoulder. The Hot Rods had leaned on each other enough to know they could survive anything as long as they stuck together. This time would be no different. It wouldn’t be pretty. Eventually, it would be okay.
An open wound, then a scab, and someday only a scar that would fade with time.
“Once the girls won’t be blindsided by contact with him, we can take them to Steven’s place. The rest is up to them.” Tom shrugged, sounding a hell of a lot more confident in the plan of attack he’d outlined than he felt about executing it. “If they want him to be part of their lives, I don’t think we should discourage it.”
“Until he screws them over again.” Kaige looked at Tom like he was crazy.
“People can change, Nova.”
“That dude knew all along that his family was out there. He never once went to find them to
make things right. I don’t think he’s reformed one bit.” Bryce agreed with his fellow mechanic.
“I think you’re letting your feelings for Willie cloud your judgment, Dad.” A sad smile curved Eli’s mouth upward. “It’s easy to miss the obvious signs when you’re twisted up in how much you want someone.”
Everyone knew Eli had done exactly that when he realized he loved both Alanso and Sally. While he’d thought he was making the responsible decision by pushing them away, he’d ended up nearly losing them both before he figured out the right path around the tricky situation.
He was speaking from experience.
“Hey, Tom?” Bryce asked quietly.
“Yeah?”
“We’ve gone through some serious shit together. You’ve always been the calm one. Is that why you’re so fucked up right now? Where do you think this leaves you and Willie?” he wondered.
“Hell if I know. I love her. I told her so. What I want hasn’t changed, but I won’t blame her if she can’t say the same.” He was glad for the sunglasses he wore, which kept his boys from seeing the sheen in his eyes. “She was so skittish about starting a relationship in the first place. What’s this going to do to her? Right when she was about to take a leap of faith?”
“The way I see it,” Eli growled, “this bastard left her high and dry, with bigots circling around like great whites at a shipwreck.”
Kaige jumped in. “I can tell you, I’d never ditch Nola and Ambrose if I thought someone might try to hurt them. That’s unforgivable. Ms. Brown will feel the same way, Tom. There’s no way she could see it differently. Not as a parent. Even if she could forgive the guy for what he did to her personally.”
“I think that’s probably true.” Bryce went for a weak smile. It wasn’t very convincing.
“See, Rebel, you were separated from the love of your life for years.” Tom knew he was right when Bryce winced. “It didn’t change how you felt about her when you finally saw her again. Kaelyn was able to overlook your abandonment, though I admit you had no choice in the matter. Who’s to say Willie won’t do the same? She has an enormous heart. It’s one of the things I love most about her.”
“Shit, I thought you loved her cookies best,” Eli said, lightening the mood.
“And by cookies, he means her cookies.” Kaige cupped his fingers on his chest then wiggled his hands up and down as if bouncing his imaginary breasts before strutting a few paces away, swinging his hips.
“Dude. Never do that again.” Bryce shoved Nova, knocking him onto one of the nearby chaises.
Tom laughed.
It was either that or cry.
They took a while to calm each other down with familiar routines—jokes, lighthearted teasing, and some roughhousing. After a while, he figured he couldn’t delay any further.
“All right, you dumbasses. Let’s quit screwing around and make this happen.” Tom pushed to his feet.
“I’m coming with you, Dad.” Eli stared at him as if daring him to refuse. “I’ll stay outside. But you should have someone there in case you need some backup. Besides, you shouldn’t drive distracted.”
The other guys were quiet as he considered it then nodded. “Thanks.”
“Of course.” Eli impressed Tom again with how good of a man he’d turned out to be.
Like most well-laid plans, however, they never got a chance to implement theirs. Because just then Tom’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen.
Willie.
When he connected the line and said hello, there wasn’t an answer. He heard heavy breathing, and not the fun kind. Was she calling to tell him she’d had enough?
Then a thready facsimile of Willie’s usual lovely voice interrupted his dread with something far worse than he could have imagined. “I’m at my house. There’s someone outside…”
“Son of a bitch! I’m on my way.” He jumped to his feet and sprinted down the stairs, his kids right behind without having to be told. Their reckless driving would come in handy right now.
Tom and Eli hopped into his gleaming blue Shelby Cobra while Kaige followed, riding shotgun with Bryce in his Rebel AMC. They had a one-time pass on peeling out when they slammed the pedals to the floors in their ridiculously overpowered vehicles.
They couldn’t get him there soon enough.
“Give me your phone,” he shouted to Eli.
With his free hand, he dialed Rick. “Where is that piece of shit?!”
“Damn it, Tom. I was watching the house. Something was off. I checked around and saw the root cellar open. I think he nabbed the neighbor’s car.” The investigator cursed. “It’s only been about forty minutes since I saw him for sure. I’m almost to Middletown. Is he at Hot Rods?”
“Worse, he’s at Willie’s house.” Tom’s throat nearly closed.
“I’m an exit away from her neighborhood,” Rick shouted. “I’ll be there in two and a half minutes, tops.”
“Don’t let anything happen to her,” Tom begged then severed the connection so he could try to reassure Willie on the other phone. Except when he lifted it to his ear again, she was gone.
Hang on, Willie. I’m coming.
Chapter Eight
Willie groaned and stretched, her spine screaming and her hip sore from where it had dug into the floor of Tom’s living room. That damn man was nowhere to be seen. Again.
“Tommy,” she called sleepily.
No answer.
She glanced around the blanket she had slept on and the kitchen table, finding no notes either. Damn if she would wait around again all day, pretending she didn’t know something was dreadfully wrong. They were supposed to be partners, damn it.
When she shot to her feet to snatch her dress off the floor, pain stabbed her head. She went to her knees and grabbed her skull, hoping to keep it from bursting.
This affair with Tom London would be the death of her. Maybe she’d been right to stay away. Tears accumulated in her eyes as she fumbled for the pill bottles they’d left nearby. She shook out the proper dosages then swallowed them dry.
As much as she would like to go over and say good morning to her daughter and grandbaby, she wouldn’t risk running into Tom or cornering him into talking about a relationship he clearly wasn’t able to handle yet. If ever.
She shoveled her medicine into her purse, slipped on her clothes and shoes, then stumbled out of the house, locking the door behind her. Standing on the front porch, she looked back, blinking rapidly, her lips and chin trembling as she wondered if she’d ever stay there again.
If not, she’d find a way to move on. She had before.
Putting her shoulders back, she marched to her car then drove across town to her dinky, half-abandoned house. She flew upstairs and started running steamy water for a bath, which never failed to calm her. As she soaked in the rich, foamy bubbles Amber and Nola had given her for her last birthday, she wondered when she’d become a quitter.
She’d never have tolerated that kind of defeatist attitude from her girls.
So why should it be good enough for her?
It wasn’t.
Almost an hour of thinking brought her to one conclusion.
She had her heart set on Tom London and she’d make him see that despite whatever craziness he’d cooked up to psych himself out, they were meant to be together. When logic wouldn’t work, sexy lingerie might.
Willie grinned as she finished her bath then took forever fixing her hair and even putting on some of the makeup she’d bought from one of the neighbors who moonlighted selling cosmetics. Of course, she’d never planned to use the stuff, except as a way to support the single mother who busted her ass to provide for her children without offending her with a straight-up handout.
Then she sauntered naked to her closet and rummaged around in the way, way back.
At first, she couldn’t find what she was searching for. Had she gotten rid of it? Donated it years ago and forgotten?
Then her fingers brushed against lace and satin. She grinned.
It was a negligee set she’d hand sewn for one of her clients. Supposed to be the woman’s wedding-night wear. Except the guy she’d been about to marry cheated on her. Willie had offered to waive her fees. The woman had insisted on paying, with her fiancé’s money, then refused to accept her purchase.
Some of Willie’s best work slipped through her fingers as she admired the piece all over again. She remembered how she’d tried it on once, knowing the woman was nearly exactly her size. Maybe it had been wishful thinking that had made her hang on to it, or simply pride in her labor, but she thought it would make a persuasive argument in her case to Tom.
She wasn’t against fighting dirty to convince him of what was best for them both.
Willie grinned as she stepped into the sexy garment. When she’d wrestled the various straps, white-satin panels, and matching lace-topped garters into place, she peered at herself in her full-length mirror, turning this way then that.
Pretty damn fine if she did say so herself.
Especially when matched up with the silver high heels she’d worn to Nola’s wedding.
She’d only barely headed back toward the closet to find a low-cut dress that she usually wore with a camisole beneath—though she wouldn’t today—when a noise from downstairs caught her attention.
Could it be that stray cat scratching at the window again? She’d love to feed the poor thing, and invite it inside, but the landlord was a hardass about his no-pets rule.
Just this once, she felt like leading a revolt.
It was amazing the power a proper set of undergarments could lend a lady.
She chuckled to herself as she snuck down the stairs.
Instead of the cat she’d expected to see, a man’s face obscured most of the living room window. His hand pressed to the pane above his forehead, allowing him to peep farther into her home.
Her fingers flew to her chest. She instinctively recoiled, falling on her ass on the stairs with a yelp. The noise drew the man’s attention. When he caught sight of her, his eyes widened and he disappeared. She thought he had run for it, busted spying into what probably seemed like a deserted house.
