by AJ Nuest
She sputtered. He had to be joking. “Believe it or not, things were easier for us on the street. A person can only be fed so many lies, Kelly. They can only get kicked in the teeth so often before they wise up. Each of us had already lived our own personal version of hell through the system. We weren’t going back.”
“We?” He blinked, but Eden didn’t find disappointment in his gaze. No shame or pity. Only coldness. A detached curiosity as if he’d set aside his personal opinions so he could process the facts underneath.
Ah. He’d just strapped on his badge and gun. In that small moment behind his closed eyelids, he’d swapped out the sexy, insatiable lover for the hard-nosed detective. The Chicago city cop. The man hell bent on finding a killer.
And maybe that was best. Easier.
At the very least, flipping that particular switch was familiar.
“Three girls—me, Viv and Charlie—and this skinny kid we’d nicknamed X-ray because he was nothing but a bag of bones when Charlie found him. He’d been born on the street to a couple of meth heads, but don’t let that fool you. He was incredibly resourceful, and when Malcolm finally had him tested, none of us were surprised to find X-ray’s IQ was off the charts. Coupled with his size and street smarts, he was a valuable asset to have around.”
That kid could always shimmy into the smallest spaces. A small smile curled her lips at the memory, and she snatched a bottle of water off the floor and cracked the seal. “A few others came and went, but none of them ever stuck around very long. Not like the four of us. We stayed loyal to one another. Made sure to keep tabs so no one got lost.”
Kelly released her and leaned back on his arms, shoulders high, his pecs two slabs of well-defined muscle she wanted to trace with her tongue. Find out if those distinct ridges were as sharp as they looked.
The heel of his foot bumped her ass, and he squinted. “Yesterday, when we were at Smith’s place, you said there were only three of you left by the time Malcolm cut you loose. Who out of you four got booted?”
Wait, no. He misunderstood. She tipped the water to her lips for a deep swallow. The cold liquid gurgled really, really loud as it hit her empty stomach, and she darted a glance in his direction. “Sorry.”
They shared a quiet laugh and Kelly fell to the side on his elbow. He stretched one long arm toward the corner of the blanket, and Eden followed a raised blue vein down past his shoulder to the looping tattoo scrawled along his torso. He wrapped half a sandwich in a napkin and handed it to her, dished out equal amounts of fruit salad onto two paper plates and claimed the other half before he sat up.
He brought the toasted wedge to his mouth and then hesitated. “You got anything against turkey clubs?”
Not after a solid year of starving her ass off, worrying about where she might get her next meal. “I challenge you to find a food I don’t like.”
“Challenge accepted.” He bit into his half and she did the same.
The tangy flavor of Italian turkey exploded across her tongue. Oh, so good. The man made a mean sandwich—bacon, fresh tomato and lettuce, and even a slice of creamy avocado had been layered between two mayonnaise-slathered pieces of sourdough bread.
She hummed and helped herself to another bite. “Charlie was with us right up ʼtil the end. The competition was fierce, but Malcolm liked it that way. He said it pushed us to do our best. I knew coming in at number four had to suck so, after I was out on my own, I tracked Charlie down to make sure she was covered. Viv was out early. After about six months at Malcolm’s, she met a guy and bounced. I didn’t like him. The dude had wife beater written all over him, but Viv…”
Eden picked at her crust. God, how sad was it that still, after so much time apart, just the mention of Viv’s name brought on a serious case of the guilts? “She was in a bad way over some shit that had happened at our last foster house. To be honest, she needed someone to look after her and I just couldn’t do it, Kelly. Not if I wanted to maintain Malcolm’s schedule and make sure I came out on top. After she left, I tried mending fences.” Boy howdy, had she ever tried. “But Viv eventually stopped taking my calls. I think she developed a habit and was embarrassed. Or maybe she was just too far gone to care.”
The corners of Kelly’s eyes softened, and he brushed a piece of hair away from her cheek. “You two were close, huh?”
As close as Eden had ever been to anyone. “Viv and I met in foster care and had been together a long time. I’d started to think of her as my little sister, you know? Like I could somehow save her from the darkness.”
It had been a stupid idea. Too much damage had already been done, and the more Eden had tried to fix the problem, the farther Viv had run.
In the end, Eden had finally given up, but not before learning a valuable lesson. Sometimes, no matter how much she wanted to help someone, despite the lengths she was willing to go to or even if her efforts put everything she was at risk, the results didn’t matter.
People still left. Even when she’d tried her best and won, they left.
Hell, was it any wonder the only commitment she was comfortable making was to her work? “The three Malcolm chose to take over the business were me, X-ray and a young man by the name of Adder. I occasionally keep in touch with X-ray. He moves around a lot but, last I heard, was in Miami. Adder…God, I don’t know what happened to him. Malcolm didn’t encourage us to develop friendships, so Adder and I were never close. He went to London, I think.”
Kelly pursed his lips, scrubbing a hand along the dark bristle covering his jaw. “Any chance either of those two could be the guy who attacked you in the alley?”
“No.” Eden slashed a hand across the space between them. “That’s not even in the realm of possibilities.” Not unless either of them were looking to summon the wrath of hell à la Eden Smith.
She finished the last of her sandwich and grabbed her water, taking a moment to think through her explanation. X-ray would never put her in harm’s way, and for Adder to come after her would be just plain stupid. “During our time with Malcolm, he repeatedly drilled us on how important it was for us to remain loyal to one another. Our agreement to do so was critical. Enough that Malcolm had each of us put protective measures in place. He’d worked hard to get where he was and didn’t want the three-way split to weaken the business. He insisted we each set up a failsafe, so if one of us ever betrayed the other, the whole works would go up in smoke.”
But that guarantee had been an incentive she’d never needed, and she was proof positive Adder and X-ray felt the same. “None of us would risk destroying the entire business, Kelly. Not after everything we’d been through to succeed. With Malcolm…” She shook her head. God, this was hard to explain. “Prior to living with him, no one expected us to amount to anything. Afterward, we had far exceeded anyone’s expectations. That, alone, was worth our loyalty.”
Chin lowered, her sexy detective studied her from under his brows. “Right, but all that happened a long time ago, Eden. Sometimes people change their minds, and after seeing what you’re capable of, I gotta wonder if one of those boys started having second thoughts, maybe figured out a way to beat the system.”
No, no, the idea just didn’t make any sense. “Let me put it to you this way. It would be like…like if I said Archer was out gunning for you. And once he caught you, the entire Chicago PD would come crashing down around his shoulders.” She cupped a hand over her knee to stretch her spine. “You wouldn’t believe it, right? No matter what I said, you wouldn’t believe Archer would ever do something so stupid. So self-destructive. X-ray, Adder and I… Our training wasn’t just some silly game, Kelly. Malcolm altered our belief system. Our way of life.”
Flicking that same hand to dismiss the entire line of questioning, she brought the water to her lips for another swallow. “There would be absolutely no point and, besides, too much time has passed. I can’t imagine either of those guys coming back to kill Malcolm after eleven years.”
Kelly flin
ched and she slowly lowered the water bottle to her thigh. Uh, oh. Based on how the color had drained from his face, she’d just hit on something crucial. “What is it?”
He dropped his gaze to the cubed fruit on his plate. “Did you say eleven years?”
“That’s how long ago Malcolm retired.” She frowned. “Why? Is it significant?”
Scrunching his eyes tight, Kelly scrubbed his hand over his face. “Last night when Archer called…” He dropped his arm and rolled his face toward the ceiling. “Shit, having to tell you this is a fucking nightmare.”
Oh, God. In the silence that stretched, the wind howled in the chimney, and Eden shivered as the flames leapt like willow o’ the wisps dancing in a circle. Whatever was coming, she’d better strap in for a bumpy ride.
She placed her hand on his wrist and squeezed. “Just tell me. It’s okay.”
Lowering his focus to her, Kelly covered her hand with his and held tight. “Both Malcolm and Ruby were stabbed eleven times before they died.”
Chapter 14
Eden’s breath stalled.
Outside, the storm still raged. The lights flickered and rain pelted the sliding glass doors as if Kelly hadn’t just told her Malcolm had been the victim of the most gruesome murder imaginable.
But…why? Who the hell would do this? She searched Kelly’s face, looking for answers. Sure, her mentor had made enemies over the years, but what did Malcolm’s work have to do with Ruby? For God’s sake, what did Ruby have to do with her?
Eden jerked her hand back as the full brunt of Kelly’s words sank it. “Wait, before they died?”
He held her gaze, steady and sure, but remained silent. Not that it mattered. The remorse in his eyes said it all.
Something inside her snapped. Dark rage shot to the surface with the same intensity as the storm, and Eden gritted her teeth. As if doing so would stop the internal squall of her anger. As if that’s all it would take to deny what she already knew.
The son of a bitch had tortured them first. Both Malcolm and Ruby. Most likely, in an effort to gain some sort of information.
Her mind whirled and memories whipped through her head like the trees being tossed around by the wind. Howard Weaver had told her Ruby had washed up on the shores of Lake Michigan clutching a Dirty Deeds business card in her hand. Eden harbored no doubts Malcolm had been found much the same way.
“It’s me, isn’t it? It’s Dirty Deeds?” Her fingers curled into two tight fists on her thighs. “Somehow, I’m the defining link, and the killer was hoping if he punished Ruby and Malcolm enough, they’d give up my location.”
A dangerous glint honed the orange firelight in Kelly’s eyes. “You can’t know that for certain, Eden. No one can until we find out who did this and why.”
“That’s bullshit.” She swung one of her legs over his lap, but he grabbed her shoulders before she could stand. He was trying to placate her. Make it seem like none of this was her fault when they both knew the exact opposite was true. At some point during the past eleven years, she’d pissed off the wrong person.
“Okay, fine.” His fingers tightened to hold her in place. “I admit the killer wanting to find you was the first thing I suspected, but all the supposition in the world doesn’t prove a thing. Not in a court of law. Trust me when I tell you jumping to conclusions is the wrong move. Especially when it comes to the two of us making sure the asshole gets locked up for the rest of his life.”
Ha! She scoffed, nostrils flared. “I find out who did this and, I promise you, life behind bars is going to be the least of his problems.”
“There’s my girl.” Tiny bolts of electricity trickled into her palms as Kelly rubbed the tops of her arms. “And I promise to look the other way and handcuff whatever’s left once you’re done. But that doesn’t change what we need to do right now. Today.”
God, how annoying. Crossing her arms, she curled her top lip. “Playing by the rules sucks.” She wagged her finger at him. “And if anyone else besides you asked me to do it, I’d tell them to kiss my lily white ass.”
Kelly smirked. A second later, a husky chuckle flexed his stomach muscles and, with one swoop of his arm, he yanked her between his legs. His chest warmed her back as he planted a ticklish, razor-burning kiss between her shoulder and neck. “Well, I appreciate that, baby.”
Wow. So this was what it was like for the two of them to actually agree on something. Huh. It was nice, in a holy shit, the universe just folded in on itself sort of way.
She bent forward at the waist as he leaned over her to tug the plate of sandwiches closer. He handed her another wedge and then selected one for himself, settled her into the crook of his arm and reclined against a pile of throw pillows he’d tossed against the coffee table. “Okay, let’s start at the beginning. I want you to tell me everything you remember about Smith. Any small detail might be important, so don’t worry about going overboard.”
Easy for him to say. She’d have a simpler time describing the idiosyncrasies of Sherlock Holmes.
But Eden gathered her resolve and did as Kelly asked. She started talking and just kept on going until she’d spilled everything from beginning to end. The camaraderie she shared with Malcolm’s other protégés, the competition whenever they tried to out-do each other by pulling little odd jobs behind his back. The way his perfect diction tended to slur with a cockney accent if he downed too much sherry, and how the other kids had always teased her for being his favorite.
In a strange way, it was a huge relief to get everything out. Oddly cathartic. But the really bizarre thing was her solid footing as she skipped down that the slippery slope.
Normally, opening up about her past made her panicky. Claustrophobic. As if any second she might skid into the bottomless pit of her memories and be unable to climb back out.
But with Kelly, none of that happened. Even as the afternoon slid into evening and he asked her a clarifying question here or there, or made her backtrack over something for more detail, her lungs didn’t constrict. Her skin never got clammy and she didn’t have to fight off the paralyzing vertigo.
It wasn’t until after he’d banked the fire and resettled behind her, realization finally hit home. Her comfort was because he’d provided her a safety net. A quiet place free of judgment to just talk it all out.
What she didn’t know was how in the world she was ever supposed to thank him for that. Repaying him for something so invaluable was going to be damn near impossible.
By the time she’d told him everything she could remember, the two of them had finished nearly every bite of food and stretched out on the blankets, Kelly spooning her from behind, one arm wrapped around her waist and his legs tangled with hers as they faced the fire.
“Christmas was always a fun time. Malcolm made sure each of us received something directly related to our skill set. A professional set of lock picks for Charlie because she was the best thief in the group. State-of-the-art computer equipment for X-ray, and Adder always got firearms.” Eden glanced at Kelly over her shoulder, elbow bent and his head propped in his hand. “I swear to God, it was uncanny the way that kid could hit a moving target from over a hundred feet away.”
Humor sparkled in his eyes as he nibbled the sensitive skin along her upper arm. “And you? What’d you find under the tree?”
She bit her lip against a smile. Oh, no. He wasn’t getting off that easy. “Guess.”
He squeezed one eye closed and sucked a noisy breath through the side of his mouth. “Cutlery?”
A laugh bounced her chest, and she curled her fingers through his, pressing his palm tighter against her stomach. Check. At some point in the not-too-distant future, she’d have to replace his smoke detectors. “Nope, try again.”
He hummed, grimacing. “Disguises?”
“Bingo.” Another laugh escaped as he tugged her more squarely to his chest and buried his scruffy cheeks in her neck.
His lips lingered on that ticklish spot. He
r nipples peaked as he exhaled slow and hot into her hair. His teeth nipped her earlobe, and she sighed, guiding his hand up her ribcage until she’d centered his palm on her breast. God, the man was a turn-on from top to bottom.
“Dammit, woman, you’re distracting me from my investigation.” The ball of his thumb repeatedly brushed the tip of her nipple. He ran his splayed fingers down her side and clutched her hip, grinding up and down until his erection rode the seam of her bottom. “You’ve got the sweetest ass, you know that? One bump from those tight little curves and I’m hard as a rock.”
Oh, really? A thrill tingled down her legs into the tips of her toes. Her clit throbbed with the same tempo his heavy heartbeat reverberated into her back. She reached behind her and loosened the drawstring on his flannel pants, snuck her hand inside the gaping waistband and curled her fingers around the impressive thickness of his shaft.
He hissed as she slid her hand down, adding pressure near the base. A quick yank on the leg of his boxer shorts, and he rolled them down to her knees, skated his hand around in front and dove between her legs.
His middle finger bent. The tip circled her entrance as the heel of his palm massaged her folds. A deep pulse fluttered her internal walls, and she gasped and tossed her head back. Her spine arched as sparks showered into the soles of her feet.
“Shit, you’re wet.” He traced an open-mouthed kiss over her throat, worked his other hand under her torso and caged her in his arms, fondling and tweaking her right breast.
A network of raised veins bumped her fingertips as she coasted her hand up the length of him and dragged the silky head in a slow arc over her bottom. Kelly groaned, rocking into her palm, twined his ankle around hers and tugged her legs apart.
The ridge crowning his member stroked every nerve-ending as he inched past her core from behind…hot, thick and so deliciously hard. She cupped the underside of his erection and wriggled her hips as the fleshy rim nudged and prodded her right where it counted most.