“He made me get in his trunk.” Her nostrils flared, and she moved her arms so she could wrap her hands around the plastic cup on the table. “And he took me to this warehouse. He was trying to give me to Carson so he’d buy drugs off him. I panicked and said something that made Carson back out.” I stepped forward, willing one of the guys to ask what she said, but she kept going. “Then Hut said it was all my fault. That everything was my fault. He… He…” She placed her hand on her chest and moved it down to her stomach. “He said…”
She pushed up out of the seat, and Jord sprang up at the same time. I couldn’t stand here and watch it anymore. I couldn’t witness her falling apart, not when I was only a few feet away.
I dove for the door, and Ryan tried to stop me again, but nothing could halt me from getting to her. She needed me, and I was going to come to her rescue, whether she liked it or not. I flung the interview room door open, my gaze batting over Kyle who was sitting in the same position, Jord who stood at the edge of the table, and Lola as she leaned against the wall, gripping her stomach.
“He said he’d cut my baby out,” she whispered.
I gripped on to the doorframe, the world tilting on its axis. Jord and Kyle both whipped around to look at me, silence hanging in the air.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Lola continued, finally looking at them and frowning. Her gaze followed where they were looking, and smacked me in the face. “I didn’t have a choice, Brody. I had to do it. I had to.”
I heard what she was saying, I understood it, but I couldn’t think straight. I couldn't make sense of what she’d said. She had a baby—my gaze flitted to her stomach, where her hands covered, protecting what was inside her. She wasn’t showing yet, and no matter how much I tried to calculate the dates, I couldn’t work them out.
Why hadn’t she told me at the lake house?
“I didn’t have a choice,” Lola repeated, her shoulders slumping as she let her back slide down the wall.
She didn’t have a choice, but I did.
Chapter Fourteen
LOLA
My ass hit the floor, and I brought my knees up to my chest, resting my head on them and trying to make myself as small as possible.
I’d killed him.
I’d taken his life.
I’d chosen me.
It didn’t matter that I knew only one of us would have made it out of that night alive. It wasn’t an excuse, but it was the truth. I didn’t have a choice, and I kept repeating it over and over again.
Four guys stood in the room, and I was starting to understand this was Brody’s team. These were the people who had been on the case with him to bring Hut down. And now they were bringing me down too. Hut wasn’t around anymore, but would that stop them?
“Get up,” a rough voice demanded.
I slowly lifted my head, my gaze trailing from the combat boots, over jeans, a T-shirt, and finally Brody’s face. “I—”
“Get up,” he repeated, holding out his hand. His dark-brown eyes begged me to do as he said. “Please.”
I placed my hand in his, letting him help me into a standing position. He let my palm go as soon as I was upright, and part of me wanted to scream at him not to let go. I was afraid if something didn’t keep me connected to this world, I’d float away.
He ambled across the room, and I wasn’t sure what I was meant to do. I glanced at the other three guys, all who watched me with interest.
“Go on,” the one with green eyes and light-brown hair said. He’d been the one to ask me what had happened. “Follow him.”
I frowned, really freaking confused about what was happening.
“Go,” the other guy with a small Afro said. His tone was rough, but the kindness in his eyes flashed at me.
I took a step toward the door, my legs shaking, but after another one, I felt stronger, ready to tackle what was about to be thrown at me.
Brody stood just outside the door, his gaze not meeting mine as he took my wrist and led me between some desks and to the elevator we’d taken to this floor. He was silent the whole way down, and I wondered where he was taking me until we headed to the large glass doors at the entrance of the building.
“We’re leaving?” I asked, but he didn’t answer me, just kept on walking to the car we’d come in. He opened the passenger door, shut it behind me, and got into the other side.
I wanted to really think about what was happening, but all I could see was the blood draining out of Hut’s body, and the life evaporating from his eyes. He’d died right in front of me, and at my hands. I shuddered at the memory.
“Brody? I’m not sure what’s—”
“Don’t say anything,” he interrupted, his hands clenching the steering wheel tighter, causing his knuckles to turn white. “I just need a minute to”—he puffed out a breath and scrubbed his hand over his face—“I just need a minute to process everything.”
It was understandable that he needed some time. He’d just found out the truth. A truth I’d kept from him, but now he knew, and I had no idea how he would react.
I stared out the window as he drove to my apartment. When we got there, I headed into the shower and scrubbed every inch of my body—twice. I washed my hair three times, waiting for the water to run clear, and finally, when I felt like I was clean, I stepped out.
I pulled on an oversized T-shirt and some leggings, not bothering to do anything with my wet hair. I didn’t have the energy to do much apart from walk into the living room where Brody was waiting, his head in his hands and arms leaning on his thighs.
“Hey,” I ventured.
His head sprang up, his gaze taking me all in, and a small smile appeared on his face. “Hey.”
I worried my bottom lip and inhaled a breath. I had to tell him what was going on. He’d heard what I said in the interview room, but he hadn’t listened to what I was saying. He didn’t know what I planned to do. He had no idea other than me repeating what Hut had said.
I stepped toward the kitchen and tried to calm my racing heart. I pulled open the first drawer as I heard Brody moving, and when I glanced back, he was watching me but still sitting on the sofa. I retrieved what I had to show him and spun around, wanting to close the distance between us but scared to do so.
“I was trying to do this the right way,” I started. I held my breath for a second and let it burst back out of me. “I need to explain everything.”
“Lola—”
“No.” I shook my head and held up my hand, aware of the shaking of my fingers. The last couple of days had been a whirlwind and a shit storm all rolled into one, but I had control over this right now. “Let me explain.” I took a step forward. “When you came to my apartment that first time, I’d only found out the night before.” He frowned and stood. “I should have told you then, but…I didn’t want you to choose me because of this. I wanted you to be with me because you wanted to be with me.”
“Darlin', it was never a case of me not wanting to be with you.” He took another step, leaving only another three between us. “I meant what I said then, and I mean it now.” He paused. “I love you. There was never any doubt in my mind about that.”
I tried to push past the lump building in my throat to get it all out. “I didn’t mean to keep it a secret. I just…I didn’t know what to do. And then you came to me and…” I blew out a breath. “This whole thing is a mess, Brody.” I closed my eyes, letting the tears fall that had been threatening. “I’d understand if you wanted to walk away, but know I’d do this alone. I’m in this with or without you.” I opened my eyes, and he was right in front of me. “But I’d prefer if you were in with me.”
He stayed silent, and I had no idea what he was thinking. His features were schooled into a carefully honed mask.
“I…” I couldn’t get the words out. The last time I said them it’d been in a last-ditch attempt to save myself, and it had worked, but not without pain in the process. Instead, I handed him the ultrasound picture.
He
took it, and I noted his shaking hands. He was affected, no matter how much he tried to hide it. He stared down at it, back at me, and opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
“That…” I pointed to the little blob. “Is our baby.”
A noise slipped from his mouth, and it was unlike anything I’d ever heard before. I stared up at him, waiting to see what he would say, but he was looking at the ultrasound picture.
“How far—” He shook his head and met my stare. “How far along are you?”
“Thirteen weeks.”
I couldn’t get a read on him. He was giving nothing away, and that made it worse than anything else. He was processing, I understood that, but I needed…something.
“This is…a lot to process.” He held the picture up. “Can I keep this?”
“Yeah.” I nodded my head way too many times to look normal. “It’s yours.”
He smiled that small smile that always hit me in the gut. “You should get some rest.”
I agreed with him, but I was desperate to know what he was thinking. We were in limbo yet again, but at least this time everything was out in the open. “Will you sit with me while I fall asleep?” I asked, stepping back.
He pushed the ultrasound picture into his pocket. “Yeah, I’ll sit with you for a while.”
For a while. He’d be here, at least for a little while.
* * *
BRODY
I placed the key in the lock and turned it, telling myself I was only checking on Lola to make sure she was still there. It was more than that. I knew it, and she knew it, but I could only deal with one thing at a time.
Time was of the essence with the case, which was why I was getting into the office at the same time as Aaron at stupid o’clock in the morning. But first, I had to check on Lola.
I’d wanted to stay the night. Every fiber of my being hadn’t wanted to leave her in this apartment, but Cade was at home, so I had to. I’d left just after midnight and found the maintenance man of the building. He hadn’t wanted to give me a key to her apartment, but one flash of my badge and he handed it over. That wasn’t a good sign. Anyone could have come in and shown him a badge to get what they wanted. Just another reason why I had to get this case handled, because the sooner I did that, the sooner we could start our life together. Just the two of us—soon to be three.
Fuck. She was pregnant with my baby, and I was over the fuckin' moon. But she didn’t know that yet. I should have told her last night that I was all in, that it was never a question whether I would do this with her. But I’d been stupid and let my emotions get to me. As soon as I made sure the case with Hut was handled and nothing would come back on her, I’d shout it from the goddamn rooftops how much I love her and our unborn baby.
I walked to her bedroom and peeked in, seeing her fast asleep, her arms spread wide, and a small smile on her face. She rolled over, groaning, and her hand moved to her stomach. My hands were moving before I could stop them, and my large palm covered hers. “I love you,” I whispered to both Lola and the baby.
A couple of minutes ticked by, and I stayed in the same position, just staring at my hand over hers. Finally, I backed away, confident she was okay right now. She’d need to process what happened with Hut, but the fact that she kept repeating she didn’t have a choice meant it wouldn't haunt her as bad as it could have. She knew Hut better than any of us, which meant she knew he wouldn't have given up, no matter what.
I locked her door behind me and headed straight to the office. I called the guys and told them to meet me there, and I didn’t think twice about walking into Aaron’s office to wait until he came in. I was determined, more than I ever had been. If they wouldn’t be behind me and my plan, then I’d go it alone. I trusted these four guys more than I trusted anyone else.
Jord arrived first, sitting down on the couch along the back wall and spreading his legs out. He didn’t say a word to me, just nodded in greeting. Ryan wasn’t far behind him, and then Kyle. I looked at the time on the clock on the wall and figured we had around ten minutes until Aaron got here.
“First thing I’m gonna say is that if you want out of what I’m about to say, I understand.”
“We’re in,” Jord said, sitting forward. “You don’t even have to ask, you know we’re in.”
“What he said.” Kyle pointed at Jord. “We know what you want to do, and we’re behind you.”
I raised my brows at each of them and stopped on Ryan. He was the one I wasn’t sure of. But when he said, “I’m in,” I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“As you know, Lola is pregnant,” I told them. “And it’s mine.”
“Of course it’s yours.” Jord rolled his eyes, an action that didn’t suit him one bit. “Who else’s would it be?”
“I…” I shook my head. “Shut up.”
“Is that why you’re doing this?” Ryan asked. “Because you knocked her up?”
“No.” I stood and paced the length of the office. “I was going to do this anyway, but the baby makes it all the more solidified in my mind.”
“So…” Kyle leaned back on the sofa. “When’s the wedding?”
Jord punched him in the arm. “His divorce isn’t even final yet. You got wedding fever, man?”
“Can’t help it.” Kyle shrugged, a grin pulling at his lips. “Weddings always have the best women.”
I chuckled, not expecting anything less from him. He was a ladies’ man through and through. “One of these days, you’re gonna meet a woman who knocks the breath from you, and you’ll realize that none of your other lays were worth a percentage of what she’s worth.”
“That how you feel, Brody?” he asked.
I rubbed my chest, the image of Lola sleeping peacefully in her bed springing into my mind. “Yeah, I do.”
“You do what?” a new voice asked, and I straightened. “Wanna tell me why the four of you are in my office at”—he looked down at his wrist—“six a.m.?”
“Sir.” I tracked Aaron’s movements as he walked to his desk and placed his briefcase on it. “We need to talk about Lola.”
“Who?” he asked, clicking the buttons on the side of it.
“The girl we brought in—”
“Oh. The one who killed Emerson Hutton?” He raised a brow and pulled a folder out of his briefcase. “Girl deserves a medal.”
I didn’t think she’d see it that way. She cared too much about the people who hurt her the most, myself included. “Yeah, her.” I pushed my hand through my hair and glanced over at the guys. They said they were with me, but once I said this, there was no going back. “She can’t go down for it. I…I love her, and she’s having my baby, and—”
“Already handled,” Aaron said, undoing the button on his suit jacket as he sat down.
“I—what?” I frowned, not understanding what he was saying.
“Way I see it, the girl did us all a favor. He’s not around anymore, and from what I gathered watching the tapes of your interview, it was self-defense.”
“You…watched the tape?” Jord asked, glancing over at Ryan. “I thought you’d turned it off—”
“Boys.” Aaron held his hand up. “You should know better than that. When has something happened around here that I don’t know about?”
“He has a point,” I remarked.
“You can all get out of my office now,” Aaron said, dismissing us with a wave of his hand.
That had gone easier than I’d imagined.
“Brody,” he called when I was about to step out after all the guys. “You have some paperwork you need to fill in.” He tapped the folder in front of him.
“What paperwork?” I asked as I ambled back over to him. I picked the folder up and opened it. “What the—”
“I’m retiring,” Aaron said, finally looking at me. “And you’re going to take over.”
“I...what?” He hadn’t talked about retiring. In fact, he’d worked just as hard as we had to bring Hut down.
�
��I’ve watched you come up in the ranks. I’ve trained you to be at the top of your game, and now it’s time you do what I taught you to.”
“But...you’re retiring?”
“Yep.” He leaned back in his seat and locked his fingers together. “Reckon I’ve earned one of them long-ass cruises.” He raised a brow. “And I reckon you’re gonna wanna be home more now that you have another baby on the way.”
He wasn’t wrong, but not having him in the office didn’t feel right. “Are you sure about this?” I asked, holding the folder in the air.
“More sure than anything.” He pointed at the folder. “Sign your name, and you can take over in a month.”
“I—”
“Don’t think about it too hard, Brody.” His lips quirked at the corner. “Your brain will start hurting.”
I dropped the folder on his desk, opened it up, and signed my name. It was the first good thing of the day, and I was about to go and do a second.
Chapter Fifteen
LOLA
Normal life didn’t seem so normal anymore, but I had to try and keep living the way I’d planned. No matter what had happened, nothing could change the past.
I was a combination of sad and angry. Sad that Hut was no longer on this earth and breathing, angry that he’d put me in that situation. Angry that I’d had to choose, but sad that I’d had to choose. I shouldn’t have had to do what I did, but it was him or me, and I didn’t hesitate to choose me. It should have devastated me that he was gone, but instead, all I felt was relief.
Relief that I wouldn’t see him again.
Relief that he couldn’t hurt me.
Relief that he was gone.
Added to that, there was not knowing how Brody felt about the baby. He’d sat with me while I fell asleep last night, but when I woke up this morning, he was gone. Coupled with the pregnancy hormones, and I was all over the place, so it only made sense I go in to work and do what I did best: distract myself.
The early morning shift was always my favorite. Not only did you have an influx of truckers who were about to go on day-long journeys, but you had a combination of parents, kids, and teenagers. It was an eclectic crowd of a morning, with enough customers to distract me for at least four hours.
Down Fall: Fallen Duet: Book Two Page 15