“Just leave,” I said, tired this time. I’d had enough of him, enough of this. It was the main reason I moved out of that house.
“Why? Is your boyfriend coming?” He paced the length of my small living room, picking up things and placing them back in the wrong place. “Don’t want him to know that I’m here?” He turned his head, a wicked smirk curling at the corner of his lips. “Want me to be your dirty secret?”
I shivered, and not in a good way. His intense eyes were focused entirely on me. I didn’t want his attention. I didn’t want anything to do with him right now. Maybe I should call his bluff?
Decision made, I picked up my cell. “I’m being serious, Hut.”
His nostrils flared, and he stalked toward me. My muscles tensed at his quick reaction, and I braced myself as he stopped next to me. “You don’t have the upper hand here, sister.” He paused, his breath fanning over the side of my face. “You think you know what has happened, but you have no idea. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to, where you work, who comes over here.”
“I—”
“That redhead sure seems feisty.” His lips morphed into a grin, one that said he’d just won his own little game. “I bet she’d like it rough, huh? She seems the type.”
“Leave,” I ground out.
“I am.” He took one step away and parted with, “This isn’t over though, Lola. I’ll be watching.”
I heard his promise loud and clear, but I didn’t allow my body to crumble in front of him. I kept my back straight and my attention on him, right until the door clicked closed behind him. Only then did I allow myself to fall to pieces.
Chapter Ten
BRODY
I threw my keys on the table next to the front door and huffed out a tired breath. Being able to come home every day after work was something I was starting to dread. It wasn’t because I was so used to being away on a case, but more because I didn’t feel like I was coming home.
Moira was barely here, and when she was, she wasn’t actually present. I was starting to wonder what it was like when I wasn’t here. Was she the same as this? Had Cade been left alone most of the time? Or was it because it was summer?
I had way too much going on at work, with Ford undercover and a new case I was consulting on, to have to worry about what was greeting me at home. I should have realized not wanting to come home was yet another sign, but I was determined to do everything I could to make it work.
“Cade? Moira?” I called as I walked down the hallway.
“In here!” Moira shouted back.
I headed toward her voice, and my eyes widened. She and Cade sat at the table, a home-cooked meal filling half of it.
“What’s this?” I asked, pulling out the chair where the last place was set.
“I thought we could have a proper family meal,” Moira answered, a smile on her face. “We haven’t done that since you’ve been back, and it’s been nearly three weeks.”
She was right. Anytime the three of us were together, it seemed to end in an argument, mostly from Moira with resentment for me being away all the time. But then, I wasn’t sure whether it was that or because I was back and hadn’t gone out on another case since.
“This looks good,” I said, my stomach grumbling at the smell of the lasagna, though I doubted it had any real meat in it. We all helped ourselves to food, piling our plates high and digging in.
“So…” Moira picked up her glass of red wine and took a sip. “How’s work going?”
“Good as can be,” I grunted out, putting another forkful of food into my mouth. It may not have been meat, but it tasted pretty close. It wasn’t too bad, actually.
“What about the case you were working? Is that over now?”
I frowned over at her. “You know I can’t discuss cases.” We’d been through this years ago when she’d asked, and not once since I’d explained it to her had she wanted to know.
She waved her hand in the air and chuckled. “Oh, I know. I just figured because this one was so close to home”—she tilted her head—“it was in Cresthill, right?”
“I...yeah.” I blinked, wondering what she was getting at.
“Hmmm.” She picked her glass up again and took another sip, leaving me sitting there wondering what “hmmm” meant. Was she trying to get at something? I never brought my cases home. I never talked to her about any of them, so why was she so interested now? I may have mentioned in passing that this case was in Cresthill, but for her to specifically ask about it raised my suspicions.
“How was work, Cade?” she asked, cutting a small piece of lasagna on her plate.