by Tia Siren
I went back inside, locked up tight, and headed back to my bedroom. I stood in the doorway and watched Scarlett sleep. She looked so small in my large bed, so weak.
“What am I going to do with you?” I whispered into the dark.
Chapter Eighteen
Scarlett
I could feel the sun on me and knew it was late. I opened my eyes and blinked several times. Cameron was lying next to me, his back to me. I missed waking up to his arms wrapped around me, holding me tight against him. I had tried to snuggle close to him several times throughout the early-morning hours, but he had gently pushed me away.
I wiped my eyes, knowing the makeup from the night before was probably smeared. I likely resembled something from The Walking Dead. I sat up and carefully extricated myself from the blankets and padded on bare feet into the adjoining bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face and smeared a little toothpaste on my finger and rubbed it over my teeth. It wasn’t exactly a toothbrush, but it would get rid of the morning breath.
When I opened the door to his room, he was just waking up. I instinctively put an arm across my naked breasts before finding my clothes from the night before and quickly dressing.
“Good morning,” he said in a voice rough with sleep.
“Good morning. I’ll go make us some coffee,” I told him, quickly leaving the bedroom again.
I remembered where everything was and had fresh coffee waiting by the time he came out of the bedroom.
“Did you get any sleep at all?” I asked, taking in his bloodshot eyes and his black hair sticking up at the back of his head.
He rubbed a hand over his bare chest. “Not much. How about you?”
I felt a little guilty. “I slept pretty good, actually. You make me feel safe.”
He nodded but didn’t bother responding to my compliment. He walked around me, grabbed a cup from the cupboard, and poured himself a cup of coffee. I leaned my butt against the counter, waiting for him to kiss me good morning or touch me in general.
He didn’t even try. In fact, it was just the opposite. He was going out of his way to keep his distance from me. I could feel the difference between two days ago and now. The man was pulling back and shutting me down.
I cleared my throat. “I should probably get going.”
“Where are you going?” he asked in a gruff voice.
“Home.”
“I’ll make some breakfast.”
“That’s okay. I don’t expect you to feed me. I’ll grab something at home,” I said, trying to sound casual.
He reached out and wrapped his fingers around my wrist. “Stay. Have breakfast, or I guess it would technically be lunch. There’s no need for you to rush out the door.”
I nodded, wanting to stay. I didn’t want to go home. I didn’t want to be alone.
“Thank you. I can help,” I said.
“I got it. Have a seat.”
The warmness I had felt from him earlier in the week was gone. He was trying to be nice and go through the motions, but he was different. I silently cursed Isaac. The man was going to be a dark shadow hanging over me the rest of my life if I didn’t do something to make him stop. I just had to figure out what that something was.
When Cameron brought the eggs, toast, and bacon to the table, he seemed a little more relaxed.
“Are we going to talk about last night?” I asked.
“Do we need to?”
“Yes. You’re angry. I can see it and feel it,” I said, trying not to sound as hurt as I felt.
“I’m not mad at you,” he said on an exhaled breath. “I’m mad at the situation. I’m mad this guy has the ability to ruin a perfectly good night.”
I scoffed. “You and me both. I think I’m stuck with him. I don’t know how to get rid of him.”
“Neither do I, but it’s clear he isn’t stable. He’s a real threat. I’ll talk to my boss at work and see if he knows a way around the red tape.”
I took a bite of toast and nodded. “That’d be great.”
We ate in tense silence for a while before he wiped his mouth and looked at me. I could see by the look in his eyes that I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
“I need to think about my daughter,” he started. “I know you have no control over what that man does, but if him thinking we’re together has escalated his violent behavior, it’s time to reconsider.”
I sucked in a breath. He reached out and covered my hand with his.
“I’m not saying this is your fault. I’m not going to leave you alone to handle this, but, Scarlett, I think pushing the guy into a jealous rage is a bad decision. Guys like him are not rational. They don’t think like us. He isn’t going to be able to make good judgment calls when he’s freaking out. I don’t want Ella caught in the crossfire.”
I nodded, staring down at my plate. I didn’t want him to see the tears glistening in my eyes. I didn’t want him to feel guilty. He wasn’t the one hurting me; that rested solely on Isaac’s shoulders. I took a few cleansing breaths and got my emotions under control.
“You’re right,” I said in a clear voice. “You are absolutely right, and I won’t let you be a part of this.”
I stood up and took my half-eaten breakfast to the trash, scraping the contents into the bin. I quickly rinsed my dish and the pan he had used to make the breakfast and stuck it in the dishwasher. I could feel him watching me. I wasn’t going to look at him. I couldn’t.
“All right, I should get going. I’m going to head up to Careywood today and probably stay the night up there.”
“Scarlett, wait. Please, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
I offered him a faint smile. “I’m not upset. I don’t want to be in town, and it’s a good time to visit.”
“I’ll walk you home,” he said, standing and walking toward me.
I held up a hand, silently telling him to keep his distance.
“No, thanks. I’ll be fine. Be careful at work tonight. I’ll see you around,” I said before skirting around him and heading out the front door.
I quickly showered and changed, threw some things in an overnight bag, and headed for home. I called Hannah on my way and asked if she could meet for an early dinner.
“You look like you had a rough night,” she said, looking at my face devoid of makeup.
I shrugged. “Isaac showed up at the bar me and Cameron were at.”
Her face paled and her mouth dropped open. “Oh no. Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Yes. Except now that Cameron has seen just how unhinged Isaac is, he wants nothing to do with me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he found a way to boot me out of the house I’m living in. I don’t think he wants me in the same state.”
“What did Isaac do?”
I took a deep breath. “He was drunk and acting like his usual jackass self. He actually got in Cameron’s face.”
Hannah chuckled. “How is that even physically possible? Cameron towers over him.”
“We were sitting at our table. Isaac sat next to me, and the two of them were nose to nose. Isaac isn’t the least bit intimidated by Cameron. I had hoped his size would scare him off or the fact that he was a cop. Nothing scares Isaac,” I said, shaking my head as I accepted my reality.
There was no scaring Isaac off. There was no threatening him or intimidating him. Isaac had the notion he was untouchable and invincible. Those were not two qualities I admired, especially in a man like him.
“I think Cameron can handle himself,” Hannah quipped. “The guy is built like The Rock.”
“It isn’t always about the biggest muscles. Isaac’s crazy. What if he tries to shoot him?”
“Don’t think like that. Maybe Isaac had to say his piece, and now that he’s seen you with another man, he’ll back off. Which reminds me, what is it with you and Cameron?” She said his name in a singsong voice.
“Nothing. Well, we’re fake engaged, but I think that imploded sometime around three this morning.”
She was l
ooking at me as if she hadn’t heard me right. “You’re what? How does one get fake engaged?”
I hadn’t wanted to tell her what I did. I felt like an idiot. It had been a stupid idea, and obviously it wasn’t working. I filled her in on the story. When I was finished, she was glaring at me.
“Quit giving him a minute of your time!” she said a little too loudly for the restaurant.
“I thought it would help,” I protested.
She shook her head, muttering under her breath. “You were wrong. You made him angry, Scarlett. Now I’m really going to be worried about you. You need to take some self-defense classes and buy a gun.”
“I’m not buying a gun,” I said firmly.
“Then mace or a Taser. You have to learn how to protect yourself. Don’t make me call your mother,” she warned.
I burst into laughter. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Ha! You just wait until I tell your mother.”
“My mom already knows.”
Hannah shook her head and wagged her finger at me. “You’re lying. Don’t lie to me. I know you too well.”
I groaned. “Fine. She knows about some of it.”
“When is that damn security system getting installed?”
“I don’t know. My dad said they were about two weeks out.”
“You don’t have two weeks,” she shot out.
“Relax. I don’t need you helping me panic. I’m doing just fine on my own in that department.”
She shoved a bite of salad into her mouth. “So, what’s this with you and Cameron? You seem pretty bummed over the breakup of an engagement that wasn’t even real.”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you like him?” she asked in a serious tone.
“I don’t know.”
“Bullshit. You do too know. Tell me.”
“I want to like him, but I have so much baggage. He isn’t interested in a relationship with anyone, let alone someone who puts his daughter’s life in jeopardy. I like hanging out with him and he’s really fun to be around, but I know it’s too soon,” I said, longing for the “too soon” part to be over.
“I don’t think he’s your rebound guy if that’s what you’re worried about,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“I went from Isaac to him. I think that makes him Mr. Rebound,” I pointed out.
“I guess time will tell. I didn’t get to talk to him a whole lot, but he seemed like a good guy. He’s got his shit together, and he has that one thing every woman looks for in a man.” She winked.
I raised an eyebrow, assuming she was referring to the size of his dick. “I’m not giving you details.”
She burst into laughter. “Get your mind out of the gutter! I’m talking about maturity. He’s not old, but he has that wise feeling about him. Trust me, maturity in a man is something I wish I had.”
I laughed. Jake was a guy’s guy. He was ambitious but not exactly focused.
“I better get going. I told my parents I would be there by six. They’ll freak out if I’m late.”
We stood and hugged good-bye before I headed to my parents’ house. I dreaded telling them about the latest with Isaac, but I had promised I wouldn’t keep anything else from them. I had hidden the problems with him for too long. When they had found out what had been happening in our relationship, they’d been furious and hurt that I hadn’t trusted them enough.
I wouldn’t do that to them again, not after everything they had done to get me free of the man. If only their efforts had worked.
Chapter Nineteen
Cameron
I heard the alarm on my phone going off. I thought about ignoring it and sleeping for another hour, but I couldn’t. I was going to spend the day with Ella, even if I had only crawled into bed about four hours ago. I had texted my mom before I went to bed, letting her know I would come by and pick Ella up.
I didn’t want my mother coming by the house. I wasn’t sure if Isaac would be watching or not. The last thing I needed was the lunatic following my mom home.
I rolled out of bed and quickly sent a text to my mom, letting her know I’d be there in half an hour. I showered and did my best to appear like a member of the living and headed out to pick up Ella.
“How about we invite Uncle Noah over for a barbecue? It’s a nice day, probably the last warm day of the year,” I said to Ella in the back seat.
“I want a hot dog,” she declared.
“Hot dog it is. We’ll pick up some steaks for me and Noah.”
We stopped at the grocery store and grabbed what we needed before heading home. Before I got her out of the back seat, I checked around the neighborhood, looking for any unfamiliar cars. Scarlett’s car wasn’t in her driveway, which I hoped meant she was still at her parents’ house.
Noah showed up an hour later with a six-pack of beer and a bag of chips.
“Look what I brought for you,” Noah cooed, dropping to one knee.
He held up a bag, and Ella came running over.
“You’re spoiling her,” I grumbled.
“I can if I want to.”
Ella looked inside and squealed. “Bubbles!”
“There’s more,” Noah said, shaking the bag.
Ella pulled the bottle of bubbles out before reaching in and squealing again. “Chalk!”
“That should keep you busy,” Noah told her.
I laughed. It would keep her entertained for maybe an hour. Ella set off, running in circles in the backyard, bubbles streaming behind her.
“Here,” I said, handing Noah a cold beer from the ice chest by the patio table.
“Man, have you heard the latest?” Noah asked in a low voice.
I could tell by the tone of his voice it had to do with work.
“I don’t think so. What’s up?”
“That meth house they took down last week. They never did get the guy they believed was responsible. DEA has dubbed him The Cooker. I guess they’ve been on his trail for nearly a year, but they have yet to catch him. He sets up these houses, gets some lackeys to work in the houses, and stays away,” he said.
“Why didn’t they say anything at the first briefing? Our guys could have been walking into something dangerous,” I growled, hating the lack of communication between the agencies.
Noah shrugged one of his big shoulders. “They didn’t know it was him until our guys got the evidence.”
“So now what?” I asked, knowing that wasn’t the end of the story.
“The guy’s already back at it.”
“What?” I said, slamming the lid on the barbecue.
Noah swallowed a chug of beer. “Yep. Already back at it. Chief has been having a lot of closed-door meetings with the guys from the DEA. I have a feeling something big is in the works.”
“Damn, how did I miss all this?”
“You’ve been busy.”
“I’ve been distracted. All this other stuff is moving my focus from the job. That isn’t good,” I said, just realizing how dangerous that really was.
“You’re fine. Give yourself a break.”
“Do they have any leads at all?” I asked, hoping for good news.
“Nothing. Not even a hint. The people that have been taken down with the houses aren’t talking. They are terrified of whoever this dude is. The DEA is working around the clock to find out who he is. The guy knows how to cover his tracks. He’s practically a fucking ghost,” he growled.
“It’s going to be a joint effort, isn’t it?” I asked, knowing the answer.
“You know it’s coming. I just hope they do their homework before they send us out to take this guy down. I don’t like going in blind.”
“Me either. Is this guy dangerous? I mean, they have an idea there is one guy, so they must have some thoughts about what he’s all about. What if he’s just a sleazy drug dealer? They are a dime a dozen. Why is this guy special?” I asked, wanting a clearer picture about what was really going on.
“They think so. He was down
south. They’ve tracked him up here. He’s wanted for murdering an agent along with a string of employees,” Noah said in a low rumble. “The guy is some sort of cartel leader.”
“Cartel? What are you talking about? How did we jump from meth cooker to cartel?” I asked with irritation.
“I’m not saying he is a cartel leader; I’m saying he’s on the same level. This is a new breed of drug dealers. They create their own little army of workers who are fiercely loyal. When one of them steps out of line, he kills them. Doesn’t that say cartel to you?”
“Shit. We’ve got to stop this guy. These guys are like a cancer. I wish we could radiate their offices right off this earth,” I growled.
“I agree. I want the guy caught. We have enough problems in this city without adding a guy like that to the mix.”
The sound of a car nearby had us both on alert. I followed the sound and saw Scarlett getting out of her car. She didn’t look our way and went straight inside her house. I was going to talk to her about that. She needed to be more aware of her surroundings. Isaac could have been waiting in the bushes and she would have had no idea.
“What’s that about?” Noah said, nodding toward Scarlett’s house.
I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “She’s my neighbor.”
“Neighbor with benefits,” he said with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like that.”
“What would you call it then?”
I poked at our steaks on the grill before adding more seasoning. “I’m helping her out.”
Noah let out a deep laugh. “Is that what that’s called?”
“No. I’m really helping her out. She’s got a crazy ex and needs him to think we’re together. She keeps trying to break up with him, and he won’t take no for an answer. She told him she’d moved on—with me.”
He nodded his head slowly up and down. “Together, huh? How’s that going to help? Isn’t that like pouring fuel on the fire—you being the fuel?”
“I hope not,” I mumbled. I looked over at Ella, who was coloring on the sidewalk. “She told him we’re engaged.”