She looks at me with those dark green eyes that shine from her tears. I take a step back from her when she reaches out to me. “Just don’t,” I say, not wanting her to touch me.
“Brecken, I’m sorry …”
I sigh heavily. “Yeah, well, like I said, sorry isn’t good enough at the moment.”
She sobs and places her hand over her mouth. Then she turns around giving me her back and walks off to the bedroom.
“What is happening?” Jet asks falling back down on the couch.
“I don’t know,” I say honestly. She’s Cricket’s niece. His blood fucking niece, and I’ve been fucking her! I hang my head as I sigh.
“What’s wrong, man?” Jet asks.
I look up at him. “Where do I start?” I say with a chuckle. I stand and start to pace. “The woman is going to get herself killed and now that I know Cricket is after her …” I shake my head. “I’m not sure I can stop him.” I run a hand through my hair. “She’s right.” I hate to admit it. “Cricket is ruthless, and now, I find out he wants her dead.” I pace back and forth for a few seconds and then speak again.
“Do you think that Cricket was who Oscar was talking about?” he asks.
I pause and look over at him. “Possibly.”
He frowns. “Too bad you killed him,” he says sadly, and I grind my teeth in frustration.
“We need to take care of Robert first,” I say.
“She’s never going to stay put,” he declares. “Her best friend is dead and so is a baby,” he says softly. “Do you really think that you and you alone can keep her from going to Cricket? Or keep her from going back to Robert?”
I walk over to the full kitchen and open one of the cabinets. “I’m gonna need your help,” I tell him.
“Anything,” he says with a nod of his head.
I fill the glass full of water from the sink and then open the left cabinet. I grab a pill bottle out of it and then a knife out of the drawer. He stands back and watches with a look of confusion as I take the handle of the knife and smash the pill down till it’s nothing but dust and then scoop it into the glass of water.
I start to walk back to the bedroom. “What are you doing, man?” he asks; his voice is full of concern.
“What I have to do. I’m much better at this game than she is.” I enter the bedroom to find her sitting on the bed. Her head down and her hair covering her face as she stares at the floor. “Here,” I say, walking to the front of her. I kneel down. “You need to drink something.” I raise the drink up, and she slowly takes it from me.
“I don’t want to fight with you,” she says softly, and I smile.
“I don’t want that either,” I say honestly, but I’m also gonna do what I have to do, even if she ends up hating me in the end. I’m gonna save her even if ends us.
“Then what are we going to do?” she asks, just holding the drink in her hands.
“Let’s get some food and water in your system, and then we’ll sit down and figure it out. Okay?” I say reaching up and pushing her hair behind her ear.
She finally nods her head, and then she brings the drink to her lips. She drinks it all in one sitting, and I refrain from smiling. I have some stuff I need to take care of, but I’m not gonna be able to do it if she is trying to help me.
“Come on. You need some rest,” I say, standing up and helping her get under the sheets.
“I just woke up,” she says through a yawn.
Doc gave her several prescriptions, and I’m thankful he gave her one for sleep. I hadn’t had the chance to tell her that he left them here for her, but I knew the only way she would take them was if I slid them into her drink.
Within minutes, she’s asleep. I slide out of the bed and exit the room. Jet is standing there in the hallway, his back up against the wall and his eyes on mine. “What the hell are you doing, Brecken?” he asks again.
I walk past him and back to the kitchen. I swipe his car keys off the
counter and then head to the front door. He follows me. I place my hand on the doorknob and turn to face him. “I need you to stay here with her,” I say. He goes to open his mouth, but I open the door and walk out, slamming it behind me.
“Son of a bitch!” I hear him cuss on the other side of it.
***
I drive through downtown Chicago in the middle of the night on a mission. I made a call to Doc, and he gave me the information I needed. Robert had been the one to fill out her stuff when he had her admitted. And I’m thankful because I get to use that to my advantage. The only thing I wonder about is if someone has notified him that she checked out. He had signed for her to be admitted. I’m not sure what the hospital policy is, so I don’t know if they would call him. Or maybe they would just keep their mouths shut in fear of a lawsuit. Either way, I’m on a time limit. I gotta get to him and do what needs to be done before it’s too late.
Three hours later, I’m walking back into the hotel room as Jet jumps up from the couch. “Where the hell have you been?” he demands. “I’ve been calling you.”
“My phone is at the club,” I inform him as I walk to the kitchen. I turn on the sink and start to wash the blood off my hands. “I ran out of the club and went straight to the hospital.”
He stays silent as I clean my hands and forearms. When I’m done, I pull my bloody shirt up and over my head before tossing it into the sink. I turn around, dig into the pocket of my jeans, and then toss him his keys. “Thanks,” I tell him.
He snorts. “Like I had a choice.” I undo my jeans, and he doesn’t turn away. I shrug and push them down, leaving my boxers on. I then throw my bloody jeans into the sink as well. “What did you do?” he finally asks.
“The less you know, the better,” I say bending down and grabbing a garbage bag out of the cabinet. I then start stuffing the clothes into it.
He sighs heavily. “What does the inside of my car look like? Am I gonna have to burn it?”
I smile at him. “No. I made sure to put plastic down.” I left here with a plan, and I left nothing to chance.
“How thoughtful of you,” he says dryly. “Jones has been calling. He wants to see us at Case’s house in an hour.”
“I won’t be going,” I say as I toss the garbage bag on the floor in front of the fridge and then head down the hall toward the master suite.
He follows me, and this time, when I enter the room, so does he. I see she is still asleep in the same place I left her. I pull the covers back and lie down beside her. I reach up and push her dark hair from her face. “She’s gonna be fine,” he tells me. “But you …”
“I’ll be fine,” I interrupt him. I’ll be fine as long as nothing happens to her.
He sighs heavily, and I look up at him. He shifts from foot to foot as if uncomfortable. “I get it, Brecken. I understand that you will do anything for the woman you love.”
“I don’t …”
“Yes, you do,” he interrupts me. “I noticed it before you ever did.” He gives me a soft smile. “The way you held her hand. The way you looked after her. She may have started out as nothing to you, but she has become your everything.” He lifts his hands, and his right hand starts to fiddle with his ringer finger on the left as if it’s missing something. “I was once married.” My brows rise in surprise. “Right out of high school.” He smiles at himself. “I loved that woman with all I had. But eventually, the honeymoon stage wore off. I turned twenty-one and wanted to party. I put my wants before her needs. I came home one night from the bar. We got into a fight. She wanted kids.” He sighs. “I wasn’t ready to give up my freedom.” He drops his hands. “We shared some hurtful words, but the last thing she said to me before she slammed our bedroom door was that she wanted a divorce.” He runs his hand over his head. “I passed out on the couch. When I woke up the next morning, she was in the shower. I threw some clothes on and walked out the door, slamming it behind me. I was still mad at her and not ready to make up yet. She was selfish. We weren’t ready for a kid.
But the truth was, she wanted to create a life, and I just wanted to live mine. Anyway, two hours into my shift, I got a call from the police.” He swallows as he hangs his head. “She had been killed. Shot in a robbery. She had to go to the bank on the way to work and …” He takes a deep breath. “Wrong place, wrong time thing and was killed.” He looks up at me. “I would give my life to go back to that night. I would have started a family with her the moment we got married if it meant giving her what she wanted.” He then looks at Skye. “What I’m trying to say is you love her. And you need to tell her. There’s no guarantee you will have tomorrow with her.” And with that, he turns around and walks out.
I look down at her sleeping and wrap my arms around her as I pull her into me. Her scent alone calms me. I haven’t thought of love in a very long time. I’m not even sure I know what love means anymore.
CASE
“They should be here any moment,” I say to my boss as he sits across from me at the kitchen table.
“Here you guys go,” Taylor says as she places a plate of bacon and pancakes on our kitchen table.
“Thank you,” we say, and she nods her head with a smile.
She goes back into the kitchen to clean up the breakfast that she made us last minute as the front door opens. Jet comes walking in and plops down at the table with us. “Sorry, I’m late,” he breathes.
I look at the front door and then back at him. “Where’s Brecken?” Jones asks.
“He’s not coming,” Jet says.
“Of course, he’s not,” I growl to myself.
Jones drops his fork to his plate and places his hands on the table. “Did you tell him I needed to see him?” he asks looking at Jet.
Jet pushes a piece of pancake in his mouth as he nods his head. “He’s busy,” he says with a mouthful.
Jones bangs his fist on the table, and I watch Taylor jump as she stands in front of the kitchen sink. “You guys are giving me ulcers,” he growls. Then he looks at me. “What the fuck is wrong with him? Oscar’s in a coma because of him. And I found out yesterday that he didn’t make it.”
“Oscar passed?” I ask, making sure I heard him right.
He nods and Jet snorts. “God. That guy was a piece of shit.” Jones and I look at him. “What?” He shrugs. “I was there. I saw what he did to Skye. Men like that deserve to die.”
“I don’t disagree with you, but he is out of control. I got a phone call that he beat up two security guards at the hospital,” Jones adds.
“Where his woman had been admitted for trying to commit suicide by her ex-boyfriend who wants her to pay for a crime that he committed,” Jet says. “And she was in the psych ward.”
“Maybe she deserved to be there,” Jones says. “We don’t know where this woman came from or that she didn’t kill her best friend.”
“We do. And she didn’t,” Jet says, eyeing him with narrowed eyes.
Jones looks at me. “What do you think, Case? Is this woman trouble?”
“She is big trouble.” I’ve never seen Brecken like this before, not even with my sister. “She is clouding his judgment, and she’s gonna get herself killed. Maybe bring him down with her,” I find myself saying. I look over my shoulder to see my wife doing the dishes, and my chest tightens. Could Cricket come for her too? Rachel was working for Cricket, and she tried to kill her. Almost succeeded. If Skye is telling the truth and he killed Tiffany to get to Skye, then what about Taylor? I will do anything to save her from any harm even if that means pissing off Brecken.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jet growls.
“You know something I don’t?” I question.
“You haven’t even been here. You were off getting married and then on a honeymoon. I’ve been there since day one. Since Skye walked into the station begging someone to help her find her friend. Then her friend is found tortured, and she was pregnant.” He throws his napkin down on the table. “This woman has some balls. She is willing to do anything to find her friend’s killer, and now, she knows that her friend is dead because of her. What the hell is wrong with you two?” He looks us back and forth. “Brecken is in love with the woman, and you guys want her to what? Die? Get killed so he will quit acting out?” He then looks at me. “I bet you played it by the book when you saw Taylor, right?”
“This has nothing to do with her,” I say shaking my head.
He laughs at that. “Yeah, and that’s why you were on suspension.”
I go to speak, but a phone rings. Jones cusses as he digs into his pocket and answers it. “Hello?” He looks down at the table. “When?” he asks then he sighs heavily. “Okay. Any prints?” I frown trying to figure out what he is talking about. Then he sighs. “Well, at least he was smart about it.” He listens for a few more seconds and then he hangs up.
He looks to me and then at Jet. “Brecken has killed Robert,” he announces.
“What? How do you know that?” I ask.
“That was a friend of mine on the force. Robert was found twenty minutes ago at his house in a puddle of blood. They were able to get the warrant from the DNA testing of Tiffany’s baby. They found him in his bed dead. They also found all of Tiffany’s belongings.”
“How did he die?” I ask placing my elbow on the table and rubbing my head. What are you doing, Brecken?
“Suicide,” he says simply, and I snort.
“Well, I must be going,” Jet says happily as he stands. “Thanks for this wonderful meeting, but I have something to do.” He smiles at me and then walks out. My fist hits the table. That bastard already knew what Brecken had done.
I look at Jones. “Anything left behind that proves it wasn’t suicide?” I ask. If so, I’m gonna have to make sure I cover his tracks. I may not agree with what Brecken is doing, but he saved my life, so I will do the same for him.
He shakes his head. “Of course, not. Brecken is one of the best at what he does.”
SKYE
I wake up and cringe at the brightness in the room. I lift my hand to my head, and I shake it as if to clear it. Why do I feel strange?
I take a quick look around to see that I’m alone but notice the light under the bathroom door is on. Brecken must be in there. I stand and make my way into the kitchen. My mouth is dry, and I’m thirsty. I come up to the sink and grab a glass out of the cabinet. I fill it with water and go to take a drink of it when a pill bottle catches my eyes. I set the glass down and pick up the bottle. Belsomra. Sleeping aid … I dump them out in my hand and count them. I get a funny feeling in my gut.
I put the pills back in them and wrap my fingers around them. I go back to the bedroom and storm into the bathroom. “Brecken?” I demand. I jerk open the glass shower door to find him standing under the spray, soaping up his chest. Normally, I would be speechless at the fact he’s naked and wet, but right now, I’m able to ignore it.
“How do you feel?” he asks not bothering to even look over at me.
“Pretty fucking good considering you drugged me,” I snap.
He turns to look at me. His dark brown eyes look into mine, and he says, “You didn’t give me much of a choice.”
My mouth falls open, and I gasp. “You’re blaming this on me?” I ask in shock.
“That’s what I said.”
“Yon son of a bitch,” I say, and a laugh comes out. “I’m out of here.” I slam the door shut and turn around to walk out of the bathroom.
I hear the door open and then he’s yanking on my right arm. He pulls me backward and pins me where I stand. “Don’t do this again,” he growls. “We both know that you aren’t going anywhere.”
“You don’t control me!” I say and then slap his wet and muscular chest.
“That’s for damn sure. If I did, you would haven’t almost gotten yourself killed,” he snaps.
“He didn’t want me to die,” I remind him.
I watch his chest muscles flex. “He had you committed to the psych ward and then just left you,” he says through gritted t
eeth.
“What?” I ask wide-eyed. I remember parts at his house but the ones at the hospital are foggy.
“He was going to tell the police that you confessed to killing Tiffany. You would have gone straight to jail once they cleared you from the hospital. What don’t you understand about that?” His voice rises with every word.
“Brecken …”
“If Doc hadn’t called me …” He lets go of me and spins around giving me his back. Some of my fear eases as I get a look at his sculptured ass. You could bounce a quarter off it. He spins back to face me, and the fear returns when his dark brown eyes land on mine. “Do you realize what would have happened to you if I had not got to you?”
“I wasn’t thinking …”
“Damn right, you weren’t thinking,” he shouts making me flinch.
“No one was doing anything,” I say, trying to hold the tears back. “What did you want me to do? Just stand back and watch?”
“Yes,” he snaps. “That’s how you survive.”
“Maybe I’m tired of surviving,” I yell back. My heart beats faster, and I breathe heavy. “I’m tired, Brecken,” I say softer this time trying to calm myself. “I’ve been running since I was twelve. You should know what that feels like. You ran from home.”
Obsession (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2) Page 35
