Her vulnerability stretched across the bed and nearly choked me. I didn’t want to put her through any more pain by forcing her to dredge up unpleasant memories, but we had to clear the air between us. If we didn’t, everything would remain stagnant. Nothing could progress with us.
“I thought he was a good guy at first.”
God, her voice sounded so young and timid. I didn’t like the idea that anyone had ever made her feel inferior, powerless.
“That’s the image he projects, you could say. I was fooled by his charming personality. I had never met anyone like him before.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed deeply through my nose. How much could I hear before my fist went sailing through the wall? Everyone fucking knew I was certainly no charmer. Was that the type she typically went for? Toothy smiles and larger than life personalities?
“In the beginning, he seemed really attentive,” she continued. “And protective. It was actually nice to have someone looking out for me like that. To feel like someone cared about my safety and well-being. Until I found out it had nothing to do with love or wanting to protect me from harm.” Her voice became wooden, desolate. “He just wanted to control me and everyone I interacted with.”
We call guys like that psychos.
I could sense where this story was headed. Tales like this never had happy endings. Obviously.
“It got so bad that the most innocent of conversations I’d have with other people would set him off. Male vendors I’d buy vegetables from at the market. A random man at a gas station. Even men I’d casually pass on the street. His irrational jealousy knew no bounds. On multiple occasions, a man I’d recently had an encounter with would be found days later, nearly beaten to death.”
It was like someone had just poured concrete into my stomach, and it was slowly hardening. With every confession, her anguish took another chip out of my sanity. And my protectiveness toward her turned more and more…vengeful.
“After I realized what was happening, I never wanted to leave my house,” she whispered. “I was afraid the next person who spoke to me would wind up in the hospital. He was very skilled at cutting me off from other people. He didn’t want to share me with anyone else, even my own family.”
“Did he become violent with you?”
I wasn’t sure I could hear the answer.
And I wasn’t sure I couldn’t not hear the answer.
“Not for a while. He would get really angry and yell crazy things, like I could never leave him and he’d never let me go and no one would ever take me away from him because I was his forever.”
Sounded like this asshole and I had some things to straighten out.
Cat was mine.
Had been since that first night at Rumors, even if I hadn’t known it at the time.
“But even with his disturbing behavior, I still didn’t realize how twisted his possessiveness was. Not until about a month before Luciana disappeared.”
I wanted to reach out and comfort her somehow. But I had no idea how to do that when my emotions were pinging all over the place, like crossed signals on a cell phone tower. I didn’t want to accidentally bruise her hand if I tried to hold it. So, I left both of mine fisting the bedsheets.
“It was Luciana’s birthday,” Cat went on. “Our village right outside Mexico City is small and most families who live there are poor. Just once, I wanted her to see that there was more to the world than scraping at the bottom of the barrel for every cent. That there was such a thing as having fun and living, rather than just merely surviving. So, I’d planned a night in the city for her. I’d saved for months to buy her a new dress and take her to a nice dinner.”
Jesus, baby.
The simple aspects of life so many of us took for granted were luxuries to Cat and her sister. Knowing how little she’d had for her entire life left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“What happened?”
She shivered. Again, I had the impulse to take her into my arms but was afraid I’d squeeze too hard. “When they brought out her dessert at the restaurant and sang to her, I’d never seen her smile so much in my life. She blew out her sparkly candles and couldn’t stop laughing when one of them wouldn’t go out. It was a perfect night…until the moment we left the restaurant. He was waiting for me outside and just exploded. Accused me of being a whore and trolling for a new man because it was the first excuse I’d had to dress up in forever. Even though I had my sixteen-year-old sister with me, he still thought I was looking for someone to take home. There were so many people on the street that heard it. It was humiliating.”
Goddammit.
This motherfucker needed to die.
I’d felt that killing rage many times in my life, especially over the last year with all the threats being leveled against my family. But I had never before felt such singular hatred for a person I’d never met. I wanted to end a person’s life without even knowing his name.
But sometimes…evil doesn’t need a name.
It just needs to be vanquished.
“It caused such a disturbance that even a couple of police officers got involved.”
I narrowed my eyes, feeling like there should have been a follow-up statement there. “And? Did they question him?”
There was that flat, mirthless laugh again. The sound grated on my ever-loving nerves. It was the laugh of someone who’d gotten so comfortable with a fake laugh because she had nothing worthwhile in her life to use her real laugh on.
“I told you he was charming,” she said dryly. “I’m not the only person to have ever fallen victim to his deceit. He was able to convince the officers that his girlfriend had had a little too much to drink at dinner, and we were just having a spat. No big deal. The two officers left smiling, tipping their hats. A month later, Luciana disappeared.”
“Did you go to the police?”
“No, I went to him first. Because I knew he was involved somehow. Luciana had been glued to my side ever since she was born. He knew he couldn’t have me all to himself until she was out of the picture.”
“What did he say when you accused him?”
“He didn’t deny it. I kept pushing, demanding answers. When I wouldn’t let it go, he hit me.”
I cursed under my breath.
Someone had laid their hands on this woman. On my woman. Nevermind that she hadn’t been mine at the time this all occurred. Now that I’d claimed her—even if she hadn’t fully accepted it yet—I was claiming all of her. Past, present, and future. All of it, her entire existence, was now my responsibility to safeguard and defend.
And that was a job I took seriously.
Because aside from serving my country, it was the most important duty I’d ever had. One I was not only willing to uphold, but eager to. One I was fucking grateful to have because this amazing, incredibly beautiful woman was essentially hiring me to do it. She didn’t really know that and would probably lose her shit if I said any of those words out loud. But by sharing this information with me, she was essentially assigning me a new mission.
To be her man.
That involved taking out any other man who thought he could squeeze me out of the position. And fucking firing him.
“Did you report him to the police?”
There was a little stutter in her breath. She seemed to choose her next words carefully. “I don’t know how the police operate in this country, but in mine, a lot of them don’t exactly live by the moral code of their badge. Everyone works for someone, everyone has something to lose and thereby, something to protect. He’s an influential man with a lot of connections and money. No one’s going to take the word of a nobody from a village no one cares about over someone like him. Money doesn’t just talk in my country; it screams.”
Fucking hell.
This woman was killing me. From the sounds of it, she’d never had anyone in her life she could turn to.
“It took about a month of my brother and I asking everyone we knew about the women being trafficked
before we finally got confirmation they were being taken to New York. I had to convince Eduardo to stay with my parents and look after them instead of coming with me. He wants to get Luciana back too. But—”
“The ex,” I finished for her when she cut herself off.
She nodded. “I had to get away from him in order to find Luciana. And I thought that if I was gone, he wouldn’t bother them. So, I took all the money we had and made my way up here.”
“And you think he’s looking for you?”
“I know he is. I saw it in his eyes the night of Luciana’s birthday. He’s completely obsessed. He won’t stop looking until he finds me.”
Well, that’s not gonna fucking happen.
Was that how she saw me, though? I’d felt an obsession for Cat growing ever since she’d stormed back into my life almost a month ago, but was I as bad as this asshole ex of hers? God knows I would never lay a finger on her, never hurt her. All I ever wanted was to see her happy. Sure, I felt deranged at times when I thought her safety was at risk, or when I felt that someone else had disrespected her. I’d kill for her without question if her life was in danger.
Did all of that make me as crazy as this guy?
It didn’t…right?
I wanted Cat to be free and full of life and vigor. This man wanted to keep her in his back pocket like a toy. A piece of property. I’d come to think of her as mine, but Christ, I wasn’t trying to control her. I just wanted every other man drooling over her and ogling her ass to back the hell off because she had someone at her back now, protecting that ass.
And my hands were going to be the only ones on it.
Fuck. Maybe I am crazy.
All right. No more not touching her. I’d rather slit my own throat than hurt Cat, so I knew I could control my strength when her soft, delicate body was in my arms. I pulled her into me until our bodies were connected in every way. She fit against me so perfectly, it was as if we’d been made to lie exactly like that. To slide in place like two puzzle pieces finding their homes.
I was honestly surprised when she didn’t fight the intimacy. And humbled. I tucked her head under my chin, wrapped my arms around her, and twined her legs between mine. As far as I was concerned, this was exactly how we would go to bed every night until she kicked me out of her life for good. And even if that were to happen, I’d still come back swinging. I’d refuse to give up.
That’s when it really hit me.
I would always fight for this woman.
“I give you my word he’s not going to find you, Cat. And we will get Luciana back safely.”
It was a serious promise to make because right now, we had absolutely no idea where Luciana Vasquez was.
But I knew without a doubt that I was prepared to move heaven and Earth for this woman. And since finding Luciana was the one thing she wanted most in this world, I was willing to do absolutely anything to make that happen.
Even if that meant putting myself on the front lines.
Not like I hadn’t done it before. Many times.
The difference this time? I wasn’t just fighting for a cause or for justice. I was fighting for her. Cat. Someone who kept filling in all the blanks I’d assumed would forever remain blank. She was making me behave in unpredictable ways. Drawing emotions out of me I thought were dormant or extinct. Changing every rule in the whole damn book.
I needed someone like that.
I needed her.
So, for the first time in my life, I was fighting for me too.
I just hoped to God she wouldn’t cast me aside once we did find Luciana. Her search for her sister was the only thing that had brought her to Brooklyn in the first place. The reality of her returning to Mexico once we found Luciana was a distinct possibility and one that I remained in denial about. I preferred to pretend it didn’t exist at all.
Cat nuzzled into my chest, her body slowly relaxing.
“I’ll never let anyone hurt you,” I whispered into her hair. “You can always trust me.”
Another promise that taunted me as we fell asleep in each other’s arms.
She opened up tonight, thereby gifting me with her trust. I couldn’t help but wonder, though, exactly how much trust did she just wrap up and tie with a bow? Because there was one glaring aspect about her story that stood out starkly, making me doubt whether or not Cat was actually all in with me.
She hadn’t once said her ex’s name.
In fact, she’d seemed to avoid the subject of his identity at all costs. With that realization hanging in the air, the progress I thought had just been made evaporated, like it never was.
I was back at square one.
And the title of square one was: Who the fuck was stalking Cat, and why the hell was it such a secret?
I had to get ahold of Bryce and see what he’d been able to find out about her. If it wasn’t what I wanted to hear, I’d tell him to go back and look harder.
Because I was definitely missing something.
And I had a feeling that something was fucking huge.
“Knock, knock, bro.”
I looked up from the accrual accounting statements I was going over on my desktop to find Gia leaning against the door frame of my office, watching me with an amused expression.
“It’s always so fun to see you behind a desk,” she said. “It’s like a wild animal that’s been taken into captivity and forced to adapt to its new surroundings.”
“Says the girl who looked like a capuchin money on crack during Cat’s pole dancing class.”
Well versed at brushing off her five brothers’ constant ribbing, she threw her head back and laughed at herself. “Considering capuchins are tiny and cute, there’s a compliment in there somewhere.”
I glanced at my phone. “You’ve already missed her beginners class for the day. If you’re here to sign up for her advanced class, I’m pretty sure that violates the gym’s safety protocols.”
She stepped further inside the room, still smiling. “Yeah, well, you violate the fire code every time you smolder in her direction, so we’re even.”
I snorted. Christ, was I that obvious?
“But no, I’m actually here to invite her to girls’ night tonight. I didn’t get her number at the shower the other day.”
I scratched at a weird itch in my chest. Was I really this happy that my sister and the rest of my family were so taken with Cat? Did I actually care if they all got along or not?
Apparently, yes.
“Girls’ night, huh? And what shenanigans do you have in store for them?”
Her mouth slowly spread into a mischievous smile. “Now, that’s violating girl code. The first rule of girls’ night is you don’t talk about girls’ night.”
I scoffed. “The last time you had a bright idea, the night ended with some half-naked dude shaking his ass in Lexi’s face and Nico nearly having a coronary.”
“And I’ll take credit for pushing them closer together,” she stated proudly with a wink. “Our niece will thank me one day.”
My mouth tightened. “You’re really not going to tell me?”
She shook her head. “Nope. But don’t feel bad. I’m not telling them either. Plus, it’s so much more fun when you men hear about it the next day.” She put her finger up. “Forewarning, I wouldn’t try to pull a Nico and break up our fun because we’ll all be armed.”
My face pulled into a glare. “Here comes the coronary.”
She just smiled wider. “Seeing you all stew is half the fun for me. Don’t worry, nothing’s going to happen to your girl.”
I cut her the tiniest bit of slack because she’d referred to Cat as mine.
Damn right she is.
Besides, this might be really good for her. Making friends, having fun with other girls, and forgetting about the fucked up shit in her life long enough to act like a normal twenty-three-year-old. Like she deserved.
“I’m trusting you to not get her into trouble,” I told my sister, even though Cat was a year older th
an Gia. “Keep an eye on her.”
Gia rolled her eyes. “I swear, with the overprotective men in this family. Cat’s a big girl, Luka. She can decide to get into trouble or not get into trouble all on her own. She doesn’t need anyone babysitting her.”
I shot Gia a serious look. “Trust me, I know how tough and independent Cat is. All I meant is that she’s going through something right now, so she’s a little…vulnerable.”
Gia frowned. “What kind of something?”
I wasn’t sure how much I should reveal about Cat’s story. It was hers to tell, but part of it—the parts involving Luciana and human trafficking—intermingled with shit my family was also looking into. Bottom line, I felt like certain aspects of her life needed to be understood.
I sighed. “I won’t give you the details because that’s for her to decide. All I will say is that she’s having issues with an ex-boyfriend.” Just saying those words made me want to vomit. “Of the stalker variety.”
Gia stilled, her eyes widening. “Shit.”
“Yeah.”
Wheels turned behind her eyes, and she eventually nodded. “Okay, yeah. I get it. She’s good with me, Luka. I promise. It’s not like I’m going to take us anywhere dangerous. I’d have three other brothers ready to grill my ass if I took their ladies anywhere sketchy. I know everyone thinks I can be irresponsible, but I’m not stupid.”
I flinched. “We’ve never thought you were. You just do things your own way, and sometimes it scares the shit out of your overprotective big brothers.”
Her smile came back, and the pressure in my chest eased. I didn’t want to think I’d hurt her feelings. “You guys do things every day that scare the shit out of me, so we’re even. The next time you want to lecture me, just remember that I’m not the one getting blown out of buildings, or being shot in the neck, or storming into mafia summit meetings with automatic weapons and smoke grenades, or almost being burned alive. I carry a guitar to work, not a gun.”
And thank God for that.
“Point taken.” I returned her smile. “Have fun tonight. Try not to get arrested.”
Glitter and Greed (Brooklyn Brothers #4) Page 21