“Any why just one pill?”
“If the police don’t know how you were poisoned, it’s really fucking hard to investigate. Although, with all that forensics and medical examiners can do nowadays, I’d have to be really fucking careful. But if I use something that’s in a capsule and completely empty the medicine from the capsule, I can replace it with the poison, and theoretically, no one would be able to even trace it to the source. No source, no way of finding the killer.”
“You’ve really thought this out.”
I shrugged. “That’s just off the top of my head. I’m sure I could come up with something better if given the chance to really think about it.”
“So, you wouldn’t just kill me and dump the body?”
“Dead people are always found. It might not happen for thirty years, but the body is eventually found, and the killer also. There are too many risks. Of course, I suppose I could always call in a hit from a burner phone, and have someone else dead drop the money.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re kind of psycho?”
“No. And I’m not psycho. You just bring it out in me.”
“Sure, blame the victim.”
“You are most definitely not the victim. Not even close. You kidnapped me, remember?”
She let out a big yawn and snuggled in a little closer, though I don’t think she realized that she did it. “You told me that I was the worst kidnapper you’d ever met.”
“Yeah, well, I may have gone along just to see what would happen.”
It was silent for a few minutes, and I thought she might have fallen asleep, but then she turned her head up to look at me. “You said you had responsibilities to get back to. Were you talking about your job or do you have someone waiting on you?”
I just stared at the ceiling, not wanting to say anything about Evie. As far as I was concerned, Brooke was a job and had nothing to do with my daughter. After I got Brooke home and we went through the arraignment, she wouldn’t be my problem anymore. There was no point in talking about anything personal with her.
“Just work,” I finally said. I felt her body go lax against mine and sighed, hating that I actually liked the feel of her against me. It didn’t bode well for me. I just had to stick to my plan and my rules. I wouldn’t be sleeping with her again, so I didn’t have to worry about that. But just as I thought that, I remembered what it was like when I was fucking her, and that set off a chain reaction in my body that I just couldn’t control. I closed my eyes and counted backwards. I named all of the men I could remember from when I served overseas. I thought of Evie and my killer robot. But still, nothing deterred my body from what it was feeling.
She shifted against me, running her hand across my chest as she moaned slightly. My cock twitched and I looked down, praying that I didn’t spring a full-on woody. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself if that happened. I let my head drop back to the hard floor and stared at the ceiling. Slowly, my cock softened just enough that it wasn’t painful and my body relaxed until I drifted off to sleep.
✯✯✯✯✯
“They look so fucking cute.”
“I knew it would happen eventually. Let’s face it, after what just happened, it was only a matter of time before the fucker got his head out of his ass.”
“Still, it’s kind of sad, you know? It’s like the end of an era. He’s falling and soon there will only be two left. What the fuck are we supposed to do after that?”
I peeled my eyes open and glared at the two assholes standing outside the cell. They were both grinning at me, leaning so casually against the opposite wall that we could be at a fucking barbecue. Their conversation came back to me, and that was when I realized that I wasn’t in the same position I had been in before. No, I was most definitely in a different position.
Brooke was now laying on the other side of me, facing away from me with her head resting on my outstretched arm. I was snuggled right up to her ass and my arm was draped over her possessively, while my leg was snuggled between both of her legs. It took a moment for my brain to come online and realize that I needed to get my ass up. If she woke up with me draped all over her body, there was going to be hell to pay. I started to shift, but I was too late. She gripped onto my arm and pulled me in closer.
“Stay, Rocco,” she mumbled sleepily.
My eyes sprung wide open and I looked at the guys in panic. I needed to extricate myself from this situation before she started to think that we were a couple or some shit. I jerked my head, motioning for the guys to intervene, but Derek just grinned at me. Hunter stepped forward, but I had the feeling he wouldn’t be any help.
“What’s up, man? You need a blanket? Are you not warm enough?”
I glared at him, biting down hard to stop from fucking yelling at him.
“Hold up, I’ll be right back.”
“Pappy,” I whisper-hissed. “Get your ass back here.” But he just kept walking. “Derek, come on, man,” I pleaded.
“What do you want me to do? You’re the one holding her and cradling her all gentle-like.”
I tried to pull my arm away from her, but she had a vise-like grip. I was so fucked. Then, as if she knew exactly what to do, she ground her ass back against my growing erection and groaned. I bit my lip hard, not stopping until I drew blood. It didn’t work though.
“Rocco, God, I need you to fuck me,” she moaned. I wasn’t sure if she was awake, but my cock definitely was, and it was fucking painful.
“Please,” I pleaded with Derek. He pulled his lips between his teeth and his shoulders started shaking with laughter. “Asshole,” I ground out.
Hunter walked back down the hallway, grinning like an idiot as he tossed the blanket at me through the bars. When Brooke pushed back against me again, my eyes crossed as I tried to control myself. I tore my arm away from her, not fucking caring anymore if I woke her up. Scrambling away from her, I hid like a scared rabbit on the other side of the very small cell. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.
“Why’d you leave?”
I looked at her in panic when she got to her knees and started crawling toward me. She looked like a cat on the prowl.
“Just…just stay where you are. Don’t come any closer.”
“Rocco, don’t be like that. You know we have something special.”
I glanced at the guys, but they were just laughing at me. I inched closer to the front of the cell, hoping that if she got ahold of me, I could at least plead with the guys for mercy. Maybe if I yelled really loud, the guard would come running. I gripped each bar, slowly moving to the front, jumping when she reached out for me. I finally got to the front corner and practically started climbing the bars to get away from her.
“Now, you just stay there. We’re not fucking, snuggling, or anything else that involves me being within five feet of you.”
“That’s not what you said last night,” she purred.
I started sweating profusely. I didn’t know how the hell to get away from this woman or how to convince her that I most definitely was not interested in what she had in mind.
“Rocco, come on. You know you want it too.”
“Want it?” I wiped the sweat from my forehead. “What I want is for you to back the fuck up.”
She stood and walked right up to me, boxing me into the corner of the cell. Her hands reached out, grasping onto my belt. I felt a tug and slapped her hands away.
“Stop,” I commanded.
She leaned forward, her warm breath hitting my neck before she licked at my ear. I flinched, slamming my head back against the bars. “You don’t want me to stop. You want me to suck you off, right here in front of your friends.”
My gaze flicked to them and I widened my eyes, pointing at them and motioning for them to take action. But the fuckers didn’t listen. They just stared at me, laughing behind their hands that covered their mouths. Her hands jerked at my belt again, but she was anything but playful right now. When she got to her knees and jerked at my pants, I whim
pered in fucking fear. I was half terrified that this woman was going to go through with the threat on her face. But the larger part of me was terrified that I seemed to be helpless against her.
I heard my pants clatter to the ground and squeezed my eyes shut. If she pulled out my cock right now, I would fucking lose it and fuck her mouth. And it wouldn’t stop there. I would have to have her over and over again, and then I would be a fucking goner. There was a reason that I didn’t have women stick around, and it wasn’t for fear that they would hurt me or because I didn’t believe in love. It was because deep down, I knew that with the right woman, I would fall hard and give her all of me. Deep down, I was a fucking romantic at heart, and that was a dangerous thing. I’d seen what happened to all the other guys. I’d seen how they worshipped the women they fell for and gave up their balls to be with them.
“Brooke, enough fucking with him,” Hunter laughed. “He’s about to pass out.”
My gaze shot down to Brooke’s and the evil grin she was sporting. Then my gaze flicked to the guys and I realized that they were all fucking playing with me. Clenching my jaw in anger, I yanked up my pants and quickly fastened them into place. Brooke got off her knees, laughing at the fool she had just made of me.
“I’m sorry, but you’re too easy. Did you really think that because we moved around in our sleep that I would suddenly fall in love with you and demand you…what? Be mine for the rest of your life?”
“That wasn’t fucking funny,” I growled.
“Oh, it was fucking hilarious. Just remember who played who first.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “That was different. You were trying to take me hostage.”
“And you’re trying to get me sent to jail,” she shot back.
I snapped my mouth shut. I didn’t have a good response for that. The door opened at the end of the hallway and the cop walked down the long hallway, grinning and stretching like he’d just woken up from the best fucking nap of his life.
“You lovebirds ready to hit the road? Transport is just pulling up.”
“Lovebirds?” Derek asked.
“Shit, I came in here to check on them last night and they were all cuddled up like lovers. It was really fucking cute. I took a picture.”
My face drained of color and Hunter jumped in. “Can I get a copy of that? For the records at Reed Security,” he said with a wink.
I was so fucked.
CHAPTER NINE
Rocco
She was fucked. The lawyer said that the insanity plea wouldn’t work because Brooke would no doubt open her mouth eventually. And then there were psych evaluations, and as soon as a psychologist talked to her, he or she would know that Brooke had done it in a fit of rage.
“Look, I can still try for the insanity plea, but honestly, I think it’s best if we just be honest and you show some remorse,” the lawyer advised Brooke. “This is your chance to tell the judge what happened and explain why you lost it. But you have to show that you’re sorry for what you’ve done.”
She snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “The only thing I’m sorry for is that I didn’t nail him in the balls before I fled.”
“That kind of talk will not get you out of trouble.”
“Alright,” she said, taking a deep breath. “So, what do I need to say?”
“Stick with the emotional side of things. Tell the judge what you walked in on, how you felt betrayed and angry. Tell her that you just lost it and wanted to hurt him the way he had hurt you.”
“Isn’t that going to get her into more trouble?” Cap asked.
“I’m banking on the fact that judges hear shit excuses all the time, and the breath of fresh air will help her out. There’s no way we can convince a judge that she’s not guilty. I want you to plead guilty, but ask for leniency since it’s your first offense. If you plead guilty, you’re showing the judge that you’re acknowledging your wrong doings and you’re willing to take the punishment.”
“I don’t know,” Brooke said hesitantly. “That seems like throwing in the towel.”
“Brooke,” the lawyer said firmly, “you attacked your boyfriend in front of a witness. You beat the shit out of his car in front of a witness. There is nothing you can say that will make anyone believe that it was an accident.”
“Fine,” Brooke grumbled.
“And Brooke, one more thing. Don’t try to do the fake tears. It’s just not going to work.”
They walked out of the room when the guard came in to tell them their case was up. I hung back for a moment with Cap.
“Why am I here?”
His eyes crinkled slightly. “I have a feeling you’re going to be very useful.”
Something about the look in his eyes had my hackles rising. This was not going to end well for me. “Cap, what are you planning?”
He shrugged. “We’d better get to the courtroom.” He slapped me on the back and walked out. Shit. This was going to be bad.
I walked into the courtroom and took my seat. I was only half-listening, ignoring most of what was going on around me. I was too busy trying to figure out what Cap and the lawyer were planning. Brooke took the stand, and surprisingly enough, she had her shit together and made a very good case for herself. She didn’t try and cry or plead. She just laid out what had happened, telling the courtroom how hard it was to walk in on what she did, and then to be further humiliated when she found out that her ex-boyfriend was planning to use her to put up a different image of who he really was. She told the judge she was sorry, and even turned to her ex, who was sitting behind the prosecution, and apologized for her behavior. I almost started fucking clapping.
“Ms. Sanders,” the judge said after Brooke took her seat. “I don’t condone what you did in any way. However, after what you walked in on, I’m not sure I can blame you for flipping out. Unfortunately, this is a court of law, and you assaulted a man and his property.”
“Your Honor,” the lawyer stood, “Ms. Sanders is very aware that what she did was wrong, and we’re not trying to downplay that by any means. We’re asking that you sentence her to house arrest. She’s never been in trouble with the law and she has some very strong ties to her community. In fact, one of our local businesses is here today in support of her.”
“Really. And what business would that be?”
Cap stood beside me. “Sebastian Reed, Your Honor. Owner of Reed Security.”
“And you’re prepared to vouch for this woman?”
“I am, Your Honor. In fact,” Sebastian turned to me with a grin. “The very man that was protecting her is willing to keep watch over her while she serves her sentence.”
What. The. Fuck. Was Cap out of his fucking mind? I was supposed to watch over her now? No, this job was supposed to be over as soon as the arraignment was done. And when that hadn’t happened, Cap promised me we were just ensuring that Brooke made it through okay. Now he wanted me to watch over her?
“Is this man here with you today?” the judge asked.
“Yes, he is, Your Honor.”
Cap motioned for me to stand, but I stayed planted in my fucking seat. There was no fucking way I was going through with this.
“Sir, if he’s here, he needs to make himself known.”
I shook my head at Sebastian, but when he glared at me, I finally gave in and stood. “Your Honor, my name is Rocco Turner.”
“And you’re prepared to watch over Ms. Sanders?”
I glanced at Cap, but when he narrowed his eyes at me, I knew I didn’t have a fucking choice in the matter. “Yes, Your Honor.”
“Your Honor,” the prosecutor stood. “We’re not prepared to let this woman off on house arrest. She violently attacked another citizen with a baseball bat. With all due respect, if someone else makes her angry, what’s to stop her from leaving her house and going after them? A monitor can only do so much, but it won’t protect people that are close to her.”
“Your Honor,” Cap spoke up, “Mr. Turner is prepared to have Ms. Sander
s relocate to his housing on the Reed Security property for the duration of her sentence. She will stay with him, where he can keep an eye on her, and everyone at Reed Security will make sure that she follows whatever guidelines you set.”
“No,” I said firmly. Watching out for her was one thing, but to move her into my space? Hell fucking no. I wasn’t doing it.
“Mr. Turner, frankly, I have to agree with the prosecution. Her crime was violent, and I’m not willing to put others at risk so that she doesn’t go to jail. The only way I’ll allow her to be released under house arrest is if she stays on the Reed Security property under your supervision.”
Fuck. I glanced at Brooke, looking at me like I was her lifeline, and I just couldn’t tell her no. I happened to agree with what she did. I think it took balls and I would want my daughter to fight back if some asshole did the same thing to her.
“Fine. I’ll agree to the terms, Your Honor.”
✯✯✯✯✯
“What the fuck were you thinking, Cap? I can’t have her in my space. You know how I like things.”
“I do.”
“Then why?”
“Oh, come on. It’s not going to be that bad.”
My eyes about bugged out of my head. “Not that bad. Are you fucking serious? I have a child, Cap. I can’t just have a stranger come live with me. That’s not fair to Evie.”
“Look, maybe it’ll be good for you. You’ll have a built-in babysitter.”
I scoffed, remembering my conversation with Brooke. “She doesn’t want a kid, and she doesn’t like their snotty noses. There’s no fucking way I’m letting her take care of my kid.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Wow, only two days on the run and you already covered having kids. I’m impressed.”
“We didn’t cover it. It just came up in conversation when I-”
I stopped myself from saying anything further, but Cap already had his nose to the ground and was sniffing out the story.
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