Cooper Construction Series Box Set

by Jen Davis

  The boy narrowed his eyes. “Why you wanna know?”

  “I’m looking for the Lowrys. I—”

  The kid shook his head quickly and stepped back. “Sorry, lady. I can’t help you.” He moved away like his feet were on fire.

  The feeling of someone watching her intensified. Still, she soldiered on, searching for any sign she was closing in on her destination. She spent ten minutes wandering around the ghost town of apartment buildings before finally giving in to the niggling voice she needed to leave.

  Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a clap of thunder in the distance made her surroundings feel even more menacing. She’d just turned into the stiff breeze and headed back toward her car when a man’s voice cut through the silence. “I hear you’re looking for me?”

  The guy couldn’t have been more than a few years older than Devon, but she had no doubt she’d found his big brother. He had the same arresting good looks, dark skin, and lean build, though there was something different in the eyes.

  “Trevaughn? Trevaughn Lowry?” She approached him slowly.

  He shot her a lazy smile. “Depends on who’s asking.”

  “My name is Olivia Turner. I’m one of your brother Devon’s teachers. I was hoping I could talk to you about him, if you have a minute. He’s—he’s one of my most gifted students.”

  Trevaughn lifted his eyebrows. “You want to talk about my little brother?”

  She nodded.

  “All right. Follow me.”

  He led her past the burned-out unit, toward the building behind a rusted basketball hoop without a net. It was nearly a block away from where she’d parked. They went in the second door on the left.

  She wasn’t exactly sure what she expected the inside to look like, but definitely not like this. Two lamps bathed the room in red light. A black leather sofa dominated the center of the room, and a giant plasma TV hung on the wall. A glass and chrome coffee table matched the end tables, one sporting a Bose sound system. The other had an Amazon Echo.

  Devon’s brother gestured to the sofa, and she sat down. “What seems to be the problem, Miss—”

  “Turner.” She cleared her throat. “As I told you, your brother is one of the brightest young men I’ve ever taught. He scores off the charts on the state benchmarks. I’ve told him many times, I think he’s scholarship material.”

  “Scholarship, hmm?” Trevaughn joined her on the sofa, nodding for her to continue.

  “Yes. He told me he couldn’t leave home, and you needed him here.”

  He nodded. “All true.”

  “There are some wonderful schools right here in Atlanta, though. He could stay home and still go to college. All he would need to do is take his ACTs and apply.” Her voice rose in earnest. “I would be happy to write him a recommendation. I know some of the other teachers would as well.”

  “You came all the way out here to talk about D going to college?” His voice sounded dubious.

  “Yes and no. I mean, I would love it if you could help me convince him to go, but the more immediate reason I’m here is because Devon hasn’t been in school for a while.”

  “What do you consider a while, Miss Turner?”

  “Not at all this school year.” She clasped her hands together in her lap. “I have an older brother, too. I kept thinking if something were going on with me, he’d want to know. He’d want to help fix it.”

  Trevaughn leaned back and propped his feet up on the glass table, crossing one ankle over the other. “I see. You make house calls for all of your students or only the special ones?”

  She tried to ignore the heat creeping up her neck. “I’ve never gone to a student’s home before. I guess I shouldn’t have this time, either, but Devon is special. I’d hate to see him fall through the cracks.”

  “I had a teacher like you once.” His eyes looked far away. “Mrs. Muniz. She tried to help me, get me on the right track when Moms died.” He shook off the memory. “I remember her…fondly.”

  Muniz? The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it. “I’m sorry for your loss. My older brother took care of me, too, after our parents passed away.”

  Trevaughn didn’t seem to be listening anymore.

  “Mr. Lowry?”

  His gaze focused on her again. This time his gaze looked sharper, more assessing. “Sorry. I got a little lost in the memory.” He climbed to his feet, and Liv followed suit. “I appreciate your interest in my little brother. I promise, he and I are going to have a talk about this.”

  She smiled as he walked her to the door. “I’m so glad to hear it. I knew any young man as smart and special as Devon had to have someone at home who would want to know what’s going on. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lowry.”

  This time, when he smiled, it wasn’t relaxed or easy, the way it was before. Now, he looked more like a shark, his gold tooth glinting. The red lights and his red leather jacket only made him seem more like a predator.

  “The pleasure was all mine. And please, call me Tre.”

  ***

  Tre

  Tre laughed softly to himself as the pretty little blonde teacher scurried out the door.

  Like a lamb to the slaughter.

  Maybe he should’ve kept her here. Shown her some of the skills that made him so special. He didn’t want to spoil the chase, though.

  No. He’d give her a minute or two to try and make it to her car. Let her feel the hunt on her heels.

  Then, he’d drag her back screaming.

  His dick hardened in his jeans.

  It was so much more fun when they ran.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Brick

  Brick couldn’t believe his eyes when his Olivia walked out of Tre’s apartment. He didn’t know what she was doing there, and he didn’t care. It was bad enough he had to spend so much time here collecting cash and busting ass—like he had already tonight—but this was exactly the kind of place he’d fought so hard to keep her away from. Nothing good could come of this.

  He sped into the shadow of the neighboring building. As soon as she got close enough, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the darkness beside him. He cut off her yelp of surprise with his hand over her mouth.

  “Quiet,” he hissed in her ear. “I need you to trust me.”

  Her tense muscles relaxed slightly against him, and she nodded beneath his hold. Her hand slid up to cover his and gently pulled his fingers from her mouth. She didn’t make a sound.

  Keeping her hand in his, he led her into the burned-out shell of Building D. He knew this place like the back of his hand and could navigate it easily, despite the quickly setting sun. He had no doubt in his mind Tre would be looking for her soon, if he wasn’t already.

  Sure enough, he could hear someone whistling “Time Is on My Side” moments after they stepped into the darkness. Heart in his throat, he pulled her deep into the back bathroom where the ceiling had given way, then readjusted his backpack and boosted her up to the second floor. An old toilet seat gave him enough height to grab hold of the broken boards above to pull himself up beside her. The place stank of charred wood, and there were probably rats, but Olivia was a hell of a lot safer in here than she’d be outside.

  “I would take you higher, but there are some places in the building where the floor could give out on us. Especially in the third-floor hallway. This will have to be good enough for now. We have to stay out of sight,” he breathed into her hair. “He won’t give up easy.”

  Though he couldn’t see her, he felt her lift her head toward his. “You mean Tre?”

  He swallowed the lump in his throat. “You know his name. Does he know yours?”

  “He knows it,” she whispered, and he felt a shiver go through her small frame. He pulled her into his arms. For warmth, of course. Not because he needed to reassure himself she was all right. And definitely not because he’d been little better than an empty shell since he’d touched her last.

  “Why did you pull me in here
? What’s going on?” Her voice cracked on the last word.

  He needed answers first. “What are you doing here, baby?” Her cheek pressed tightly against his chest. She could probably hear his racing heart.

  “I was worried about one of my students. Devon Lowry.” Lowry? Shit. “He hasn’t been in class since the school year began. I thought—” Her hands reached up to curl around his bicep. “I don’t know what I thought.”

  He petted her hair. “You thought you could help. I love that you want to, but Tre is about as messed up as they come. I’ve met a lot of bad men. Some do bad things because they have to. Some do them because they don’t care. Tre does them because he likes it.”

  Liv drew a sharp breath, her fingers now digging into his arms. “You’re scaring me. What are you talking about?”

  “You should be scared. I’d lay odds he’s marked you as a target. If he had his way, he’d probably be torturing you right now…or raping you. Or both.” He wished for at least a sliver of light, so he could see her face, but the darkness was his best bet to keep her safe. He kept his ears trained for a hint of any movement below, though he doubted Tre would think to check here. He would’ve expected Liv to go straight to her car.

  “Why? Why would he want to hurt me?” Her breaths came out in short pants. “I’m trying to help his brother.”

  He wracked his brain, trying to remember anything about Tre’s family. Of course, his parents were dead. Sucre would have made sure of it before he recruited the kid. The little brother had to be how he asserted his leverage—or at least he would be if Tre were any kind of normal human being. “The guy is a sociopath, in the truest sense of the word. He doesn’t feel things the way you or I do. I doubt his brother means any more to him than his favorite pair of shoes. Maybe less.”

  “H-how do you know him?”

  He hesitated a moment before he answered. “We have the same employer.”

  She cursed under her breath. “Devon told me there was a guy in the neighborhood who said he had to work for him. It’s the same bastard who trapped you, isn’t it? He targets entire families.”

  “Sucre has a knack for finding a person’s weak spot and exploiting it. Maybe at first, he thought your boy was a way to manipulate his brother. I’ll bet you next week’s paycheck now it’s the other way around.” It only got clearer as he thought things through. “Tre’s a loose cannon. He messed up real bad once already, but Sucre didn’t kill him. Fuck. He’s keeping him alive to recruit the kid brother. You said he’s smart, right?”

  “One of my best,” she whispered. Horror laced her words. “He’s supposed to have a future.”

  “You can force someone to work for you, but you can’t change who they are. Tre’s not built right. He’s got something…broken inside.”

  “Devon’s only a kid, though.” If she was trying to convince him, she was wasting her breath.

  He answered quietly. “So was I. Kids are easier to break down and build back up the way you want them. I’m sorry, baby. If Sucre’s got him, the kid is lost.”

  “No.” Liv tried to step back. “I refuse to accept that. He is not lost, and neither are you.”

  He circled her arms with his hands and shook her lightly. “Fuck, woman. What will it take to make you understand? We’re talking about killers, Livie. I am a killer. Every person I’ve killed was someone’s mother or husband or son. Yeah, they were addicts and criminals, but they were still people.”

  She whimpered softly. Then, with a shuddering breath, she reached up and cupped his jaw. “Have you ever said no?”

  His teeth ground together. “Not in a long time.”

  “What happened if you did?”

  “Nothing I’d want to remember in the light of day, much less here in the dark.” Even the threat of those memories made his stomach churn. He needed to get her out of the building before Tre circled back, not relive the horrors of his life.

  Her thumb soothed over his skin. “I know you’ve done bad things, things you regret.” She stepped closer, her vanilla scent chasing away the traces of burned wood. “You can’t convince me you’re a monster, though. Monsters don’t feel regret. They don’t push away women they want. They take what they want. They don’t care who gets hurt. That doesn’t sound like you.”

  His muscles tightened as her body drew flush with his. It was clear she was scared, but not afraid of him.

  She kept talking. “I know you want me. Still, you try to stay away. You try to keep me safe. The thing is, if you hadn’t been here tonight—if you weren’t in my life—God knows where I would be. You saved me.”

  It would be so easy to let himself believe her words. He’d love to be someone’s savior for once, especially Olivia’s.

  He dipped his head and allowed himself the luxury of tasting her mouth. Kissing had never consumed him this way before. He wanted to sip from her lips. Worship her tongue. Show her with his mouth she was precious. Beautiful. Everything.

  Her lower lip was plump and full. He sucked on it gently before sliding his tongue over the pillowy softness. Liv’s body relaxed in surrender as he entered her mouth. Her hands climbed toward his neck.

  No girl like her had ever even looked at him before. Why would she? Olivia was so far above him, he’d never survive the fall. But it would be worth it.

  She would be worth it.

  He wouldn’t have her in this kind of place, though. The walls crumbling around them. Needles and bugs on the floor. And who knows when a junkie might wander in, looking for an empty space to get his fix?

  He pulled back. “You need to get out of here. I’ve got an idea, but I’m going to need you to trust me.”

  “I trust you.”

  Together, they crept back down to the first floor. From his backpack, he pulled out a folded black tarp.

  “What are you going to do with that?”

  With a flick of his wrist, he unfurled it across the floor. “Time to play dead.”

  She gasped. “There’s got to be another way.”

  He hardened his jaw. “It might be the only way you make it out of here alive.”

  He was glad he couldn’t see the expression on her face as he guided her onto the plastic and she allowed him to roll her loosely inside.

  She stayed quiet, except for a small grunt when he heaved her over his shoulder.

  “Keep it together a little longer. This will all be over soon.” Just as he had a dozen times before, he hoisted up a tarp-wrapped body and walked right through the parking lot like he owned it. He could see at least a dozen guys out there now, shooting hoops, drinking, smoking. Yet not one pair of eyes drifted his way. He didn’t walk fast. He moved as he would any other day, any other time—like he would if he wasn’t carrying a body over his shoulder or smuggling a woman away from the guy who probably wanted to fuck her corpse.

  He placed her in the bed of his truck and drove away. His apartment could be dangerous, and he didn’t want to risk taking her home, so he navigated to a secluded spot, surrounded by trees. Once he was sure no one had followed them, he helped her get free.

  Liv’s hair plastered to her face; her skin was damp and pale. She stumbled from the truck bed, straight into his arms, and burst into tears. He had never comforted anyone before. He was usually the reason they were crying.

  “I c-couldn’t move,” she sobbed. “It was like being buried alive. I used to have those nightmares back at the hospital.”

  Oh, God.

  He held his hands in the air, afraid to touch her.

  He’d tried not to wrap her too tightly, but obviously the tarp wasn’t loose enough. Stupid. He had no business trying to be someone’s protector. Liv was lucky he hadn’t killed her by accident.

  She should be running away. Instead, she held onto him like a lifeline. Her tears soaked his black t-shirt.

  “I’m so sorry,” he murmured.

  Liv walked backward a few steps, her shining eyes, wide. “Are you kidding? You saved me.” She tilted her head back,
held her arms open, and breathed in deeply. Her eyes glittered as she brought her chin down. “I don’t know if you’re trying to convince me or yourself this thing between us is wrong. It doesn’t matter. You need to stop. Because this—” She gestured to the space between them. “This thing between us? I’m not walking away, and neither are you.”

  He didn’t want to walk away. Every time he had her in his arms, it got harder to let her go.

  “You’re doing it right now. Stop thinking.”

  The breeze blew her hair behind her shoulders. He reached out and rubbed a lock between his fingers. So soft. “I can’t stop thinking, Livie. If I let down my guard, you could end up dead, or worse. Believe me, there are worse things.”

  She ran her fingertips over his outstretched arm. “I believe you. So instead of thinking about how you can keep me safe by staying away, think about how you can keep me safe by being in my life.”

  “Are you sure you want this? You want me?” His heart pounded. “This is my life. I deal with people like Tre and Sucre every day. They’ll use you to get to me.”

  “So, don’t let them.”

  She made it sound so simple.

  He groaned and took an involuntary step closer. “Don’t you think I want to say fuck it all and just have you? To finally have one perfect fucking thing that’s mine?”

  “I’m not perfect.” She met him halfway. “But I am yours. All you have to do is say yes.”

  Her earnest declaration was the last straw. No more fighting his feelings, denying himself.

  “Yes,” he breathed.

  Liv was on him before he finished forming the word. She vaulted into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, the same way she had the rainy night weeks ago in her apartment. Her smile shined radiant as they held each other a long moment.

  In the peace surrounding them, his mind finally registered something she’d said. He set her down and pulled back to look at her face. “You said you had nightmares when you were in the hospital.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut and tensed her jaw.