He saw where my gaze was locked and chuckled. “I lost my old lady five years ago to stomach cancer. She’ll always stay with me, though. Right here.” He said touching a fist to his heart.
I wanted that. I wanted it so badly.
I cared deeply for Trance, and I knew I loved him, but there was no telling if the feelings were reciprocated or not.
“You’re a complex man, Dixie.” I said standing.
Turning to my sister, I watched as she gazed into Kettle’s eyes whispering softly to him for a few moments before interrupting.
“Okay, you sickos. I’ve got to get out of here. Let me know if you need me again, sissy.” I said hugging her to my boobs and shaking them in her face.
She cackled and pushed me away.
“My turn,” Kettle teased.
I rolled my eyes, walked over to my bag, and removed the lunchbox I’d brought from Trance’s house. “Here. I brought you a present.”
He took the offering with a moan and removed one of the beers, and popping the top before I could walk to the door.
“Goodnight,” he called.
Foster was waiting for me when I got into the waiting room. He was reading a Sport’s Illustrated pregnancy edition with a sick sense of horror plastered over his face.
“You ready?” I asked on a laugh.
He looked at me with his disgusted eyes, threw the magazine down, and stalked towards me. “Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is to be hit on by a lactating woman?”
I roared with laughter and he glared at me. “You’re sick. The woman was feeding her kid right there in front of me, and I kept getting nipple shots.”
I giggled even harder when we got onto the elevator.
He started punching the ground floor button with urgency when I didn’t stop. “You’re not very nice. I used to like you.”
I snorted. “Did Miller call you with any updates on Trance?”
He stiffened at my question, and his eyes turned to me warily.
“Yeah...” he said cagily. “About that.”
***
I walked into the door of Trance’s house on a mission, Foster close on my heels.
After what Foster had told me in the car, I was so beyond pissed that I could barely see straight.
I found her in the kitchen. Petting my dog. Trance’s dog.
Fuck.
Radar was sitting at the feet of the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
Long blonde hair that was nearly white that flowed in soft waves down her back. Tight black jeans and a red shimmery shirt. The heels she had on made me want to roll my eyes with how ridiculously tall they were, but I didn’t.
No, I just walked in like I owned the place.
“Hi, who are you?” I asked walking into the kitchen.
Miller, who had been leaning against the counter snorted but didn’t say anything.
Radar left the bitch for me like she was a piece of trash he’d licked all the good stuff off of, coming to me like he hadn’t seen me in days.
“Hey there, big boy. Have you been fed yet?” I asked him.
Snow witch scowled at me like I’d stolen her favorite shoes and stood. “My name is Bree. I already fed the dog.”
The dog. Not Radar.
Looking over at Radar’s bowl, I noticed that it was only the dry food, not the wet stuff that Trance normally gave him. The other three bowls were completely empty, meaning they’d been in their cages for going on four hours now. Walking over to the kitchen cabinet containing the wet stuff, I picked four cans out, picked up the bowls, scooped some dry food into the ones that didn’t have any, and dumped the wet food into them before stirring them all together.
Putting the bowls down on the ground, Radar immediately went to his bowl and started eating while I left the room and went to the den where Trance kept Tequila, Mocha, and Kosher’s cages.
They started barking their little yips of excitement, and I felt horrible for not letting them out earlier.
“I’m sorry, boys and girls. I didn’t mean to leave you in there so long. Daddy was hurt and we forgot all about you, didn’t we?” I cooed at the dogs as I opened each cage.
After letting them outside, I threw the ball for them each, making them run and play for a good twenty minutes like Trance usually did before bringing them back inside.
They attacked the meal like starving beasts, and only then did I look back at the woman who’d resumed her seat.
“I’m sorry, Bree. My old man got hurt today. Today’s been kind of hectic. Who did you say you were again?”
I was going to hell for calling him my old man.
Her face scrunched up in anger, and only then did I see the mask slip and the evil rear its head.
“I came to check on Killian.” She murmured darkly.
“Trance? I’m sorry, who are you again? I’ve not heard him mention a Bree before.” I said slowly.
I hadn’t actually heard him mention Bree before, so it wasn’t actually a lie. I’d only heard about her from Foster on the way back. And from what I’d learned, she could be fingered by Wolverine for all I cared.
“Bree. His ex-fiancé.” She ground out.
“Oh, well that’s odd. I’ve never heard you mentioned once. Who called you?” I asked her.
Her mouth pursed like she’d sucked on a lime. “A nurse at the ER called. She wanted to double check his insurance, and I was still listed as an emergency contact.”
“Hmm, we’ll have to get that fixed.” I said dismissively as I walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer. “Anybody else want some beer?”
Foster and Miller both answered with affirmative grunts. Bree on the other hand had to be difficult. “Do you have any wine?” She asked sweetly.
I rolled my eyes. “No, Trance is more of a beer man. I think he may have some JD in here somewhere. I also saw he had a bottle of Jager.”
Her lips turned up in a silent snarl, and I brought the beer up to my lips to hide my smile. “I have some water. I drank the last of the Dr. Pepper before bed last night.”
“Water will be fine, thank you.” She said primly.
“Okay,” I said. “Cups are in the cabinet behind you. Water’s in the fridge door.”
“I don’t drink the local water.” She sniffed.
“Well, then I guess you have your choice of MGD, Coors, Zigenbach, or Blackened Voo Doo. Personally, I really like the Blackened Voo Doo. It tastes sublime. Trance introduced it to me a couple of weeks ago.” I said smiling.
Turning, I made my way to the table and took a seat directly across from a barely-containing-his-chuckles Foster.
Miller wasn’t even trying to contain his laughter. He was all out shoulder shaking with his laughs.
“Do you live in town?” I asked curiously.
“No,” she shook her head. “I live in Alexandria.”
“Hmm,” I said.
I was about to say something else when a pair of strong, callused hands wrapped around my throat, over my breasts, and came to a stop just underneath my breasts. Trance’s lips found their way to my neck, and I shivered at the touch of his lips.
“Hey, baby. Why haven’t you come to bed yet?” He rasped against my neck.
“My sister had a crisis. I just got back and met your friend here.” I answered breathily.
My nipples had pebbled, pressing against the thin tank top I was wearing determinedly.
The pad of his thumb swiped against the turgid peak once before he withdrew.
“Friend? Where?” He asked and stood, finally making eye contact with the very pissed off woman sitting across the table from me. “Oh. Hey, Bree. How’s it going? What are you doing here?”
“The hospital called. You still have me listed as an emergency contact.” She snapped.
“Oh, well I’ll have to get that fixed.” He said dismissively.
My lips spread into a cat-ate-the-canary smile, being sure to show the other woman the whites of my teeth.
“It�
�s okay. You can leave me on there if you would like. I always told you you’d get hurt on that job, though.”
Of course the woman had to pull the ‘I told you so’ card.
Fucking bitch.
“For your information, I wasn’t hurt on the job.” He growled.
To stall the inevitable firestorm, I diverted Trance’s attention.
“I’m really sorry, but I just realized that the pups were still in their cages. I exercised them and fed them. Is there anything else you want me to do with them?” I asked.
Trance’s eyes finally broke from the woman’s stare, and he glanced at me before looking back at the dogs. “No, baby, you did good. You about ready for bed? I’m beat.”
I nodded and stood. “It was nice meeting you Bree.”
“Hey, can I stay in our guest room?” Bree called to our retreating backs, making Trance freeze.
“No, because Miller is staying in my guest room and Foster’s staying on the couch. We have no room for you.”
With that he turned, grabbed my hand, and led me into the bedroom before slamming the door.
“God I hate that woman sometimes.” He growled, pacing the small room.
“What happened with her?” I asked softly, taking a seat on the bed.
His hand went to his hair, but he stopped, wincing when his hand met the tender spot.
“I was running through my regular beat about five years ago when I pulled into a parking lot that two cars had used to do their drug deal. I walked up to them, asked for licenses and registration. For some reason I didn’t let the dog out of the car,” he said shaking his head wildly. “That was one of the biggest mistakes of my life, not doing that. When I turned to go back to my car, one of the men pulled a knife and sliced my back open from hip to hip. I shot them both. Killed them both with one shot to the heart. I nearly bled out though. Woke up in the hospital three days later pissing blood with kidney lacerations and a note from Bree.”
I thought about what he was telling me, what he hadn’t said. “She left you while you were in the hospital, didn’t she?”
He sat down on the bed roughly. “She refused to even talk to me after that. Moved her shit out of our house and never spoke to me again. Emptied our bank account, even tried to take Radar. That didn’t last long, though, since I needed him for work.”
He smiled through his remembered pain, but I could tell the memory of her still cut him to the bone. “Is this the first time you saw her since then?”
He grimaced. “No, we’ve seen each other in passing. Normally she flips me off and goes about her business. Sometimes I see her eating lunch with some of our old friends.”
“How...childish.” I said with a shake of my head.
He shrugged, as if the entire thing was just a moment in time that mattered little to him.
Then all of the things started to click in place. That’s why he didn’t get close, why he was with Tillie. She was easy, and wouldn’t expect more from him than he was willing to give.
Right then, I made a promise to myself. I would make sure to prove every one of his notions wrong. I wouldn’t be like that for him. I would be someone he could count on to talk through his troubles. If he had a bad day at work, I wanted to be the one he came to speak to if he ever needed me.
Starting now.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked softly.
He shook his head again. Which seemed to be the only thing he was capable of doing. “Nothing. I just want to go to bed. Forget she ever even showed.”
He didn’t hold me that night, and he was gone the next morning when I woke up.
His side of the bed was cold, and hadn’t been slept in in hours.
Even his brothers weren’t there.
But then I got a message, and it changed my whole outlook on the day.
Game on, Trance. Game on.
Chapter 12
When a police officer asks, ‘have you been drinking,’ a good reply is not, ‘are you buying.’
-Viddy, Note to self
Trance
“What are you still doing here?” I asked Bree.
We were sitting in the diner, and I was in the very last place in the world I wanted to be.
“I made a mistake.” Bree whispered gravely.
“What kind of a mistake?” I asked taking a sip of my coffee.
“One where I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I left you in the hospital torn up by a knife.” She sniffled.
A lone tear slipped down her perfectly made up face, and I had to suppress the urge to wipe it away. She knew tears always did me in. Every single time, without fail.
Hell, she’d used them on me a lot during our relationship.
‘Don’t go to work today, Trance. I have a bad feeling.’ She’d say nearly every day.
Over time, I’d gotten to the point of just acting like I didn’t see the tears, going to work with a sickness inside of me, knowing I was hurting my fiancé greatly. However, my job was very important to me.
“Listen,” I said. “I know you may think you want to get back together, but I still have the same job. You’d end up in the same predicament that you left me with.”
She was shaking her head before I even finished. “No, I’ve been thinking a lot, and I know I was selfish. I really do know. I’ve been trying to work up the courage to come back to you for some time now.”
I was about to reply to her when the door opened, and two women poured through the diner doors. Both of them were hanging on each other as if they needed each other for support. They were laughing and carrying on and I was struck speechless.
Then, the younger of the two, turned her eyes to me, and they went wide. Then hard.
The older of the two followed the younger’s gaze to me, and her smile slipped from her face as well. Her expression turned remote, as well as disapproving. With that one look, she let me know how she felt.
My mother was utterly pissed at me, and wasn’t against admitting it. Nor showing it.
Viddy’s face was closed down, and when she took a seat at the booth with her back to me, I knew it was going to take some major groveling to get her to forgive me for this.
I’d left that morning with the thought to get my head on straight. I’d come to the diner for some quiet and peace, but then Bree had come in and sat down in front of me with her pleading puppy dog eyes, and I let her talk.
Stupid. Goddamn stupid.
Leaning over, I pulled out my wallet and threw a ten on the table before scooting out of the booth.
“Where’re you going?” Bree asked in alarm.
I spared her a glance and said, “My woman and mom are over there. Hope you get back to Alexandria safely.”
Walking over swiftly without looking back, I knew I had to fix this now, or it’d only fester.
Sparing my mom a smile, I grabbed Viddy by the arm and practically dragged her out of the booth, kicking and spitting.
With one glance at her face, I knew this wasn’t going to be fun. For either of us.
Leading her outside, I turned and walked down the alley that separated the diner from the floral shop next door, and didn’t stop until we’d reached the back of the building.
“Trance,” Viddy hissed. “Let me go.”
I shook my head. “Not until you hear me out. I didn’t come here to meet her.”
“Sure you didn’t. That was why you were eating breakfast with her.” She growled, and then swung her fist at me.
I caught it without thought, twisted, and held it pinned against the small of her back.
She squirmed fiercely, making me pin her to the wall with my body until the only thing that was separating us was the fabric of our clothing.
With the only recourse she had left, she leaned over and bit me on the meat of the shoulder. Hard.
“Mother fucker.” I growled, jerking away from her and looking down at my shoulder.
She tried to use the distance to run, but I caught her by the waist be
fore she could get very far, grabbed her hands in one of mine, and pinned her back to the wall with my body.
“Would you chill the fuck out and listen to me.” I ground through clenched teeth.
“Fuck you,” she spat.
Closing my eyes, I moved my free hand up until it rested on the speeding pulse of her heart at the juncture of her neck and chin.
Opening my eyes, I saw ones just like my own reflected back at me. “I didn’t come here to meet her. I came here to think about what happened yesterday at your apartment. Shit doesn’t add up.”
“Sure,” she growled. “I just bet that’s why you two looked so fucking cozy when I got here.”
Pressing my throbbing erection into her stomach, I halted her next words in their tracks. “I don’t want my ex. I fucking want you. My dick doesn’t even like the look of her anymore. It only wants you!”
I hadn’t meant to bellow it, but she was still trying to get away from me, and I was fucking sick of it.
“Your mom is inside waiting for me.” She said softly.
“We’ll talk more about it later, but you need to realize that I haven’t thought about Bree in a very long time. I’ve moved on from her. Now it’s you. It’s been you since I found you the night your brother dropped you off in that alley. When you put your arms around my gut, things changed for me in a big way.” I said against her lips, and then took her mouth with a ferocity that could rival a caveman’s.
Just thinking about that night made me want to beat Viddy’s brother to within an inch of his life.
I’d gone over to Kettle’s house one night after work to meet him, and Viddy’s sister had come over screaming about how Viddy was lost and alone somewhere after her brother had dropped her off. Normally, it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal except, at the time, Viddy’s vision wasn’t what it was now. Then, she couldn’t see jack shit, and her cell phone had died.
When I’d found her that night, she’d been scared out of her mind.
It’d only taken a few soothing words, and then she was clinging to me like saran wrap, shaking like she’d just come down from an adrenaline high.
“Okay,” she agreed. “Just don’t do that anymore. I’ve got this bitch that rests inside of me. She makes me do stupid things when I’m angry.”
Kevlar to My Vest Page 14
