by Ace Gray
“Jesus, Ari.” I shook my head as we were shown to our table. “I’ve told you, I don’t handle him.”
When I sat down I had to stifle a groan.
He does enough handling for the both of us.
“So what’s the verdict? What happened? What did I do?” She bounced a little and, for the first time, I noticed she wrung her hands when she sat unoccupied.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
“But?” She gave the single word eight syllables.
“We’d like to know if you’d you consider moving in with Laura?”
We dove head first into conversation, well Ari dove in and drug me kicking and screaming in with her. Somewhere along the line I assumed she agreed to the move because she started reciting an inventory of the furniture I’d left and creating a shopping list for what she’d need to fill the space. I bit my cheek to keep my focus on her hurried words. When she started going full force, I had a tendency to glaze over.
But then my stomach flipped and my concentration fell away completely.
“I need to talk to you.” An unfamiliar male voice spoke close to my ear. Too close.
Ari’s face froze, her jaw went slack and she may have actually choked on her word vomit. I swiveled only to meet Victor Alexander’s beady little eyes.
“What in the ever-living fuck are you doing here?” I screeched as I shot up from my seat, almost sending Victor tumbling backward when he made space for me.
The general din in the restaurant came to a crashing halt, replaced by only the slight clink of plates and ice cubes against water glasses. Every single head had turned in our direction, and I swore, most people had managed to stop breathing to take in my outburst.
“It’s not what you think. I swear to God.” Victor’s eyes earnestly searched mine as he held his hands up in surrender.
“Did you not get the message at the club? Nicholas was pretty fucking clear.”
“I did, but I wasn’t the only one. Please. Things have gotten complicated, dangerous even, and it wasn’t my doing. Kate, you have to listen to…” An awkward noise replaced his words, cutting his plea short.
Frank’s hand grasped the back of Victor’s collar and he was pulling. Hard. Victor’s arms flailed out to slow his backward tumble. A few choked stops came out of his strangled throat as they tussled, and in the fray, Victor’s his hands found purchase on Ari. The way she seized stopped my whole world for a moment.
Her mouth opened to scream but nothing came out. It appeared as if an invisible hand really did hold her throat, intent on crushing her windpipe. Tension made her go rigid, even her fingertips splayed awkwardly. Her eyes had bugged out so thoroughly I was sure they would explode but at the last moment, she shut them. When they reopened they were clouded with tears.
I pushed the chair between us aside and shoved on Victor’s chest. The panic attack that was written plain on Ari’s face had me desperate to get to her. Victor could be dealt with, but whatever was happening with Ari was something else entirely.
“Please,” her voice finally croaked. “Please stop touching me.”
I shoved in between them and wrapped myself around Ari just in time for Jaime to appear and add his force to separate them. Together, Frank and Jaime made quick work of Victor, jostling a few chairs on their way out the door. Every set of eyeballs had followed them out of the room except mine. Mine stayed locked on Ari who’d shrunk where she was folded in my arms.
“I’ll fucking kill him if your brother doesn’t do it first,” I murmured my attempt at consolation in her ear and my hands rubbed up and down on her arms. “Are you okay, Ari?” I gave her a little squeeze.
“It’s just I…” she stuttered. “I’m not really…It reminds me…” She lifted her head and looked the slightest bit around the room. Conversation was still restrained to small whispers, gazes had returned to the two of us. “Oh my God, they’re all watching,” she whispered so low I wasn’t sure I was meant to hear.
“Fuck them,” I answered anyway.
She ignored me and started to count quietly, taking deep breaths as her lips formed digits. When she reached ten, she squared her shoulders and gave a little wiggle. I dropped my arms but still watched her like a hawk. She stepped back and flashed me her winning smile, the one I’d seen both her and Julia use to defuse a situation or return to polite conversation.
“I’m just fine. I mean, he’s a lunatic, and crazy. A crazy lunatic. And he scared me. I mean who comes to Jean-George to confront somebody? And at a civilized lunch no less…” When her prattle picked up pace, the real reason for her incessant rambling dawned on me.
“He told me,” I said softly, gesturing back to our table.
Her eyes bugged again. “Told you what?” She daintily dabbed her eyelashes with the back of her finger.
“Everything.” I held my breath while she digested that word.
A few different emotions crossed her face but finally she blew out a deep breath that ruffled her hair as she flopped back in her chair. I sat slowly, my eyes flitting away from her only to check how many were still trained on us. Now that we were seated most had lost interest.
“Wow.” Ari was digesting what I’d said. “I didn’t think he’d ever do that. Sharing isn’t exactly a Bryant thing.” Her brow darkened and the realization that I’d never seen an upset Ari hit me. That face compelled me to explain every bit as much as her brother’s did.
“It explained a lot about why Piper was around. He was determined that if I left him, I had to leave the real him, not some half-assed version I was making assumptions about.” I smiled at the bittersweet memory. “Knowing the full story made it easy to forgive him. Even easier to love him, too.”
“I love how you two are together. For all its craziness, it’s honest.” She took a deep breath and a wide smile broke across her face. “Are you going to get married and have lots of little babies?”
“I don’t know about that, Ari.” I rolled my eyes at the thought. That would ruin everything. “Right now we’re working on not killing each other.”
“But you want to eventually don’t you?”
Her eyes were big wide saucers staring over the top of a champagne glass at me. My mouth went dry and my tongue turned to sandpaper. I had to clear my throat a few times before I stuttered, “I guess maybe marriage, I mean I can’t live without him and since that’s what you’re supposed to do, sure.”
“Sure? Just sure?” she squealed. “Because that’s what you’re supposed to do?” She threw her hands up in the air. “So romantic Kate, sheesh. You two have to get married. You’re perfect for each other.” She clapped her hands together. “And there have to be lots of little Bryant babies.”
I choked on bubbles. “I wouldn’t go that far Ari. The whole baby idea is far too much for me.”
“You and Nicholas would be amazing parents.”
I shook my head. She’d obviously suffered emotional trauma this afternoon. We would be a certifiable disaster.
“Leave it, Ari.”
“Ha! If you had said Aribella you would’ve sounded just like him. You’re rubbing off on each other.” She laughed. “I’m glad you’re part of the family.”
“Speaking of family, you’ll come over for his birthday right?”
She clapped her hands and squealed drawing all eyes back to us. “We’re allowed to celebrate?”
“Umhum.” I nodded as my eyes searched for Jaime and my fingers curled into the armrest of my chair.
Ari shot off again but I couldn’t focus this time. I couldn’t shake the ick Victor had left. Mostly because this time it was different and I couldn’t explain why. His voice had just been different.
“I need to talk to you.” The repeat words against my ear made me jump even though the voice was familiar.
I turned once more but this time Jaime’s torso blocked my li
ne of sight where he stood patiently behind me. I looked up at his stone face and he appeared as if he’d never spoken. For a moment, I turned back to Ari as if he hadn’t, but then he cleared his throat, and when I twisted toward him, he’d expectantly arched his eyebrows over the edge of his aviators.
When I stood, Ari barely took note, her birthday plans still rattling out but now mainly to herself. Jaime’s hand came to the small of my back as he shepherded me toward a small alcove near the restroom.
“What did Victor say?” he rumbled.
“Just that he needed to talk and it wasn’t what I thought.”
“Anything else?”
I thought back and even though it had been minutes ago, it had been such a hurried nightmare I hadn’t paid enough attention.
“Kate, tell me. Anything at all?” Jaime grip tightened.
“Well.” I replayed the scene. “Something about him not being the only one who got Nick’s message that day at the club. Or at least that’s what I think he was referencing.”
“Shit.” The swear word was utterly foreign on Jaime’s lips. But the furious dialing of a phone was very, very familiar.
“Wait.” I snatched it and clicked the call off. “I’m not trying to be difficult.” My eyes searched his. “I swear.” I handed his phone back to him. “But I want to talk to him about this. I need him to listen.” The feeling in my stomach agreed whole heartedly.
“Kate…” Jaime sighed.
“I know. There’s nothing you can say that I don’t know. But you have to trust me when I say I’ve learned my lesson. I need to do this or I wouldn’t ask.”
Jaime studied me but in the end relented and let me return to lunch. I tried to listen to Ari’s raucous rambling but I couldn’t. I was busy formulating sentences for the inevitable blowout barreling my way.
I told Nick about Victor over dinner and his face darkened just before he swatted a highball glass from the table. I rolled my eyes.
Asshat.
This twist was being added to an already mounting pile of shit. I was trying to be patient and trusting but my temper snarled just below the surface. I popped more steak in my mouth and closed my eyes trying to center myself. I shifted enough that the bruises on my ass sang; my breath caught in my throat.
Trust it is
“What did Victor mean?” Nick’s voice was drifting from somewhere nearby.
“I’ve looked into it and have honestly no idea.” Jaime was the other end of the hushed conversation.
“You let him near, Kate?” A chesty snarl developed in Nick’s voice.
“I was attending to Christopher, Sir.”
Sir is good, Sir means they aren’t brawling. Yet.
“Jesus. It seems like it’s coming from every angle.” Nick’s temper was in check but for some reason dread settled in the pit of my stomach when he spoke.
I wanted to lay in bed and eavesdrop more—so far it was the most effective way of getting information—but I thought better of it.
Before I could talk myself into or out of anything, I got up and walked straight toward the voices. I found both men leaning against the railing just outside the master bedroom. I let myself drink in a shirtless Nick, complete with disheveled hair before I cleared my throat.
“Sweets.” He flashed a smile but his eyes were cloudy. “Did we wake you?”
I thought long and hard about how to answer.
“Yes.” I took a deep breath. “And I want to know what the hell is up.” I kept my face completely relaxed as I leaned up against the wall and crossed my arms. When my ass hit the wall I jumped. “Don’t even ask if I trust you.”
“Well?” Nick smirked but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“A better question is, don’t you trust me? I mean fuck, Nick, I let it go. I was willing to be patient but here you are, having clandestine meetings at 6 a.m. in the hallway.” I shrugged my shoulders, still grasping at calm.
“This hardly qualifies as clandestine.” His eyes shifted to soft and he moved off the railing and came to me. He planted his palms on either side of my head, pressing his naked chest against my t-shirt. My body couldn’t help but bow toward him. To my surprise, he simply kissed my forehead then rolled to rest against the wall next to me.
“Someone is systematically attacking my foreign holdings.”
“Shit! What?” I launched off the wall, churning with the nerves in my stomach.
“Calm down.” He reached for me and pulled me into his chest. “Maybe attack was too strong a word. It’s not much more than vandalism but it’s targeted at my most integral locations. We haven’t suffered any real losses but it’s starting to piss me off. And it’s getting more aggressive.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.” He started tracing circles on my arm where he held me.
“Why were you talking about Christopher?”
“He took off the second Piper was rushed to the emergency room but he’s back. He just landed on US soil.” Nick tried not to snarl.
“Did you find anything on Victor?”
“Not yet, but I’ve got a guy tailing him.”
“That wasn’t too painful was it?” I leaned into him and tilted back to kiss his jaw. His eyes were hooded and churning, darker than before.
“I hate dragging you into my problems but that’s all my life is these days.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” I said simply then decided to change directions. “Look, Nick, if we need to make adjustments, we will. I’ll do whatever you need and we can cancel your birthday celebration. Whatever.”
“See this is why I didn’t want to tell you. It upsets you, your plans, your life.”
“Nick, when will you get it through your thick skull that you are my plans, you are my life.”
His eyes flashed brightly a second before he shoved his hands down my shorts, paying no attention to Jaime right behind us. They sunk further as he slumped around me and cocooned me with his gorgeous body. Slowly, Nick pulled me back into the room, brushing my clit when we turned the corner. I groaned loudly when he kissed my shoulder then kicked the door shut behind us.
I was done showering but wasn’t dressed when my phone started buzzing and clattering about in the other room. Over and over.
“Nick can you grab that?” I was applying mascara bent over the bathroom sink.
His three piece suit caught my attention before anything else. Tailored gray fabric hugged the body and the man that I loved. When I finally scanned up to his face, his features were deadpan and his eyes were seriously gray.
“What’s wrong baby?” I shoved the wand back in its case and then into the drawer. I walked toward him but he held a hand out to stop me.
“We need to talk about what happened.” He was reading the screen. “How are you? How was New York? Why aren’t you answering texts? I still love you.”
Kevin. Fuckcuntfuckingshitpissfuck!
“Did you have anything you wanted to share?” Nick leveled his gaze at me.
I shrunk and took two steps back away from him.
“Okay, the thing is…” I started. “He was in Portland, I saw him after a run went badly. I hung out with the whole band but he saw how torn up I was. He just wanted me to sleep.” My words were starting to come out as quickly as Ari’s. “I was a zombie and couldn’t think of anything but you. Please know that. It was just an Ambien and you’ve heard the stories…” All my steam left me.
“I thought it was you Nick. I could smell you, I could feel you.” My tiny voice barely resonated through the bathroom.
“Finish getting dressed.” He jerked his head toward the closet and walked away. I was tempted to chase after him but thought following orders seemed a better option right now.
Thankfully, Nick reappeared as I pushed through my closet racks. I had to check my temper when I caught him going
through my phone as he folded onto the ottoman behind me.
“Did you…?” He couldn’t even formulate the words.
The flash of me writhing topless overtop of Kevin almost made me heave.
“Kate?” Nick was equally harsh and terrified of my answer.
“I kissed him. I kissed him the way I wanted to kiss you since the moment I walked away from you. Because I swear I felt you.” I bolted to him and folded between his knees, pleading up at his tumultuous eyes.
“Anything else?” His voice was dropping to the frigid tone that made me tremble.
“Just hands, skin but that’s it. I swear.” Tears I hadn’t summoned were back streaming down my cheeks. My gaze fell from him to my hands where they wrung on themselves over and over. “I dreamt about you so many times. You were the color when everything else was is in black and white. You still are. My body, no, my soul, couldn’t forget that…” I trailed off unable to do anything more than weep at his feet.
I heard him blow out a deep breath just before he crooked his finger under my chin. He lifted my face up then his hands wiped the tear tracks away. “Don’t cry. My whole world crumbles when you cry.” He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath before opening them. They’d cleared infinitesimally. “I dreamt about you too. Perfect pink blush, perfect crimson lips, arrestingly green and gold eyes. I get that whole color in a dark world thing.”
Nick bent down and gathered me into his lap then leaned his forehead to mine. “I drove you to all that. Whether it was Portland or sleeping pills or his arms. I’m going to get past it, I swear.” He pressed his lips to my forehead only to be cut short by my ringing phone. I stayed nestled against Nick as I answered without even checking caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Kate.” Shit. “You sound better.”
Kevin’s voice was familiar. Shit, shit, shit!
“I am…” My voice trailed off and I shifted in Nick’s lap.
“I couldn’t sleep. I woke up hard dreaming about the other night. I still need answers about that.”
“Uh, um…” I took a deep breath.
“Shit, I should have asked, how did everything in the city go?” His kind heart was peeking out, desperate to check on me.