Her voice broke, and he felt his heart break for her along with it.
A watery chuckle slipped past her lips. “Yeah, Len is a stupid mofo.” She breathed deeply and he knew she was working hard to keep it together for her brother. “You just gotta hang in there a while longer. Can you do that for me? I’m working on it. I promise I am.”
He moved up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as they said their good-byes. Shit, he could feel the way her small frame trembled, how hard she was working to be strong for Noah. He wanted to be that strength for her, badly. Wished more than anything he could take her pain, make this right and get her brother away from Len.
He couldn’t do any of those things, and it fucking killed him. He hated feeling so damn helpless.
Finally, she disconnected and tossed her phone onto the bed. She didn’t move, didn’t speak, not for the longest time. Joe didn’t push, just waited, holding her until she was ready.
“Len wasn’t home,” she finally said. “He’s away until tomorrow. Noah said Edith got drunk and passed out in her room. He snuck downstairs to call me.”
Joe rested his chin on the top of her head and pulled her in tighter. She felt cold all of a sudden, her trembles turning to shivers. He wanted to take her back to bed and wrap her up warm. “You’re so good with him, Darce.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not. I failed him.”
“No, you didn’t. You…”
“I lied to him.” She shoved out of his arms. “I stood here and flat-out lied. I’m not doing everything I can… I’m not.”
He reached for her, but again, she pushed him away. “Darcey…”
“No. No…” She was pacing now, lost in her thoughts. “I fucked up. I was a spoiled, selfish brat that acted out when my dad died. I stole a car and got caught, and because of that black mark, I’ve had trouble finding a decent job, making enough money to get a good home. I’m not a good candidate to raise my own brother. I have no chance, no case. A lawyer would laugh me out of his office. A judge would never pick me over Len with his big house and bulging bank account.” She fisted her hair as she continued to rant. It was like she wasn’t even aware of him in the room anymore. She was in her own head now, lost in her pain. “It’s my fault he’s stuck there, my fault. I should have let Len do what he wanted to me. I should have just given in…”
Joe froze. “Let Len do what to you?”
She stopped suddenly, her gaze darting to him. Her lips parted then clamped shut, color rising on her cheeks.
Joe strode over to her, curling his fingers around her biceps gently. “Let Len do what, Darcey?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly. Too damn quickly.
Something ugly curled in his gut. “Darcey…”
“Look, I think you should go. I have things I need to do, and…”
“Talk to me. Please, would you just…”
“Why?” she shouted. “What’s the point? No one can help me. Not even you. No one can stop Al or Len. Assholes like that do whatever the fuck they want, get what they want, and people like you and me? We’re better off just doing what we’re told because we can’t win. We’ll never win.”
He cupped her precious face, tilting her head back so he could see her eyes. “We can get through this together. Please, Darce, let me in. Let me shoulder this with you.”
She didn’t answer, just pulled him down and kissed him. A kiss that held no trace of heat, just desperation and fear. So much fear. Like if she kissed him long enough, hard enough, it would all vanish—he’d make it all go away.
But he couldn’t, and they both knew it.
~ * ~
Darcey stood at Len’s front door, staring down a sour-faced Edith. The bitch looked hungover as hell. This selfish asshole had been left in charge of Noah, but instead of looking after him, she’d gotten wasted and ignored him—like she always did.
“Let me in. I won’t be long. I just want to see him.”
Her long blond hair swayed as she shook her head. “Len’s not here, and if he finds out I let you in, he’ll be furious. I’m not putting up with his temper just so you can see your brother.”
“He must have a huge dick,” Darcey muttered.
“I beg your pardon,” Edith sputtered.
Darcey got in close. “The guy isn’t anything to look at. He’s also a raging asshole and Al’s pathetic creature. Something must have made you and my mother fall at the fucker’s feet, and we both know it’s not his personality.”
Edith’s face screwed up. “You’re disgusting. Get the hell away from my front door before the neighbors see you. I don’t want them thinking I’d associate with trash like you.”
“You live with the worst piece of trash there is, you stupid cow.” With every word that came out of Darcey’s mouth, she knew she was digging herself deeper. But she’d tried nice, and nice wasn’t working. Nothing was working. Edith wasn’t budging.
“Darcey!” Noah’s voice echoed from behind the bitch still blocking Darcey’s way.
“Get back in your room,” Edith spat. “You know what Len said.”
“I don’t care! Let me see my damn sister,” Noah yelled back.
Noah didn’t usually curse, but he was just as upset as Darcey was—more so, because he was stuck living with these assholes.
“Don’t you speak to me like that,” Edith fired back.
Darcey stepped forward, but Edith pushed the door closed enough that Darcey could only see the other woman’s face.
“Now look what you’ve done.” Her eyes narrowed. “If you cared for him at all, you’d leave him alone—leave all of us alone.”
Then she slammed the door in Darcey’s face, the sound of her brother calling her name ringing in her ears.
~ * ~
Darcey was on her bed when Joe arrived at her place later that night.
She’d heard him knock but stayed where she was, unable to move. She’d been in the same position since she got home from trying to see Noah. She hadn’t gone to work, hadn’t answered her phone—hadn’t done anything.
God, she felt numb to the bone.
The door rattled as Joe picked the lock. He called her name as he walked in, announcing himself. But she knew it was him. Who else would it be? The room was dim, but the streetlights outside threw light in. She could see him clearly as he moved toward her. His eyes glittered in the dark.
“You didn’t answer your phone,” he murmured. “I was worried.”
She couldn’t form a response, not with the grapefruit-sized lump in the back of her throat. He’d been worried. He actually gave a shit. She realized in that moment that she was in love with Joe Colton. Real, do-anything-for-him, couldn’t-bear-to-live-without-him, love.
The sudden awareness of it hit so hard, it physically hurt.
He crouched down by the bed, those big, strong, wide shoulders filling her vision, before he ducked his head so his eyes were locked with hers.
“It’s going to be okay, baby.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “Somehow, I’m going to make this all okay.”
He sat beside her and started stripping her out of her clothes—not in a sexual way.
He was taking care of her.
Then he surprised her by pulling off his own shirt, slipping it over her head and tugging it down. His scent, his warmth, wrapped around her instantly.
He tucked the covers around her. “You hungry, thirsty?”
“No,” she whispered.
He walked to the other side of the bed. The rustle of clothes, followed by the sound of his boots hitting the floor came next. The covers came back, and he slid in behind her, and wrapping his arms around her, held her tight. Then he kissed her temple and started murmuring reassuring, tender words softly in her ear. Things that made her heart squeeze and her belly warm.
Things that made her fall for this man harder than she already had.
Chapter Eighteen
Darcey pulled up to the large metal gates, belly in k
nots. The mansion beyond was massive, overdone…just plain gaudy. An I’ve-got-bigger-balls-than-you statement if ever there was one.
She pressed the button on the intercom and announced herself, then waited.
Whoever was manning the gate either enjoyed watching her sit out there and sweat, or Al was playing with her, because she was still sitting out there thirty minutes later.
Well, she’d sit there all damn day if she had to. And when she started to think he’d leave her to do just that, the gates finally shuddered to life and slid open.
Al had obviously decided to take pity on her—no, that was the wrong word—pity wasn’t an emotion the bastard was capable of. More like his curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to let her in to amuse himself.
If that’s what it took, so be it. He’d been ignoring her calls and refusing to see her in person for months. Whatever it took to have a face-to-face with the asshole was worth it. And she wasn’t leaving until he promised to pull Len into line. Her deal was with Al, not Len. Oh, she knew she didn’t have a leg to stand on, held no cards and was walking in here with nothing—throwing herself at the mercy of a man who didn’t know the meaning of the word.
But she wouldn’t give up on her brother. All she could do was hope the guy still had a heart buried somewhere deep in his chest, as shriveled and black as it was.
It was a long shot, but the only one she had.
Driving in, her nerves battered her, damn near made her dizzy.
God, the outcome of this meeting—whether or not Al agreed to back her against Len, her and Noah’s future—came down to what happened today.
She hadn’t told Joe she was coming. He’d have tried to stop her. And she needed to do this.
Joe.
She could still feel his arms around her, the way he’d held her tight all night. The way he’d comforted her, taken care of her. She drew strength from it, from him, as she pulled up outside the house and walked to the door.
There were quite a few cars parked out front—more than usual—but she didn’t have time to think about it. The door opened, and Al’s housekeeper greeted her, a somber expression on her face.
“I’m here to see Al.”
The usually hard-faced, scary as hell woman sniffed and Darcey noticed her red-rimmed eyes. What the hell had she walked into?
“Of course.” She motioned for Darcey to come in. “Please follow me to the living room. We’ve put him in there. Easier for guests to pay their last respects.”
Darcey stumbled over her feet, barely catching herself before she went down face first. “Pay their…respects?”
The other woman didn’t hear Darcey since the words had come out an inaudible wheeze. They rounded the corner, and Darcey stopped so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. There, in the middle of the living room, surrounded by people, was Al’s pale, lifeless body, laid out on a hospital style bed, covers tucked across his chest like he was sleeping.
“When did it happen?” she rasped.
“Early this morning.” The house keeper moved up beside her. “They’re picking him up at noon.”
Darcey reached for the doorframe and the other woman made a comforting sound, leading her to a chair. Darcey didn’t want to sit down in the same room as that fucker’s dead body. Kick the shit out of it, maybe. Mourn his death, no goddamn way.
The only thing on her mind right then was how this would affect her and Noah. Al may have been a raging asshole, but he’d been a kind of buffer between her and Len.
Surely Len wouldn’t be the one to take over the business. Al would never leave it to his incompetent younger brother, would he?
She stumbled to her feet, and every pair of eyes in the room slid to her, including—oh God—Len’s. She hadn’t even noticed him when she’d walked in, all the faces nothing but a blur in her surprise and shock.
Len smirked at her, pushed away from the wall he was leaning against, and strode her way.
Spinning, Darcey bolted for the door, but he caught her arm before she could make her escape, dragging her away from everyone and shoving her into the first room they came to.
It was Al’s office. The smell of leather and cigar smoke hung in the air. Len kept pushing her until she collided with the large mahogany desk in the middle if the room.
“What are you doing here, Darcey?” He gave her a shake. “I know it isn’t to pay your respects. I know for a fact you won’t be cut up over Al’s passing.”
Going by his flushed cheeks and excited glint in his eyes, he wasn’t cut up, either.
“You’re taking over, aren’t you?” The words slipped past her lips before she could leash them.
He searched her gaze. “You didn’t know, did you?” He chuckled darkly. “You came to rat me out to my big brother. And instead you found a corpse.”
He moved in closer, pressing his hips against hers.
“Sorry, sweets. Looks like you’re shit out of luck.” A grin spread across his face. “Face it. No one cares about you. Al sure as hell didn’t. You really think it was him that wanted to keep you around? That he just couldn’t run his business without you?” He shook his head. “He kept you around because I asked him to, because I wanted you for myself. He found you useful sometimes, that’s it.”
She was going to be sick. “Noah…” His name slipped past her lips.
Her brother was stuck with this asshole because of some sick obsession he had with her? That’s why they’d suffered, why he’d torn them apart…so he could choose his moment. So he could manipulate her into being his fuck toy.
“You sick son of a bitch,” she rasped.
“Just say the word.” His fingers flexed around her arm. “You could be with him whenever you want. Move back into the house with me…”
She yanked her arm free and shoved past him. Pulling open the door, she ran for the nearest exit. She couldn’t speak, her throat so tight she could barely draw breath.
His voice echoed after her. “You have one week to agree to my conditions, or things get ugly.”
She ignored him, didn’t turn back. If she saw that smug fucking face one more time, she might commit murder. Pick up the closest blunt object and bludgeon him to death right there on the doorstep.
Her life, as shitty as it was, was over. Her options had dried up.
Either never see her brother again, or become Len’s sex slave.
She dry heaved but made it to her car without disgracing herself. She didn’t have much left, but she had her pride.
Even if it was only for one more week.
~ * ~
The beat was fast and loud, so loud Darcey couldn’t hear herself think.
Which was the point.
The bass vibrated up through the soles of her sneakers as she moved, her heart pounding in time. She had no idea how long she’d been at the club—hours? It had to be. First she’d gone for a run, but even the sounds of the city couldn’t drown out that bastard’s voice, couldn’t swallow the echo of Noah calling her name as Edith slammed the door in her face.
If she kept dancing, kept her eyes closed, stayed exactly where she was—she could block it all out—she could stop the nightmare forcing its way through the darkness from becoming her reality.
Someone moved in close, touched her. A second later, they were gone. She didn’t need to open her eyes to see who had chased them away. Joe had been doing it all night. He’d been there almost as long as she had. He hadn’t approached or even talked to her. He’d just watched from a distance, making sure she got what she needed. Making sure no one bothered her. He probably thought he knew what had driven her here tonight—that this was about Noah.
And he was right. She missed him beyond reason. But now her situation, that had already been unbearable, had gotten a million times worse. Now she knew why Len had kept Noah instead of handing him over to her.
Her belly rolled. Joe could never know.
He had a short fuse, and she knew if he found out what Len had planned fo
r her, he’d go after him. He’d risk everything—put himself in danger for her. He’d try and protect her. Like he was doing now.
God, she didn’t deserve that kind of loyalty. She could never return it. Not now.
Their time together was coming to an end. She’d always known it would happen, but she’d stupidly ignored it. Had let herself sink deeper.
Would he hate her for selling herself to that bastard for her brother? Would he understand she had no choice?
Breathing suddenly became difficult, a knot forming in her belly. She couldn’t waste a second of the time she had left with him.
One week. That’s all they had.
It was selfish, but she couldn’t walk away from him, not until their time was up. She’d soak up everything he gave her until then—every bit of pleasure, affection, laughter—and lock it all away.
She stopped dancing and turned to where she knew he was standing. She expected to see him leaning against the wall, arms folded casually, taking in the busy club. She was wrong.
He stood at the edge of the dance floor, dark eyes locked on her, tall frame held ridged, fists clenched at his sides. And his expression? The only word she could come up with was anguish. She’d done that, caused that look on his face. He looked like a warrior ready to do battle, to destroy anyone that even thought about going near her.
Staying away from her, not knowing how to help her, was hurting him. Not being able to fix her messed up life, to make it better, killed him. Joe Colton was just that kind of guy. A man who would do anything for his close friends and family. Who protected those people he cared about most.
Somehow, she’d become one of those people.
Darcey’s eyes locked with his.
Now that she knew what it was like to have him, how would she survive without him?
She quickly shoved down that thought. No way could she go there tonight. Instead, she let herself get swept up in the emotions welling inside her. Joe was already moving toward her before she’d taken a step in his direction, scooping her up as soon as he reached her. His mouth found hers a second later, and he kissed her, hard and hungry. Claiming.
Spin (Boosted Hearts Book 2) Page 18