by Hadley Quinn
But losing Van had nearly killed her inside. He’d been the only stability in her life; the only one she felt any sort of emotional connection to while growing up. When she was told he’d died in a fight…
Her hope had died right along with the lie.
“Hey,” a now familiar voice said from behind in the hallway.
She jumped just slightly. “Jesus, you scared me.”
Van gave her a crooked smile. “I’ve been standing here for a few seconds… What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing. Just feeling…a little useless, I guess.”
“Useless?” Van lifted his arms to prop himself inside the doorway. “What do you mean?”
“I dunno, just feel like I’m not doing anything productive here. I need a job. I need to get out of your house now and then, but even though I feel like being a total recluse, it still just feels weird being here.”
She could tell by the look on his face that he’d taken it personal.
“It has nothing to do with you or your house or your family or whatever,” she added quickly. “I’m just…not sure about things still.”
“I can’t help you with much because you won’t talk to me,” he shrugged.
It was obvious he was trying to seem indifferent, but Leah knew better. Since the very first day she’d stepped foot in his house, he wanted to know where she’d been and everything about the last ten years she could tell him. But Leah wasn’t ready to talk yet, and when Van suggested she stay in his house for the time being, she only agreed if he didn’t drill her with inquiries.
She promised she’d talk when she was ready.
“I told you I would—”
“When you’re ready, yeah, I got it,” he sighed.
“This is still a lot for me to take in, Van. Do you know what it’s like to think your brother died a few years ago and then find out he didn’t?”
“Well probably the same way it feels not knowing where your sister is or whether she’s dead or alive. I mean…sounds the same to me,” he shrugged casually.
She frowned at him. “Point taken. But I had to move on, and moving on took me to Miami.”
“With your boyfriend, Alex, yeah, you said that. But what I want to know—what’s really killing me inside, Leah—is who told you I died in a fucking bar fight. I see your face every time I bring it up—see, just like that, right there, that flinch of your eyebrows—and I know there’s more to it. Why the hell won’t you tell me?”
“It doesn’t matter, Van,” she growled as she brushed past him.
“Yeah, it kinda does,” he retorted. He followed her to the office she’d been using as a guest room. “You lie to me all the fucking time, Leah. I can tell! I just want to know why. What is it that you’re keeping from me?”
“Nothing,” she groaned loudly as she whipped around to face him. “Nothing. I just don’t like talking about all of that shit, okay? Foster care sucked ass, Van. Do you get that? I don’t really want to relive some of that right now, okay? Maybe I’ll be really nostalgic and tell you some pretty awesome stories someday, but not now!”
“I’m not asking you to trudge up a bunch of fucking memories, Leah,” he shot back at her. “I’m asking you, as your brother, who the fuck would lie to you about something like that. Just tell me, damn it! Who the hell told you such a blatant lie?”
“Dad, okay?” she yelled back. “Dad told me you died in a goddamn fight. There, is that what you wanted to hear? Does it make you feel better hearing me bring up his name?”
She hated the look in his eyes—the hatred, and the disgust—but it wasn’t her fault that he’d pushed her into telling him. It was why she didn’t want to even touch that subject.
“Why the hell would he tell you something like that?” Van finally replied in a low, quiet tone. But it wasn’t to keep the baby from waking up because Leah could already hear Violet crying in the other room with Dani. “And more importantly,” he added with a sigh. She could tell he was really trying to keep his composure right now. “And more importantly, when did you talk to him?”
“I visited him at the prison,” she admitted.
“And why would you do that?”
“To find you,” she narrowed her eyes at him. “And no, it wasn’t a very productive visit, and obviously he was determined to fuck me over even more than he already had.”
Van shook his head and sighed. “I’m sorry, Leah.”
She studied him for several seconds. “Sorry for what?”
“Sorry for…everything. For him in your life, for how we grew up, for being separated from you, for not finding you sooner… I’m sorry for all of it.”
“It’s not your fault,” she replied quietly. “None of it is your fault. And I know you tried finding me, so just because you didn’t, doesn’t mean you gave up. I mean obviously you didn’t give up. You sent a fucking Bloodhound/Pit Bull to track me down.”
Van lifted an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”
She slowly shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. “It means he found me and wasn’t going to let go of it. Stupid analogy, whatever.”
“Well, Cole is one of the best.”
“Yeah, so you said,” she mumbled as she pulled a clean shirt from her bag. She was trying not to think about Cole. The last time she saw him was as he drove away from Van’s house after delivering his “assignment.” The guy was as confusing as hell and she’d spent way too much time wondering if she’d ever see him again.
“You can unpack your stuff,” Van told her, breaking her thoughts. “Those two drawers are open, just use them.”
She knew what he was referring to without actually looking to where he pointed. “It’s okay,” she shrugged. “I’m still…thinking about my options.”
“Okay, now tell me what that means,” Van scoffed. “It’s the second or third time you’ve said it.”
“I don’t want to be an imposition here—”
“You’re not a fucking imposition. We want you here, Leah.”
“Well I’m still getting used to…all this,” she waved a hand around. “I didn’t know I still had a brother until a week ago.”
“Darren doesn’t count?” he smirked.
Leah at least smiled. As sad as it was, Darren had pretty much dismissed Van a few years ago when he wouldn’t let him freeload while he continued his life of drugs. Leah had also received the same treatment from Darren before she left for Virginia. He’d repeatedly begged her for money she didn’t even have. Well, Alex had money but she’d never asked him for any.
“Yeah, well, we both know that Darren is in another world right now,” she said. “I’m not saying I’ve given up on him, but there are some things you have no control over no matter how much you wish you did.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Van agreed.
They stood in silence for a few seconds until Leah said, “Well…I’m gonna get dressed…”
“Oh, yeah, okay,” Van replied as he backed out of the room. He stopped before he shut the door and gave her a pair of pleading eyes. “But seriously, Leah… Stay for a while, okay? You’re the only family we have.”
“What about Dani’s family? Violet has grandparents, right?”
“Dani’s parents are long gone. I doubt they’ll ever come back to the states.”
“Where are they?”
“France. They got into some trouble with the law last year and pretty much disappeared. She hasn’t talked to them since.”
“But she’s got siblings,” Leah said knowingly. “Don’t tell me I’m the only blood relation to that homely baby of yours when I know Dani’s got sisters, too.”
Van laughed at her facetious comment. “Homely baby? Funny how we were just saying how much Violet looks like you. I think she’s gonna have that dimpled chin like you and mom. Yeah, definitely homely.”
Leah pretended to scowl, but because Violet was one of the cutest babies she’d ever seen, she couldn’t see the resemblance. “I don’t know what I looked like
as a baby,” she shrugged honestly. “I’ve never actually seen any baby photos of myself.”
Van stared at her for several seconds, long enough for his pity to become transparent.
“But anyway, get out so I can get dressed and go look for a job,” Leah said, changing the subject.
“Do you need a ride somewhere?”
“Dani said I could use her car since it’s her day to stay home.”
“Ah, okay. Well, I’m heading to work. You’ll be here for dinner, right?”
“Unless I get kidnapped and sold into sex slavery, yeah I’ll be here.”
He scowled at her and it made Leah laugh. But when Van shut the door, she shook her head at herself.
There were some things she shouldn’t joke about, especially because her brother had feared the worst when he hadn’t been able to track her down.
And Leah could have easily been thrown into that life in Miami, but for some reason she’d been spared. She’d only heard the rumors, but she knew there were darker things that went on behind the scenes.
She thanked God that Damien had appreciated her talent with hair and makeup instead…
Chapter Nine
“Hey, man. Hey! Cole!”
Cole slowed in the hall as he turned around. He knew it was Cody coming out of his apartment, and it wasn’t like he was trying to avoid the guy, but after spending the last two hours at the gym, he just had other shit to do.
“What’s up?” he asked.
Cody came down the hall in just a pair of shorts—normal, everyday attire for the guys on the fourth floor. “What are you doing tonight? Got a few of the guys coming over to watch the fight. Van’s comin’, too.”
Cole glanced at his watch even though he already knew what time it was. “Ah, I can’t, I’m working until late. Maybe next time, though.”
“Uh huh, I hear that every time.”
“Sorry man, this can’t wait.”
“Tell me you have a chick to bang and I will totally let it slide. Even knowing it’s a lie, I won’t give you shit again.”
The elevator ding sounded at that moment, and both men naturally paused while the doors opened. None of the guys on the fourth floor ever used the elevator, so the few seconds of suspense were kind of intriguing.
And then Scarlett stepped out of the open doors.
She glanced across the hallway at the two men standing there and specifically looked at Cole. “Just the guy I’m looking for.”
“Holy shit,” Cody murmured, not trying to hide the fact he was looking her up and down. “Are you fucking kidding me? You really do have a hot chick to—Oof!”
Cole jabbed him in the chest with his elbow as Scarlett approached them. She raised her eyebrows at Cody and spoke a cautious, “Hello.”
“Hey,” Cody replied automatically.
Cole was already headed for his apartment, but it didn’t take long before he heard heels following after him.
“That’s rude,” Scarlett bitched at him.
He only unlocked his apartment door and held it open, motioning with a dramatic grand gesture for her to enter first. “Your Highness.”
“Hmph,” she replied as she brushed past him.
Before he shut the door, he glanced back at Cody still standing there in the hall, staring with his mouth hanging open. Cole pulled the door closed and faced Scarlett.
“What do you want?”
“I want to hire you.”
“I don’t work for people like you,” he said as he came across the room. He dropped onto the couch but didn’t offer her a seat. She only stood there with her arms folded over her mid-section.
“People like me?” she repeated. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means I don’t like to be bullshitted. You either be completely honest with me or you can march your skinny ass right back out of here. I don’t play games.”
“I told you, I’m worried about Leah.”
“Bullshit.”
She scoffed. “It’s the truth.”
“There’s more to it. Start telling me things I actually believe and maybe I’ll think about it. Starting with, what’s your real name?”
She barely paused. “Susan.”
“Lie.”
She glared at him.
“What did Leah want from you before she left town?” he asked. “She stopped by your house. What for?”
Scarlett slowly shrugged. “She just told me she was coming back to New Jersey. That’s all.”
“Lie.”
She narrowed her eyes at him again.
“Look, honey, we can do this all day,” he told her as he stretched back onto the couch with his hands behind his head. “It’d be better if you were just upfront with me.”
“I’m telling you what I know.”
“Lie.”
She groaned out loud. “I have a lot of money, okay? Ten grand to keep a friend out of trouble is nothing. I just want her to be okay.”
Cole felt the money aspect of it was interesting. Is that what she thought would get him to say yes?
She didn’t know a damn thing about him.
“You don’t even have ten thousand dollars in your bank account,” he bluffed, not caring if he was right or not. He liked using whatever he could to gauge reactions from her.
He studied her response, which was indifferent at first. Then she shook her head at him with a smirk, like she was too good to even argue with him about it. But then he noticed her do something for the second time that was completely telltale, and that was the type of break he’d been waiting for.
She barely glanced down at her chest and then blinked the other direction a few times after she caught herself.
Cole had to react quickly.
“So let’s say I do take this job,” he said as he stood from the couch. She eyed him the entire time he came across the room to stand in front of her. He reached forward and slowly started to unbutton her blouse. She didn’t stop him, and when he glanced down at the recording device nestled in her cleavage he said, “Tell me why I should trust you.”
Scarlett remained silent for a few seconds, definitely trying to measure the right response. But she ultimately closed her eyes and sighed, and when she opened them again, she stared straight into his and softly replied, “Because I’m asking you to.”
Cole took a moment to maintain eye contact. She didn’t look away and she didn’t swallow or hold her breath. Yeah, some of that didn’t always mean anything, but this time he ignored the silent pleading in her eyes and he made the decision to give her a chance.
Keep your enemies close.
He carefully buttoned her shirt back up. “I don’t have time to discuss it tonight, but maybe another time when, uh, I’m feeling more inclined to. Okay?”
She seemed to get the hint when she turned for the door. “Okay. I’ll be in touch.”
He watched her disappear when the door shut behind her and Cole let out a deep breath of air. “God, what the fuck am I getting myself into?”
He glanced across the room at the windows. The curtains were still closed all the way like he always kept them. He parted one anyway and looked outside. His apartment was above an alley and it faced the roof of some rundown businesses next door. Cole couldn’t see any sign of someone trying to spy into his apartment, but he wasn’t going to dismiss the possibility. He glanced toward the street as far as he could see, but nothing caught his attention.
Scarlett was obviously working for someone. He had no idea what direction to go with that, but either way, it seemed to be a situation she didn’t want to be in. Otherwise she wouldn’t have given up so easily the other day when she left his truck. Today someone had sent her back. She’d only seemed sincere when he caught her in a tough spot, and whether or not she was playing for the good guys or the bad, Cole was still determined to hear her out.
He left his apartment and sprinted down the stairs. With as slow as the elevator could be, he knew he wasn’t too far behind her. He exited o
ut the back of the Jefferson apartments, didn’t see anything that caught his eye in the parking lot, and then made his way around the side of the building to the front. After one quick glance up and down the street, he saw her long legs getting into a tan Corolla a block away. Since she was faced the other direction on the street, Cole swiftly made his way down the sidewalk until he was close enough to read the license plate number as she pulled away.
Research time.
***
Out of all the times he’d surveyed Leah Kemp since she’d been back in New Jersey, she’d barely gone anywhere. Here Cole was again, parked a few houses down from Van’s place, doing it again.
Curiosity had gotten the better of him.
Scarlett’s license plate had been as he assumed, a rental. He traced the name that had rented the car and a familiar one came up—Harold Westman. From what he’d turned up on the guy, it was obviously a pseudonym for one of the players in this ridiculous game he was in the middle of.
Cole only needed to find out which player.
A tiny light came from Van’s house, so Cole’s attention was focused. It wasn’t a porch light or any kind of a light from the house itself, but more like a tiny keychain flashlight. He’d never observed anything unusual when he was staking out the residence Leah was staying at. The times that he’d followed her were usually during the daytime where she ran to places like the store or other businesses in what appeared to be job searching.
It was five in the morning right now and still fairly dark out.
Cole thought she was going to get in Van’s truck, but she actually walked past it and continued down the street.
“Time to go for a walk,” he mumbled to himself.
He got out of the car he was using for the night as surveillance and started to go on foot, just as he heard an engine come to life. It took a few seconds, but Cole realized Leah was getting into a vehicle a couple of houses down.
Apparently she now had her own car to drive.
He hurried back inside his car just as hers was turning the corner at the end of the street. If he didn’t get a move on it, he was going to lose her. Plus he couldn’t tell if the damn thing was black, dark gray, dark green or blue... He couldn’t make it out in the early morning darkness. It looked like a four-door Honda Civic as far as he could tell.