by Leanne Tyler
“You should be asking Kincaid, not me.”
The phone went quiet on Hawkeye’s end, and then Brand heard muffled voices, letting him know he was being shut out of another conversation.
“I’ve got to go, Brand. Keep me informed of any new occurrences on your end. And I’ll call if there is anything urgent you need to know.”
“Will do, Hawkeye.”
Chapter 4
Carly dried her eyes and blew her nose, hating herself for giving into crying. Tears were no way to deal with Justin Porter. She knew that. She’d learned it long ago. Why had she given in this morning because Brand had told her a man was watching her apartment building? Which meant he’d been watching her without her being aware?
She smelled freshly brewed coffee and heard the front door close. Had Brand left? Where would he go? Wait…wasn’t he supposed to be protecting her?
Still in her pajamas, she hurried to the living room, only to find it empty. He had left. Following the scent of coffee, she found half a pot on the burner and poured a cup. She sipped carefully to avoid further injury to her lip. Brand or no Brand. The liquid fortitude helped her face the day.
Looking around her small living room, she spotted her large black bag. She recalled the gifts her friends gave her last night at the Pied Piper. Leaving her cup on the counter, she opened her purse and took out the white gift bag that Jules gave her. She slowly lifted out the pink tissue paper and unwrapped the leather biker babe teddy and whip. Uncoiling the whip, she slung it out, making it crack in the air.
“Wow.”
She cracked it again as the front door opened, almost snapping Brand across the cheek.
“Whoa. Watch it.” He flinched backward. “What was that?”
Carly hid the whip behind her. “What’s what?”
Brand glared at her. “Don’t play coy. You know what I’m talking about. That thing you’re trying to hide behind your back. That thing that almost hit me in the face when I walked through the door.”
She swallowed, reading his irritation loud and clear. He was a strong man. She didn’t want to test him. “It’s a whip.”
“A whip? Why in the world do you have a whip? Is there something I should know about you? Are you into kink?”
“N-o-o! It was a gift.”
“To ward off your ex-husband?”
Carly laughed, shaking her head. “Now that’s a thought. But not what Jules had in mind when she purchased it.”
“And exactly why would your friend buy you such a thing?” He crossed his arms over his broad chest, making his biceps bulge.
“Because she wanted to bring out my hidden vixen?” Carly shrugged her shoulders and turned to go into the kitchen to put a little distance between the two of them. The conversation was getting a little too close for comfort.
The lock on the front door clicked while she busied herself with putting two pieces of bread in the toaster.
“Let me guess, the whip went with this?”
Carly froze. She didn’t have to turn around to know that he’d found the biker babe leather teddy that she’d left by her purse.
She took a deep breath and decided to own up to the teddy. “That’s right. It came in that very innocent looking virginal bag with pink tissue to boot.”
Brand’s chuckle made her relax. “So I take it your short shorts and studded boots last night wasn’t your idea either?”
She slowly turned. “No. My friends bought that outfit for me to wear. They wanted me to live a little. To feel liberated from the confines of my marriage now that my divorce is final from Justin Porter. They thought I needed to go out and have a one-night stand to get over it all. But in the end, I came home …”
“With me.”
Her cheeks warmed and she went to the refrigerator, opening the door. She took out the small container of butter. Shutting the door back, she turned to face him. “Well, the evening didn’t end the way any of us imagined. I had already decided I was going home alone with my treasures.”
“Treasures. Plural? What else did you get? Or is it prying?”
She sighed and leaned forward against the counter. “Simone gave me leopard print handcuffs and Colleen gave me a gift bag of glow in the dark condoms. She is a safety girl.”
He grinned, nodding his head. “I take it last night, going to the Pied Piper was outside your comfort zone?”
“Yeah. Everything about it was, but I went because I had been cut off from living since I married Justin Porter. Sure I did the country club scene for him. I had to keep up appearances to make him look good. He needed it for his job and his political aspirations. But I couldn’t pursue a career. I couldn’t have a baby, because it wouldn’t fit in with his plans. I soon realized I didn’t want to start a family with him. A child shouldn't be raised in a world like that.”
The toaster dinged and she turned away, going to get the bread. She put it on a plate then she got a case knife to smear the butter. “Would you like some toast?” She finally looked at him when he didn’t say anything in response to what she told him. He stood motionless, staring at her. She knew she’d said too much.
“How about some eggs to go with it?” Brand’s voice startled her and she jumped. “You should get some protein in your system after drinking last night. How much did you drink, anyway?”
“Why does that matter?” she asked before biting into the toast.
“You still smell like tequila.”
“I what?” She laid the toast on the plate and raised her arm, sniffing to see if she smelled anything on her skin. There was an unusual odor about her. “Oh, ugh. I’m going to go shower. Scrambled eggs with cheese.”
Brand chuckled as Carly hurried from the room. Her reaction was adorable, but he knew he shouldn’t have teased her about reeking of alcohol. It wasn’t that bad. He’d been around guys who smelled worse. Hell, he’d been so drunk in the past, he couldn’t put one foot in front of the other for twenty-four hours. It was a wonder his leader hadn’t kicked his ass back to boot camp, but Rueger wasn’t like that. He understood his men weren’t perfect warriors. They were human and the toil of the job was going to get to them. Missions, victories as well as the many failed, haunted them like demons in the night. It was those times that drove them to drink more than they should. When that happened Rueger was tough but fair getting them back in line.
Brand poured himself the last of the coffee and set to make another pot. He sent a text to Donovan to check in with him, then one to McLeod. Finally, he sent one to Kincaid and waited to see which one was the first to respond. He also kept an ear tuned to the sound of the shower running. When it stopped he planned to begin working on the scrambled eggs for Carly and himself.
His phone pinged first from Donovan.
“Help! I’m being domesticated. She’s got me doing her grocery shopping! ”
Brand chuckled and typed his reply.
“Hey man. You wanted the redhead. Suck it up. Otherwise everything okay on your end?”
“Yeah. Sweet pad. Got my own room. What about you?”
“Sofa sleeper.”
“Better than the floor.”
“Do me a favor. Find out about Carly’s ex-husband. I believe he’s keeping tabs on her. I need to know what I’m dealing with over here.”
“Will do. Over and out.”
Brand began looking through the cabinets for a small fry pan and a bowl to crack the eggs into. He’d found the bowl when his phone pinged again. It was Kincaid.
“Still at hospital. Colleen lost consciousness in bus, hasn’t woken yet. EMT thought it was shock. Doctor's concerned it’s more. Will keep you posted.”
“Oh man. Keep us posted.”
He noticed the water was no longer running. It must have stopped while he was reading the text from Kincaid. Bending down, he looked in the drawer of the stove to see if the frypan was there. “Bingo.”
Cracking eggs, he beat them with a fork. Turning the eye on, he put a small amount of butter in the p
an to melt. Then he put some salt and pepper in the eggs and whisked them a few more times.
His phone pinged and he reached for it, seeing that McLeod had finally answered.
“With Jules at Youth Center.”
“Youth Center?”
“Where she works. Had a meeting today. Lots of teens here.”
“Anything of interest to report?”
“Not yet. Keeping eyes and ears open. Out.”
Now that was interesting. Jules works at a youth center. He’d have to ask Carly more about that and see what he could learn from her to help Will out.
He poured the eggs in the pan and used the fork to move them around. He was careful not to scratch the bottom of the pan or to let the eggs stick. He dropped two more pieces of bread in the toaster. When Carly came out of her room dressed he was getting down another plate.
“That smells yummy.”
“I hope it tastes that way.” He took her cold toast, put it in the frypan, and returned the pan to the stove to warm it up. The side with the butter browned before he put it back on her plate. By then the toaster popped up his bread. He grabbed those, smeared butter on them, and laid them on his plate. Then he topped Carly’s coffee cup off with freshly brewed before refilling his own.
“Want some jelly?” she asked, opening the refrigerator up and pulling out a small jar of something pinkish red.
“What kind is it?”
“Peach butter. I got it at the farmers market.”
“Sure.”
She got out a spoon and opened the lid, scooping some onto her plate before handing the jar to him.
He caught a whiff of raspberries and wondered if that was a body spray or her shampoo. She’d changed into camel-colored twill pants and a light blue blouse with a rounded collar like his granny had worn when he was a kid. He glanced down, noticing the petite dress flats she wore. Her hair was styled, jewelry accessorized her outfit and her makeup was on as if she were going out. It made him feel bad that he couldn’t let her leave the apartment. But who knew, perhaps this was the way she dressed to stay in, coming from a country club background. Didn’t Hawkeye say that Porter was the country club type? And hadn’t Carly said he’d wanted her to be his social butterfly? It would stand to reason Porter would have expected a certain style in her dress for every occasion. That behavior would be hard to break after so many years of conditioning.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
“Are you sure? You keep staring at me. Did something happen to Colleen? You said last night that the EMTs were taking her to the hospital. Did you hear from your guy while I was showering?”
Brand let out a sigh. How had she jumped to that conclusion from him looking at her appearance?
“Settle down. I haven’t heard anything bad about your friend. I did hear from Kincaid. They are still at the hospital. Your friend is resting and he was able to pull a few strings to keep her there until morning because of the shooting.”
Boy was he stretching the truth and then some, but she was buying it word for word. He felt bad about that, but he didn’t have any confirmed details to tell her yet. So it was best to keep her in the dark about what happened to Colleen at the Pied Piper.
“The jelly is good.”
“Glad you like it. Why is Colleen at the hospital? I know they took her by ambulance last night to check her out, but why didn’t they do it at the bar like they did everyone else?”
Brand took a gulp of his coffee. He should have known that question would come up today when she had more time to think about it. “I’m not an EMT, Carly.”
“I want to go to the hospital and see her.”
“You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because you can’t leave the apartment until I’ve been given the clear that it’s safe for you to go out.”
“What? I can’t leave? No. No. I have to be able to leave. I have a job interview next week. I have to go to that interview, Brand.” She looked at him for a moment and then began pacing back and forth in the small kitchen area. She raised one hand. “I have to be able to support myself. This isn’t fair. It isn’t right.” She stopped pacing and looked at him again, laying her hand on her chest. “I’m a victim here, but it sounds like I’m under house arrest while the bad guys are free to go wherever they please.”
Brand reached out and took hold of her shoulders. “I will contact Commander Burns and see what I can do about you going to the job interview.”
“And if he doesn’t? What then? Who’s going to pay my rent? The electric, water, and phone? Who’s going to put food in my cabinets?”
“I get it.” He released her shoulders. “Speaking of food. There isn’t much in the cabinet or refrigerator right now. You make out a list of what you buy and I’ll go do the shopping later today.”
“I don’t eat much. There’s plenty.”
He grinned. “That may be true, honey. But I’m a fella that likes his meat and vegetables. So while I’m here there’s gonna be more than what’s getting you by in this apartment. Don’t worry about the cost either. I’m paying because I’m eating. So make out a list of what you want and I’ll pick it up along with things I like. Also, point me in the direction of the closest place to go.”
“I can afford to buy my own groceries.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t, but buying for two couldn’t have been in your budget until you got a job.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine. I’ll make the list out. But I have coupons.”
“I have no problem using those if that makes you happy.”
A slow grin formed. “There’s also a delivery service at the local grocery if you’d like to shop online. I haven’t tried it here, but Justin Porter had me use it to free me up for his business.”
Brand cocked his head to the side. “Why is it that every time you say the man’s name it’s always Justin Porter? Never plain Justin?”
“Because he is ‘Justin Porter’.” She made air quotation marks when she said his name. “A frat buddy of his made the mistake of calling him only Justin on the eve of his wedding. He ended up getting married with a black eye. It isn’t a mistake you want to make twice. It’s a lesson you learn and remember …”
“Okay. I get it.” Son of a bitch. The man was a psychopath. Brand didn't want to know what Porter did to Carly if she'd called him Justin instead of Justin Porter.
“Want some more coffee?” he asked, trying to change the subject to something more pleasant.
“I’m good.”
“What can you tell me about Jules and her job at the youth center?”
“Jules? Why?”
“I’m trying to get an understanding of all parties involved in what went down last night. The more you can tell me about your friends, the better I can understand the situation. You can trust me with the information you give me. Before I left the military, I had top security clearance. If I hadn’t been deemed medically unfit for combat, I would still be serving my country on foreign soil instead of helping protect its citizens on the home front.”
Carly nodded, took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “She’s a psychologist… a youth counselor and she really cares about the kids there. But she’s really more than that. She’s an advocate, going to bat for them to keep the programs and after-school activities. Funding to the center gets cut every time you turn around it seems. Like right now. That is all she has been dealing with this week. The center has lost a prestigious donor. Jules is terrified the center might close if this happens again.”
“What about any of the youth at the center. Has Jules mentioned anyone in particular?”
“What do you mean? Like someone she sees has the potential to rise above his home life? If so, yeah, there is this one kid she’s really afraid will fall into the gang life if the center closes. She’s been working with him for years to keep it from happening, but he’s just now reached the age when the pressure is on. Tha
t’s why these cuts at the center are so hard on Jules. I’m sure your guy must think he’s been assigned to a shrew, but she sees herself in this kid. She came from the wrong side of the tracks. Jules Gentry wouldn't be where she is today if it wasn't for the youth center in Brooklyn Heights or the counselor who made a difference in her life.”
Brand swallowed. He took in every word that Carly said about her friend and her passion for the youth center. Even the kids there. “What’s this kid’s name that Jules has been so keen on?”
Carly shook her head, scrunching her eyes closed. “Sorry. I – I know she has talked about him, but if she ever said his name I don’t recall. I’ve been focused so much on my divorce lately that minute details like that don’t always stick with me.”
“I get it. What you’ve told me is a good start. Maybe talking about it will jog your memory and his name will come to you when you least expect it. I’m not saying this kid has joined a gang yet. But a hit at a bar during closing hours like what happened last night does sound like an initiation ritual.”
Carly opened her eyes and a tear escaped. “That would be horrible if it were true, Brand. But those boys did look older than any that visit the youth center.”
She put the lid back on the peach butter, and then the lid on the small container of butter. Stacking them, she took both to the refrigerator. It was a clear sign she was finished eating and ready to move on with her morning routine. Even if Brand had more questions he wanted to be answered.
“What about Simone. What can you tell me that could help give me a good picture of her and why the gunman would single her out?”
“He was loony tunes. I’ve thought about it myself. Anyone who would point a gun at another human being for no reason and pull the trigger, then laugh like a lunatic. He laughed, then Phil’s shooter laughed when he threatened to shoot me. Do you think they were high on something?”
“Possibly.” Brand agreed with her, gathering their dishes and putting them in the sink. “Other than the shooter and what you think about him, I want you to think about your friend. Is there anything out of the ordinary in Simone’s life? Anything odd that sticks out that could have caused someone to come after her? You don’t have to answer right away if you need to think about it for a moment.”