I merely smiled, earning his disgusted frown. Then he returned to his friends, throwing himself with a violence in the whirlpool of dirty conversation and unhealthy habits.
“Are you really going to do it?” Kai asked, raising his chin in Brayden’s direction.
“It’s time. If we don’t, I’m afraid he’ll get himself killed.”
“He’ll hate us for this.”
“I’d hate us for this if I were in his position. But I’d hate you worse if you just stood by and watched me waste away.”
“I hope he’ll see that too. Eventually. I hope Bryson sees it.”
I scanned Kai’s atypically stern expression then glanced at Bryson. He had agreed to my suggestion. He had even added his own ideas and hopes to the plan, but he hadn’t put his heart in it. After all, how could he act willingly against his own brother, even if it were for his own good?
While Brayden drank himself unconscious, flirted obscenely with women coming and going, and made a poor joke of himself up on the stage, Bryson remained relatively quiet and brooding. It took me off guard when a red-nailed hand curled around my shoulder.
“Liv?”
“Oh, boy,” I heard Joleen sigh dramatically, and for a fraction of a second, Liv glared her way.
Immediately, she returned her imploring eyes to me. Seeing her reminded me just how mad I was at her. I rose to my feet, and she limped a step back, whimpering low in her throat. Once, the sound had amused me. It had even ignited my desire. Now, it was only making me angrier because Olivia Lambert knew which buttons to push. She knew how to handle me to bring me to heel.
“What are you doing here?” I snapped, grabbing her elbow and steering her away.
“What? Should I bar myself inside my apartment and never get out? That much you hate me now, Marcus?”
“Don’t play that card with me, Liv. I am not in the mood.”
I dragged her in an isolated corner and turned her around so she faced me. She staggered on her feet and collided with me, more because she knew I would catch her than out of necessity. As soon as I steadied her, I put a decent distance between us.
Liv noticed and frowned. There was genuine hurt in her eyes when she reached for me and I blocked her advance.
“No, Liv. I don’t mean to hurt you, but this has to stop.” I waved my hand between the two of us, but she hardly registered. She might have not even been listening to me. Her mouth shaped in a surprised O and her eyes reddened instantly. “You have to stop depending on me. You have to move on and find your own purpose.”
“I do not depend on you,” she hissed. As usual, she refused to accept a truth that was beyond evident. “I just trust you the most. I need you in my life, Marcus.”
“We are toxic together. We are toxic to each other, Liv. We have always been.”
“What are you trying to say to me?” She was positively shaking, and she wasn’t far from crying either.
“I think it would be better to not see each other for a time. I care for you deeply, Liv. I will never stop, but it’s time for a change. It’s time for us to build a life with other people.”
“Like Charlotte Burton?”
My face fell, but my eyes were blazing. “Don’t go there,” I cautioned. I could have said nothing for all the good it did.
“She is pretty, whole—” she trailed off, scowling at her left leg. “She is also your father’s colleague. She is making a puppet out of you, Marcus. Why didn’t you tell me you have taken an internship at your father’s firm? Is she not letting you?”
“She does not command me.”
“She is your handler, though.”
Liv’s voice went up an octave, and her face turned red. It was beyond me how such a fragile-looking woman could exude so much violence.
“I will not even dwell on the fact that you know things you shouldn’t—”
“Because you don’t tell me,” she accused.
“If I don’t tell you, you do not have the right to investigate behind my back, Olivia.”
My sharp retort had the same effect of a slap. Liv leaned against the wall, and anger gave way once more to genuine hurt. She looked away and kneaded her hands together in front of herself. I could already hear the tears coming.
Cupping her right shoulder, I used my other hand to tip her chin up. When she looked at me, I saw glimpses of the scared little girl I didn’t have the heart to chastise or cut out of my life.
“You are a gorgeous, brilliant woman, Liv. You can have anyone you want.”
“No, I can’t, and you know it.”
“That is not true,” I sighed, knowing I could not convince her of something she refused to accept. “It is you who are denying yourself the chance to try again. It is you condemning yourself.”
She laughed bitterly and shoved my hands aside. It was so confusing and so frustrating trying to understand her. She fought to keep me in her life as much as she pushed me away, and the combination was simply tiring.
“Tell me about her.” An abrupt change of topic. Typical Liv. “She has already stolen you all for herself.”
“No, for Christ’s sake, Olivia.” Sighing around her was customary. She glared at the sound of her full name, which was also customary. “I told you I don’t mean to hurt you. I am not going to chitchat with you about Charlotte.”
Not hurting her was part of the reason, but refusing to talk with Liv about Charlotte was mainly because I wanted to keep my relationship uncontaminated by the gruesome past and the dark side of my life that I hoped would never touch Charlotte. In the end, it was a selfish motivation.
“Then maybe I should talk to her myself. Maybe she will be more forthcoming.”
“Don’t you dare. Just don’t.”
“What would be the problem? You haven’t told her about me, have you?”
The way my face hardened and my eyes welled up with guilt was answer enough. I truly didn’t want to have this discussion with Liv any more than I wanted to talk to Charlotte about her. Although I tried hard to keep the two women in separate worlds, I knew it would not last forever.
“Marcus?” Kai called, and I sighed. “I think it’s time.”
He looked worried, an expression that appeared on his face only when something was deeply wrong. I glanced past his shoulder at our table to find it almost empty. Brayden was gone, and so was Bryson.
“Go home, Liv. Think about what I said. Try.” I didn’t linger to hear her reply.
Kai led me outside to the parking lot. The night air flapped coldly across my skin, soothing the chaos unfurling inside me. The meeting with Julian Hudson had given me much to think about, and it had unsettled me in a near brutal manner, but it was Liv who had drained me.
I hoped whatever energy I still owned would be enough to deal with Brayden.
There was a line of people blocking my view, but the garish laughter mingled with angry shouts and a woman’s whimpers painted clearly the image of what I was about to see.
As we approached, Brayden’s exceedingly idiotic friends jumped to the side to make way. Across the hood of a red car, Brayden had a woman splayed and pinned under his weight while Bryson tried unsuccessfully to drag him off. I ordered myself not to let my own resentment get in the way.
“She had been purposefully making my mouth water all night. She wants this.”
“I wanted you until you turned out to be a jerk,” the woman protested and shoved at his chest.
“Come on, pretty boy. We’re going on a journey.”
Catching Brayden in a chokehold, I effectively pulled him back. I threw a glare at Bryson and shook my head, exasperated. He should have understood by now that Brayden was well past the point of pleading with.
“Take your damn hands off me,” Brayden snarled while Kai made sure the damsel in distress was unharmed and silently made her disappear.
Calloused hands grabbed my shoulders just as a man’s slurred voice ordered me to get lost and not spoil their fun. Had I owned an adjacent pair of ha
nds, I would have hit him bloody. Bryson hit him for me, though, and growled his frustration as he pushed the idiot away. Displaying unrequested solidarity, the others joined in, poised for a fight.
“Mind your own business,” Kai shouted and planted himself in front of the enraged crowd.
They mumbled their disagreement but did not go against the command that had been given. Sometimes it was difficult to understand how or why Kai commanded these people, but the point was he did.
Within minutes, they all scattered away, leaving behind an uncontrolled Brayden, a powerless Bryson, a stern Kai, and me, literally taking the worst of the situation.
“I said take your hands off me.”
Brayden pushed his shoulder into my chest, forcing me to stagger back. He usually had better fighting skills than me, and boosted by his drunken anger, his power was too raw and unexpected to compete against.
He struck right at the base of my throat, then in quick succession, he hit me in my liver and kicked me in the knees. Doubling over and clasping at the battered spots, I fought for breath. The bastard could fight, alright.
“That’s enough, Brayden. For God’s sake that’s enough.”
“Says who? You? Oh, please,” Brayden spat, and Bryson flinched, the hurt he felt evident to us all, save for his brother. “I’m going to go back in there, and none of you will follow. It’s my birthday. If you want to ruin my night, then I don’t need you here at all.”
“You are not going anywhere.”
Bryson’s words came out too softly to catch Brayden’s attention.
I scrambled to my feet and connected my fist with his gut, making him hiss and curse and hit me back. I laughed. This was how Brayden and I rationalized, and in our brutish way, it always worked out.
“Can’t you just pack him up and send him on his merry way?” Kai asked, leaning against a wine-red SUV. With arms folded on his chest and a bored expression on his face, one would have thought he was witnessing the most ordinary of happenings. “The result would be the same but quicker—and less brutal.”
“Oh no, the result would not be the same.” I ducked a fist aimed at my face and slammed my own against his jaw. “He needs a quick, efficient beating.”
“I need you to get the hell out of here.”
A mean blow to my stomach had me stumbling back. He didn’t hit to blow off some steam but to cause damage. I was going to bruise, but so was he.
He hesitated, debating whether to walk away or fight me some more, and that was all I needed. I gripped him in another viselike hold while he struggled futilely. After what seemed an eternity, Bryson planted himself in front of his wayward brother and took a stand.
“What you need is help. Enough is enough, Brayden.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You are a man who has one kidney and is on the brink of becoming an alcoholic.”
“How I live my life is my own freaking problem. Get off me.”
He elbowed me and kept struggling, but I held tight. He was going to hate me for fighting him, Kai for just watching, his brother for not coddling him, but in the end, I hoped he would understand and get better.
“Charlotte has nightmares because of you, you idiot,” I snarled and planted a fist to his side. “And you scare countless other girls like this. I get it. Harper betrayed you, hurt you, messed you up really good, but that is no excuse for what you do to women who never wronged you.”
“You are depressed and not a moody one. You attack people, Bray,” his brother continued. “You hurt them. Man, somewhere inside you, you have to realize how wrong that is.”
“Are you going to stand with him on this? People hurt each other. It’s what we do. Why should I be the only one condemned for it?”
“He’s right, Brayden. I think I have encouraged you for far too long in activities far too wrong.”
“We are not condemning you,” I cut in, softening as misery flashed in his eyes. I was furious with him, but he was still my friend, and even if there was only a small trace of the man he had once been, he deserved to be salvaged. “There’s more to life than just hurting, Brayden. You deserve more than this miserable life you keep up. We are trying to get you help because we care about you.”
“I don’t need help,” he spat, but he wasn’t struggling as badly as before. His drunkenness had given him power, but not stamina.
“Yes, you do.” Bryson caught Brayden’s collar and forced him to focus, to listen. “There’s a facility just outside the city. They have the best program and the best doctors, I promise. They deal with people—like you—who have problems like you do. They can help.”
“You want me to see a shrink?” Brayden’s outraged shout quickly morphed into uncontrolled laughter.
I released him when he completely stopped struggling, and as soon as I did, he nearly fell to the ground. Bryson and I caught him and threw his arms over our shoulders, supporting his weight.
“I want you to live there. Get away from here. Clear your mind.”
“You are not joking. You are serious.” Brayden was utterly appalled and entirely against our suggestion.
“It will be like living on campus,” Bryson went on with an enthusiasm that he didn’t truly feel. “You’ll get help and have nothing to worry about. See it as a trip out of crazy. Yes?”
“No. Hell no. I am not going to prison. NO.”
“Brayden, please, Son.”
We all turned to see Lydia Morton crying. Brayden and Bryson’s mother was a petite natural blonde, with hair so long and shiny that looked sophisticated even in her simple braid. With her youth behind her, she was still fresh and amazingly beautiful.
My eyes stung with a craving I had always had. Wounds caused by my mother’s absence felt raw and throbbing at the sight of Mrs. Morton’s approaching figure.
“Please, Brayden,” she urged, opening her arms. My eyes slid to Kai who watched the scene somberly but relieved. Apparently, while we had been fighting, he had done something far more efficient.
“Mom.”
Like a little boy, Brayden crumbled in his mother’s arms, and though come morning, he would start his objections again, tonight he was going to comply.
I left, tired beyond imagination. I needed Charlotte. I needed her warmth and her quiet.
Chapter 29
Charlotte
I climbed out of bed and stretched my arms above my head, relishing the delicious feeling of being away from Washington and Jack Stewart. The bliss was going to be fleeting, and I intended to enjoy it to the fullest.
The soreness between my thighs reminded me of last night’s wild, repeated activities, and I found myself grinning as I passed by the smoky glass that hid the bathroom.
Winking, I mimicked a kiss. Although I couldn’t see him, I knew Marcus could see me. The notion that he had been watching me while taking a shower made my flesh burn even hotter.
Wearing nothing but his black shirt, I hurried outside to the balcony where the crisp morning air blew pleasantly across my flushed skin. The glass wall that separated the room from the deck outside had some fancy sensors that allowed the doors to slide open when you approached. I stepped onto the balcony, which was as long as the room itself, and was immediately enthralled by the view of the forest surrounding the house.
I leaned against the handrail but avoided touching the glass fence encased between the metallic frame and the wooden floor. My eyes soared over the fairy-like pond and its white and pink camellias before I glanced over my shoulder at the ruffled bed and rumpled clothes still lying on the ground.
It was odd that with all the chaotic emotions swirling inside me, I thought about how utterly different this house looked from Marcus’s apartment. While his apartment was clearly a man’s space, the house had a rather welcoming quality, a peace that created a protective bubble between its inhabitants and the outer world.
It was a family home. I could nearly picture a throng of kids running around with Kinga’s puppie
s after them, laughter and noise drifting in the air. The image brought a nostalgic smile to my lips, then it chilled me. I couldn’t entertain such thoughts.
“What is going on in that beautiful head of yours?”
Marcus’s arms wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me flush against his chest, nuzzling his nose against the skin of my throat. He smelled of aftershave and man.
I rested my head against his shoulder and let out an involuntary moan. His hands ducking beneath the hem of the shirt and traveling up my thighs to my quivering belly felt too good for me to concentrate. He kissed my temple then brought a hand to massage my scalp. I almost purred.
He acted so strangely. While last night he had fluctuated from wildly aroused and somewhat edgy to tenderly caring and downright exhausted, he seemed calmer now, more settled. Yet, it was this alteration to his mood, within such a short timeframe, that confused me. He had warned me he was chaos embodied, but I hadn’t witnessed its manifestation so openly before.
“You are not alright,” I heard myself muttering. He stiffened, and though his arms remained around me, his eyes were directed far into the distance and his focus farther still.
“I guess, I’m not.”
“Tell me.”
“It worries me that you are involved in Jack Stewart’s case. It annoys me that my father is still able to affect me. It upsets me that Brayden doesn’t see reason. Everything is changing too fast, too soon. It’s been a long week, and it’s not over yet.”
He offered me a forced smile that did not manage to comfort me. There was something he wasn’t telling me. I just knew. Pulling me tighter to him and sighing heavily, he propped his chin on my shoulder and looked out upon the lake. It seemed to calm him.
“I wanted you to see this.” His voice almost bore a dose of reverence.
“It has a story, doesn’t it?”
“The lake is the wedding gift my grandfather gave to my grandmother. They had a history with lakes. He met her for the first time at a lake party and became instantly smitten with her. He followed her everywhere until she accepted his invitation for a tea date.”
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