Down Fall
Fallen Duet: Book Two
Copyright © 2019 Abigail Davies.
All rights reserved.
Published: Abigail Davies 2019
www.abigaildaviesauthor.com
No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form without written consent from the author. Except in the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a piece of fiction. Any names, characters, businesses, places or events are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, events or locations is purely coincidental.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you are reading this book and have not purchased it for your use only, then you should return it to your favorite book retailer and purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Editing: Jennifer Roberts-Hall
Proofreading: Judy’s Proofreading
Cover Design: Pink Elephant Designs
Formatting: Pink Elephant Designs
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Fated Duet
Acknowledgments
Also by Abigail Davies
About the Author
Chapter One
LOLA
I was such a fool.
Such a naive fool.
Tears streamed down my cheeks like an unstoppable waterfall. They burned, stinging as they dripped from my chin and landed on my chest. I silently begged them to stop, prayed for them to dry so I could face what was happening, but nothing was working.
I dry heaved; at this point, there was nothing left to throw up. I’d emptied all the contents of my stomach an hour ago, but my body didn’t seem to be aware of that.
Lola.
I could hear his voice as clear as the sky on a sunny day. It haunted me, taunting everything I’d done since I first laid eyes on him. I wanted to wish that we’d never met, but my heart didn’t get the memo.
Married.
With a kid—a teenager to boot.
Undercover.
How had I not seen it? How had I missed the signs?
I shouldn’t be touching you.
Those five words held more meaning than I ever thought possible.
It wasn’t because of the age difference.
It wasn’t because of Hut.
It was because he had a wife at home, waiting for him to go back to her.
“Lola-Girl?”
I couldn’t lift my head. I couldn’t move a muscle.
“I’m coming in.” Sal’s deep timbre rolled throughout the room, and a second later, the door to the bathroom squeaked open. His heavy footsteps pounded through the room like a battle drum, but I still didn’t move.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but you can talk to me.”
“I can’t,” I croaked. He knew Brody. He knew him.
His large huff of breath mixed in with the drip of the tap. “If you think I’m gonna stand out there while you’re in here puking your guts up and breaking down, you got another think coming, Lola-Girl.”
I wanted to crack a smile at his brash words, but I couldn’t summon the energy. He was wrong. I wasn’t breaking down.
I was breaking apart.
“Has he gone?” I asked, already regretting the question as it slipped from my lips.
“Yeah. He left a couple of minutes after you ran away.”
Ran away. I wished I could run away from it all. I swiped my arm over my face, the tears now having slowed down from Sal being in here. I gripped the sides of the toilet bowl, using it to hoist myself into a standing position, and pulled in a deep breath. It was now or never. I had to face someone, and I’d rather it be Sal than myself right now.
The cold metal of the lock seeped into the pads of my fingers. Once I pulled it open, I wouldn’t be able to turn back. It was time to pull up my big girl panties and face it head-on. I flicked the lock and gripped the edge of the door to pull it toward me. Sal’s face was the first thing I saw, but I hadn’t expected the small smile to be there, or the kindness shining in his eyes.
“You’re a mess,” he grunted.
“I know.” My voice was barely a whisper, floating on the air between us. I opened my mouth to say more, but nothing came out. I could have told him that I didn’t know Brody was married, that all of this was such a mess, but if I said it out loud, it would make it all the more true.
Sal’s gaze batted over every inch of my face, taking me all in. “Clean yourself up. You have a shift to finish.”
“I—”
“Come on, Lola-Girl.” He pushed off the sink he was leaning against and stepped toward me. “You’re one of my best workers. I don’t care what that shithead did or said to you, you’ll always have a place here, got it?”
The tears burned the back of my eyes again, but this time, I managed to keep them at bay. Knowing I still had a job was a relief I hadn’t realized I felt tense about. I had so many thoughts rolling around in my head, but Sal was right. I had a shift to finish, and for now, that was all that mattered. I’d forget what had just gone down; compartmentalize it for the time being.
Sal walked out, glancing back once and winking, and then he was gone, leaving me in the room on my own for a second time. I didn’t want to look in the mirror, but I had no choice. I splashed water on my face and held my hand over my mouth, trying in vain to push the sob down that had worked its way up my throat.
One more minute, I’d allow myself one more minute, and then I’d push my shoulders back, wipe the tears from my face, and lock my heart away. It wasn’t a choice, not if I wanted to survive. Brody may have knocked my plans off-balance, but they hadn’t come tumbling down...yet.
Within an hour, I was running from one side of the diner to the other, passing out orders and taking new ones. I was determined to do nothing but work, not letting my thoughts stray too far. But all too soon the diner was emptying, leaving only me and Sal to close up. And then we were heading out into the dark night, the cold wind whipping past us and making me shiver.
“You know where I am if you need me,” Sal started, pushing the key in the lock and turning it. He always left one light on in the back kitchen, something about not wanting it to be pitch-black inside.
I nodded, having no intention of going to Sal. He didn’t need to be dragged into this. I’d created it, and I’d clean it up, just like I did with everyone else’s messes.
Gravel crunched underfoot, and I whipped my head around, narrowing my eyes at the shadow in the distance. Sal was looking in the same direction, his breath rushing out of him as they moved into the light.
“You should walk away now, Brody.”
My stomach dipped, and I clutched on to it, my shaking hands rippling against my jacket.
“Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t do,” Brody practically growled back. There had been a time when he used that voice on me, and I’d loved every second of it, but now all I wanted to do was puke.
“Listen, you’re my friend, so I won’t do what I normally would, but you ain’t gonna upset my girl more than you already have. Get gone.” Sal took a s
tep forward, half his body coming in front of mine.
“Your girl?” Brody stepped closer, the light from the diner illuminating his face. There was a danger there, one that I’d always seen but ignored. Had anything he said to me been the truth? Or had he spun so many lies that even he didn’t know?
“Well, she ain’t yours is she,” Sal grunted out. “On account of you having a wife.”
“Motherfu—”
“Stop!” My word echoed around us like gunshots on a battlefield, but neither of them looked at me. They were in a stare-off, one I didn’t care to be a part of. I needed to get home, get into bed, and pretend this day hadn’t happened.
I shook my head and whispered, “I’ll see you in a couple of days,” to Sal. I didn’t wait for him to reply as I spun around and headed out of the lot. My heart was galloping like a racehorse in my chest, my pulse an erratic beat. My breaths sawed in and out of me, and by the time I had control over my body again, an engine roared behind me.
“Lola.” My shoulders slumped, my steps faltered, but I kept on moving. Tires screeched to a halt and footsteps pounded on the ground. “Please, Lola.”
“Go away!” I twirled around, facing Brody, and hating that my traitorous heart didn’t know how to feel. I wanted to hate him, I wanted to hurt him, but I couldn’t deny how he made me feel.
“Please, just let me explain,” Brody said, holding his hands up.
“Explain?” I asked, flattening my lips into a straight line. “Explain how you’re a DEA agent undercover?”
“What, how did—”
“Your son filled me in while he was waiting for you.” I couldn't believe those words had just come out of my mouth.
“I—”
“I have nothing to say to you, Brody.” I shook my head, my gaze flicking over to the car that was pulled to the side of the road. It was so different from the one he used back home. It was shiny and looked like some kind of sports car.
“You don’t have to talk, just listen,” his deep voice told me as he stepped forward.
“No.” I held up my hand, trying to stop his momentum. He looked different here. He wasn’t dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt, but dress pants and a shirt with a badge and gun on his belt. A badge. “Were you using me this whole time?” I hated how small my voice sounded.
“What?” He shook his head. “No, Lola, you need to let me explain.”
“What is there to explain?” I moved back, putting more distance between us. “You’re a liar, Brody. And there’s nothing I hate more than liars.” I stared into his eyes. “Go home to your wife, Brody.”
I didn’t give him the chance to answer me. Instead, I spun around and sprinted down the street, my legs pumping all the way to the station entrance.
I took one look back when I was about to turn, and he was still standing in the same position, staring at the space I’d been standing in. I wouldn’t let myself wonder what that meant because he wasn’t real.
Not to me, anyway.
* * *
LOLA
My head was fuzzy, my body aching, and my stomach rolling.
I’d only managed to get a couple of hours’ sleep last night, and it wasn’t because of the raging party happening on the floor below mine, but thanks to my warring emotions.
I imagined time and time again that I listened to Brody after my shift and let him explain. Each time I envisioned it, he had a different excuse. I’m not really married. I’m divorced. I’m separated. But every one ended with his arms wrapped around me and my head against his chest.
I hated my imagination sometimes. It was torturing me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It was just that, though—my imagination. None of that had happened because there was nothing he could explain. He’d been undercover. He had a wife and son. What was there left to explain? How he used me to most likely bring Hut down? How he had probably thought getting closer to me would be the answer. He’d been delusional because it had backfired big-time.
Birds chirped outside my window, singing their songs, and the morning sun streamed throughout my room. I hadn’t even closed my blinds last night when I got home. All I had wanted was to curl up in a ball on my bed and sleep.
Fat chance of that happening.
My stomach churned as his face flashed in my mind again, but it was Moira and Cade standing next to him that had me heaving. I leaped out of my bed and ran to the bathroom, bringing back up the water I’d drunk when I got home. My stomach was empty, and it burned its way through me, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
Why? Why had he done this? Was I some game to him?
The burned side of me wanted to march downstairs and tell Hut exactly what had happened. Tell him everything I knew, and everything I’d found out. But something stopped me. Something told me not to risk it. I still had a plan—nine days, and I’d be out of here. Would it be so bad if Hut wasn’t around anymore?
Groaning, I stood to brush my teeth. Determined to start a new, fresh day, I then jumped into the shower. I could put it all behind me, pretend I’d never met Brody and stick to my plan. I wouldn’t allow someone to derail everything, not when I was this close to being out of here.
By the time I stepped out of the shower, I had a renewed energy and determination. And then I went back into my room and remembered what we’d done in here just over a week ago. How he’d touched me. How he’d spoken to me. He’d shown me what I’d meant to him—at least, I thought he had.
Just another lie.
I had too many thoughts roaming around in my head, and nothing I did seemed to sort through them. I was up and down, feeling like I was riding a roller coaster. I couldn’t get ahold of them or make sense. One moment I was determined, the next defeated.
The lock on my door clicked into place, shutting myself away from the rest of the world. One day. I’d give myself one day to sort through this mess in my brain and then I’d get back on track, about to start my new life. It was no longer before and after Hut, but before and after Brody—was that even his real name? It couldn’t have been, not if he was undercover.
I shook my head and lay on my bed, pulling my comforter around me like a shield. One day. Just one day, and then everything would be back to normal.
I hoped.
Chapter Two
BRODY
They always said you never knew what was around the corner.
I didn’t know who they were, but I did know they were right. It had taken seconds for my world to implode. Seconds for everything to go to shit. And hours to unsuccessfully come up with a way to fix it.
I didn’t know what to do or where to go from here, all I did know was I needed to see Lola and try to explain a second time. Explain what I didn’t know—that everything had changed? That from the moment I’d touched her, nothing would be the same again? She wouldn’t believe me, hell, I hadn’t believed me.
I’d told myself she was a job at first, and then our lips had touched, and she became more than that. I hadn’t been lying when I said we’d talk when I got back. I just hadn’t been sure what I was going to say.
If I were honest with myself, I probably wouldn’t have told her about my wife and son—Cade and Moira. Maybe it was a good thing she knew now. I could move on, and so could she. We could go our separate ways and be done with it.
Since the moment I turned twenty and Cade was born, I’d done everything for my family. I’d become the best version of me, and I’d worked my ass off to provide for them, but in the process, I’d lost myself. I’d forgotten who I was.
I’d forgotten Brody Easton.
I moved my head to the side and stared at Moira’s light-blond hair. It surrounded her like a halo, but I couldn’t help wish it was someone else’s hair spread out on the pillow beside mine. How could I lie in bed with my wife while wishing she was someone else? We’d always been fairly solid, and we’d worked through the routine of me going away a lot.
Right up until the day I’d kissed Lola.
&nbs
p; Shit.
I wasn’t that man. I wasn’t the one who looked at other women. I was loyal to a fault. But that had changed somewhere along the way, and it was all because of her.
Jord and the guys had been right, I’d needed to go home and remember who I was, remember who my family was. It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten so deep into a job that I forgot what waited for me in my own house, but it was the first time I’d touched another woman since saying “I do.”
I was a piece of shit. A dick. A fuckin' prick. But I still couldn’t stop thinking of the way Lola and I would wake up in each other’s arms. Her leg tossed over mine, her soft snores ringing through my ears, and my palm on her ass, holding her to me as if I was afraid she’d escape at a moment’s notice.
The alarm beeped so loudly I jumped. It was time to start a new day and wade through the mess I’d made. I wouldn’t admit the thought of seeing Lola today sent a thrill through me, but I would admit it was time we closed the case. Things wouldn’t get any better if I were there for another four months, that much was clear. I had to create a path that would bring me home as soon as possible and back to the man I’d promised to be.
“Morning,” Moira’s soft voice said as she stretched out next to me. Her head tilted to face me, her blue eyes meeting mine. “It’s so weird to have you back in bed.”
“I know,” I grunted. “You get used to sleeping on your own.”
She nodded and moved closer to me, her hand resting on my chest, and I had to hold myself still not to move it. She was my wife, not a random chick, but the way her palm burned through my T-shirt had my skin itching all over, begging me to move away from her.
Down Fall: Fallen Duet: Book Two Page 1