by Meghan March
Trinity’s comment showed just how out of the loop she’d been since she’d been gone. I hoped Hennessy would assume that I didn’t share my personal life with her.
He laughed. “Yeah, we are dicks, but some of us are worth it.” He turned to me, and all I could see was the mocking skepticism in his eyes. “Valentina, I’ll see you soon. I can show myself out then. I’m sorry for disturbing you so late, ladies. Thanks for the coffee.”
I followed Rhett as he strode toward the door, my gaze darting up the front stairs. Was Rix up there watching and waiting?
Rhett paused, hand on the doorknob, and looked at me. “I know there’s more going on here than you’re ever going to admit, which means you don’t trust me. I hope to fuck you know what you’re doing, and you know who you’re trusting. Just . . . be careful.”
For some eerie reason, I had the distinct impression that Rhett didn’t need any late-night confessions from me because he already knew everything. But that couldn’t be right. And did I really know Rix? Maybe not, but I knew I could trust him with the life of someone I loved. And I really needed to hug the crap out of Trinity, so Rhett needed to get a move on right now.
“There’s nothing to worry about other than the jerk boyfriend of Trinity’s who tossed a brick through my window—”
Rhett interrupted me. “Save it, Valentina. You don’t need to keep lying to me. But I’m willing to listen if and when you change your mind.” He glanced over my shoulder to where Trinity stood. “My door is open to either of you. Anytime.”
With that, he stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind him. I threw the dead bolt and spun, running to Trinity. She met me in the middle of the foyer and threw her arms around me. Tears soaked the shoulder of my shirt.
“I’m so sorry. So sorry,” she said as she sobbed.
I smoothed her hair and squeezed her tight. “Oh, baby. You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. None of this is your fault.”
Her words were broken by shaking breaths. “I dragged you into all of this. I’m so sorry.”
“Shhh. It’s okay. Everything’s okay now that you’re safe. That’s all that matters, honey. It’s okay.”
The stairway creaked again, and this time it was Rix coming down. He stopped a few feet from where Trinity and I were hugging it out.
“You take care of your girl. I’ll be back later. Got some more shit to do.”
Tears welling in my own eyes, I nodded, even though I wanted to argue with him and demand the entire story. Trinity’s head lifted from my shoulder at the sound of his voice. She turned toward him in my arms, her voice a little shaky.
“Thank you. For everything. I’m sorry about . . . everything too.”
I didn’t know what she was apologizing to Rix for, but I’d get the details from her soon enough.
“You thank me by doing what I asked of you. Got that?”
Her nod was quick and short.
“Good. Be back soon as I can, duchess.”
He turned for the portico, and that’s when I noticed the dark stain on the side of his dark gray T-shirt.
What the hell?
My eyes followed Rix as he walked toward the door. His movements were a fraction slower and more careful than normal.
“Wait, Rix. Are you okay?”
My eyes flicked to Trinity, who stared directly at the floor.
Clearly, I missed something big.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back when I can.”
I started toward him, not willing to accept that non-explanation. He reached out to fend me off, but I was quicker. Yanking up his T-shirt, I saw a large gauze pad taped over his side, and my stomach twisted. My gaze cut to his flashing silver one.
“What the hell happened tonight?”
“You can wait to hear it until I’m back.”
“But you’re hurt!”
“Ain’t the first time and won’t be the last. Settle down, duchess. Your man ain’t exactly fragile.”
“No, but he sure is stubborn.”
Rix tugged the shirt out of my grip and let it fall over the bandage. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me closer. “Glad to see we’re finally on the same page.” He pressed a hard kiss to my lips before releasing me and spinning toward the door.
He was gone before I could think of another thing to say.
Trinity’s awestruck voice came from behind me. “He’s your man? Damn, I missed out on a lot.”
It had been a week since I’d last seen Trinity, and the magnitude of the changes in my life in such a short span of time was ridiculous.
Crossing the foyer to her, I hugged her again, squeezing her tight in my arms. “I’m so glad you’re safe.” Trinity shook again and after another round of tears, I finally pulled away and asked, “What in the world happened?”
Her expression shuttered immediately. “You’re gonna have to ask Rix, because he told me I couldn’t tell you anything.”
Excuse me? He did what?
“I don’t care what he told you. This is between you and me.”
Trinity shook her head. “I can’t. He’s Rix.”
I knew who he was, and I didn’t see how that registered as important.
Trinity and I were only a few inches apart in height, so looking down into her dark brown eyes was no difficult task. “You know you can tell me anything. I’ve been worried to death about you. Rix promised he’d get you home safely, and said there was no guarantee that the police could do the same. That’s the only reason I didn’t send a SWAT team after you the first night.”
Trinity’s smile wobbled. “I know that. I talked to him the day after they grabbed me. He told me he’d kill them if they hurt me, and they knew it too.” With a hiccupping sob, she continued. “He also told me you were losing your shit being worried about me, and I was going to have to be on my best behavior for the rest of my natural-born life to make it up to you.” Her tears dried up when she added, “He’s really protective of you. I don’t know what kind of voodoo you worked on that man, but I’d say he’s gone for you, girl. Maybe even in love with you.”
And that’s when I knew my eighteen-year-old Trinity was back without lasting harm, because even though her boyfriend had gotten her kidnapped, she was still a hopeless romantic.
Which reminded me, I’d never once asked for an update on D-Rock. Subconsciously, I probably feared I might murder him myself. I also wasn’t about to bring him up now to her, especially if her story about them breaking up was true.
“Are you hungry? I can fix you something.”
Her giggle was quick, assuring me once again that all was going to be just fine. “How about I fix something, because I don’t think I’ll ever get the smell of burned grits washed from my nose after that one time.”
My glare was playful. “I’m still blaming a malfunctioning timer. My cooking skills aren’t that bad.”
Trinity laid a hand on my shoulder, her expression mock-sober. “If you want to keep Rix, whatever you do, don’t cook for him. Your skills aren’t gonna catch any man.”
“Impertinent child.” I shook my head, crossed to the counter, and made myself comfortable on a bar stool. “Your punishment is cooking for both of us.”
“And your man. But don’t even try to claim it was you. You’ll never live up to my skills in the kitchen.”
“Brat.”
Trinity’s laughter was the best sound I’d heard in weeks.
She still wouldn’t give up any details. I’d pushed and prodded throughout the late-night snack she’d prepared, but Trinity had stonewalled me. With a sigh of exasperation, I’d settled her in the downstairs guest room that she preferred and retreated to my own bed, which was empty.
Lying awake for another hour, I wondered if Rix was indeed coming back. When I drifted off sometime in the dark of the night, I was still alone.
“YOU GONNA GET THAT LOOKED at?”
The familiar voice stopped me in my tracks as I reached for the door handle of my Escalade two blocks awa
y from Valentina’s. I turned to see good ole Detective Hennessy leaning against his Jeep, which was parked a few cars down from mine.
Fuck, pain is killing my mojo. No one got the drop on me, but then again, I didn’t usually roll alone after a bullet wound.
“The fuck you want, Hennessy?”
“The truth. I know you were in her house. I know you made sure the girl was there. Valentina Noble might think I’m stupid, but we both know that isn’t the case. I see through both your bullshit.”
“Not sure why you’re even worried about it. The girl is home safe.”
“And I can close my case really fucking quick if it was really D-Rock who tossed that brick through the window.” Hennessy pushed off the Jeep and walked toward me.
“You’re a detective. It shouldn’t be that difficult to figure it out.”
“It wasn’t D-Rock. It was the FNDs, wasn’t it? I don’t buy the breaking up with the boyfriend story, even though the girl would be better off it that were true.”
The good detective knew exactly who my biggest rival was, so it wasn’t much of a leap. He nodded down at the wound that had soaked through both the bandage and my shirt and the blood that dripped down onto my jeans.
“You start a war?” he asked.
“I don’t start anything. I’m more of a finisher.”
“Bullshit. You’ve started your fair share these last few years. Isn’t it getting old yet, Rix? Or is it really that good to be king?”
“Maybe you should give it a try. Walk on the dark side and see how it feels.”
“I’m not built that way, and we both know it.”
“You never know until you try.”
“Cut the shit. You know you’ve got no shot at something real with Valentina. You’re gonna end up hurting her.”
The laugh that escaped sounded rusty, even to my ears. “That’s what you really tracked me down to say, isn’t it? To appeal to the noble side I don’t have? To get me to walk away from her by telling me it’s better for her?”
Hennessy crossed his arms over his chest. “You know I’m right. And we both know whatever noble side you might have isn’t missing completely, just buried deep.”
“I’m not walking away. No way in hell.”
“So you’re gonna drag her into the shitstorm you call a life?”
I glared at him. “If she’s willing. God knows I can protect her.”
Hennessy dropped his arms, hands clenching into fists, and I wondered if he was going to swing at me.
“Hope you’re sure about that.”
“I’d bet my life on it.” I stepped up to him, so our chests were only inches apart. “So you can drop your fascination with her right now. She’s under my protection, and if it comes down to her or me, I’ll lay down to keep her safe. You get that?” I touched my hand to my side and lifted my blood-covered palm. “I bled to save her girl, but I’d die for her.”
Hennessy stepped back. “You love her.”
His words hit me like another bullet to the body. But this was a welcome blow. My brain might not have gotten to the word first, but that’s exactly what I felt for her.
“Goddamned right I do.”
“Then I guess I really was fighting a losing battle.”
I shrugged off the comment as a surge of energy roared through me. What did that mean? My future was a dark and winding road, and the exits off the path I’d taken were few and far between. But I would make it work. I would find a way to have her in my life and keep her safe.
“I’d say I’m sorry, but we both know I’m not.”
Hennessy shrugged, but I could tell losing his shot at Valentina bothered the hell out of him. He didn’t dwell on it, though.
“You got any information for me? On my brother?”
“You bowing out gracefully?”
“Depends on what you’ve got.”
Did I want to tell him what I’d learned? I was already bleeding from one hole in my body tonight.
“Look, man. I think you should drop this one. Let the dicks in Internal Affairs figure out what happened. You don’t want to go digging here.”
Green eyes drilled into mine. “You know something, and you’re gonna fucking tell me.”
“Nothing but the word of a tweaker who’d been hanging around the warehouse before the bust went down.”
“So fucking tell me what he said.”
“You don’t want to hear it.”
Hennessy’s entire body tensed as if he was bracing for a blow. “Just fucking tell me.”
“He said he heard someone answer to the name Hennessy in that same warehouse the day before it went down. Had heard the name on the street a few days before too. It’s not looking good.”
“I don’t fucking believe it.”
I cleared my throat. “He had a wire, man. He says he recorded it.”
Hennessy surged forward and grabbed a handful of my T-shirt. “Where the fuck is it? I want it right the fuck now.”
The only reason I didn’t put him on his ass for touching me was the pained expression on his face. Finding out your blood was dirty was no picnic.
“Don’t have it. But I can try to track it down for you. Chances are, the recording’s already in someone’s case file somewhere. You might have a way faster time finding it than me. Then again, if you find it and it’s what I think it is, you’ve got exactly the proof you don’t want.”
“Fuck off. He wasn’t dirty. I don’t believe it.”
I untwisted his hand from my shirt and stepped back. “Then find the tape. Someone in the cop shop has to have it.”
We stared at each other for long moments before Hennessy backed away toward his Jeep.
“This isn’t over, Rix. Not by a long shot.”
“I didn’t figure it was.”
“Keep looking.”
“Stop sniffing around my woman.”
“Keep her safe and happy then.”
“Don’t fucking need to tell me that.”
“Later, Rix.”
“Detective.”
THE GRAZE ON MY SIDE kept bleeding, and I wasn’t about to bring the blood that colored my world into Valentina’s bed. A visit to an old friend, a retired ER doc in a subdivision near Lake Pontchartrain, fixed me up.
He raised his eyebrows plenty, but he didn’t ask questions. We’d met when his kid had gotten tangled up in the wrong crowd—my kind of crowd—and he’d been desperate to get him back on the straight and narrow. I’d run my own version of Scared Straight and the kid had nearly pissed himself. This life was hard, and some middle-class kid who had plenty of other options for his future and parents who gave a shit didn’t have any business getting involved.
We’d capped off his experience with a trip to the morgue, and a few looks at the unfortunate sons of bitches who’d been on the wrong side of a drive-by bullet had him puking up his lunch in a trash can.
That was the best way I could explain this life. If you want to live until you’re old and rocking on your front porch, your white-haired woman beside you, then don’t get in it.
But what did that mean for me? Fuck, I’d never intended to fall in love. Didn’t even see that shit coming. But I also couldn’t deny it. Couldn’t stop it. Didn’t want to change it. My path was filled with land mines. I couldn’t bring her down it. I couldn’t do that to anyone I gave a damn about.
So that left me with two options: find a new path or let her go.
Hennessy would be fucking waiting with open arms if I did it. Might be better for her, but I wasn’t about to give her up. No one’s future was final. I had plenty of power, and just maybe I could find a way to have it all. I liked that idea. Having it all.
As I made my way through the darkened yards of the Garden District to get into Valentina’s the back way, I moved slower than normal because of the pain in my side. Didn’t want to tear the good doctor’s stitches out. Maybe the first thing on my list of having it all would be a key to her place.
As I slippe
d through her back gate and up to the door I used routinely to break in, I laughed to myself. A guy like me didn’t need a key because you couldn’t keep me out anyway. I also needed to upgrade Valentina’s security system. It wasn’t much of a challenge anymore.
Making my way quietly through the house because I knew Trinity was sleeping somewhere, I headed for the stairs.
The girl’s voice stopped me. “Did you get an update on Derrick?”
Trinity had asked me more than once. All three times I’d forced the FNDs to let me talk to her to assure her safety, and then again after shit had gone down and we’d gotten out of there. I wasn’t the only one to catch a bullet, but my guy’s wounds had been superficial compared to the FNDs. We’d left two bodies behind when shit had gone south. Trinity didn’t know that either. She’d been a good kid and run when I’d told her to run.
But D-Rock. Fuck. I’d kept telling her he was recovering from the car wreck, which was true, but he was also recovering five states away and had been banned from coming back to NOLA because he’d pissed me the fuck off. She didn’t need him screwing up her life again. Because of the respect I had for Valentina, I’d keep D-Rock as far away from the girl as I possibly could.
“Not tonight.”
Her face fell.
“Shouldn’t you be in bed, girl?”
Shuffling her feet, she shrugged. “Yeah, but I wanted to talk to you first.”
“Okay. Talk.” My patience was running thin after the clusterfuck of a night, especially now that I was only steps away from Valentina’s bed.
“You’re going to tell her what happened, right? Because I didn’t tell her anything.”
Well, that was good at least.
“I’ll tell her.”
The girl finally met my eyes, and concern lined her face. “She’s good people. Please make sure you know what you’re doing with her. I don’t want to see her get hurt. She doesn’t know that I know, but she’s been through some tough stuff. She deserves her happily-ever-after.”
Getting warned off from another source wasn’t doing anything to improve my mood. But these two shared a bond that I didn’t quite understand, so I wasn’t going to question it.