Waves of Reckoning (The Montclair Brothers)

by Terri Marie

  “Um…I really can’t right now. Maybe tonight.” She proceeded to take another step towards the stairs.

  “No. It can’t wait until tonight.” He gently held onto her arm.

  Carrie tried to return to where she’d been standing, while keeping her eyes on the ground. She couldn’t bear to see him look at her with the disdain that she knew would be in his eyes.

  “About last night,” he began.

  “I know. The kiss had a lot to do with the alcohol. You don’t have to apologize.” She felt the burning in her cheeks; her eyes began to water.

  “You aren’t wearing that red dress or the high heels this morning. Your hair isn’t all done up, and you’re not wearing any makeup. Neither of us is drunk, and I don’t hear any romantic music playing.” He still hadn’t let go of her arm. She wanted the ground to open and swallow her whole.

  “This is the real me, okay? We’ll just pretend we didn’t go out. Only a few people even know about our date. I’m not going to tell anyone else, so you don’t have to worry.” She rapidly blinked her eyes, while lowering her head even more. This way, the tears would drip from her eyes onto to the floor, instead of running down her cheeks. “I have to go, Vincent. I’m going job hunting today.”

  “You found a precinct that was hiring?” Vincent tried to raise her face to meet his gaze, but Carrie kept her neck stiff.

  “No, but I need to find work,” she mumbled.

  “You should wait until you can find a position as a police officer.” She heard what sounded like, nervousness in his voice.

  “I have to go get ready.” She unsuccessfully tried to pull her arm out of his grip.

  “Look at me. Why are you crying?” He took a step towards her. She remained as rigid as she could. There was no way she was going to fall apart in front of him.

  “Don’t freak out on me, and please don’t slap my face.” Vincent released her arm and held the sides of her face. He placed his lips, softly on hers. “Was that bad? Did I cross a boundary?”

  Carrie looked into his eyes. Being kissed by this man again, wasn’t what she had expected. “Why did you kiss me?”

  “Many people knew that I had a date with you, not just a few. For the first time, I was so excited to go out with a woman who I was happy about spending time with. Not for sex, not to drag to an event to boost my ego, but because I like you. A lot.” He pushed her hair behind her ears.

  “We’re not even in the same league, Vinnie. Look at you, then look at me.” Carrie wished she wouldn’t have worn this raggedy jersey, but it was so comfortable.

  “Wait right here. Don’t move a muscle.” Vincent hurried out of the kitchen, and went into his bedroom. A few minutes later, he proudly came out with his hair completely messed up, wearing a black t-shirt that had lots of paint stains, and jeans with holes worn in the pockets and knees. “How do I look now?” he smiled.

  “I’ve never seen you dressed like this.” Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

  “What someone wears, Carrie, doesn’t define who they are as a person. I’ve never seen you dressed up before last night, but I started falling for you way before our date. So, once again, don’t slap me.” Vincent lowered his mouth onto hers, pressing his body against her. “Kiss me back, Carrie. Unless you don’t feel the same way, I’ll understand.”

  Carrie held her hand up to stop him. “Just so you know, I’ll probably never wear that dress again. I don’t really like dressing up or wearing high heels,” she said seriously. “I’m not going to camp at the salon again, getting my hair, nails, and face all done up.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, you’re definitely eye candy, with or without being dressed to the nines, but what I really want is something more.” Vincent lowered his mouth to hers again.

  His kiss melted her before she could comprehend what he’d said, but she wasn’t about to be used. She stopped him. “Sex? Is that what you want from me?” Carrie laughed and tried to walk away again, though she felt no humor in the situation. Pain at learning the truth, was chewing her up inside. She shivered as he moved his hands down to her waist, and lifted her up onto the counter. He slowly put his hands on her knees and separated her legs, just enough so he could move between them. When she looked into his eyes, they were filled with approval and desire. He smiled and pulled her lips down to his. She turned her head and tried to close her legs, but his body wasn’t moving.

  “No, I have no intentions of using you. What I want is your heart. I know that I have a reputation for being a playboy, but I’ve never been so serious about a woman in my entire life. I was a jackass when you first moved in, but it was a new experience for me, and I didn’t know how to handle it. I’d like the chance to make that up to you.” Carrie knew he was being serious, but he was right. He’d been a jackass when she first moved in.

  “I don’t want to get hurt, Vinnie. Eventually you’ll want someone who looks better on your arm. I’ll never be that woman.”

  “I’m not going to pressure you. The ball is in your court now. So if you want me, Carrie, all you have to do is let me know,” he whispered in her ear. Vincent backed away, lowered his head, and slowly walked towards the front door.

  All she could do was stare at him in response.

  “No,” Vincent blurted. He stopped and turned around. She was still sitting on the counter, and had begun to dry her face. “Would you mind if I stayed home today? I don’t want to leave you like this. You’re hurting and I want to fix it.” Carrie watched in disbelief as he approached her again. “I promise I won’t hurt you. I still want your heart, and I’ll want it tomorrow, next week and even next year.”

  “You don’t know that,” she quietly said. Carrie knew she had to change the subject, before she got caught up in the moment, which is all this was. The heat of the moment. “I can’t stay home, I have to go look for a job.” She began to slide off of the counter, but he quickly put his hands back on her waist and stopped her.

  “You have a job, which is to tear down those walls and let me in.” Vincent lifted her arms and placed them around his neck. “Now let’s go out. Throw some shoes on.”

  “Like this? I have another outfit I can—” She was interrupted by Vincent’s lips on hers again.

  “You’re not changing anything. I’ll be back in just a second.” He winked at her, before disappearing into his bedroom. As she was tying her sneakers, Vincent walked into the kitchen with his hair combed and his suit back on.

  “Wait a second! I can’t—”

  “Oh yes you can.” He pulled her by the hand, grabbed his keys off of the table and escorted her out the door.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Vincent pulled into the parking lot of a five star motel, gave the keys to the parking attendant and guided her into the lobby.

  “I’m not going to sleep with you!” she quietly protested.

  Vincent couldn’t help but laugh at her indignation. The restaurant was very expensive, the patrons were business snobs, but he had to prove his point. As they were being shown to their booth, he pointed to a table in the middle of the room. “We’d like to sit right there.” Carrie’s breath caught in her throat, when she noticed people staring at her.

  “Vinnie, they probably think I’m homeless!” She stared down at the ground.

  “Then I guess they’ll think I’ve fallen for a homeless woman.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately.

  “Oh my God…” She backed away from his embrace. “They’re gawking at us!” Carrie tried to comb her hair with her fingers.

  “Sir,” began the impeccably groomed restaurant manager. “You’ll have to leave. We insist on proper attire, and we can’t allow such inappropriate behavior in here.”

  “Oh I see,” replied Vincent. He had no intention of putting his tail between his legs and leaving. Wrapping his arms back around Carrie, he pulled her against his body and kissed her deeply once more. When he removed his mouth from hers, she still looked embarrassed and shocked.


  “I’m so sorry,” whispered Carrie. “We’re going.”

  “Wait!” exclaimed Vincent loudly. “One more for the road!” He pulled her back to him and kissed her again, only this time he made it last a little longer. He laughed as she ran out of the restaurant.

  Once they were safely in the car, Carrie turned her face away from him. Vincent hoped his plan would work, but he was pretty sure she’d probably kill him by the end of the day. He headed to Montclair Pharmaceuticals next.

  “Where are we going?! I think you should take me back to your house now!” She was looking panicked again.

  “It’s called home, not my house. I have to go in and get some work done. It’ll just take an hour or two.” He smiled at her, and she glared at him.

  “You’re going to take me to work…No. Turn the car around,” she demanded.

  Vincent ignored her. When they pulled into the lot, he stopped at the security booth. The guards came out and waved at him, and when they did, Vincent leaned over, put his hands on Carrie’s face, and kissed her again.

  “Are you crazy?!” she practically yelled.

  “For you, yes.” The guards smiled at him, as he proceeded to his parking spot. When he grabbed her hand to walk into the lobby, she protested, but he held on and kept going. Once inside, Vincent walked up to the reception counter.

  “This is Janice, one of our receptionists. Janice, this is Carrie Oliver. We’re dating.” Before Carrie could get a word out, Vincent pulled her back into his arms and kissed her.

  “Hi, it’s nice to meet you, Janice. I’m so incredibly sorry!” Her face was beet red.

  Janice let out a small giggle and shook Carrie’s hand.

  By the time Vincent got her to the elevator, he’d been smacked in the arm, twice, and had listened to endless complaints and threats from her. Every person he ran into, he’d introduce Carrie, kiss her, and smile.

  “You really need to stop doing this!” But he was far from done. Once on the twelfth floor, he pulled her into Tyler’s office.

  “Hey Ty,” he greeted his brother as he pulled Carrie inside with him. “I’m just letting you know that Carrie and I are dating. I really like her.” Repeating his same behavior, he kissed her.

  All she did was shake her head and drop her face forward.

  “Sweet! It’s about time you found someone we all know and love. I’m very happy for the two of you!” Tyler rose from his chair, and congratulated both of them.

  “We’re not—” Carrie desperately tried to explain.

  “Don’t be shy, Sweetheart, Tyler’s family.” He grinned and kissed her again.

  When Vincent thought she was ready to flat out sock him one, he headed towards his own office. He stopped at Elissa’s desk to retrieve messages and any documents that needed his attention.

  “Hi, Elissa!” Carrie said boisterously. “I’m Carrie and Vincent is dating me!” She turned and smacked his arm again, before walking out the door. Once in the hallway she turned to him. “Unlock your office, so I can go in there and hide!”

  He removed his keys from his pocket and opened his office door. She pushed her way inside, throwing her body down in a chair. “What is wrong with you?!”

  “I needed to prove a point,” he answered calmly.

  “You humiliated me to prove a point?!” Carrie stood up and put her hand on the door knob.

  Vincent placed his hands on her shoulders so he could turn her around to face him. “Words are cheap, Carrie. I needed to show you that I feel good being with you. It’s not what you wear, it’s not how you look, but who you are. You’re an amazing, gorgeous, woman, who I feel very proud to be with. I want to be with you, and I want the world to know it. I’m really sorry if I ever gave you the impression that you’re not good enough for me. Truth be told, you’re way too good for me.” Vincent walked over to his desk and sat down. He may have made an idiot of himself in her eyes, but he’d do whatever it took to change her mind.

  Carrie walked over to him. “I’ve never had a guy who wanted to be with me this badly. You’re serious about all of this, aren’t you?”

  “More than you’ll ever know. But I have to ask you a question.”

  “What is it?” Her brow creased, and Vincent immediately saw that she was growing apprehensive.

  “Will you go out with me?” Vincent looked into her eyes with complete sincerity.

  Carrie stared at him, long enough to make him scared that she’d walk out. Just when he thought his heart couldn’t pound any harder than it already was, he saw a slight smile form on her perfect face. Her shoulders relaxed, and Vincent could swear he saw the defensive walls around her come tumbling down. She looked up and her smile grew. “After all of this, how could a girl say no?”

  Vincent put his hands on her hips and brought her down onto his lap. “You’ve just made me the happiest guy on earth.” He brushed his palm down her soft cheek.

  “You better get your work done, or Elissa is going to skin you alive.” It was the first time he’d seen her sincerely laugh all day.

  Vincent kissed her cheek, and though he hated to move from where he was, he knew Carrie was right. He got up, walked to his desk and opened the folder which Elissa had given to him. On the top of the stack were the documents for Brian’s hearing.

  “Oh no…” said Carrie.

  “Yeah, I wish the kid didn’t have to go through this. I’m meeting with Tyler and Brian tomorrow. The court date is Monday, and if the case against his parents can’t be proven, the judge is going to make Brian go back home to them. I know Hank and Shirley Waters will kill him if he goes back there.” He picked up the documents and groaned.

  “We can’t let that happen, Vinnie. There has to be something we can do.” Carrie began to pace.

  “Hopefully the judge will be able to read between the lines and see what liars those despicable monsters are.” Vincent began to sign the papers, while his stomach turned.

  “And if he doesn’t?” She walked over to him and sat back down on his lap. “Vinnie, what’ll happen to Brian?”

  “We’ll never see the kid again. He’s still a minor, but those two will make sure that he never lives to see adulthood.”

  Chapter 17

  Carrie rode home with Vincent, in silence. He looked angry and defeated, and she wished more than anything that she could take this burden off of his shoulders. She knew he loved Brian, and that he’d do whatever possible to keep the kid with Tyler and Renee. Vincent went to bed early that evening, but she knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep. All Carrie could do was to think back to when she’d first met Brian in that apartment. Renee and Emma had told her some of the things that the kid had gone through, and just the thought of him having to return to those evil bastards was sending her temper into orbit. She sat quietly in the living room, watching Elissa play with the boys before bedtime. She was glad her friend’s mind was on her children, because Carrie didn’t feel up to having a conversation. Suddenly, she heard something hard hit the wall. She knew exactly where the sound had come from.

  “I’ll go check,” Carrie quickly announced, as she ran to Vincent’s bedroom. The light was on, so she knocked softly before opening the door. She immediately saw the source of the sound; Vincent had hurled his opened briefcase across the room. He was propped up against the headboard, surrounded by papers that were strewn everywhere. His tie had been removed and hung over the back of a chair, but the rest of his clothing, along with his shoes, were still on.

  He looked at her, shook his head, and lowered his face into his hands.

  Carrie stepped over the papers on the floor, and carefully climbed onto the bed with him. She was half expecting him to yell at her and tell her to get out, but he didn’t move or say a word. She slid up beside him and wrapped him up in her arms. When she ran her fingers through his hair and across his cheek, to pull him to her chest, she thought she felt dampness.

  “Talk to me, Vinnie,” she whispered.

  Vincent sat back up and took a fe
w slow, deep breaths. “I can’t. I’ve already told you too much.” He stood up from the bed and began picking up the papers. “I’m sorry, Carrie. I don’t normally throw things.” He bent down and lifted his briefcase. “All it accomplished was adding a nice big dent to the décor on the wall.”

  “You’re not going to get anything productive accomplished right now, Vinnie. Put the papers down, and come sit with me.” Carrie patted the mattress with her hand. “Maybe you’ll be able to fall asleep.”

  Vincent walked to the foot of the bed and sat down. His back was towards her. “I love Tyler, and I will give him everything I have. You don’t even know how much he’s gone through, and done for me, just so I could have a good life. Every single time that I’ve needed him, he’s been there. Not once has he failed me.” His voice began to rise. “Now Tyler’s about to lose this amazing kid, who he’s grown to love as a son, and I can’t do a damn thing about it!”

  “Surely the judge has to see through all their bullshit. There’s no way he’ll get sent back to that house with his parents.” Carrie knew that the system failed many children, and some even ended up losing their lives due to abuse or neglect, but Brian’s case was extreme. Certainly they’d prolong the investigation.

  “I have to go over to Tyler’s house in the morning and talk with them. If they agree for you to sit in on that meeting, I’ll bring you along. But if they don’t, you’ll have to respect their decision.” He gave her a very serious look, and it made Carrie feel uncomfortable. Of course she’d respect their decision if they chose to keep this matter private.

  “Try and get some sleep, Vinnie. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow. If you need me, I’m here.” Carrie squeezed his hand, but Vincent seemed to be a thousand miles away. He didn’t return the gesture or notice when she slipped out of the room. She walked slowly up the stairs to her bedroom. Once inside, Carrie flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. There had to be some way she could help. Maybe Tyler would agree to her being at that meeting tomorrow. If not, she’d be forced to figure things out on her own, which probably wouldn’t turn out for the best. Not that she was dumb, but for this family, she wouldn’t hesitate to step outside of the law.