“Oh c’mon, Gabe. You know how he is. You know it would never work.”
“I don’t know that. People can change,” he argues with a shrug.
“Not Conner. I mean hell. I was gone for a week and he’s already hooked up with that Rachel girl he was seeing and I watched him leave Micky’s with Bobby’s cousin just last night. Conner will always be… Conner.”
“Aww, I don’t think you’re giving him the credit he deserves, Brooke. He cares about you and I know he’s told you this already.”
Gabe removes his arm from around my shoulder. He sits back on the couch lifting his leg to rest his ankle on his knee.
“Is it possible that maybe you want to believe that he will always be that way because it’s easier for you to hide behind an excuse than it is to allow yourself to be with him?”
His words catch me off guard. I wasn’t expecting such deep and accurate insight from him. Is he right? Am I that afraid that I’m creating excuses and hiding behind them? I pause for a moment as I allow myself to think through this new possibility. But soon after I shake the thought.
“Gabe, did you hear what I just said? He hooked up with Rachel and I watched him leave the bar with Bobby's cousin last night. They were all over each other. It’s not just in my head. It’s not an excuse that I’m making up. He hasn’t changed.” I stare back at Gabe and his expression grows serious when he looks back at me.
“Brooke, he didn’t hook up with Rachel or Hope.”
What?
“How do you know that?” I let my feet find the floor again and I turn in his direction.
“He was a complete mess when you left. He didn’t know what to do with himself. He spent all afternoon down at Micky’s and when I went down to check on him he said he was waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me? Why would he be waiting for me?”
“Because he sent a text to you telling you that he loves you. Only the text he thought he sent to you was accidentally sent to Rachel. Once he realized the text wasn’t to you and it wasn’t you that was coming to meet him he asked me to take him home. Like I said, he was a mess.”
I let Gabe’s words sink in and I feel a bit of hope restore within me. So he didn’t sleep with her. That doesn’t mean that he’s changed. There was also Hope.
“And what about Bobby’s cousin? I watched them leave together.”
“Yeah, they did leave together. And after they left Conner took her straight home.”
“How do you…” I start to ask, confusion in my voice.
“Bobby was in this morning. He mentioned that Hope was complaining to him all night about Conner leading her on and wasting her time. He said she was pretty pissed too that he just took her home and dropped her off.”
A slight smile begins to build on my face. He didn’t sleep with either of them. He’s trying. I suddenly feel even more guilty about the way I treated him earlier.
“If I can offer you some words of wisdom?” Gabe asks.
I raise my eyebrows at him in anticipation.
“Now, I don’t know how true it is,” he starts and looks around the room like he’s about to share a deep secret with me, “but I’ve heard that it’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.”
I smile brightly at him. He winks back at me with a smile and then gets up from the couch and walks over to the table. I stay seated and rest my head on my fist, thinking about his words of wisdom and everything he had to say before them. Could it actually happen? Could I be with Conner? Maybe Gabe’s right. Maybe I need to give more thought to the potential of a real relationship with him. My heart skips a beat at the idea but I’m pulled from my thoughts completely when Conner enters the room. His eyes are cast down on the blue envelope in his hand and it suddenly feels like my heart is about the pound straight through my chest. Shit!
****
Conner
After having some time to calm down I walk back around to the front of the building. I check my phone. My shift is almost over. I go to grab my keys that I left in the truck. I open the door and dig around for a minute. I was so pissed when I got out that I can’t remember where I stuck them. While I search I spot an envelope on the passenger’s side seat. It’s blue and has Brooke’s name written on it in big red letters.
Eyeing the envelope curiously I pick it up and flip it around in my hand. There’s nothing else written on it. Just her name. Weird. I tuck it under my arm and keep looking for my keys. I finally find them under my seat. Stuffing the keys into my pocket I grab the envelope and head inside. I’m still pissed off at Brooke and I think about leaving without saying anything to anyone but then I remember I gave her a ride.
When I walk into the upstairs room I spot Brooke on the couch. When her eyes land on the envelope I watch her inhale sharply. Her face goes pale and her eyes grow large. She shifts her position on the couch. What is that about? I eye her curiously. “Found this on the passenger seat of my truck,” I say, raising an eyebrow at her as I hand her the envelope. She jumps to her feet and takes it from me.
“Oh, yeah. Thanks. Uh, it’s probably my credit card,” she says, laughing nervously.
“Your credit card?”
“Yeah, I, uh, I left it down at Micky’s last night and asked Marcy to drop it off here for me.”
This girl is making my head spin. Why is she acting so strangely? I put my hands on my hips and give her a look of disbelief. She’s such a terrible liar. I hope she will realize her story isn’t fooling anyone and will come clean with what’s really happening. But she doesn't. She gives me a quick smile then awkwardly says, “Okay, well I’m gonna head home. Thanks for this.” She holds up the envelope then walks out of the room.
I look at Gabe who is sitting at a table staring back at me, looking as confused as I am. Brooke comes back into the room a few seconds later. Her face is cast down toward the floor but I can still see the pinking of her cheeks. She gently rubs one of her arms then reaches up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“I forgot you drove me this morning. Uh… are you ready to go?”
She looks embarrassed. Like her quick escape plan didn’t work. I don’t know what the hell is going on with this girl but I’m going to find out.
I shoot her a quick grin, “Ready when you are,” I answer brightly. Then we turn together and head out the door.
The whole ride back to her house she’s completely quiet but I watch her fidgeting repeatedly. She’s nervous about something. I don’t bother asking. She’s not going to tell me anyway. I’ll just have to find out for myself. When we pull up outside of her house she jumps out right away.
“Thanks for the ride. See ya later!” she shouts back but I turn off the truck and follow her to the door. She looks back at me nervously.
“Hey, do you have a bottle of water or something that I could grab quickly?” She hesitates at first and stares back at me. I think she’s surprised that I followed her.
“Uh, yeah. Sure,” she answers before pushing the door open and heading inside. She immediately disappears to the kitchen and I quickly look around while she’s gone. I try to find something, anything to explain why she is acting so crazy. But there’s nothing out of the ordinary. She comes back holding out a bottle of water. I take the bottle from her and eye her again.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Alright, see ya later,” she says, motioning towards the door. She’s awfully quick to get rid of me. I’ve never seen her like this before. My worry grows with every second I spend with her. Eventually, I take the hint and walk out the door. As soon as I hear it close behind me I look up and down her street from the porch. I’m missing something. What is she hiding?
I step down onto the sidewalk and casually look around the sides of her house. I feel a little bit like a creeper but if she’s not going to tell me what’s going on she’s left me no other choice. Something is happening with her and I need to know what. I glance around the corner into her backyard and spot her car parke
d out back.
“She never parks out back. Why would her car be out there?” I ask the question quietly to myself before turning back to my truck and jumping in. I turn down the block, then turn again until I’m in the alley behind her house. I pull up behind where her car is parked and something already seems off.
I get out of my truck and walk up to her car. As soon as I spot the driver’s side door my heart sinks to my stomach. “What the fuck?” I open the door and look around. I turn nauseous instantly when I spot the knife laying on the passenger's seat of her car. Under the knife is a burnt piece of paper. I reach over, pick it up, and turn it over.
My eyes widen and my adrenaline begins building in my system. It’s a picture. A burnt picture. Of Brooke’s house. Is someone threatening her? My blood boils immediately at the thought. I feel my shoulders rising and falling rapidly as my breathing accelerates.
Why wouldn’t she tell me? Who the fuck? I rub my hands through my hair as my mind becomes overrun with questions. I’m barely able to finish a thought. I glance over at the knife again and a shiver runs up my spine. It’s time to get some answers. I gather up the picture and wrap the knife in the towel I find on the front seat and start back toward Brooke’s house.
I reach her front door and don’t bother knocking. I barge through the door and find her sitting cross legged on her couch looking at a piece of paper. I clearly scared her because she jumps when I come through the door. I drop everything I’m carrying on her coffee table in front of her. I’m breathless, infuriated, worried sick. I stare back at her waiting for her to answer my unasked questions.
Seven
Brooke
I practically come right out of my skin when he busts through the door. But as scared as he made me I am equally grateful that he came back. I watch him move through the room and stop in front of me. His body stands firmly before me. His expression is intense. There’s something burning in him that for some reason seems so sexy in this moment. Part of me wants to leap off this couch and into his arms and tell him to take me.
He drops a balled up towel and a picture on my coffee table and I sit up and look at it. My heart sinks to my stomach and a knot forms in my throat when I see the knife slide out of the towel. Oh, fuck. He doesn’t say anything. He just stares back at me. My mind races with options. Do I tell him the truth? Do I lie? How the hell do I lie about this?
I cover my mouth with my hands and suck in a deep breath. No more lying. I have to tell him the truth. Here goes.
“Conner, please let me explain.” He crosses his arms and his muscles tense at my words but his expression doesn’t change. It’s still fierce and intense. His piercing blue eyes glare back at me. I get up from the couch and pull the first letter out of a pile of mail on my coffee table and hand it to him. “I got this the day I came back from my parents house.”
He takes it from me and starts reading. His eyes look so angry, so cold as they scan the note from side to side. It sends chills up my body and I shiver. I wrap my arms tightly around myself as I watch him read the letter. I can see his jaw pulsating as he clenches it while reading. The silence is daunting. I feel like I need to say something. Explain more.
Tears begin to build in my eyes as I watch the rage build in his. “You see? I wanted to tell you, Conner but I couldn’t. He would have hurt you and I can’t…” As I trail off he finishes reading. He pauses for a moment then looks up at me. For a second I think he’s going to yell at me. Lecture me for not coming to him about it. Instead he drops the letter to the floor, steps toward me, and takes me into his arms.
He presses my face into his chest as he holds me tightly against him. “Jesus, Brooke. I’m so fucking sorry,” he says quietly before kissing my hair. I don’t say anything. Instead I wrap my arms around him too. I love this feeling. I love being in his arms. It feels so safe. It feels like home. And after going through hell and being on edge the last few days I needed this. I needed him.
I close my eyes and breath him in. I feel the tears start to roll down my face. I will never get tired of this feeling. Of his smell. I could live in this place. He releases his grip on me then places one hand on either side of my neck. With his thumbs he tilts my face up to look at him.
“Who is he?” he asks, confusing me.
“What?”
“You said he would have hurt you. Who is he?”
“Oh, uhm.” I try to gather my thoughts after getting lost from being in his arms. “Ian. I think the threats are from Ian. I mean it has to be right? I don’t know who else it would be.”
Conner nods his head before he pulls me into him again. And once again I melt away into his arms. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure out where this bastard is. Is there anything else?”
I almost forgot! The other letter. I reluctantly pull away from him and turn back to the couch. I pick up the other letter and show him. “This is the one that was left in your truck. I had just opened it when you came in. I haven't read it yet.” He steps behind me and looks at it over my shoulder. We start reading together.
Brooke,
You took away the most important thing in the world to me. Now it’s my turn to return the favor. Get ready. It’s coming.
XO Sweet Revenge
I inhale sharply as my blood runs cold throughout my entire body. It feels like the breath has been knocked from my lungs. He’s going to hurt Conner. I turn to face him. I need to see he’s still here. I need to know he’s safe. Tears start filling my eyes again and my vision goes blurry. Conner rubs his thumbs beneath my eyes wiping the tears away as they fall.
“He’s gonna hurt you, Conner! He’s gonna try to kill you,” I start to sob in a panic.
“Woah, woah, woah, Brooke. Calm down. He’s not going to hurt or kill anyone.”
“He is! He said he’s going to take away the most important thing in the world to me.” I look up into his eyes, “That’s you! That’s you, Conner! And he knows it! He’s always known it. I’ve always known it.” My hands find Conners chest and grab a fist full of his shirt to hold him close. I can’t let him go. I can’t lose him. My heart feels like it’s breaking into pieces at the mere thought of losing him.
“Please, Conner. Please don’t leave me.”
“Hey, hey, hey, baby. Relax. I’ve got you.” He wraps his arms around me and squeezes me against him. My hands don’t release my grip on his shirt. I can’t let him go. I’m vaguely aware that he just called me baby. But in this moment I don’t even want to correct him. I want to be his baby. I want to be his everything.
As much as I tried to act like I could go on without him I know now how completely wrong I was. I feel like an idiot that it took someone threatening to take him from me for me to realize I could never be without him. I want him. Forever.
“I need you to calm down, Brooke. Okay? Listen to me. Nothing is going to happen to me. Or you for that matter.”
I catch my breath and sit down on the couch. Conner moves in beside me and picks up the notes and starts to read them again. My whole body is shaking in terror.
“This is what he wants,” I say quietly, staring at the floor. Conner’s hand reaches over and rubs my leg but he doesn’t look at me. He doesn’t have to. His touch is soothing enough.
“I’m not sure this is Ian,” Conner says. His eyes narrowed at the letters looking back and forth at them.
“What do you mean?”
“Look here at the bottom,” he says pointing to the last line on each. “One says X Sweet Revenge. The other says XO Sweet Revenge.”
“So? Maybe he forgot the O in the first letter.”
“Brooke, how many guys do you know who sign their letters XO? That’s a chick thing. Not a guy thing.”
My eyes flash from the first letter to the second. Holy shit! He’s right. I can’t believe I didn’t notice that.
“Well, then wait a minute. Does this mean this is from a woman or does this mean it’s from more than one person?”
****
Conner
/>
The rage coursing through my body right now is so hard to control but I need to. Brooke needs me calm. She needs me to be stable right now. As much as I want to lose control and go on a rampage, I need to keep my shit together. Then Brooke asks a question that sends a haunting feeling down my spine.
“Does this mean this is from a woman or does this mean it’s from more than one person?”
The thought of someone threatening her is enough to send my adrenaline into overdrive. I stare back at her and see the terror written all over her face. I need to protect her. I need to keep her safe.
“I don’t know. But we’re going to figure it out.” I wrap my arm around her and pull her close to my side. I don’t want her out of my sight or my reach for even a second.
“Okay, well let's figure it out then.” She sits up and spreads the letters, the knife, and the picture out on the coffee table in front of us. Pointing to the first letter she says, “This is the first threat I got. It was in my mailbox when I got back from my parents house. The next thing that happened was my window being broken out and the burnt picture of my house was stuck into my driver’s seat.”
She points to the knife and the picture as she continues. My blood starts to boil. These were both direct threats on her life. I’ll fucking kill him. I feel my whole body tense and I squeeze my hands together to keep myself in check while she keeps talking. “And this one is what came today.”
I look over everything in front of us and I start to shake with frustration. I’m about to boil over. I’m not going to be able to figure out any of this. I can’t even think straight.
“Brooke, we need to go to the police station. We need to file a report. If Ian is the one behind all of this we aren’t going to catch him on our own. Besides, he’s dangerous. We know this.” I stand up and start gathering everything back up into one pile. The burnt picture of her house makes me instantly nauseous. I quickly tuck it under the letters so I don’t have to look at it anymore.
I slip my phone from my pocket and swipe across the screen. I scroll through my contacts until I reach Chief Joe’s name. I listen to three rings before he finally answers, “Hello, this is Joe.”
There's Danger: A Friends to Lovers Romance Page 5
