by Dover, L. P.
Not that I cared, but it was rude the way he left me sitting there, bored out of my mind. During dinner he’d asked me questions about my job, my grandmother, and if I was seeing anyone exclusively. I didn’t tell him about Tyler and I sure as hell didn’t want to tell him about my grandmother. I made it seem like my life was perfect. After that, he spent the rest of the evening texting on his phone and talking about himself.
Putting his arm around my shoulders, he peered down at me with a devilish smirk splayed across his face. “Oh, baby, did I make you upset? We can go to my place, and I’ll make it up to you.”
Disgusted, I pushed his arm away and stormed off. “Actually, I was just leaving.” My phone buzzed again, but I couldn’t take the time to look at it—I needed the first cab out of here.
Catching up to me, Liam grabbed my elbow and pulled me toward the door. “Well, at least let me take you home.”
I tried to jerk out of his hold, but he held on tighter. “Liam, what the hell are you doing? Let me go.”
“Sorry, princess, but I can’t. I was told to make sure you got home safely.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Once out to his car, he opened the door and nudged me inside. “I’m talking about my neck being on the line if something happens to you. That’s all you need to know.”
The guy was fucking insane. Quickly, he marched to his side of the car and got in, squealing the tires as we flew out of the parking lot.
“There’s something truly wrong with you,” I hissed, pulling out my phone.
Chuckling, the corner of his mouth tugged up. “You have no idea, doll. It’s just a shame you won’t get to see that side of me.”
“Whatever. Just get me home.”
The look in his crazed eyes had me trembling in fear. When I was younger, my brother always told me not to show my fear, to look at it head on and conquer it. It was easier said than done.
My phone buzzed yet again. With sweat dripping down my back and clammy hands, I typed in the password to my phone so I could read my messages . . . and to possibly call the police.
Tyler: Get away from him as fast as you can.
Tyler: Why aren’t you answering?!?
Tyler: DO NOT let him go into your house.
Tyler: Call me!!
Even if Tyler hadn’t warned me about Liam, I was pretty sure I’d have figured out not to trust him. Just as I was about to call him back, his name appeared on my screen with an incoming call.
Heart pounding, I swallowed hard and collected myself, answering the phone as if nothing was wrong. “Hello?”
“Thank fucking God,” Tyler snapped. “I’ve been trying to call you, but it kept going straight to voicemail.”
Liam looked over at me, his eyebrows raised, but I turned my head and looked out the window. I was almost home. If I knew he wasn’t taking me home, I’d have already tried to call the police.
“I must’ve had bad service in the bar,” I replied coolly, hoping Liam couldn’t hear the hesitation in my voice. “What’s up?”
A horn blared in the background along with a few curse words from Tyler before he responded, “You need to get the fuck away from that sleazy son of a bitch, that’s what’s up. Whatever you do, do not mention my name. If you do, it’ll only cause more problems. Where are you?”
“I’m only a couple of minutes away from home. Liam is with me. Why don’t . . .”
Before I could finish my question, he interrupted me, “Don’t ask questions, Kacey. Just listen to what I have to say. I don’t know why he targeted you, but I know who that fucker is and what he’s all about. He’s an agent who represents my biggest nemesis.”
I stopped breathing. “And who would that be?”
“Kyle fucking Andrews.”
The moment he said Kyle’s name, I felt bile rise in my throat, burning like acid. It was totally something he would do, and now it all made sense. Kyle had gotten Liam to spy on me, to find out what I’d been up to and how I was doing. That must have been who he was texting during dinner; giving him the play-by-play.
Tyler continued, “I thought Kyle was bad, but Liam is much worse. You do not want to be alone with him, Kacey. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
Oh my God, how could my brother want me around someone like that? I knew what Tyler was referring to and I got shivers thinking of how different this would be if it wasn’t for my brother telling Liam to keep me safe.
Swallowing hard, I licked my dry lips and cleared my throat. “Yes,” I murmured hesitantly. “I understand.”
“All right, Kacey. We’re about an hour away from Vegas. I’ll be there as soon as I can. If that cocksucker so much as touches you, I’m going to rip his fucking dick off and shove it down his throat.” I could hear the venom dripping in his words.
“I’ll see you soon though. Be safe.”
“You too, Kacey.”
By the time we hung up the phone, I was no longer scared of the guy sitting beside me—I was furious. Liam knew who I was when he approached me at the bar. It was a set up. My brother had tried calling me for weeks, leaving me messages and asking how I was doing . . . and every single time I ignored him. So, of course, why wouldn’t he have a perv come take me out for a night on the town?
Finally, we pulled into my driveway and I hastily grabbed my purse, hand on the door ready to get out.
“Who were you talking to?” Liam asked, shutting off the ignition.
Snarling in disgust, I opened the car door and got out before storming up the front porch steps. “I don’t think that’s any of your business,” I snapped angrily, glaring at him over my shoulder. When I turned around to face him, he stopped on the bottom step and smiled up at me. What an arrogant ass.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I glared down at him. “Or are you just trying to find out so you can report it to my brother?”
Immediately, his smile faded. “How did you know about that?”
“I have my ways,” I retorted. “But right now, I want you off my property.”
Slowly, he walked backwards toward his car and opened his door. “All right, I’m leaving,” he said, holding up his hands in defeat. Before getting in, he peered up at me and winked. “I have to say it was definitely a pleasure, Kacey. It’s a shame we couldn’t have more time together.”
Gritting my teeth, I waited on him to leave before pulling out my phone. Kyle would be getting a lot more than just information from me this evening.
MY HANDS SHOOK with rage as I dialed Kyle’s number and waited on him to pick up. Over and over it rang, most likely because he was on the phone with Liam. Finally, after calling him five times, his amused voice came over the line. I could see him now, sitting in the living room of his three story mansion, in front of the movie theater-sized television.
Kyle was three years older than me and we were both born with the same color hair, but now he bleached his to look white. He looked like our mother, with the same permanent sneer that made him look evil. What really made him a scary were his eyes; one was so dark brown it looked black, and the other was a pale green. Thankfully, I took after our father, and inherited his sea green eyes.
“Before you get all pissed at me, you have to understand why I did it,” he greeted calmly.
“Are you serious?” I snapped. “How could you do this to me?”
“If you’d answer my calls, I wouldn’t have to take such measures. I figured it’d be easier to do it this way than come out there myself. How did you find out who Liam was anyway?”
“That doesn’t matter,” I growled. “In the end, I found out. Not to mention some vile things about his past.” I didn’t exactly know what he’d done, but I could guess. “How could you put me into a situation like that? What if he’d done something to me?”
“He knew not to touch you, Kacey. If he did, I would’ve killed him. I just wanted to know how you were doing. You’re my sister, and believe it or not I care about what happens to you.”
Incred
ulously, I burst out laughing. “You can’t be serious right now. Since when do you care about someone other than yourself?”
“Don’t be like this, Kacey,” he warned.
“If you don’t want to hear the truth, stop calling me, Kyle. After tonight, I have no desire to ever talk to you or see you again. Just stay away from me!”
As soon as I hung up the phone, I sat down on the steps and let the tears finally fall down my cheeks. Was I ever going to be free from my brother’s clutches? The simple answer was no. The guy who used to be my brother wasn’t there anymore.
“Kacey, are you okay?” Cindy asked, joining me on the front steps. “I take it from that phone call you were talking to your brother.”
Sighing, I set my phone down and looked over at her. She smiled and handed me a steaming mug of hot chocolate . . . my favorite when I was stressed. Cindy knew me well.
“I don’t know what his problem is. That guy I went out with tonight is his agent, and I had no clue. It was Kyle’s way of getting close to me.”
Furrowing her brows, Cindy bit her lip and shook her head. “I’m astounded at the kind of things going through your brother’s head. He’s truly unstable.”
I snorted and took a sip of my hot chocolate. “You think? As much as I want to stay here after Nana passes, I think it might be a good idea to disappear. It’s the only way to know my family can’t find me.”
“What about Tyler? Have you told him about the issues with your brother?”
Setting my cup down, I leaned on my elbows and ran hands through my hair. “They already know each other. Tyler’s an MMA fighter.”
“Oh dear,” she remarked, eyes wide. “I take it they aren’t friends?”
“Not exactly. What’s worse . . . Tyler doesn’t even know I’m Kyle’s sister. He’ll hate me when he finds out.”
“He won’t hate you,” she murmured softly. “If he’s as good of a guy as your grandmother believes he is, then he’ll know you aren’t like your brother. It’s best to be honest and up front with him.”
As much as I didn’t want to do that just yet, I knew I needed to. Nodding, I turned my attention toward a set of headlights coming into view. It was Tyler.
“I’ll tell him tonight,” I agreed. “It’s better to do it now before things get too serious.”
Cindy patted my hand and got to her feet. “All right, child, I’m going to go in and finish separating out your grandmother’s medicines for the week. I’ll check on her before I leave.”
“Thanks, Cindy. I appreciate you doing that.”
Sadly, she smiled and started for the door, but then stopped and reached for something in her pocket . . . it was an envelope. “Oh, before I forget, your grandmother wanted me to give this to you.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking it from her. It had my name scribbled on the front in my grandmother’s writing. It must’ve been what she was working on earlier at her desk.
Cindy smiled and nodded toward the black truck entering our driveway. “Good luck tonight, Kacey. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
I had severe doubts about that.
Disappearing inside, Cindy left me alone with Tyler who bolted out of his truck, his temperament wild and black. He had on a baseball cap that hung low on his head, making his eyes look even darker. I got to my feet and met him halfway, my stomach in knots. He’s going to hate me after tonight.
“Are you okay?” he asked, putting his hands on both sides of my face, searching.
Swallowing hard, I nodded my head and licked my dry lips. “Yes, I’m fine. He didn’t give me any problems when I told him to leave.”
Tyler grunted his uncertainty and took my hands in his, leading me up to the front door. “That’s surprising. He usually doesn’t give up so easily. I’ve seen him with women at the club all the time.”
“And you said he’s an agent?”
He nodded. “Yeah, to Kyle Andrews. Be glad you don’t know that motherfucker.”
And there it was . . . the opening that was going to change the course of the evening.
“Actually,” I began, letting go of his hands. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
I knew that once I confessed to him, he’d turn his back on me and leave just as fast as he came. Taking a deep breath, I looked up into Tyler’s unsure gray gaze.
Cindy interrupted by opening the front door and I jumped. Her lips were trembling.
“Cindy, what’s wrong?” I asked, rushing over to her. Tears were streaming down her face when she clutched me so tight in her arms, I could barely breathe.
“She’s gone, child,” she whispered, her voice pained. “I went to check on her because I just had this feeling. When I noticed her chest wasn’t moving, I rushed to take her pulse . . .” She trailed off, shaking her head.
Taking off inside the house, I ran straight to Nana’s room, bursting through the door to her bedside. Even though my grandmother was destined for death, it still didn’t make it any easier. She was the only person who truly knew who I was, the only one who was always there to take care of me. Just gone.
I had no one now.
She had a small smile on her face, like she would open her eyes any moment and say ‘I fooled you.’ Yes, that was morbid, but my grandmother loved to tease. Her hands were perfectly clasped together on her stomach, but I kneeled down and undid them, cupping one inside of mine. They weren’t cold, but they weren’t warm either.
Holding her hand to my face, I closed my eyes and hung my head, listening to the sound of my tears thumping as they hit her bed. “I love you, Nana. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
“And she loved you,” Cindy said behind me.
Lifting my head, I placed my grandmother’s hand back on her stomach and stood, secretly hoping she’d open her eyes and talk to me. “What do we do now?” I asked hoarsely.
Cindy put her hands on my shoulders and turned me around, her warm hazel eyes full of tears. “You, my dear, are going to go outside with your friend and let me handle the details. He’s really worried about you.”
Nodding, I turned and looked at my grandmother one more time. “Okay,” I murmured. “I’ll be outside.”
“Are you going to call your mother and brother?”
“No,” I answered automatically. “It’s not like they care.”
My mother was probably hoping she was in the will to inherit money, but little did she know, it all went to me. Nana didn’t want my mother getting a dime, and I didn’t blame her. Turning on my heel, I slowly walked out of my grandmother’s room, knowing that everything was about to change.
I WALKED INTO the living room and found Tyler sitting on the couch, holding his head in his hands. Immediately, when he heard me enter the room he lifted his head and got to his feet.
Silent tears streamed down my face as I went to his side and took his hand, pulling him back down on the couch with me. His warmth seeped into my body as I curled in against him, laying my head on his shoulder. I breathed him in . . . his scent was comforting. I didn’t even have to ask him to hold me because he already had his arm sliding across my shoulders, pulling me closer.
“I’m sorry, Kacey,” he murmured, kissing me gently above my ear. “If there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you. Right now I don’t think there’s anything you can do.”
“Do you need to call anyone else to let them know?”
As much as I wanted to tell him about my family, I just couldn’t do it right now. I didn’t want to let him go yet. “No,” I lied. “There’s no one else who needs to know. Everything goes to me.”
“What about the house? Are you going to stay here?”
Noncommittally, I shrugged my shoulders and took in all of Nana’s things around the room. The house was paid for, so it’d be stupid to put it on the market. I didn’t want to sell her stuff or leave, but for the time being I needed to get away.
“I think I’m going to find somewhere else to sta
y for a while, after everything gets settled. Leaving Vegas isn’t an option though. Bree and I still have to open our restaurant.”
Gently, Tyler brushed the hair off my face and turned my chin so I’d have to face him. “If you need a place to stay, you can always stay with me.”
Abruptly, I shook my head. “Tyler, that’s really not a good idea. We barely know each other.”
“Well, if you’d let me explain, you might change your mind. Just listen okay?”
He only wanted to help and I could see it in his eyes. Nodding, I took a deep breath and motioned for him to continue.
“I have a pool house that’s separate from the main one. It has a bathroom, small kitchen, and a bedroom—it’s more like a studio apartment. If you’d prefer, I can even charge rent.”
The offer was intriguing, but it was too much to think about at the moment. I just needed to get through the next few days without breaking down. “Thanks, Tyler. Right now I’m going to stay here for the week, until all of the affairs get taken care of. Can I let you know?”
“Of course. Take all the time you need.”
About that time, Cindy came into the room and hung up her phone. “The coroner will be here in just a couple of minutes,” she explained. “Do you want to stay at my house tonight?”
“No, that’s okay,” I told her. “I’ll be fine. I need to get used to being alone anyway.”
She nodded her head and strolled off into the kitchen. It was the sad truth . . . I was alone.
“I can stay with you if you want,” Tyler murmured. “I don’t want to leave you by yourself. Especially after the kind of night you had.”
Tilting my head, I sighed. “I’d appreciate that. I can’t say I’ll be good company, but you’re more than welcome to stay.”
Tyler squeezed me around the shoulders and then let me go before getting to his feet. “I’ll be right back then. I need to get my phone out of the truck and make some calls.”
When I nodded, he walked into the kitchen and said something to Cindy and shook her hand. They talked for a few minutes, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I didn’t have the motivation to get up and join them, so I laid down on the couch and felt my back pocket crinkle.
