Bree was still on a high when she drove back home that evening. I am not a virgin. She grinned to herself, repeating the mantra to herself. She felt changed, and utterly wiped out by love but at the same time, she chuckled. You’ve turned into one of those teenagers, she laughed to herself. All lovesick notes and writing his name on your schoolbooks. Ha. No way, Bree shook her head, not Bree Saffran. She had a reputation to uphold. Badass, untouchable tomboy.
She was still smiling to herself when she pulled into the driveway of her mom’s home and was surprised to see her father’s Lotus parked out front. Bree glanced at the clock; a little after one a.m.
Frowning she went into the house, stopping in the hallway to listen but it seemed the house was in darkness. She crept upstairs and opened her mother’s bedroom door a crack. Her mother slept, alone, on her side, her face creased with worry even in her sleep. Bree found her father also asleep in the guestroom. What was he doing here?
She went to her own bedroom and changed into her nightclothes, shivering as she slid between cool sheets. Exhaustion, exhilaration and concern kept her awake for a while then the exhaustion won out in the end and she fell asleep.
Portland
Zea couldn’t sleep. Her life had changed so absolutely in such a short time and now, she was practically living with a man she barely knew. Barely knew but was absolutely crazy about. Flynt Newlan was asleep in the bed beside her and she studied him as he slept. He had come through for her, offered her a place to live after it became too dangerous to live in the small apartment she had rented.
Jared Podesta. Her brother-in-law – so he said. She wasn’t convinced at all of that fact now, all she knew was he was the man who had raped her a few nights ago. Zea knew the full impact of what Jared had done hadn’t even begun to hit her yet but Flynt had stepped up, offered her safety, peace. Love. God, who would have thought it?
‘Can’t you sleep?’
She turned and saw him watching her now, his eyes tired but a smile on his face. He let his hand drift down her spine and Zea snuggled into him. ‘I’m trying. Just a lot on my mind.’
‘Such as?’
‘Jared.’
Flynt made a disgusted noise. ‘He’s the last person you should be worried about.’
‘I know, it’s just…I want to know if he really is David’s brother. I want to know why he did what he did.’
‘I want him to go to jail,’ Flynt said in a rough voice, ‘Seeing as you won’t let me finish him.’
Zea shook her head violently. ‘No-one else is going to die, Flynt. I’ve had enough of that to last me a lifetime.’
He said nothing just pulled her closer. ‘Then we’ll put someone on him, try to get a blood sample or something we can test. Do you think he’ll stay around?’
‘He made no indication he was intending to leave Portland.’ Zea thought back to that last confrontation, the one where she realized Jared was capable of anything.
‘He wouldn’t have the brass balls to show up at the diner, though, right?’
Wrong. The next day, Jared Podesta did indeed show up and sat at the counter of the diner as if nothing had happened. Zea hadn’t seen him at first, but as she brought out an order for the overworked wait staff, she nearly dropped the plates.
‘Here she is,’ Jared said, a pleasant smile on his face. Zea stared at him disbelieving. Jared had seated himself between two of the diner’s regulars, two elderly men who played pinochle and drank sweet tea most of the day. Jared was obviously making himself the life and soul. Zea swallowed back a cuss word and ignored him, but made a fuss of his two companions, getting them fresh coffee.
Jared watched her with an amused look on his face but didn’t rise to her bait. Zea turned her back on him and stalked back to the kitchen. Teresa was just coming into work and she took one look at Zea’s face and groaned. ‘What is it? Has Flynt dumped you?’
Zea rolled her eyes. ‘No, it’s not Flynt.’ She sighed. ‘Jared’s in the diner.’
Teresa frowned. ‘Did you tell him to back off?’
‘Yup.’
Teresa shook her head. ‘Goddamn men. They hate not being in control, don’t they?’
The rest of the morning, Zea managed to stay in the kitchen and just before lunch she slipped out to the backdoor to grab some fresh air. She snagged her phone from her purse and called Flynt’s number. It went to voicemail. She didn’t want to tell him about Jared on voicemail so she just said a quick hello and hung up.
She didn’t see Jared until he was next to her. Zea started and backed away. Jared put up his hands.
‘Don’t be afraid, Zea, I’m not going to hurt you.’
Anger flared in her. ‘What the fuck are you doing, then, Jared? I told you to leave town.’
He smiled; it didn’t reach his eyes. ‘It’s a rare day when I let a woman tell me what to do, Zea. Besides, we have so much more to talk about.’
He reached for her but she batted his hand away. ‘Jared, I warned you. I will go to the police, you will be arrested for rape.’
Jared smirked. ‘No, I won’t be. You’ve already tried that…yes, did you think I didn’t know about you and the bad boy billionaire?’ He leaned in and whispered in her ear. ‘Do you think I would have been stupid enough to leave my D.N.A., Zea?’
Her hand whipped out and connected with his face and he laughed, stepping away in case she slapped him again. ‘Oh, I am going to really enjoy getting to know you better.’
Zea’s anger burst. ‘You arrogant bastard. Do you think I’m going to spend one more minute in your sleazy company? You raped me. Rape, Jared. Are you insane to think I’ll give you any more of my time?’
He moved so quickly she didn’t have time to struggle, pinning her back against the wall. ‘You’re going to give me more than just your time, sweetheart. You’re going to give me everything.’
He slid a hand between her legs then as she started to scream, he clamped a hand over her mouth. ‘Zea…my lovely Zea, you just don’t get it, do you? You belong to me; your whole life belongs to me and do you know why? Because I’m the one who can tell the world exactly who you are. I can bring down this little farce you have going on here. You forget, I know who you are…what would the world say to a woman who ran away from the horror her dead husband caused and then slept with everything that moved…including her own brother-in-law?’
His entire body weight was against her now, pinning her to the wall and Zea was having trouble breathing, staring up at Jared with horror filled eyes. He smiled. ‘I’m going to take my hand away now. Do you promise not to scream?’
Dumb, she nodded and he let her go. ‘From tonight, Zea, I expect you to move back to the apartment. Don’t worry, I won’t be moving in with you but I will require you to be there when I choose to visit.’
Zea’s heart was beating so hard against her ribs, she was sure she was going to have a heart attack. Jared looked down at her and she could see the murderous rage in his eyes, the obsession. Oh, dear god…
‘Are you really David’s brother?’ She whispered and he chuckled, putting his hand against her hot cheek.
‘Oh yes…if you’d like me to do a DNA test, I’m happy too. You see, there was an awful lot you didn’t know about my family, Zea, an awful lot. We have…a history of, well, let’s just say…’ He leaned forward, got in her face. ‘David was the good one…what he did is nothing compared to what the rest of us are capable of. Remember that, Zea.’
He kissed her roughly but swiftly then started to walk away. Zea was frozen. Jared stopped, considered a moment then returned to her. ‘And don’t think of leaving town, Zea. Because for every night you elude me, I’ll kill one of your friends in there. Then when I’ve finished them, I’ll go back to Auburn and finish what David started. The kids first.’
Again, he started to walk away then called back over his shoulder. ‘Oh, and I’m going to need you to break up with your boyfriend.’
Zea, paralyzed with shock, could only watch in horror
as Jared casually got into his car and drove away.
It was only after he’d gone that she realized she was crying.
Seattle
Luca and Clem told Bree about Emory the next morning. Dry-eyed but devastated, Bree nodded. ‘I knew it. I knew she was dead. I just sensed it. What happens now? Are they calling off the search for her body?’
‘The coastguard is – they have finite resources and seeing as it’s been so long…but we’re continuing the search. I have men out there, and Max Neri has offered his service too.’
Bree noticed her mom wince at the mention of Max’s name but she didn’t say anything. ‘Dad…I know this…Mom, I’m sorry but I have to tell him.’
‘It’s okay, honey, go ahead, whatever it is.’ Clem squeezed her daughter’s arm.
Bree drew in a deep breath. ‘She was happy, Dad. You made her happier than she’d ever been. She told me that. It might have only been a heartbeat that we had her in our lives but my God, the legacy she leaves.’
Luca nodded. ‘I know, kiddo. Look, the both of you, this is obviously the worst-case scenario but we have to deal with it. I have to deal with it. Emory is dead. We can honor her bravery by living our best lives the best we can. Especially you, Bree.’
She nodded and hugged her father. ‘You bet I will do my best, Dad, I promise.’
Later, when Bree had gone out, Clem made Luca sit with her in the living room. ‘Luca, I have something to tell you, something I’ve been working on.’
She told him about the journalist, Tatiana Mendelssohn, and how Clem had called her up and spoke to her about setting up a charity for the victims of school crime, students and teachers. ‘I reached out to Tatiana because of the stories she wrote; they were well-researched, empathetic and, I thought, there was no salacious intent or motivation. She didn’t write the pieces for any other reason than to tell the story of what we went through.’
Luca nodded. ‘I remember the name. She called my office one time but I wasn’t in the right head space to talk to her. To her credit, she wasn’t pushy, at all, and I remember being struck by that. So why a journalist?’
Clem took a deep shaky breath and tried to smile. ‘Because of two reasons. One, I want to write a book. About the shooting, about the victims…about Emory. The proceeds would go to the victims via a foundation I’m setting up.’
‘A foundation?’ Luca’s eyes were wide with surprise. Clem took his hand.
‘The Emory Dutta Memorial Foundation. We would work with victim support groups, not just from Washington but country wide. Mental Health groups too, all focusing on the aftermath of school shootings. God, Luca have you seen the stats of them? We barely scratched the surface when we see one reported on the nightly news – which is becoming more and more regular. In some ways, it was inevitable that one would touch us sometime.’
Luca’s dark eyes were unreadable. ‘The Emory Dutta Memor…Clem, I don’t know what to say.’ He got up and went to the window and Clem could see his shoulders shaking and realized he was quietly sobbing.
‘Is it too much?’ she asked quietly, ‘Is it too much, too soon, Luca?’
He shook his head. ‘No.no, it isn’t…it’s perfect. Thank you, Clem.’
She went to him then and they held each other for the longest time. ‘I promise,’ she said into his shoulder, ‘I promise I will make you happy again, Luca. I promise.’
She only realized how that sounded afterward, later, when she was alone in bed. Luca had gone home, wanting to start the process of mourning Emory properly, of getting his life back.
‘Shoot,’ she said out loud now, as she took in the full meaning of her words. She had only meant…oh damn it. Human relationships were such delicate things, a spider’s web of complicated double meanings and hurt feelings.
Maximo. Clem groaned and pulled a pillow over her face. Stop thinking about him, she told herself, then gave in. God, those eyes, that smile. His hands on her body, slightly rough skin. The way he would hold her as if she might break one moment, then drive his cock so deep inside her she thought she might tear in half. His grin when he knew she was totally his. Was he like that with every woman? ‘Ouch,’ Clem said, her eyes focused but unseeing. He was way too smooth, way too confident. The first night they met, he had known about her, about what she was feeling. Did he prey on her kind – newly divorced, not looking to commit? Probably. You’re better off without him.
But that night, that one delicious night with him and she was lost. And when she had reached out for help, he had been there for her. And again, last night, Luca had told her that Maximo would not divulge where he was holding Ray Grace. ‘Not until you have had time to mourn your love,’ Maximo had told him. ‘Believe me when I say, you need time. In six months, a year, come ask me again and whatever you decide, I will help you. But that anger, that sorrow you feel now is clouding your every cell, mio amico. It is a dark, insidious thing that will only lead to your own destruction. Believe me, I know.’
Clem wondered now about what Maximo had said. Believe me, I know. She had googled Max, trying to find any clue but he was first class about keeping his life off the front page, it seemed, unless he wanted it to be front and center. Like the photos of him and actress he was undoubtedly screwing. Clem entertained a fantasy that he was trying to make her jealous. Are you a school kid, Clementine?
‘Shut up,’ she told herself harshly then sighed. Sleep was obviously a pipe dream at this point. She got up and threw a sweat shirt over her nightgown, and went downstairs to get a drink.
Bree was awoken by Jesse moving restlessly beside her. Since she’d arrived earlier, he’d been acting weirdly. He’d been sympathetic about Emory but even though he’d made all the right noises, Bree could see he was distracted. When she questioned him, he told her it was nothing and Bree, not wanting to intrude, let it go.
Now she turned over and faced him. He was laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. She reached out and placed her hand on his chest.
‘How can I make you feel better?’ Her voice was soft and he turned his head to smile at her.
‘You being here is enough.’
She pressed her lips to his. ‘I can do better than that.’
She moved so she was straddling him, reaching between his legs to gently stroke his cock. He smiled up at her. ‘You know something? For someone new to the game, you sure know what you’re doing.’
Bree grinned. ‘Borrowed a few of my mom’s Cosmo’s.’
Jesse chuckled, his hands sweeping up the long, silky length of her thighs, but try as she might, Bree couldn’t make him hard. Jesse sighed. ‘I’m sorry, honey. Guess I have too much on my mind.’
Bree sighed. ‘Talk to me.’
Jesse smiled but shook his head. ‘It’s family stuff, is all.’
Bree felt stung but she nodded. ‘It’s okay.’ She rolled off him and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling her jeans on. ‘Look, I’m going to give you some space. I have stuff to do at home anyway.’
He didn’t argue with her but saw her to the door and kissed her tenderly. ‘I’m sorry, Boo,’ he said, holding her tightly. ‘I promise, it’s nothing to do with us. I’ll call you in the morning.’
Bree drove home feeling…what was she feeling? Hurt? There was no reason why Jesse should have to share family stuff with her – they weren’t there just yet. Except…given the thing that had brought them together – the school shooting – wasn’t a little thing. Surely, they should be able to talk to each other about everything now?
Confused. Bree finally pinned down how she was feeling. She felt as if the rug had pulled from under her, that she hadn’t understood her relationship with Jesse after all. She hadn’t met all of his family yet, maybe that was why…God, she just didn’t know.
At home, she found her mom awake and picking at the food in the refrigerator. Without saying a word, Bree poured herself a tall glass of cold milk and pull up the stool next to her mother’s. They both sat in silence for a while, eating random
tidbits from the cooler, before Clem looked at her daughter. ‘Man trouble?’
Bree nodded and half-smiled back at her mom. ‘You?’
Clem hesitated slightly before shrugging and nodding sheepishly.
‘The sexy Italian?’
Clem sighed. ‘The sexy Italian.’
‘How did you even meet?’
Clem told her the story of how she had met Maximo Neri, even regaling her laughing daughter with how cocky the man had been, so sure of himself. ‘He was entirely convinced he’d get me into bed.’
‘And did he?’
Clem flushed. ‘Breana, that’s none of your business.’
Bree grinned, her mouth full of bread. ‘So yes, then?’
Clem sighed. ‘Okay, yes.’
‘And?’
‘Oh no,’ Clem shook her head, smiling, ‘that’s as much detail as you get.’
Bree tried to talk her into giving her more details but Clem resisted. Finally, Bree gave up. ‘This is nice. We’ve never done this, you and me. Just stayed up talking, eating junk food. We should do this more often.’
Clem looked half-shocked. ‘We have done this.’
‘No,’ Bree shook her head. ‘You’ve done this with Dad, or it’s been me and Dad. Never you and I.’
Clem looked upset. ‘That makes me sad, Bree. Nineteen years and we’ve never…’
‘Been best friends. It’s okay, Mom, we both had Dad. And you know how things are between mother and daughter during puberty.’
‘I could have tried harder.’ Clem’s voice was soft.’
‘Me too. I do love you, Mom. I haven’t said that enough.’
‘I love you too, Bean.’
Bree grinned. ‘And you haven’t called me that in years.’
Clem’s eyes glistened and she reached over and grabbed Bree’s hand. ‘From now on, we make it a regular thing. If these past few months have taught us anything, it’s we never know how long we have left.’
Evergreen: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 14
