“I don’t want anything to happen to you.” The soft chatter from the other room drifted through the door to her. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to your brothers because of me.”
“Nothing is going to happen. Cunningham is the inside man but there are more watching the area. They’re going to take him down before he gets close to us. You have to trust me.” He slipped his arm around her waist. “Just like you don’t want anyone to get hurt, I don’t want anything to happen to you. I love you, Syd, and it would kill me if something happened to you.”
She leaned against him and rested her head against his chest. “I can’t believe he would do this. Now more charges will be added: escape, grand theft auto, and who knows what else. He’ll never get out.”
“I know, baby.” He held her for a long moment before kissing the top of her head. “We need to get back out there but I don’t want to hear any more about you being bait. Understand?”
She nodded and stepped back. “Let’s get rid of everyone; for a few hours, I want to forget all about this. I just want to go back to bed with you.”
“Go on up. I’ll get rid of them and be there in a minute.” Keeping his arm around her, they made their way to the bathroom door.
When they stepped through the door, they were met with hoots and hollers from Cal. “Nice of you to join us.”
“Go on, baby.” He urged her toward the steps and she dashed up.
While things had slowly been progressing between her and Coal, they had yet to bring their relationship to the attention of his brothers. After tonight, she had no doubt they had at least had an inkling that something was happening between them. Her stomach twisted in knots as she wondered how they might take the news. Would they be supportive or would they find fault with their age difference? She and Cyrus were only a few months apart in age. Would he be the one who had the hardest time dealing with her relationship with his brother?
Coal sat in the living room with his brothers. Maverick, Tank and Officer Cunningham had already made their way to main house, giving the brothers a private moment. While he hadn’t been hiding what was happening between him and Sydney, he hadn’t actually told them about it, either. He just wanted to enjoy his time with her and see where things would go on their own without his brothers’ input. While their support was important to him, he wasn’t sure how they’d take it. She and Cyrus were the same age and he had already shown interest in getting to know her better. Had he considered taking her out?
“So, you and Sydney?” Cal was the one to break the uneasiness. “Way to go, bro.”
“Isn’t she a little young for you?” Cyrus asked without even looking at Coal.
Fuck yeah, she is. But he kept his mouth shut, refusing to give Cyrus something to use against him. “What’s happening between Syd and me wasn’t expected.”
“Didn’t expect this? Are you serious?” Cyrus snapped, launching off the sofa. “Did you think you could keep your hands off a beautiful woman living in your loft? I told you she had a crush on you years ago and you broke her heart. What kind of bastard sets her up to get hurt again?”
“Cyrus, you need to calm down.” Coal eyed his youngest brother. “I know this is unexpected and you’re upset but I’d never hurt Syd. She’s always been special to me and now that has changed into more. She was thirteen-years-old when you claim I broke her heart. There was absolutely nothing between us back then. Fuck, I was twenty-fucking-three. She was a baby; so were you.”
“That doesn’t change the fact she was doodling your name all over her notebooks.”
“Fine, but we’re different people now. We’re both adults.” Coal looked at Cay and Cal and for a brief moment expected them to join Cyrus’ side.
“He’s right, Cyrus.” Cay put his empty beer bottle aside. “She was a child and you know as well as I do there was nothing besides friendship between them before she arrived here. Now I know you had the idea of getting close to her when she arrived but that’s not happening in the way you were hoping.”
Coal was more thankful than ever that he hadn’t told his brothers about the marriage proposal from six-year-old Sydney. That would have only added more fuel to the fire burning within Cyrus now. He understood where his brother was coming from. Cyrus saw Sydney’s arrival as a chance to reconnect with her and see if things had changed enough for him to steal her heart.
“Guys…” Syd stood at the stairs, looking down at them from the loft. “I brought a lot of shit to your doorstep but the last thing I’ve ever wanted was to come between you. Cyrus, we were friends before, and I’m sorry. If you’re angry—fine…but be angry at me, not Coal.”
“Syd—”
“No, Coal.” She glanced back at Cyrus. “You have to understand Coal was against anything happening between us. He wanted to stay in his big brother role, my protector, but I wanted more. You’re right, Cyrus. I fell in love with him years ago. Did I ever think I’d be here now with him? Hell, no. But he was the man I’ve measured every guy up to since I started dating. It wasn’t fair to them and maybe that’s why it never worked out, but I was unwilling to settle. You have to know that Coal would have never let this happen between us if he knew there was a chance you’d react like this. He’d put you guys first before himself. You guys are the reason I have any idea what family is really about and I don’t want to come between you. I’ll leave before I allow that to happen.”
“That’s not going to happen, Sydney,” Cal spoke before even Coal could. “Cyrus was shocked by the news and his outburst was unfortunate, especially since you overheard it. You’re welcome here and every single one of us will do what we can help you.”
“Fuck this. I’m out of here.” Cyrus stormed out before anyone could stop him.
“I’ll go talk to him.” Cal followed after him but before he could leave, he turned back toward Sydney. “Now don’t go getting any ideas about leaving us. Cyrus will come around. As long as you and Coal are happy, you have my full support. He deserves a good woman.”
“Thanks.” She bit her bottom lip as if she wanted to say something else but Cal disappeared down the stairs, leaving them alone.
Silence hung thick in the air and with two of his brothers gone, Coal was just waiting for Cay to say his piece on it. He wanted it all over so he could get back to Sydney before she had time to start overthinking about Cyrus’s reaction and blame herself. The youngest of the family had always been the one to let his emotions run his mouth before he had time to consider the consequences.
“Sydney.” Cay waited until she turned to glance at him. “Could you give Coal and me a minute?”
“Ahh…sure. I’ll just, umm…go get a shower.” Her unease showed in the tight muscles and her frantic glances toward Coal, but she quickly disappeared into the loft’s bathroom.
With her out of hearing range, he turned to Cay. “If you’re about to bitch that she’s too young, or any of that shit Cyrus just said, I really don’t need to hear it. It’s been a long day and we’re all tired.”
“She is young.” Cay nodded but did get off the sofa like he was going to leave soon. “But that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.”
“Then what?” Coal snapped, unable to take his frustration any longer.
“Cyrus had a thing for her, so much that he wanted to ask her out before we left Pittsburgh. He went to do it when he saw your name doodled all over her notebooks, so he knew she wasn’t interested. When he heard she was coming, he thought maybe the past had changed and he could make his move.”
“How do you know this?” Coal felt like an idiot for not recognizing his brother’s attraction to Sydney years ago but now that Cay pointed it out, it made sense. The pieces of the puzzle were falling in place. “She was the girl he was going to ask to his seventh grade dance?” That had been the first actual dance for them and Cyrus had been upset the girl he wanted to take was unavailable, though he’d never told Coal the full details.
“Yeah, I took him to shoot so
me hops at the gym and he told me about it.” Cay went to take a swig from his beer before realizing it was empty. “It’s logical that he’s upset about how things worked out. He thought maybe this would be his chance. Now he finds out he’s out of the game before he even started.”
“I’ll talk to him in the morning.” He wasn’t sure what he’d say to his brother to smooth things over but there had to be something. His family was important to him, but so was Syd. They needed to find a balance that worked for everyone.
“First, you need to think about what you’re doing. She’s a young girl, one who’s been through hell and back. I don’t want to see you upsetting the balance here just for a quick fuck but most of all, I don’t want to see her hurt because you’re thinking with your dick.”
“Fuck you, Cay.” Coal’s fingers dug into the arm of the sofa, while his gaze remained on his brother. “She’s not a quick fuck.”
“I’m just saying she’s always cared for you.”
“Yeah, I know and I’ve always cared for her. Not in the same way as I do now but she’s always meant a lot to me. You might not believe this but I love her.” He wasn’t going to get sappy with his brother. While he had to work every day with his brothers and their opinions mattered to him, the one who had to know his feelings for her was Sydney and she was upstairs. “I hope you can respect that.”
“Like Cal said, as long as you’re both happy.” Cay leaned forward, putting his elbows onto his knees. “But have you considered how Cain is going to take this?”
Cain was a wildcard when it came to all of this and while Coal was concerned about it, he also believed it would work out. Cain might have a hard time dealing with it but he wasn’t around the family as much as Coal wished him to be. He had become a recluse, refusing to leave his cabin, except at night while everyone was sleeping. He’d have to make it a point to talk to him about this in the coming days but he wasn’t about to leave Sydney with Jay out there stalking the grounds. Cain would have to wait until this situation blew over.
“After everything that her brother has done to our family, you know he’s going to have a hard time with her presence here,” Cay added when Coal remained silent.
“I’ll deal with him.”
“Then there’s only one more thing to say.” Cay stared at Coal for a moment, his face serious and hard to read. “If you hurt that girl, there’s going to be hell to pay. I’ve never been as close to her as you or Cyrus but she’s still family, maybe more now than ever. So know this, I’ll knock the shit out of you before you can hurt her.”
“You won’t have to worry about that.” Coal gave his brother a grin. “On the verge of sounding like a gushing female, I’ll tell you I think I’ve been waiting my whole life for her; I just never realized it before. She’s everything I’ve looked for in the woman I want as my wife. She’s what I want each of you to find. I want each of you to have the same happiness that I have with her in my life.”
“Well, I’ll get out of here and you can let her know Cyrus will come around.” Cay rose off the sofa and took a step before turning back to Coal. “I should have realized this would happen. There was a change in you once you arrived back with her. She’s good for you. Don’t do anything to screw it up.” Without saying anything further, Cay headed for the stairs, leaving Coal to his thoughts and his woman.
That was what he worried about. Relationships never seemed to work out very well for him. He was too much of a workaholic and women didn’t like being deprived of his attention—though the women of his past were nothing like the woman who’d claimed his heart. Sydney knew him on another level, one the other women never got to see. He’d find a way to balance work and romance.
Chapter Ten
Two days had passed and there hadn’t been a single sighting of Jay, which made Sydney wonder if he suspected the cops were watching the place. Was he even in the area? Maybe he realized how hard it would be to get to her inside of Coal’s compound, so he’d moved on. Maybe he’d left the country in hopes of staying out of prison. All of the possibilities were making her uneasy. She couldn’t stand not knowing and the fear growing within only made things worse. The longer Jay stayed on the run, the more likely things would end badly when the police found him.
“This isn’t working.” Coal tossed a stack of papers onto the corner of the desk and crossed his arms over his chest.
“What?” She blinked up at him, suddenly concerned that she was screwing things up for him. Tanner Cycles was everything to him and her scattered brain was making work harder for him. She needed to step back. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean…”
“What’s wrong, baby?” He came around to lean against the desk and took her hand in his.
“I’m distracted…I’m messing up…costing the business…”
“Stop.” He pulled her up out of the chair so she was standing before him and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’re fine and that’s not what I’m talking about. Sitting around here waiting is killing us. We have to get out of here.”
“What if Jay’s waiting?”
“Let me worry about that. You know me—your safety is non-negotiable.” He ran his hand up her back. “I’ll make arrangements while you run upstairs and pack a few things.”
“Where are we going? What about work?”
“It’s Friday; surely the boss is allowed to knock off a few hours early and spend the weekend away with his lady.” He pressed his lips to hers in a quick kiss. “A friend has a condo in downtown Minneapolis. I stay there from time to time when I have business dealings in the city that run late or will take a couple of days. He rarely uses it anymore, so it won’t be a problem. There’s security in the building.”
“Chief Kingsworth and Officer Cunningham aren’t going to like this.” The moment she said these words, she wished she had kept her mouth shut. The idea of getting away even for a few hours was tempting and the last thing she wanted to do was talk him out of it.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of things. Now go get ready; I want to get out of here and have you all to myself.”
Without needing any further encouragement, she headed upstairs. Knowing him as she did, she realized he’d have no trouble convincing Chief Kingsworth, and everyone else, that they needed this. They were going to get out of here and live even if it was just for a few hours.
Up in the loft, she stopped by the window and looked out. With the trees surrounding the property and the land that Coal owned, it was hard to see much—but out there, hidden under the cover of the trees, her brother might be lurking, plotting her death. She didn’t want to believe it, but she couldn’t stop the fear from rising within her. Her family had done some horrible things in the past and while it was Tim who’d dealt them a blow that she had never recovered from, Jay was no different. He was capable of murder and if it would save his own ass, she believed he’d kill her.
“My family is so screwed up.” She wasn’t sure how long she stood by the window looking out, but she’d had enough of where her thoughts were leading her. Stepping away from the window, she went to gather a few things to take with her. Tonight would be all about the future—not the past and not her family.
Footsteps fell on the stairs to the loft, making her hurry. If Coal had made arrangements that quick, he had to be eager to get away for a bit and she wanted to be ready. They needed some time away from this whole situation and to just spend by themselves. Since the news of Jay’s escape, it seemed as if she hadn’t been alone with Coal, except when they were either working or exhausted and fell into bed together.
“Sydney?”
The voice had her pausing with her hand on the zipper of the duffle bag. Cyrus? After his outburst when he’d learned of her relationship with Coal, she hadn’t spoken to him. She saw him around the shop but he was always busy with whatever project he was working on. She hadn’t determined if he was ignoring them or was honestly busy, but she hadn’t wanted to ask Coal and cause him to worry about the si
tuation. Coming between him and his brothers was something she didn’t want but she wasn’t sure how to fix things, either.
“Sydney, are you up there? Coal?”
She couldn’t hide in the loft forever and she had wanted to talk to him, so this was her chance; she only hoped it would go better than the last time. Leaving the duffle bag where it lay, she crossed over to the railing to look down. “I’m here. If you’re looking for Coal, he’s not here, but he should be back in his office in a few minutes.”
“I’ll find him in a few minutes but first could I speak with you?”
Shit. Butterflies circled within her stomach as she descended the stairs. If she was going to stay with Coal, then she’d have to face Cyrus and hopefully get him to see that she cared for his bother. No, ‘care’ wasn’t a strong enough word: she loved him.
As she stepped off the last step, she realized she didn’t want to have this fight here. This was the place she shared with Coal and while it had already been tarnished with Cyrus’ outburst, she didn’t want to have any more negative memories hovering over them. While his brothers had hung out with them there, this had become their own place to retreat. Everywhere she looked she saw positive memories of her time with Coal and the love that they had discovered. “If it’s about business, maybe we should go back to the office. I might need to look up whatever you need.”
“It’s not business.” He shook his head and took a step toward her before stopping. “I came to apologize. The things I said were out of line.”
“If they are how you feel, then they weren’t. You have the right to express your feelings.” Even though she wanted to look away, she forced herself to keep her gaze on him. She wasn’t about to back down, she had done it too many times in her life. If she wanted him to respect what she had with his brother, she needed to stand her ground. “Cyrus, I always considered you a friend and having you troubled about what’s happening is upsetting not just for me but for your brother.”
Until Sydney: A Tanner Cycle Novel Page 10