by M. S. Parker
Carrie led me to a quieter place in the hall. “The detectives want to finish getting your mom's statement, then you can take her back home.”
Home?
“To the loft,” Carrie clarified. “Unless you've decided you want to go back to DC with her.”
I shook my head. “I still feel like my brains are a bit scrambled.”
“I remember,” she said softly. Her eyes took on a faraway look. “Going through something like this, it can take a lot out of you, physically and emotionally.” After a moment's silence, she seemed to give herself a mental shake before continuing, “Gavin's talking to your mom's doctor about follow-ups and all that. He can fill you in on the way back.”
“You're not coming with us?”
“I want to talk to Arik and Dena about a couple things.” Carrie ran her hand over her stomach. “Namely, what they're going to want from you in all this.”
“Me?”
She raised an eyebrow. “You interfered with a police investigation and shot someone.”
Shit.
“Considering the extenuating circumstances, I don't think anyone will want to charge you with anything, but I still want to talk to Dena and Arik.”
“What about Dax?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.
“They're waiting for him right now, and so are the cops. The EMTs said his wound wasn't life-threatening, so once the doctors are done with him, it will be time for the lawyers and the cops to have their turn.”
I nodded, unable to speak around the lump in my throat.
“Take your mom home. Talk to Gavin. Try to get some rest. Let me and my friends do our jobs. I'll let you know as soon as I have more.”
The emptiness inside me filled with a new kind of fear. Not for physical safety, but for the future. My mom and Dax were alive and relatively unharmed, but things weren't over yet. And until I knew what would happen to me and to the man I loved, I wouldn't be able to rest.
Chapter Ten
Dax
Getting stabbed hurt less than getting shot, but that wasn't really saying much because it still hurt like a son of a bitch. The EMTs spread out almost immediately when they first came in, but I ignored the one talking to me until I saw Bryne shaking her head and gesturing toward me.
She was okay.
Relief swept over me. I lost track of her after Cleo stabbed me, but now I knew she hadn’t been hurt. Cleo, on the other hand, was laying on the ground, crying and clutching her shoulder. I had absolutely no guilt over the fact that I wanted to laugh.
Karma was as much of a bitch as Cleo was.
“Sir, we need you to stay still.” The EMT cut off my shirt as I had a flashback to Bryne doing something similar. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“She hit me with something,” I said. “Back of the head.”
The man poked and prodded at me as other paramedics went to Cleo and Allison. I saw another one over in the corner where Booker's body was, but there wasn't a lot of activity going on over there, so I was guessing Cleo had finished him off. Cops were everywhere, but no one was talking to me yet. The dirty looks I was getting from Gavin said I was in some serious shit – even if I didn't end up getting arrested.
I still kept trying to watch Bryne even as the EMTs put me in the ambulance, but I knew trying to get to her would be a bad idea. If I had any chance in hell of not spending the rest of my life in jail, I needed to cooperate now. I might not have kidnapped Allison or shot Booker, but I had no disillusions about how possible it would be for a prosecutor to tie me in somehow.
An hour later, my side was stitched up, my head x-rayed, and I was waiting to see what would happen next. I was actually a little surprised that the cops hadn't been by to talk to me yet, but when the privacy curtain was pulled aside, I realized why.
I'd seen the tiny blonde and the tall, red-haired man before, but it took me a moment to place them. Club Privé. The week Gavin and Carrie had been gone. Bryne had come to see me after work, and these two had come up to talk to me.
“Mr. Prevot,” the woman came forward first. “I don't know if you remember me. I'm Dena Monroe.”
“The prosecutor.” I remembered now.
That didn't seem like a good thing.
She nodded, then gestured at the man behind her.
“Arik Porter. I'm a defense attorney.” He held out his hand, and I shook it.
“I didn't realize you guys traveled in pairs,” I said. “Thought I'd have to be getting my own public defender.”
“I'm going to stop you right there,” Arik said. “You're going to want to listen to what we have to say first.”
I nodded, curious. They were friends of Carrie and Gavin, and my gut said to trust them. Besides, I'd made my peace with paying whatever price necessary to make sure Bryne and her family were safe.
“If you would've hung around instead of running off half-cocked, you would've heard this with Bryne a few hours ago.” Dena's expression was disapproving, but I saw something in Arik's eyes that told me he got why I'd done what I'd done.
“The short version is this,” Arik said. “You're going to write down everything that you know about Booker North and his operations here in the city. Names. Places. Dates. Everything. Then you're going to write down everything that happened tonight. You'll testify, under oath, to whatever the DA needs, against whoever they say to testify against.”
So far, this wasn't sounding like much of a deal for me.
“You're also going to tell us who you think would be the most likely to corroborate your testimony so we can offer them deals as well.” Arik glanced at Dena. “Not as good as what you're being offered, but still good. I'll made sure of it myself.”
“I can't afford you,” I said. “Not that I don't appreciate what you're doing, but I don't have the money for a lawyer. And neither do any of the guys who'd be willing to talk.”
“I'm taking your case pro bono,” Arik said. “Sort of.”
“Sort of?”
Arik grinned. “Carrie mentioned you might be willing to do some work on a motorcycle I just bought.”
“Arik.” Dena didn't sound amused.
“He asked.” Arik turned back to me. “Anyway, Dena and I will take care of the paperwork for the deal, but it's in place.”
“How long?” I clenched my hands so they wouldn't see that my fingers were shaking. I wasn't scared of prison itself, not really. I could handle myself. What scared me was how long I'd be away from Bryne. If I'd lose her.
“How long what?” Arik asked.
“My deal. You said it was a good one. How long?”
Arik and Dena exchanged puzzled looks before she answered, “No time, Dax. Carrie negotiated for immunity.”
My jaw dropped, and I stared at them both. Carrie had gotten me immunity? After everything I'd done?
“I'm starting to regret that.”
All three of us looked over to where Carrie had come around the curtain. She looked beyond pissed.
“You can yell at him in a minute,” Dena said. “I need to hear him say that he agrees to the deal.”
I didn't really want to have to hear what Carrie had to say, but I knew I deserved it. Besides, if I wanted Bryne to forgive me despite how badly I’d fucked up, I was going to need Carrie on my side.
“Whatever you guys need,” I said. “Information, testimony, I'll do it.”
Dena nodded, then glanced up at Arik. “Then your attorney and I are going to get the papers together and let the detectives know that you'll be talking to them soon.”
I nodded, my stomach twisting into knots as Dena and Arik walked out. “Bryne–”
“Shut up.” Carrie's eyes were flashing as she came over to me.
I was pretty sure she was scarier than her husband.
“Did you even stop to think what Bryne would do when she found out you were gone?” She poked my chest, hard. “Of course she was going to go after you, you ass! She loves you.”
“I lo–”
“Right.” I pressed my lips together.
“You put my family in danger, and the only reason I'm not telling Gavin that it's okay to come in here and break a couple bones is because Bryne would be pissed at him, and that's one more headache I don't need.”
I really hoped that meant Bryne still wanted to be with me.
“So let me tell you exactly how this is going to go. You’ll do every single thing that Dena and Arik tell you to do, even if they say it's just a suggestion.”
I nodded.
“And if you ever do anything that monumentally stupid again, I'm going to have Gavin break your kneecaps. Got it?”
I couldn't tell if she was serious or not.
“And I've already got your mother's permission for that threat.”
Shit. Mom.
“Yeah, she's on her way,” Carrie continued. “I didn't give her the details, just that she needed to be here, and you would tell her everything.”
I was royally fucked.
But still, I had to know something. “Bryne...”
“She's okay,” Carrie said. “But you can't see her.”
I opened my mouth to argue, then snapped it shut again.
“You're going to be released into Dena and Arik's custody. However they want to do it. You can go home, but you can't see Bryne or talk to her until after you've given them everything, and they've made their arrests.”
I swallowed hard. I didn't know if I could go that long without her.
Carrie's voice softened. “It should only be a day or two.”
I nodded. “Will – will you do something for me?”
“Maybe.”
I met Carrie's eyes, hoping she could see my sincerity. “Will you tell Bryne why I'm not there with her? Why I haven't called? I don't want her to think I'm blowing her off.”
After a moment, she nodded. “I'll tell her.”
As she walked out, I took a slow breath. All right. I could do this. I had to do this. For the first time in my life, I could see a future that I wanted, and I'd be damned if I gave it up.
Chapter Eleven
Bryne
When Carrie came home from the hospital and gave me Dax's message, told me I could see Dax when he was done with everything Dena and Arik had him doing, I thought that meant later that night. Maybe the next day. So I planned to go to rehearsal on Tuesday, then see Dax afterward. Except that wasn't what happened. I went to rehearsal like I planned, but the rest of the evening and night was spent waiting for texts and calls that never came.
I wasn't freaking out though. While I was a little anxious about not hearing from him, it wasn't as distracting as I feared it would be. But Dax had specifically asked Carrie to tell me that he would contact me as soon as he possibly could, so I knew he wasn't blowing me off. And Carrie said that Arik and Dena were taking care of things, so I knew that Dax was in good hands legally.
I just wanted him in my hands – not legally.
Still, I kept my mind on work and the next-to-last day of rehearsal went off without a hitch. No one was angry at me for Monday's practice being canceled, especially not once Todd filled them in on everything that happened. In fact, they all seemed rather impressed that I'd made it in at all.
By the time we finished the last scene and ran through curtain call, the theater was practically buzzing with excitement. I always loved this part, the energy that came as things built toward that inevitable climax of opening night. The thrill of knowing we were going to put on a great show, that people were going to know these great characters and live through their experiences. It was the reason I'd gotten into theater. I loved to tell stories, to be a part of the story.
“Any word yet?” Todd asked as I stepped out of the dressing room, pulling on my coat as I went.
“Nothing yet.” I wrapped my arm around his and leaned against him. “I want to see him, but I'm okay. I'm focusing on opening night, on making up to Gavin and Carrie for what I put them through. Spending time with them and my mom.”
“Carrie hasn't talked to her friends?”
“Not about Dax. She told me that a couple of Dax's friends have cut deals too.”
“Is that good?” Todd asked.
“It is,” I said. “The more evidence they have from the minor players, the more likely the real bad guys will go away.”
“And you're sure you're okay?”
I smiled. “I miss him like crazy, but I'm okay.”
Todd pushed the doors open, and I followed him outside into the bitter cold. I hoped it would warm up by the end of the week. People didn't always like being out and about when they could get frostbite walking from the subway to the theater.
“Looks like you won’t have to miss him much longer.” Todd sounded amused.
I turned even as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I was running before my brain had fully processed that Dax was walking toward me. He opened his arms, and I jumped into them, relief rushing through me. The moment his arms closed around me, everything else vanished. All of the stress and worry, the uncertainty, none of it mattered.
“I missed you.” He breathed the words into my hair. “Missed you so damn much.”
“I missed you too.” I closed my eyes and inhaled his familiar scent.
After a moment, he set me on my feet but didn't release me. I could feel the tension now and tilted my head back to look up at him. His expression was troubled.
“Dax?” I frowned. “Is everything okay? Your deal...”
“It's fine. Dena and Arik worked everything out. I got immunity. Force and Little Eddie took deals too.”
“Julius?” I hoped my voice wasn't as shaky as it sounded.
The look on Dax's face said he knew exactly what I was feeling. “They arrested him this afternoon. Dena and Arik called me as soon as they did, told me I'd held up my end of the bargain unless they need me to testify.”
“Then it's over.” I ran my hands over his chest, loving the feel of the hard muscle under the soft cotton, but frowned when I touched the bandage of his wound.
He cupped my face in his hands. “You're safe now. You and your family are safe.”
I touched his bandage again. “And you? You and your mom?”
He nodded. “We're safe too.”
I smiled and reached up to wrap my arms around his neck. “Good.”
“Bryne.” His expression was still serious. “I'm so sorry. I almost got your mom killed.”
I shook my head. “We talked about that.”
“I shouldn't have left you. I should have waited.”
I put my hand on his cheek. “Hey, I got impatient too. And trust me, Gavin and Carrie were pissed. Then they told my mom, and she was beyond pissed.”
“But that's on me too,” he said, anguish in his eyes. “You could've been killed. You wouldn't have gone if I hadn't gone first.”
“Or Cleo and Julius could've decided to kill my mom and Booker,” I countered. “And it wasn't only you I was worried about.”
“I put you in danger.”
I shook my head. He just wasn't getting it. “I'm an adult, Dax. I walked into it myself. Would it have been nice to have known ahead of time? Yes, but I'm a big girl. I can make my own decisions.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don't think you–”
I sighed. “I'm only going to say this one more time, and if you make me say it again, I'm going to cut you off for a month.” The thought of going a month without sex with him didn't sound appealing at all. “Okay, a week.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I love you, Dax Prevot. And I choose to be with you. The past is in the past. I want to move forward. With you.” I stretched up and brushed my lips across his. “Now, do we brave one of our moms, or do we get a hotel?”
“What?” He seemed almost startled by my question.
“I suppose we could have sex in the car, but I'd prefer a bed.”
His eyes darkened, and I knew we were on t
he same page.
* * *
He undressed me slowly, letting his fingers linger on my skin as he removed each piece. The room was warm, but it was the heat in his eyes that made my nipples harden. The promise of not just one moment together, not even just one night, but more nights than I could count.
Once I was finally naked, stretched out on the hotel bedspread, he took off his own clothes. His movements were almost matter-of-fact, but I still found myself mesmerized with every exposed inch. He was a work of art, like a sculpture brought to life. A well-endowed sculpture...with tattoos and a pierced nipple.
And if I had anything to say about it, no one else would ever get to see him like this again.
“What are you thinking?” he asked as he moved back onto the bed.
I smiled, but I wasn't quite ready to tell him exactly what'd been going on in my head. I settled for a secondary thought that was still the truth. “About how much I want you.”
“You've got me,” he said as he leaned over me.
His cock brushed against my skin even as he kissed me, but he didn't rush. He explored my mouth thoroughly, a sort of reverence in his touch that made me wonder if he really thought that I wouldn't want him again. That was crazy because even when I was pissed at him, I wanted him.
I ran my hands up his arms, across his shoulders, fingers tracing over his muscles. Later, I'd use my tongue on his tattoos, exploring each one. Right now, I needed to have him in me. I raised my hips, wrapping my legs around him, being careful with his wound.
“Patience, sweetheart.” He looked down at me with a smile.
I shook my head. “Now, Dax.”
“Tell me what you want, baby.” He flicked the tip of his tongue across my nipple. “And be specific.”
I didn't even hesitate. “I need your cock inside me. I need you to make love to me.”
He straightened. “Later, I'm going to make you wait, make you beg. Spank your ass for scaring the shit out of me when you walked into that warehouse.”
He pushed my knees to my chest, and I wrapped my arms around them to hold my legs in position. He stroked his cock once, twice.