Broken Halo: The Montgomery Series, Book 2

by Asher, Brynne

  That tugs at my insides and makes me want to smile at the same time because my mother didn’t have time for what she used to call busy-body women who have nothing better to do than shop.

  But I lose my desire to smile when I flip the page and a loose paper slips into my hand. Like a gift from God himself—or, who knows, maybe the woman who gave me life—a note falls into my hand. This one, with a different scroll I haven’t seen in years.

  My sweet Faye,

  It’s not Christmas yet, but you know I can’t keep a surprise. When I saw this, I knew it had to be yours. You hang the moon, and besides Griff, you’re my brightest light. Thank you for being you. Merry (early) Christmas. And you can’t scold me if I get you something else because you love me and you know I won’t be able to help it.

  Love you,

  Your Ellie

  I read it again.

  Then, one more time.

  I take the note and slide it into my pocket and read the entry where it was kept on December second.

  December 2nd

  My poor, broken Ellie gave me a crescent moon necklace for Christmas today. For someone who insists she’s fine, she sure as heck doesn’t even know what “fine” is.

  My back hurts from choppin those mums yesterday.

  But the sun is shining and Easton is coming for dinner. Between him and Ellie, I feel like I’m living a double life.

  Living a double life? She sure as hell was. I don’t know whether to be pissed at my mother or drop to my knees and thank her for keeping Ellie close.

  One thing I’m not going to do is start cleaning this room. Ellie stalked out of my office around five-thirty tonight and swore she won’t see me until her court hearing next week. That was three hours ago.

  She was mistaken.

  * * *

  After typing in the due date that never was, I pull through the gates of Ellie’s neighborhood and decide to be grateful she hasn’t changed the code yet.

  We’re in the middle of a surprisingly-warm spring for Texas and it’s not even cooling off when the sun sets. I haven’t had time to go home and change so I roll my sleeves as I search for my patience because, at this point, I don’t even have a fifty-fifty chance of her opening the door. Hell, I don’t even know if she’s home and I’m not quite pathetic enough to call her sister. Yet. Plus, I don’t need my boss in the middle of my personal life, even though it seems she knows more about it than I do, which irritates me further.

  I pull through her circle drive and I’m almost to her front door when I get a text.

  Ellie: Dammit, I see you on my surveillance video. I thought we agreed to only meet with Jen.

  I have nothing to say to that so I’m just going to ignore it.

  Me: Open the door.

  Ellie: Just as charming as ever.

  At least every other word isn’t fuck. I’m going to take that as she really wants me here, she just doesn’t know it yet.

  Me: Open the door. You won’t regret it.

  Ellie: Go the fuck away.

  Well.

  Moving on.

  Me: I have something for you.

  Ellie: I don’t want anything from you.

  Me: It was my mother’s.

  I get nothing, but I can tell she’s typing.

  Me: Open the door.

  Me: Dammit, Ellie.

  I get nothing and the bubbles go away.

  Me: Give me five minutes.

  Nothing.

  Me: For my mother.

  I immediately hear the lock and the heavy door swings open. She’s still wearing the same dress and if a bra could make a person jealous, this one is doing the job—clinging to her fair skin in a way my fingers are burning to. Her hair is messier than earlier, which looks even better on her.

  Her expression, on the other hand, is pissed. “How dare you use your mother to bribe me.”

  I don’t take the chance that she’ll slam the door in my face, because the chances of that happening are as real as my current preoccupation with how to break through her walls. I move into her house, forcing her to step out of my way.

  “Wait! What are you—”

  “Is Griffin in bed?” I move through her house and into the big-ass room that looks out to a pool and deep yard. This fucker probably cost a mint and she’s surrounded by mini-mansions with no privacy. Who the hell wants to live like this?

  I turn and she’s standing, barefoot, in the opening to the kitchen. One foot is hitched and her arms are crossed.

  “Is he in bed?” I repeat myself, wondering if this is going to be a one-way conversation.

  She huffs, “Yes.”

  I slide my hands into my pockets. “He do okay today?”

  She shakes her head but doesn’t answer my question. “What do you want?”

  I look around, the rooms are as wide as they are tall and everything is shadowed. “Are you staying here or will you move?”

  She drops her arms. “Are you serious?”

  I look away from a bookcase filled with pictures of her son. “Very serious. I’m putting my mom’s house on the market. I’m in real estate mode.”

  Her expression transforms from exasperated to surprised. “You’re selling Faye’s house?”

  I shrug. “Barely use the condo I live in. What am I going to do with two properties?”

  She turns away from me and goes to her kitchen sink where the dishwasher is standing open and she starts to load it.

  “Ellie.”

  She doesn’t turn to look at me. “What?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She slams a bowl into the top rack with more force than necessary, given the fact gravity would’ve done that job for her, and flips it shut. She turns to me, and as well as I knew her ten years ago, right now I can’t tell if she’s going to cry or scream. “Everything. Everything is wrong and you barging in my house talking about your mom, who I miss so much it hurts, tops it off. What the hell do you want?”

  What do I want?

  I haven’t allowed myself to want anything for as long as I can remember. In fact, I’ve done everything I could to not want anything beyond money. After I thought Ellie threw away what we had and kicked me to the curb in the process, I knew money was the key to life being less miserable.

  Does it bring me happiness?

  No fucking way.

  But it does make life easier to swallow. I’m the poster child for this hypothesis and can vouch for its results. My misery couldn’t be easier.

  I lower my voice. “I want us to not hate each other.”

  She wraps her arms around herself again and works her lip between her teeth—her chest rises and falls in a way she looks like her lungs might explode.

  “I want us to move on,” I add.

  “I did move on,” she throws back at me like a rotten piece of fruit, trying to strengthen her voice. “And so did you.”

  “Ellie—”

  But I’m interrupted by a knock on her front door right before it bursts open. Ellie and I both turn toward the front of the house and I move between her and the entryway.

  “You-hoo, Ellie! We’re back!”

  Shit. Hattie Montgomery.

  I look over my shoulder at Ellie, who’s turned white, when I hear, “What in the hell are you doing in my daughter’s house?”

  And Kipp.

  Fucking great.

  * * *

  The last time I was in the presence of Kipp Montgomery and his youngest daughter at the same time was in the hospital. Ellie and I had just found out we lost our baby and March ninth would forever be a date we’d mourn.

  It was the day after Ellie told her parents she wasn’t going to Juilliard, that she was staying in Texas, marrying a ranch hand, and that they were going to be grandparents.

  This was not a part of their plan for the baby of the family and my being a Barrett only made it worse.

  My angel was on cloud nine. Her parents, on the other hand, were not. I was the devil who took thei
r jewel, dirtied her, knocked her up, and essentially ruined her life.

  Ellie wouldn’t let go of me in the hospital. She cried and clung to my body like I was an essential organ she needed to survive. Her pain bled into me and I took it all.

  Because I loved her and I deserved every bit of it.

  We had two days to mourn our loss together. I thought that time would be my worst on earth, but then I left her while she was sleeping to go home, shower, and change, and that was the end. It didn’t matter that she was eighteen, that she was an adult, or that she had rights. Her father made sure I couldn’t get to her and that I knew she was done with me.

  Then the investigation started and my only alibi wouldn’t talk. Not only wouldn’t she talk, she lied about where she was and that she was sleeping with me at the time I was supposedly buying enough ephedrine to cure asthma around the world twice-over.

  Or, so I was told.

  Kipp Montgomery might’ve fucked with me once, but not again.

  I shrug and even my tone because Kipp doesn’t deserve my energy. “Your daughters seem to enjoy their time in court. I’m just here to make sure Ellie stays out of jail.”

  I hear Ellie gasp from behind me and Hattie looks to her youngest child. “Is that true? I thought your daddy told you to call Scott Lehman.”

  The man I used to respect and look up to glares at me. If looks could kill, I’d have been buried six-feet under ages ago. Kipp doesn’t faze me, but it pisses me off he thinks he can intimidate Ellie just to get his way.

  Kipp turns his glare on his daughter. “I talked to Scott the other day while we were checking out of the villa. He said he was on his way to your office.”

  “Ellie changed her mind,” I state, before adding, “She can think for herself, Kipp.”

  He narrows his eyes, but his wife doesn’t give me a second glance. She moves past me in a rush to her daughter, which doesn’t surprise me. Cam was the golden boy, Jen was all Kipp’s, but Ellie? She was her mama’s. I’d know it even if Ellie hadn’t told me all those years ago. It was easy to see who favored whom back in the day.

  “We wrapped up our trip a couple weeks early. We skipped Italy, which isn’t a big deal. We’ll go back after all this has settled down. I knew we shouldn’t have left you so soon.”

  Ellie returns her mother’s embrace as she looks at me over her shoulder. “It’s okay, Mom. You didn’t need to come back. I’m fine.”

  Hattie pushes her daughter back to get a good look at her. “You’re not fine. You’re skin and bones. Are you even eating? How’s my grandbaby? I wanted to get here before his bedtime, I miss that lil’ bugger. Wait ‘til you see what all I got him. The grandkids thought they were spoiled before. Your daddy tried to stop me but couldn’t—I shopped my way across Europe.”

  Ellie gives her mother a sad smile and doesn’t respond. Hattie can carry on a conversation in a room full of people and no one needs to utter a word in exchange. I wonder if that’s why Ellie liked my mom. She was a listener.

  Kipp moves past me like I’m invisible or the scum of the earth, not deserving his time or attention.

  Kipp and Hattie Montgomery haven’t changed an ounce. I didn’t think they would’ve but it’s good to know what I’m dealing with.

  It’ll be a fucking uphill battle if I have to win her over while her parents still hate me.

  Kipp kisses his daughter on the head before stepping back, still ignoring the elephant in the room—me.

  “Really, Ellie? Marijuana? Tell me what’s going on,” Kipp demands.

  Ellie’s face falls. “I explained over the phone. It wasn’t mine and I don’t know how it got here.”

  Kipp exhales and shakes his head. “It’s all over the media. Hell, Twitter had a heyday with it. I had to have Jen put our media relations on it and issue some statements—”

  “What?” Ellie demands and takes a step back from her parents. “I don’t work for you, and quite honestly, this is why.”

  “You’re a Montgomery,” Kipp clips and I wonder how many times in her life she’s heard that. “You think what you do doesn’t blow back on the company? It does.”

  “Kipp, hush your mouth,” Hattie chastises him and grabs Ellie’s hand.

  Ellie jerks away from her mother and glares at Kipp. “Oh, I’m well aware my actions have had a very potent blowback on your precious company. If you think I let a moment go by without thinking about how my choices have affected others, you’re sorely mistaken. I’m pretty sure a bag of marijuana in my panty drawer pales in comparison to what my now-dead husband has done, don’t you think?”

  That’s it. I take three steps and put myself between her and her parents. “I need to speak to Ellie about her case. You’re doing nothing but upsetting her more and she’s already had a bad week. Go back to the ranch and she’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Kipp looks over my shoulder at his daughter. “Why the hell is he here instead of Scott Lehman?”

  I answer, not giving Ellie the chance. “She’s a Montgomery, you said so yourself. She falls under my purview.”

  Kipp crosses his arms and shakes his head. “Jen was so determined to bring you on.”

  I tip my head and lift a shoulder. “She was. And should you ever get framed for anything due to your winning personality, I’ll represent you, as well. I’ll even be fucking chipper while doing it.”

  Hattie’s eyes widen and she looks to her husband, anxious for his reaction. If Kipp could burn a hole through me with his scowl, he would.

  Ellie, for the first time since I’ve laid eyes on her again, moves in to stand next to me. “You really should go home. Trig and I were in the middle of talking about my hearing. Eli is investigating the CPS employee and the officers who were here that day. It’s under control.” She shrugs. “Or as under control as it can be.”

  “It’s a misdemeanor,” I add even though I want to pull her to me and protect her from her father because I’m pretty sure he’s more irritated that I’m here than about the planted weed. “I’ve got it under control.”

  “I don’t like it,” Kipp states.

  Ellie’s tone grows a pair and she gives me a hint of what I’m used to. “You also didn’t like it when he represented Jen and she was charged federally. Trig got the job done and Jen’s currently walking around free to shop for shoes. Sorry, Dad, but when it comes to Trig, I don’t trust you. It’s time for you to go.”

  I catch Kipp’s eyes and I wonder if he has any clue that I know what he did all those years ago.

  Hattie puts a hand on Ellie’s cheek. “Well, we did come straight from the airport and I’m as tuckered as a wet hen. I just had to see that you’re okay. Can I come by tomorrow to see Griff? I’m afraid he’s forgotten me.”

  “It’s madder than a wet hen and he hasn’t forgotten you, Mom. I promise.”

  “Whatever. Your daddy was the mad one and I had to travel with him. I’m just plain tired.” Hattie smiles, gives Ellie another hug and me a nod before proceeding to boss her husband. “Kipp, give your daughter a kiss and take me home.”

  Kipp leans in to kiss Ellie on the forehead and I don’t budge. They say their goodbyes and I get one more glare from the man who tried to puppeteer my life so long ago.

  Ellie walks them to the door and this time I hear the lock flip. When she returns, she’s rubbing her temples before she drags her hands through her messy hair. “Okay, you have two minutes to tell me why you’re here. After that, you’re gone.”

  Oh, angel ... if you only knew.

  13

  Guilt, Anger, and Lust

  Knowledge is power. It can both bless and harm. Use it wisely.

  Ellie

  Damn him.

  Trig held me hostage in his office, asking me all kinds of questions—about Robert no less—and now he’s here.

  My parents are back and I now realize how nice it was to have half the globe separating us. I need my dad riding my ass as bad as I need a strong case of food poisoning. And my mom … she�
��ll just use her finely-honed helicoptering skills to drive me to the crazy farm and leave me there to rot. At least Griffin will distract her.

  I was not lying—Trig has two minutes and he’s out. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to make him leave, but I’ll do my damnedest.

  “Well?” I demand, evening my tone and straightening my spine. I don’t need another scene like the other day in my office.

  He brings his hand up and rubs his jaw. “I see your parents haven’t changed.”

  I roll my eyes. “Did you think they would? Kipp Montgomery will never change.”

  “He hasn’t been in town much since I started at MI. Luckily for me, he’s taking his retirement more seriously than I thought he would.”

  “Why did you do it?” I ask because I have to know.

  “Do what?”

  I take in a breath. “Take the job at MI. Why in the hell would you want anything to do with my family, let alone work for them?”

  He looks to the side, contemplating my backyard. When he turns back to me, he says, “I couldn’t help myself. It was a big, fat fuck you to your dad.”

  His blatant honesty pours over me like a bucket of cold water, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Trig was never one to bullshit, and after my years with Robert, I know the difference.

  He keeps up with the honesty but his tone cuts through the space between us like a knife. “Every time he walks into the business he built, I want him to see my face. I want to remind him that he has no fucking control over me and he’s not the only one who can build something out of nothing. He tried to get rid of me years ago, but I’m back and no one has a fucking hold on me—no one. I’m not going to lie, angel, as much as I never wanted anything to do with a Montgomery ever again, sticking it to your father makes me a very happy man.”

  I have no words and I know I should feel guilty or some sort of loyalty to my family, but I don’t care. As much as it hurts to have him back in my life, it brings me nothing but joy that he can throw that in my father’s face. His being upset that Trig was back in Texas was nothing compared to the conversation Jen said she had with our dad before hiring Trig.