Pieces of Us (Confessions of the Heart 3)

Hatred spun, and my jaw clenched. “Yeah. Fucker is still sitting behind bars. Where he belongs.”

Kept close tabs.

Always.

But the second Izzy had shown up in town, I’d doubled those efforts.

“Fuck, I hate this. Crime for nothing. I can’t handle this. I’m going to have to go into an early retirement before I have a heart attack at forty. Live on a deserted beach somewhere. Sipping piña coladas for the rest of my life.”

“I thought it was me with my ass in the hot seat, and you’re the one who’s trying to hightail it out of here?” I attempted to go light. Not wanting to give into what was pressing at me.

Fear and rage and darkness.

I wasn’t that guy. Not anymore.

Couldn’t give myself over to it.

Not with what I now stood to lose.

“Maybe I was making a suggestion. Two of us run away together.”

“Sorry, dude, but you’re not my type.”

He laughed. “Yeah, and how is that going with that sweet thing? Tell me you locked that down. Your ugly ass isn’t ever going to get another chance like that.”

I blew out a sigh, scrubbed a hand over my face. “I’m going to marry her, man.”

Silence echoed on the line, and then he muttered, “Really?” It was nothing but speculation.

Maybe he’d heard me spouting my mouth about it being selfish for a cop to settle down so many times that he didn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Told you she was my oldest friend. Also the mother of my son. She has another little boy, too.”

This time his silence was deafening.

“No shit?” he finally said.

“No shit.”

“Well, fuck. Was not expecting that. Seems we’re going to have to get us a bigger island.”

A rough chuckle rolled out before I was turning serious. “Have to nail this bastard, Pete. Can’t risk someone coming after me like that when I’ve got Izzy and her boys to worry about. Won’t take that chance.”

“Understand that completely. Believe me, there isn’t a soul in the precinct who isn’t watching, waiting to take that fucker down after what he did to you.”

“Yet, he’s managed to remain at large for two weeks.”

“We’ll nab him. We will.”

“All right. Keep me posted.”

“Will do, man. Just . . . hang tight. Watch your back. We’ll be looking out for you.”

I ended the call to find a text had come through.

Hatred and disgust curled my guts.

Clarissa: Two weeks. Aren’t you missing me? Think it’s time you come visit. I’m feeling . . . neglected.

Rage tightened every muscle in my body, the chains of her manipulation yanking at my insides. Twisting me apart. Knew that whole neglected bit meant she wanted me to bring her money, too. I no longer knew if it was her blackmailing me or I was bribing her to keep it quiet.

Me: Told you I was finished with you toying with me. It’s over, Clarissa. Sink your claws into someone else.

Clarissa: Aww. I’m sorry to hear that. I’d hate for one of Charleston’s finest to be found to be nothing but a criminal. Even worse that his cute little girlfriend was involved.

A frenzy built in my body. A storm that raged in my soul.

She knew Izzy was here.

Shit.

She knew it.

Dread pulsed, and I didn’t know how the screen of my phone didn’t shatter when I fired off my response.

Me: Stay the fuck away from her, Clarissa. Away from me. I am warning you, you don’t want to mess with this. I will make sure you regret it.

I tossed my phone to the desk. Hostility boiled in my blood, and my knee was bouncing, trying to find a direction to focus my aggression.

I looked at the clock.

I needed to pick Benjamin up in thirty. Needed to cool it. Get it under control before I did something that I would be regretting.

I grabbed my phone and called Pete back.

“Yo,” he answered.

“I’ve got to run, but do me a favor, will you?”

“Anything.”

“Get whatever you can on Clarissa Pelter. Bank records. Cell records. Anything you can.”

“Shit . . .” Could feel him stirring on the other end of the line. “You don’t think she’s involved?”

“Don’t know. But I am going to find out.”

“Big Ben, buddy,” I murmured softly, heart gripping as I glanced in the rearview mirror of my truck. Benjamin rode in the back.

He’d just finished his session.

This one . . . this one had been brutal. He’d worked so goddamn hard, but there had been no missing the agony that had been written all over him. The frustration and the discouragement, just like what dimmed his spirit now.

His attention cast out the window.

Child silent.

But it was a different kind than his typical quiet observation.

This was . . . sad.

Fucking sad.

And I didn’t have a goddamn clue how to fix it.

He shifted his attention to me, meeting my eye through the rear-view mirror. He didn’t answer. Just looked at me. Blue eyes glistening with unshed tears he was trying to hold back.