by J. M. Walker
“You have nothing on me,” Cross growled, a slight flush creeping up his neck.
“Just like you have nothing on me?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He didn’t respond.
“That’s what I thought.” I handed him a folder. “That can go away if you do everything that we say.”
“What do you need?” he asked, flipping through the file.
I glanced between Colin and Jones. Colin nodded at me encouragingly.
Parker squeezed my hand.
I met his gaze for a brief moment before turning back to Agent Cross. I finally said the only thing that I could think of. The only thing that all of us had needed over the past couple of weeks. “Freedom.”
CAN’T clear your records. I don’t have that kind of authority,” Agent Cross stated, keeping his eyes on the file in his hands. “I don’t…” He let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping with defeat.
We had him. Right where we wanted him.
“How do you think I’m going to erase everything for you? I don’t have that kind of power.”
“Yes, you do. If we hadn’t stepped in, you’d bring Devin down on your own.” I smiled. “It would probably take you a couple more years but you would eventually succeed.”
His eyes popped up. “And you actually think that you could bring him down faster? What are you going to do? Kill him?”
I laughed. “That would be too simple. You see, I want him to pay for the shit he did to me when I was a young girl. I want him to suffer at the hands of fate as I stare into his lifeless eyes.”
“You said that you didn’t want to kill him.”
I shrugged. “I don’t. That man is a monster. He’s a sociopath. There is no life behind his eyes. He’s cold and heartless and completely emotion-free. He doesn’t care about anyone except for himself.” Agent Cross shifted in his seat. I smirked and continued. “You know who I am and what I can do with a computer. How do you think I dug up that information on you so quickly?”
He shook his head. “I knew you were good but I had no idea how good.” He blew out a breath. “I think I underestimated you, Miss Price.”
“It happens,” I said casually. “Most people do.”
“So,” he tapped the folder on his lap. “How do you know that I’ll clear your records? I could just say that I will and be on my way. How would you get proof that it’s done?”
Parker pulled a USB stick out from the inside of his suit jacket and placed the small item, which looked like Darth Vader from the Star Wars movies, on top of the folder Cross was holding.
He frowned, pulling off Vader’s helmet and let out a sigh when he realized what it was. “You want me to send you all the files on both of you.”
“No. We want you to place every single piece of information that you have on both of us and Devin Tate onto that stick,” Parker instructed.
“What?” Cross’ eyes widened. “I can’t do that. You know I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can,” Parker said, his voice firm. “Devin is ours to destroy. If there is even a hint that the cops find out about our whereabouts unless instructed by one of us…” Parker grinned. “Let’s just say you don’t want to test that theory.”
“Are you threatening me?” Cross asked, the muscle in his jaw ticking.
Parker feigned a yawn, looking bored and cleared his throat. “You know who I am. If I was threatening you, you would never know it. Besides, I would take it as less of a threat and more of a promise.”
“Smug asshole,” Cross mumbled.
“How’s your family, Steven? They happy with the life they live, knowing that their father and husband could just one day not come home? Does your wife know that you pay extra close attention to those female informants? She not putting out enough for you?” We would never hurt him or his family but he didn’t need to know that yet. We had to keep him on his toes if we wanted him to do what we requested. I tried not to think about the repercussions of all of this. Or how it would affect the outcome.
“You fucking leave my family alone, you little—”
“Finish that sentence, agent,” Parker said, his voice rising. “I fucking dare you.”
“Get out of the car,” I demanded Cross. “We’ll be in touch.”
“I—”
“You heard her. Out!” Parker growled.
Cross quickly left the vehicle, slamming the door shut behind him.
I let out a breath that I didn’t realize I was holding. “Think we convinced him?” I asked a moment later, needing to break the heavy silence between the four of us.
“I’m sure you did.” Parker pinched my chin and tilted my head to meet the impact of his soft mouth. “You were fucking amazing.”
“I didn’t do anything really,” I said, my cheeks heating.
“Please, girl, you owned that shit.”
I laughed at Jones’ remark. It was the only thing he had said the whole time but I took it to heart.
“Well, I think we owned that shit together,” I pointed out and snuggled into Parker’s side.
“You owned it, angel,” he whispered in my ear. “Like I knew you would.”
“Kissing the boss’s ass isn’t going to get you very far,” Colin teased, winking at me.
“Let’s go home,” I said, smiling.
“Roger that, Miss Price.” Jones tipped his hat.
A knowing glance passed between Parker and Colin before the window separating the front from the back closed.
“Parker,” I said a moment later, playing with a loose string on the hem of my sweater.
“Everything will be fine.” Parker pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Will it? Even once everything with Devin is done, will it be fine? Will we be fine?”
“Why wouldn’t we?”
“I just…I don’t know how long it will take for me to get over this. What we plan on doing.” I was human. I wasn’t a sick and twisted monster like Devin. I actually had feelings even though he tried to break through them and make them his own.
“Look at me, Keely.”
I met Parker’s gaze, chewing my bottom lip.
“Do you honestly think that it will be easy for any of us to get through this? After we decided that you would go see Devin alone, it kills me. I have to fight this…thing inside of me to keep from strapping you to my table, forcing you to stay home. With me. But I know that your dad’s life is on the line. So I would never do that.” He ran his hands up and down my arms. “I won’t.”
“I know. But this isn’t just about my dad. This has grown into something far bigger than all of us.” I cupped his cheek, the scruff of his jaw tickling my palm. I just hoped that I could deal with Devin when the time came for me to visit him. I wasn’t a good actor. I wore my feelings on my sleeve and Devin would see right through me.
“Tell me what you’re thinking, angel.”
I sighed. “Devin knows me. I know it’s been awhile and I know that he doesn’t know me like you do but…I was with him for a long time, Parker.”
“As much as it bothers me that you were with him of all people, the only thing that I can do from now on is be the light that I know you need. To be that Dominant that I know the submissive inside of you craves.” He cupped my shoulders, squeezing with reassurance.
Tears welled in my eyes and I swallowed past the hard lump in my throat. “I love you. With every waking breath. If something bad—”
“No. Please don’t say it.”
“Parker.”
“He won’t hurt you,” he said, his voice rising.
“He won’t kill me, you mean.” My heart raced, knowing what Devin was capable of. “I just…I need to know that Troy will be safe. If I’m not—”
“Keely.”
“I know you don’t want to hear it, Parker. Trust me, I don’t want to say it or even think it but if I don’t get out of this safely, I need you to promise me that you will take care of him. Please,” I begged, cupping
his cheeks.
He nodded. “Of course. What’s yours is mine, angel.”
I inhaled a shaky breath and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him. Pouring everything that I felt for him into my touch, I told him over and over how much I loved him. How I couldn’t live without him. “Troy saved me from Devin but you saved me from myself.”
“If something happens to you, I will burn through every building that he owns. I will fucking destroy everything he has so worked hard to get. I will kill him.”
Cupping Parker’s nape, I kissed him hard on the mouth. “I know, my love. I know. We will make it out of this.” I had to believe that we would come out stronger in the end. But a part of me wasn’t even sure of that anymore. I hadn’t seen Devin in months and the last time didn’t go so well. He had attempted to leave his mark on my body but was unsuccessful. Emotionally, the scars would always be there. He had ruined the young girl that I was and turned me into this strong and powerful woman that I finally realized was because of him. As I watched him beg for my forgiveness, I would make sure to thank him.
Parker ran his hands under my sweater, brushing them up and down my back. “When all of this is done, I need…we need time. Alone. And a very long vacation.”
My skin tingled, knowing exactly what he had meant. In the beginning, he had introduced me to a lifestyle I now found myself needing but after everything, we hadn’t been able to explore it fully. “Of course. I’m yours.” I kissed his cheek before leaning down to his ear. “Master.”
SEVERAL HOURS later when we finally got back to Jones’ and Colin’s cottage, a sense of dread came over me. My stomach twisted.
“Keely?”
“Something…” I shook my head. “I don’t know. Something’s wrong.”
Parker frowned. “Colin.”
“On it.” Colin left the vehicle when suddenly, Troy came running out of the house.
My heart sunk to my feet as he fell to his knees. “Troy!” I left the car as fast as I could, running to him.
His gaze met mine, stopping me in my tracks. His normally blue eyes were bloodshot and filled with so much pain it took my breath away. My heart constricted, tightening in my chest to the point it felt like a hand had a firm grip on the beating muscle.
I was vaguely aware of Parker calling my name but all I could focus on was my best friend staring at me. And that was when I saw it. Hate. So much hate. And it was directed at me.
“Patrick,” was all he said as his shoulders wracked with sobs.
My feet moved of their own accord, leading me to him. I knelt in front of him and cupped his cheeks. “Tell me. Please. Troy. What’s going on?”
His eyes hardened, glaring at me with pure cold rage. “It’s all your fault.”
“Me? What are you talking about?” I had a feeling, an unnerving thought that poked its way into my mind.
“Patrick!” he shouted. “He’s dead. Because of you.”
E TOLD me that it was my fault and I believed him. If I had left Devin right away, none of this would have happened. Devin Tate had a firm grasp on my life. Holding shit over my head that I had done because of him. It wasn’t my fault that I had fallen into the clutches of his wrath but it was my fault that I never listened to Troy in the first place.
“You!” Troy shoved out of my grip, interrupting my thoughts and rose to his feet. “It’s your fault. Your fault that you ended up with Devin. Your fault that Patrick is dead! He’s dead!” Troy screamed. He gripped his chest, pulling at his shirt and shook his head repeatedly. “He didn’t do anything. He was innocent in all of this. He was!”
Tears streamed down my face and all I could do was listen to Troy yell at me. Blame me for the death of his boyfriend. His love.
“Stop. This is not her fault. You know that. You’re just upset,” I heard Parker say.
“No! I’m not just upset. I’m fucking furious. And you,” Troy shouted. “Maybe if you would never have left, Patrick would still be alive. Or maybe you should have died for real.”
I gasped. “Troy.”
“It’s fine, Keely.” Parker glared at him. “Blame me. Hit me. Do whatever you want to me but don’t you fucking dare blame her. She’s your best friend. Your family.”
“She’s not my fucking family.” Troy lifted his chin. “She’s dead to me.”
“Please. You don’t mean that.” I rose to my feet and tentatively took a step towards him. “I didn’t know that this would happen. I didn’t want this.”
“Yeah, well, you can’t always get what you want, can you, Keely? Or in your case, maybe you can. You seem to want your cake and eat it too. I bet you still love Devin, don’t you? You want him and Parker both. Maybe even together.” He shoved a hand through his hair.
He wasn’t making sense. None at all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Parker is mine. That’s it. I don’t want Devin. You know that. You saved me from him. How could you even suggest such a thing?”
Colin and Jones came up beside Parker, circling us when a loud rumble of deep engines sounded up the long driveway.
Troy roughly wiped the tears from under his eyes. “Excuse me while I go inside to get my boyfriend’s body.” And with that, he left us alone.
A breath left me, the wave of his fury knocking me in the chest. “Parker.”
He caught me as I fell, holding me tight against his hard body. “Shhh…he’ll get over this. He loves you.”
I cried against him, wishing that I could change everything. That I could fix this mess and bring Patrick back for Troy. “He hates me.” And if the roles were reversed, I would probably feel the same.
“What the hell is going on?” I heard Greyson ask as the bike engines were silenced.
“Patrick is dead,” Jones explained.
“Shit. How?”
“We can only assume that it was at the hands of Devin.”
“Fuck.”
I pushed out of Parker’s grip. “I need to see him.” I ran up the steps and into the house, stopping only when I saw Troy holding Patrick’s body against him.
He rocked back and forth, silently crying to himself. “Oh Patrick. I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”
Tears burned my eyes before falling freely down my cheeks. “Troy.”
His gaze shot up. “No. Don’t you dare come closer. You don’t have that right.”
“Please, Troy. This isn’t my fault.” I needed his forgiveness more than anything. I needed him to know that I never wanted this.
“Shut the fuck up.” He pointed at me, keeping his other arm wrapped around Patrick’s shoulders. “Patrick would still be alive if it wasn’t for you.” He sobbed, laying Patrick gently onto his back.
“No, please don’t say that. I swear…” I swallowed hard. “I had…” My eyes widened at the blood that had seeped through onto Troy’s white t-shirt. “Oh God.”
“You want to know how he fucking died?” he screamed. “He was shot and then stabbed. Multiple times. Probably even after he died. Who the fuck does that? Your sick ex-husband, that’s who! He probably got off on that shit. I bet he was here, laughing while he killed him.”
“Devin is…he wouldn’t do that.” But I didn’t believe it myself. I wasn’t even sure what he was capable of anymore. I thought I had seen everything.
“How do you know?” Troy asked, brushing his hand down Patrick’s pale cheek.
I swallowed a couple of times at the loving touch. If that was Parker, I’d be out for blood. “I just do,” I whispered.
“Do you?” Troy laughed. A cold menacing chuckle escaped his lips. “Do you remember what happened the last time you saw him? He fucking tortured you and raped you, Keely. Do you remember that?”
I shook my head. “I—”
“Oh, that’s right. You couldn’t remember it because he did it while you were passed out. And you seem to think that he would never torture Patrick?”
“Where were you?” I asked, ignoring his questions.
“I was in the shower. I came out to this. To…” Fresh tears welled in his eyes. “To this.”
“Troy, I am so sorry but please don’t shut me out. This isn’t my fault. I never meant for this to happen.”
“You should have stayed away from Parker like I told you to!”
My eyes shot to his.
“What do I have to do with this?”
I jumped at the deep voice coming from behind me. Turning, I saw Parker glaring down at Troy with the Hell’s Harlem and Colin and Jones following him. I looked back at Troy, waiting.
“I…” He rose to his feet and headed to the kitchen sink that was only a few feet away. Grabbing a washcloth, he ran it under some water before kneeling at Patrick’s broken body. “We were going to take a trip to Mexico after this. Patrick,” he swallowed hard, wiping the cloth down Patrick’s bloody face. “He had never been someplace tropical.”
Tears burned my eyes and I tentatively closed the distance between us. “Please don’t blame Parker. It wasn’t his fault. None of this is. If you have to, blame me.”
“I do.”
I nodded. “Okay. That’s…that’s fine. I—”
“No. The fuck it is!” Parker yelled.
“Parker, it’s okay,” I insisted and rose to my full height.
“No. It’s not. I’m sick of him blaming you for shit.” He grabbed my arm. “This is not your fault. None of it is. This could have happened to any of us.”
“Devin did this because he couldn’t get to you,” Colin told me and knelt beside Troy. “He’s sending a warning.” He cupped Troy’s nape and whispered in his ear.
Troy nodded every so often, fresh tears rolling down his cheeks.
I didn’t know what Colin was telling him but I was thankful that he was there.
“Keely,” Greyson said gently. “I think you need to come see this.”