Wicked Nights

by A. D. Justice

  On the ride to her former townhome, Brianna talked animatedly about the area, like a good hostess on a guided tour. As Noah passed by the lantern-lined pedestrian mall, Brianna smiled. “I spent a lot of time at this outdoor mall, just people-watching and not much else. A few streets over was where I used to work when I lived here.”

  “Where did you work?” Noah asked. “I just realized I have no idea what you did for a living while you were away.”

  “I worked at a pottery store, actually making the ceramic pottery on a spinning wheel.” She smiled.

  “Like in that movie?” he asked.

  “Yes, just like that. It was so glamorous and sexy just like they portrayed it. I wasn’t covered in water and sculpting compound from head to toe every single day or anything. I didn’t have the mud-like clay stuck under my fingernails, in my hair, or even in my ear at all,” she quipped.

  “I guess I just assumed you worked for another newspaper,” he mused.

  “No, I couldn’t. My degree and all my credentials were under my real name. I had to take a job where they didn’t ask too many questions. It wasn’t that bad, really. It was a small mom-and-pop store. The owners were more about making original pieces with character than turning a profit. And by character, I mean flaws, because I really sucked at it for the first six months,” she explained.

  When Noah pulled into the driveway, he sat motionless for a moment as he took in the townhouse where she’d lived during the three years they were apart. “So this is it, huh? This was home,” he said, a spark of pain lingering in his tone.

  “This was never home, Noah,” she replied softly. “Home has always been with you. This was a place for shelter until I could find my way back to you.”

  He raised her hand and kissed the back of it, letting his lips linger on her skin as he inhaled her sweet scent. “I thank God every day that you did,” he told her, his brown eyes melting to dark chocolate. “You’d better introduce me to your friend before I decide to take you back to the hotel room right now.”

  Giggling, she opened her car door and began to slide out. Noah still held her hand in his and stopped her with a slight tug. “I thought I’d make a clean getaway,” she laughed.

  “A clean getaway? Never. I’ll never let you go again,” he said sincerely. “I just want to make sure you’re really okay with being here again.”

  “Noah, as long as I’m with you, I’m good anywhere we are. Bringing you and our family here chases all the old, painful ghosts away,” she assured him. “It also brings new life here.”

  “Let’s go meet Mrs. Stanton, then.” He smiled.

  “She was my one bright spot here. I feel bad about how I left her, too.” She pursed her lips ruefully.

  Exiting the vehicle, they walked hand in hand to Mrs. Stanton’s front door. Brianna rang the doorbell and waited patiently. When she heard the door being unlocked, she grasped Noah’s hand tightly and prepared for Mrs. Stanton’s reaction to seeing her again.

  When she swung the door open, Mrs. Stanton was taken aback at first by the large figure who filled her doorway. Behind him stood three more men every bit as large and intimidating. Her eyes roamed across the unfamiliar faces as she struggled to find her voice, until they landed on Brianna and recognition dawned on her.

  “Kris!” she exclaimed and jumped into Brianna’s arms. “I’ve been so worried about you. Where did you go? What happened to you?”

  “Mrs. Stanton,” Brianna said as she hugged her tightly. “I have a story to tell you that you’ll have a hard time believing. The first thing is, my name is really Brianna Steele.”

  As Mrs. Stanton leaned back to look Brianna in the face, her puzzled look was impossible to hide. “Brianna?”

  “Yes, ma’am. This is my husband, Noah. Noah, this is Mrs. Elizabeth Stanton.”

  “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Stanton,” Noah said warmly.

  “Call me Liz, please.” She looked around at the rest of the group. “Where are my manners? Come in, all of you. I can’t wait to hear this story.”

  The group chuckled at her honesty as they filed into her small living room. After they were all comfortably seated, Brianna introduced everyone before she began explaining everything that happened before the first time she’d arrived in Boulder. The gasps, oohs, and ahhs from Liz were the only sounds that punctuated Brianna’s story. Liz’s hand occasionally flew to cover her mouth as she pictured the scenes that Brianna described.

  When she finished the entire story, all the way up to her current state of pregnancy, Liz’s eyes were filled with tears of happiness. “Oh, Brianna.” She paused. “It feels so strange to call you that, by the way. But, I’m so happy for you both. You found your way back together through all the tragedies life threw at you.”

  Turning to Noah, she gave him a stern look. “Don’t you ever take that for granted, young man. This girl lived beside me for three long years. No matter how hard I tried to set her up with a nice man, she wouldn’t have it. Now I know why—she loves you. You better take care of my girl. In all my sixty-six years, I’ve never met anyone like her.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I have every intention of loving and taking care of her for the rest of my life.” Noah smiled at Liz before turning his gaze to Brianna. “She’s my whole life, and soon our baby will be, too.”

  “He’s a keeper, Brianna. I know good stock when I see it.” Liz’s playfulness danced in her eyes as she spoke, reminding Brianna how much she’d missed her.

  “Noah is definitely a keeper.” Brianna smiled. “He brought me back here because I’ve missed you and I owed you an explanation in person. You kept me sane while Noah and I were apart. We’re here for a few days, but we’d love to take you out to eat today and spend time with you.”

  “I get a date with all these handsome men?” Liz asked playfully. “You there—Shadow? Are you married?”

  “No, ma’am.” Shadow gave her his most enticing smile. “Are you going to propose to me?”

  “You’re a little too young for me, son. But I’ll let you take me to lunch today. Give all the people in my neighborhood something to talk about.” She returned his mischievous grin.

  “My kind of woman,” Shadow said as he stood and offered his hand.

  “I like these boys, Brianna. You have my approval,” Liz said as she stood, hooked her arm in Shadow’s, and walked out her front door.

  The rest stood and followed them outside. When the others were safely out of earshot, Bull pulled Chaise to him and whispered in her ear. “Just so you know, even watching Grandma Liz hit on Shadow doesn’t dampen my libido. I can’t wait to get you back to the hotel room.”

  “I’m looking forward to that myself. I love the garden Jacuzzi tub in our room. Maybe we should put it to good use while we’re here,” Chaise challenged him.

  The heated look in his eyes was the only response she needed to know that he was in full agreement. “You’re playing with fire,” he murmured.

  “I thought I was taking the bull by the horns,” she joked.

  “You’ll be taking Bull by something later tonight,” he growled.

  “Lock the door, will you, dear?” Liz called over her shoulder. Bull nodded as he pulled the door closed behind him.

  As they approached the car, another car pulled into the parking spot for the neighboring townhouse. “Is that your new neighbor?” Brianna asked.

  “Yes, he moved in not too long ago. He’s such a nice young man—quiet, keeps to himself, doesn’t have wild parties till all hours of the night.” Liz shook her head. “Boring.”

  As her new neighbor slid out of his car, Liz called to him. “Lee, can you come over here and meet my friends?”

  Lee’s smile was outwardly friendly, but Noah immediately noticed how he swiftly schooled his features to hide his true annoyance. Had it simply been due to irritation with his older neighbor, Noah may have dismissed the burst of suspicion that flashed in his mind. Since he’d never been one to tamp down his instincts, he re
asoned he wasn’t about to start now.

  When he locked eyes with Bull, Noah recognized his friend’s suspicions matched his own. Quick glances at Rebel and Shadow assured him they were all on the same page. Lee was definitely hiding something. Noah silently vowed as long as Brianna and Chaise were around this guy, he’d also be there. The vibes Lee emanated were unmistakable and far too familiar to Noah, but the fact that his brothers also picked up on them solidified his resolve.

  “Lee, this is Brianna. I told you about her before, but at the time her name was Kris.” Liz tried to explain, but failed miserably.

  Confusion flashed across Lee’s face, and he opened his mouth to ask for clarification, but he shook his head slightly instead. “Brianna?” he asked to confirm when he held out his hand.

  “Yes,” she chuckled. “I’m Brianna, and it’s a long story, so I’ll spare you the details.”

  “And this is her husband,” Liz continued, motioning to Noah.

  Noah recognized the immediate change in Lee’s demeanor when their eyes met. Noah narrowed his eyes slightly as he extended his hand toward Lee. The Middle Eastern accent was hidden to the untrained ear, but it was there nonetheless. The fact that Lee consciously hid his descent was very concerning. “Hey. How are ya?” Noah asked casually.

  Lee’s eyes swept across Noah’s face as his top lip began to snarl unconsciously. He cut his eyes to Bull, then to Shadow, before finally resting on Rebel. He remained silent, not responding to Noah or accepting his hand for an uncomfortably long time. The second hand ticked away on Noah’s watch as Lee stood rooted to his spot, his eyes sweeping back and forth between them.

  Reluctantly grasping Noah’s hand with his, he gripped it firmly and gave it a manly shake. The hatred burning in Lee’s eyes was palpable, and the venom dripped from his lips when he finally replied. “I have never been better.”

  “Good,” Noah answered. “These are friends of mine. They’re just along for the ride.”

  Noah intentionally skimmed over the rest of the introductions. He wanted to test Lee, but he also didn’t want to give him more information than they already had. He’d just decided Lee was on a strictly need-to-know basis, and he didn’t need to know anything else about them.

  When he released Noah’s hand, Lee turned to stare down the other three men again. For someone who was roughly half his body size, Noah had to admit that Lee was brazen and bold. However, he wouldn’t add intelligent to that list of characteristics just yet. His black hair, thick black eyebrows, deep brown eyes, and olive-toned skin gave him more of a Mediterranean appearance than Middle Eastern.

  “It’s very fortunate that I arrived home when I did,” Lee replied. “Do you live around here?”

  The abrupt subject change wasn’t lost on Bull. “No, we don’t,” he replied matter-of-factly.

  “Visiting Mrs. Stanton, then.” Lee nodded. “Are you family?”

  “I claim Brianna as my own,” Liz replied. “But they’re not family. She used to live in your house, Lee.”

  “Ah, yes. Mrs. Stanton has told me many stories about you.” Lee turned to Brianna, slid his hand into hers, and lifted it toward his lips. “She’s been very complimentary of you.”

  Noah smoothly took her hand from Lee’s just before his lips touched her skin. “How nice. We need to get going. Good to meet you, Lee.”

  “I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon,” Lee replied.

  “Of that, I have no doubt.” Noah nodded.

  As they piled into the large SUV, Noah kept his eyes on Lee. But it seemed that Lee only had eyes for Rebel.

  “Rebel, you catch that?” Noah asked.

  “Couldn’t miss it, Reap. A flashing neon sign would’ve been better disguised,” Rebel replied.

  “Recognize him?”

  “He definitely reminds me of someone from a long time ago, but I’ve never met Lee before,” Rebel replied.

  “You don’t have to be jealous, Noah,” Liz chimed in. “He was flirty with Brianna, but we can’t blame him for that. I’ll bet he would’ve been the same with Chaise if I’d had a chance to introduce them.”

  Liz turned to Chaise. “I’m so sorry about that. My mind must really be slipping in my old age. That was so rude of me.”

  Chaise chuckled easily at Liz’s words. “It’s fine, honestly. I’m not upset at all.”

  “That’s right. She only wants me to flirt with her,” Bull replied with a wink.

  “Young man, I can’t blame her for that. You are one handsome man,” Liz replied, emphasizing her final words. “If I were thirty years younger, I’d give her a run for her money.”

  Laughter rumbled through the vehicle and increased at Bull’s reddened face. “I’m sure you would, Liz.” Chaise grinned widely. “You’re still feisty now. Do you flirt with Lee?”

  “I tried at first,” Liz admitted. “But he’s definitely an old fuddy-duddy to be so young. I’ve managed to get him to join me for breakfast a few times. He didn’t like my store-bought honey, though. Said it wasn’t as good as the kind he’s used to having.”

  “He eats a different kind of honey?” Rebel asked.

  “That’s what he said. I only know of one kind—from honeybees. But whatever. Enough about him. Where are you taking me on our date, handsome?” Liz reached up and tickled Noah’s ear as he drove.

  “Wherever you’d like to go,” Noah chuckled. “You name it, you got it.”

  “No wonder you ran off for this one,” Liz said to Brianna. “But since he’s taken and so is Bull, I guess I’ll have to flirt a little harder with Rebel and Shadow.”

  “Oh yeah, I like her,” Noah announced to the group. “It’s about time that Rebel and Shadow got to be thoroughly embarrassed.”

  “Won’t happen, man,” Shadow replied. “We’re the cool ones of the group. We’re not like you and Bull—we don’t get embarrassed. But we’ll gladly flirt with a pretty lady.” Shadow waggled his eyebrows at Liz suggestively but kept his playful grin intact.

  She giggled like a schoolgirl with her first crush. “I’m sitting beside him.”

  When they arrived at the restaurant Liz chose, the group filed inside and appeared outwardly oblivious to the stares and gawking women who leered after the hulking men as they passed. Rebel seemed genuinely distracted and the other men knew he was deep in thought, but what caused his state wasn’t clear. When Rebel finally met Noah’s gaze, Noah slowly raised his eyebrows at his friend. Rebel shook his head almost imperceptibly and immediately joined the conversation.

  They both knew a detailed discussion would occur later.

  4

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “Mrs. Steele?” Hope approached her.

  “Call me Sara, please,” she replied. “Yes, Hope?”

  “Steve is sleeping now, but I wanted to alert you to a slight change in his condition. He seems to be more confused by everyday tasks than he was when I was last here. That’s a known side effect of chemotherapy that a lot of people call ‘chemo brain.’ But if it gets any worse, the doctor may want to do an MRI of his head to make sure nothing else is going on,” she explained.

  “Are you saying it could’ve already spread to his brain?” Sara whispered.

  “I’m saying it’s something we need to watch and catch early if we can,” Hope clarified. “I’m on my way out now. If you need anything, feel free to call me.”

  “Thank you, Hope,” Sara replied absently.

  Sara started her trek down the hall, and each step was more painful to take than the last. The long corridor seemed stifling as Hope’s words reverberated in her mind. She just needed to see him, watch him sleep, and reassure her frantic mind that her Steve was still there. That he was still fighting to get through this and come out stronger on the other side.

  Sara reached her hand out, placed her palm against the door, and pushed with light effort. The door moved in slow motion as she waited for him to come into view. As she stood in the doorway, she saw him as he currently was and not by the
picture she carried in her heart. His large, strapping form had deteriorated to the point that he appeared gaunt. His skin’s normally healthy glow had dimmed to a dull, flat pallor. His typically thick muscles had begun to atrophy from minimal use.

  Sara’s fears were becoming reality. Steve was slipping away from her. It was happening a little at a time perhaps, but steadily increasing nonetheless.

  “What are you staring at, woman?” Steve smirked.

  “I’m staring at my husband. You got something to say about that?” she retorted with a grin.

  “You should be over here in the bed with me. Not all the way across the room.”

  She sighed heavily in mock contempt. “If I must. But you have to quit hogging the bed if I do.”

  “I’ve never promised you that, woman,” he chuckled.

  Sara crawled into their bed, laid her head on his chest, and wrapped her arms around him. She hid her worry when she felt how cold his skin was to her touch. She swallowed the tears that threatened to overtake her when the thoughts of losing him crept in. The knowledge that Steve faced his circumstances with a new attitude helped give her the strength to push it aside and simply enjoy spending time with him. She ran her fingers lightly through his thinning hair, massaging his scalp as she did.

  “That feels so good,” he murmured. “It’s been too long since you’ve done that.”

  “You can have this every day if that’s what you want,” she promised.

  Steve chuckled. “I won’t turn it down if you’re offering.”

  “How are you feeling today, babe?”

  “Chemo is rough,” he admitted. “But I’m hanging in there. Hope gave me some medicine before she left.”

  Within minutes, the medicine took effect and Steve drifted off to sleep. His arm was still draped around Sara. It was symbolic to her of how they’d held on to each other through so many ups and downs throughout their life together. An overwhelming feeling of anger unexpectedly hit Sara.

  “Fuck you, cancer,” she whispered. “You’re not taking my family when we just put it back together. I’ve spent enough time worrying and being sad. We’ll fight you every step of the way.”