“You can believe me.”
Her gaze darted from his eyes to his lips. She moved in, her mouth meeting his, taking him on a slow, sweet journey.
He fought to remember the pictures of her smiling at Matty Caparelli, even as he played his tongue against hers and wrapped his arms around her.
“Be with me, Reed. I missed you.”
“I—”
“Be with me.” She went after his jaw and neck with teasing nibbles.
“Bella.” He gripped her hips, pulling her closer. “Bella.”
“I need you.”
His phone dinged with a text, saving his sorry ass. “I have to check this. I’m on call tonight.”
“Okay.”
He untangled himself and stood, desperate to be free of Bella as he pulled his phone from his back pocket and stared at Joey’s message.
How’s it going?
He was rock hard and making out with the woman he was supposed to be emotionally distancing himself from. By his estimation, things weren’t going great.
“Is everything okay?”
He looked up from Joey’s message, staring at gorgeous brown eyes and lush lips swollen from his. “I’m going to have to take a rain check on tonight.”
“Oh.” She stood, fixing her dress.
“I’m backup for a couple of the guys,” he lied without qualm.
She nodded.
“We’ll do dinner tomorrow night.”
She nodded again.
He shoved his phone back in his pocket and closed the distance between them, taking her hands—the only thing he dared to do. “I’m sorry I have to cancel.”
“I’m sorry I messed up our evening.”
“You didn’t.” He gave her fingers a squeeze. “Everything’s fine, Bella. We’re fine.”
“Okay.”
He gave her a peck and headed for the door. “I’ll text you and let you know what’s going on.”
“Do you think you’ll be back?”
“It’s hard to say,” he lied yet again. “I might be late. I want you to get some sleep tonight.”
“Be careful.”
“I will.” He walked out, swearing under his breath as he started toward his truck. What the hell was his deal? This wasn’t going to work until he got his fucking emotions in check and his head on straight. He dialed Joey as he got behind the wheel.
“So?”
He backed up, waving at Bella as she stood in her doorway. “I can’t do— I need a couple days to figure this out.”
“So take them.”
He drove away, his heart pounding as he glanced back in his rearview mirror. “You were right, Joe. She’s got me. I thought I was going to be able to— I don’t know if I can walk away from her.”
“I know, buddy. Give yourself some time and we’ll see how you want to proceed.”
“This is our shot at taking them down, but as soon as I see her…as soon as I touch her…there’s something about her…”
“Take some time, Reed.”
“All right. I’ll talk to you later.” He set the phone down and took a left out of the neighborhood, needing to figure out how he was going to pull this off when what he wanted and what was reality weren’t the same thing.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bella stifled a yawn as she drove the five miles home after her quick stop off at the deli for tonight’s easy dinner. The week had been a zoo of extended office hours and missed lunches in her attempt to make up appointments after her long weekend away. From sunup to sundown, she’d been busy. And she still had one more day to go. Lucky for her, the last client on today’s books canceled. She’d used the opportunity to duck out as quickly as possible. New product needed to be ordered, a couple of phone calls needed to be made, but tonight was for her and Reed.
They hadn’t seen each other since Sunday. Between her insane schedule and his, there hadn’t been time. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night, she’d waited up, hoping to catch him as he rolled in from one of the extra duties he’d taken on to give Ethan a hand, but she’d fallen asleep every dang time.
They’d been forced to rely on their cell phones, catching up while he drove from one assignment to the next or when she was in between clients, but that wasn’t good enough. For the next couple of hours, they were going to bring a little normalcy back to their lives. Reed was bound to be as tired as she was, but they needed a simple dinner and ice cream at the beach. Although everything had sounded fine each time they spoke, she still didn’t like the way they’d left things Sunday evening.
Reed had assured her things were good, but nothing felt okay. For days, she’d been walking around with a heavy weight on her shoulders, waiting for her opportunity to fix the mess she’d made by keeping her secrets. When he confronted her about the stench of cigarette smoke on her clothes and asked questions about Dad, he’d taken her completely by surprise. The idea of telling him everything had seemed scary—terrifying. He’d wanted answers right then and there, and she hadn’t been prepared to give them. But she was now. Tonight, she was determined to share the ugly details of her past.
The thought of baring her soul was still frightening, but Reed was right. If they were going to move forward with their relationship, she needed to move beyond the fear that he was going to judge her and walk away. This evening was going to come down to trust—and there was no one she trusted more than the man who’d captured her heart. Besides, everyone had a past—skeletons they weren’t necessarily proud of. Reed likely had one or two of his own. “This is going to be good. Everything’s going to be okay. Right, Luce?”
Lucy gave her a kiss on the cheek from the passenger seat.
“Exactly.” She stopped at the red light and waited her turn to pull into the neighborhood, then drove down the street, grinning when she spotted both of Reed’s vehicles in the driveway and the lights on upstairs in his gym. “He’s home.”
Lucy’s ears perked up.
“Let’s put you inside and I’ll go get him. It’ll be nice to see him again, huh? Maybe we can have a sleepover.”
She got out, grabbing the deli bag from the back seat, then opened Lucy’s side and let the puppy into the house. “I’ll be right back.” She closed the door and walked over to Reed’s, testing the doorknob and smiling when she found it unlocked. Stepping inside, she glanced at the ceiling as the floor above creaked and music played. “Reed,” she called, setting their dinner on the counter and starting upstairs.
He didn’t answer as Nine Inch Nails’ gritty rock blared throughout the second story.
She moved down the hall, stopping in the doorway, watching him hit the heavy bag with several solid punches. The bag swayed and he maneuvered around it before offering up another series of blows, his powerful muscles bunching and flexing as his naked upper body glistened with sweat.
He paused, looking at her, and stepped back from the bag.
She grinned, turning down the music. “Hi, there, handsome.”
He sent her a small smile. “Hey.”
“Looks like I caught you in the middle of your workout.”
“Yeah.” He pulled off his gloves and grabbed his water bottle from the weight bench, drinking deep.
“Did you eat?”
He shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Perfect.” She stepped farther into the room, picking up on the chill blowing her way despite the heat in his gym space. “I bought us soup and sandwiches from the deli—tomato basil and turkey pitas.”
He put his gloves on and got back to work. “I’ll grab something later. I’m not quite finished in here.”
She frowned, staring at him. “Are you coming over tonight?”
He jerked his shoulders. “I don’t know. I’ll have to see.”
“Reed.” She took a chance and got in his way. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s been a busy week.” He settled his hands on his hips, taking several deep breaths. “I’m tired and a little grumpy.”
She moved closer, hesitating, then wrapped her arms around his waist, hoping a hug would help with his mood.
“I’m sweaty.”
“I see that.”
“Your dress is going to get dirty.”
“It’ll wash.” She smiled again, wanting to soothe away whatever was bothering him. “Did something happen at work?”
“No.” He took off his gloves, tossing them to the floor. “I guess I have a bug up my ass.”
“How about we walk the beach? That always helps me when I’m feeling mad at the world.”
He shrugged again, holding her gaze, but he didn’t return her embrace the way he usually did.
“I’ve missed you this week.”
“Busy weeks happen.”
“Luckily, this one’s almost over.”
“Yeah.”
“Come on. Shower up and walk by the water with me.” She stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips.
He evaded her mouth. “I’m hot, Bella, and you’re hanging on me.”
She stepped away, absorbing the rush of hurt. “Did I do something to upset you?”
He blew out a breath and turned away, grabbing a towel and wiping his forehead and temples. “No.”
“Clearly I did.”
He faced her again, rubbing the ratty cotton over his chiseled chest and abs. “I said everything’s fine.”
“I thought you were big on full disclosure.”
His gaze whipped to hers and he tossed out a humorless laugh.
She swallowed with the cruelty of his meaning. “This is about Sunday—because I wasn’t ready to tell you about my dad.”
He drank from his water bottle again, saying nothing, only staring at her.
“You said you understood. It’s painful to bring it up—”
“We all have pain.”
She pressed her hand to her racing heart, blinking rapidly as her eyes filled. What was happening here? Where was the man who’d been kind and accepting just a few days ago? She’d been ready to tell him everything—to share her deepest shames and fears. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
She crossed her arms, hugging herself. “If this isn’t—if this isn’t working for you anymore…”
“It’s working just fine.”
She studied his rigid posture, the disdain she saw in his cold blue eyes. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“Nothing’s going on,” he snapped. “Why does everything have to be a big thing with you? We both have stuff to do. We don’t have to see each other every second—check in with each other every second. That bullshit’s for high school.”
She nodded. “I’ll let you get back to your punching bag.” She turned toward the door.
He sighed. “Bella.”
She turned back, waiting for him to say something—to explain. “What’s changed?”
“I thought we just covered that.”
“Right. I don’t know what this is all about, but I think we should spend some time apart.” She cleared her throat when her voice broke. “We’ll give each other a little space.” Turning, she left, hurrying downstairs and across the side yard to her own house. She shut the door and locked it behind her, leaning against the solid wood. “What was that?” She dashed at her cheeks and sat on the couch.
Lucy stood from her bed, walking to Bella.
“I don’t know what happened.” She ran a trembling hand down Lucy’s soft coat as her mind raced, still trying to catch up with the last few minutes. Who was that horrid, nasty man? “That was awful.” She hugged Lucy. “He was really awful, Luce.” And she would be damned if she was going to sit around and let him ruin what was left of her night. “Come on.” She stood on legs that weren’t quite steady. “Let’s go to the beach.”
Grabbing Lucy’s leash, she stepped outside and locked up, turning toward the driveway as Lucy made her way to Reed’s truck. Her throat grew tight as she shook her head. “The car, sweetie. It’s just you and me.” She opened the passenger side door, waiting for Lucy to hop in, and left as quickly as she’d come home, trying to figure out how everything could have gone so wrong in less than a week’s time.
~~~~
Reed stood with his hands on his hips, listening to Bella hurry down the stairs and close the door behind her as she left. She didn’t bother slamming it as he thought she might, nor did she tell him to fuck off moments ago when he’d so plainly deserved it. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered, knowing he’d hurt her—that he’d been cruel—and he was only half-sorry. The wounded woman with tears in her eyes broke his heart. The mafia daughter who kept secrets: not so much. It was unfortunate they were one and the same.
His four days away were supposed to have made some sort of difference. Somehow his mind was supposed to have been clearer after intentionally keeping his distance with short phone conversations and picking up a few extra duties to avoid coming home, but he was right back where he started. This morning, he’d assured himself he was ready to see her again. When he told her at lunchtime that he didn’t have plans for the evening, he knew she would come by. Dinner with Bella hadn’t seemed like an awful idea. And he’d been prepared to walk the beach and eat ice cream while they held hands. Maybe somewhere deep down, he’d hoped she would finally confess everything, and he would be able to find a way to look past the worst of it. Then Joey called while he was on his way home from dropping Sadie off with Tyson. There’d been another murder in Bensonhurst, another Caparelli associate gunned down days after his release from prison.
This wasn’t their way. The Caparellis didn’t drop bodies in the streets. Their enemies simply vanished, never to be seen again by friends or family alike. Or at least, that’s how it had been done when Sony Caparelli and his son Patrizio had been in charge. Alfeo appeared to be a different beast entirely. He was known to be ruthless but lacked the cool composure and finesse the generations before him possessed. Clearly Matty was following in his old man’s footsteps.
It wasn’t hard to see what was going on. The old timers were being killed off—anyone who could testify to Alfeo’s past crimes was being exterminated while he had the cover of his prison jumpsuit as an alibi. Alfeo had been put away for three murders but was spared life in prison and even the death sentence due to a technicality—or a bribe.
Mateo “Matty” Caparelli was more than likely ordering his hit teams to take care of anyone who could cause problems. So what was Bella’s role? What exactly did she do for the Caparellis? Things were heating up in Brooklyn again, and she’d been in contact with Luisa and her father every day this week. Nicoli had clearly wormed his way back into the mafia trenches.
Reed’s opportunity was here. For a decade, this was what he’d worked so hard for: to end them once and for all. But maybe he didn’t want that anymore. Months ago, he’d walked away, living with the knowledge that he would never destroy the men who had so quickly decimated his family. He’d turned in his badge and started over, carving out an entirely new life for himself. Maybe that was good enough. He hoped that’s what his dad would have wanted for him. But what about Bella? How was he going to leave behind the one person who made him a better man?
He heard her voice outside and stepped closer to the window as she moved toward her car with Lucy. She was so damn beautiful with the wind teasing her hair and the sun shining on her golden skin. He swallowed regret and ignored the ever-present sense of longing as they got in the convertible and drove away. He knew where she was headed. All he had to do was get on his bike and go to the beach and find her, but he stayed where he was, unable to make himself do it—not for himself or for the investigation.
He was no longer Mad Dog McKinley. At this point, he didn’t want to be. But who was he without Isabella Colby? That was the question that scared him the most.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Bella woke with a start when her phone started ringing on the bedside table. Half-asleep and mostly confused, she glanced at the bright green lights o
f her alarm clock, realizing it was well after one in the morning. “Yes,” she answered, clearing her throat when her word came out as a croak. “Hello?” she tried again.
“Isabella Colby?”
She sat up, her stomach immediately sinking as she remembered another conversation starting much the same way. “Yes, this is Isabella.”
“Ms. Colby, this is Francis up at North Medical Center. Your father was brought in by ambulance about an hour ago. He’s been admitted and asked us to give you a call.”
She rushed out of bed, turning on the light and blinding herself as she stumbled over to her dresser for a change of clothes. “He’s been admitted?”
“Yes.”
She yanked on the first pair of jeans she pulled from the drawer. “What happened? Did he hit his head again?”
“No, ma’am. He woke up feeling unwell and called for an ambulance. The doctors are running some tests now, but they’re planning on keeping him for a couple of days. He’s a little run-down and weak.”
Sighing, she closed her eyes. Just a few hours ago, Dad had told her he was fine when she called to check on him. “Thank you. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“He’s stable and in good hands.”
Francis’s reassurances did little to soothe her already fraying nerves. “Thanks.” She hung up, pressing her hand to her heart as her breathing rushed out in shudders. “I have to go,” she said to Lucy, struggling with tears as she took off her camisole and replaced it with a bra and short-sleeve T-shirt she grabbed at random. “Dad needs me.” She picked up her phone again and stared at Reed’s contact information, her finger hovering over his handsome face. He was right next door but he couldn’t help her. He didn’t want to help her. Somehow their relationship was over. She’d needed time to figure things out—time he hadn’t been willing to give, but she couldn’t worry about that right now. “Jenny,” she whispered. She found her friend’s number, nibbling her lip as she sent the call through.
“Hello?”
She winced, hating that she was waking a single, working mother in the middle of the night. “Jenny, it’s Bella.”
Deceiving Bella: Book Eleven In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series Page 26