Hell Is Burning

by Morgan Kelley

  It would be better coming from Greyson. Curtis was going to need someone to support him. After hearing what they found, there was no way he’d ever be able to trust women again.

  Emma blamed herself.

  She should have stepped into the marriage arena when Curtis and Brynn tied the knot. Maybe an annulment would have been a far better thing, especially now that this was one hell of a mess.

  Curtis was going to be blindsided.

  Not for one second did she believe the reasons Brynn listed on the divorce paper. She was pretty sure it was total bullshit. In her gut, she knew the kind of man Curtis was. He was just like her husband.

  As she threw some pasta on and heated up some sauce, Emma chugged a glass of wine. There was no way to wrap her mind around any of it.

  When she heard the key in the lock, she wanted to run to the door, but there was no need.

  Curtis appeared around the corner smiling.

  Yeah, someone didn't tell him.

  Shit.

  Shit.

  Shit.

  Greyson didn't have the talk.

  This wasn’t good.

  Emma poured another glass of wine. It was going to be a two drink kind of night. Hell! She might need to open another bottle at this point.

  “Dinner smells great,” he offered, dropping down on the one stool.

  “Well, you’re in a good mood,” she offered.

  “Not good. I’m just feeling a little better. I miss Brynn, but Captain Ford and I had a talk. I’ll always hurt over this, but I can’t blame myself.”

  She wanted to throw up.

  Jesus!

  This was going to suck.

  The second Curtis saw the papers, he was going to fall back into that mire again. His heart was going to be crushed at what he was about to hear.

  When Greyson appeared, he stood behind Curtis and mouthed his apology. ‘Sorry. I couldn’t do it.’

  She understood.

  He didn't want to break the man either. This was one hell of a mess, and Emma wished it was over.

  “Dinner smells good,” Greyson said, trying to not to let the veneer crack. “I love pasta.”

  “Me too. It’s comfort food,” she stated.

  Yeah, and they were going to need copious amounts of it after this.

  Greyson headed right to the refrigerator and pulled out two beers. He immediately popped them open and handed one to Curtis. “Drink up.”

  “Thanks. I missed living here. Free room and board, plus Emma cooks. I was tired of takeout,” he teased.

  They noticed the light of humor didn't reach his eyes. Well, at least he was trying.

  “Why don’t you take your beer and go wash up?” she asked.

  “Yes, Mom,” he stated, chugging his beer as he walked away.

  Before Emma could say anything, Greyson tried to explain. “I wanted to tell him. I just couldn’t do it. He told me he saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Who am I to be the train?”

  She didn't know what to do.

  “We can’t sit through dinner and pretend we don’t know, and then drop it on him. That’s cruel, Grey. We have to do this now. He’d be pissed if he knew we held back. We have to be the bad guys on this.”

  He knew she was going to say that.

  Immediately, he chugged his beer, grabbed two more, and turned off the burner on the stove. It looked like no one was going to be eating tonight.

  Grabbing the paper, they headed down the hall to Curtis’s room. When she knocked on the door, it was pulled open by a shirtless man.

  “Hey! Is dinner ready?”

  “We need to talk.”

  He stared at them.

  They didn't look like they were coming to his room with good news.

  “Oh, God! What now?”

  They walked past him and into Curtis’s space.

  He continued babbling. It was proof he was nervous and scared.

  “I always hated when my grandmother used to say that to me when I was a kid. It was never good. No one ever says, ‘we have to talk’, and then follows it up with great news.”

  He sat on the bed.

  Emma took his hand.

  “Oh, shit! She’s going all mother on me. I’m fired, aren’t I? You’re going to can me for punching out that dickwad for boning my wife behind my back.”

  Emma hated this. “Curtis, we had a big decision to make, and we hope it’s the right one.”

  Yeah, he looked scared.

  “You’re not kicking me out, are you? I don’t think I can lose you guys again. I just got you back. I’ll do whatever you want, just please don’t push me away.”

  Both of their hearts ached for him. The pain and sorrow was evident in his eyes.

  Emma squeezed his hand. “We will never do that to you, Curtis. We love you. We’ll never make you leave.”

  Curtis took a deep breath.

  If it wasn’t that, it was going to be about the case. “You found something out. Brynn was screwing more men, wasn’t she?”

  Greyson wished it was that. At least it wouldn’t be this painful.

  When they didn't speak, he urged them on, “Just do it. If it were Greyson, he’d want to have it dumped on him. I can handle it. Rip the bandage off. I’ll be fine.”

  Croft hated that the man was emulating them. This was what got them in this mess to begin with. As to him being okay after this, that was debatable.

  “We had to search your house today. It’s not because we believe you killed….” She couldn’t say wife, “Brynn.”

  “Okay,” he stated. “You found the bong and four hundred pounds of pot, right?” he teased, trying to be funny. If he didn't, there was a damn good chance he was going to be sick.

  Or cry.

  Greyson sat on the other side of him.

  “Oh shit! It’s bad. Really bad.”

  Emma turned his face so his eyes could meet hers. “We searched Brynn’s desk, and we found papers you need to see. She was hiding them in her room. I guess she never thought anyone would dig through her things.”

  He didn't get it. “Okay. Where are they? I can handle that.”

  Greyson pulled them out.

  The second Curtis saw the top part, he knew what they were. “She filed for divorce?” he asked, pulling free of Emma’s hand to pace the floor. “She filed?”

  Oh, if that was the worst of it, they’d be fine. While it would have stung, it wasn’t going to be the sucker punch to his gut and ego.

  “Yes, she did.”

  “I don’t believe this. I’m such a fool. I really thought she loved me, but this isn't love. She had to hate me so much to do this behind my back. She could have just told me it was over.”

  He pulled the papers from Emma’s hands and read the date on top.

  It was the day before she died. She’d obviously seen a lawyer instead of being at work. This woman was full of lies.

  “I can’t believe this.”

  Greyson stood up and placed his hands on the man’s shoulders to stop him from pacing. “That’s not the worst of it, son. I need you to trust me, Curtis, like I’m going to trust you. I need the entire truth. Do you hear me?”

  He didn't understand.

  What was he talking about?

  “What can I possibly not be truthful about? My wife was screwing around behind my back, and she filed for divorce. That’s the cold hard facts.”

  “These papers are going to be served to you, and we had to tell you, Curtis,” Emma added. “We didn't want to see you get hurt when you were served with them in public.”

  “I’m already hurt, and I’m very angry, so it’s a little too late for that.”

  Well, the boy hadn’t seen anything yet.

  “Read them,” Greyson stated. “Look at the reason she stated for the divorce.”

  Curtis could barely see straight, but he managed to do exactly what Greyson instructed. As he saw it, first, he was shocked, then hurt, and finally horrified.

  ‘Cruel and inhum
ane treatment.’

  He dropped them like they scorched his skin. In all his life, he’d never been more shocked than the last few days. His wife was dead, she was cheating on him, and now she was accusing him of abuse.

  “Oh God!”

  He backed up, placing his body against the wall before sliding to the floor. When he wrapped his arms around his legs, trying to protect himself from what he just saw, they both moved toward him.

  “I have to ask this, Curtis, as your boss,” Greyson began. “Please forgive me, but I’m required since there’s an investigation.”

  Curtis looked up, tears filling his eyes. “I never touched her. Not like that. If I did put my hands on her, it was never to hurt her. I loved Brynn. I was never violent or physical with my wife. You have to believe I’m not that kind of man.”

  They did.

  This was the Curtis they knew and loved. Not the one Brynn had tried to sully with lies. It was her character in question, not his.

  Emma suspected that Brynn got some sleazy lawyer who specialized in quickie divorces. She’d seen this before. They went with mental abuse because it was damn hard to prove, and the person being accused would often just sign to get it over with.

  Damn her!

  “Did you ever call her names?” Emma asked, moving close to him.

  “I called her crazy once. It was when I accused her of cheating on me. I told her ‘You’re crazy if you think I don’t know what’s going on’, and the sad part was I didn't. I never saw the magnitude of this. It’s like looking at the tip of the iceberg. Beneath, there’s so much more.”

  Emma explained what she thought had happened. “Maybe the lawyer pushed her into it.”

  Greyson dropped to his knees next to his wife. “I believe you, and I’m going to make this go away.”

  “How? Anyone who sees that will think that Special Agent Curtis Briggs is a wife beater. I was a caveman, yes. I was bossy, yes, but I never hurt her. I never touched her in anger. That’s not me. I’m not cruel.”

  They were well aware.

  Now that they’d found these, they were evidence. It pointed suspicion right back at Curtis. He may not be a murderer, but now everyone would think it was a possibility. His wife was going to divorce him, and then the next day she turns up dead.

  Yeah, this was bad.

  From the outside looking in, it appeared that she’d brought the papers home, he lost it, and being a Fed, with inside information, he set up her murder to match that of the serial killer’s.

  She’d boned him even more with her death.

  Curtis was sinking and fast. If this got out, his career was officially over.

  Greyson pulled out his phone. “I know someone at the courthouse. I’ll get a favor pulled to get this taken care of for you. No one is going to know she filed, and no one is ever going to see this, Curtis. I promise. We’ll handle it.”

  He couldn’t speak.

  This was all so unbelievable.

  Emma pulled him into her lap, so he could rest his head on her legs. “Go ahead, Greyson,” she said, trying to soothe the damaged man. “Bury this. I don’t care what it takes. If you have to throw down some cash, make it happen.”

  “It’s done,” he said, heading out of the room.

  She knew that her husband would break the law for his family, and she didn't care if it was wrong. This whole thing was a mess, and nothing more than convoluted lies from a dead woman.

  They had to take care of their own. Vegas was about to swallow Curtis Briggs alive, and he’d come there because of them.

  “She hated me, Emma. That’s the only reason she’d do this. She had to hate me.”

  She shushed him as she tried to ease his heart. “We love you, Curtis.”

  “I said such terrible things to you both, and here you are saving me. I don’t deserve you in my life. I’m horrible. I betrayed people who love me for someone who clearly didn't. I can’t believe I let sex make me into this shell of a human being.”

  She wiped his cheeks with the hem of her shirt. “Curtis. We will fix this, and you need to let that go. We don’t hate you. We love you.”

  “I have no one. I’m all alone in this world, and all I wanted was someone who’d be mine. That’s all, Emma. I rushed into this, fixed that mess, only to get shitfaced drunk and make a much worse mistake. When I took my ring back, I should have walked away. I knew it then, but I was so desperate to be loved…”

  She understood. “This is all my fault.”

  He stared up at her. “How? This isn't about you.”

  “When you took her back, I was worried. In fact, so was Greyson. He wanted to tell you not to do it, but you looked so happy. I should have let him. I just wanted you to be happy, Curtis.”

  “I’ll never be happy again. There’s a hole where my heart used to be. I’ll never love again, Emma. I can’t. It hurts too much when you get knocked off your feet.”

  She hoped that wasn’t the case.

  He was young.

  There was still plenty of time to find ‘the one’. Look at her and Greyson. They didn't find each other until later in life.

  “You’ll love again, Curtis. She may not be the one, but with each time you put it out there, you’ll get stronger.”

  “I’m not strong enough to do this again and again.”

  “You are with us. We’ll hold you up. I promise.”

  He pulled away. “I want to sleep. I need to escape this. I really need to forget for a while. Can I have one of those sedatives?”

  She got up to get one from his bathroom. When she handed him one, he gulped it down without water. “You should go.”

  She hugged him. “I love you, Curtis.”

  He didn't reply.

  “Do you want dinner? I’ll make you something to eat.” she asked. “Curtis?”

  Instead of answering, he crawled onto his bed and placed the pillow over his head. When he curled into the fetal position, her heart broke.

  When Emma touched him, he jerked away.

  “I want to be alone. Go away. Please.”

  Her heart ached for him.

  When she closed the door, Greyson was still on the phone. In the kitchen, she put all the food away.

  “Is he okay?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “What can we do?” he asked.

  “Is that issue taken care of now?” Emma asked. “Did she file them?”

  “They were filed, but they’re being pulled. I’ll owe someone a favor, but it was worth it. I can’t believe she broke him like that. That boy couldn’t hurt a fly.”

  Emma couldn’t believe it either.

  “You were right. This was my fault.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but Greyson stopped her. “I let him see that being a caveman was fun. I dragged him into this mess.”

  She shook her head. “It was right for us. Curtis can’t be you, and Brynn couldn’t be me. They had to be themselves, and together, they didn't fit. You were meant to be my cave-Croft.”

  He took a sip of his warm beer. “This sucks.”

  “I want to fix this.”

  “How?”

  “I think I have a way, but you’re going to call me crazy,” she stated. “I was researching it after Randall Mason died, and at the time I thought it was funny…but now it might work for him and us.”

  “I’d never do that.”

  She told him what she was thinking. The entire time, he didn't say a word.

  “Emma, that is crazy. The three of us?”

  “See? I told you.”

  He kissed her. “We’re out of options, so let’s try it. What can we possibly lose?”

  “Curtis.”

  He hoped that didn't happen. He genuinely liked the man.

  No.

  He loved him like a brother.

  Chapter Eight

  Midnight Friday Morning

  Even with a sedative, he couldn’t sleep. Curtis’s mind was spinning, and he didn't know what
to do. A part of him wanted to believe Emma and Greyson, but the rest of him wanted to run.

  To where?

  He didn't know.

  His life was over, and there was no way he could build it back up. He wasn’t strong enough, and Curtis knew it. He wasn’t Greyson Croft, strong, determined, and a warrior. No, he was the exact opposite.

  Curtis Briggs was a broken soul, and now he needed a place to hide. He still had his grandmother’s house, the home where she raised him. He could go there and hide out until his bank account dwindled. Then he could find a job doing something. It was obvious that his time in the FBI would be coming to a close. If the news of this divorce got out, the second people saw it, he’d be judged.

  Brynn had screwed him seven days past Sunday.

  Quietly, he made up his mind. He was going to leave. He had to. There was no way he could dump this mess on Emma and Greyson’s laps. They deserved more, and he knew there was so much on their plates as it was. This was his problem, and he chose to leave.

  Yes, he was a coward, but that’s how he was raised. His grandmother always told him turn the other cheek, and he was. Brynn was dead to him, but the people he loved would need to be protected too.

  It was the least he could do.

  So, he began packing his bag. No one would miss him. There was no one to look for him. His life was empty. He was truly alone in the world.

  It was time to head out. As he grabbed the few things he had there, he stared around the room.

  The memories there had been wonderful. He still remembered the last Christmas they shared, and the comic books that they gave him.

  He was at peace then. Nothing was able to touch his happiness until this mess happened. Who knew getting married would be the end of your life?

  Now, he was lost.

  His heart hurt so bad, that he didn't think he could face another day of seeing life blossom around him while his own existence decayed away.

  It was painful.

  It was horrible.

  It was his reality.

  Let’s face it. If he stayed, he’d only end up destroying everything he once loved. As a baby, his mother ditched him, and this was probably why. He was bad then, and he was worse now.