Retribution

by K. A. Robinson

  “You wouldn’t understand,” I said quietly.

  She shook her head. “I’m not a kid anymore.”

  I looked away, suddenly more ashamed than I ever had been before. “When the time comes, I will leave. I promise you that.”

  “You should leave now!”

  “I can’t! I’m helping Cooper with something, but once it’s finished, I will leave.”

  “You promise?” she asked.

  “I promise.”

  My answer seemed to satisfy her. “Good. Does Cooper know this happened to you?”

  “He does. It’s being handled.”

  “I knew he was a good guy. You should have married him instead. He wouldn’t have hurt you like this.”

  “When did you get so smart?” I teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

  “When I ended up in foster care and met this girl who taught me how awesome I am.”

  I laughed. “This girl sounds smart. I think I like her.”

  She stuck her tongue out before attacking her chicken nuggets. “Enough talk. I want to eat in peace.”

  I rolled my eyes as I unwrapped my cheeseburger. Leave it to Shelly to put me in my place.

  Tuesday morning, I found myself clutching a vase filled with flowers as I walked into work. I felt ridiculous. I went straight to Gina and gave her the biggest smile I could manage. She raised an eyebrow when she saw the flowers.

  “Morning, Gina. Is Robert in?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No, he’s not. He’ll be in court for most of the morning.”

  “Shoot,” I said. “I wanted to surprise him with these. Is it okay if I go ahead and put them in his office?”

  She smiled. “That’s fine. Let me grab the key for you.”

  “You’re awesome. Thank you!” I said.

  She opened her desk drawer and pulled out a key. I made a note of where she kept it in case I’d ever need to get back into his office.

  “No problem. Just bring the key back when you leave.”

  I took the key from her when she held it up. “I will. I think I might hang out in his office for a bit. Maybe he’ll come back before I have to get to work.”

  She nodded before turning her attention back to the keyboard. I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked down the hall to Robert’s office. That had been easier than I’d expected.

  I kept my head down as I unlocked Robert’s office and let myself in. As soon as I was inside, I closed the door behind me and locked it. I didn’t want someone to accidentally catch me while I was pretending to be Nancy Drew.

  I looked around his office after placing the flowers on his desk. It looked like it always did—a leather couch sat in the corner and art hung on every wall. His desk was a dark mahogany color. Two plush chairs were set in front of it. Against the far wall was a row of filing cabinets.

  “Might as well start there,” I mumbled as I walked over to them.

  I pulled the first filing cabinet’s top drawer open. I started looking through several file folders, hoping that something would catch my eye, but I had no such luck. All of them were related to cases that Robert was working on. Nothing personal was in any of them. I frowned as I shut the top drawer and pulled open the second one. After a few minutes of riffling through it, I groaned. They were also case files. I checked the two other drawers, but there was nothing of significance in them either.

  I moved on to the second cabinet and tugged on the top drawer. It didn’t budge. It was obviously locked. There was no way that I could open it without a key. I tried all the drawers on the rest of the cabinets, but none of them would open. I looked around the room, hoping that the key would magically appear before me. I had no idea where Robert might keep it. For all I knew, he carried it with him.

  Defeated, I moved toward his desk. It was the only other place I could look. I sat down in Robert’s chair and started looking through the papers scattered across his desk. I noticed a few utility bills with our address on them, but those were the only personal documents I could find. I pulled open the center drawer of his desk. It was filled with stationery and pens.

  Just as I started to slam it shut, I noticed something shiny in the back. I pushed a few pens aside and saw the silver loop of a key ring. One key was attached to it. Excitement filled me as I grabbed it and stood quickly. Maybe this was the key that opened the filing cabinets.

  I walked over to them and shoved the key inside. It fit, but it wouldn’t unlock any of them. I glared at the key as if my predicament was its fault. Cooper was an idiot for thinking that I’d be able to find anything in Robert’s office. I wasn’t exactly the stealthiest person in the world, and my detective skills were pretty much nonexistent.

  As I started walking back to Robert’s desk, I noticed the key ring had a piece of laminated plastic attached to it as well. I studied it closely. Morgantown Storage was typed across the top. Below that, I saw the number 23. I raised an eyebrow. As far as I remembered, Robert had never mentioned a storage unit before.

  Before I could change my mind, I shoved the key in my pocket. If my luck continued to stay the way it was, I wouldn’t find anything useful in Robert’s office. Maybe the storage unit would be better. I could at least check it out. I was sure it would be easier to snoop there anyway.

  I continued my search of Robert’s desk, but the drawers only held case documents. There was absolutely nothing useful at all. I winced when I thought about telling Cooper that I had come up with nothing more than a key to a storage unit that could be empty for all I knew.

  Defeated, I unlocked the door and stepped back out into the hallway. I stopped by Gina’s desk to return her key before heading down to the basement to start filing.

  Around noon, my phone beeped with a text from Robert. My stomach instantly tightened as guilt over searching his office descended upon me.

  I saw the flowers. Thank you.

  I typed out a quick response.

  I thought they would be a nice surprise.

  He answered me back only seconds later.

  They were. I stopped by the office for only a few minutes. I have a meeting in twenty, or I’d take you out to lunch. I’ll see you this evening. Ellie is making dinner for us.

  Great. I can’t wait.

  I had no idea how I could face him after snooping through his things. I knew I was doing it to help Cooper, but it didn’t make me feel any less guilty. Robert thought I was trying to bring us closer, but in reality, I was lying to him with every word I spoke.

  I should have left instead of agreeing to Cooper’s plan. That would have been the smart thing to do. It would have been a lot safer, too. Cooper thought that I would be the one to finally give him the proof he needed to bring his father down. I wasn’t so sure. Everything felt so incredibly messed up. The lies that slipped through my lips would catch up with me before I could prove anything. I was sure of it.

  The only thing that kept me from running out of the basement, getting into my car, and driving away was the fact that Marie was dead. She had been murdered, according to Cooper. That sent chills through my body. I had seen Robert’s twisted side, and it had cemented Cooper’s theory in my mind. Robert was capable of things that most men were not. If he were responsible for Marie’s death, he deserved to go to jail. Marie deserved justice. That and that alone was all that tethered me to this fucked-up family.

  That, and the fact that you can’t keep your eyes off of Cooper, a tiny voice whispered inside my head.

  I winced, hating how true those words were. Cooper had pushed me to the edge before. I had hoped that was enough to end whatever it was I felt for him, but it seemed my mind had other ideas. I hated how I felt when he was around. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him.

  “I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want you. You’re beautiful, inside and out, and I want you to be mine.” His words from that day replayed over and over in my mind.

  I’d assumed that his little speech was a last attempt at persuading me to choose him over his
father, but now, I wasn’t so sure.

  Cooper had been crass and sarcastic from day one, but now that everything was in front of me, I realized that he had never once lied to me about anything. All his warnings about Robert had been to protect me.

  Cooper hadn’t said a word about us being together since he returned though.

  Maybe he changed his mind. That thought made my heart squeeze uncomfortably. It shouldn’t have, but it did.

  “It doesn’t matter. You’re leaving when all this is over,” I whispered to myself. “Whatever you think you feel doesn’t matter.”

  Anything between Cooper and me would only end in disaster. How could we go from what we were now to two people in a relationship? There was just too much history for us to survive. He would always look at me as his father’s wife.

  Even if he wanted me to stay, I had no idea what I would say if he asked me. I was honest enough with myself to admit that.

  Suddenly, the basement felt too small, the air too stagnant, my skin too tight. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be with Cooper, telling him all the things going on inside my head and asking him to tell me if he felt anything in return.

  I grabbed my purse off the desk and hurried to the elevator. I texted Becky as I went, letting her know that I was going home. I needed to see Cooper. I had to put all of this to rest. I couldn’t keep doing this. If Cooper wanted me to spy and snoop through Robert’s things, then I needed to clear the air between Cooper and me. I couldn’t be a liar and a lost little girl with a crush at the same time.

  I was determined to settle things between us once and for all.

  I had to wait for over an hour before Cooper finally came home. When he walked into his room and saw me sitting on his bed, he stopped short.

  “Claire, what’s wrong? Why are you here?” he asked as he shut his door. He dropped his backpack on the floor.

  I watched as he crossed the room, stopping only inches away from me.

  “I need to know something.” I stood up and tilted my head so that I was looking at him.

  “What?”

  Before I lost my nerve, I raised my arms and wrapped them around his neck.

  He tensed for a moment before slowly relaxing. He sent me a questioning look, but he didn’t speak again. That was good. I wouldn’t be able to do this if he kept trying to talk.

  I pulled him lower until our mouths were only inches apart. Hoping that I wasn’t about to make yet another mistake when it came to the men in my life, I shut my eyes and closed the space between us.

  Cooper’s entire body tensed again, but this time, he didn’t relax as my lips sought his. I kissed him softly at first, relishing the feel of his lips against mine. My body tingled, and I stepped closer until our chests were pressed together. Cooper sucked in a sharp breath at the contact. His arms wrapped around my waist to hold me in place.

  As if I’d ever move away.

  He deepened the kiss. His tongue traced my bottom lip, and I opened automatically. He fisted my shirt in his hands as his tongue tangled with mine.

  I whimpered as he backed me up until my legs hit the bed. Without breaking the kiss, he lowered me onto the mattress. His body covered mine, pressing us together. I felt my entire body heat as I ran my hands through his hair. There was so much emotion behind the kiss that it left me breathless. I knew that whatever Cooper had felt for me before was still alive and well.

  He kissed the corner of my mouth and then my jawline. I tilted my head to the side as he left a trail of kisses down my neck. He kissed my collarbone once before resting his head against my chest.

  Neither of us spoke for a while. The only sound in the room was our uneven breaths as we both fought for control.

  Finally, Cooper raised his head to look at me. “Want to tell me what that was about?”

  I felt my face heat with embarrassment. Of course I was embarrassed now. “It was just an idea that popped into my head when I was driving home.”

  He grinned. “You should have those ideas more often. Just saying.”

  I smacked his shoulder. “You’re hilarious.”

  “I know.” He rolled off of me. Once we were lying side by side, he looked over at me. “I love the idea, but can I ask why you suddenly decided to kiss me?”

  “I had to know,” I told him honestly.

  “You had to know what exactly?” He propped his head up with his hand.

  “If what I thought I felt before…well, whether it was still there or not.”

  “And did you get your answer?”

  “Yeah, I did. It’s definitely still there. The question is, is it still there for you?”

  He reached over and gently brushed a lock of hair away from my face. “For me, it never left. I still want you, Claire. It isn’t just going to disappear. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “It?” I asked, wanting to hear him say the words.

  He seemed to contemplate his next words. “Yeah, it—whatever this is between us.”

  “That’s just it, Cooper. What is between us? You came on so heavy before, but since you came back, you’ve backed off. I’m so confused, and I keep telling myself that this is wrong. We shouldn’t act like this with each other.”

  “There are a lot of things wrong in this house, but we aren’t one of them. As for the reason I backed off…well, that’s complicated. I was so angry with you, Claire. You ignored my every warning, refusing to see who my father really is. When you left, I promised myself that I would stay away from you. But when I saw you again, all I wanted to do was grab you and take you as far away as I could. Then, everything went to shit, and you were hurt. I couldn’t add more stress to your life. Even I’m not that much of an asshole.”

  I stared at him, completely surprised by his answer. Cooper was a lot more considerate than I’d given him credit for. He’d tried to stay away from me because he knew how much I was hurting over what Robert had done.

  “And now? How do you feel?” I asked.

  “Now? At this very moment, it’s taking everything in me not to strip you down and take you on this bed. I want you, Claire—badly. I have since the moment I saw you.”

  My stomach tightened as a delicious feeling swept through my body. I wanted him, too, but we couldn’t. There was still so much left unsaid between us.

  “You never specified what this is to you, Coop,” I said softly.

  “I won’t put a label on us, Claire. We both know that now isn’t the right time to do that. But I will tell you, when this is over, you’re mine. We clear on that?”

  I swallowed roughly at his words. “Crystal.”

  “Good.”

  I held my breath as he leaned forward and kissed me again. His hands grasped my cheeks, his touch tender. In that moment, he made me feel like the most cherished woman alive.

  Our soft kisses quickly turned into the deeply passionate kind. He started kissing lower, his lips grazing the swell of my breasts. I had to force myself to pull away, knowing that we couldn’t go any further. What we were doing now was bad enough.

  “Coop, stop. We can’t.”

  “Why?” he whispered as he kissed me again.

  “You said it yourself. Now isn’t the right time.” I wasn’t sure if there would ever be a right time for us.

  He groaned as he pulled away. “I hate when I’m right. One day, you’re going to let me have what I’m craving. I hope you know that.”

  I sat up and scooted further away from him. I didn’t trust him or myself at the moment.

  “We need to change the subject,” I said.

  He groaned again. “Of course we do.”

  “I searched Robert’s office today.”

  He sat up, his entire demeanor changing within seconds. Playful Cooper was gone. In his place was a man that meant business. “What did you find?”

  “Not much. I searched his filing cabinets, but most of them were locked. I checked his desk, too, but there was nothing in it that had anything to do with your mother. I did
find a key to a storage unit here in Morgantown. I’m going to check it out as soon as I have a chance.”

  He sighed. “I didn’t really expect you to find much, but we had to try. He’s too smart to leave something incriminating in his office. Maybe there will be something in the storage unit.”

  “Maybe,” I said even though I didn’t hold much hope.

  “Thank you for doing all this for me,” he said, sincerity clear in his voice.

  “You’re welcome, but I’m not doing it just for you. If Robert really did have your mother killed, she deserves justice. I’m doing this for her, too.”

  He smiled, but it was weak. “That’s why I never wanted you to get in this deep with him. You’re too kind to be mixed up in all this.”

  I looked away. “It doesn’t matter. I’m in it, and I’ll be in it until the end.”

  “I know.” He reached forward and ran his fingers across my hand. “You should go. I don’t want him to come home and catch you with me. We can’t make him suspicious of us.”

  I nodded as I stood up. “You’re right. I should go. He said he would be home for dinner tonight.”

  Cooper rose and walked me to the door. “Be careful, okay?”

  “I will,” I said as I opened his door.

  Before I could step out, he grabbed my arm and pulled me back. He lowered his mouth on mine for one last kiss. I allowed myself to relax into him for a moment before I pulled away. I turned and left the room without a backward glance.

  I’d learned the truth about how Cooper felt, but it only confused me more. As I walked out of his room, I realized that I didn’t want to flee as soon as I could. Instead, I wanted to stay with him. That was more dangerous than going up against Robert.

  “Hey, Ellie,” I said when I walked into the kitchen.

  She was standing at the island, cutting up vegetables. “Hi, Claire. You’re home early,” she said.

  I felt a stab of guilt over leaving work early to come home and see Cooper. Still, no matter how guilty I felt, I didn’t regret it. I’d needed to know where I stood with him, and now, I did.