Steady (Pleasant Valley Book 3)

by Anna Brooks

  Her head is down, and I can’t see her face, so when I reach up and tilt her head up, the tears that are falling from her eyes shock me. She opens her mouth to talk, but her breathing so fast she can’t get a word out.

  “Relax for me, honey. Take a big breath.” She doesn’t lose focus of me and copies the pattern of my breathing. My heart is breaking for her right now, and I need to figure out what happened so I can fix it. “What happened?”

  “That was…” She takes a shuddery breath and closes her eyes. “That was him.”

  It takes about two point five seconds for me to realize who she’s talking about. “Wyatt?”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s the one who fuckin’ drugged you?”

  A slight nod in confirmation is all I need before I stand and tear out of the office. I’m going to kill him. I can feel it. My blood has never been hotter than it is right now, and when I get to the front door, I push it open and almost plow over Manny. Vaguely, I hear Brad calling my name, but I ignore that and look to my right and see nothing. Then to the left. Just as he rounds the corner to the parking lot, I see Wyatt.

  I’m pretty sure smoke’s coming out from under my shoes as I tear off down the block. When I catch up with him, I don’t even give him a chance to defend himself. Just like he didn’t give Polly a chance either.

  He turns around, and I fly through the air and land a superman punch to his face. I follow him as he’s falling but stop him from hitting the cement by fisting his hair. I land a couple of uppercuts to his gut then a knee to his balls. When I let him go, he drops to the ground.

  “Get up, motherfucker,” I taunt.

  He groans, and I kick him in his knee. My fists shake with my fury, and a glimpse of the dumpster crosses my vision, then I think about how he threw her next to one, like she was worthless trash.

  “What’s the matter? Not so tough now, huh? Not unless it’s a woman who’s defenseless because you fucking doped her out!” I scream the last words at him and lose the patience I had for him to stand on his own. Reaching down, I pull him up and slam him against the wall, wrapping my hand around his throat.

  He claws at my arm, but it only makes me squeeze harder. I think about the freaking love of my life being passed out, taken advantage of, and beaten. As his lips are turning purple, movement and footsteps to my left come into play, and a moment later, Brad is in my face trying to separate me from Wyatt. I fight Brad and push him away with my free hand, but he comes back even stronger. He’s a big dude, but I’m stronger. And more determined.

  “Erik, stop!” The same arm that Wyatt is clawing at is suddenly covered with the soft and small hands of Polly. “Let him go. You’re going to kill him. Erik, stop!” She pulls on me, and when I still don’t let up, she grabs my face with her hands and forces me to look at her. “Let him go, please. I need you too much for you to go to jail.”

  Like I was electrocuted, I release Wyatt. Polly wraps her arms around me and tries to push me away from him, but my feet are planted firmly in the ground. Wyatt looks up at me with blood dripping from his nose and visible bruises around his neck. “You ever come near her again, and I won’t stop.”

  “What the fuck is going on?” Brad stands in front of me, blocking my view of his brother.

  Polly shakes her head at Brad. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.”

  “Get him gone,” I tell Brad.

  Polly and I walk inside through the back door, and I stop in the bathroom before I go meet her in the office. After I wash my hands, I splash some cold water on my face. I lean forward, resting my head against the mirror and try to focus.

  I almost killed him.

  That degree of rage is something I’m not sure I want to ever experience again. But when she told me he was that asshole, the one who had drugged her for months, who beat her and deposited her in an alley like trash, I lost it. Lost it all.

  Her pain was my pain. And her fear… I felt it. I had to take it away. I had to protect her. I wasn’t able to back then, but just now, I buried it and left it for dead.

  Just like I wasn’t able to take the pain away for my mom. I had to watch as they taunted her and hit her. Had to listen to her cries of agony, her pleading, begging. I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t stop them.

  The door opens, and Brad walks in, looking pissed off at me. “What the fuck was that? I hate him, too, but you don’t see me beating the ever loving hell out of him for it. What, did he touch Polly or something?”

  I wasn’t going to give him details to respect Polly’s privacy, but that’s suddenly changed. “No, he didn’t. He drugged her for months, got her hooked on E so bad that if she didn’t have it slipped into her drink by him, she’d start to have withdrawals. Then when she finally caught him, he beat her, and threw her in a fucking alley and left her for fucking dead.”

  “Erik.” Polly gasps from behind Brad.

  “What?” Brad turns to Polly. “When? Is that true?”

  She doesn’t give a verbal answer but nods.

  “Oh my God… I had no idea. How the hell could I…? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t know he was your brother until he walked in tonight. Honestly, I didn’t know anything other than his first name.”

  “Polly.” Brad hugs her and kisses the top of her head. “I’m so sorry; I’m so, so sorry. I knew he was a piece of shit from the way he threatened Kenney, but I never would have thought… I can’t believe it. My God, I’m so sorry.”

  As he’s talking to her, my breath has slowed down and my heart rate returned to normal, but I still feel like I’m out of my body. Brad looks over her head at me and appears absolutely dumbfounded. He pulls back from her, and she comes directly to me.

  “I’m gonna head back. You guys go home and… Just, shit,” he whispers then leaves us alone.

  “Let’s go.” Polly takes my hand and briefly ducks into the office to get her purse then we head out the back. When we reach the parking lot, I pull her behind me and look around. “He’s gone,” Polly tells me, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. “Brad said he threw him into a taxi.”

  I nod and walk to my car. After we get in, I take us home where we don’t say anything to each other until after I get out of the shower and climb into bed. “Are you okay?” I ask.

  “Are you?” she counters.

  “Yeah. I’m fine.”

  “Me too.” She toys with her hair, and I rub her back as she’s lying next to me. “He talked to me like I was an old friend. Even tried to hug me.”

  My body tenses at the thought of his hands on her.

  “As soon as I saw him tonight, I really saw him for the dirt ball he was. I don’t understand how I didn’t see it before.” She blows some hair off of her face. “How can you treat somebody like he did to me and then just act like nothing happened?”

  “He’s fucked up in the head, baby.”

  “How could I be so stupid? Twice. Three, if you count Don. I can’t believe I fell for their shit; I’m a moron.”

  “Listen to me.” I roll over to my side I make sure she hears me loud and clear. “People like that prey on others who are weak. I mean… defenseless. You’re not weak.”

  “No, I was back then. I know I was. I was vulnerable, and I might not have known it then, but I know now that I was an easy target. It’s just crazy to me now, because with you, I see how it should be. I get that feeling… of what it’s really like to trust someone and know he cares about you. I just wish I would have found you earlier.”

  “Me too.” I don’t disagree with her about the other stuff because I think she’s right. She was essentially tossed to the wolves without a solid upbringing at eighteen years old. Forced to navigate the world on her own, she had no guidance, no experience, and nobody to support her. And people who are cowardly pluck people like that out of a crowd. They know what they’re looking for and get some sick satisfaction in hurting others.

  “You don’t ever have to worry about anybody hurtin
g you again. I promise you that.”

  * * *

  The day after the incident with Wyatt is a Sunday, and since Polly stopped working Sundays so we could have the day together, I’m surprising her with a quick trip to California. Last night, after she fell asleep, the idea came to me that we needed to get away for a minute. I booked our tickets and made a hotel reservation. I’ve made all the arrangements with Rayne for Polly to have a few days off. We’ll be back by the time we need to go to Complexity on Thursday.

  Currently, I’m waiting for her to wake up. I want to show her some things. Want to show her where I came from. And I want her to meet a couple of people.

  Polly’s soft footsteps come down the stairs, and when she gets to the bottom, she shyly smiles at me. “Hi.”

  “Morning.” When she doesn’t greet me like she normally does with a bright smile and a kiss, I go to her and pull her in my arms. “You okay?” She had a nightmare shortly after we fell asleep and though she didn’t discuss it, I’m sure it had something to do with what happened.

  “Yeah. Are you?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Umm, you beat the shit out of Wyatt last night.” She takes a step back. “And I’ve never seen you like that.”

  “I’m good as long as you are.”

  “Then we’re good.” She dips her head and goes to the fridge.

  “So what do you think about going on a vacation for a couple of days?”

  Her head peeks out from the top of the fridge door. “A vacation?”

  “Yeah. I thought we could go to Cali. I want to show you something.”

  Her eyes light up, and she kicks the door shut with her foot, carries over some juice, and sets it on the table. “I mean, of course I’d want to go, but we have these things called jobs.”

  “It’s already taken care of.”

  “Erik,” she scolds.

  “Listen. We need a damn reset. Enough shit has happened between us to write an entire screenplay. I just want a couple of days where we can be us. Where we can have fun and forget about it all.”

  “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  Chapter 20

  Polly

  The leather airplane chair I’m in is more comfortable than any cushion my ass has ever sat on. When we walked onto the plane and turned into the first class section, I about pissed my pants. This is the first time I’ve flown, and Erik’s been super patient every time I freak out when there’s a bump.

  We’re descending now, and my hand is firmly squeezing Erik’s thigh. He’s got an arm around my shoulder and my face is pressed into his neck. The wheels touch solid ground, and I hold my breath.

  “Breathe, Polls. It’s fine. We landed.”

  Kind of amazes me how this man can go from vicious protector to calm safety net in the blink of an eye.

  “Okay, okay.” I sit up and try to relax while we wait to get off the airplane. When he proposed the idea this morning, I was reluctant to miss more work, but I also know Rayne is an amazing boss who wouldn’t hesitate to give me time off.

  We’ll be back by the time we need to go to Complexity, Erik tells me, but even if we weren’t, I have a feeling Brad would be more than willing to accommodate us. He called this morning apologizing up and down again. I tried to tell him it wasn’t his fault because he has no control over his brother’s actions, but he doesn’t see it that way.

  Brad always thought his brother had a problem but wasn’t able to confirm it until last night. I hate that this happened. I hate that Brad found out the ugly truth. I hate even more that whatever happened with my past puts any sort of strain on anybody’s life.

  Erik and I walk off the airplane and head to grab our luggage. I smile to myself and try to enjoy our time together. I’m eager to see where Erik grew up. I won’t let Wyatt fuck that up, and I won’t let any of my other shit ruin this. Erik is right. In the short time we’ve been together, we’ve had obstacles and setbacks—most of which have been our own doings—but now that we’ve worked out our issues, I’ll be damned if I’m going to let anything get in the way of my relationship with this wonderful man.

  I spot our luggage right away, and after gathering it, we head outside. I don’t even ask him where we’re going or how we’re getting there because I know he already took care of it. Like he takes care of me.

  When he walks directly to a limo, the man waiting smiles. “Look at you.” He hugs Erik who reciprocates. I see how tight Erik is squeezing the guy, and I know there’s gotta be a story behind it. “Good to see ya, bud.” The man steps back, and Erik turns to me.

  “Chris, this is my girl, Polly. Polly, this is Chris.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Chris says, holding his hand out.

  “Same to you.” I shake his hand and giggle when he kisses my knuckles.

  Erik jokingly pulls my arm away. “You have a woman, you dirty old man.”

  They both chuckle, and Chris takes my small purple suitcase, courtesy of Erik, and puts it in the trunk. After Erik and I get in the limo, Chris shuts the door and pulls away. I lean in to my man, loving the more relaxed side of him. Chris’s eyes catch mine in the rearview mirror, and he winks at me.

  We drive for a little while, and I must have dozed off because Erik’s lips to my ear wake me up. “We’re here.”

  I sit up and look around. We’re in front of a hotel building, and when the door is opened, the sunshine is nearly blinding. Chris holds his hand out, and I take it as I step onto the concrete. Erik isn’t far behind, and before the bags are even out of the trunk, a young guy comes up and takes our bags.

  “Tomorrow at four, still?” Chris asks.

  Erik nods. “Yup. Thanks.”

  “Have a good evening. Nice meeting you, young lady.”

  “You too. Thanks.”

  I’m so busy trying to take in my surroundings that I don’t even realize we’re walking until the chilly air conditioning hits me. I look up and up and up at the ceiling in the hotel and am amazed at how nice the lobby is. When I see the name of the hotel, I pull at Erik’s sleeve. “Is this the Pretty Woman hotel?”

  He raises a brow. “Huh?”

  “You know? The Beverly Wilshire.”

  “That’s this hotel, yeah. Don’t know about Pretty Woman.”

  I walk away from him and check out some brochures on a rack and am giddy to find that I am correct. I can’t believe I’m here, especially since a part of me always secretly wanted the fairy-tale ending I gave up on a long, long time ago. I laugh to myself; I guess I have that with Erik, after all.

  “Ready?” He walks up to me and holds up a key card.

  “Yeah.”

  My expression of awe reflects in the gold elevator door. I’ve never been in a building this fancy. The damn floor number buttons probably cost more than my entire wardrobe. This is definitely a place I don’t belong, and as much as I try to act natural, I know I look like a fish out of water.

  We’re escorted to a room where the bellboy opens the door for us and sets the suitcases down. Erik shakes hands with him, and I get a brief view of some cash sliding between them.

  “Are you hungry?”

  I’m too busy walking around to notice that we’re alone when Erik comes behind me and wraps his arms around me. “I’m kind of shocked, Erik.”

  “Why?”

  I separate myself from him and hold my arms out. There’s an entire seating area with leather couches. A TV almost the size of a movie theater screen and a full-size kitchen. With stainless steel appliances. “Hello? This is insane.”

  His face reddens, and he hangs his head, embarrassed almost.

  “Hey.” I put my hand on his cheek. “It’s fine. I’m just… this is unexpected. I know your mom was a movie star, but this is surreal.”

  “We should talk.” He raises his head and kisses my cheek. “I’ll order some room service. Why don’t you get comfy? Maybe turn on a movie or something.”

  “Okay.” He watches my face a second before he turns and
grabs the hotel phone.

  While he’s ordering room service, I grab my suitcase and wander around until I find a room I’m assuming is a bedroom. The room is so expansive, the white four-post bed that’s gotta be a California King barely consumes any space. I let go of the suitcase and slide my feet across the soft carpet until I reach the warm tiled bathroom.

  “Jesus,” I whisper to myself. This looks even bigger and better than it did in the movie. The tub is practically calling my name, and I hope I can use it before we leave. As I’m looking around, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Yeah, I need to freshen up.

  Once I locate my makeup bag in my suitcase, I touch up my makeup then change into a pair of shorts and a hoodie. When I make my way back into the living room—seriously, it’s like a house, not a hotel room—Erik is sitting on the couch and flipping through the channels on the TV. “Food’ll be here in about ten minutes.”

  “Okay.” I sit next to him and rest my head on his shoulder.

  His arm wraps around me, and his fingers play with my hair. The happiness and excitement from when I first arrived are slowly waning, and in their place, nervousness is taking shape. Erik is silent and finally settles on some old movie. I don’t want to say something and make the quiet worse, so when there’s a knock on the door, I’m thankful for the interruption.

  I stay put, but Erik gets up and gets the food. He wheels in a big cart full of covered plates, and when he stops in front of me, he finally talks. “I want to get this out of the way now and then move on so it’s a non-issue.”

  “Get what out of the way?”

  “The money talk.” He sighs, and I’m shocked at how embarrassed he appears. “Obviously, you know who my mom was. And you’ve got an idea of who my dad was.”

  “Okay.”

  “I own fifty-one percent of his protection firm.”

  “Wow, I didn’t know that.” It’s still strange to me knowing who his mom was and learning about this side of his life.

  “Well, just know you never have to worry about money, okay? If you never wanted to work, you wouldn’t have to. If you wanted to travel around the world, I’d take you. But I know you, and I know how stub—independent you are, and it’s one of the things I love about you.”