He looked like a beaten man. A man who’d hit rock bottom and had nowhere else to go.
He was glaring at Braeden with such open hostility that I squeezed past Romeo and rushed into the room.
B was standing in front of Rimmel like she needed protecting, and Prada was standing near his feet, watching the man with her ears down.
The sound I made rushing across the wood floor barefoot caused the man to tear his boiling eyes from B. His head twisted around, and his stare zeroed in on me.
Offended, Prada started barking again and rushed over to stand in front of me.
I stopped short, and a shiver literally shook me. I felt the blood drain from my head as I stared at the man. There was something about him… something I didn’t like.
He reminded me of Zach.
“Ivy, go back upstairs,” Braeden said, his voice hard.
The man who reminded me of Zach curled his upper lip and looked at me with hostility, then glanced back at B. “What’s the matter? Afraid she might hear what I came here to say?”
“I have no idea why the hell you’re beating on our door at the fucking crack of dawn, but I can assure you I’m not afraid of you,” B replied. I knew that tone. He was getting angry. He was feeling threatened.
Braeden threatened was not a good thing.
He’d been hurt too many times. He’d been backed into a corner, helpless and unable to do anything far too many times.
“Oh?” the man said with a sense of calm. “Why’s that? You plan to kill me just like you did my son?”
The hush that fell over the room was so definite you could have heard a pin drop the next state over. It was something I’d never experienced before. It was as if time stood still, as if his words were some weird spell that cast a momentary freeze over everyone who stood there.
It clicked.
The reason he reminded me of Zach. This was his father.
Braeden’s face was shuttered; it betrayed not one emotion. It was impressive the way he could control what others saw, but what he couldn’t control was the ghostly color his skin took on.
No.
Nope.
Hell no to the tenth power.
I was the first to shake off the eerie spell. A few steps carried me across the floor, and I stepped up in front of Braeden.
It was my turn to be his shield.
“Leave,” I ordered, my voice calm yet commanding. Braeden didn’t need this. He didn’t deserve it. He was already silently suffering enough. There was no way in hell I’d let this man come here and take any sense of peace B had.
Zach’s father raised an eyebrow. “And who do you think you are to tell me what to do?”
Ugh, the smugness in his tone would take me days to wash off in the shower. God, was it a family trait to be skin-crawlingly horrible?
I lifted my chin. I felt Braeden behind me as I watched Zach’s father dismiss me without another thought and refocus on my boyfriend.
Don’t look at him. Leave him alone. It wasn’t just a thought, but a feeling, and it gave me courage.
“I’m the girl your son raped.”
He jerked like he’d been shot. All focus on B went out the window.
Good.
Everyone looked at me like they were shocked I’d just out and said it. I admit it wasn’t something I went around saying or even bringing up in normal conversation. But this wasn’t normal. And this guy was out for Braeden’s blood.
Over my cold and dead body.
I pressed a hand to my stomach and waited for a reaction. It didn’t take long to get one.
“How dare you make such an accusation, taint my son’s memory with your ugly lies!” he yelled.
Behind me, Braeden stepped up, so close I felt his heat against my back. I held up my hand, a silent gesture to make him back off. This was one time I wasn’t going to allow him to shield me.
“I’m not accusing. I’m stating a fact. And your son’s memory was already charred and crumbling all through fault of his own.”
“Charred?” He gasped. “So not only do you make heinous statements about my son, but then have the nerve to stand there and make cruel and unsightly jokes about the way he suffered in the last moments of his life.”
I blanched.
Clearly, that hadn’t been a good choice of words.
“You need to leave.” Romeo spoke up when words failed me. He came off the steps and walked toward Zach’s father.
“I have to say I’m surprised at you, Roman,” he said, disappointment in his tone. “I knew you and my son had your difficulties, but to be a party in covering up his murder—”
“Zach and I had a lot more than difficulties,” Romeo replied calmly. “And I think if you were sober, you’d realize that.”
“I am sober!” he insisted.
Romeo acted like he hadn’t spoken. “And I would think as a lawyer, you would know better than to come to my private residence and throw around hefty accusations like murder.”
How was he so calm right now? I wanted to pull my hair and scream.
“It’s not just an accusation. I have proof.”
Behind me, Braeden sucked in a breath. I felt the tension radiating from him. I also felt a degree of fear.
My stomach lurched. Why couldn’t we just be happy? Why couldn’t everything just go back to the way it was?
It’s never going to be the same again. The thought was taunting and cruel.
“There’s no way you have proof,” I spat, anger hitting me after my own tortured thoughts. “I was there that night. I know what happened. Braeden didn’t kill Zach. Zach kidnapped me, pulled out a gun, went on in great detail about how he was going to kill me and then come back for Braeden. So I forced the car off the road. Zach didn’t get out in time. He died. It was no one’s fault but his own.”
“Ivy…” Braeden’s voice was shocked, his hand clutching at the back of my shirt.
“You had time to pull him out of that car.” Zach’s dad ignored almost all of my words. I guess it was easier to not hear the terrible things his son did than to try and deny them. He moved to the left for a clear path to glare at B. “I read the police reports. You pulled that girl out of the car, carried her away, then had time to call 9-1-1 and give them a location and details about the accident. All that time, my son was still sitting in the car. You didn’t even try to go back for him. You left him there to die.”
“Are you suggesting he should have put his own life in danger to attempt to save your son in a wreck he created? They both could have died!” I yelled. I was starting to feel slightly hysterical.
Drew had been silently watching the scene from the stairs, but upon my outburst, he came down and made his way toward me, silently taking a solid stance at my side.
“You just said yourself that my son isn’t the one who created that wreck. You admitted to running that car off the road. Maybe it’s you I should be looking at for murder.”
The room spun, but I held my ground and stared at him levelly.
“Motherfucker!” Braeden roared and started forward.
I made an alarmed sound, and Drew grabbed him and held him back.
“How dare you say that shit to her? You have no idea what she’s been through!” Braeden raged, struggling against Drew’s hold.
My brother’s jaw clenched and he maneuvered so he was between B and me like he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to hold him back.
Zach’s father gazed at Braeden, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. “There he is. The man capable of murder.”
A cold chill slivered down my spine.
“That’s enough.” Romeo cut in and stepped in front of us all. The calm yet commanding tone in his voice was final. “This is my house and you are not welcome here. Get the hell out or I’m going to call the police and have you arrested for trespassing and harassment.”
“My entire life,” Zach’s father spat at Romeo. “They’ve taken my entire life from me!”
If Zach had been hi
s entire life, then I felt sorry for him.
“Out,” Romeo rumbled and shifted his stance to that of one ready to use physical force if needed. And he had the muscle to back it up. Romeo wasn’t someone a person messed with. He was too levelheaded, too calm, and far too capable for someone to challenge him and win.
It struck me how we all stood there. B in front of Rim, me in front of B, Drew beside us, and Romeo in front of us all.
We were all protecting each other, a family bound together by love and loyalty.
It made this entire situation seem so much less scary.
“This isn’t the last you’ll see of me!” Zach’s father cried, and Romeo grabbed him by the back of his neck and literally hauled him to the door.
The man didn’t fight against Romeo. He just allowed himself to be dragged away.
“I’m building a case against you. Both of you!”
I stiffened.
Romeo flung open the door and shoved him out into the snow.
“You haven’t heard the last of—”
The sharp slam of the door cut off the rest of his threat.
“What the fuck was that?” Romeo spat, pinning B with an incredulous stare.
“My God, he’s lost it!” Rimmel said. “He’s turning into Zach.”
I shuddered, and Drew reached for me, pulling me into his side.
Braeden’s silence wasn’t something I was accustomed to, and I turned my head to look at him.
He and Romeo were standing there staring at each other like they were the only two in the room.
It wasn’t odd; it happened a lot.
The bromance and all.
The look on B’s face… the all-encumbering bleakness, the way he looked as though he were truly afraid he might lose it all.
“I think…” He began.
I gasped. I knew exactly what he was thinking, what he was going to say. The nightmares hadn’t just been about me after all.
I hadn’t been the only one involved in the crash that night.
“Braeden,” I said, trying to convey my understanding, my absolute support in that one word.
He his eyes softened on me and the love I knew he had for me shone through.
But then he looked back at his best friend. “I think we should probably talk.”
Romeo held up under the weight of the words, the practical admission from his best friend. Hell, if anything, Romeo seemed to draw himself up tighter, as if he were preparing for some kind of fight.
I think maybe he was.
But the fight wasn’t just going to be his.
It was going to be all of ours.
Our family was being threatened. Our future.
I stepped away from Drew and slid my hand into B’s. The way his fingers tightened around mine was an answer that Braeden felt it, too.
Romeo nodded once, then declared, “Family meeting.”
Meetings,
Parties…
& Murder?
(aka Part Two)
Chapter Fourteen
Rimmel
Well, this was new.
Romeo just announced a family meeting like we were all in trouble and about to get our punishments doled out.
I might have laughed if this morning hadn’t been so horrifying.
There I was just hanging out in my too-big sweats, enjoying my uncombed messy hair, and making coffee for everyone when all hell broke loose in the form of a man beating on the door!
Okay, he rang the doorbell.
But it was still super insistent.
I’d know Zach’s father anywhere. Even the little I’d seen of him at the hospital after my attack and then again at the closed court hearing was enough to burn this man’s face into my memory for life.
I’d almost felt sorry for him when I first opened the door. He looked terrible. A far cry from the put together, strong attorney I’d come to recognize. He was in shabby condition, and to be honest, he kinda smelled.
It turned my stomach.
It reminded me of the day Romeo met my father. How we’d walked into the house and he’d been a mess and drunk.
But the pity I felt for him didn’t last long.
The things he’d said this morning, the accusations he so violently hurled at the people in the room.
Wow.
And Braeden, my BBFL, the guy I loved almost as fiercely as Romeo (okay, just as fiercely but in a sisterly way), how he looked standing there, shocked, caught… almost like a deer in headlights when Robert accused him of murdering Zach, pierced my heart.
My goodness, he looked as if he couldn’t even defend himself.
That B didn’t stick around long, though, at least not completely. The way he leapt forward when Robert accused Ivy of murder was the B I knew.
And umm, what kind of man accused a woman who almost died and was Zach’s victim more than once of murder?
It was far, far too early in the morning for this.
“Call Trent,” Romeo barked at Drew like he was a drill sergeant. “Tell him to get his ass over here.”
Drew blinked in surprise. Surely he was used to Romeo’s bossy ways by now.
Romeo, who had gone back to studying B, must have felt Drew’s reaction and turned back. “He’s family, ain’t he?”
Drew nodded.
Okay then, Romeo gestured by lifting his arms as if to invite any more comments.
I bit my lip and suppressed a smile. Romeo being all bossy was kind of hot. Well, when it wasn’t me he was bossing. I didn’t like being bossed.
“Smalls, get over here!” he demanded.
I sighed loudly. So much for not being bossed. His hotness just went down a notch.
“Don’t you talk to me like that, Roman Anderson!” I demanded back.
He started muttering something about stubborn women and stalked over in front of me. I expected some kind of lecture or order like he gave Drew, but instead, I found myself firmly against his chest.
His hand delved in my hair and his fingers massaged my scalp in the best way. I forgot to be annoyed and relaxed into his bare chest. He leaned down against my ear. “You okay? Did he say or do something to you before I got down here?”
He was worried.
And this was the power of Romeo.
No one else could be so pigheaded, so bossy, and so protective all at once and then totally make up for it by being heart-meltingly thoughtful.
My arms couldn’t resist slipping around him and hugging close. “I’m fine,” I whispered against his chest.
His muscles constricted where my breath hit his skin.
“Are you sure?” He pulled back to look down at me.
I nodded. “Braeden was down here almost the minute I opened the door.” I glanced in his direction. “You know how he is. I barely got a good look at Robert before Braeden was in front of me.”
Braeden gave me a look that said he wasn’t sorry, and I smiled. “I’m not mad at you, B.” I teased.
He grunted and a small smile played on his lips. “No one messes with my sister.” He said it lightly, in his usual way, but I saw the shadows dance in his eyes.
Romeo seemed satisfied and his face softened. “I think my hand is caught in your hair.” He pulled his arm like he was trying to get out of a trap. “Seriously, baby, what the hell did you do to yourself?”
I poked him in the ribs and gasped. “You’re terrible!”
“Aww, baby, don’t be like that,” he drawled, dripping with charm. “I love your hair. Except when it tries to eat my hand. I need it for football.”
I stomped on his foot (not hard enough to hurt him) and stepped back. “I can’t believe I agreed to marry you!”
Ivy laughed, and Romeo pretended I offended him.
Please. It would take a lot more than that to offend him.
“You can’t change your mind now, woman. We set a date.” He grabbed me back and kissed me. I let him ‘cause I liked his kisses.
Braeden made a sound, a cross between a gro
wl and a gasp. “What the fuck is this!”
Everyone turned to stare at him.
“Where the hell are your pants!” He gestured toward Ivy and her bare legs.
Clearly, he’d snapped out of wherever he’d gone.
Ivy lifted up the oversized shirt, and Braeden about had heart failure. “Don’t be showing your lady bits to everyone!” He gasped and moved to shield her.
Ivy rolled her eyes. “I’m wearing shorts, bonehead. See?” She pointed at the shorts she definitely was wearing. “You just can’t see them because your shirt is so long.”
“Accused of murder and my girl is trying to show off her goods. I need to go back to bed,” B muttered and wiped a hand over his face.
Romeo laughed.
Drew turned back to the group and held up his phone. “Trent’s on his way.”
“Why don’t we all take five? Rim can comb her hair, Ivy can put on pants—”
“I’m wearing pants!” she yelled.
Romeo chuckled. “Put on pants we can see, princess.”
“I need orange juice for this,” she declared and went off to the kitchen.
Braeden looked at me. “Why the fuck is she so into orange juice lately?”
I shrugged and followed Ivy into the kitchen.
I poured a mug of coffee while Ivy poured a glass half full of juice. We both leaned against the counter and took a healthy sip of our drinks and sighed.
She looked pale, and I pointed it out.
“It’s not every day the father of the guy who raped you barges into your house and accuses you of murder.”
I bit my lower lip. I couldn’t imagine how she must feel right now. And just after yesterday when she told me she was finally feeling stronger emotionally. I felt angry with Robert for coming here and trying to rip apart Braeden and Ivy’s life.
“I’m worried about him,” Ivy confided, her voice dipping low. I knew she was talking about Braeden; there was no one else that would put that look of concern on her face.
I opened my mouth to say something and then stopped. I didn’t like the thoughts and words bubbling up inside me.
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