Fallen Duet: Brody & Lola: Free Fall & Down Fall (Easton Family Duet Boxsets Book 1)

by Abigail Davies

  This was just another reason I needed to get away from here. I couldn’t keep living my life this way: On edge and waiting for the other shoe to drop. One of these days a knife wouldn’t be the only weapon. I knew that was the truth. It was only a matter of time.

  “Lola?”

  I blinked, the bright light in the kitchen nearly blinding me as I looked up at Hut.

  “You okay?”

  “I…” I stared at Hut, tracking my gaze along his jaw, his nose that was crooked in the middle from when it was broken in high school, and up to his eyes. “I’m okay.”

  “Good. We’re heading out to find Mom and Gus. They ain’t gonna get away with this.” His nostrils flared, and he spun around, heading straight out the front door. I wasn’t sure what “this” was, but I had a feeling it wasn’t because I’d gotten hurt. It was because they’d dared to come into his home and demand something.

  A hand circled my wrist, and I recognized the long fingers right away. “Let me check it before I leave,” Brody said, his voice low and gentle. His thumb rubbed back and forth over my pulse, and I slowly lowered my hand.

  “It doesn’t hurt,” I told him. It stung, but more like a paper cut than anything else. I think the shock of having a knife held to my throat by my stepmom was worse than the actual cut.

  Brody prodded and wiped at it with some damp paper towel and then pressed some gauze there. “I think you’ll live.” He crouched in front of me and placed his hands on either side of the chair. “Lola? Look at me.” I swallowed and met his gaze. “You good?”

  Was I good? I had no idea, but I nodded anyway because admitting I wasn’t okay wasn’t an option.

  Chapter Eight

  LOLA

  I hadn’t been able to fall asleep. No matter how hard I tried, every time I closed my eyes, all I could feel was the knife pressed against my throat and Crystal’s body pressed against mine. I’d listened to every little noise while the guys were gone, and heard the door slam shut around half an hour ago.

  The low rumbling of the TV vibrated through the floor, and I rolled over for what felt like the thousandth time. I hadn’t seen my dad for months, and then he showed up for nothing but drugs and money—yet again. He hadn’t spoken to me, not even looked at me. That was how much he didn’t give a shit.

  My body was burning up, so I tossed my comforter and huffed out a breath, but it was no use. I wouldn’t be getting sleep anytime soon.

  I sat up and scrubbed my hand over my face, deciding I’d go downstairs and get some water to try and get my mind off what happened tonight. The rough carpet scratched against the soles of my feet as I stood, and each step I took toward the top of the stairs felt heavier than the last.

  I made it halfway down the stairs until I could see Hut sitting on the sofa, his eyes focused on the TV. He glanced over at me, a small smile lifting the corners of his lips. “Hey.” There was no one else here, just him, and I couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. There was always someone asleep on the sofa or milling around.

  “Hey,” I whispered, taking the last few steps into the living room. My stomach rolled with nerves, and I shuffled on the spot.

  “Come and sit,” Hut said, patting the sofa next to him.

  I didn’t want to sit beside him, but a small part of me hoped he’d be the Emerson he used to be and not the Hut who he’d become. I ventured forward, curling my legs underneath me, and flicking my gaze at the TV. The original Rocky movie was playing, and I grinned. We’d spent so much time watching the series of movies over the years. It was always our go-to when something bad had happened with my dad and his mom.

  “Rocky, huh?” I asked, looking over at him.

  He grinned at me, his eyes clear for the first time in what felt like forever. “Never go wrong with Rocky.”

  I nodded in agreement and settled back, watching it intently. I knew what was coming next, but it didn’t matter because the movie never got old.

  “They’re assholes,” Hut said, his rough voice ringing out over the sound of Sylvester's, and I knew who he was talking about from his tone alone.

  “I know,” I whispered. We’d had this exact talk nearly every night years ago. We’d sit on this same sofa and stare at the TV, having conversations we didn’t want to look at each other to have. It always made me feel safe—like nothing could get to me when he was sitting beside me with Rocky on the TV.

  “I couldn't find them.” The sofa cushions moved and then he turned the volume down. “But I will, Lola.” I blinked, afraid to look over at him. “She won’t get away with what she did. I promise.”

  I bit down on my bottom lip and pulled in a breath. “It’s not what she did,” I managed to get out, finally turning to face him. “It’s the fact that he didn’t even acknowledge me.” I clenched my hands tighter, my nails biting into the skin of my palm. “He just doesn’t give a shit.”

  “He never gave a shit,” Hut spat, his light-brown eyes turning darker. “You’re better off without him.”

  He wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. He was still my dad, whether he’d been there the last seven years or not. But then, there came a time when you couldn’t keep holding out for someone to love you. At some point, you had to say enough was enough and move on with your life without that person in it.

  “I know,” I replied and scanned his face for any sign of what he was feeling. “You are too.”

  He frowned and stretched his legs out. “My mom was always a piece of shit, ain’t nothin' new there, Lola.” He was trying to sound like he didn’t care, but I could hear the hitch in his voice and see the purse of his lips. He did care, he just didn’t want anybody to know it.

  I reached my hand out, hesitating a second. Things hadn’t been the best between us the last year, not since he got so high that he tried to take something from me he never should have. The night he came into my room hung over us like a black cloud, but maybe it was time I forgave him? He’d been high and drunk. He hadn’t known what he was doing. That was a valid enough excuse, right?

  Making my decision, I placed my hand over his arm. “I know, but she’s not worth it either.”

  He glanced down at my hand and up at me, a mask slipping over his face the longer he stared at me. The murmurings of the movie echoed around us as I waited for him to say or do something.

  “I know,” he murmured, repeating what I’d said. We both knew that they weren’t worth thinking about, but we still did, regardless. He pulled his arm away from my hand and gripped it in his large one. “I’ll still make them regret what they did tonight, though.”

  His eyes turned fierce, a muscle in his jaw ticking. And the Emerson I’d grown up with had been replaced by Hut. It had been fleeting, but he’d been there, even if it was only for a few minutes. Time was up, and I didn’t want to stick around to see what would happen next.

  “I better get some sleep,” I whispered, pulling my hand from his grip and standing up. I ambled across the living room and up the stairs, feeling my heavy eyelids that promised a night of sleep.

  BRODY

  I leaned against the back of the sofa aware of Lola only a few feet away. She sat at the kitchen table, staring down at her old flip cell as she ate her lunch. I wasn’t sure how she managed to survive on something so old and cheap, but it seemed to work for her.

  It had been two days since the cookout, and I couldn’t get Lola off my mind.

  The look in her eyes as she’d stared at me, the belief she had that I’d step in and save her from the knife held against her throat. I didn’t want to admit that it sent a thrill through me at being the one person she felt safe with, but it did. And not in the normal way it should have. I couldn't deny that she was starting to chip away at something I’d never known was there.

  Hut was going on and on about places that needed to be checked out and a possible meet-up with a buyer, and all the while, I thought about Lola eating her grilled cheese.

  I pulled my cell out, scroll
ing down to her number. I’d had it since before I met her, but she wasn’t aware of that. It was time to try another tactic, at least, that was what I was telling myself it was.

  Brody: That grilled cheese looks delicious.

  I grinned as I stared at her out of the corner of my eye, noting the frown on her face. She picked her cell up and typed away.

  Lola: Who’s this?

  The vibrating meant she couldn’t hear the beep that would normally go off.

  Brody: Guess…

  Lola: The boogeyman?

  I snorted and shook my head as I typed another message. I clicked send and looked up at her as her cell pinged.

  Brody: Close

  I raised a brow, and her answering smile was contagious. She looked down, typing away and my cell vibrated a second time, but I didn’t look away as she wrote out another message and sent that one too. Her head sprang up, her gaze connecting with mine instantly, and there was something about her hazel orbs that pulled me in, threatening not to let me go.

  I shook my head and gripped my cell tighter, looking down at her messages.

  Lola: Brody

  Lola: How’d you get my number?

  I leaned forward on the sofa, turning slightly so that Ford, who was sitting next to me, couldn’t see. I shouldn’t have been messaging her, for many reasons, but none of that was going to stop me.

  Brody: I have skills.

  Brody: Hut gave it to me in case I need to contact you while your dad and stepmom are “on the loose.”

  She chuckled, the sound drawing me in even more. And damn if I didn’t want to hear that soft tinkle over and over again.

  Lola: As if they're serial killers.

  She looked at me again, and I shot off another message. We were talking in secret surrounded by people who didn’t know. Any one of them could glance between us and have suspicions, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I was trying to tell myself she was my in, but even I knew it was a lie. She was starting to get under my skin, and there was nothing I could do about it.

  Brody: Can never be too careful.

  Lola: Mmmm

  I smiled at her, the kind of smile I didn’t give out freely, and her cheeks heated. She glanced away and picked up her grilled cheese, taking another bite.

  Brody: That really does look delicious.

  She chewed slowly, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

  Lola: It is.

  She raised her brow.

  Lola: You want a bite?

  I raised my own brow in return and tilted my head to the side.

  Brody: That you offering, kid?

  Her chest expanded as she pulled in a breath, and I was sure, if I was closer, I’d have heard her gasp. There was a line we had drawn, but neither of us seemed to care anymore.

  Lola: Maybe. Not sure you could handle all this cheese though, old man. Not good for your heart.

  “Did you hear me, Brode?” Hut said, and Jesus Christ, I hated the nickname he’d given me. Never in my life had anyone ever called me that, but he’d taken a liking to it, which meant other people had too.

  I cleared my throat and stowed my cell away. “Sorry.”

  “Booty call?” Quinn asked, his brows rising up and down on his forehead. I was sure he was trying to banter, but he looked like a psycho when he did that.

  The scraping of a chair rang out, but no one looked over at Lola as she pushed out of her seat. “Nah, I don’t do booty calls,” I answered, hating the way they talked.

  “You got a woman then?” Quinn asked.

  “Fuck me!” Hut roared. “No one gives a shit about his love life. All that matters is the goddamn meet.” Hut’s eyes narrowed on me and then Quinn, trying to drive his point home. “You finally paying attention?”

  “Yeah,” I said on a nod, but my attention was pulled away from him as Lola walked through the living room and up the stairs.

  “You ready to go then?”

  All the guys were standing up, so I joined them, not sure where we were going, but not really caring, because the smile I’d gained from Lola had meant more today than anything else had.

  BRODY

  I yanked the door open and sauntered into the safe house, aware of the three sets of eyes focused on me. I hadn’t been able to touch base with any of them for the last four days as Hut had us searching high and low for his mom and Gus. We hadn’t been successful, and Hut hated that.

  My teeth ground together as Lola’s face flashed in my mind, the glint of a knife against her throat, and the trickle of blood marking her smooth skin. Shit, she wasn’t safe there. She was surrounded by people who wanted to hurt her, and I had no idea what I could do to help while I was undercover.

  “Brody,” Jord greeted as I halted next to his desk.

  “Jord.” I tilted my head and turned to face Ryan and Kyle. “Ry, Ky.” I grinned at how their names matched. “How’s it goin'?”

  Jord leaned back in his seat and pushed his feet on the floor, giving him a backward momentum to move closer to Ryan and Kyle. “Found out more about Jenna Ford.”

  “Yeah?” I leaned against the desk and crossed my arms over my chest. “Who is she?”

  “His cousin.” Jord drummed his fingers on the arm of his desk chair. “She’s got a record as long as my arm.” He pointed to a tablet next to me. “Take a look.”

  I picked the tablet up and swiped into the system, Jenna’s details already loaded to the front screen. I swiped through all of her arrests but paused on one. “This says she was arrested with an accomplice.”

  “Yep.” Jord grinned. “None other than Emerson Hutton.”

  “Hut knew her?”

  “She ran with him as part of his crew.”

  I frowned and placed the tablet down, looking up at the guys. “So why does Ford not want her around?”

  “She got out,” Kyle said, standing up and moving toward me. “She chirped like a canary when she was in lockup and Hut wasn’t too happy about that.”

  I stared down at my combat boots, trying to piece it all together, but it didn’t make sense. If Jenna had given Hut up, why was he still out there, and more importantly, why was she still alive? I knew better than anyone what happened when you snitched. The old saying was as true as the sky was blue. And why was Ford Hut’s right-hand man? Unless…

  I snapped my fingers and pointed at the guys. “Ford’s trying to bring Hut down.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking,” Jord said, a huge grin on his face. “He’s trying to protect her.”

  “But what if he’s not?” Ryan asked, his lips in a flat line. “What if he’s just doing what he’s gotta do to survive?”

  “We need to find out,” I told them. “We need to know if we can turn him.” I scrubbed my hand down my face. “Maybe one of you approach him and see if you can get him to be a CI?”

  “That could work.” Ryan nodded and stood. “We’ll put some feelers out and see what happens. How’s things going on your end? You made headway with the sister yet?”

  My nostrils flared, and I blinked. “Getting there. Still not sure if I can use her yet or not.” I hated the words coming out of my mouth, but the fact of the matter was, I had to do anything I could to bring Hut down.

  Not only did he spread cocaine on the streets like it was real-live snow, but he left a wake of bodies in his path. It didn’t matter who stood in his way. If they were stopping him from getting where he wanted to go, then he’d do anything to remove them.

  “She’s the one who’s been there the longest, so I bet she has shit on him that could bury him for the rest of his life.” Jord rubbed his hands together, the prospect obviously exciting him.

  “Yeah.” I pushed up off the desk and let my hands drop to my sides. “I dunno if she’d do it yet, though. I need more time.”

  Kyle stepped closer, his hand clamping down on my shoulder. “You’ve been under for months now. Time is fine, but you have a life back home.” He raised his brow. “Remember that.”

 
I nodded, but I couldn’t deny that as much as I wanted to sleep in my own bed and walk around my own house, the pull to a certain kid was too strong to deny. I was in deep shit, and I had no idea how to get out of it.

  “I’ll keep you informed,” I told them and ambled toward the front door, needing to get out of this house and away from them.

  Those guys knew me better than anyone else. They’d been there the first day we all started the academy at Quantico, and they were there when we got our first assignments. Even though throughout the years we’d all taken on different areas within the DEA, when I was asked to create my own task force, I knew the people I’d be calling: the three guys who I trusted more than anything.

  We’d created a team that was rivaled throughout the States and had people begging to join, but I always said no. It only worked because of who we were and our connection, and bringing someone else into that mix would destroy it.

  I pushed into my car and sped back toward my apartment. I had to get some space from everything and everyone. My brain was becoming murky, and I was starting to forget who I was as a man—or, at least, who I tried to be.

  But maybe that was the problem? Maybe I was trying to be someone who I wasn’t, and now that I was undercover, I could let myself be who I really was? Or maybe it was wishful thinking and an excuse as to why I couldn’t get Lola out of my goddamn head. I was nearly twice her age, but that didn’t stop me watching her, it didn’t halt the way my body buzzed when I was near her. And it didn’t do a thing to stop me wanting to take hold of her and slam my lips against hers.