by Huie,Melissa
“I don’t know. Do I have a place to go?” she asked him softly, her hand still entwined with his. My heart cracked even more, and I looked down at my notes.
“Yeah, we’ll figure out something,” he murmured. The heat from his stare penetrated my soul, and I knew I had to get out of there quickly.
“I think that’s it for now.” I rose from my seat, as my mind raced with questions and tasks that needed to be done.
“Noah, I’m trusting you to make sure that she’s safe. The Cartel will be looking for her, so make sure she’s secure. I have her statement recorded, but that’s informal, and I need it in writing. She’s the catalyst we need.”
“I understand that, Kat—I mean, Agent Parker. This isn’t my first rodeo.”
“Of course not,” I bit out, and shoved my recorder into my pocket. “Madam, I’ll walk you to your car. Noah, I suggest you stay behind. Sketch is on his way here.” I heard a groan, but I paid it no mind as I escorted the Madam out to her brand new Mercedes SUV.
“What’s next, Agent?” she asked as we got to her vehicle.
“Honestly, I need you to act like everything is normal. Keep doing what you’re doing. If they ask about Jennie, just tell them you had someone take care of it. Don’t answer any more than you have to, and stick to the half-truths. Obviously, don’t tell anyone anything. We’ll tell you what you need to know and that’s it, because the less you know, the better it will be. “
She acquiesced, turning her head to gaze back at the hotel.
“What’s going to happen to her?” she wondered quietly.
“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. “But need to know, Madam Sin. Need to know.” She pursed her lips again, and bowed her head slightly, then got into her SUV and pulled away.
I rubbed my forehead to relieve the tension building. The case was becoming more complicated than I thought. Just as I walked over to my Jeep, the engine from Sketch’s 1969 Mercury Cougar roared into the parking lot. I waited until he pulled up next to me, my resentment brewing.
“God damn it, Tink. I told you not to question her until I got here. Why the fuck are you out here?” he growled at me, as he stalked over and got in my face. I pushed him back with all my strength, and even though he was a foot taller than I was, and outweighed me by about eighty pounds, he stumbled back.
“Don’t worry, Sketch. She’s safe. Her husband is with her,” I snarled. Of all people, Sketch was the one I felt I could have trusted. He knew my issues, and understood them. He knew that my walls were high, and he kept that shit from me.
Recognition flashed in his eyes, and he winced.
“So fuck you very much. She’s in her husband’s hands now. My team and I will come up with a plan and let you know what’s going on. Just keep her quiet, keep her contained, and for God’s sake, Sketch, keep her away from the drugs. Her story is already sketchy at best. I don’t need her testimony filled with holes because of the fucking drugs.”
“Tink, I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you. I told him to tell you too…” his voice trailed off.
“But you didn’t. And honestly, it doesn’t matter anyway. It’s not like we were a couple or anything,” I snapped.
I climbed into my Jeep and turned up the radio. Breaking Benjamin filled the interior while I sped out of the parking lot. I needed to think, to process everything that had happened. The office was closed, and I didn’t relish driving downtown so late at night, no matter what I was packing. And I was more than pissed off at my sparring partner, so I headed toward Cole’s house. A hot shower would do me good.
But, of course, as soon as I got to Cole’s, a brand new, 2016 deep purple Corvette was sitting in my spot. I cursed loudly, then pulled behind Cole’s massive truck. Not sure who this gym bunny was, but Lord help me if she wasn’t quiet. I let myself in, only to see my brother’s bare ass on the couch, going at it at with some moaning, groaning chick.
“Oh dear God, I need eye bleach!” I cried out. Covering my eyes with my hands, I maneuvered blindly through the living room, toward the bedrooms.
“Shit! Sorry Kate! You weren’t supposed to see that!” Cole said with a laugh.
“That’s what your bedroom is for! Now I’m gonna have to disinfect that couch!” I shouted back.
“While you’re at it, make sure you take a good whiff of your pillows too!”
“Argh! You cock sucking asswipe! If you did anything to my bed, I’m cutting off that tweezer size pecker of yours and feeding it to the ducks!” That jerkoff knows better than to screw some random skank in my bed.
I shucked off my clothes and turned the water on as hot as it would go, then scrubbed the smell of Baltimore, and the feeling of Noah, off my skin. Only then did I let the tears fall. I could have forgiven him for the shit he pulled in Miami to get me off the case. That was some alpha shit I would have done myself to protect someone I loved. But this? To be married to someone else, when he supposedly wanted to be with me? How fair was that?
No matter how I tried to spin the story, no matter how hard I tried to see it his way, I couldn’t come up with a good reason why he couldn’t have told me. But, it didn’t matter, really. Jennie deserved a fresh start, and what better way to do that than to be with her daughter, and the man that made her. Me? I’d just keep doing what I was doing. I didn’t need someone to make me whole. And I sure as hell didn’t need any weaknesses.
Chapter 18
Noah
I KNEW I SHOULDN’T have let her go. I watched her walk out the door of that disgusting motel room, with her head held high. But I knew that I had just broke her heart. I wanted to rush after her, but the grip on my hand held me back.
“I’m ready to go see our daughter,” she said simply. Her gaze of adoration at me had my stomach uneasy. I wasn’t about to let her see Aubrey—not yet. Not until she had been clean for a while. There was no point in getting Aubrey attached to Jennie all over again, only to have her leave again. Yeah, I didn’t believe Jennie could stay clean; no one did. The whole point to this exercise was to ensure that Jennie stayed clean enough to testify, to put those cartel bastards behind bars. But to actually make a difference in her life? To become clean for good? Yeah, my money wasn’t on that. I’d known Jennie for way too long, and yeah, I felt like an asshole for thinking it, but I knew I wasn’t the only one.
“You’re not going to see her, Jennie. Not tonight. We’ll get you over there to see her soon, but I want you clean first.” I dislodged my hand, just as Sketch walked through the door.
“Seth!” She ran over to her brother and threw her arms around his neck.
“God, Jennie. I thought we lost you.” The rarest hint of emotion came through in Sketch’s voice.
“Seth, I’m going to get clean. I promise this time. I need to, for my baby. And for my family.” She looked back at me. “But please, Seth, I need to see her. I need to feel her in my arms.”
“Of course, Jennie. Anything you need.” His placating tone told me that I was going to have a fight on my hands. He adored his sister, and wanted nothing more than to make her happy. But he wasn’t Aubrey’s father, I was.
“Not tonight, Jennie. I already told you that,” I stated sternly.
“But Noah, I need her! I need to see my daughter! She’s my reason for getting clean!” The whining and the manipulation was already starting. I could see it now. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d pitted us against each other.
“Noah, dude. Just let her see the kid. How is that going to harm her? Jennie needs this, just as Aubrey needs to see her mother,” Sketch demanded.
Aubrey won’t recognize her mother, I thought bitterly, then shook my head. I bit my tongue, because everything I wanted to say would just cause a shit storm.
“Tomorrow. That’s my final word,” I hissed, and walked out of the room. Jennie, teetering on her ridiculously high heels, trotted after me, pleading with me to change my mind. But Aubrey came first, and dammit, it was about time that I did too.
“N
oah! Dammit, where am I going to go? Where are you taking me?” I grabbed her arm and hauled her into the truck then whirled around to face Sketch.
“Listen to me, and listen good. You are not Aubrey’s father. I am. I will determine when and if Jennie sees her,” I seethed, anger rolling off me.
“Fuck you, you prick. Just because you knocked her up, doesn’t mean you get to control her movements. She needs her kid. Maybe this is the time, she’ll finally follow through.”
I arched my eyebrow. “She’s had nine months to get clean, for Aubrey’s sake, and she hasn’t. So that reasoning can get thrown down the toilet, just like the smack she’s probably hiding in her underwear.”
Sketch groaned, and looked to the skies while he contemplated what I meant, because he knew his sister. And he’d seen her in this sort of situation too many times to believe that this time would be the final time, that this would be her rock bottom. And even though he wanted to have faith that she wanted to get clean, the odds were stacked against her.
“I got ya, bro. Just tell me what you need me to do,” he muttered in defeat.
“Help me keep her safe. I’m going to take her to this place I know of in St. Mary’s. It’s far enough away from Baltimore, that hopefully the Cartel won’t come looking for her.” I rubbed the back of my neck, and thought about my next steps. “I can’t let Kate go through this shit by herself. I don’t need her going on some half-cocked, harebrained scheme, just to prove herself.”
“Yeah, you need to fix that. I’ve never seen Kate so pissed. And not just at you. She’s furious with me too. She said I should have told her.”
I bowed my head and closed my eyes. The sight of those gorgeous blues, filled with hurt and betrayal, gutted me.
“Yeah, I need to make this shit right.” I shook his hand. “I’ll text you the address of the facility tonight. Come by tomorrow with provisions, okay? And coffee. A lot of coffee.”
“You got it. Do I need to relieve your mom of Aubrey?”
“Nah, I think she’s good with my mom. If anything, the grandparents can switch if they need to.”
I looked over at the truck to find her tapping on the glass, telling me to hurry along. If she thought I was taking her back to my place, she was sorely mistaken. I hustled over to the driver’s seat and took off, before she could plead her case with Sketch. She casted me the evil eye, and folded her arms across her chest in a huff.
We drove for forty-five minutes, and when we continued on Route 2, instead of getting off at Route 260 for Chesapeake Beach, her mood suddenly shifted.
“We’re not going to your place, are we?” she mumbled, her voice turning sad. I prayed that we would get to the shelter before she had a cosmic meltdown. We didn’t need to get into an accident.
“Not yet,” I said slowly.
“Are you checking me in?” Her voice got very distant, and she turned to face the window.
“I will if I have to, but you need to want to do this yourself. I can’t force you to get clean.”
“I know,” she said quietly.
“I don’t want to keep Aubrey from you, you have to know that, right?” I pleaded for her understanding.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her wipe away a tear. “I know.” Her voice cracked with emotion. God, I wanted to believe that she truly understood, but knowing her and her manipulative ways, I guarded myself.
After an hour of silence, we finally arrived at the rehab facility. We’d tried to get her to come to this place before, right after we were married, but she wanted to be close to me in Miami, and well, we all saw how that worked out.
“Do I get a bag or something?” she asked, brushing her blonde hair back. Her hands trembled, and I wasn’t sure if that was from the drugs wearing off or nerves. She looked at the lighted door of the single level facility, and gulped.
“Everything is already here,” I said. I got out and walked around to her side of the truck opening the door for her. She froze, as if she wasn’t sure how to move her legs. I didn’t want to give her any false hope, but I took her hand into mine and led her to the door. A couple of friendly nurses waited for us, and escorted us inside.
After an intense intake and medical exam, they took her back for detox. They didn’t allow me back for that, and that was when she snapped. She started screaming my name, and fighting against the oversized orderlies that appeared out of nowhere. I choked up. My instinct, even after all this time, was to run and help her. But I knew, deep down, that she needed to go through this—that she needed to get the crap out of her system. We could have regular contact with her doctors, but not with her. Not for a few days, at least.
I sent a quick text to Sketch, letting him know her status, and made plans to meet up the next day. I spent the next hour and half on the road, in thought. I kept envisioning Kate’s beautiful eyes, and the hurt I saw in them. I wanted…no, I needed to have her in my arms. I needed to see her. I needed to make her see how sorry I was. Suddenly, the path was clear for me. I made the sharp left onto Birdsville Road, and made tracks toward Odenton, where I hoped she would be, at her brother’s house.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her jeep parked outside. I hurried to the door and knocked. The dog barked, but no one answered. I banged loudly, and called her name. Finally, the light clicked on and I was suddenly staring down the double barrel of a shotgun.
“Whoa, Cole. It’s just me.” I held my hands up in surrender, and took a step back.
“Why the fuck are you knocking on my door at three in the morning?” he growled, putting the gun down at his side.
“Look, I need to talk to Kate. I need to see her,” I begged, and took a step toward the door. He jacked the gun back up.
“You stupid bastard. What the hell did you do?”
“Look, this is between me and her. Let me in.”
“Listen here, asswipe. I told you once already, you hurt her, I’ll rip your damn heart from your chest.”
“Cole, go back to bed. I got this,” her soft voice said from behind him. He glared at me, then turned and kissed her on the forehead.
“I’m down the hall if you need some backup, Kate,” he muttered, leaving her the shotgun before heading down the hall.
“Hey.” I couldn’t get another word out. She was a vision. Dressed in sleep shorts and a white tank, her tan skin made the white of her tank top stand out. I could clearly see the outline of her nipples, and the bars that were in them. The ache in my jeans grew, and I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms. But instinct told me to hold back.
“Hey.” She crossed her arms over her chest, which only emphasized what she was trying to cover.
“Can I come in? I want to talk about what happened tonight.”
“No. There’s nothing to talk about,” she declared. Her entire body was tense, and guilt ran through me.
“Yes, there is. I want to make sure that you don’t get the wrong idea.”
She snorted in disgust, and threw open the screen door, charging out at me.
“What idea should I be getting, Noah? The fact that you were sleeping with me when you were married?”
“Kate, I’m sorry, if you’d just listen—”
“Listen to what? Excuses? More lies? I was fucking a married man. Do you know what that makes me? A fucking homewrecker. That makes me feel like a cheap whore.”
“It wasn’t like that, and you know it!”
“Fuck you and your God damn bullshit, Noah. You lied to me. Everything you’ve said is nothing but lies. How can I trust you now?”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you, but if you would just let me explain, please!” I shouted back, frustration tearing me apart.
“There’s nothing to explain, Noah. Just go. You’re wasting your time here.” She turned around and quietly shut the door.
I wanted to scream, but Lord knew, I didn’t need to have the cops called. I hopped back into the truck and drove. Just. Drove. I needed something to clear my head, and it was t
oo late to do anything constructive. I knew sleep wasn’t an option, so I drove. I drove all around Anne Arundel County, from the outskirts of Baltimore, down to the backroads, close to my parents’ house, where my daughter was hopefully sound asleep. The sun was starting to rise as I pulled into the driveway. I went onto the back porch and sat, looking over the South River, and watched the sun. And as it rose, so did my resolve. Kate would listen. She would have to listen. And I would die trying to make her see that I loved her too much to let her go.
Chapter 19
Kate
I WOKE EARLY the next morning with sandbags the size of my suitcase under my eyes. Fucking men. If you can’t be happy, you can at least look good. Thankfully, I was a master at disguises. While I was sitting at home, pregnant, at the age of sixteen, and my college exams were over, I dabbled in cosmetology. I constantly changed my looks, going from girl next door, to goth, to vampiress, to glam. I learned from the pros, pouring over websites and magazine articles. And as makeup tutorials became a big thing online, I would soak in everything I could. So I had a plethora of makeup, wigs, and hair colors. My mom called me her chameleon, because my looks adapted to whatever mood I was in.
After an hour in the bathroom, making myself look like I wasn’t a heartbroken homewrecker, I was ready to take on the world. My face was done, with the slightest hint of lash extensions, and my outfit was on point. Nothing said ‘I got this’ better than some skinny black cropped pants, a loose white chiffon tank, and fitted dark gray blazer. I slid on my three-inch black Jimmy Choo’s and grabbed my bag. I was going to take on the day, and make it my bitch.
“You’re looking like you’re about to handle some business,” Cole remarked, as he buttered his toast.
“Something like that,” I said, as I poured the magic brew into my travel mug.
“Did you save any for me?” A voice asked from the living room. I glanced over my shoulder to see a beautiful woman with curves I’d kill for walk in, dressed in nothing but one of Cole’s T-shirts. She placed a kiss on my brother’s bare shoulder, then made herself at home at the kitchen island. I coughed, and gave my brother a quizzical look. He rolled his eyes and mouthed, “Do not make this a big deal.”