Relentless Habit: O-Town Series

by Karen Renee

  My brother sighed. “So, you think this guy is forcing another whore to tell Cecilia this shit? You really think those thugs are Byron’s and not Marco’s?”

  I gave it some thought, but my gut told me I was right. “Man, if I were taking over some other guy’s turf and I made moves to keep the girls in the stable, you bet your ass I’d make moves to pull Cecilia back in. And I do not say that because she’s my woman. I say that because she’s got this shit wrong. Yeah, she signed a deposition against Marco, but he got out on a mistrial. Why waste money on sending men after her? That makes no sense to me. But, if I’m this new guy, I send my thugs to get her ass, and instruct them to tell her it’s Marco who’s after her, that’s a different story.”

  “That sounds a little thin, man.”

  “She only just found out Marco was out at all. My guess is he knew that. Plus, if her focus is on not going back to Marco, she might not see Byron’s attack coming.”

  “Which will be what?” he asked. “That’s why it makes no sense. He’s solidifying his control on new turf and building his reputation. The only thing I will give you is the phone call from the other woman. That doesn’t make much sense to me.”

  “Right. Well, I’ve told her to stay vigilant and careful, so I’m not sure what more I can do beyond that. Only reason I called you is because I knew you had some things you put into motion and I figured this news had an impact there. My next call is to Clint.”

  Vamp sighed. “Don’t bother with Clint. I’ll call him. You’re right. Marco’s death is important. You just keep your woman safe and focused. Talk to you later.”

  “Later,” I muttered.

  I ORDERED TWO CALZONES and a large salad for our dinner. Not expecting her home until closer to nine-thirty, I ate my calzone while it was still hot and figured I’d eat salad with Cecilia to keep her company once she got home.

  While I chewed the last bite of food, the door opened and Cecilia walked inside. After she closed the door, she leaned against the door as though her legs were going to give out.

  “Jesus, Sunflower. Are you alright?”

  She opened her eyes while giving me a feeble smile. “Yeah. It’s just been one helluva long day, man.”

  I walked to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. Lowering my lips to hers I gave her a long and gentle kiss. “Well, come sit down. I got you a salad and veggie calzone. It might still be warm, honey.”

  “That sounds great... as long as the salad isn’t warm,” she said on a grin.

  I shook my head. “Nah, I put the salad in the fridge. I’ll plate that for us both, since I didn’t have salad so I could eat something with you.”

  She sat down at the table shaking her head at me. “How did I find someone so sweet?”

  I winked. “Thinkin’ I could say the same to you.”

  Once I had her all set up, I forked into my salad. “Good meeting?”

  She nodded. “I suppose. My emotions are all over the place before and during one of those meetings, but that craving feeling isn’t as strong. So that makes it worth it.”

  I chewed and nodded even though I really had no idea since I had never fought an addiction before. Glancing at her plate, I saw she was spending more time pushing her food around her plate than actually eating it.

  “What’s up, Cecilia?”

  “I’m probably getting ahead of myself here, but you’ve said you want to live together.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered, resting my fork on my plate.

  “So, you plan to get a job in Orlando? I mean, I guess that’s what I’m concerned about, and I need to stop looking so far down the road–”

  Since I was sitting next to her, I grabbed her hand. “Honey, you’re babbling.”

  She nodded once. “Right. What if you get a job in some other city? What then?”

  I squeezed her hand. “Well, not to downplay your job or anything, but I would hope you would move with me. It’s too soon to know that for sure, but at the same time, I know I want to see where this can go. If staying in Orlando is critical, I’ll narrow my job search to this area. Quite honestly, I haven’t even thought that far ahead, and that’s something I should be kicking my own ass about.”

  Her eyes widened. “What? You can’t be so hard on yourself, honey. I can only imagine how challenging it is to make it through each day and learning from your internship. But, you’re right. My job is cool, but it’s not a career path at this point, and honestly, I realized today that being a performer is probably a pipedream.”

  My jaw clenched and I knew my eyes were stern on her. “No dream is a pipedream if you believe in it, Sunflower. I don’t–”

  “Brock,” she interrupted. “I am not the next big thing, and even if I landed a role as Elsa inside the park, it’s not gonna get me anywhere, really. I don’t know what I want to do with myself. Which is another reason why I don’t know what you see in me.”

  I pushed my plate aside, and put my forearm on the table so I could lean toward her. “Listen up, honey,” I emphasized the endearment to get her attention and hopefully remind her of when we met. “What I see in you is the most beautiful, down-to-earth woman I’ve ever met. You’re stronger than you realize and probably stronger than you’ll ever give yourself credit for, and it shits me because you should be damn proud of what you’ve done. You’ve clawed your way out of addiction and away from a life that eats up most of the women who enter it. I don’t care if you’re working for Disney ringing up tchotchkes or if you wanna be a grocery store clerk. Hell, you can go to school or learn a trade. I don’t fuckin’ care. I love you and I’m willing to support you in whatever you decide on. And another newsflash, you don’t have to decide that shit right now.”

  She leaned back in her seat. “Well, all right, Brock. I didn’t mean to rile you up or anything.”

  “Hush. I got more to say to you, dammit. And you don’t wanna rile me up, don’t go sayin’ shit like you ‘don’t know what I see’ in you because there’s plenty to be seen, Sunflower. You ever hear of the ‘Sunscreen Song’?”

  She shook her head.

  I grinned. “Well, it’s lengthy but one of the lines that resonates with me the most is about not worrying if you don’t know in your twenties what you want to do with your life and that some of the most interesting forty-year-olds still don’t know either. I’m paraphrasing, seeing as it sounds way better in the damn song.”

  “Oh-kay,” she said slowly.

  I sighed and inched closer to her. “My point, honey, is that your job doesn’t define you. You define you by being who you are. You’re flawed because you’ve got an addictive personality, so what? Make me your new addiction. Or not. But seriously, figure out what you want to do with yourself. It will all work out in the end. That much, I’m sure of.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “How you can be sure, I’ll never know. I mean, what happens after you graduate? Are you enrolling in a police academy?”

  I wobbled my head. “That’s one route. Clint’s hinted at me working alongside him at the PI firm he’s at, but I haven’t decided if I’m down with that idea.”

  “Why not?”

  I shrugged a shoulder. “I know Hollywood makes PIs look like hotshots and uncovering lots of corruption or whatever, but that’s not always the case. Most of the time it’s domestic shit, and I’m not sure that’s my gig. If I had my way, I’d be working for the Fish and Wildlife office.”

  She tilted her head. “Really?”

  I chuckled. “Don’t you remember asking me if I studied by the pool or some shit to keep up my tan?”

  I swallowed down laughter when a shy look passed over her face. “Yeah,” she admitted.

  “Well, I always feel more at ease when I’m on the water no matter how that happens. Paddleboard, canoe, surfboard. I don’t care. Spent four years in the Navy and if things hadn’t gone south with that, I’d probably be a low-level Naval officer right now, but it did and I’m glad as fuck because I’d never have met you if I were on
a ship right now.”

  She nodded. “So you don’t know what the future holds for you any more than I do?”

  I shook my head. “Nope. And that’s all right. Do not stress about it.” I leaned closer to her. “Actually, go ahead and stress about it. I’ll work away that stress and tension for you, baby.”

  She shook her head and pulled her hand away so she could pick up her calzone. “Stop it, B-Rock and eat your salad.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Guilt Money

  Cecilia

  Like clockwork, my eyes opened at a quarter after six. When I raised my head and caught sight of the alarm clock, I found I was right about the time. Brock and I hadn’t settled in for sleep until after midnight, so I had hoped I could sleep a little later, but no such luck. As I leaned back in the bed, there was no comforting weight behind me and snaking an arm under the covers, I found Brock’s side of the bed chilly.

  I padded toward the bathroom, but Brock wasn’t there. When I opened the bedroom door, I heard him on the phone. He was keeping his voice down, but his posture spoke volumes. Pacing in four-step intervals, he had his neck bent with his left hand kneading the muscles there. Whatever he was talking about concerned him greatly.

  He stopped abruptly. “And you believe that? From an asshole like him?”

  A strange sensation skittered across my neck, and I sensed this conversation pertained to me. Before I could dwell on that, Brock’s hand dropped from his neck and settled on his hip.

  “Tough shit, Cary. I’m not one of your brothers in that way, and I don’t trust jack from a criminal to start with, and damn sure not from a man who earns the first cent from a woman bein’ on her knees or on her back. So, no. I’m not callin’ off whatever plan Clint’s got in the works, because as far as I’m concerned whatever he tells me is more trustworthy than this Byron asshole’s so-called word.”

  My spine shot straight and I inhaled so sharply Brock whirled to see me standing in the living room. He hissed, “Fuck,” and turned away from me.

  “No, wasn’t talkin’ to you. Cecilia’s up and I didn’t realize she overheard me.”

  Pause.

  “Yeah. No shit. And, I appreciate what you did, Vamp. Yeah. See you soon. Later.”

  I didn’t like that he was having conversations like that behind my back, and I couldn’t stop myself from being snippy. “Awful early for your brother to be up and att’m. Wouldn’t you say?”

  His head cocked, he arched a brow at me, and muttered, “Don’t be that way, baby.”

  “You’re right. That wasn’t nice of me, but I can’t help it. For whatever reason I don’t like those guys, and I hate being indebted to them, again. Plus, that didn’t sound like a pleasant convo, so, what is the story, Brock?”

  “Let’s go lay down.”

  He was nearly toe to toe with me, and I put my palm to his defined chest. “Oh, no. We are not laying down for this.”

  One of his arms snaked behind me while his other hand pulled my hand up to his shoulder so our bodies were closer. “Fine. We’ll do it standing up. Vamp, Razor, and Cal had a late night conversation with Byron. He says he’s not interested in you and the two guys who came after you aren’t tied to him. I don’t buy it. My brother does, because he claims Byron would not want to piss off the Riot MC.”

  “Why don’t you trust him?”

  His chin dipped and his eyes widened. “I never trust criminals.”

  “Your older brother being the exception to that rule?”

  He grinned. “He’s never been incarcerated, Sunflower. Think the only thing he’s been picked up on is disorderly conduct, which is to say a bar fight.”

  I nodded. “So, what about your buddy Clint?”

  His eyes darted to the side and back to me. “I’m going to call him in about an hour. Find out where things stand with whatever he had planned. So, that gives us enough time to shower together before either of us has to start our day.”

  WHILE I PUT ON MY UNIFORM, Brock called Clint. I didn’t want to overtly eavesdrop, so I went in the bathroom and did my face. As I filled in my pink-lined lips, he sauntered into the bathroom. His eyes flared when he saw me leaned over the vanity, but I shook my head.

  “All right. Thanks for the update. Yeah. Definitely have to get together this weekend.”

  A pause before he chuckled. “Whatever. Later, man.”

  He set the phone on the far side of the vanity. “God, you’re fuckin’ hot leaning over with the lipstick like that.”

  Capping my lipstick, I started to right myself, but he moved in quick with a hand to the small of my back and his other hand sliding into the front of my pants.

  “Brock, you’ve got to get going,” I said in a husky voice.

  He nipped my earlobe. “Not until I’ve got you coming.”

  “You are not distracting me from your conversation with Clint, and besides, I’m not getting off without you getting off too. Though, I thought our shower was rather exhaustive.”

  “I’m a quick recovery.”

  My breath hitched when he stroked me just right. “Brock... I’m serious. I want to know what’s going on.”

  His finger did a delicious swirl, and he withdrew his hand. “Fine. As you can imagine, three dead bodies means a lot of heat for Byron. Honestly, I’m stunned my brother was able to find Byron and talk to him in the wee hours of the morning, but I guess Clint wasn’t too far from this meet. He followed Byron and gave a Clay County detective the heads up on where to find him. He’s in custody, and won’t get out any time soon.”

  I turned to face him, but he stayed close to my body and wrapped his arms around me.

  “So, it’s all done?”

  His lips twisted for a moment. “The two men from the restaurant are still in town. I don’t know if they’ve posted bail. Clint’s calling in a favor from someone to confirm if they were with Byron or not. They post bail, who knows. They might decide they have a beef with you and me after all.”

  My hands were resting on his hips and I tried to back away from him, but he held firm. “That seems far-fetched, Brock.”

  “I’d rather be cautious about something far-fetched than visiting you in a hospital again. Okay?”

  I sighed. “Okay.”

  He brushed his lips against mine. “You sure you don’t want a quickie? I hate that I teased you just now.”

  My eyes bulged. “You are relentless.”

  He shook his head. “No, baby. You’re just that damn irresistible.”

  Against his lips, I whispered, “Stop it.”

  He grinned. “Never.”

  Brock

  “Sullivan! You got a visitor,” Officer Gomez called from the front of the University Police station.

  I moved toward the front to greet Pop. I knew he would be dropping by since we exchanged texts earlier. On my way, I stopped at my commanding officer’s desk. “Cool if I take my lunch, now, Officer Warfield?”

  She nodded at me, and I strode to the reception area.

  Pop shook my hand and I led him outside to his car. “Sorry to say this, Pop, but I don’t have more than half an hour.”

  He smacked my shoulder. “That’s fine, my boy. Get in the car, and I’ll drive us over to Wendy’s.”

  While he drove, I asked, “What’s this all about? It’s rare that you and I do lunch during the week.”

  He nodded. “You’re right. I’m gonna have to have similar conversations with Gabe and Cary, but thought I’d start with you.”

  “Okay. You’re not sick or something, are you?”

  We were at a stop light and he gave me a withering look. “No, my boy. I know you’re thirty, but I’m not that old.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, but I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t tell us when we’re all together.”

  “We’ll get into it over burgers.”

  Seated with our food, I waited until we were both halfway done before I gave Pop an imploring look. “Let’s have it. What kind of bad news do you have
for me that you couldn’t tell me behind the wheel of a car?”

  He shook his head. “It’s nothing bad. I assure you.”

  I swallowed the last bite of my Baconator. “So you say, but you haven’t said much of anything.”

  “I haven’t told you this, and was going to let your mother tell you boys, but the past seventeen years, she’s been helping you and you didn’t know it.”

  I cocked my head. “Say what?”

  “You and Gabe never asked where I got the money to help you with the security deposit and initial rent when you moved to your fancy complex.”

  I opened my mouth and then closed it as my burger began to burn in my gut. “I assumed you had savings. It wasn’t like you didn’t earn good money being a consultant all those years, Pop.”

  “Right, well, all of that money came from your mother.”

  “Guilt money,” I said.

  Disappointment filled Pop’s eyes for a moment, but he cleared it and he appeared to agree with me. “I wouldn’t say that, but she does feel badly.”

  “She should,” I declared.

  “Now, Brock.”

  “No, Pop. She should feel badly and guilty and all of those shitty feelings. Her absence did a number on Gabe.”

  “And you, too,” he said.

  Ignoring that, I continued. “I mean look at his track record —or lack thereof— with women. He won’t stick with one for more than one night. It’s crazy, but I get it. Why settle for one woman who could ditch you at any moment and take your heart with her?”

  He sighed. “Those are issues he has to deal with himself. I’m gonna do everything I can to help him with that, but he’s young and it’ll take time for him to see the upside to a serious, monogamous relationship.”

  “Don’t hold your breath,” I muttered.

  “Not lost on me you tried to sweep what I said aside. She did a number on you, too. And your older brother as well, but luckily for him, he’s seen the error of his ways and he’s fortunate that Rainey forgave him. But, I’ve noticed you gravitate to women who need you. The more desperately, the better.”