Deadly Truths: Kiss Her Goodbye #3

by Royce, Rebecca

  The knife right into his eye. Lately, I did seem to be obsessed with eye sockets, but I could get him before he’d be able to stop me. He’d be down before he could touch me.

  “Ms. Marrs, I’m here to give you a warning.”

  That was nice. I wasn’t going to give him a warning before I took him down on the sidewalk. All I needed was a reason. I ignored the fact that I was pretty much wishing he would.

  “So give it then.”

  “We have left you alone and will continue to do so as long as you don’t interfere with Alliance business. There has been some movement lately and Marcus feels you may need a reminder that you…”

  A motorcycle screeched to a stop in front of us, and we both jumped. I backed up, fast. A man jumped off the bike and strode toward us. I ran toward the car, my new keys in hand, but the rider wasn’t interested in me. Instead, he pulled a bat off his back and swung once at the man delivering the warning. A strong hit to his side took him to the ground.

  “Tell Marcus he should know better than to send anyone to speak to Everly. I thought I made myself clear.”

  Before he’d even spoken, I knew who the newcomer was. Derrick Norris. My D.

  Derrick pounded on him again, this time in the gut. “I’m not going to kill you. You can’t deliver my message if you’re dead. Tell Marcus if he comes near Everly again, I’ll serve his brains in a cocktail sauce to his girlfriend. I don’t like having to repeat myself.”

  The man cried now; he screamed. For an Alliance member who presumably had been through the same training as everyone else, he was pretty wimpy.

  I stormed forward, grabbing Derrick by the arm. “You can’t do this on the street. There might be cameras.”

  He shook his head. “There aren’t.”

  I pulled him with me to the car. “Come on. Let’s get out of here in case someone sees. Can you leave the bike?”

  “Sure.” He jumped in the car with me. “Where did you get this car?”

  “Warden gave it to me. It’s really nice to see you, Derrick.” Even if it was strangely normal to see him beating someone on the street with a baseball bat.

  He grinned at me before he gaped. “Everly, Warden is dead.”

  “He’s not. He’s in my apartment. Injured, badly. Didn’t get the right help. I’m trying to figure out exactly what to do. But not dead.”

  Derrick shook his head. “When did he come to you? How did I miss it?”

  “Hold on.” I pulled the car onto the not busy street. I didn’t know this car, I’d never had a new one since my father thought used cars were a better deal, and I wasn’t entirely sure I knew all the ins and outs of driving it. Still, it was pretty much turn on and go with most cars, so I did just that until I’d traveled far enough to pull over.

  I put my finger right in Derrick’s gorgeous face. “You’ve been spying on me.”

  I didn’t phrase it as a question; it wasn’t one. Probably because of this, he didn’t answer me. We sat there like that, me with my finger pointed right in Derrick’s face and him saying nothing. Finally, I spoke again. “Even after I told you to leave me alone?”

  “I was never going to leave you alone.” He smirked at me. “What’s more is you knew that, too. And don’t act like you didn’t. You wanted to pretend you were all on your own? Fine, go for it. But in your soul you knew better.”

  I hated being called on my bullshit. “Then you were clearly not very good at your spying if you missed Warden last night since he made a pretty big scene on the street when we were leaving.”

  “Last night, I did get caught up tracking Marcus. And you’re right. I’m much better at striking and leaving than stealthily watching.”

  I shook my head. “I should be throwing your ass out of the car.”

  “You would be if you weren’t happy to see me. You admitted as much. Can’t take it back now.” He sat back in the seat. “Fuck Warden for getting you this car. I could have bought you a car. Makes my gift seem like nothing.”

  I couldn’t believe any of this. “You didn’t have to buy me a gift.”

  He pulled a box out of his pocket. It was wrapped in silver wrapping paper. “I’m going to make you wait until we get back to your place to open it.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Just to torture me.”

  “Yes.”

  A disturbing thought dawned on me. “Derrick, did you bug my apartment?”

  “I didn’t. That doesn’t mean someone else didn’t. I have no need for that kind of surveillance but I’d be happy to look when we get there. Warden’s probably already checked it out.”

  “No.” I pulled the car back onto the street. “He’s very injured. Got shot three weeks ago. He’s in bad shape. He needs a doctor we can trust not to out him. That’s why he’s here, really. He needed me.” And I hated the part inside of me that longed for just that kind of relationship. It was nice to be needed, particularly when I’d thought I was alone and wanted it that way. I was such a constant lesson in stark contrasts, and I didn’t know that I could ever be fixed, not really.

  I didn’t know if I wanted to be, which was more important. I’d gotten very comfortable in my constant level of fucked up.

  “I’ve been shot. That’s no fun. I’ll go check him out. And… even though he’s vanished and not involving himself in anything… Judson would be the person to ask. I don’t think he’d betray Warden.”

  I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. “He wouldn’t betray me. I’d decided on my run over that I’d contact him.”

  “You’re right on that. But let’s just go to him. Let’s not give him the chance to not pick up or be passive aggressive. We’ll take my plane, and we’ll go to him with Warden.”

  It was nice to have someone to talk to about this. “Thank you, Derrick.”

  “I need you, too. Just so you know. Warden might be in crisis but don’t ever think he was the only one who needed you. I do. Every day. To function.”

  Sometimes it was scary how easily Derrick seemed to be able to read my most private thoughts. It must have been that his crazy matched my crazy.

  He smirked, and I knew he was going to say something on the verge of being shitty. “Besides, you told me you loved me. Can’t take that back.”

  I barely remembered throwing that out there to all of them the day I killed my father. It seemed none of them were suffering from the same slight lapses in memory.

  As we pulled into my complex and I parked the car, I turned on him one more time. “That time with the guy I was going to go to bed with? Did you get involved in that?”

  Derrick lifted his lids slightly. It was so ridiculously sexy, and I hated him a little bit for it. “You’re lucky you didn’t get that boy killed, Everly. There are four people in the world I share you with. You told us to go away. We didn’t. That’s the problem with having Alliance men in your life. We don’t take directions really well. It’s okay. I forgive you.”

  I jumped out of the car, and he did the same. “You forgive me? I’m not asking for your forgiveness. Are you telling me you’ve been monogamous?”

  “Since the moment I saw you. Can’t speak for the others but I can almost guarantee it. I just helped you to stay that way, too.”

  I poked him in the chest. “You’re a famous baseball player. You can’t go around threatening people and beating people on the street. You’re going to get caught.”

  He took my finger and brought it to his lips before he bit down on it—not gently. I yelped but didn’t pull back. I liked it. “Haven’t so far.”

  “Don’t be smug. That’s not sexy.”

  His smile was ridiculously cute. “You don’t really think that.”

  I finally pulled my hand back. “Unless you suddenly picked up a career in reading people’s minds you can knock it off pretending you know what I’m thinking.”

  The trouble was that it was apparent he really did. Derrick was always astute and he’d had months to watch me, and I’d let him, not even considering he mi
ght be, not allowing myself to do that. I shouldn’t have liked how stalkery he could be; I shouldn’t have desired him after he’d kidnapped me, spied on me. The trouble with Derrick—with all of them, actually—was that they were exactly what I shouldn’t want and absolutely did.

  That was just another example of how screwed up I’d let them make me. And I had no doubt I’d done just that.

  3

  Warden was awake when I got back with Derrick. Lying across my bed, shirtless, his scar on display for view, he lifted his head, seeing Derrick for the first time.

  “Look who I found.” I motioned toward Derrick. “Apparently he’s on a long-term visit and never dropped in to say hello.”

  Warden rose slowly. “Derrick.”

  “Warden. That doesn’t look good.” He pointed to the red, raw scar that was barely covered by a bandage that had started to fall off. “And I’ve been shot. Someone didn’t do right by you. Glad to see you’re not dead.”

  They had an awkward exchange of nodding heads. I walked over to Warden, placing my arm around his waist. “So you see what I mean about needing help?”

  “I do.” He held up his phone. “Getting my plane.”

  Warden winced. “Must be nice to still have one of those. We’re settled on going to Judson, then? I’m fairly certain he washed his hands of us all.”

  “Jud doesn’t get to write me off. I’m family.” The grin Derrick gave Warden was almost shark-like. “What do we need to pack for you?”

  Warden sighed. “I have the clothes on my back. I rented a house near here, but I left only a shirt and pants in it. I had to take off, go dark the second I left the underground hospital. I didn’t know how long I’d have until the doctor there sold me out to the highest bidder.”

  “It doesn’t seem he did. I thought you were dead. We’ll leave the clothes. Get you some more in Boston. Everly was just approached by one of Marcus’ men. I want out of here. Get your bail out bag, babe.”

  I stared at him. “Did you call me babe?”

  “Not good?”

  I shook my head slowly. “Not good.”

  “Right, well, get your bag anyway.”

  I touched his arm. “You’re assuming I have one?”

  “You’ve been plotting to go off the grid for six months. Yes, you have a bail out bag. I’m certain of it. Don’t get it if you don’t want to. I can buy you whatever you need and…”

  “No,” I interrupted him. I was abso-fucking-lutely not going back to having to buy clothes wherever I landed. I did have a bail out bag. It included almost all the cash I’d earned. I supposed I was leaving Gene in a bind, but he’d be okay. Some other girl would come through the door needing a job and be glad for the full-time work.

  Warden put on a shirt, wincing when the material touched his skin. He reached out, rubbing the back of my neck. “How did you like the car?”

  “It’s gorgeous. Funny to say about a vehicle, but it is so pretty. Seriously.” A thought dawned on me. “I’m leaving it here.”

  Derrick rolled his eyes. “That’s what parking places are for. It’ll be here when you get back, or I’ll have it brought to you wherever we are. Go get your bag.”

  He was really being pushy which could only mean he was concerned. He’d beaten that man up on the street but left him alive. That could mean retaliation. I went to grab the bag I kept under my kitchen sink and returned with it a second later.

  “I’m ready to go.”

  “Beautiful and ready in under two minutes.” Warden grinned. “Everly puts all other women to shame.”

  I patted him on his good shoulder. “Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Flattery will get you everywhere.”

  He threw back his head to laugh but then groaned. The movements must have hurt. I winced on his behalf.

  Derrick handed me the gift box. “You can take mine with you.”

  Warden side-eyed him. “Dude, I bought her a car. I don’t care what’s in that box. Unless you stole her the crown jewels, you’re not winning this.”

  “I’m not a competition.” I took the box from him. “I’m overwhelmed that either of you thought to do this at all. Thank you. I was feeling very alone in the world since I shot my father and left.”

  I spoke the words, and yet they moved through me like someone else had said them, as though I was hearing them instead of speaking them. My body went cold.

  Warden put his hand on my back, rubbing in small circles. “You don’t say that aloud very much, do you? Maybe you don’t say it at all. Who would you say it to?”

  Derrick leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I’d like to talk to you about that. Sometime. Not now. Because we have to go. But maybe on the plane.”

  I shook my head, opening the gift. I didn’t want to talk to him about it. What was there to say? I hadn’t looked. I’d pointed and fired. Boom. I’d been cocky because once I’d been lucky to take two assassins by surprise because I wasn’t totally incompetent as they must have expected me to be, and the second time because I’d had Derrick there to help me.

  The end was because I was a jackass. I’d killed my father. He was a bad man who had my mother killed and yet living with the idea of patricide wasn’t something I could imagine anyone wanted to face, even when their father sucked.

  I gasped. Derrick had bought me a diamond necklace. I stared at it. I’d never seen anything like it, and I’d certainly never imagined holding in my fingers anything as expensive. I opened and closed my mouth.

  “Note to self, the woman likes diamonds.” Warden shook his head. “Nice one, Derrick. It’s classic. How many diamonds are on that thing?”

  Derrick didn’t take his gaze off me. “One hundred and five.”

  I almost dropped it. “What?”

  Warden grinned. “Sweet. You win. This time. But as soon as I’m not dead I’m going to consider it a challenge.”

  Derrick’s whole face brightened up. “Oh, it’s on.”

  “Boys.” I was finding it hard to breathe. “I can’t have this. I can’t even look at this. I’m not a diamond girl or a fancy car girl. I’m more like… I like expensive dinners, that’s my one indulgence, and I can even do without that. I’m not this person.”

  Derrick kissed my lips gently. “Happy graduation, Everly. Let’s put it on.”

  “I’m in my running pants and my t-shirt. I’m sweating. This doesn’t go with that.”

  “Evs.” He was back to using that nickname. I seriously preferred it to babe. “A diamond like this? It goes with everything.”

  That was how I ended up wearing one hundred and five diamonds as I carried my bail out bag out of my little apartment, helping Warden keep steady as we headed toward Derrick’s private jet.

  I was back. In under a day, these Alliance men had sucked me back in, and I hadn’t even resisted. They’d returned me to this world with a visit to a bar, a beat down on the street, a black SUV, and a diamond necklace. Not to mention their sultry gazes, their sweet smiles, and how much I’d missed their presence.

  I had to get control of myself before I accidentally killed someone else or ended up in Marcus’ basement.

  * * *

  We were at thirty thousand feet, heading for Boston, when I finally decided what I wanted to say to these two. And if Kade, Trace, and Judson wanted back in my life—and I didn’t know that they did—I’d say it to them, too.

  “I am in love with you. All of you. That is bound to be fucked up.” I held each of their gazes, not letting them look away. “I don’t even know if it can be. I said no more and yet months later, I’m sitting here with you two on a private jet once again caught up in Alliance business.”

  Warden nodded. “It’s going to be fucked up, as you say. Everything about us is. But you’re not afraid. You’re the only woman I can imagine who isn’t. You needed space, you got that, and yet rather than fall apart you only rose further. How did you do that, Everly?”

  “I don’t want to talk about me and what I did and didn’t do. I want to talk about what h
appens now.” I sat forward, feeling the slight presence of the diamonds tugging on my neck. “I don’t know what Judson will want. He may very well set Warden up to get better and never want to speak to me again. I may never see Trace and Kade again.”

  Derrick shook his head. “You’re saying that, but you don’t really believe that.”

  I pointed at him. “The acting like you know what I think and feel all the time is getting old, and I’ve only been back with you a few hours. The diamonds don’t give you the right to decide you know everything about me. You can take the necklace back if you think it does.”

  He held up his hands. “Apologies.”

  “You’re saying that, but you don’t really mean it.” I twisted his words a bit, throwing them back at him, and Derrick nodded. We did seem to understand one another.

  I stared at both of them for a long moment. “If we’re going to do this, if we’re going to proceed like there is any chance I could be with both of you, then I can’t have it that you two would ever consider hurting one another.” I held up my hand before they could answer me. “That was a deal breaker for me before when I didn’t know there were deals to be made. I recognize there are things I can’t have any control over. Like men threatening me on the street and death plots, but I won’t compromise on that. If you’re on my side, you’re on my side. And that means you never—and I mean never—even consider hurting the other one.”

  Warden swallowed. “As I told you before, I’ll tell you again: I never had those intentions. I can’t speak for Derrick.”

  Derrick nodded. “I can do that. I don’t often offer loyalty. But I will give it to Warden if that means I get to share you with him. I’m not going anywhere, Everly. Even if you kick me out, I’m hanging around to protect you. I’d rather be on the inside.”

  I rose. The plane was relatively smooth in the sky, and I didn’t know what made me act the way I did. Instinct, maybe. I walked to Warden. He’d been the first to answer me. I bent over, placing my mouth close to his. So close I could see the pulse in his neck, hear his soft breathing, and practically taste his lips against my own.