Dare to Dream: The Maxwell Series (9 page)

T
he school day
couldn’t end fast enough. I was relieved Lacey and I were able to talk at lunch but was anxious to get to Boston, meet with Pitt, and get back to Ashford. Plus, I’d been thinking about the guy she’d mentioned, Dennis Weeks. We hadn’t had much time to dig deeper into who Dennis was before the bell rang.

I was inhaling the fresh air as I hurried to my truck when I heard someone call my name. I turned and found Tyler jogging toward me. I thought I should thank him for making Lacey laugh.

“Kade, wait up.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his hooded Kensington sweatshirt. “So, what went down on Friday night? Are the rumors true? Sullivan got shot?”

I hated gossip. “Yeah. But I got to run, man.”

He shifted his stance. “When are you going to end that feud with Sullivan? Are you going to keep putting Lacey through hell? What if she was with you? What if he decides to hurt her to get to you? Have you thought about that?”

I laughed hauntingly. Sullivan was the least of my worries. I got in Tyler’s face. “Stay out of my business, Langley.”

His hands came up to push me away. He succeeded too. The dude’s six-foot-one height matched mine, and he was all muscle. He reminded me a lot of Hunt but with a broad chest and blond hair. The only difference was Tyler had what Lacey called ocean-blue eyes. I hadn’t paid much attention to the color of anyone’s eyes until I looked into Lacey’s. How could I not notice those deep, mesmerizing green eyes framed by the longest fucking lashes I’d ever seen? They made my heart race and my stomach flip.

“You’re going to fuck up your relationship with Lacey.” His tone held a bucketload of jealousy and animosity. “And I don’t want to see her get hurt.”

I opened the door to my truck before I ended up sending my fist into his face. “I can take care of my girl,” I shot over my shoulder. Lacey and I still had a lot to learn about each other. Hell, a relationship with a girl was new for me. My fucking up along the way was going to happen. No one was perfect. One thing I knew for sure. I’d fight with every ounce of strength I had to make sure I didn’t hurt her.

“Kade, she’s one of my best friends. I’d kill anyone if they hurt her, including you.”

I halted midstride. He had huge balls. I stormed back to him. “Friends or not, you want more with Lacey, and I don’t trust you.”

“You should, because you’re going to need me.” His tone was cocky.

“Okay, I’ll bite. Why is that?”

“I’m the only one who’s going to keep you two from splitting up.”

I tilted my head one way then the other. “Come again?”

“That rainy night in September right before the last baseball tryout when you found me at her house? You got so fucking pissed seeing me there and then seeing her with her blouse open. After you left, I was the one who held her while she cried her eyes out. I was the one who rubbed her back, telling her you were a good guy. I love her enough to make sure she gets what she wants. Sadly, for me, she wants you. I’m not an asshole who runs from my friends. Whatever the fuck is going on, get your shit together. Because if you don’t… Well, you can finish that sentence.” He studied me as his eyebrows knitted. No doubt eyeing my fists. “When you decide that you don’t want to beat my face in, we can talk.” The fucker walked away as rage filled every part of my body.

I stewed on what Tyler had said on my drive to Boston. I tried to push his words—
I love her
—out of my head. I couldn’t. I’d never been the jealous type. Then again, I’d never been in love before. I knew lying to her was one way to push her away from me.

“Fuck,” I screamed as loud as I could, the word practically echoing inside the confines of my truck. “Get your shit together, Maxwell.”

By the time I reached Pitt’s office, my head was pounding like someone had increased the bass on a stereo to its highest setting. The same receptionist as before gave me the all clear to proceed to Pitt’s office. Hunt was already seated in one of the wingback chairs. Pitt wasn’t around.

“You look like shit, man. Rough day?” Hunt asked in a concerned tone.

“You could say that.” I took a seat in the remaining chair. “Where’s Pitt?” I wanted to get back to Lacey. I wanted to make up for lying. I wanted us to put our heads together to search her house. Sometimes when people are too close to things, they miss what was in front of them all along. Most of all, I wanted to find the killer.

“He had to step out for something. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Tutoring? No. Finding the killer? Yes.” I rubbed my temples.

Pitt’s voice filtered in from the hall before he entered and circled his desk. “Gentlemen. Can’t say I’m surprised you’re both here.”

I growled.

“Save the
I-told-you-so
crap,” Hunt said.

“Easy, bro,” a familiar voice said. “Where are your manners? Mom and Dad taught you better than that.”

Hunt rolled his eyes as Wes, Hunt’s brother, sauntered in. Tall, husky, and meaner than Hunt, Wes grinned, his front teeth overlapping each other. He was dressed all in black with a gun on his hip.

“Now that we’re all here.” Pitt smoothed a hand over his tie as he eased into his leather chair.

Wes went to stand at the front corner of Pitt’s desk.

“Wes is in charge of all the security and bodyguards. He’ll have two men on Lacey at all times. Kade, you’ll be tutoring Chloe one day a week up until her finals. You’ll meet her here in the conference room.” He was all business now.

“Whoa! Slow down.” I straightened. “I told you on the phone, I have some demands before I sign my kidneys over to you.”

“Of course.” Pitt opened his palms and bowed his head.

“Don’t patronize me.” My jaw tightened.

“You mean Chloe really needs a tutor?” Hunt asked. “And with all the tutors in Boston, you chose Kade? Or are you using him to get closer to Robinson?”

I flicked a thumb at Hunt. “He has a point. Tell me what you know about the connection between Lorenzino and Robinson. We’re going to be working together, and you’re entrusting me with your daughter. I deserve to know at least that much.”

Pitt pursed his lips.

“Tell him, boss,” Wes said. “You know how stubborn Robinson is. He’s not going to tell Kade. Shit, he hasn’t even told his daughter yet. We need to keep planning.”

Hunt and I shared a confused look. Nausea was eating my stomach lining at the direction the conversation was taking.

Pitt covered his chin with his hand as he studied me. “I don’t know the connection. I don’t know what Lorenzino wants. Robinson doesn’t even know. At least that’s my assumption. But in my organization, we protect our own.”

Dryness scratched my throat. “Meaning what? That you’re related to Robinson?” I didn’t see the resemblance.

“My wife, Gloria, is,” Pitt said. “Her parents adopted James.”

My head jerked back.
Fuck me.
Hunt gaped.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement, but I was still confused as ever. “Why were you so cryptic when we met the other day? Why not just come out and tell me then? Why smoke-screen all this with tutoring your daughter?”

“I was feeling you out, and Robinson doesn’t want help,” Pitt said. “He’s trying to handle this whole situation on his own. I get that. A man wants to be able to take care of his family. You certainly understand that, Kade. I don’t have a caring bone in my body for Robinson. I
do
, however, when it comes to my family. If Lorenzino finds out the connection, my family could be in danger, too. I need to know what Lorenzino is after.” Then he shifted his dark eyes to Hunt. “And Chloe does need a tutor.”

“So you think I can convince Robinson to align with you? No offense, man, but I don’t exactly want anything to do with the mob either.”

“Sometimes, Kade, choices are made for us, especially since we can’t choose our families. And family is everything. Isn’t it?” Pitt steepled his hands, his face tightening.

Family was everything. I massaged the back of my neck. “And why do you think he’s going to listen to me?”

“As I said to you in our meeting the other day, you have a way of getting people to listen to you. You’ll figure it out. In the meantime, Chloe is finishing up her first year at Harvard. She’s having trouble with one of her basic math courses. And you let us take care of shadowing Lacey.” Pitt crossed one leg over the other.

I took in some stale air laced with cigar smoke. “Let’s back up for a second. If Mr. Robinson hasn’t told Lacey any of this, how much can I share with her?” I couldn’t lie to her again. I wasn’t even certain I could withhold this information from her. If she found out I knew, I’d be pushing her into Tyler’s arms, and this was more than a fight about who had the bigger dick. I couldn’t step into her relationship with her father.

Wes pressed his fingers into the desk. “Kade, talk to her father, if not Lacey. I don’t care which.” His voice was stern. “Mob trouble is not something we want to entertain on the streets of Boston or in small town America. The faster you get him to come clean, the easier we can all work as a team to do our jobs protecting Lacey. We don’t know when Lorenzino will strike. We suspect he’s been watching and waiting.”

“Do you know who the killer is?” Hunt asked.

I was glad Hunt was here. I was still stuck on Robinson being related to Pitt.

Wes and Pitt shook their heads at the same time.

“Lacey did mention that the LAPD asked her about a guy named Dennis Weeks. Does that name ring a bell?” I wiped my palms on my jeans. I was in the middle of a shit storm, and so was Lacey. Suddenly, my gut twisted into a fucking huge knot. My family could be in danger, too.

“I’ll check into it, but no,” Wes said.

I didn’t know whether to believe them or not, although Pitt hadn’t lied yet, and I trusted Wes.

“People use aliases all the time,” Pitt said. “I have a meeting to get to. We’re not going to solve this today. Tell me your demands, Kade.”

In light of everything he’d just said, I had to ensure my family’s safety, too. I pinned a look on Wes then Pitt. I rose slowly, pressed my palms on the chrome desk, and bent forward. “You have some nerve.” I drilled my gaze into Pitt. “Bringing me into your circle puts my family in jeopardy.”

“Unlikely. Yet not out of the realm of possibility. May I remind you that you are dating Lacey? So, you’re already part of the circle.” Pitt’s tone was calm.

Silence filled the room. He might be right about the unlikely part, but the mob could do anything to get what they wanted.

“I’m going to be one of the bodyguards on Lacey,” Hunt said, taking hold of my arm.

When he said
Lacey
, I backed away and combed a hand through my hair. “Are you sure tutoring your daughter is wise given everything you told us? I mean, if they’re watching Lacey and me.”

Pitt adjusted his tie. “I’ve thought about that. She’ll have a bodyguard and you.”

His words from our first meeting came to mind: “I know you’re fiercely protective. I wouldn’t trust anyone other than myself or my wife when it came to my daughter.”

“Then I suggest the Ashford Library.” I knew the conference room in Pitt’s building would be more secure. But in the event something went wrong, even with bodyguards tailing her, I had to be in close proximity to her, and if I needed help, I’d have my brothers, Buster, and my old man if we were closer to home. Not that I was prepared to tell my father any of this yet.

A
fter two hours
of baseball practice, I collected my gear, and Kelton and I headed out to his truck. Practice had been a non-issue. Aaron was civil. Shaun pitched great, executing every pitch with a smooth delivery. I agreed with Coach. We had a great shot at winning State. Not only did we have Shaun and myself, we had two other decent pitchers, not to mention all our great batters and fielders.

Once in the truck, I sent Kade a text letting him know I was headed home. I was super stoked he’d come clean about the whole fight thing. His confession certainly made the rest of the school day bearable. I was anxious to get home and do some snooping around to see if I could find anything in Mom’s or Dad’s things.

I stared out the window, mapping out where I would start my search. I eliminated Dad’s office since there weren’t many places in it to store valuables. In our old house I thought my mom had placed their treasures in a box in her bedroom. I couldn’t be sure, though.

The country road we were on was pitch black except for the truck’s headlights. Kelton flicked on the high beams. Snow fluttered to the ground as the wind blew through the trees lining both sides of the road.

I glanced his way. The dashboard lights glowed, highlighting Kelton’s five o’clock shadow. “You and Aaron were civil to each other at practice. I don’t see how you guys turn your anger on and off on a whim.” I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Kelton. On our way over to the practice facility, I’d gotten a ride with Renee.

“There’s a lot we turn on and off on a whim, if you get my drift.” He chuckled as he flipped off his ball cap and threw it in the backseat.

I rolled my eyes. “Why is it always sex with you?”

“Girl, seriously. Do you have to ask that?” He pushed long fingers through his matted hair.

“Why don’t you find a steady girl? That way you can have sex all the time.”

“What makes you think I don’t have sex all the time? I don’t need a steady girl for that. I like sampling the different varieties. It’s kind of like wine tasting.” He shifted his glance to me every now and then.

I sighed. “You really should try love.”

“Fuck love. And don’t start preaching on how love makes having sex better either. The way I see it, love is pain. I want pleasure. Enough said.”

He maneuvered through the back roads and then the streets of Ashford. As soon as we drove up to my house, I gasped.

“What is it?” he asked, looking from the house to the street.

“The house. Something’s wrong.” My hands began to tremble. My breathing grew shallow as I gripped the door handle. “Lights. Where are the lights? They’re on a timer.” I shook my head steadily. “No, this can’t be happening.” That familiar buzzing in my head shot to an all-time high. I had to cover my ears. “Turn the lights on. Please, turn the lights on.” Blackness colored my vision.

“Lacey. Lacey, I’m here, girl. What do you need?” Kelton’s voice rose.

I rammed my shoulder into the door. “I have to get out of here.”

I barely heard Kelton telling me to breathe as cold air breezed through the truck.

I pushed the door again, and it opened. I fell into strong arms. I squeezed my eyes shut. Memories bombarded me.

Her brown eyes stared straight up at the ceiling. I fell to my knees into something warm, something that soaked into my clothes. “Mom! Mom, wake up. Wake up.” I smoothed a hand over her hair. “Mom! Please! Wake up!” I dropped my head to her chest. “Why won’t you wake up?” Tears poured from my eyes.

I crawled over to Julie on my hands and knees. “Jules?” I tapped her cheek. “Jules? Julie. You have to wake up.” I sobbed, choking.

I rocked back and forth. I heaved once then twice before losing the contents of my stomach. The room spun as coldness set in. Then a black abyss consumed me.