One, Chase Falladay had never managed to rid himself of the fascination he had with Kia Rutherford. The second, and this one was by far the more worrisome, Moriah Brockheim could very well haunt Chase from the grave, in ways that could end up destroying Chase.
Moriah had been a friend, but she had also touched Chase's heart with her innocence and her air of fragility. Kia Rutherford had been off limits to Chase because she touched his heart. But Khalid knew that Chase had entertained thoughts of a relationship with Moriah because, despite his affection for her, Moriah wasn't the type of woman who could tempt his emotions.
It was saddening, remembering Moriah. For all her gentle ways, she had been insane. She had seen Cam and Jaci as a threat because Jaci had known what the Roberts were. That their sexuality was darker even than that of the members of the club, and Moriah's demented love for Annalee Roberts had driven her to attempt to kill, Cam and Jaci.
To protect his brother, Chase had had no choice but to kill Moriah before she pulled the trigger on the gun she had held on Cam. That death haunted Chase, and it had caused him to draw back from forming other attachments.
Chase had killed a woman he cared for. Now he was faced with a relationship with the woman he loved. Khalid knew that releasing that guilt and his emotions wouldn't be easy for Chase.
"Get decent, dammit. I'm getting hungry," Chase called downstairs as he opened the door that connected his apartment to the apartment his brother and Jaci inhabited now.
He heard Jaci's laughter and a few seconds of scrambling before she moved into view, smiling up at him from the foot of the stairs.
She had a robe tightly belted around her. He'd have to make do with that. For the first time in the two months since he and Cameron had silently come to the agreement that Cameron was no longer the sharing type, Chase hadn't gotten instantly hard at the memories of the women he and Cameron had shared so easily.
Well, perhaps not easily, Chase amended to himself as he moved down the stairs.
Jaci had managed to get under his brother's guard, though, now just as she had when they were both younger.
"Morning, gorgeous. " He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and planted a kiss on top of her head. "Tell me breakfast is almost ready. Please. "
She snorted at that and pushed him away from her playfully as she shot him a dark look. "That's the only time you come down here now, when you think there's food. "
He grinned, finding his brother sitting comfortably on a new couch as he laced his boots and laughed at his fiancée.
"Pancakes would be really good," Chase told her, then ducked, dodging the dish towel she threw his way.
Chase moved to the counter, poured a cup of the fresh coffee, and smothered a yawn before moving to the couch to join his brother.
It was barely nine, and sleep had been a long time coming after Khalid dropped him off that morning.
"We didn't hear you come in last night, Chase. " Jaci was pulling ingredients out of the fridge and cabinet as she spoke. "Did Khalid keep you out at the bars all night long?"
"Not too late. " He shrugged, sitting back to drink his coffee. "The sheik threw a fit over the new limo languishing in the garage, so Khalid took it out to see how long it would take to run out two tanks of gasoline. "
"All of an hour?" Cameron snorted.
Chase almost laughed. "It took him a while. "
"I thought you would show up at the party last night," Jaci announced, still putting together the pancake batter. "The charity auction made quite a bit for the women's and children's shelter. "
The same party Kia had been at, Chase knew. Khalid had mentioned seeing her when he picked Chase up at the apartment.
"Not me. " Chase shook his head. "I donated to the cause, though. "
"The Brockheims were there. " Cameron kept his voice low as he stared back at Chase. "They stayed with a very small group of friends and left the group as Jaci and I came through. They didn't stay long. "
Everyone was watching Harold and Margaret Brockheim at the moment. Especially the members of the club. Harold Brockheim was the president of a major bank in the city, and he had taken his daughter's death hard. He was accusing the Roberts of corrupting her, but so far there had been no mention of Cameron or Chase.
Chase didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. He had killed Moriah. It had come down to killing her or allowing her to murder Cameron as he watched.
"Carl will deal with it," he finally said. "The detective has filed his official report, as has the coroner. The detective's bullet was ruled the cause of death. "
"Annalee and Richard Roberts have attempted to smooth it over as well. " Cameron nodded. "But Margaret Brockheim, it seems, has disowned her stepsister, Annalee. The notices were in the papers the other night. "
Chase's jaw te
nsed. For all the trouble Richard and Annalee had caused them personally, he still felt sorry as hell for the woman. She had loved her niece Moriah.