“What—”
She lifts the wooden spoon in her hand and slashes it through the air to silence me. My head whips back, but I shut the fuck up. I know that look too well.
“Don’t ye play dumb with me. At first, I thought ye were working and tending to business. Then I started noticing a pattern. Who do ye think audits the books each year? I’ve seen the flights and the locations. You keep taking ye ass to New York.
“At first I figured ye were going to hang with Jamie and Dylan. Which is fine. I wish youse boys lived closer to each other. But when I talked to ye aunt, she kept mentioning Dashawn this and Dashawn that. How the wee one loves ye so.
“I kept me mouth shut and just listened. Come to find out there’s a girl in New York that ye have the O’Briens looking after. A girl named Kaye. The same Kaye that’s been missing with her mother crying on me shoulder for her.
“Aye, I ought cobbler ye, Felix. I have a mind to put my foot clear up yer arse. I would too if ye weren’t the child ye are. I trust ye. So I’ll allow ye this pass. Now explain to me what me in-laws know that I don’t,” she demands.
I rub my forehead in frustration, as the wheels turn in my head. I had no idea Mrs. Porter has been coming to see mom.
Hope blooms in my chest. If I can fix this one thing for Kaye, I know it will ease her burdens a little more. I know how much she misses her family. Knowing her mother isn’t as closed off about the subject gives me a few ideas.
“Start talking ye rawny wee shit, before I batter ye hoop,” Mom growls.
I try not to laugh, she means every word. She’ll kick my ass if I don’t start talking, so talk. I tell my mother everything as she feeds me brownies and milk like I’m still eight. She takes a seat and listens just like she used to do back then.
“Yer still sweet on that lass,” My mother says when I’m done.
I know it’s not a question, she’s stating a fact. It’s the one thing I didn’t tell her. I never said a word about how I feel about Kaye, not once. As I look into my mother’s knowing eyes, I know I never had to. I get my watchfulness from her.
“I care about her. I want to do whatever I can to make sure she and the baby are taken care of,” I reply.
“Again, lad of mine. Who’s ye foul?”
I blow out a heavy breath. I might as well be straight. My mother knows me better than anyone.
“Not you. Yes, I’m in love with her,” I say.
“Ye have been for years. She’s a pretty little one. Her father…now that’s going to be ye challenge. He loves you like a son, but he is one stubborn as fuck man. He believes he means well and in principle, he does. It just doesn’t always translate that way,” she says.
“I want to bring her home. It’s been long enough,” I mumble.
“Some things we shouldn’t stick our noses too far into. Ye bring her home, ye may be bringing her too close to a fire that will run her away for good. Trust me. Her father hasn’t finished roaring yet and her coming home will cause her to have to face that noise,” she pauses reaching for my hand.
“She misses her family. They have a grandson they should get to know.”
“She also allowed someone to use her name and health insurance. Health insurance her father’s ministry paid for. She’s listed as the mother of that babe on his birth certificate.
“Coming home means choosing to expose a string of lies and choosing who to protect. Herself or her beloved brother,” mom replies.
“She gets hurt either way,” I huff.
“Aye. It’s a noble thing she’s done for Danny, but there has been a web weaved. Yer pressing up against someone’s beliefs here. The backlash will have a ripple, it will. Be careful of the stones ye throw at this one,” she cautions me.
“What should I do?” I ask feeling lost.
“Watch it all closely. I have a feeling it will work itself out somehow. Ye just don’t be the one to force it. She’s in good hands. That, I’m glad of,” she says smiling up at me. Patting my hand she stands from the seat she took when I started to tell her the story. “Ye have done good.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course,” she says softly.
“I never told Danny how I felt about Kaye. Do you think it’s wrong that we’re…”
“That yer shagging his sister now?” she laughs. Patting my cheek she shakes her head. “If ye only want to have a fuck and test the waters then, no. I don’t think it’s something ye should do. But if ye love her, like I know ye do. He would be happy that his best friend is the one to take care of his little sister in every way she needs.”
“You’re sure?”
“Did I raise ye to be a fierce man in everything ye do? Yer like ye father in a lot of ways. Kaye is a lucky one to have ye,” she replies.
Chapter 18
Missing You
Felix
It’s been a rough day. It seems like every time I finished one task something else comes up. Toby has had a lot of shit going on with him so dad forced him to take some time off.
We’ve been covering for him since. I thought I’d get to go back to New York sooner, but with the extra load I just haven’t been able to make it happen. I’m frustrated and tired.
It’s only been three weeks but it feels like it’s been so much longer. Our calls at night aren’t enough. Yet, I know I’m going to keep my word and give Kaye what she needs.
She needs time to at least see if she can build her own thing. For now, I’ve been doing my best to work through all of it. It’s killing me, but I’m dealing.
I give a tired smile to the one thing I’ve had to distract me. I have good and bad news for Brooklyn. I’m not done. I’ll get him everything he’s looking for, but it may be harder than I initially thought. Even for me.
“Hello,” Cole’s voice comes through the phone line after a few rings.
“Hey, you have a minute? I found Deja,” I say.
“Where is she?” he asks before I can fully get my words out.
“Scotland,” I reply.
“Fuck. Is she okay?”
“Yeah, well, she has been. The grandmother you told me about. That’s who she’s been with. The grandmother is on her deathbed. Doesn’t look like she has much longer. Small village, word is spreading,” I inform him.
“Fuck me. Son of a bitch. Fuck,” he growls. “What about Ciara?”
“No luck there. It’s not looking good. I found an obit for Donald and Iesha Walsh. Two children are mentioned. A baby boy and little girl. The trail goes cold after that. I’m still working,” I reply.
“Damn it,” he huffs.
“You want the location for Deja?”
“Have I killed a man?”
“I used the secure box. It will disappear in one hour.”
“Thank ya, Felix.”
“No thanks needed. Let me know if you need anything else,” I say and hang up.
I sit staring at my screen as if Ciara will appear. I know the answer is there. I just need to keep digging. I’ll turn over the right stone eventually.
I called in favors with my mother’s side of the family to verify the information I found on Deja. I know I can trust them. I put that fact in the message I send to Brooklyn in case he needs to reach out.
The O’Briens treat the McGowans just like flesh and blood. Brooklyn knows he can trust them. I’ve wondered a few times who the Walsh cousins are to Brooklyn.
During my digging I learned that while Angus Walsh raised Deja, she’s his adopted daughter. Deja was born in Ireland to a recently widowed military wife. Helen Walsh never returned to the States. Angus fell hard and fast for Helen and they married. Angus was the only father Deja has ever known.
His brother Donald Walsh was a hot cruiserweight boxer. He met his wife on a winning streak. He won a fight in the US and met her in a club his team chose to celebrate in. Ciara was born in Ireland a few years later.
I pull off my glasses and rub my burning eyes. I’ve been in front of these
monitors way too long. I’m not going to pluck the answers out in this state. I need to walk away for a bit.
Leaning back in my chair, I close my eyes. I blow out a breath and push my fingers into my hair. My phone rings, causing me to twist my lips. I just need a few moments of silence, including from my own head.
Without looking, I reach for the phone bringing it to my ear. Anyone calling this phone is meant to have the number so I’m not worried about dodging anyone. A smile comes to my lips when I hear Dae-Dae singing in the background before I can answer.
“Hey, baby,” I rumble into the phone.
“You sound so tired,” Kaye replies. “We’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Hang up and I’ll spank your ass next time I see you,” I croon into the phone.
I’m greeted with silence from her lips. I know she’s still there. Dashawn is still in the background singing. I can make out his words as they’re on repeat.
“Mama, Dae-Dae, Lix,” he continues to repeat.
“I miss you guys too,” I say to her silence.
“He’s been driving me crazy for hours,” she groans. “I thought hearing your voice would get him to stop.”
I laugh. She sounds about ready to pull her hair out. He’s only getting louder by the minute.
“And yes, we both miss you. You should get some sleep,” she says softly.
“I’m leaving now,” I reply, as I force myself out of my chair.
I start to shut down, snatching my keys from my desk. I wasn’t going to get anything else done tonight. My head is starting to pound from trying to think too hard.
I need to head out for a bounty in the morning. It’s way past time to call it a night. I drag my tired body to the elevator.
“Dae-Dae, please,” she huffs away from the phone.
“Isn’t it past his bedtime?” I chuckle.
“Yes, Jamie came over and got him all hyped up. I’m going to kill him,” Kaye grumbles.
“What did he want?” I frown as I ask the question.
“Calm down, killer,” she giggles. “Connie asked him to bring over some stuff for Dae-Dae. Those two started horsing around and Dae-Dae has been bouncing off the walls since.”
“He’ll wear himself out soon,” I reply, as I jog down the stairs.
As tired as I am I should’ve taken the elevator, but I’m just too tired to wait for it. Besides, I’ve been sitting at my desk all day since after my morning workout. I can use the stretch.
“Put him—”
My words cutoff as I feel my hackles go up. Something is off. I start to pat at my pockets as if I’m searching for something, meanwhile I start to scan the lot.
“Damn, babe. I think I forgot something in the office. I’ll call you back,” I say into the phone.
“Okay,” she replies sounding disappointed.
I have to push that aside for now. I keep my attention on my surrounds as I cut the call and pretend to still be searching my person. I feel the moment someone starts to close in on me.
I keep my head down until the very last second. When they step in to me to grab me, I throw an elbow back, yielding me a satisfying crunch. Ducking down, I spin around until their back is to my front and I have the dude in a headlock.
“What do you want?” I hiss.
He refuses to respond, his nostrils flaring. I apply more pressure to his neck, cutting off his air. He struggles clawing at my arm. A sound to my left catches my attention.
I knock out the guy in my arms with a solid punch, dropping him to the floor just as another guy swings at me. I duck back out of the way seconds before his punch connects. Deflecting his arm with my left, I shove my right into his face so hard I see his cheek cave under the pressure.
A loud bellow comes from the asshole, but he’s not down for the count. He comes charging at me. I lead him in grabbing his shoulders and bringing my knee into his midsection. My elbow comes down into his back, dropping him to his knees.
Snatching a hand full of his hair, I tug his head back. “Who the fuck sent you?” I hiss in his face.
“Fuck you,” he says awkwardly.
A broken jaw and cheek will do that. I grab his face with my free hand and apply pressure. His scream fills the parking lot.
“Start talking before I rip your fucking face off,” I snarl.
“H...his information is...it’s in my phone,” he relents. “Last call—”
He doesn’t get to finish his words before I slam my fist into his face again. This time knocking him out. I search him for his phone.
My jaw works as I look down at the number in the phone. I tuck the phone away to do some digging once I get this mess cleaned up. Pulling my phone out, I make a call.
“I have a package in the lot at the office,” I say simply and hang up.
Locking the place down from my phone, I start back upstairs. This will all be taken care of. I need to know if this number belongs to any of my top list of suspects. I’ve been making a few enemies lately with some of the favors I’ve done.
* * *
Kaye
I can’t sleep. Something was off about Felix’s voice when we spoke earlier. He hasn’t called me back yet. I’m worried.
I flip in the bed, reaching for my phone to look at the screen for the hundredth time. As if I just happened to miss a call while sitting right here.
Nothing.
I chew on the inside of my mouth. Maybe he just fell asleep. I don’t want to wake him if that’s the case. He did sound tired. I know I’m exhausted despite not being able to pass out.
I roll my lips and turn them to the side. I’m never going to get any sleep if I can’t settle my mind. I know in my heart something is off.
“Fuck it,” I huff and dial his number.
I roll my eyes at the voice in my head telling me that Felix and the O’Briens are rubbing off on me. I don’t curse nearly as much as they do—thanks to grandma and her bar of soap. I smile at the fond thought of my grandmother.
The smile is followed by a sharp pain in my chest. Felix told me that my grandparents returned to Jamaica not too long after Dae-Dae’s first birthday. I’ve thought a time or two about going to stay with them.
“Hello,” Felix’s tight voice interrupts my thoughts.
I hesitate, feeling foolish for calling. My mouth flaps a few times. I think to hang up. Tomorrow when I talk to him, I’ll tell him I rolled onto it in my sleep.
“Kaye, are you alright?” He asks, his voice going from frustrated to frantic.
“I’m fine,” I answer quickly. “I…you never called back I was worried. I’m sorry to wake you.”
“You didn’t wake me. I haven’t gone to sleep. I’m sorry. I needed to take care of something in the office. I’m just walking into my place,” he says.
“Is everything okay?”
I sit up in the bed not liking the aggravation I hear as he speaks. It takes a lot for Felix to show he’s irritated. Something is definitely up.
“It will be,” he gives the ambiguous reply.
“Felix, you’re worrying me.”
I hear the sigh that he releases. I frown ready to hang up and go to sleep. I know he’s okay. I’m not going to be the annoying girlfriend that needs to know his every move.
“I don’t want you to worry. If you were here you’d see I’m fine,” he replies before I can exit the call.
“But I’m not there,” I mutter.
“Yeah, don’t I know it. I miss you. I could really stand to see your face right now,” he rumbles.
“I could come to you,” I blurt out.
“You don’t know how much I would love that, but now is not a good time,” he says, again aggravation showing.
“Oh, okay,” I murmur.
“Don’t do that,” he groans. “As soon as things settle here and I plug up some shit, I’m on my way to you. And if you want to come here, I’ll make that happen too.”
“Okay, let me know if there’s anything I can do for you. I’ll let
you get some rest,” I reply.
“Actually, there is something you can do for me. As tired as I am, hearing your voice has me hard as a rock. You want to help me with that?”
My breath hitches. I have to squeeze my thighs together. I’m assaulted by images of our time together.
“How can I help you?”
The sound of my own voice surprises me. It’s thick and husky with lust. Forget sex addiction. I’m a Felix addict.
I start to bite the pad of my thumb when he doesn’t answer right away. I can almost hear him thinking. My toes fidget together as the anticipation builds.
“Don’t freak out when I tell you this. I only use them to make sure everything is okay there,” he says.
“What?” I ask in confusion.
“There are cameras in the apartment in all of the rooms. It’s the same system I put in all of my family’s homes,” he replies.
I drop the phone from my ear. Head whips from side to side, I look around the room as if I can see the cameras. Tugging my t-shirt over my knees, I curl into a ball like I can hide or something.
“You’re joking right?” I say, putting the phone back to my ear.
“No.”
“Have you been watching me?”
“No.”
“Felix,” I say in warning.
“I said, no,” he repeats. “I can start if you like. Actually, I want to watch you now. Will you do that for me?”
“Do what?” I frown at the phone.
He chuckles. “Never mind.”
“No, what do you mean?” I huff.
“Will you play with your pussy for me? I want to watch you come,” he purrs back at me.
“Seriously?”
“When it comes to that pussy, I never play. I could use the release. It will help me relax. The cams are on my secure network. No one else monitors them,” he says.
I sit silently thinking on this. He has cameras in my bedroom. I know what he does for a living. Should it really shock or bother me that he has cameras set up in my home?
I know he takes my safety very seriously. If he has the same system in his family’s houses, I should feel like family too. Right?
Brothers Black 5: Felix the Watch Page 11
