“This is what gets the Ice Princess to thaw, huh?” Victor nodded toward Bryan after standing, and Valerie took a protective step back, further from both men, something else Bryan didn’t like. He despised the way this guy was intimidating her. “Vaughn needs you to call him, and when you do, remind him he owes Lenny... big,” he cryptically told her, and Bryan watched Val’s face pale further.
When the living room went silent, Bryan had had enough. “Alright, man, you gotta go.” Bryan broke the eerie silence, protectively stepping in from of Valerie, who was now looking down at the floor, deep in her own thoughts.
“I was just going to do that.” Victor’s smile reminded Bryan of a snake. “Nice meeting you...Brandon.”
“Bryan,” he growled. “Detective Bryan Wright.”
“Yeah… I thought I smelled bacon. See you around, Princess.” He shoved Bryan on the shoulder before walking out.
He stepped forward and locked the door, then left her standing in the living room, making sure the rest of the house was locked up. When he stepped back into the living space, her back was turned to him. Facing the door as if making sure the asshole was gone. He watched her hold one of her hands at her waist, the other at her lips.
“You okay?” he asked into the silence, but she didn’t move. Her body was wound tight and the air was filled with what could only be described as apprehension. “Val?”
“Was the back door unlocked?” she oddly asked.
“No,” he shared, and her hand left her face and went into her hair. Her body was still tense, but he had to ask, “What was that all about?”
“Vaughn.”
“And?” he pressed, taking a step toward her, but when she shook her head, he stopped in his tracks.
“Reality.” She turned to him.
The carefree girl he had been with this afternoon was gone and so was the feisty woman he’d first met that morning wrapped up in nothing but a towel. The gorgeous woman in front of him was someone else completely.
“Thanks for today, Bryan, it was...” She paused as if taking in a deep breath. “It was more fun than you will ever know, but I don’t think this is going to work out.”
“How did he get in?” Bryan asked, cutting her off, not wanting to hear her brush-off. “Does he have a key?”
“No.” She shook her head, and when he saw her eyes turn watery, he’d had enough. Closing the space between them, he pulled her into him and held her close.
“Whatever it is, you can tell me,” he growled as a fierce need to protect her rushed through him.
Mine.
“It’s not that easy.”
“I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. You have to know that,” he promised, knowing that he was pushing; he knew pushing Valerie wouldn’t work, but he couldn’t stop himself.
“How? How would I know that?” she asked, panic and frustration clearly on her face. “I’m sorry, Bryan, but we went on one date. That was it.”
“Baby—”
“Don’t get that mixed up in your head with something that this isn’t. We got to know one another today. That’s it!” she hissed, and he shook his head.
“You know that is not true.” His eye twitched and he clenched his jaw. He wanted his girl back, not the emotionless woman in front of him.
“It is. You’re a cool guy—” She was going to push him away, pull away, and panic struck him. It hit so intensely that he pulled her in closer, needing to have his lips on hers, but this time, she pushed him away and he let her.
“No!” she yelled. ”No more kissing. We are roommates. That’s it. And whatever might have happened before and today, it’s not going to—”
“Blondie.”
“Not anymore. No more kisses. No more ending up on your lap. It’s not a good idea. Good night.” She stepped away with her hand out at him as if warning him not to go to her. Being the kind of man he was, he stood stock still.
His feet were nailed to the floor as he watched how her eyes flashed with fear and sadness before she retreated into her bedroom, the door slamming behind her.
He went into his room and sat on the bed.
Bryan stayed up thinking about what had happened. How much it seemed he didn’t know Vaughn McGuire at all. How much he needed to find out. He knew that whatever this Victor guy wanted wasn’t good. He also knew that the asshole had frightened his girl. Bryan hadn’t made it to detective because he was an idiot.
Being the cop he was, the man he was, he needed answers, so he made a call.
Tania Monroe was not only his friend and colleague; she was one of the best detectives he knew. This was partially because she wasn’t only a hard-ass but a computer savant.
Though she was normally quiet and reserved with others, he knew he could trust her to look into whatever pile of shit he had unknowingly stepped into by moving here. After a quick, hushed call in the backyard a couple minutes later, he stood looking out toward the shore, an unlit cigarette in his hand.
He should probably leave whatever ghost scared Val alone. A woman like her could make a man’s life complicated. Not only that, but he was probably the last thing she needed in her life.
Knowing that didn’t mean he was going to stay away.
He couldn’t.
She was his.
CHAPTER TEN
BRYAN
“How did you not know this?” Tania asked him as he looked through a file she had handed him a couple of minutes ago. A file that had given him a headache.
“I… I don’t know.” He tossed the file onto the table and sipped his coffee.
They were at a small coffee shop close to work. His eyes were pinned to the file, still not able to believe the information it held. He wondered if he had ever known Vaughn McGuire at all.
The guy was a walking disaster.
He watched Tania’s hand cover his and looked up at her. He could see the concern in her light brown eyes. “I have an open room in my apartment,” she offered. The unexpectedly sweet gesture made his lips twitch.
“You offering me a place to stay, Monroe?” he asked, and she rolled her eyes, taking her hand away from his.
“As long as you keep your hands to yourself, unlike you have with your latest roommate, sure, why not?” she pointed out like she couldn’t care less, but he knew better. He knew she didn’t like people in her space.
“That’s sweet, Tania, but—”
“I thought that’s what you were going to say,” she cut him off, looking at him with concern.
She brought out another file from her navy-blue backpack, and he felt something ugly twist in his gut when she slid it in front of him. “That’s why you can’t get mad when you look at this,” she warned. He silently stared at the manila folder.
“What is it?” he asked. He had an idea, but he hoped that she hadn’t just handed him a Pandora’s box.
“Everything I could find on Valerie Duncan,” she told him without emotion or feeling. He closed his eyes, while she kept talking. ”It isn’t a lot. And for what it’s worth, I really liked her. She’s someone I could see myself hanging out with, and you know that’s not usually the case with the women you and Ty bring around.”
“Ta—” he opened his eyes to catch her shake her head.
“You two looked good together.”
“Jesus.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Who knew you were such a girl?” He exhaled dramatically, trying to avoid the temptation she had just laid out in front of him, and she flipped him the bird.
“Let me know what you wanna do or if you need anything.” She stood up. “Just…”
“What?” He looked up at her, his fingertips tapping the table.
“Just try and remember that someone’s past doesn’t define them. People do things for different reasons. Life can be kinder to one over another, and we both know that.”
“Shit, Monroe, you sound like you’re going to tell me my girl was a stripper or something,” he huffed, looking away, ignoring how good it felt
to call her his girl, not missing how Tania’s eyes met his with seriousness behind her brown orbs. His stomach flopped.
“I like her. Just keep in mind we all lead different lives, Wright. We don’t all come from a honky dory family that actually likes each other, like you do.” She patted him on the shoulder and walked away. His eyes were on her, but it wasn’t his colleague he was looking at. His mind was going crazy with assumptions of what his little goddess could have gotten herself into when she was younger.
Looking down at the two files, he opened Vaughn’s again and sighed. Vaughn had left school one class short of graduating. He returned to LA, back to the trailer park he’d grown up in.
A couple of months later, he was picked up by LAPD for possession. Charge after charge throughout the years was dropped. And when they weren’t, he was given some kind of light sentence and was back out on the streets within a month. From the charges and documentation, it was obvious he had a drug and gambling problem. He also had a connection to Leonard Veracruz, a loan shark who liked to host his own casino nights in West Hollywood.
A little over two years ago, Vaughn entered rehab, and from what Tania had found, he’d cleaned up his act. When he got out, he bought the fixer upper on the beach and had been living quietly. Working at the corporate offices of a delivery company. That was until about three weeks ago, when he bought a one-way ticket to New Mexico.
His fingers skimmed the other, smaller, file on the table. Tapping it with the tips of his fingers.
Do I want to know?
He did.
The problem was that he wanted to hear it from her.
VALERIE
I’d hardly slept.
And whatever shut-eye I did get was nothing but flashbacks to the past, and not good ones. Not that my past had very many good memories to remember.
When I’d woken up the last time, I decided I was done trying to rest. I’d immediately looked online to see if there were any open shifts, so that I could just dive into work and avoid the fact that Victor had been sitting in the living room waiting for me.
What did you do, Vaughn? I thought to myself.
Unfortunately, picking up a shift was a bust. Walking to my bookshelf, I let myself touch the spines of the books that meant almost as much to me as the classic car in the garage. I let my mind go where I didn’t let it go in my dreams.
A picture perfect day with Bryan. One that was so damn good, I hadn’t been ready for it to end. Especially not because freaking Victor ruined it.
Victor McGuire had once been my friend. Or at least that was what I let myself believe. Growing up close to both Vaughn and Victor amidst our backgrounds and our parents’ negligence, we had all bonded. The three of us wanted to get out of that dead end, hopeless corner of life we’d been born into. But where Vaughn and I looked to education to feed the hunger for something better, Victor wanted it to be easy. He had been hungry for change and an easier life, but he’d also been lazy, manipulative, and in the end, two-faced about how he would make that happen.
He’d played me in one of the worst ways you could play someone, and I’d fallen for it. I’d trusted him. Having grown up where no one could give a fuck and those who did were helpless to get you out of the situation you were in, I was more than a prime target. An easy one for someone who was four years older, charming, and selfish.
Then again, hindsight was always twenty-twenty.
Walking out to the kitchen knowing I was alone, I started a pot of coffee. As I stared at the stark white countertops, my mind flitted away to the past.
To how it all started.
The sights and smells.
The way my cheap shoes pinched and blistered so bad they made my feet bleed. My memories carried me back so far into the past I didn’t hear the door open. I didn’t hear him walk into the kitchen.
“Val?” His deep voice snapped me back to the present, and I turned to see Bryan standing next to me, too good-looking for his own well-being.
“Hey.” I cleared my voice, trying to push away the memories.
“You okay?” He stepped closer, almost cautiously, my back pressed against the counter.
“Yeah.” I fake smiled and pointed to the machine. “Just waiting for coffee.” He politely nodded, his eyes on me, as I looked him up and down.
Good golly, Miss Molly, he looked good in a blue plaid short-sleeved button up that brought out his eyes; and the dark grey cargo shorts only showed off his muscular legs.
The sight of him made me want to go and wrap myself up in his warmth. You need to stop being a slut, Val! I reminded myself. That’s when I saw two files in his hand. “What’s that?” I asked. His eyes didn’t meet mine.
“Work shit,” he mumbled, stepping away to the fridge, grabbing a cold water bottle. “I should…” The guilty tone in his voice made me realize what it was. I wasn’t stupid, and if I was honest, I was surprised it had taken him this long to do it.
“It’s not work, is it?” I prodded.
“Blondie…”
“Well, you’re brighter than you first seemed. Guess that’s a good thing for your department,” I snidely commented, grabbing a mug from the cabinet. “What did you find out?” I asked.
My heart picked up speed, while I tried to act like I couldn’t care less. Usually, I didn’t. I never cared what anyone thought about me and my past. But there was something about Bryan knowing the truth that made my stomach turn. Would he pity me? Be disgusted?
“Val…”
“Let me guess. the reason you aren’t looking me in the eye is because of whatever those papers say about me. Yeah?” I asked, dripping with attitude.
“Babe…”
“I went to juvie,” I told him, raising my arms in the air. “Ooo,” I shook, feigning shock. “It’s not a big, hidden secret. In fact, believe it or not, it’s what helped me pay for the college education that helped me graduate from a good school, so I could be the nurse I am today. I’ve never hidden it. Not even on my resume.”
“Valerie.” He took a step toward me, but I shook my head as anger flooded me.
“You could have asked,” I hissed, heat hitting my face.
“Really?” He scowled, his own face brightening in color, making me stand straighter at seeing his face angry for the first time since we had met. “A fucking stranger, who made you pale as a ghost, was sitting in our living room in the middle of the night! After he left, I tried to talk to you, but you pushed me away. You didn’t want anything to do with me.” He had me there, but I was still going to argue.
“Who cares? You have a question, you ask.” I fought back, anger and disappointment swirling inside of me, making a mess of everything.
“Fine. Why did you go to juvie?” He asked as if he didn’t know, and I rolled me eyes. Did he think I was going to lie to him?
“For possession and intent to distribute narcotics.” I saw his eye twitch.
He looked me dead in the eye. “Why did you do it?”
“Because I was stupid,” I shared and could see he was surprised by my answer. “But I also needed the money. To me, it was only a means to an end.”
“To you?” Fire burned behind his eyes. I nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Who had other plans?” His jaw clenched, the scruff there only giving it further definition.
“Victor,” I told him straight out and laughed at my own naïveté at the time. I shook my head. “You want to know about me?”
“Yes.”
“You sure? Because it’s sure as hell not pretty,” I warned angrily.
“I do.” Fine. He wanted to act like he didn’t already know, I’d play along.
“My dad killed my uncle when I was fifteen.” Even after so many years, the words still left a sharp pain mid-sentence, but I kept going, “Daddy Dearest went away to the big house, and I lost the one person who actually gave a shit about me.”
“Fuck, Val…” He stepped closer, his voice softer and his eyes filled with compassion,
but I didn’t want any of it.
Putting my hands out so he’d stay put, I kept on with the stupid charade he wanted. “Dad was high as a kite when he did it. They got into it about me going to live with my Uncle Ron. He was tired of having to drop me off in that hell hole, saw that shit was only getting worse and wanted to protect me! But Dad didn’t like that, so he shot him. Point blank in the chest. Right. In. Front. Of. Me.” My voice cracked, the pain so damn raw it felt like just yesterday.
“Jesus.”
“When he went to prison, my mom no longer had the couple bucks Daddy could bring home from whatever job he could scrounge up, so she started to turn tricks, or hell, for all I know, turn more tricks, all to get her fix.”
“Blondie…”
“No!” I bit back. “You wanted to know, so I’ll tell you. So you know exactly who you are living with. Vaughn was in college. What you don’t know about him is that he’s brilliant! Scary smart. Victor is older by a year than Vaughn and was there when everything fell apart. Losing …” I had to bite my lip to stop the tears from falling. “He suggested I should get my GED instead of dealing with two more years of school. Finish early so I could get the hell out of where I lived. When I did, he gave me a couch to sleep on. His apartment was in a shitty-ass part of the city, but it wasn’t on wheels with druggies and God only knew what else walking in and out of the place. So I slept on his couch. Enrolled in a couple of community classes.”
“Baby…”
“Working a part-time, minimum wage job at a fucking ice cream shop, Bryan. I didn’t have money. Looking back now, god, I was so damn innocent and naïve despite the way I’d grown up. I didn’t—”
“Blondie, come here.”
“No,” I snapped. My body trembled and I knew if I gave in to his touch, I would fall apart. And I wasn’t the type.
Valerie Duncan didn’t fall apart. Not once. Not when my uncle and the only person who gave a shred about me died in front of me, and not now. If I ever did, I was terrified I would never be able to put the pieces back together. So I did what I was good at. I kept everyone at bay, and I was going to do everything I could to push Bryan away.
STEAL (Right Men Series Book 2) Page 10