by Anna Blakely
The walls, the kitchen cabinets, the couches. Even the wood furniture had a whitewash stain on them.
“Look at this shit, Hill,” Derek said to Grant from the kitchen.
Curious, he’d opened the pantry’s double doors. Every single can was stacked perfectly, their labels facing outward so they could be easily seen. And they’d been alphabetized.
“What the fuck?”
“Dude likes to be organized.”
Derek looked at his teammate like he’d lost his damn mind. “There’s organized, and then there’s BSC organized.”
“What the hell is BSC?” Grant’s brown brows turned inward.
“Bat shit crazy, my friend. And I’d say from the looks of this place, Porter fits the bill.”
Both men left the kitchen and headed toward the back of the apartment. There were two large, double-doors where Charlie had said their bedroom was located.
Derek pushed back the urge to vomit from the thought of her sharing a bed with someone like Caleb. Of course, he didn’t want to think of her sleeping with any other man but him, and all they’d done so far is kiss.
Hopefully, that will change, soon.
For now, Derek had to push those desires aside and do what he could to help Charlie get out of this nightmare of a fucking marriage.
“Want me to do the honors?” Grant asked as they reached the doors.
“Yeah.” Derek lifted his chin toward the knob. “Let’s find the book and get the fuck out of this place. Just being here gives me the creeps.” He looked behind him at the open, sterile living space. “I don’t know how the hell Charlie could stand living here all these years.”
“Sounds to me like she didn’t have much of a choice.”
Grant sounded almost as pissed about that fact as Derek felt. Not that he was surprised.
Grant may come off as a big, tough, alpha male...which he was. But he also had a heart of gold.
He may hide it well, but Derek knew the other man would fight to the death to protect any woman put in harm’s way. Charlie included.
The two men quickly made their way over to the bed. Carefully, they lifted the frame, moving it just enough to be able to reach the floor beneath.
There, right where Charlie had said it would be, was a slightly crooked wooden plank.
Derek’s heart rate spiked. Using the key she’d given him to gain access to the apartment, he quickly pried the board up and set it to the side. Immediately, he caught sight of what appeared to be a large, black notebook.
Damn, his heart hurt. She never should have felt the need to keep records of her own beatings and then hide them from the fucker in case he ever killed her.
He couldn’t even think of that happening to her.
Nausea turned Derek’s gut as he opened the book and began reading some of what Charlie had written.
“I’m gonna go check out his office,” Grant told him. “See if there’s anything else we can find to hang the bastard.”
Derek nodded absentmindedly as he flipped through the pages. A rush of burning bile hit the base of his throat, but he swallowed it down as he saw a few of the pictures she’d told him about.
It was all there. Page after page of the terror she’d been forced to endure. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes and one escaped as he read the awful things that had been done to her.
The verbal and physical blows. Injuries that had been treated by a private doctor that wouldn’t dare report Porter to the authorities.
Derek had only made it through the first few pages and his entire body was already shaking.
“Ah, fuck.”
Grant’s deep voice startled him from behind. Derek had been so consumed by what he was seeing, he hadn’t even noticed his teammate walking back into the room.
Wiping his eyes, he slammed the book shut and repositioned the board. It was bad enough Charlie had to experience the things in that book. She didn’t need the details of her abuse shared with the rest of the world.
Standing, Derek looked at his teammate. “Help me move the bed back.”
“Sure. Then, there’s something else you’re gonna want to see.”
He couldn’t imagine what else Grant had found on the bastard. What he was holding in his hand was bad enough.
After making sure the bed was put back the way it was, Derek followed Grant into Porter’s office.
“Take a look at this shit.” Grant pointed to an open folder in the center of Caleb’s expensive desk. “Found it in a locked drawer.”
Derek gave his friend a look of approval. The guy could break into anything. Didn’t matter if it was with a lock pick kit, a bobby pin, or a brick of C4.
Glancing down at the folder’s contents, Derek tried to make sense of what he was seeing. There were several pictures, all grainy eight by tens that appeared to have been taken with a small camera and then enlarged. Probably a cell phone.
“Looks like our boy, Porter, has some pretty powerful women under his thumb,” Grant commented.
As Derek flipped through them one by one, he knew his friend was right. Each picture was of a woman. Most of whom, Derek recognized immediately.
He’d seen their faces on the news and social media. Amongst the women were several highly-respected judges and a couple of famous attorneys.
“Holy, shit,” Derek exclaimed as he came to the next picture. The woman spread out on the bed was a governor’s wife.
“I don’t think they knew they were being photographed.”
The angle and position of the women made Derek agree with his teammate’s assessment.
“Flip it over,” Grant directed him.
He did as instructed. What he found there was even more troubling.
Attached to the back was a copy of a letter addressed to the woman in the picture. After a quick check, he realized there was a similar letter for each one.
“Holy fuck. Porter was blackmailing them.”
“Seems so.”
Derek’s mind whirled, his hatred toward the man growing exponentially with each new bit of information. “That slimy sonofabitch. Not only did he make Charlie’s life a living hell, he’s been cheating on her for the last several years.”
“And building himself a sweet little security blanket in the process.”
“No kidding,” he agreed. “Most of these women are married. And the ones who aren’t still wouldn’t want this shit going public.”
He skimmed through the letters. “From the way these sound, he’s pretty much ensured their cooperation with whatever he needs from them.”
Derek set the pictures down and pulled a legal pad from the back of the file. “Check it out.” He held the paper up for Grant to see.
“What are those?” The big guy looked more closely. “Dates?”
“Dates, times. The rest of it’s in code. My guess is, once I break it, they’ll either be meeting places or names of those involved. Or both.”
“Want to take it with us?”
“No.” Derek set it down and pulled out his phone. “I don’t want the bastard to know we were here. Not yet, anyway. I’ll take pictures of it all, and then we’ll put everything back exactly as you found it. Once we’re home, I’ll figure out what all those numbers and letters mean.”
He began photographing the damning evidence.
“Then, what?” Grant asked while he waited.
“Then.” Derek looked up at him with a feral smile. “I’m going to make Porter an offer he can’t refuse.”
Less than seven hours later, the plane was in Jake’s private hangar and Derek had made his way back down the coast to his parents’ vacation home.
Once there, he filled Mac in on what he and Grant had found and thanked her for watching over Charlie. After a brief conversation, they said their goodbyes, and Mac headed out.
Slowly, so he wouldn’t wake her, Derek opened the door to her bedroom. He just stood there a moment, leaning on the doorframe as he watched her sleep.
The moonli
ght shone through the window just enough he could see her face...and her hair.
Well, what do ya know?
She’d gone back to being a brunette. His heart did somersaults inside his chest. It was the same color she’d always had growing up.
Little by little, she was coming back to her old self. Just a few days away from the fucker and he was already recognizing the signs.
Her smiles grew wider with each moment that passed. The light that had been hidden in the shadows was starting to come back into her eyes.
Her laughter—a sound he could listen to forever—was becoming more and more prevalent.
The changes were subtle, but with each new day, she was getting closer and closer to the Charlie he knew and loved.
She stirred beneath the thin covers. Her eyes opened, their drowsy gaze finding him through the darkness.
“Hey.” Her voice was scratchy from sleep. “You’re back.”
“You’re brunette.”
Looking adorable as she propped herself up on one elbow. “Yeah.” She smiled shyly. “Do you like it?”
Derek pushed himself away from the door and took a step closer to the bed. “You look beautiful.” Quickly, he added, “But, more importantly, do you like it?”
She nodded. “I love it.”
He smiled. “That’s all that matters.”
Charlie straightened herself up and leaned back against the headboard. “Did you find it?”
Not misunderstanding, he said, “I did.”
She glanced down at her sheet-covered lap. “Good.”
He wanted to go to her. To hold her and give her comfort, knowing all she’d been given in the past was pain. But his emotions were running at full-speed, and he didn’t know if he could control the urge to make her see what true love really felt like.
Soon. I’ll be able to show her soon.
“Did you”—she cleared her throat—“did you...look at it?”
“Parts,” he answered honestly.
She nodded. “I assumed you would. I just...” She bit her bottom lip. “I can only imagine what you must think of me.”
“We’ve been over this, Charlie.” Derek’s voice was stern. “You stayed because you didn’t think you had a choice. The only thing that journal did was prove once again how incredibly strong you are. I mean, Jesus.” He ran a hand through his hair and paced the tiny space. “Seeing what he’s done to you all these years? What you’ve endured? I can’t imagine the strength it took for you to stay.”
Derek stopped moving and faced her again. Rage toward Porter left him shaken, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
“The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was walk away from that place.”
“Why?” she asked softly, her face scrunching with confusion.
“Why?” he asked incredulously. “I wanted to wait for that sonofabitch to come home so I could give him a taste of the pain and hell he’s put you through. But I knew it wouldn’t be enough to stop him.”
“Do you think my journal will be enough?” She crawled onto her knees.
Damn. She was wearing the same, silky cami from before. It was hard as fuck not to lower his gaze below her neckline, but that wasn’t the only thing becoming hard.
Focus, asshole.
Ignoring his body’s reaction, Derek walked over and sat down next to her. “Yes. I think it’s enough. But, darlin’, there’s something else I need to tell you.”
She looked back at him nervously. “What?”
Damn, he hated telling her this. “Grant found something else in the apartment. It was hidden in one of Caleb’s desk drawers.”
He could actually see Charlie steeling herself for the news. She straightened her spine and lifted her chin. “Okay. Whatever it is, just tell me.”
Christ, this woman had no idea how strong she really was.
Not wanting to put off the inevitable, he asked, “Did you ever know of any affairs Caleb was having?”
Shame and guilt bled into her eyes. “I suspected, but I never had any proof. Anytime I’d try to ask him about it, he always managed to turn the conversation around on me. After a while, I learned it was better if I just kept my mouth shut and didn’t bring it up. Plus”—she looked down at her hands, her fingers twisting in her lap—“if he was busy with someone else that meant he left me alone.”
“Ah, Charlie.” Derek covered her hands with his.
“Why?” she asked, ignoring the sympathy he was trying to give. “What did Grant find?”
He told her about the file Porter had been keeping. When he was finished sharing what he knew, Charlie’s face had lost all semblance of color.
“Oh, God.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
She threw off the covers, ran across the hall to the bathroom, and slammed the door. Derek’s heart ached when he heard heaving sounds coming from the other side.
The toilet flushed and the faucet came on. He could hear her brushing her teeth, and before long, she was opening the door again.
Her cheeks were red and her eyes watery as she looked up at him with a heartbreaking expression.
“How did I not see this? How did I marry this man and not know what a horrible human being he was?”
“Men like Caleb are master manipulators. They show only what they want others to see.”
She wrapped her arms around herself, pushing her breasts together. “I feel like such a fool.”
His hands itched to reach out for her. “You can’t continue to beat yourself up over this, Charlie. You have to learn to forgive yourself and move on.”
A set of chestnut eyes pleaded with his. “Can you?”
“Can I what?”
“Forgive me?”
He did reach for her then. Pulling her against his chest, Derek tucked the top of her head beneath his chin.
“Baby, there’s nothing to forgive. You didn’t ask for any of this to happen.”
A sense of peace spread throughout his chest when she wrapped her tiny arms around his waist. “Then, why did it?”
“I have no idea. I’ve seen it a hundred times. Between the military and R.IS.C. I’ve learned that sometimes horrible things happen to good people without any explanation. No rhyme or reason to it. It just...is.”
“And those people you’ve seen?” She pulled away enough to look back up at him. “Are they able to forget about what happened to them and move on? Are they ever happy again?”
Derek nodded. “You met Olivia. She’s a perfect example. That woman went through hell and came out the other side stronger than ever before. You saw her and Jake together...did they seem happy to you?”
Charlie nodded. “Yeah. They did.”
“Right. So, the answer to your question is, yes. Most of the time, people who survive horrific events or tragedies can go on to lead perfectly normal, happy lives. What makes that possible is having a good support system to lean on. People in their lives who care about them. People who love them. But you can’t be afraid to ask for help, either. You have to let me know when you’re hurting.”
Derek caressed her cheek with the back of his knuckles. “I’m here for you, Charlie. However you need me.”
Reaching up, Charlie wrapped her delicate fingers around his wrist. Unable to help himself, Derek leaned in closer, his lips pressing against hers.
Unlike their first shared kiss, Charlie took more control with this one. Her tongue invaded and conquered with confidence. And Christ, the woman could kiss.
Derek moved his hand around to the back of her neck and pressed her up against the hallway wall. She tasted of mint and passion, her hands gripping his shoulders as though she never wanted to let him go.
Right back at ya, darlin’.
Grunting, he brought his body even closer to hers, his erection pulsing between his thighs.
He was large and rock solid. There was no way she couldn’t feel what she was doing to him.
His lips broke away from hers and began a t
rail down the side of her jaw. “Jesus, woman...what you do to me.” His other hand started to move downward, toward the waistband of her thin shorts.
“Derek,” she panted his name. Her hips instinctively pressed against his. “God, I want you so badly, but—”
The sound of tires screeching filled his head as he froze.
“But?” He heaved out a breath, their bodies still pressed together as only lovers could be.
She turned her head toward him, her eyes tortured. “I can’t.” she shook her head. “Not yet.” Charlie closed her eyes. “Please don’t hate me.”
Derek cupped her face and forced her to look at him. Praying she could see the conviction behind his words, he looked her square in the eye and vowed, “I could never hate you, darlin’. Not ever.”
“It’s just that, our whole marriage, Caleb accused me of cheating on him. I know it doesn’t make any sense given everything that’s been happening, but if I sleep with you now, I feel like I’m proving him right. And I know he already thinks we have.” Her lips turned up slightly. “I heard what you said to him on the porch when he came by that morning.”
It took Derek a moment to realize what she meant. “Right. Couldn’t help myself. Sorry.”
She smiled a little wider. “It’s fine. Honestly, I don’t even know what my hang-up is. I swear I’m not trying to throw out a bunch of mixed signals. I do want you. I’ve always wanted you.” Her cheeks became even more flushed when she added, “I promise, as soon as those papers are signed, I’m all yours.”
Derek rested a palm against her cheek. “This isn’t a race, darlin’. There’s no rush. You need to be sure, and until then...I’ll be here when you’re ready.”
The love he felt for this woman reflected back at him through her eyes. “Thank you.”
He leaned down and gave her another short kiss. “Come on. I’m beat, and it’s too damn early for any living creature to be up.”
Charlie’s shoulders shook with silent laughter as he led them to the room at the end of the hall. His room.
“Derek, I can sleep in the other room. I don’t want to make this”—her eyes dropped to his bulging zipper then back up—“harder on you than it already is.”
“Very funny.” He laughed. “I’m not sayin’ it won’t be a struggle. But if you can ignore it, so can I.” His eyes bore into hers. “For now.”