by Tiya Rayne
“Good to see you again, Hawk. I wish it was under better circumstances.”
“Same.” A heavy, silent beat passes between the two men before Walker speaks again. “What’s this about, Priest, and how’d you know I’d be here?”
That’s a good question, along with how the hell he got in here. Also, why is Walker here? Last time I spoke to him, I told him to leave and not come back.
It’s only been a few hours. I know he hasn’t forgotten. Priest seems unbothered by the questions.
“It’s my job to know these things. However, I don’t blame you.” Priest’s cold gaze swings over to me. “She’s the spitting image of her. A little more filled out in the places that matter. And the birthmark above her eye.” He slides his eyes back to a very stiff Walker.
“Not that you care.” I don’t miss the cunning smile on Priest’s face.
If I thought Walker was tense before, his body becomes so rigid with tension it nearly vibrates.
“Have a seat,” Priest directs Walker in a tone that lets me know he’s done joking. “We need to talk.”
“Fine.” Walker seems to be trying to remain calm. “Just let me send Brooklyn away—”
Before the words are fully out of his mouth, Priest shakes his head.
“Painter stays. She needs to be here for this.” Walker isn’t a fan of those plans. I can tell by the way his grip tightens on the gun that’s still in his hands.
Out of the two dangerous men in the room—and there’s no mistaking, they are both very dangerous—I think I’d take my chances with Walker. What’s that saying? Better the devil I know than the one I don’t.
“Actually, I think I’ll just go. You guys can have the place. Just lock up when you’re—”
“Sit down.” The demand is so crisp and direct I have no doubt that I shouldn’t argue with this one. For once in my life, I shut the hell up and sit down in my little wicker accent chair.
That panicky feeling is back, and my heart is racing. I close my eyes and breathe, pulling up my canvas. This time, Priest is my muse.
My brush strokes are slower, languid even as I paint him. The browns and greens in his eyes are crisp, but the tinge of red along with the dark circles underneath suggests he hasn’t slept or maybe he’s been crying. He doesn’t seem like a crier.
Next, I paint the lines around his face and mouth that suggest he’s older than me. Maybe ten or more years. I get to his custom suit that fits his broad shoulders and muscled arms. He may be older, but he’s definitely in shape.
When I open my eyes, my breathing is regular and my heart is normal, but the two men are staring at me like I’m the one that doesn’t belong.
“Hmm,” Priest says to himself. The way he studies me makes me nervous.
“What’s this about?” Walker’s question brings Priest’s attention back to him.
“It seems you’ve made an enemy,” Priest says with little interest. “You’ve been pinned for the murder of Albany Creedmoor.” I shoot to my feet so fast I get lightheaded.
“What?” Walker and I both say at the same time.
Priest is unbothered by our outburst. I’m starting to think nothing gets under this guy’s skin.
“You know that isn’t true. I’d never hurt Red.”
Who the fuck is Red?
Priest nods. “I know that which is why I’m here and not anyone else. Someone is trying to set you up.”
Walker runs his free hand through his dark hair.
“How much time do I have?” His question is directed at Priest, but I have questions of my own. For instance, what does he need time for? Who is setting him up, and more importantly, why the hell are these men in my home?
I have no idea what’s going on. I feel like I’m in the twilight zone. Priest stands to his feet, tugging at his immaculate suit.
“Fem was a vital part of our organization. She will be missed…” The long pause after that statement has me questioning how my sister knew this man.
He continues as if he never paused. “By many. And many of those men and women, want the killer’s head.”
“Of course, Pope and the Cardinals don’t believe you did it, but if you don’t find the killer soon, they will be willing to throw you to the wolves. I could only get you two weeks. You have until midnight two weeks from today to clear your name of this crime or the entire Church will be hunting you down.”
“Fuck!” Walker swears. “This is bullshit. I didn’t do this.”
Priest holds up his hand. “If I thought you had, you’d be dead already.”
The way his tone darkens once again leads me to believe that he had a deeper connection to my sister. However, I’ve never heard of this guy. I didn’t even know she was going to church.
“Your brothers and I will help as much as we can, but if you can’t clear this shit up, not even we can help you. Pope is on a rampage and he’s been itching to make an example out of one of you. I had to fight him like hell to even get this allowance.”
I don’t know who this Pope guy is, but the more I listen to them talk, I’m pretty sure he isn’t the one from the Vatican. I’m also sure Priest isn’t here to save souls.
“You need to keep her close.” Priest nods toward me. “They will come for her too.”
“Wait,” I say, holding my hands up. I’ve been following this crazy conversation as closely and quietly as I can, but now they’re trying to drag me into it. “What do you mean they will come for me? I don’t have shit to do with this.”
Priest’s gaze cuts to me and that voice in my head is screaming for me to run and hide. Those predatory eyes narrow, but he isn’t looking at me. His glare is locked on the necklace around my neck.
The sisters pendant. It’s a simple charm, a heart with an infinity symbol wrapped around it. Albany bought them for us when we first graduated high school.
She nor I ever take the necklace off. The way Priest stares at the charm makes me want to hide it. Eventually, Walker takes a step toward me that draws Priest’s eyes to him before cutting them back to me.
“You’re no longer being protected by your sister. You should be a lot more mindful of your tone around others.” He dismisses me after that, looking down at his watch.
“Two weeks, Hawk. Don’t waste the time, I can’t get you any more.”
With those ominous words, Priest slips out of my front door like he’s a guest and not an intruder. The sound of the beeping from the microwave finally penetrates my foggy brain. I keep my eyes on Walker as he walks over to the door and locks it, placing the chain back over it.
I want to tell him it doesn’t matter if he locks the door because the chain was on before Priest showed up in my home. He turns back to me, his jaw is clenched and his shoulders are stiff.
“Pack a bag. Take only the things that are essential to everyday survival.”
He quickly starts to move around my house effortlessly as if he’s been here a million times and didn’t randomly show up today. I’m still a bit confused from everything that has happened. Today, I buried my sister and also had two strange men in my apartment, talking about churches and popes and setups. My brain isn’t processing.
I close my eyes and try to ground myself. Pulling up my white canvas. Before I can create my first brushstroke, his voice cuts into my thoughts and I open my eyes.
“Why aren’t you moving?”
He’s staring at me with his head slightly to the side like he’s baffled by my lack of urgency or like I’m the crazy one in this situation. Is he serious?
“I don’t know how it works in the crazy place you two escaped from, but in the real world, it doesn’t work like this. I’m going to need a little more information than what I have.”
He storms back over to me, causing me to look up at his towering height. “We don’t have time.”
“Well make fucking time, okay. My sister hasn’t even been sealed away for a day and I have random men showing up in my house, demanding shit. I need answers.”
He wraps a hand around my upper arm and proceeds to haul me out of the living room like a misbehaving child. “You can ask questions and pack at the same time.”
He drags me to my bedroom, and I realize at that moment, I never told him where it is. As soon as we get to the room, I yank away from him.
“How do you know my apartment so well?”
He smiles, and I’m reminded that despite the danger surrounding this man, he’s still very attractive.
“Is that really the question you want to waste your time on?”
Fuck he has a point.
I place my hands on my hips. “Okay, tell me what the hell is going on? I talked to the cops today and they didn’t say anything about you being a suspect.”
In fact, they seemed more hell bent on making me one.
Walker steps past me, heading to my closet. He reaches on my top shelf, skimming all the bags before pulling down my small backpack. He places it on my bed.
“You pack, I’ll talk.”
I sigh but obey. Going to my dresser, I pull out a change of clothes and some undies.
“The police don’t suspect me because the person trying to set me up didn’t do it for the police, they did it for the Church.”
While in my bathroom, grabbing a few toiletries, I ask. “The church? Which one? That Catholic one on 6th Ave?” Glancing up at the bathroom mirror, I find him standing in the doorway behind me. His gaze bounces around the brightly lit room.
“It’s not a regular church. Are you almost done?”
“Why are you in such a rush? We have two weeks.” I grab my toiletry bag off the counter with my bare minimal supplies. I’m pretty sure I’ll only be gone for a night.
He steps back, allowing me to enter the bedroom where I stuff my things in the backpack. I zip the bag and turn only to bump into Walker’s chest.
“Let’s go,” he demands, grabbing my bag.
“You still haven’t answered my questions.”
He walks around me and heads toward my bedroom door.
“Damn it.” I stomp after him. “What does my sister have to do with you and a church and who’s setting you up for the crime.” I trail behind him, back into the living room.
“Your sister and I worked for the same company.”
“My sister worked in customer service.”
He chuckles. “I guess you could call it that.”
Done with the bullshit, I rush in front of him, causing him to pull up short.
“Look, at the moment, you’re getting a very patient and calm Brooklyn. In about six seconds, you’re going to get the not so nice Brooklyn.” He smiles again, those dimples punctuating his cheeks.
“I can deal with both.”
I would say something smart if not for the red dot that appears on his forehead.
“Hey, what’s that red thing on your—”
Walker yanks me down to the ground and falls on top of me right as the sound of glass shattering breaks the quietness of my apartment. The pinging sound comes next, like metal hitting metal. My vase shatters and a picture falls off the wall.
The gunfire doesn’t stop, it feels like it goes on forever. I’m curled into a ball while a very heavy Walker lies over me. I don’t realize I’m screaming until he covers my mouth with his hand. Once the pinging stops, he shoots to his feet, grabbing me up with him. I have only enough time to grab my backpack off the floor that he dropped when he dove for me.
He holds tight to my hand as we rush toward the back of my apartment to the guest bedroom. He shuts the door behind us, lets go of my hand and pushes the chest of drawers I use for art supplies in front of the door.
“Why did we come in here? We should’ve gone out the front door. And why the hell are people shooting at us?” I’m hysterical but fuck me, I’m being shot at.
“We can’t go out the front door. People are coming up that way.” As soon as he says the words the sound of wood splintering rings out through the house. Someone indeed has broken down my front door.
“This way.”
I turn toward Walker and he already has the guest bedroom window up, directing me to go down the fire escape. I prepare to tell him that the fire escape doesn’t look remotely safe. I’ve never used it since I’ve been here, but the sound of feet moving through my apartment has me climbing my ass out of the window.
As soon as I’m out, he follows. We quickly make short work of climbing backwards down the noisy metal stairs. I jump down once we meet the bottom, nearly landing on my ass, but of course, Walker makes a perfect fucking dismount.
“Let’s go.” Again, he grabs my arm.
“Wait, what about my cat and can’t we call for—”
“Give me your phone.” I don’t hesitate, handing over my phone. He takes it out of my hand and throws it at the brick wall behind me, shattering the device.
“What the hell?” He grabs my arm and starts moving.
“No phones and Samson will be fine.” With that, we take off down the alley away from the street, staying behind the apartment buildings and businesses that line my block.
The entire time we make our escape, I try not to think about the fact that he knows things about me that I haven’t told him. I never once mentioned my cat’s name, and I’ve only had him for three years. Which means Albany couldn’t have told him either.
Not to mention, how did he know my fire escape would be in my guest bedroom? I’m discovering that I still have a ton of questions when it comes to this mysterious man, and not enough answers.
Chapter 4
Red
Brooklyn
We don’t stop running until we’re sitting on the subway car heading toward downtown. My lungs feel as if they’re the size of peanuts as I try to catch my breath. Walker leans his head against the window behind him and closes his eyes. He has yet to let go of my hand.
“Where.” I pause to catch my breath. “Are we going?”
“To your sister’s apartment. The crime scene.”
“Are you kidding me?” I say, glaring over at him. “We did all that damn running for nothing. Albany lives a few blocks away from me. We’re going in the wrong direction.”
He never lifts his head or opens his eyes. He remains in that calm stillness. It’s like the world is going fifty miles per hour around him, but he’s only moving at a snail’s pace. It’s crazy and unnerving.
“Your sister has many homes. This place is one of them.”
I exhale. I’m getting this feeling that the sister who I knew isn’t the one everyone else knew. That realization bothers me. Albany was my best friend.
She was my confidant, my ally, the person that knew me best in this world. Before a few days ago—had anyone asked me—I would have told them my sister and I didn’t keep secrets. Even the ugly things we would rather not share, we told each other.
She was the only person I had in the world, but it seems the same couldn’t be said for her. I don’t know this Albany. Now I’m starting to doubt if I ever knew her at all.
“You’re overthinking it.” His voice breaks through my thoughts.
I turn to look at him, but his eyes are still closed and his head still leaning back, touching the glass behind him.
“Oh, you read minds now?”
He cracks a smile. “No, but I’m right. You’re trying to reconcile the Red that you knew to the one that we’re talking about. You can’t, Red was complex.”
“She was my sister. My best friend. If anyone should’ve known her, it should’ve been me. Now I have men telling me about my sister as if I’d never met her.” I scoff at the thought. “How does this Priest know her anyway?”
“Their relationship was complicated.”
“Isn’t that the same word you used to describe your and Albany’s relationship?”
This time he pops one eye open to look at me before he shuts it again.
“Complicated in a different way.”
I sigh and roll my eyes. “I’m twenty-eight-year
s-old. You don’t have to sugar-coat anything for me. Just say you guys fucked my sister, that isn’t complicated.”
He sits up leaning forward on his elbows as he turns his head to me. Those penetrating eyes pin me to my spot.
“It was more than sex. Red was more…” His words trail off. I think he was about to reveal more than what he wanted to say to me.
He sighs and leans his head back against the window, taking his previous position, closing his eyes again. “Priest and Red had a different relationship. He brought her into the organization. And if he’d heard you even suggest that sex was involved, he’d probably kill you.”
I believe that, but I also know that there was something between those two. It makes me think of something Albany said once when I asked her had she fucked Walker yet.
“Sometimes, sex doesn’t equal intimacy,” she said. “People can have sex and still mean nothing to each other. And sometimes, you can have intimacy and closeness and never have sex. Sometimes, someone can touch your soul without taking off a piece of your clothing.”
I remember my reply. “You be on some shit.”
Maybe there was truth to it. I lean back against the window, mirroring him.
“I feel like I’m losing my sister all over again. The things that were so special to me, feel like lies now. I don’t even know her anymore.”
“You knew her. Maybe not the way you think, but you knew her.”
“If I did, why didn’t she tell me about all this? I thought she worked at a call center for God’s sake.”
He opens his eyes, turning his head toward me, his keen gaze makes me shy away.
“Sometimes the things we do to protect the ones we love aren’t easy. She couldn’t tell you where she worked. The moment she did, she would have placed you on their radar, and that’s a place you never want to be. Trust me.”
“And who are they? The church?”
He stares back at me, his body so still that he doesn’t even blink. Eventually, he turns his head back to the ceiling and closes his eyes.
“Rest,” he demands. “We will be there soon.”