I smile as I look up at them. “You know what that means?” I ask them. They just shake their heads no.
I open my mouth to tell them what I think when I look down at the number again, and I pause as I say the number out loud. I gasp when I figure out what I’m looking at.
“What is it?” Brecken demands.
I hold up the phone, and they look at the screen. “Do you guys recognize this number?” I ask.
They both shake their heads. “Do you?” Brecken asks looking at me.
“Yes. It’s Throb’s.”
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
BRECKEN
“You can’t text a landline,” she says with a smile. “That’s why there are no messages.”
I smile, so proud of her. And glad that she is mine. I couldn’t believe that she told me she loved me last night. I was desperate to keep her here. I would have done anything, changed my life completely for her. I would have left this town behind me if it meant having her by my side. But she surprised me when she said she loved me just the way I am. Demons and all. A woman who can love your darkness is a woman who knows just how consuming the dark can be. It can swallow you up, giving you no way of escape. But Skye, she’s my escape. She is my light. And she shines brighter than the sun.
I reach out to her and pull her toward me. I slam my lips to hers, and I kiss her deeply. She moans into my mouth, and my cock starts to harden.
“Okay,” I hear Jet say slowly. “Now, I know why you look so horrible,” he states.
She pulls away from me and slaps him on the chest, and I laugh. He turns to face me as she starts looking through Monica’s phone. “Why would she be talking to James so much?” he asks.
I shrug. “Monica and I never really spoke about anything besides drugs.” And sex.
“You said she took over Rox’s business when he was arrested?” I nod. “Do you think she was supplying Gen?” he asks with an arch of his dark eyebrow.
“You know, I never thought of that.” I rub my chin. “We always thought it had started at Throb, but maybe it didn’t.”
He nods. “Or it could have started at Throb, and she is buying it from him,” he offers.
“It could go either way, I guess. But she’s dead, so how would we …”
Skye gasps and then slams a hand over her mouth as she looks down at Monica’s phone.
“What is it?” Jet asks looking down at the phone. She ignores him as she just stares at something with a look of horror on her face.
“Babe?” I demand, trying to get her attention. When she doesn’t say anything, I yank the phone from her hands.
Jet and I look at it, and it’s a picture of Monica and James. They’re standing behind the bar at Throb, both smiling. “I don’t understand,” Jet says looking back to her.
She slowly looks up at him and tears have filled her eyes. “It’s him,” she whispers.
Jet and I exchange a look, and I think she needs to go back to bed for some more rest. Things are starting to get to her. “Yes,” I say with a nod of my head. “That is James.”
Her eyes move to mine, and she just stares at me. “You okay?” Jet asks her when she just stares at me with a look of terror in her eyes.
She ignores him and finally speaks. “You’re wrong.” I frown. She takes a shaky breath and then says, “That man in that picture with Monica is not James. That is Cricket.”
***
Skye and I sit on the couch, and Jet sits across from us on the loveseat. “He’s been here the entire time?” I ask trying to process this information.
“You swear you never saw Cricket before?” he asks me.
I shake my head. “Never.” Jet looks over at Skye, and she is looking down at the floor. She’s no longer shaking, and the tears have stopped, but the fear is evident.
“Skye?” I place my hand on her back, and she jumps as if I was going to attack her. Her dark green eyes look up at me, and they’re wide.
“I went in there,” she whispers. “I went to the club looking for a guy named James. What if he saw me?” Her hands come up to her face, and they start to shake.
I grab them and hold them tightly to mine. “You’re okay, babe,” I say soothingly. “He didn’t see you. And you’re safe here,” I add.
Jet runs his hand over his buzzed hair. “We need to do something about him. Tonight,” he growls. “The question is, do we bring in backup, or do we take care of it ourselves?”
I know exactly what he’s asking. Do we call the police and have him arrested or do we go in and kill the bastard. I look over at Skye, and she sits back on the couch as she sighs. She could bring him down. If we take cops in there and swarm his place, all we will need is her testimony to put him away. But then I spend the rest of my life afraid of someone coming after her. That’s the thing about prison; just because someone is in there doesn’t mean they can’t touch you. A man like him has eyes everywhere. I’d rather silence the man than lock him up. I go to open my mouth, but Skye speaks.
“Take care of it yourself.”
Jet looks at her. His bright blue eyes look at her with pity, and I watch her body stiffen. “If we do that, then there are risks …”
“I’ll take that risk,” she says flatly. It’s as if her body has gone from a shaking mess to an angry woman who wants revenge. That’s my girl.
He frowns. “You would risk Brecken’s life to kill him?”
She shakes her head slowly. “No. I’m willing to risk my life for you guys to kill him.”
“No!” Jet and I both say.
She looks at me, and my heart aches at the look in her eyes. When this woman makes up her mind about something, she does everything she can to see it through. And I have a feeling it’s gonna cost us everything. She looks at me and gives me a small smile. “I’m not gonna argue with you on this, Brecken.” I go to open my mouth, but she obviously wasn’t done. “He has taken everything I have ever had from me. If I can help end this, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Too risky,” Jet growls, shaking his head.
She looks at him, eyes hard and lips thinned. “I’ve been running from him since I was twelve. I can’t even sleep with the lights off without thinking he’s hiding in the shadows.” She swallows. “This is our chance.” She reaches over and grabs my hand in hers. They shake, but I’m not sure if it’s from fear or her anger. “Three weeks ago, we were sitting in this room when you told me I could either lay back there crying or wake up to the realization my best friend was dead and help find the killer.”
“Yes, but this is your life,” Jet snaps.
“Exactly,” she says softly. “I can either start living or keep on dying.” She looks at me, and a soft smile spreads across her face. And I understand what she’s saying. She can continue to hide from him, slowly dying until he finds her, or she can help us kill him and start living a life with me. She places her attention back on him. “I choose to live.”
I reach up and cup her face with my hand. “I can’t lose you,” I say as my chest tightens.
“I’m right here, Brecken.” She leans forward and gives me a tender kiss on my lips. “I trust you. Now, you need to trust me when I tell you I have to do this.” And then she sits back, her shoulders pulled back and her chin high. I want to be proud of her, but instead, I’m terrified.
“Brecken, can I see you for a second?” Jet snaps as he stands.
I kiss her hand that I still hold and then get up. I follow him into the kitchen. He is pacing and running his hand over his head. He looks up at me, and his blue eyes harden. “You’re not gonna buy that bullshit, are you?” he growls. “She can’t do this.” He shakes his head. “If you want to go, I will back you. You know that. But it’ll be just you and me. No Case. No Jones. Just you and me.”
I sigh as I hang my head. “Brecken …?” he snaps, knowing what way I’m leaning toward.
I look up at him. “If I tell her no, she’ll just find a way to go.” His eyes widen in disbelief. “Look at
what she’s done so far. How many times she has put herself in danger. You honestly think I can stop her?”
He turns from me and places his hands on the counter as he hangs his head and sighs. He knows I can’t. Hell, I know I can’t stop her. “At least if we are both there, then she will have two of us protecting her,” I say, and he sighs heavily. “She needs this, Jet. She needs this, and I will give it to her.”
He stands and looks at me. “And what about you?” he asks.
“What about me?”
“What will you do if it comes down to killing Cricket or saving Skye?”
“I save Skye,” I say without hesitation. I would jump in front of a bullet for that woman. And if it comes to that, I’m willing to die for her.
“That’s exactly why you need me there,” he says as he straightens his shoulders, and I smile. “Three is better than one.”
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
BRECKEN
I turn my lights off on my Range Rover and come to a stop across the street from Throb. I turn to look at Skye, who sits in the backseat. She is looking out the back window as her knees bounce up and down. “Skye?” Her head snaps to look at me. “You know the plan,” I say, and she nods. “You get in, and you get out. Do you understand me?” I demand, and she nods.
Jet sighs as he sits in the front seat loading a gun. “You have to get out,” he
says to her. “We have to make this quick.”
“I know.” She turns around and looks in the back at the four gas cans that Jet took from evidence at the station. The same four gas cans found at her apartment. The ones used to burn Tiffany’s car. “You guys are gonna be right behind me, right?” she asks.
“Yes.” I look at Jet. “I’ll wait inside until you are done.” He nods. “It will take me a little while to get enough of the building covered.” He cocks his gun and then places it in the back of his jeans. “This is a busy area. Once it starts, someone will call the police. We need the thing to be burning to the ground before they arrive if we want all evidence gone.” I nod.
“You got that?” I ask her. “As soon as you run out the front, you come back
here and wait for us.”
“I will,” she promises.
“Okay.” I slap Jet on the shoulder, and he looks over at me. “It’s gonna
work.”
I turn around and lean over between the two seats. Skye meets me halfway and kisses me. It’s a long and sweet kiss, and when she pulls away, she’s smiling. “I’ll be right behind you.”
She nods. “I love you.” And before I can say it back, she jumps out of the car.
Jet opens up his door and looks at me. “I’ll see you soon.” Then gets out.
I watch Skye walk across the street as my phone starts to ring. I let it ring a few times not wanting to answer it when I see it’s Case, but I give in. “Hello?”
“Where are you? I’m at your house.”
Shit! “I’m up at the club.” I lie.
He pauses for a second. “You’re lying,” he says sounding skeptical. “I just left here.”
I sigh, knowing that I’ve been caught. “We found out some stuff today.”
“What kind of stuff?” He asks slowly.
“James. James is Cricket.” I inform him.
“What? Who told you that?”
“Skye.” I swallow nervously as I watch her walk toward the club. “I guess Monica had made a phone call while at my house from her cell. It was to Throb. Skye went through her phone and found a picture of her and James, but only it wasn’t James. Skye identified him as Cricket.”
“Fuck!” he hisses. “Where are you, Brecken? Don’t be stupid and get yourself killed.”
I run a hand through my hair. “I have it under control, Case. There’s no need for you to get involved.”
“Brecken …”
“No,” I interrupt him. “I’ll call you back soon.” And I hang up as he yells out my name.
SKYE
I square my shoulders as I walk across the street to Throb. I take a deep breath and remind myself that Brecken is here. He’s right behind me, and he is going to keep anything from happening to me.
A chuckle actually escapes me because I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe he is allowing me to help. But I heard them talking in the kitchen, and he knew I was gonna do it with or without him. I can’t run from this anymore, and tonight, it is finally gonna be over.
I take one last look across the street at the Range Rover, and even though I can’t see Brecken through his blacked out windows, I know he’s watching me. I turn and face the building and close my eyes, taking in one last breath, and then reach out and open the door.
It’s different being here now than before. I had come here on a mission before to find James, and by the luck of God, I hadn’t found him. It’s a good thing, too, because he probably would have killed me that night. I’m still here on a mission; it’s just a well-thought-out mission, and I have backup outside.
It’s bigger than I remember. The club is quiet; not even their soft music is playing. All the tables and chairs are shoved over against the far wall. All the barstools are under the bar, and the dance floor is empty. All lights on.
It’s gotta be around three in the morning. They’ve been closed now for over an hour. Brecken told Jet and me that he would still be here. That he stays late every night to count his money and go through his drugs. I’m hoping he’s right.
I stand by the front door as I look around aimlessly; I can’t leave the main floor. Brecken will be entering soon, and he told me that I can’t go anywhere that he has to look for me.
I take a shaky step forward just as I hear footsteps coming down the far hall. My heart starts to pound, and I hold my breath. Seconds later, my uncle comes into view as he walks into the open area. I stand there frozen as I see him in person for the first time in thirteen years.
He must see me out of the corner of his eye because he comes to a stop and turns to face me. “Skye?” His deep voice makes the hair on my neck stand up. He looks me up and down and then a smile spreads across his face.
I swallow nervously. My head snaps to the left as I hear what sounds like more footsteps, but then they stop. Is that Jet? He’s supposed to come through the back, but I know that’s not him. It can’t be. It would take him longer to complete his task. Plus, Brecken isn’t in here yet.
“Luca.” My throat burns just saying his name.
His smile turns cocky. “No one has called me that in a very long time, Skye.” He lets out a low whistle as he looks me up and down again. My skin crawls. “You look just like your mother.”
My breath catches in my throat. “Don’t speak of her,” I say as my body starts to physically shake.
He takes a step toward me, and I take one back. “So timid,” he muses. “Why come to me? I had planned to come get you soon,” he says as if he was going to come and get me to take me to get ice cream like all uncles do. “And to come alone…”
“I’m not alone,” I say with a smile of my own.
He chuckles. “Sure looks that way.”
“Well …”
“She’s not alone.”
My shoulders fall, and I let out a sigh of relief when I hear Brecken’s voice. Then the next second, he steps up next to me. He has his gun trained on Luca. “You can go now, baby.”
“Baby?” Luca laughs. “Moved on so fast.” He looks at Brecken. “What about Monica? She was yours just weeks ago was she not?”
“I’m not here to make small talk,” Brecken growls as he looks down the end of his gun. “Skye, go. Now,” he snaps. We had a deal, and I promised to keep my word as long as he let me come along.
I start to take slow steps back toward the front door, and Luca smiles at me. “See you soon.”
Then I turn and run out the front door. I stop when the fresh air hits my face, and I bend down placing my hands on my knees. My heart pounds so hard my chest aches. I did it. I faced him, and I
feel like justice is finally gonna be served. Brecken is gonna kill him.
I straighten my back and smile, and then the next thing I know, I’m lying on my back looking up at the dark night sky. Head pounding and something warm running down the side of my head. I close my eyes as my hands go to my head. “What the …?’
“Miss me?”
Before I can think of what to do, I’m kicked in the side so hard it has me rolling over. My arms are yanked behind my back, and something hard and rough are wrapped around them. Then a sound that resembles a zipper follows. I cry out as it’s tightened to the point it cuts off my circulation. I look around as I lay on the concrete, and the first thought that comes to mind is that I feel like I’m in my dream. The one where I killed Brecken. I close my eyes, praying that does not happen tonight.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
BRECKEN
I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Skye is outside sitting in the car. I hold the gun pointed right at Cricket or James? Luca? “I gotta ask,” I say, and he arches a dark brow. “Why so many different names? To throw people off?”
“Luca is my birth name. But Cricket was my street name.” He shrugs. “James is just a name I like. I have many, many more out there.”
I shake my head at this man who I have been doing business with for almost a year. What if Skye had never come to me? What would he have done to her?
“What is your plan exactly?” Cricket asks.
“Kill you. Burn you.” I shrug. “I have a couple of surprises for you up my sleeve.” I smile.
He laughs at that. “I do love surprises. Don’t you?”
My eyes narrow on him, and I cock the gun. “Where would you like it?” I ask. “You know, last request sort of thing. Chest? Face? Maybe the stomach?” I shrug. “I’ll be a gentleman and let you pick.”
Obsession (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2) Page 40
