“No.” He let my shoulder go and shook his head. “I’m telling you she’s going through enough shit at the moment. It’s wearing her down. Let her figure her shit out, and when she’s ready, she’ll come to you.”
“I just…” I pushed my fingers into my hair and gripped it, relishing in the burn on my scalp. “I need to make sure she’s okay.”
“It doesn’t matter whether she is or not, Brody.” He paused and looked through the window of the diner. I followed his gaze and saw her behind the counter, a smile on her face as she talked to a customer. “If you mean what you say you do and don’t intend to go back to Moira, then you make sure you’re there, ready for her when she comes to you. Because she will.” He looked back at me. “She’ll come back to you, Brody. You just gotta let her do it in her own time.”
“You’re right.” I stepped back and leaned against the side of my car. His words rang true. It didn’t mean I had to like what he was saying, but he was right. I couldn’t push her into anything, I had to give her the time and space she wanted, and make sure everything was in place for when she came back to me. “I’m moving in to my new place today,” I told him, not sure why I was saying that. “And I spoke to a lawyer yesterday to file divorce papers.”
Sal nodded. “Just promise me something.” He drew in a breath and let it back out again slowly. “Don’t do anything because you feel like you have to. Do it because you want to. Make sure this is what you really want because that girl has had enough heartbreak to last her a lifetime and she’s not even twenty yet.”
“It’s what I want,” I told him, no doubt in my mind whatsoever. A gray cloud had been lifted off me from the moment I walked out on the family dinner to go to Lola, and all that was left was sunshine and a clear day that showed me the path I should take.
“Good.” Sal nodded, his lips lifting into a grin. “Not sure why she’s interested in an old man like you though.”
“Hey!” I chuckled. “This old man still has skills.”
“Mmmm.” His eyes crinkled at the corners. “I’m glad you’re home.”
“Me too,” I told him. “Me too.”
The thought of going away on another case right now didn’t fill me with the excitement it used to, in fact, all I wanted was to stay home. I wanted to be here for Cade and Lola. I didn’t want to be thousands of miles away, deep undercover, unable to contact them. The life I’d built for myself needed to change, I was seeing that now.
“Hey, Dad,” Cade called as he walked toward us. “I’m ready.”
I lifted my hand between Sal and me, and he shook it. “Thanks,” I told him, not really sure what exactly I was thanking him for. Maybe it was for looking after Lola? Or watching out for Cade, or calling me out on what I was doing. Either way, he’d helped me sort through my thoughts a little more.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Cade said to Sal as he pulled the car door open and slid inside.
Sal grunted and spun around, walking back into the diner, and I took one last look at Lola. I hadn’t expected her to be looking our way, and the jolt to my body had me stumbling back a step. She’d always managed to have that effect on me, right from the first moment I looked at her.
I smiled, and her answering smile told me she was getting there. She’d come back to me, and it didn’t matter if it was in a day, a week, or a year. She’d be in my arms again at some stage, and I promised myself once I had that, I’d never let her go again.
“Why?” I heard Cade ask, and I tore my eyes away from Lola and to him. He was staring at her, too, and I realized what he was asking.
“I…” I couldn’t explain why. There was something about her that drew me in and wouldn’t let go. “She’s… It’s different with her.”
“Different how?” Cade asked, turning to look at me from the opposite side of the car. “You couldn’t have done it with anyone else? It had to be her?”
“You can’t choose who you love, son.” I pulled in a breath. “You’ll realize that one day, and when you do, you’ll understand I had no choice in it.”
He frowned, skepticism rolling off him. But what I said was the truth. He wouldn’t understand it right now, but he would at some stage. “If it’s any consolation”—he pulled open the passenger door—“I think she feels the same.”
I flicked my gaze back to the diner and spotted her taking someone’s order at a table, and I knew he was right. We both felt things we shouldn’t have, but that wouldn’t stop us from being together.
I hoped.
* * *
BRODY
The last thing I wanted to do was be in the same space as Moira, but I didn’t have a choice, not when it came to wanting a healthy relationship with Cade. I could have easily dropped him off outside the house and watched him walk inside, but there was something that needed to be said to Moira.
Sal had told me what she’d said to Lola when she went into the diner, and although I’d said I wouldn’t ask Lola about it, that didn’t mean I’d not tell Moira to stay the hell away. I got it, I really did. I’d done the one thing you weren’t meant to do after marriage promises were made, but there was nothing I could have done to stop it. When fate stepped it, nothing could halt it.
“I need to talk to your mom,” I told Cade when I’d turned the engine off. I’d parked at the side of the road, not wanting to pull into the driveway. This may have been my home before, but it wasn’t any longer.
Cade huffed out a breath and pushed out of the car. “I had a feeling you would.”
He’d been there when his mom had turned up too, and even though part of me wanted to interrogate him and ask him to tell me every word that was said, it wasn’t right. He didn’t deserve to be put in the middle of this. He hadn’t chosen this, I had.
Cade walked up the driveway, me a couple of steps behind him, and moved right into the house. I hesitated by the door, and when he looked back, he shook his head.
“Mom?” His voice echoed throughout the house. “Dad wants to talk to you.”
The clicking of heels rang out, and then she appeared at the start of the hallway. Her gaze trailed over me, her lips quirking at the corners. “Come on in, Brody.” Her voice was soft and inviting, but I knew her better than anyone: it was all an act.
I didn’t want to go into the house that had once been mine, but she needed to be told what would happen if she didn’t leave Lola alone. I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me, and when I turned back around, Cade was gone, leaving just me and Moira standing on opposite ends of the hallway.
“Come into the kitchen,” she said, waving her hand in the air.
I cringed, feeling like I was approaching a complete stranger in a land I knew nothing about. I pushed my hands into the pockets of my jeans and took a deep breath. This wouldn’t take more than a few minutes, and when it was over, I wouldn’t have to see her again. Not like this anyway.
She was standing at the breakfast counter, mixing herself a cocktail, and it was only then I noticed the long silk nightie she was wearing. It dipped low at the front, showing her cleavage, and the fabric didn’t hide her erect nipples in the slightest. There was a time I would have found that sexy as hell, but now I hated it.
I looked over her head, ground my teeth together, and finally said, “I want to talk about what you did at the diner—”
“Would you like a drink?” she interrupted, and my nostrils flared.
“No.” I glanced at her, our gazes clashing, but hers held none of the animosity they had the last time I’d seen her. “I want you to leave Lola the hell alone.”
She picked up her drink and took a step toward me, slowly lifting it to her lips. “What’s in it for me?”
I raised a brow and itched to take a step back, to further the distance between us, but I had to stand my ground. “In it for you?”
“Yeah.” She took another sip of her drink and ran her tongue over her lips. “I miss you.” She stepped even closer, her body only centimeters from mine. “I know y
ou miss my pussy.” Her palm connected with my chest, her nails scraping down the front of my T-shirt. “You’ll get bored of her. Nothing can compare to what we had.”
“Stop,” I ground out, my voice rough, but it wasn’t because of anything but frustration.
“Why?” She pressed closer to me, her body now flush with mine. “I want you, you want me. She doesn’t have to know.”
“Moira—”
She leaned up, her lips connecting with my jaw. “Come on, Brody—”
“No.” I gripped her biceps and pushed her away from me. The liquid in her glass toppled over the edge and splashed against her front, making the material even more see-through than it already was. I could see everything under there, and I hated it. “Stop it.”
“You did that on purpose.” She placed the glass on the counter and ran her palm over her chest, making the material stick to her even more. “You want to see it, don’t you? You want me now that you shouldn’t. Is that your thing? You crave the forbidden fruit?”
“It’s not.” I let go and took three steps away from her. “I don’t want you at all.” She sucked in a breath, but I kept going. “And what you’re doing right now isn’t going to change my mind.” I shook my head. “Stop acting desperate, it doesn’t suit you.”
“How dare you.”
“How dare you,” I repeated. “How dare you show up at Lola’s work and embarrass her—”
“Embarrass her?” She gripped her hair and widened her eyes. “I’m the one who is embarrassed, not her. All my friends know what you did with the Cresthill whore! They whisper behind my back, talking about how I can’t keep a man—”
“Would you just listen to yourself?” I asked, my voice raised. I hated it was escalating to this, but she wasn’t the same person who I’d met all those years ago. I understood we all changed, but she was someone completely different. “You’re embarrassed because your high-society ‘friends' are talking about you?”
“You don’t understand!”
“I understand just perfectly,” I told her, lowering my voice. “I understand that if you approach Lola once more, I’ll get a restraining order slapped on your ass within the hour. I’m warning you, Moira.”
“Warning me?” she pointed at her chest, her cheeks bright red. “You think you can warn me off your little whore?”
I took two steps closer to her. “I’m sorry for what I did to you.” I paused and kept my gaze trained on hers. “But I mean what I said. Stay the hell away from her.”
“Or what?” she taunted, her lips lifting on one side.
“Or you’ll find out the lengths I go to for the people I love.” I left her with those parting words and spun around, desperate to get away from her.
Chapter Twelve
LOLA
I paced the small space between my living room and kitchen as I stared down at my cell. A new message was open, the cursor above the keyboard flashing at me—taunting me. It was time to tell Brody. Time to come clean about the secret I’d been keeping.
But I couldn’t help wondering what he’d say and do when I told him. Maybe everything he was doing had been for nothing? Cade finally spoke to me yesterday and told me they’d moved into a new house after Moira had called me a whore. Which meant it was all real. Brody was starting a new life. The question was whether I wanted to be in that life with him or not.
I shook my head. It wasn’t a question, I was just stalling for more time.
My fingers flew over the keyboard, and I pressed send before I could chicken out.
Lola: We need to talk. Can I come over later?
I cringed at the words. I shouldn’t have assumed he’d want me to come to his place. Maybe I should have suggested we meet on neutral ground, like somewhere public. Crap. I should have done—
Brody: I’d love to talk. I can pick you up around 8?
Lola: No, I’ll meet you. Send me the address.
I shook my head. I sounded like a goddamn robot, but the nerves were hitting me full force. Once I got out what I needed to say, we could wade through all the shit and figure it all out. But the first step was being honest. He’d been honest with me when he came here two weeks ago, and now it was my turn.
My cell vibrated in my hand, and I looked down to see his address. I copied it and put it into Google Maps, working out how long it would take me to get there, and started plotting out my whole day around it.
I didn’t have work today, and there were four hours until I had to leave, so the only viable thing to do was wait around. I hated waiting, so I grabbed my keys and headed out to get something to eat and to kill some time.
I strolled through the streets and past the diner, spotting Jan at the counter through the windows, but I didn’t stop. I kept on walking, heading into the stores at the small strip mall five minutes away, and then I grabbed a sandwich from the deli shop and ate it on my way back to my apartment.
By the time I closed my door behind me, I’d killed two hours and only had two left. My stomach dipped, and I gripped on to it, trying to hold the nerves in. Nothing would be the same after today. It would either go really good, or really fucking bad, but I wouldn't know until I said the words. Two words. Two words that could change the course of everything.
I jumped out of my skin at the knock on my door, and my eyes widened. He’d turned up at my place instead. He was early, and now I was going to have to tell him, and I wasn’t prepared. I wasn’t ready. I hadn’t figured out my speech yet, and—
“Lola!” A fist banged on the door a second time. “I know you’re in there.”
I frowned at the door and Hut’s voice. Why was he here? I hadn’t seen him since he’d last turned up, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with him right now.
“Open the fuckin' door, or I’m gonna kick it in!”
I rushed over to the door and flung it open. “What are you doing—”
Hut barged his way inside, and I stumbled to the side, thankful the wall was there to catch me.
“You’re coming with me.”
“Erm...no, I’m not.” I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest. “You don’t get to tell me what to—”
“It isn’t open for discussion,” Hut ground out as he took three steps toward me and gripped my arm. His eyes were wild, not able to concentrate on any one thing, and I knew he was high. “I need you to come with me.”
“I don’t care what you need,” I sneered, yanking my arm from his grip, but he readjusted and held me tighter. I wasn’t going to do this again. I’d been through it enough when I lived in the same house as him, I wouldn't allow myself to go back to that place. “Let me go, Hut.”
“You come willingly, or I’ll knock you out, but either way, you’ll be coming with me.”
“Hut!” I growled and stomped my foot. I wasn’t sure why I did it, but it felt right at the time. “Let me go!”
He pulled me out of the door, not bothering to close it behind him, and I fought. I fought like I’d never fought before. I scraped my nails down his arm, I punched his back, I threw all my weight at him, but it didn’t faze him one bit. He kept on yanking me down the hallway. If he made for the stairs, I could push him down them and get away, or maybe I could call for help—crap, my cell was on the kitchen counter.
“Hut, seriously, stop.”
“No.” He turned for the elevator, and my plan was destroyed. “I need you to come with me to see Carson.”
“Again?” I groaned, finally giving up the fight. I wouldn’t get anywhere with fighting him, not yet at least. “I already went to one with you, why—”
“Stop asking so many fuckin' questions!” he roared so loud that I shrank a little. The elevator doors whooshed open, and he pulled me inside, not caring that I stumbled and nearly face-planted the floor.
“Please, Hut. You don’t have to—”
“Stop talking,” he fumed, his hand gripping on to my arm even harder and tears sprang to my eyes. I was sure he’d crack the bone if he weren’t c
areful. “If you don’t stop talking, I'll make you stop.” His gaze met mine, a promise in their depths as he pulled out his trusty knife—I hated that thing with a passion. “Maybe it’d be easier if you didn’t have a tongue?”
“Hut…” I trailed off, not sure what to say. There was no getting through to him when he was like this.
I had two hours until I had to meet Brody. I wouldn’t make it back to Cresthill and here in time, but maybe if I did as Hut told me and met Carson with him, it could all be over. I could be back in my apartment tonight, and once I told Brody what happened, he could get Hut out of my life for good.
Sadness hit me like a freight train. I didn’t want to cut Hut out altogether. He’d been the one person I could rely on when I was growing up, but staring at him now, there wasn’t one flash of that person. This evil version of him had taken over and strangled the boy beneath.
The elevator doors whooshed open, and I didn’t have the energy to try and pull away this time. He led me to a car—not his usual SUV—and popped the trunk.
“Get in.”
My eyes widened. “Hut—”
He pushed his face closer to mine, a sneer pulling at his lips. “Get. In.”
I swallowed, hating I was about to climb into the trunk without putting up another fight, but the glint of his knife at his side was enough to get my ass into the trunk. I didn’t have to guess if he’d use it. I knew he would.
He slammed it closed, basking me in darkness, and then the engine rumbled beneath me.
* * *
LOLA
The car shuddered to a stop.
I didn’t know how long I was in the small, enclosed space, but a clarity I hadn’t had was gained. It only took one incident to make you realize what really mattered in your life, and without a doubt, that was my baby and Brody. I’d pulled away when he came to me, afraid he’d hurt me like he did before, but nothing good came without risk. Risks weren’t meant to be guaranteed. They were a chance you took at a better life—a happy life, and Brody was that risk I was willing to take.
Down Fall: Fallen Duet: Book Two Page 12