Carter for…well, being Carter.
Dalton for pretending to be my friend.
Roan for disregarding my concerns.
And Kase…I’m not sure if I should be mad at him but I am. He up and left town without even stopping by to see me. I have a feeling if I were to hop a flight to New York and not mention it to him until I was already at the airport, he’d be more than pissed. It might have been something out of his control, but I lived for years with a man who held a double standard.
As much as I want to be mad at Kase for leaving town, I know I’m using it to mask my real anger. If he was able to ensure Dalton stayed away from me, then he had to know that someone sent orders for him to pretend to be my friend…to keep me busy.
A loud knock on the apartment door has me jumping to my feet. Looking through the peephole, I spot a delivery man holding a colorful arrangement of carnations.
Swinging the door open, the man looks down at a clipboard then back to me. “Delivery for a Miss—.”
“Yeah, thanks,” I mumble, taking the flowers from his arms.
“I just need you to sign here.”
I scribble my name on the piece of paper before kicking the door closed heading back to the kitchen.
When Kase sent me flowers, he sent every type and color imaginable. The other day, Carter sent red roses. Classic yet boring. If I knew for a fact that these were from Carter, I’d toss them without reading the card, but knowing they could be from Kase has me opening the card. My pulse quickens reading the words in front of me.
Brenna,
If she knew what kind of friend you truly are, she never would have moved in with you. Convince her to come home, or I’ll tell her the truth. Better yet, I’ll show her.
Carter
My mind is reeling when the door opens and in pops Brenna with several bags in her arms. With her back to me, I slide the card into the pocket of my slacks before she turns and I ask, “How did things go with Roan?” Her gaze moves to the table. “Oh, shit. Did the asshole send more flowers or those from Mr. Dreamy?”
A war rages in my mind. Carter’s a jerk, desperate enough to do anything, but his words are on a loop in my mind.
If she knew what kind of friend you truly are, she never would have moved in with you.
“They’re from Kase.”
“Oh, good. When I called Roan, I was surprised he answered but when I told him you were in the lobby, he almost immediately acted concerned. When we hung up, he told me he’d call me later, but I’m not going to hold my breath.”
She pulls a head of lettuce from a bag, concern filling her eyes when gaze locks with mine. “Sweetie, what’s the matter?”
“I’m suddenly not feeling good.”
“Oh, okay. Why don’t you go lie down and see if that helps?”
“Yeah, I think I will.”
“I have an appointment with my agent at four. Then I’m scheduled to work tonight so I won’t be home until late.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Once I’m in my room, I removed the card, reading and re-reading the words, and each time, my mind goes to the same place.
My roommate—a girl I’ve known since grade school—slept with my boyfriend…
Kase
“It’s definitely insider information. Mr. Bosa landed two of your major clients after offering them a contract that came in five-tenths a percent under the one you offered. Not much, but you’re talking almost a million dollars over ten years.”
“I’m not paying you to tell me shit I already know. I’m paying you to tell me who the fuck is selling us out.”
“I can tell you who, but if you want enough proof to put them behind bars, you’re going to have to wait and let me do my job.”
“Fuck that,” I growl jumping to my feet, pacing in front of Chris Donnell, the PI my lawyer highly recommended. I had to fly to New York for Solar Core, but my ass would be back in LA already if it weren’t for the fact that Chris couldn’t meet until today.
“I want to know who so I can destroy them before they do any more damage.”
Chris blows out a frustrated breath and nods. “Okay, I get that but just so you know, I’m close. Really, fucking close. Another week, and you’ll have everything you need to put them behind bars.”
“Tell me.”
Without a word, he removes a folder from the drawer of his desk and slides it my direction. “Any lawyer with half a brain will get that thrown out of court in a second. If you act now, all you’re doing is placing a band-aid on a bigger problem.”
I flip the folder open, skimming the first page until I spot the name I was looking for. I’m not surprised but I’m still pissed. Pissed that I didn’t hire him sooner, pissed we don’t have enough to put their ass in jail.
“Thanks, Chris, I’m…” I clutch the folder in my hand, ready to get my ass back to California. “I appreciate this more than you could know.”
Everything was going as planned, everything except Delanie Charles, but that plan—something I’ve spent close to a year devising—is about to blow up in my face.
The second I’m out of his office, I pull my phone from my pocket ready to call Roan, only to find I missed a message from him.
Roan: Shit is starting to fall apart.
Chapter Nineteen
Delanie
I woke the next morning with a massive headache. I didn’t waste any time before emailing Paula to tell her I wouldn’t be in. My dad’s plane should land late afternoon, and this way, I can surprise him at the airport. Hoping my headache will go away, I climb back into bed and force my eyes to close. All I need is a couple more hours of sleep…
A loud voice shouting something from the other room has my eyes blinking open.
Panic overcomes me when Brenna screams, “I said get the fuck out of here.”
My eyes dart around my room looking for my phone, but I don’t see it. Searching for something I can use as a weapon, I still when Carter’s voice sends a chill down my arms.
“She’s pissed at me but she’ll get over it. You, you were supposed to be her friend. Some friend you are, fucking her boyfriend when she wasn’t around.”
My eyes fill with tears. Until yesterday, I never suspected Brenna being one of the many women who’ve slept with Carter and the truth be told, I’m not sure I ever planned on confronting her but now… It’s impossible not to.
“You’re a bastard and you know it. You tricked me into doing what we did, and that was ten years ago. You, on the other hand, are still the same sick son of a bitch you’ve always been.”
An evil laugh sounds from Carter. “You’re going to convince her to come home, or that video will be made public. The choice is yours.”
“The only thing I’m going to convince her to do is to stay the hell away from you.”
When the apartment fills with silence, I open my door and slowly make my way down the hall. I start shaking uncontrollably when I spot Carter with his hands wrapped around Brenna’s neck… My mind flashes to the night he told me I wasn’t leaving him…to the night he smacked my head against the floor hard enough to make me blackout.
My legs feel weak. Instead of screaming, my voice is nothing more than a labored whisper, saying, “Let her go.”
Carter jumps away from Brenna while both of their heads jerk my direction.
“Sweetheart, I thought you were at work?”
He only put his hands on me one time, and that’s all it took to erase every gentle touch he gave me. I didn’t think I feared Carter as much as I hated him but standing here rooted to the floor, fighting the urge to break out in a sweat, I’m afraid of what he’s truly capable of.
“Why are you here if you thought I was at work?”
He moves away from Brenna with the same cool collected smile I’ve seen him aim at anyone he’s hoping to impress. “I heard your dad was coming for a visit so I thought we should make it a full family event.”
“We’re not family, Carte
r, and we never will be. You ensured that when you knocked up your receptionist.”
“Baby, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. The bitch lied. She was never pregnant.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “I don’t give a damn if she’s pregnant or not. We’re over. Done. I’m not going back to a relationship built on lies and manipulation.”
I take a step back when he reaches for my hand. “Baby, you’re overthinking this. Guys mess around before they get married. That’s just a fact of life, but all of that is over. We’re going to get married next week like planned and we’ll start working on a family of our own.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Brenna plastered to the wall. Her chest moving up and down with every labored breath she pulls in.
“You’re delusional. We’re not got getting married next week or the week after or ever.”
I try to take another step away when he reaches for my hand, but when my back meets the wall, he tightly grips my hand in his. “You’re leaving here with me. We’re going back to Lincoln today.”
My eyes water from the tight hold he has on me, but it’s not until a loud pop comes from my hand that I scream out in pain.
“Let her go,” Brenna shouts, jumping on his back. He lets me go, turning and landing a punch square in Brenna’s face. She drops to the floor where he aims a kick into her side.
Instead of running to her rescue, I spot my purse on the floor by the couch. Fumbling through it, I locate my phone. Not wasting any time, I slide it open and call for help.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
“My ex-boyfriend is attacking my roommate.”
“Okay, I need you to tell me your address so I send help your way.”
“Fifteen-ten Jericho Street, apartment 4B.”
My phone is ripped out of my hand and thrown across the room. “You called the police?”
I curl into a ball, expecting the worst, but instead, my head pops up when Carter yanks the apartment door open. “It didn’t have to be like this,” he hisses, seconds before he steps out the door.
Once he’s out of sight, I scramble across the floor to Brenna. Her eyes are closed, but her chest slowly moves up and down. “Hold on. Help’s on its way.”
Staring at my friend lying motionless on the floor, my vision blurs with tears. I don’t know what the future holds for the two of us but if something happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself.
“The x-ray shows a break in your third and fourth metacarpal. I’ll have a nurse fit you for a brace, and you’ll be good to go.”
Before I have the chance to thank the doctor, Kase storms into the room. “What in the hell is going on?”
The graying doctor, who reminds me of my dad, stands as a shield between me and Kase. “Who are you?”
Kase growls his response, “I’m her boyfriend.”
“The same boyfriend who broke her hand?”
The fury in Kase’s eyes skyrockets at the doctor’s comment, but he turns to me and asks, “He broke your fucking hand?”
“He squeezed my hand too tight.”
“Don’t make excuses for that fucking piece of shit.”
Tension drains from the doctor. “I’ll let you two have a minute.”
The second he’s out of the room, Kase’s eyes drift to my hand. I might be the one with a couple of broken bones, but it’s clear by the look in his eyes he’s swimming in a pain of his own.
“How did you know I was here?”
“I went straight to your apartment. Your neighbor across the hall said you were taken to the hospital.”
“Why did you wait to tell me you were going out of town until after you left?”
“I wasn’t supposed to go to New York until next week, but a major investor from Cape Town surprised us by showing up a week earlier than planned.”
“I thought your office was here in Los Angeles?”
His eyes widen for a quick second. “I mostly work from home but I have space in Walton Towers for when I meet Solar Core investors on the west coast. The company was founded by investors and our headquarters have always been in New York.”
The door to my room opens, and our conversation is interrupted when a nurse in green scrubs walks in. “I hear you have a couple of broken bones?”
Kase’s back goes straight while he fists his hands.
“That’s what the doctor told me.”
“The breaks are clean, so we’re going to put you in a splint.” She places my hand into a splint that goes from my wrist to fingers. “Only take this off to shower or to wash your hands.” She pulls papers from a clipboard and hands them to me. “These are your discharge papers. Make sure you have a follow-up appointment with your own doctor within ten days. Other than that, you’re good to go.”
“Do you know what room my friend Brenna Peters is in?”
She pats my legs, saying, “No, but I’ll go find out for you.”
Kase rakes his hands through his hair with a long sigh. “Shit, Brenna was hurt too? I was worried about the neighborhood you lived in, worried about you opening the door to someone you didn’t know, and it ends up being your fucking ex who attacks you.”
“I don’t want to talk about Carter. My dad should be here in a few hours, and I want to know what’s going on with Brenna before I leave.”
Hopping off the bed, I grab my purse and walk out of the room with Kase a step behind me.
The same nurse from earlier smiles when she sees me. “Sweetheart, she’s down the hall in room twenty-five.”
“Thank you.”
When we reach Brenna’s room, there’s a nurse and doctor standing next to her bed. The second the doctor walks to the door, I step around him, moving straight to my friend. “Are you okay?”
She nods her head, not bothering to look at me. “I’m fine.”
My throat thickens with torn emotions. I’m worried about Brenna but I’m equally mad at her. She slept with my boyfriend. She betrayed my trust in the worst possible way. Regardless of what I feel for Carter, I’m not sure I can move past this.
“Are they releasing you?”
“Yes.” Her voice cracks while tears trail down her face.
I glance at Kase, whose forehead is pulled together in confusion. Glancing back at Brenna, I place my good hand on her leg. “Call me. I’ll come pick you up.”
Still avoiding me, she nods her head. “Yeah, sure.”
With nothing left to say, I walk out of her room and straight to the exit, again with Kase on my heels. When he steps outside, he lifts his phone to his ear. “Dude, you need to get your ass over to Saint Mary’s hospital. Brenna… She’s okay, but she was attacked.” He pauses for a second before adding, “Carter Bosa. No, I don’t know the details yet. Yep, talk to you soon.”
Once he pockets his phone he looks at me. “Roan will make sure she gets home.”
“Good.”
I glance around the parking lot, searching for my car, when I remember I rode in the ambulance with Brenna. “My car’s not here.”
“Mine is.”
It’s not until now that I notice he’s in a tight black T-shirt and jeans, not a business suit. “Did you go straight from the airport to my apartment?”
“I actually got home late last night. I was going to surprise you at work and take you out to lunch but I was told you called in sick.”
Brenna, Carter, Kase’s unexpected trip out of town has me suddenly doubting…everything. “I woke up with a headache. With my dad arriving later today, I decided to take the day off, hoping I’d feel better by the time he arrived.”
I look down at my hand. “Now I’ll have to explain this.”
He very gently places his hand at the small of my back. “Let’s get out of here. You can explain what happened to me on the way.”
Once we’re in his car and out of the parking lot, tension builds between us. I can tell he’s mad but I’m not sure who he’s upset with. He keeps his eyes locked on the road in front
of him, gripping the steering wheel, not saying a word.
Placing the side of my face against the window, I watch people stroll down the sidewalks without a care in the world.
When Kase pulls into the apartment parking lot, he turns off the engine, but neither of us attempt to get out of the car. He finally breaks the silence by asking, “Did you file a police report?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“I forgot to charge my phone last night, and it died shortly after we arrived at the hospital. I need to get it charged in case my dad is trying to get ahold of me.”
He replies with his hand already on the door, “Let’s get you inside.”
I’m not exactly sure why but I was expecting him to leave. A part of me wishes he had, but the other part is glad he didn’t, especially when I struggled to unlock the door using my left hand.
Stepping through the door, I’m hit with a powerful wave of emotions. Nothing looks out of place, yet when I glance at the spot on the floor behind the couch, I can still see Brenna lying there, motionless and in pain.
“By the look on your face, it’s a good thing you were already looking for a new place.” He motions with his head toward the hallway. “Go pack a bag. You’re going to stay with me until you decide where you want to move.”
I don’t have the energy to question him. The only thing I know for a fact is I don’t want to be here.
Tossing several outfits, my laptop, and phone charger into a bag, I turn ready to head out of the room only to find Kase standing in the doorway.
His voice sounds violent when he asks, “How many times has he put his hands on you?”
I blink several times, debating on how to answer him but finally going with the truth. “Other than today, only once.”
He doesn’t say anything else, but the harsh expression on his face doesn’t change.
“The night he told me he was expecting a kid with someone else. He was more than upset when I refused to pretend the baby was mine…”
Kase Of Deception Page 15
