Obsession (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2)

by Shantel Tessier

  “Chloroform,” she says as she pushes her jet-black hair back.

  She stands and looks around for something, and I stand on shaky legs. I hear my phone ringing again, and I know that it’s Brecken. He keeps calling because I’m not answering. “Shit!” She hisses thinking the same thing.

  “Why did you come here?” I ask her as I look at the front door. There’s only one way in and out of this kitchen, and she’s blocking it. I bring my hands to my face and itch my skin. Fuck, it burns.

  She smiles as she spots the knife set on the countertop. I swallow nervously. Not this again.

  She grabs the biggest fucking one that looks like it should be used to carve a watermelon and smiles at me. “I came here for you, dear.” She licks her lips, and it smears the blood from where I kicked her.

  I square my shoulders, and my teeth clench. I’m so tired of people trying to kill me. “Then what are you waiting for?” I demand, and she smiles.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  BRECKEN

  I stand in the middle of the quiet club with Jet talking about a fight that had broken out tonight when Miller turns the lights on.

  I hear the back door to the club open and sigh; only one person comes in that way this late at night. Jet turns to look over his shoulder just as Case comes from the hallway. “Brecken,” he says the moment he spots me. “May I speak to you?”

  “I’m gonna go help Miller,” Jet says before he takes off.

  “I’m really not in the mood,” I tell Case. “I already know how you feel—”

  He comes to stop in front of me and runs a hand down his face. “I’m sorry,” he says interrupting me.

  “Excuse me?” I ask.

  “I’m sorry for how I have been acting.” He sighs. “It’s just that, you’re my best friend. And I know we don’t always get along or see things eye to eye, but we both saw how much Rachel almost took from us, and now, I’m afraid that it can happen again,” he says, and I release a long breath. “And I was talking to Taylor earlier this evening.” My brows rise. “She told me that she had met Skye one night when she was up here and she saw it in the way Skye spoke of you.”

  “I don’t understand,” I say, shaking my head. Case and I don’t really have heart to heart talks. So I’m a little confused about where he’s going with this.

  “What I’m saying is that I guess everyone saw it but me.” He laughs softly at himself. “I mean it’s like Jet said, we can’t help who we fall in love with.” He shrugs and I just nod, still confused because I’ve never heard Jet say that. “But I just wanna tell you that I’m being real this time. You tell me what to do, and I’ll back you, no matter what.”

  I smirk and nod my head because I understand that. We’ve always been there for one another and our fighting over the last three weeks is just as much my fault as it is his. My phone starts ringing in my pocket, and I ignore it. Instead, I raise my hands to my side, and he smiles as he leans into me giving me a hug. He slaps my back as he says, “I love you, brother.”

  “Love you too,” I say as he pulls away.

  “I owe you everything, Brecken,” he says getting serious. “You saved my life and Taylor’s, and I don’t want you to ever think that I don’t value our friendship.”

  I go to speak, but Jet and Miller come walking back into the club and Case asks them a question. As they go to answer, I pull out my phone to see who was calling me. I frown when I see it was Skye.

  I call it back, and it just rings till it goes to voicemail. I hang up and do it again. Same. I get a sickening feeling in my gut, and I look up at Jet, who is now standing beside me. “Everything okay?” he asks as a smile falls off his face.

  “Let’s go,” I order and run out of the club with the guys right behind me.

  “Why isn’t she fucking answering?” I snap as Jet speeds down the highway.

  “Have you tried your house number?” he asks.

  “No.” I try it, and it just rings. “Nothing.”

  “Maybe she called and then fell back asleep,” he offers, and I shake my head.

  “There was only a five-minute window from when she called me to when I called her back.”

  He shifts and stomps on the gas as we fly down the deserted highway at this time of the morning.

  I lift my phone to call her again when I see she is calling me. “Skye? Goddammit, babe,” I snap now that I know she is safe. “I’ve been worried sick. Why aren’t you answering my phone calls?”

  “Brecken,” comes her soft voice, and it makes my chest tighten thinking of the time she called me after her car wreck.

  “What is it, babe?” I ask sitting up straighter in my seat. “Are you okay?”

  She lets out a sob, and I gesture with my hand for Jet to go faster. “Talk to me, Skye. What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I repeat not knowing what to say. What the fuck could have possibly happened while I was at work?

  She takes a shaky breath, and then she says the three words that I never thought she would say to me. “I killed her.”

  Jet pulls up to the house, and I’m already jumping out of the car and running toward the house before he can even come to a stop. “Skye?” I yell barging in the door. The copper smell of the blood almost has me choking. Jet enters right behind me.

  “Brecken,” she calls out as she sits on the kitchen floor.

  “Fuck!” Jet hisses; he almost trips as he comes running into the kitchen behind me. There’s blood everywhere.

  Then to my surprise, Case comes running in. “What the hell?” he asks wide-eyed.

  I ignore him and drop to my knees in the blood. “Are you okay?” I ask grabbing her face. She nods. “What’s all over your face?” I demand. It’s red, and her eyes are puffy. She looks like she is having an allergic reaction to something.

  “It’s chloroform,” she says reaching up to itch it.

  “Don’t let her touch it,” Jet says in a rush. “It can spread anywhere she touches if it gets on her hands.”

  I grab her hands and hold them in my hands. “We need to get you out of these clothes,” I say, pulling her to stand. I pull her shirt up and over her head right here and now, and she protests as she looks over at Jet and Case. They’re not even paying attention as they look at Monica’s dead body lying on the ground. A knife sticking out of her chest. I shove her sweatpants down her shaky legs and then leave her standing there wearing only a pair of panties and a bra. I open up the cabinet under the sink and grab a trash bag. “We need to burn these,” I tell her, and she nods.

  Jet spins around and sighs as he runs a hand over his head. “We need to burn all of it.”

  I nod in agreement. “I need to get Skye cleaned up …”

  He waves a hand in the air. “Go take care of her. I’ll go get my truck. We can’t move it in my car or your SUV. I’ll be back soon.” Then he walks out of the house.

  I look at Case. “I …”

  “Go,” he says looking away from us since Skye is half-naked. “I’ll clean up this mess and help Jet when he gets back.”

  I reach down, picking her up in my arms, and walk her through the kitchen. I take her down the hall to the master bedroom. We enter the bathroom, and I set her on the toilet as I start the shower. Once I get the water to where I know she likes it, I go back over to her. I bend down and push brown strands of her from her face. Her body shakes as she hugs herself. “You’re okay, Skye,” I say running my hand down her arms.

  She looks up at me. “I killed her,” she whispers. “She ran at me. And I killed her.” Her bottom lip trembles.

  “It was self-defense,” I tell her.

  “Then why are you going to burn her?” she asks, and I sigh.

  “We have to, baby. With everything else that has been going on, the only option we have is to burn the evidence. Do you understand that?”

  She shakes her head not understanding, but leaves it at that. I refuse to turn this in. I refuse for them to take her away from me because some bitch I had been fucking took i
t upon herself to come to my house and try to kill my girlfriend.

  “Come on,” I say helping her to stand. I undo her bra, and she slides her panties down her legs. I get in the shower with her, and she stands under the water as she washes the chloroform off her skin.

  We stay in the shower for a good twenty minutes, and I scrub every inch of her body. She quits crying as the seconds pass, and I watch as the fear in her eyes turns to hatred. Her dull eyes are now hard, and her body is tight.

  We exit the shower, and I dry her off. “Would you like a sleeping pill?” I ask her.

  She spins around, and her eyes narrow on mine. “What?”

  “Skye, it’s okay to be scared,” I tell her. “Would you like a sleeping pill? You can take a nap, and then when you wake, it will all be over.”

  She shakes her head. “I did this, Brecken. This is my fault.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “That woman is dead in there because of me,” she shouts. “What part of that is not my fault?”

  “She came here for me,” I tell her.

  “No, she came here for me.”

  “She told you that?” I ask tilting my head to the side, and she nods.

  “Yes, she did. She pretended to come in to wait for you and then she just attacked me. When was the last time you saw her?” she demands.

  “I meant to go see her. But I haven’t had the time.”

  “To what? Fuck her?” she snaps.

  I run a hand through my hair. “Case and I put her husband away last year. We set him up and had his club raided. He went to prison. But he told the authorities that Case was his partner and that he had him on a surveillance video. We made a call, and the tapes disappeared, but I had to keep seeing her. She took over her husband’s business, and he was our supplier,” I growl. Now, what the fuck are we gonna do? “I was seeing her to not only continue working our undercover role to find Cricket but to also get information out of her about her husband.”

  She runs a hand through her wet hair. “This is so fucked up,” she whispers to herself. “Are you a cop or are you not?” she demands, looking up at me.

  “Of course, I am …”

  “Then why is everything you do fucking illegal?” she shouts.

  I grind my teeth. “I am undercover,” I growl. “I can’t do anything by the fucking books. They will see right through me,” I snap. “I’ve had to fucking do drugs to keep from blowing my cover. Hell, I’ve had to fuck women to keep my cover.” Her eyes harden at that statement. “You’ve been a part of my life for three weeks; I’ve been a part of this world for five years. If you can’t handle it, then fucking leave,” I shout.

  She steps up to me, her naked chest touching mine. “Fuck you, Brecken. Fuck you and your fucked-up ways. All I wanted was to find Tiffany’s killer and now that I know who it is, I’m gone.” She spins around and exits the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. I turn around and see myself in the bathroom mirror, and I do what I do best when I’m angry—I fucking punch the shit out of it.

  An hour later, Jet, Skye, Case and I all stand out in the middle of a field. She hasn’t spoken to me since she stormed out of my bathroom, and I haven’t tried to speak to her either. But I do catch her staring at my cut knuckles. Punching that mirror wasn’t the best idea I’ve had in my thirty-one years, but fuck, it felt like the best thing to do at the time.

  We all stand side by side, as we watch the fire burn every bit of evidence that will lead anyone back to us or my house, and I wonder if this makes her think of her mother? If it is bringing back memories she tries to forget.

  We brought Skye’s clothes, dishrags, towels; hell, there’s even a rug in there. Every little thing that could have had evidence on it is in there burning down to nothing. And I can’t help but look over at her beautiful face as she watches the fire burn. I can’t imagine what she went through, the fear she must have felt when Monica showed up and then tried to attack her. But all I know is that she’s not leaving. She can kick and scream all she wants. But if I have to tie her to my bed when we get back, I will. There is no escape from me. And as she looks at me out of the corner of her eye, I know she feels the same way as I do. I smile to myself; tonight is going to get very interesting.

  ***

  We return to my house, and Jet jumps into his truck promising to be back later tonight after he has some sleep. Case gives me and her both a hug and then leaves, also promising to be back later. She looks just as shocked as I feel. But then I smile because he finally sees what I see. This beautiful woman who I have fallen for is in no way like Rachel.

  I look at my watch and see that it’s five in the morning. The sun will be coming up soon. I walk into the house and follow Skye as she walks down the hall and into the bedroom. I walk past her and into the bathroom. I turn on the sink and throw some water on my face. I take a deep breath as I look up at myself in the shattered mirror. Water drips off my face, and I smile to myself as a laugh escapes my lips. One of those laughs that says you’re crazy. I’m out of control. The shattered mirror alone tells me that. Not to mention I feel out of control. I feel like a caged animal if I’m going to be honest with myself. I feel like Skye is my chance at freedom.

  I loved Nicole. I thought that I would never feel for anyone else what I felt for her. But Skye has shown me otherwise. I could say that I love her because I don’t want to see her get hurt. That I must save her. But that’s not why. I love her because she makes me feel something that I have never felt—not even with Nicole. Somehow, this woman who has come to me for help has saved me.

  I lower my head, splash my face with water again, and then dry it off. I walk out of the bathroom and look for Skye, but I don’t see her in the bedroom. I also notice that her bag that was in the corner is gone. I run out of the bedroom to find her walking down the hallway, heading straight for the front door.

  “What are you doing?” I demand as I reach out and snatch the bag out of her hand.

  She spins around, her dark green yes narrowed and her lips thinned. “Leaving. I told you that already.”

  “I thought you had realized that I won’t allow that to happen.” I toss the bag behind me, and she huffs when it hits the floor. I cross my arms over my chest. She’ll have to go through me to get it.

  She runs a hand through her hair. “It was fun, Brecken, but this is over.”

  “Fun?” I laugh. “What part of almost being killed is fun?”

  “You know what I mean,” she says as she stomps her foot. “You were fun, but this …” She spreads her arms out wide. “I ran from Cricket because of who he was. A monster. A murderer. I can’t be a part of this.”

  “Who will protect you out there?” I ask going with a different tactic. Fear. “Are you still running from him, or are you all of a sudden able to handle it on your own?”

  “You can’t protect me here,” she says, fisting her hands down by her side. “Hell, it was your fuck who tried to kill me last night.”

  “And it was your ex who tried to kill you a week ago,” I growl.

  “Things have changed,” she says simply crossing her arms over her chest like mine. She looks so hot when she tries to be all tough.

  “Since when?” I ask with a snort. “To me, it seems to be a fucking pattern. You think you can handle a situation, and then I have to run in and save you.”

  “Well, you sure as hell weren’t here for me last night,” she screams as she uncrosses her arms.

  I reach out, grab her shoulders, and shove her back up against the wall. I look down at her breathing heavy, and she looks up at me with narrowed eyes. “What are you gonna do, Brecken?” she asks with a growl. “Gonna challenge me? Gonna prove to me that I’m weak?” She shoves a finger in my chest. “Gonna choke me out? Jet was right.” My brows raise. “You want me to stay a crying, weeping mess rolled up into a ball in your bed. You needed me to be weak so you can feel needed.” I fist my hands down by my side.

  “I think you have it backward
.” I place my hands on the wall on either side of her head. “You are the one who needs me.” My large body has her small one cornered, and I smile down at her. “You are the one who is lost in this world. All you care about is revenge. And you carelessly make mistakes that I have to go behind you and fix.” My voice rises. “So go ahead and leave. Go ahead and keep running and see how long you survive without me,” I shout, as my anger builds because I know she won’t. I may have not been here to save her last night, but she has better odds staying here with me.

  She reaches up and slaps me across the face. I growl as I grab her arms and hold them above her head against the wall. I lean into her. “Wanna play this game, baby? Go ahead, humiliate yourself because you know you’ll lose.”

  “Brecken,” she growls as she fights me. She goes to bring her knee up, and I block it from hitting my nuts. She screams out of frustration, and I can’t help but laugh.

  Her face twist with rage, and then she rams her head into mine. I let go of her and stumble back until I hit the opposite wall in the hallway. I reach up and hold my mouth as I taste blood. “Fuck!”

  SKYE

  I walk over to my bag and pick it up off the floor. I throw it over my shoulder as I turn to face him. He holds his hand to his face. I shouldn’t have done it. I’m not one for violence, but he had me trapped. He was challenging me to prove it, to prove I could survive without him, and I had to show him that I still have fight in me. That I wasn’t the same girl he held up against the wall at my apartment that first night I met him.

  I take one last look at him, and my heart hurts as I say goodbye for the last time. I would never tell him this, but I do need him. I know that I won’t survive. Not because someone else will kill me, but because leaving him is killing me inside. I have come to love him, which is crazy. Love will only confuse things. He doesn’t love me. How can I stay with him when my feelings for him have grown to be more than his? I have no option but to leave.

  “Goodbye, Brecken,” I say as I walk past him and toward the door. And I immediately feel cold. Like I just left my soul behind. He will always have a part of me.