“Everything.”
Dalton sighs. “Did he say something?”
“He fucked her.”
Grant sighs. “Christ. I’m sorry.”
I shrug with a lie. “No worries. I’m over it.”
Dalton props his elbow on the table. “You don’t have to pretend. It has to hurt like hell.”
I cross my arms. “I just lost my job. That’s a bigger issue at the moment.”
Grant sits back, digging into his pocket. “Okay. Let’s talk.” He taps on his phone, and I hear ringing. Grant smiles and says, hold on. Handing me his phone, I scowl before taking it.
When I look at the screen, I again mutter, “Shit.”
“Hello to you too, McGrath,” Ricky says, wearing his uniform inside his patrol car. “I won’t ask how the fuck you’re doing. I heard.”
“I’m done.” I go to stand, but Dalton yanks my arm, forcing me to sit while Ricky and Grant yell at me to stay.
On the screen, Ricky chews his gum as he studies me. “You fucked up because of a woman. Man, I told you to find a balance.”
“I don’t need another lecture from you.”
“No lecture. A proposition.”
The four of us sit in silence until I slump in my chair, resigned to his next statement. “Don’t say it.”
“Let’s cut to the chase, Dylan. Your FTO highly recommends you. The city of Richmond needs you, and I might just miss my dumbass brother-in-law. So, come home. Today.”
Chapter 29
Natalia
When I open the front door, I find Lynn on the porch. In the three days since I broke up with Dylan, she’s called me twenty-three times. After spending my birthday alone, crying in my room, and avoiding Tristan’s phone calls and texts, I finally relented and agreed to see her.
She licks her lips. “Hello, Natalia.”
“Lynn.” The hollowness throughout my body makes it hard to function, so I slowly drag the door open wider. I gesture to the living room, but she hugs me instead.
“I’m so sorry, honey. I made a horrible mistake in not telling you. I only wanted to—”
“Protect me. I know. But I can take care of myself. I’m tough.”
She looks at me with a smile. “Yes, you are.”
“Do you want anything to drink?”
“No. Can we sit?”
I nod to the living room, a painful place for me. I’ve avoided it since making love to Dylan there. I shuffle into the room, and I feel his hands and lips on me and his warm cum between my legs. Despite the pain, I sit down in the same spot. I still smell him here.
Lynn sits in the armchair on the other side of the coffee table. “How are you doing? I haven’t seen you at the diner in days.”
I shrug. “I quit.”
“Why?”
“Russ offered me full time. I took it, so I don’t need two part-time jobs. He gave me some time off because of the shooting.”
“I wish you would’ve told me.” Lynn examines me as I fidget. “You look tired or sick.”
“I’m…I don’t know.” Tears prick my eyes, and I try to ignore them. “I hurt.”
“What’s wrong? Do you need to go to the doctor? Hospital? I’ll take you.”
I shake my head. “I’ll be okay.”
“Your dad won’t ever get out of prison if that’s what’s bothering you.”
My smile is weak and hard to manage. “It’s not, but thanks.” Glancing at her, I then grope for the question I’ve always been too afraid to ask. “Was my mother one of my father’s…employees?”
“Natalia, your mother was an angel who was tempted by the devil himself—your father. She had nothing to do with his extracurricular activities or crimes. Camille loved him but didn’t want to see the truth. He fooled everyone. When you were a teen, she finally realized who and what he was and tried to shield you from it. I helped her.”
“I understand about when I was younger, but I’m not a child anymore.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll always see you as that little girl, but I’ll try harder and do better.”
With mounting anxiety, I say, “I need water.”
As I stand to walk out of the room, Lynn says, “Dylan McGrath went to Tristan Prescott’s apartment and assaulted him.”
At first, I pause but then spin, panicked to find the right answer. “He did what? Is he okay?”
“Who? Prescott?”
“Yes, of course.” I hope he rots in hell.
“He’s pretty banged up, and he wanted to press charges if the department didn’t fire McGrath.”
My knees shake. “And? How’s Dylan?” Saying his name out loud scrapes my soul raw, and I gasp but cover it as a sigh.
“A minor bruise. McGrath, however, is no longer employed as a police officer for Joy Springs PD.”
“What? No, no, no.” I glance around for my jacket and car keys, as if they’re not in the same place as always and that I can do anything to help him. I pace, unable to comprehend the magnitude of what Lynn just said. When I realize Lynn’s watching me, I stop, feeling light-headed. As I think about how to handle this, I blurt, “That’s not fair.”
“What isn’t? That McGrath assaulted Prescott, or that he lost his job?”
“He shouldn’t have lost his job for it. He was a damn good police officer and a better person.”
“McGrath refused to tell us why he assaulted Prescott. He’s hiding his motive. Pretty sketchy if you ask me.”
“Oh. He doesn’t share his feelings much. I only brought him lunch. I mean, we’d chat about the weather. He told me he was from Virginia, and I called him a Rebel. I brought him extra napkins. I insulted him once. Or twice. I laughed when he teased Marilou or insulted Doris. He came to my aid with Omar. He…”
Lynn sighs with a sad smile. “Natalia, this is painful to watch. You’re not fooling me. You don’t have to hide it.”
“I’m not hiding anything.”
“Really? Even if I told you his middle name is Samuel?”
“No, it’s Stuart.” Shit. I shrug as Lynn crooks an eyebrow. “We shared a few other things back and forth.”
“I see. Well, he’s an only child. I’m sure it will upset his parents, Peter and Jan, to hear he was terminated.”
“He’s the youngest of four, and his parents are Dean and…Deirdre.” Lynn nods, and I sigh. I fell right into her trap. “But you already know that.” I walked straight into that. Idiot.
“I do. I know almost everything there is about McGrath. It’s my job.”
“Then, why are you asking me these things?”
“I thought it was an infatuation, and you’d get over it, especially after that deadbeat Ruiz.”
I shake my head. “I don’t follow.”
Still watching me, maybe undecided, she props her elbow on the armrest and folds her hands. “Do you have feelings for Dylan McGrath?”
She’s right, and I can’t hide it anymore. I hide my face with my hands and nod, mumbling, “Consuming.” The tears are sudden and burn my face.
“Do you love him?”
“Desperately.”
“Was it reciprocated?”
I nod into my hands. “He loved me.” Dropping my hands, I sob, “More than I realized.”
Lynn stands and hugs me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you told us to stay away from each other or he’d fail training.”
“I only would have cut him if he harassed you for a roll in the hay.” She releases me with a frown. “He didn’t do that, did he? Because I still can’t squash him like a grape.”
I roll my eyes. “I tried seducing Dylan, but he was more responsible than me and wanted to wait until we were more prepared. I’ve never in my life seduced a man. But, I fell hard and fast for Dylan that night.” Regardless of how I flipped out about our age, I didn’t want to be rescued when I fell. I wanted to submerge with him.
Lynn waves me off, muttering, “All right. I don’t need all the sordid details. I had a feel
ing you two were up to something. The way he looked at you was downright lascivious.” Lynn frowns as I begin to cry again, and she says, “I wanted to ignore it because you seemed happier, whatever you two were doing. Though, I didn’t know how deep you were in it with him.”
“I’ve never loved a man like this. Nothing before him matters. I wanted…” I wipe my cheeks and take a deep breath. “I know we have differences, but I wanted to be with him anyway.” I wince as I admit, “I wanted everything with him.”
Lynn mumbles something and then asks, “Wanted? Not anymore?”
“I broke up with him the other night.”
“Because he didn’t tell you what he knew?”
“That hurt, but no. I threw that and every other excuse at him for why we wouldn’t work.”
“Why?”
“Tristan Prescott threatened to tell you that Dylan and I were dating. Tristan said if I had sex with him regularly, then he wouldn’t tell you. He also caught us at the banquet. Lynn, he said there’s a sex tape of Dylan and me.”
“Excuse me?”
“We were in a breakroom. We didn’t…”
“Stop right there. Lord. And Prescott was using this against you?”
I nod. “I didn’t want to ruin Dylan’s career or his family’s storied reputation in law enforcement. So, I agreed to Tristan’s deal.”
Lynn’s face reddens. “You had sex with Prescott?”
I shake my head. “I wouldn’t cheat on Dylan, so I broke up with him. But I was still going to sleep with Tristan to keep him quiet.” I sniff and ask, “He killed Omar, so he said I should be grateful, which I am.”
“Whoa. Back up. Hayes Dellinger killed Ruiz. Prescott didn’t even fire his weapon that night.”
My head spins along with the room. “Tristan lied about that?”
“After his underhanded moves, you’re surprised?”
“He said he wanted to tell the truth.”
“Unless it wasn’t to his benefit.”
“What the hell did I do?”
“I will fix this. However…”
“What?”
“McGrath left California and went back to Virginia. Apparently, it was fast with his family’s help. He’s in the process of being hired by Richmond PD.”
“Oh, my God.” I howl. I go to sit and miss the chair, landing in a heap on the floor. Lynn squats next to me. “Honey, shh.” As I sob, Lynn says, “Natalia, you told me you had sworn off dating police officers. Why McGrath? What makes him different?”
“Because he loved me, scars and all. He didn’t have to force himself or a gun on me. I wanted him. He protected me, though I argued with him about it. I trusted him with my life, and I would’ve given mine to save his. He looked at me as if I’m beautiful and important. I would’ve given him anything. I let him…I know he was the one, and I pushed him all the way back to Virginia.” I cry, and Lynn rubs my back.
“I figured you had feelings for him, but he never let on he was in love with you.”
“He didn’t want to lose his job or disappoint anyone, including you. But we couldn’t help it. No matter how hard I fought it, we fell in love.”
“We’ll straighten this out.”
“How? He’s thousands of miles away, on the other side of the country! I broke his heart for nothing!”
“Just talk to him.”
“I’ve tried texting him! He either won’t return them, or he’s blocked me! Regardless, he almost lost it all because of me!”
Lynn sighs as she strokes my hair. “I’ll take care of Prescott. I promise, that bastard will be out of a job.”
I pull away from Lynn. “Do it today. Please. I want to right this wrong. Dylan deserves that.”
She nods. “It’ll take some time, but I will talk to Lieutenant Menezzo today. You may need to tell her your side.”
I nod. “Anything for Dylan.” I stand as Lynn follows me. “Okay. I have something I need to do too.”
“Do not see Prescott. I will handle him.” I walk Lynn to the door and wave as she gets into her car.
Oh, no. I will deal with Tristan on my own terms. Now.
I recheck my phone to see if Dylan responded to my texts, but he hasn’t. Driving past his apartment and seeing movers loading his things makes nothing easier, either. But I can’t focus on the pain right now. I have shit to do.
Shoving my phone into my skirt's back left pocket, I adjust my white blouse's opening, showing more of my black bra. Approaching the stoop, I look around, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. Knocking on the door, I wait, feeling sick and unprepared. But then I think of how Dylan has sex with me even after I gutted him. He wanted to make me happy, but I used sex to soften the blow of our breakup. It didn’t work.
The door flies open, and he frowns. “Why are you so hard to get ahold of? We have a deal, Welch.”
“I’m here now. I’m ready.”
Tristan checks out my bra and miniskirt. “All right. That’s better. An eager beaver.” He raises an eyebrow, and I roll my eyes. I want to set him on fire with gasoline and a blowtorch.
“Can we get this over with?”
“Your enthusiasm is a fucking turn-on,” he sneers as I walk past him. When he smacks my ass, missing my phone, I fight the urge to knee him in the balls.
As he moves from the shadow of the door, I notice his mangled face. Finally, my cue to take it up a notch. “What’s with the fat lip and black eye? Did you have a rowdy arrest at the social security office?”
“Like you don’t know. Why in the hell did you tell McGrath we fucked when we didn’t?”
“Because I needed him to let me go before I did this with you.”
“Well, thanks for giving me a damn warning. That son of a bitch paid for his assault charge with his job. He’ll probably wind up working at CVS and not as a security guard. He’ll be the one stocking douches and enemas.”
“Oh.” I turn my head to prevent him from seeing the pain I still can’t hide. I then say, “I wouldn’t know because I broke up with him after leaving here last night.”
“That may be the smartest thing you’ve ever done. A single lady now.” He frowns and scratches near his split lip. “So, I suppose I can freely mention to Lynn about you and Rook screwing at the banquet. Maybe even show her the video and let her see Rook’s pocket-sized nightstick. How awkward would that be if it turned her on?” Nightstick? Screwing? Dylan gave me oral. As far as I know, his dick never made an outright appearance.
Tucking that bit away, for now, I play along. “No. Please, Tristan. Don’t tell her. It will embarrass her and stain her career so close to retirement.”
He smirks. “I think I can help you out.” Tristan nods to the living room. “Let’s get this show on the road. I’m horny as fuck.”
When he turns, I make a face and look down the hallway to his bedroom and then follow him. Tristan goes to the kitchen, but I go to the living room and notice another person sitting on the couch. Her surprised look matches mine.
“Verna? What are you doing here?” Her white negligee is see-through, and her nipples poke through the lace, sickening me.
“Officer Prescott invited me here. He said he wanted to have fun. What’re you doing here?” Her sour expression would be comical if it didn’t involve me seeing her cunt.
My stomach churns, and I glare at Tristan as he returns with a glass of brownish alcohol and offers it to me. I nod toward my coworker. “Explain.”
“I wanted a threesome. Now we have three. Let’s get some.” He laughs, and I see Verna staring at us. Oh, my God.
Tristan turns his back to Verna and whispers, “Does she know about you and Rook?”
I widen my eyes at him. “No.”
Biting his smiling lip, he teases, “Hey, Verna...”
“Tristan, don’t.” I glare at him until he shrugs. I don’t need a knock-down bitchfest in front of him as he beats off.
“Whatever. Let’s get this going. I need laid.” I underestimated how douchey h
e can sound.
Setting down the glass on the end table, not bothering with a coaster, I say, “I can’t do a threesome.”
“But you will. Remember?”
Swallowing, I look at Verna, who clearly doesn’t want me here, and then back at Tristan. “It wasn’t part of the deal.”
“I can amend the deal at any time.”
Leaning closer to Tristan, I hiss, “I’m not having sex with her.”
Tristan laughs. “Damn, you’re cute. Fine. You can both do me.”
“Do we have to at the same time? I’m…shy.” I’m disgusted.
“I don’t know you to be that shy. Whatever. You better get over it. This is nonnegotiable.”
“I’d rather be alone with you.”
Tristan’s surprise is evident and unnerving. “Really? Don’t worry. I’m off all day and night. I can be up in your pussy for most of it.” Great.
I cringe, glancing at a still pissy Verna, tossing her red hair and checking her bright-red lipstick in a compact mirror. It’ll only end up all over her face. Tristan doesn’t seem like he’d be a gentle lover. “Okay. But I need the bathroom, first.”
“Sure. Past Rook’s old room.”
Walking past the empty bedroom, I’m saddened, but I have to keep going. When I reach the bathroom door and can’t see Tristan from here, I bypass the bathroom and go into Tristan’s bedroom, hoping like I never had before. His pistol is on his nightstand. It’s bigger than Dylan’s—he’s probably overcompensating. I grab the gun, swiftly rack it to check for bullets, and then stuff it into the back of my skirt.
Then I go to the bathroom and take several deep breaths to avoid passing out. Looking in the mirror, I see my mother’s high cheekbones and determination, along with my father’s dark eyes, now full of fear. I’m a goddamn Perry. Nothing should scare me now. My father had the balls to commit crimes all over the place while wearing a badge and continued growing his criminal empire from behind bars. Motherfucker pimped out his only daughter without thinking twice. I wonder how amused he was that she didn’t have a clue. Gross as it is, I need to draw from his mindboggling audacity and avenge my ex’s shitty dismissal from a job he loved more than anything. My ex. Fucking Tristan Prescott will pay dearly for that.
Rebel Rook: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World) Page 30