by C. A. Harms
Waiting was also something I sucked at. I had no patience, and riding out this situation was eating at me like a pack of bloodthirsty piranha.
It didn't help that Commander Harris had overheard every word of our conversation. And when they’d all gone home, he let me know about it. An hour and a helluva lot of yelling and angry words later, he put me on four weeks’ leave, and even though it wasn't without pay, I knew it would still fucking kill me. I needed my job to distract me from the fact Elle still hadn’t called.
Two and a half weeks later, I was still walking around with a chip on my shoulder. I snapped easily, and when I did, shit got ugly fast. Knoxville and I had already come to blows twice, so I thought it best we stay clear of one another for a while. If we ended up killing each other, Momma would murder us both.
I didn't like not being involved in wrapping up the case. This shit was mine to see through, and I wanted nothing more than to watch Andrew sweat it out. But Carl took over, and he assured me the man would pay dearly for everything he’d done to Elle and his other victims.
At least I still had my very first one-on-one interrogation with Andrew to smile about. I swear the guy was three seconds from shitting his pants. He tried the whole routine of glaring at me and trying to come off as some badass SOB, but then he started crying like a little bitch.
I didn't feel sorry for him one bit. The guy was unstable. Now the asshole would be spending a long time in prison for the years of torment he’d caused. I’d keep tabs on him too, because even if my relationship with Elle was over, her safety meant a great deal to me.
I worked out until my muscles ached and I was exhausted, then I worked out some more. I watched television, trying to fill the hours that dragged on and on, but none of the shows could distract me from the fact Shanelle hadn’t reached out to me.
I didn't sleep much, because when I did, I’d dream of her. That wasn’t a bad thing, but I was pissed off whenever I woke up without her in bed beside me.
If I was broody before, fuck, now I was a time bomb and a god damn grizzly.
So desperate times called for desperate measures, which explains why I was sitting across the table from Lexington, in a Starbucks no less. And the really fucked-up part about it was, I invited him.
He looked at me over the rim of his cup as he took a drink, attempting to hide a smile.
“Wipe that smirk from your face, Lex. This isn't about me ‘boarding the Lex train,’ as you put it.”
He lowered his cup, arching his brow and still grinning like an idiot.
“I need your help with something,” I said hesitantly. I knew this shit would cost me dearly, but I had to do something.
“My help comes with a fee,” he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. “A very delicious fee.” I didn't falter when he suggestively wiggled his brows, though I wanted to tell him to cool that shit.
This was going to take a hell of a lot more patience than I had. I bit the inside of my cheek until it stung to distract me from the words I wanted to speak.
“What’ll it be, Beckett?” The way he moaned my name made me laugh for the first time in days. This guy was ridiculous, yet his spunky demeanor did have a way of making things interesting.
“What are your terms?” I asked through narrowed eyes. I had to maintain control over this situation. He began wiggling around in his seat like a toddler who was about to piss himself. “I never said yes,” I added. “I just asked what you were expecting in return.”
“All three Montgomery men, shirtless, preferably in tighty-whities, but I’ll settle for workout shorts.” He closed his eyes as if visualizing it. “Working out, all sweaty with veins bulging. I want to hear those manly grunts of exertion. Those pants and deep moans as your muscles ache.”
Was he crazy? There was no fucking way I would convince Ashton or Knox to take part in this. Hell, the entire thing made my stomach feel as though it had bottomed out.
“Deep, pounding music, hard beats,” he added as he opened his eyes and his gaze locked with mine. “I want to be there to watch every bead of sweat trickle down your bodies. I want to be so close I can feel the vibrations from your every move.”
When he finished, I just stared at him for a moment in silence.
Did my brother know what kind of whack job he had working for him?
“So what do you say?” he asked. “Do we have a deal?”
I wanted to tell him that hell no we did not, but then I thought of Elle’s smile. I wanted to see that smile again, and though I’d only heard it a time or two, I wanted to hear her laugh again too.
I wanted a god damn chance with her, so I did what any desperate man would do.
“Okay,” I said, ignoring his squeal of joy that echoed through Starbucks. “But no touching,” I added, just for safety reasons—his, not mine. If he attempted to grope any of us, I had a feeling he’d be knocked out cold.
Now the challenging part would be convincing my asshole brothers to go along with this shit. It wouldn't be easy, but maybe I could recruit Kinsley to Team Beckett. It was for a good cause, and I knew she’d see my side of things. She was a woman, and women had a way of romanticizing almost everything.
Right?
“Okay, handsome,” he chirped, “what do you need from me?”
Operation Get Beckett another Chance with Elle, take one.
SHANELLE
I returned to work and focused on the things I loved to do and on the people around me while ignoring my own problems. It was what I did best. I was Ms. Fix It, except when it came to fixing myself.
When I wasn't working, I found other productive ways to stay occupied. I directed all my attention to my best friend’s upcoming wedding and all the things that needed to be finalized for that joyous day—which was fast approaching.
If I was being honest with myself, I’d admit there truly wasn't much left to do to prepare, but pretending otherwise was easier. It kept me from thinking about Beckett and the look on his face just before he turned and walked back into the station three weeks ago—the last time I’d seen him.
I’d moved back to my apartment, but I still had a hard time sleeping at night and I rarely could when I was in my bedroom. The couch was the easiest place to crash. So when my lease came up for renewal, I decided it was time to move on. Though I loved this apartment, it just held too many bad memories of a terrifying time I wanted to put behind me. So I distracted myself by looking for an apartment that would be closer to my best friend and farther from the city.
I still hadn't told my parents about what had happened. They’d be here in a week, just in time for Kim’s wedding, and I knew I’d have to tell them then, even though I dreaded it. They would insist I move back home, which I had no intention of doing. Even though I still struggled with feeling completely safe, it didn't diminish my love for this city with its beautiful lights and constant hum of activity.
This was my life now, and though I understood their need to ensure my safety, people like Andrew existed everywhere, and moving back in with them wouldn’t change that.
“When were they scheduled to arrive?” Kim asked for the third time as she looking around the airport yet again. “Because I thought you said 4:18.”
“I did,” I told her as I continued to thumb through a magazine. “And it is only 4:12,” I added.
She let out an irritated huff before sitting back in the chair next to me and crossing her arms.
Her parents had arrived three days ago, and they were already driving her mad. Her mother was pushy, and her father was the type of man who believed he was never wrong. She’d called me at least three times a day to talk her out of booking them a flight back home. So when I woke up this morning to find her making breakfast in my kitchen, I wasn't surprised. She’d been trying to find a way to ditch them, so picking up my parents at the airport was a perfect excuse. Even when I insisted I could go on my own, she practically begged me to save her from her mother. I knew she loved her parents, but
she often joked about trading with me. The problem was, she was the perfect mixture of her mother and father, so when they were together for long periods of time, they inevitably clashed.
So here we were, waiting for my mother and father to land.
“So you remember Lexington, right?” she asked, gaining my full attention. She hadn’t mentioned his name in weeks, since long before the case was solved. And for a moment, it made me think of the sexy, broad-shouldered man I’d had my hands all over at one point. The man I dreamed of often and I’d admit I missed desperately.
I shook my head to clear the image from my mind.
“Yes,” I replied, my throat feeling scratchy. I coughed to clear it. “The funny guy from the spa and the club, right?”
“Yeah,” she said, then paused, which I knew from experience was her way of easing into a topic she found difficult to bring up. “He called the other day,” she said nonchalantly.
“And how did he get your number?” I asked, waiting for her to look at me. When she finally did, she arched her brow as if to say, Like you don't already know.
Beckett. She wouldn't say his name because we’d agreed not to talk about him. Well, more like I stated that we weren’t going to and she went along with it.
“Oh,” I said as my cheeks heated.
“He wanted to know if I wanted to have lunch with him,” she continued, toying with the edge of the magazine I held. “I think we both know he has an ulterior motive. But you know me, curiosity killed the cat and all that jazz, so I agreed to meet him.”
“And?”
“And instead of lunch, I’m having dinner with him tonight at seven,” she said with a shrug just as she pushed up out of her chair. Her face lit up as she squealed in delight. I was shocked and I stuttered a few times as I asked her what the fuck she was doing, but she didn't hear me. She was too busy rushing across the waiting area. I had to smile at the way she wrapped her arms around the two greatest people in the world: my parents. The irritation and confusion I felt only moments ago faded and delight replaced them.
I felt like a little girl again when my father offered me a wink over Kim’s shoulder as he hugged her close. When she moved on to my mother, Dad walked to me. He immediately pulled me into a hug and I started crying and couldn’t stop. The emotional stress of everything I’d been through hit me when my father held me tight. I’d bottled it up for weeks, pretending to be the tough girl that could handle a stalker even though I was still very raw and vulnerable on the inside.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he offered with a gentle, affectionate rub of my back. “It’s okay,” he assured me, not truly knowing why he was comforting me.
“It’s not okay,” I whispered. He tried to pull back to get a look at my face, but I only squeezed him tighter.
“But it will be,” I added, more for his benefit than mine. Because even though I was trying to believe it, I wasn't sure I did.
BECKETT
“And?” I said as I stood in the doorway of Ashton’s office, refusing to allow Lexington Russell to walk out. He’d given me very little information on a deal he assured me he’d follow through with. He was going to give me more than a simple “she didn't show up.”
Fuck that shit.
“Kim came, we hung out and talked a little, enjoyed dinner, and that pretty much covers it,” he said with a shrug as he tried once again to sidestep me.
“Don’t push me,” I said as Ashton chuckled from his place behind his desk. “That wasn't the deal, so no, that does not ‘cover it.’” I was getting pissed fast. I’d fucking counted on this asshole to pull through. I’d placed my future in his hands. “I endured a session of drinking coffee with you. I allowed you to make your vulgar comments. I didn't even fucking punch you when you talked about my ass and other parts of my anatomy.”
Ashton chuckled again, only louder this time. And Lexington’s smile had me teetering on the edge of losing it.
“If you want me to hold up my end of this deal, you’ll give me more than this ‘we enjoyed dinner’ shit.” I placed my hands on my hips, widening my stance. When his gaze dropped to my crotch and he arched an eyebrow in interest, I had to close my eyes to keep from making the jackass a whole lot harder to look at.
“Oh, there was something.”
My eyes shot open and I took a step toward him as he reached into the planner he was holding and pulled out a rose-colored envelope. Before he could say anything, I plucked it from his fingers and tore it open like a madman. When I pulled out the card inside, my shoulders instantly relaxed.
You are cordially invited to celebrate the nuptials of Kimberly Ann and Rick Ryan as they join to become Mr. & Mrs. Brandaugh.
As I read the invitation, my heart raced at the idea that this would give me another chance to see Elle and explain that I was wrong. That I should have just dealt with the consequences of falling for the victim of a case I was on, because losing her was much worse than being suspended.
“Quick fucking with my head, asshole,” I snapped at Ashton as he smirked at me from the couch.
“You look like a penguin,” he said, and Kinsley elbowed him in the side. “What?” he asked her as she stood and walked across their living room toward me.
“Be nice,” Kinsley said as she stepped in closer to me. “He doesn’t look like a penguin. He looks handsome,” she added, smoothing my jacket.
I swear I heard my brother growl, and I decided to fuck with him a bit. I was feeling too good about today to let the jackass get me down.
“You hear that, Ash?” I said, draping my arm over Kinsley’s shoulder and pulling her in close. “Your woman thinks I look good,” I taunted as I waggled my eyebrows at him.
He jumped up from the couch and stormed toward me.
“Slow down there, buddy,” Kinsley said with a laugh as she stepped away from me and stretched out her arms between us to keep my brother from attacking me.
I loved getting a rise out of him. He made it so easy.
“Yeah, ‘buddy,’” I teased, and his face reddened with irritation. But before he could say anything more, there was knock on the door followed by the doorbell buzzing.
I looked over my shoulder at the door, then turned back to my brother and his fiancée. Ash looked smug now, and I knew there was a surprise at the door that I wouldn’t like.
“Come in,” Ash yelled, his grin widening as I narrowed my eyes at him. My heart rate picked up as I slowly turned and came face-to-face with a grinning Lexington Russell, who was also wearing a penguin suit. Only his was white, with a pink bowtie and vest.
“What is this?” I asked, feeling as if I was somehow being punked.
“This is me showing up to escort you to a wedding,” Lex said with a gleam in his eyes.
I shook my head. “We definitely did not discuss you and me going to this thing together.”
“Did you read the invitation closely?” Lex asked as he cocked his head to the side and puckered his lips. I just stared at him blankly. “That’s exactly what I thought,” he huffed. “Men.”
I looked back at my brother, who was smiling even harder now. Fucker knew all about this.
“Do you see this right here?” Lex held out the invitation he’d snagged from my hand. “It says, ‘Mr. Beckett Montgomery plus one.’”
The room was silent, except for my deep, irritated breaths that made me sound like I was trapped in the backdraft of a fucking jet engine. I wasn’t one to have panic attacks, but I was sure I was about to experience my first one ever.
“I am your plus one,” Lex enthused.
“I didn’t agree to this,” I rasped. My throat was scratchy, and I felt like it was getting harder to breathe.
“You may not have, but in order to get you an invite, I had to agree to escort you.” Lexington held out the invitation and I slowly took it from him. “So if you want to go see your girl, you better suck it up, buttercup, and get that gorgeous ass of yours moving. We have a wedding to attend.”
Fuck
my life.
Seriously, what had I done in a past life that was so bad I had to be forced to attend a wedding with none other than Lexington himself?
I followed him out, taking in one deep breath after another. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or fucking run for safety.
“You two enjoy your date. And Lex, make sure you watch Beckett’s hand. He can get a little grabby.” Ashton was a dick.
“Oh Lord, I hope he does,” Lex said, waving over his shoulder. “I could use a little action. I’ve hit a dry spell.”
I hung my head and just prayed I got through the next few hours without killing the man that was my ticket to seeing Elle again.
SHANELLE
I had never seen anyone more beautiful than Kim. She was glowing, and her happiness was contagious.
The train of her gown stretched out behind her as she stood at the altar looking across the aisle at the man that I knew would never allow anyone to hurt her. The love they shared and the words they exchanged left many in the room in tears.
Including me.
For her to be loved like Rick loved her and for her to be proud to tell everyone listening that she was created solely for him was just so wonderful. It was an absolute perfect moment shared between two people that were meant for each other.
With their families, friends, and coworkers combined, the church was packed. And the moment they said I do and kissed, I swear I felt their happiness. My chest ached so deeply with it that for I moment it felt hard to breathe.
One of Rick’s friends and coworkers led me from the church to the reception. He was kind, sweet, easy on the eyes, and very happily married to a woman I now knew as Bridgett. The undying love they clearly had for each other reminded me of Rick and Kim.
I couldn’t help it. Envy was tugging at my insides like a crazy bitch. I’d crawled back inside what Kim called my bubble once I realized that taking a chance only left you naked and alone. Even though my bubble was predictable and safe, I was in control there. I made the choices, and inside that bubble, there was no chance any tall and strikingly handsome detectives with tattoos and bulging muscles, sexy smiles and gentle kisses would break my heart.