by KB Winters
“That’s what you normally do after a fight?”
He nodded. “Not really. Usually the losing fighters want to talk a bit, maybe look at some tape. Since they were all gone, I decided to go home and have a drink. Forget about everything until morning.” He blew out a breath and leaned back as if he couldn’t get comfortable.
“Which exit did you use when you left?”
“Shit, I don’t know. I tried to get out through the west hall because it was closest to where I parked, but it was locked down for some reason.” I told him about the asshole following Kat.
“Same guy we spotted on HOA surveillance. Kat made sushi out of the motherfucker.”
Emmett snickered. “You’re proud of her, aren’t you? I don’t know how you’re okay with that.” I just shrugged. No need to confirm or deny anything yet. “Anyway, it took fucking forever to get out of the other exits, and I was too pumped up to pace around my apartment alone, so I went to House of Ashby.”
To an outside observer, Emmett’s activities might look suspicious, but he was a workaholic and I was fairly sure he had some PTSD he hadn’t dealt with, so I understood.
“Did you park out front?”
He nodded. “Yeah. The first spot right out front. Same place I always park. Just as I lifted my hand to shove the key into the lock, someone called my name.” His eyes slammed shut and his head fell forward. “Whoever called my name, it was from a distance. I turned to see who was calling me and the next thing I saw was a fucking fist barreling toward my face. I turned enough that it hit my cheek instead of knocking my eye out of the fuckin’ socket.”
My hands balled into fists and I had to control my anger because Emmett didn’t need this. Not now. Hell, he probably had his own fucking anger. “Shit.”
“I know,” he grinned. “That shot stunned me and took me to my knees, but his first two jabs were weak, and I got back to my feet, landing a cross and a kick to the ribs.”
“Sounds like shit was working in your favor. What happened?”
“That big fucker bull rammed me to the ground and then got on top of me. He landed blow after blow and you know,” he motioned to his face. “You can see the rest for yourself. It was a hell of a fight. Street fighter. Fucker had good reflexes and instincts. If I’d been watching him fight, I would’ve offered to train him.”
That was typical Emmett, able to find a silver lining in the darkest fucking cloud. “It’s a good thing I’m the hot one,” I joked, trying to lighten things up before I busted something. “Because those bruises are hideous.”
The bruises on his face started to fade but I could tell the body shots still caused him pain.
“That’s okay, I’m the smart one,” he said and flashed a halfhearted smile. “So smart that even though I didn’t get a look at his face while he pounded mine into the pavement, I saw that he was a white guy. Around six feet, about two-twenty. Drove off in an SUV…no wait, he didn’t drive off. He jumped in the passenger seat of a gray or silver Lexus SUV.”
“You remember a lot more than I expected you to.” I jotted down his description in one of those note taking apps and turned back to my brother.
“The bruises are healing nicely but you should take the time off that Sadie offered.” A few weeks away from the gym might be good for him. “A trip to the ocean might be nice.”
Emmett shook his head and let out a snort that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “It wasn’t really an offer so much as an order, which I’m used to. Hell I might end up on babysitting duty too,” he joked. “But at least I’ll know why. Sort of. Kind of.”
I knew what he was getting at, and I wasn’t bothered by it at all.
“Who the fuck else is Jas gonna trust to keep an eye on her?” Virgil was just as capable, but he couldn’t control Kat. Neither could I, but she wasn’t my sister.
Thank God for small favors.
Emmett’s smile softened and he shrugged. “The person who loves her the most. Obviously.”
I barked out a laugh and smacked my palms together.
“Maybe you hit your head a little too hard, baby brother.” There was no way in hell Jasper knew how I felt about Kat. I’d kept it to myself all these years, too afraid to test the bonds of our friendship by revealing it.
“Yeah, maybe I did,” he nodded. “Or maybe I just see you. And Kat too.”
“Maybe,” I conceded. “Probably because it’s past time for you to find a girl to spend your time with.”
“Right back atcha, Ter.” Emmett stood and turned towards the window with a sigh. “Be safe out there.”
“Always am,” I told him and left my brother alone with his thoughts.
Jasper and Sadie would be happy to hear I got more details out of Emmett about the fucker that fucked him up, so I made my way back down to the main floor, bypassing the empty dining room and headed straight for the sitting room where they’d all gathered around Kat.
“Hey,” I said when I found her alone, lying on the sofa.
“Hey yourself. You here to babysit?” Her lips curled into a teasing grin and she patted the empty spot beside her.
“Nope. I didn’t come for you at all, actually.”
“Bummer,” she said with a hint of mischief in her blue eyes. “It’d be so much cooler if you did.”
“I think it’s time to stop calling you Kitty Kat,” I began and she interrupted me with a loud, almost erotic, groan.
“Yes, please, thank fuck!”
“And start calling you Trouble, because it’s more accurate.”
Her laugh sounded again, sweet and husky as her hand fell on my thigh, leaving me frozen in shock as desire snaked through my veins.
“I’ll take it since you guys only started calling me that to piss me off.”
“Not true. It’s because you’re small but vicious.” Her smile softened and I had to ball my hands into fists to stop myself from reaching out to brush a finger down her silky skin.
“Okay, well, if you put it that way, it’s not so bad.”
Thankfully, my phone rang and stopped me from losing my goddamn mind. “Yeah?”
“It’s Cal, you got a minute?”
“Always.” I slid another glance to Kat and stood, walking away so she couldn’t hear whatever he had to say. “What’s up?”
“I’ve been doing some digging into Madison and her sister, Molly and I think there’s a chance she’s still alive. It’s nothing concrete yet, just a few crumbs, but I’m sure Kat is still looking, and chances are good she’ll find her.”
Cal sighed and I knew there was a big ass ‘but’ coming. “These people are evil, so keep a close eye on my sister since you’re watching her anyway.”
“Sure thing, man.” I answered calmly before I hung up. No way was I ever going to let Kat out of my sight.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kat
Terry was acting weird. Really fucking weird, and he wouldn’t own up to it, but every time I looked past my screen to him, he was pretending not to look at me. It was suspicious as hell and I wanted answers.
“What’s up with you lately?” Terry blinked and shifted his gaze about an inch to the right so his eyes were on me and arched a brow. “Seriously. If you’re angry that you’re still on babysitting duty, take it up with Jasper. Not me.”
Hell, having him around for what felt like twenty-four-seven was no picnic for me either. Ending every fucking day with a cold shower wasn’t exactly how I liked to spend my nights, but I couldn’t sleep or focus on anything with his scent wrapped around me.
His gaze sparked a fire to life inside of me, and I crossed my legs under the desk, which those eagle eyes dipped to watch before crawling back up my body, to my face.
“I don’t mind watching you at all,” he said slowly, every syllable its own seduction. “The view is great.”
“Yeah right.”
I rolled my eyes at what we both knew to be bullshit. I’d been giving off signs for weeks, giving him the green light, and he w
asn’t giving me anything. Less than, in fact. It was embarrassing.
“Now I’m sure you’re up to something if you’re resorting to compliments.”
Terry shrugged casually, like he didn’t care if I believed him or not. “I just call it how I see it, Trouble.”
“Then what’s your problem?” Because there was a problem.
“No problem.”
“Whatever.” I had more important things to worry about, namely Madison who was getting impatient about the lack of news about her sister. I hadn’t told her, or anyone else, that I reached out to a private investigator in California to see if he could find any trace of the girl. Checking my email every five minutes hadn’t produced any results and now Terry’s weirdness only heightened my anxiety.
“What’s up with you? Usually you’re happy to ignore me.”
That was a lie and I refused to engage so I kept my gaze on the screen, nearly hopping out of my seat when an email finally came through from my private investigator.
Did some digging and came across this photo. Could be our girl? Let me know.
Short and to the point. That’s why I kept Rusty on retainer. He was all business and damn good at his job.
“Holy shit.” The words came out on a whisper, but I was vaguely aware of Terry sitting a little taller, looking at me with curiosity in his eyes. For once in weeks, though, he wasn’t at the forefront of my mind.
Molly was.
The photo was grainy, shot from a distance, but if I squinted, I could tell that it just might be Molly. The same dirty blonde hair as Madison’s, but a little longer than it was when the photo Madison carried with her was taken.
“Holy. Shit.” It really could be her and the photo was taken right in front of the Reno sign.
“Something important?” Terry’s deep voice pulled my eyes from the screen to his own curious stare. Was it possible I’d forgotten he was there?
“Nope. Nothing at all.”
I had to figure out a way to get out of the office without Terry tagging along, which was about as possible as getting the sun to stop shining so brightly. But I had to try. I wanted to get to Reno and find Molly. Without Terry and his weirdness. If he didn’t want me, then I had to move forward. And the first thing on my list was to find Molly.
“I just remembered I have an appointment to get to. No big deal, but I can handle it on my own.”
I kept my gaze down and grabbed my purse, phone, and keys, making a beeline for the door. When I reached it without interruption, I let out a small sigh of relief and headed to the elevator. It was a small miracle, if I believed in that nonsense, but if I did, I would have been really fucking disappointed.
Just before the elevator doors closed, an arm shot out and forced them open again. Terry stood there, as calm as could be, with an arrogant smile on his face.
“I don’t mind being surrounded by hormonal women for an hour or two.” He stepped inside the elevator and got right in my face. “I might start thinking you don’t want me around, Kitty Kat.” Both hands slid down my arms, the move so erotic, I shivered.
But he fooled me again. I thought he would make a move, but no, it was a fucking ruse to steal my keys.
“Whatever.” I felt stupid, again, and that pissed me off. And when I was pissed, I became petty. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I yanked my keys from his hand and high-tailed it to my car.
“You can’t escape me that easily, Kat.”
To prove I was doing no such thing, I slid behind the wheel and changed the seat and mirrors to the pre-sets while I waited for him to get in the car. Just because Terry didn’t want me, didn’t mean I was dumb enough to put myself in danger simply because my ego was bruised. It wasn’t the first time and since, apparently, I was terrible at learning lessons where this man was concerned, it probably wouldn’t be the last time.
“Seat belt.”
Terry buckled up, and I made my way out of the parking lot and merged into traffic while I tried to gather my thoughts. There was no way I could lose him and now that he was suspicious, he wouldn’t leave my side for a second.
“You wanna tell me where we’re really going?”
Hell no, I didn’t want to tell him anything because I was still seething with anger. No, it worse than anger and worse than humiliation at his actions, that he would use my attraction to him to deceive me. It was…he was…just, fuck that.
I drove for more than an hour in absolute silence. Jaws clenched tight and a death grip on the steering wheel, I got started practicing that Terry Manning didn’t exist because as soon as we got back to Glitz, that would be my new reality.
“I guess your silence means we’re not talking?” Terry laughed like it was all some big damn joke, but I guess to him it was. Or rather, I was the joke. “Fine,” he growled and pulled out his phone as if that was a threat that would work on me.
“Yeah, Jas. Kat’s driving us somewhere, don’t know where and she won’t say.”
A few seconds later, Jasper’s voice broke through the silence of the car. “What the fuck, Kat?”
“Your babysitter is with me so what the hell does it matter, Jas? Just mind your own damn business.” I snatched the phone from Terry and tossed it in the back seat. “That goes for you too, you know? You’re here like Jas and Ma wanted, so just…shut the fuck up.”
He turned to me and I could feel the heaviness of his frown, his stare on the side of my face. “What in the hell did I do?”
“That is not shutting up,” I growled and hit the gas a little harder.
Terry’s hand landed on my thigh with more force than necessary and I had to swallow down a gasp. “You can be mad at me all you want, Trouble, but I don’t shut up for anyone. Not even you.”
“Unless you want a hole in your hand, I suggest you remove it. Or are you just trying to steal the keys again?”
Shocked, he pulled back and stared at me but I didn’t care that my thigh still throbbed from his touch, or that my panties were a little wet from the way he growled those words at me, so forceful and demanding. “Kat, I—”
“Save it, Terry. I don’t care.”
“Seems like you do,” he taunted, a teasing lilt to his voice.
“Then I guess we’re both good at pretending we give a damn.” And that was all I planned to say about anything concerning anything resembling personal talk. “I’m going to Reno. I got a lead on Madison’s sister, Molly. She works there and rents a bed in one of the hostels.”
“That is not a good idea, Kat.” His voice was suddenly serious and sexy as fuck, but I was not deterred.
“I’m not asking. You’re welcome to stay in the car.”
“Fuck, Kat! We have enough shit to deal with. Why do you want to add more shit to the list? Ravager is in the fucking wind, he fucked up the fight, Emmett’s attack on Ashby property and we still don’t have an ID on that shithead. Plus, Madison. And some dickhead tried to run you down. Christ, woman, do you thrive on this kind of chaos?”
“Do you only do the right thing when Jasper or Sadie give you permission to do it?” It was a low blow, but I wasn’t wrong. And it hit its mark. “You have to be here but you don’t have to like it and you don’t have to help. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“All evidence to the contrary?”
“Fuck you, Terry. Let’s see how well you do against an old ass Chevy.” My grip tightened on the wheel. “I already said thanks for that save, but that doesn’t mean you can hold that shit over my head forever.”
Terry had nothing to say for the rest of the trip; that was just fine with me.
Finding Molly in Reno was harder than I anticipated. We pulled into a strip mall in a seedy part of town close to low-end motels and began canvassing door to door. The girl, if she’d been here, kept a low profile. Only a handful of people could say with any type of certainty that they’d seen her or knew her. But the answer was the same.
“Quiet girl, but I haven’t seen her around here in a
few days.”
“Worked at the diner by the highway but she hasn’t been there for a few days.”
A different variation on the same answer. Every. Fucking. Time.
After a few hours of this thankless waste of time, I leaned against the trunk of my car and let out a low, frustrated sigh. My lead on Molly had, so far, turned into a big fat pile of nothing. But she’d been here, not more than forty-eight hours ago according to Rusty.
“She can’t be gone already. She can’t be,” I moaned to myself. I wouldn’t allow it. I’d turn over this whole damn town if I had to.
I felt Terry before I saw or heard him. “Maybe it’s time to call it quits?” he asked.
Of course, he’d say that. “You’d be saying that if this was Emmett?” I didn’t even open my eyes to ask the question because I already knew the answer. “You’d burn down the whole fucking world to find him. Even now, I’ll bet that’s your plan to find out who attacked him.”
“He’s my brother.”
“Yeah, well Molly is Madison’s sister and that’s enough for me.”
Opening my eyes, I looked at Terry, for the first time wondering if he was as good as my mind made him out to be. Maybe he was just like Jasper, a good man if you were part of his circle. Otherwise, you were on your own.
My heart raced as it warred with the idea of letting this man, or the idea of this man, go.
“I can drive you to the train station or the car rental place we passed on the way to the hostel. You’ll be back in Glitz before the night is over.”
I’d already planned to grab a room and the first hotel I found, stars be damned.
“You know that’s not gonna happen.” He didn’t want to be here, had no interest in helping this girl who’d suffered the way Jasper and Virgil and Cal had. Emmett, too.
“Well I’m staying here, and I don’t need you here second guessing me every step of the way, so the offer stands.”
We stared each other down for at least one full minute, my heart racing at the thought of giving up on my dreams of him. But I would.