I was so caught up in taking everyone in, that I hadn’t realized Carson had sat down until his hand landed on my thigh.
“Hey there, pretty lady.”
I sucked in a breath, my gaze sliding back to the two guys at the bar. It wasn’t like they were going to get me out of this situation. I had to grin and bear it. Hadn’t I told Brody only a couple of mornings ago that I didn’t need someone to save me? No, I could do that all by myself, no matter what I had to do in order to get there.
A deep breath rattled through my chest, and I looked back at Carson, doing my best to smile.
“Hi, Carson.”
BRODY
“Hut’s on the move,” Jord growled down the line. It wasn’t the words that had me pushing up off my sofa, but the way he said them.
I hadn’t had a chance to see any of the guys in the last week, only brief conversations, which meant I still didn’t know what had happened with Ford and whether they’d flipped him.
“What? What do you mean he’s on the move?”
Jord sighed over the line. “He’s on the move with only one person in tow—the sister. Just the two of them.”
“Fuck!” I was out of my apartment in seconds, jogging down the stairs and to my car. “Why isn’t Ford with them?”
“That’s what we’re wondering,” Jord said. Ever since Hut had found out someone was skimming his product, he’d been different, on edge, not himself. Hut was dangerous at the best of times, but this was a whole new level.
“He doesn’t trust any of us,” I told him, jumping into my car and turning the engine on. “I need his tracker.” Jord beeped something through to the system in the car, and I followed the blinking dot on the screen of the navigation system. Jord informed me that Kyle and Ryan were following them, but that didn’t mean I was going to sit in my apartment while Hut had taken Lola somewhere. I put my cell on speaker and peeled out of the lot.
In the back of my mind, I wondered briefly if she’d been playing me, but the words when she told me she wanted out of that house were too raw to be fake. Add that to the fact Hut hadn’t told any of us where he was going with her, then this definitely wasn’t good.
“We need a meeting,” I growled down the line. “As soon as we know what’s happening, we all meet at the house. We’ve gone too long without one.”
“Damn fuckin' straight we have.” The line went dead, and I slowed down as I got closer to the blinking dot.
My fist pounded on the steering wheel when I saw his SUV in the lot of Carson’s bar. He’d kept us in the dark on purpose. I pulled into a space at the back of the lot, letting the night envelop me, but as soon as I turned the engine off, my cell beeped with another incoming call.
“Brody,” I barked down the line.
“They’re heading inside,” Jord said. “I thought you’d want to hear what’s going on.”
Kyle’s and Ryan’s voices came over the line, but they weren’t talking to me, they were going undercover in the bar, and as soon as I looked over at the main doors, I saw two stumbling guys. My heart hammered in my chest, my feet itching to move out of my car and witness what was happening, but I couldn’t. I had to stay put. There wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
My ears rang the longer they acted like two drunk idiots, and then a murmur came over the line, Kyle’s deep voice ringing out. “They’re in the back corner. It doesn’t look like she wants to be here.”
I clenched my hands around the steering wheel, wanting to scream, “Of course she doesn’t want to be there!” but I had to keep my goddamn cool. It wouldn’t help anyone if I stormed in there.
“C has approached the table,” Ryan said. “Shit, she looked at me. She’s trying to figure me out.”
My eyes widened, and I leaned forward. Fuck, she was too clever for her own good.
“We need to move closer,” Kyle said, and then they were being rowdy, obvious shuffling over the line.
“This ain’t good, Brody,” Jord said, breaking up the music and chatter in the background. “She hasn’t gotten involved with anything, and now he takes her right into the fire? She’s gonna get burned.”
“I know.” I ran my hand over my face and scrubbed it over my hair. “She wants out.” The words tasted bitter on my tongue. I knew what Jord was going to say, and that was one of the reasons why I hadn’t called a meeting sooner.
“We need to use that.”
And there it was, the five words I knew were coming. I didn’t answer him, afraid of what might come out of my mouth, instead, I strained to listen to Kyle and Ryan.
“Have you found out which one it was yet?” Carson’s voice crackled over the line, which meant they were closer.
What the hell were they thinking? They couldn’t get too close—
“Kyle attached his device to their booth,” Ryan said, and then it made sense why we could hear them so clearly. The devices that they wore were one-way, which meant we could hear them, but they couldn’t hear us.
“I’m working on it,” Hut growled, and a soft yelp echoed over the line. “Lola is gonna help me, ain’t that right, little sister?”
My nostrils flared, my hands started to shake, and god-fuckin’-dammit, I needed to get to her.
“Help with what?” she asked, not committing to anything, and I could practically feel the pride beaming from me. She was being noncommittal, which meant she had a chance of walking out of this without us having anything over her. If she slipped up, the guys would want to use it to turn her.
I was at a crossroads, one that I didn’t want to admit to. I couldn’t choose between Lola and the case, but I could do everything in my power to keep her out of it.
“The guy who’s skimming Hut’s product,” Carson answered for her, and she just hummed in response. “Your time is up though, Hut, but I may be able to stretch another four days seeing as you brought me a present.”
Steam was blowing out of my ears at his words, and I swore to god, if he so much as touched her, I’d cut his fuckin' hands clean off.
“I didn’t bring her here for you,” Hut said, but even I could hear the lie in his words. He knew exactly what hand to play, and he’d done it without a second thought. He was using her to get extra time. “She wanted to come and see you. Who am I to deny my little sister?”
“That right, Lola?” Carson asked.
Lola didn’t reply, so I could only guess she’d nodded.
“Well, in that ca—” The ringing of a cell broke Carson off, and he cursed. “Shit, I gotta take this.” The ringing carried on, but I couldn’t hear what he said. Movement sounded, and I gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“Four days,” Carson said, his voice brooking no room for argument. “No more. You know what happens if you don’t deliver.”
“Got it.”
“I expect to be rewarded for my extension,” Carson warned, and even I could hear the veiled threat there. The fact that Hut had taken Lola meant he knew exactly what was going to happen and what Carson would want. He’d sold her out without a second thought.
Footsteps sounded out, and then Hut’s voice filled over the line. “Let’s get the fuck outta here.”
I stared at the door, waiting for them to exit, and after only a couple of minutes, they did, complete with Hut’s hand encased around Lola’s arm. I couldn’t see her face from this distance, but the curve of her shoulders and the way she looked at the ground told me she hadn’t had a choice in coming here, not that I would have thought she had gone willingly anyway.
“Meeting, tomorrow,” I barked down the line at Jordan. I didn’t wait for his answer. Instead, I flicked the end call button and waited for Hut to exit the lot. A few minutes later, I followed, my brain trying to formulate an excuse to get to their house and see if she was okay, but for the life of me, I couldn’t come up with one reason. Hut hadn’t called us because he couldn’t trust us, and me showing up wouldn’t change that. If anything, it’d make me seem more suspicious.
I fl
icked my turn signal on, going left toward my apartment building instead of right toward their house. It was gonna be a long night. I just hoped tomorrow would bring clarification to the situation I’d found myself in.
Chapter Fourteen
LOLA
My body refused to move out of my bed. It wanted to stay here forever, cocooned in my comforter and in a safe space.
But I was fooling myself.
This house had never been safe—not for me, anyway.
Hut hadn’t pulled me in like that before, and I was worried it would be the start of something I couldn’t control. A couple of months ago, it would have scared the life out of me, but the thought of Brody being at my side made it easier to cope with. I didn’t feel so alone in the world anymore.
My body craved to feel him, and my eyes begged to see him, but I didn’t want to come on too strong. I had to wait it out and see what would happen. Like I said, I was fooling myself. If I were honest, I knew there was no way back from Brody, and the leap into the unknown I’d taken couldn’t be reversed. Maybe I should try? We’d said we’d see where this would go, and damn if my heart didn’t sing at the thought.
I groaned and rolled out of my bed, pulling on an oversized hoodie as I pushed through my door and downstairs. Murmurs filled the house, and my stomach dipped at the deep gravelly tone that could only be Brody’s.
“Morning,” I grumbled, sleep still consuming half of me. I made a beeline for the coffee machine and practically burned my esophagus with how fast I drank it.
“Lola,” Brody acknowledged at the same time as Ford said, “Morning.”
I turned around and leaned against the counter, staring at both men who were huddled around the table. “Hut isn’t here,” I told them. “He took off last night after meeting with Carson.”
It wasn’t until the words were out of my mouth that I realized they might not have known where Hut went last night, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. He’d pulled me in without a second thought and filled my head with knowledge I’d neither needed or wanted.
“We know,” Ford said, standing up and stretching his arms over his head. “He told us to meet him here.” I clipped my head in a nod, not knowing what else to say. “I’m gonna take a piss.”
“Thanks for announcing it.” I shook my head and took another sip of coffee.
He winked. “Welcome.”
I snorted. Ford was the least worst of all of them—that made sense in my head—if I didn’t count Brody, of course.
As soon as Ford’s footsteps sounded on the stairs, Brody stood, and sauntered over to me. “I missed waking up next to you this morning,” he said, his deep voice washing over me like the crystal clear ocean on a sandy beach. His hands grasped my hips, and he pressed himself against me. “Missed feelin' you.”
“Yeah?” I asked, placing my cup down on the counter and giving him my full attention.
“Hell yeah.” His eyes burned right through me. “I’ve been thinking about your lips all mornin’.” I licked them on impulse, and he flicked his gaze down to mine, pushing his face closer. “We only have a couple minutes.”
I knew what he was saying, and didn’t waste time as I pressed my lips against his. His groan mixed in with my moan and my stomach dipped. I’d never get used to this feeling, ever.
His tongue flicked against my lips, and I opened up for him, pressing closer and wishing we didn’t only have a stolen moment. I wished we were back in his place, only the two of us, with the whole day to do whatever we wanted.
“Fuck.” Brody’s hand cupped my face, and he stepped back. “I’ll never get enough of you.”
My chest moved rapidly as I tried to pull in as many breaths as I could with him close by. “Is it always like that?”
“No, darlin'.” He shook his head and flashed me a smile I’d only ever seen him use when he was talking to me. “It’s never been like that for me.” His eyes darkened at his words, but there was something there that I couldn’t place. He backed away fully, but as soon as the footsteps sounded on the stairs, he shook his head and winked. I wanted to ask him what had happened, what he was thinking, but with Ford coming back into the kitchen, I didn’t get the chance.
“Hut said he’ll be here in a few,” Ford told us, sitting back at the table and tapping away at his cell.
I picked my cup back up, drinking the warm coffee. The air was stifling in here, and Brody hadn’t taken his eyes off me. I could feel them burning a path over my skin, but I dared not look for fear that Ford would see what we had to keep secret.
Lying didn’t come easy to me. I always became flustered and stumbled over my words, and so far, we hadn’t been faced with anyone. This was the test to see if we could keep it secret, and I was finding out quickly that it was the hardest secret I’d ever had to keep.
The front door slamming had me jumping out of my skin, and a little yelp escaped. Crap, I needed to keep my cool. I hadn’t seen Hut since he dropped me home last night after seeing Carson, and to be honest, I didn’t want to see him now.
He’d used me. That much was clear, and if Carson’s words were true, he had every intention of using me again. I couldn’t be around for that, I couldn’t stand here and let Hut sell me down the river.
My back straightened, a renewed energy flowing through me, and when I flicked my gaze to Brody, he raised his brows. He’d noticed, but then he always saw the small things, the movements and the way people spoke. I’d stared at him as he observed everyone around him, trying to figure them all out. I had no doubt he did the same thing with me.
“Good, you’re both here,” Hut’s voice rang out, and I inhaled a breath. I was going to act as normal as I could. I mentally wrote a list of everything I needed to do. Count my savings. Look for an apartment/room to rent. Pack my things.
It was a small list, but reciting it over and over again in my head helped calm me. If all went to plan, I wouldn’t have to look at Hut’s face in a couple of weeks. I could go to my own place and not worry about the people who were there and what they’d do if I didn’t lock my bedroom door. I could rest easy, and Brody could kiss me anytime he wanted.
Damn. His kisses were something else. Something I’d never thought possible, but each touch ignited a fire within, and nothing could extinguish the flames.
“Lola?” I shook my head and blinked several times, looking over at Hut. His lips were in a grim line, his eyes narrowed in my direction. “I’ve said your name like five times. What the hell?”
I swallowed, pushing off the counter. “Sorry.” I placed my cup in the sink and tried my hardest to flash him a smile. “I’m still half-asleep.”
He rolled his eyes, a move that was fit for a teenager and not someone in his early twenties. “I was trying to say thanks for last night.”
“Oh.” I stepped past him, fully intending on going back to my room and getting started on my list of things to do to get the hell away from him. “That’s okay.”
He tilted his head, staring down at me and frowning. I could sense his mind working overtime, trying to figure me out, but he hadn’t been able to do that in a long time. The last time I let him see anything but the version he was looking at now was when I was a teenager. There were only so many times someone could fuck you over until you barricaded yourself in and away from them.
“I better go get ready.” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder and spun around, darting one last look at Brody. He sent me that smile once again, and everything felt right in the world. I finally had someone on my side.
BRODY
“So you flipped him then?”
Those were the first words out of my mouth when I sat down in the run-down house. The building was as cold as ever, the chill making me wish I’d worn a jacket. If Jord wasn’t hogging the lone heater in here, maybe I wouldn’t have been so goddamn cold.
“Yep,” Kyle answered, placing his arms on the table in front of him and grasping his hands. “As soon as we mentioned his cousin, he was all for it.�
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I clipped my head in a nod. Everyone had a weakness, and all it took was to find it out, then you had a direct line to them. “He been giving you information?”
Ryan stood and handed me a cell. “He’s been messaging whereabouts and meeting points. He also told us when the next delivery was taking place.”
I swiped through all of the messages, having known everything that was on here anyway. It wasn’t anything new, but having him as our informant meant that we had an extra coin in the pot. He’d come in useful at some stage.
“Anything else you found out?” I asked, handing him back the cell and staring at each of them in turn.
“He’s been making calls to a new number the last week or so. A lot of them too,” Jord said, a raised brow in place of his usual frown. “Know what’s happening?”
I leaned back in my chair and blew out a breath. I hadn’t had a chance to fill them in on everything that had happened in the last few weeks, so I started at the beginning, leaving out anything to do with Lola. They didn’t need to know what was happening between us. Hell, I didn’t want them to know. The lecture they’d give me was already tiring me out just thinking about it.
“So someone is skimming?” Kyle whistled. “Brave man.”
“Yep.” I scrubbed my hand over my face. “Something flipped with him. And him taking Lola to see Carson was the final nail in the coffin. He’s losing his goddamn mind.” I was on edge, desperate for this to be over. The churning in my gut told me something was going to go down, but I hated sitting around and waiting for it to happen.
“Have you tried to turn her?”
I shook my head and clenched my fist. “No. She wants out.”
“I told you this last night”—Jord leaned forward and tapped the table—“that means she’s our in.”
“No,” I growled, not able to stop it. I was showing my cards to the three people I trusted more than anyone else on this earth. “She needs to stay out of it—”
Fallen Duet: Brody & Lola: Free Fall & Down Fall (Easton Family Duet Boxsets Book 1) Page 16