Darkness Falls (Darkness Series Book 3) (24 page)

“Where?”

I sent a quick text to Emily to ask to her to come home right away. A moment later my phone vibrated.

Emily: Just ran into someone, be back in a few.

Seth: Who?

Em: Avery.

Shit!

Seth: Call when you get back into the car. It’s important.

***

Avery

I tried listen to her words, but my mind drifted off as she continued to ramble on about apples, and I didn’t give two shits about which fucking apple tasted better than the other.

“Any plans this afternoon?” She glanced in my direction. I wished she’d tell me what was wrong. I wanted to know if I’d missed something good.

“Nope.” I tried not to smirk when I said my next line. “I was going to swing by Matthews’s grave and leave these flowers.” That sounded good. I had a nice little catch in my voice.

Her face softened and I thought I saw her eyes moisten.
I am good
. “That’s so sweet, Avery. Look, feel free to come over tonight if you’d like…you know, if you don’t want to be by yourself. Seth is grilling some chicken.”

“I’d like that, thanks.” I smiled, then headed down the opposite aisle, dumping the flowers in the trash on my way out of the store.

Starting the engine, I settled into the seat and watched the rain as it bounced off the windshield.

This wasn’t the plan, not at all, but life sometimes threw you a bone. It was exciting having Connors moments away from discovering me. The thrill that came over me when I narrowly escaped being caught in the house, or our encounter outside near the patio, was stimulating. He never stopped surprising me. The man really was born to be a cop. I knew he knew I was there. We looked right at each other. He may have had great instincts, but I was smarter. This cat and mouse game was becoming entertaining, and I loved it.

I was pissed that I missed the fight over Travis’s underwear. I was almost sure that was what had upset Emily. However, I hoped I didn’t miss the phone call from Jenny about the house. After a quick visit to The Brick, I wanted to be back in time to see it all unravel.

My neck twitched as I sat and watched the men come and go from the sex house. I hated the way the clients looked at her like they all wanted a piece of her. I let my mind float back.

She hadn’t said much since we brought her to our apartment over three weeks ago. She mostly just sat, usually on the opposite side of room, and nursed her favorite diet cola. She was a tiny thing, very thin, and her skin was an odd color, most likely from all the drugs that were hopefully leaving her system. She was young, so her body should bounce back fairly quickly.

I handed her a set of keys and a bag from Forever 21 and hoped something would fit her.

“What’s this?” she asked cautiously as she peered into the bag. “I don’t have any money for this, Avery. Harry took all of it.”

The name Harry made me want to hunt that fucker down and slice him from dick to lip.

“I’m not looking for you to pay me for this, it’s a gift. Besides, it’s time for you to get back into the world you were meant to be in.” She gave me a little grin before she pulled out the clothes. “Try them on and be ready in twenty minutes. I’m taking you to meet someone.”

A short time later, we stood in front of the building. “It’s not a job I want you to have, but it will do for now. I know the owner well, and you’ll be looked after here.” She read the letters on the sign.

“The Brick?”

“Yes, it’s a gentlemen’s club.” Her head turned to me, her eyes suspicious, but I rested my hand on hers to reassure her. “No one will touch you here. They are very strict, and there are rules. This place is very upscale, and people pay a lot of money to remain anonymous.” I saw her shoulders relax a little. “I know it’s scary, but trust me, you will be okay here. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” I opened the car door and headed over to help her step out.

“Thanks.” She leaned up and kissed me on the cheek. I knew she wasn’t used to such good manners. I smiled and thought how strange it was to let someone touch me with affection. I followed her inside and observed her as she took in the exquisite décor. I could see she was impressed. She lost some of her nervousness.

My friend Jezz was there to meet us and hurried over to extend his hand to her. “Welcome to my home, my dear. I am Jezz Ebel.” He looked her up and down and raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. “Well, well, aren’t you going to be a lovely little thing to have behind the desk.” She glanced over at me briefly.

“I know I’ll do a good job for you,” she said with a smile. Touching my arm, she gave me a look, then she slipped her arm through his. “How about a tour, Jezz?” She smiled up at him. I almost laughed at her sudden change in demeanor, though I didn’t really like the idea of her touching him.

I ran the strands of the leather whip through my fingers, glad that my cotton pants allowed my erection to grow to full length without discomfort. My chest was already sweaty with what had just gone down. She lay panting, her ass red as a cherry, stuck up in the air and waiting for my next command. I liked to watch this part very carefully. It could go one or two ways. Either she’d take my next hit and pass out, or she’d come. It was all about where the whip hit first. I palmed her ass, which made her moan. Sherry peeked over at me and licked her lips.

A slow smirk ran across my face as I pulled back and cracked the whip right on the inside of her leg. She fell screaming forward. I chucked the whip, took her hips, and sank in while she orgasmed all around me.

***

I felt better, more relaxed and focused about what I had decided to do when I pulled up to the house. O’Brian’s car was already there. I popped the trunk and scooped up a case of beer and some chicken breasts and hurried up the stairs.

I could hear people in the kitchen, and I wasn’t surprised that Johnnie was at the kitchen table.

“Avery.” Garrett greeted me as I walked over to the fridge. “Did you hear about Davis?”

“No.”

“He is officially pronounced missing and assumed dead.” Garrett glanced over at Johnnie, who looked moments away from losing it.

I hid an eye roll by rubbing my face and looked at Johnnie.
Suck it up, you fucking vagina
! “I’m really sorry, Johnnie.”

“Thanks, man.” He jumped to his feet. “Fuck, I really need a drink.”

I couldn’t agree more. I jammed my box of beer into the fridge and headed out to the patio where the tension was building at a rapid rate. I was nearly giddy.

“Hey, everyone,” Emily said in a quiet voice as she struggled in with three large bags.

Garrett helped and set them on the counter. “Are you just getting home now?”

She nodded. “Pete called. He needed my help, and I needed some space to think.”

I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the ball to drop. “So you’ve been out since I saw you this morning?” She nodded, then froze when she saw Seth.

…and go!

“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming home.”

She shook her head and roughly placed the peanut butter into the cabinet. “It’s not like it’s my house for much longer.”

Oh wait! Did Jenny already call? Fuck me!

“Don’t blame people for things when you don’t have proof, baby girl,” Seth snapped back. His stance dominated the space over her. “You should know me better than that.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Maybe I don’t know you at all, Seth.”

Garrett and Johnnie slowly got up from the table and headed outside. I followed but stayed close to the door so I could hear everything.

Emily handed Seth her cell phone. “You tell me why my mother would text me this if it wasn’t true. I get she’s a shitty mom, but she apparently has papers with my ‘signature’ on them granting her the deed to my house! You know how much I love this place. I’ve been fighting for it for years.”

“Exactly, Em!” Seth shouted. “I know you, I know you love this place, that’s why I never suggested we live somewhere else. To be honest, yes, I’d love to have the option to move, but
only
so we can get a place that’s ours, not just yours.”

Garrett bared his teeth. I could tell this was hard on him. He loved team Smiley.
I fucking hate that name.
I, on the other hand, hid the grin that was threatening to burst the seam of my mouth.

“Okay,” she whispered. “Honestly, Seth, this is where I belong. I need to live here. I never thought it was a problem, but I can see now it is.” She cupped her mouth to stop her cry. “I’m so tired of this.”

I’m not!

“Me too,” Seth sighed.

“I’m tired of fighting for something that just doesn’t seem to work. Square peg, round hole.” Her head dropped as mine raised. This was an epic moment. “I think we need to step back. Maybe take a breather. Take a break from us. Who knows, maybe we’ll be happier apart.”

“Wait,” he grunted like he heard her wrong. “You want to break up?” She nodded and kept her eyes glued to the floor. “No.”

“Not just your decision—”

“Clearly it’s not!” Seth’s jaw flexed. “Please, Emily, I love you.”

“I know you do, Seth, and I love you, but I’m not sure it’s enough anymore.”

Seth looked over at all of us. “Does this breakup have anything to do with the guy’s underwear I found this morning?”

The idea of making popcorn and pulling up a chair was tempting me.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Emily grabbed her keys. “Look, I’m going to stay at Vanessa’s tonight.”

“Run,” Seth flicked his hand toward the door, “like always.”

Emily looked over at us. “I’m sorry, guys.”

“Emily?” Travis said behind me.
Oh, hell yeah!
I wanted to rub my hands together in excitement. Travis was the fucking cherry to top of this night. I noticed Garrett shook his head at Seth. I hoped he told him to back off. “I heard some yelling, and I just wanted to check in on you.”

“Thanks, Travis.” Emily smiled. It was forced, but she meant well.
God, I love this
.

“Yes, your timing is great as always, Travis.” Seth snickered.

Garrett moved to block his path. “Thanks for checking in, but we got this.”

Travis glanced at me. I just shrugged and acted like normal.

“Emily, do you need help?” Travis stepped around Garrett’s massive frame. Seth leaped forward and out the door.

“You think I would ever hurt her?” Seth yelled inches from his face. Truth be told, Seth could seriously hurt someone, but he wouldn’t. He wasn’t like me. However, when it came to Emily, who the hell knew. “Do you?”

“Seth!” Emily cried and grabbed his arm. “Please, Travis, go home. He would never hurt me. Thank you for checking in, but honestly, it would be best for you to go back home.”

“Okay.” He turned back to Seth. “Only looking out for her, that’s all, man.”

“And if I thought that was all it was, I’d be cool with it, but the fact that you’ve been flirting with my girlfriend since you moved in proves otherwise.”

He shrugged at Seth, and I could see it coming.
Come on, say it, say it.

“Have a good night, Em.” He stepped back, and I wanted to yell at him.
You had your moment, Travis, and you didn’t take it! You stupid shit, be a man!
“My door is unlocked if you need somewhere to go.”

Good to know.

“Thanks.” Her breath came out in a hurry. She still had a death grip on Seth, who looked down at her. Travis hurried back to the path.

Coward
.

Emily turned back inside. “I should go.” Seth rubbed his head and muttered something.

After Emily left, I sat back and had to listen to Garrett try and talk Seth into stopping her. Seth wouldn’t go…interesting.
Oh hell, this is just perfect.

“What happened with the house?” I asked and noticed Seth texted someone.

“My sister.” He held up his phone. “Wants to come by.” Poor perfect princess wanted to spend time with her brother. I was sure they would probably have a car service drop her off. “Umm,” he rubbed his face again, “somehow Jenny forged Emily’s signature and has a buyer for this house. Problem is Emily thought it was me who tricked her into signing them.”

“Oh, shit.”
I don’t give a shit.
“I wonder what happened.”

Seth stood. “Do you guys mind if we do this another night?”

Yes, I’d rather like to bask in this moment alone.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Emily

Campbell had a nice house. You sure could tell he loved to hunt…animals stared at me from the walls, and it was creepy. I thought the deer just hissed my name.

Vanessa showed me to the guest room, where I placed my overnight bag on the floor then sank onto the bed, exhausted.

“How’s Campbell holding up?” I asked.

She gave me a worried shrug as she sat down next to me. “He’s like Seth, so I don’t know. Um, he’s worried about me being here on my own.” I nodded, understanding that feeling all too well. “I’m just glad he’s okay.”

“Me too.” I gave her a long hug. I really loved Vanessa. She was always so caring. I was happy to be able to return the comfort she had given me in the past.

“I’ll open some wine.” She pulled back and stood.

“Okay.” I watched as she closed the door behind her.

I pulled out my phone, sent a text, closed my eyes, and wished so much that today didn’t happen. I was so confused. My mind drifted off.

“Come on, come out with us,” Erin begged from my kitchen counter. “Please don’t leave me alone with Pete. I can’t control him like you can.” I rolled my eyes at her but knew she was right. He needed a very short rope. “You’ve been moping around here for weeks, and you won’t tell me why. At least come out with me. You owe me.” I never wanted to tell anyone about kissing Seth. It hurt way too much.

“For what?”

Her hands shot to her hips. “Seriously?” Her eyebrow raised. “You left me alone at The Goose with Ronnie the hot bartender last month. My wingman just up and left.”

“First of all, you needed that push because you wouldn’t have ever said three words to him if I didn’t up and leave. Second, if I didn’t free up that chair, you would have never met Alex. So really, you owe me.”

She thought for a moment, then waved her arms around. “Okay, well, whatever!” She hopped off the counter. “I’m calling Pete to come over here. I can see I’ll need backup with you.”

Two hours later I was in a booth, drink in hand, while the beat from
Thrift Shop
vibrated through my rib cage. Pete was loudly singing all the words, while Erin grinned at her phone. I was sure Alex was responsible for her annoying glow.

“I like.” Pete pointed to my little tan dress he had picked out for me. He said the color complimented my skin tone. I winked as I downed my martini. I was a partier as a rule, that was no secret, but I’d been feeling off…since that night.

I ordered another drink and felt more relaxed. Erin whispered something in Pete’s ear, and before I knew it, I was pulled onto the dance floor. Pete danced behind me as the song changed to Bruno Mars’s
Gorilla
. The dance floor wasn’t busy. It was just us and five others. I sensed someone watching me and glanced over at a man approaching me. He was tall, in a blue polo shirt and jeans, and there was a bit of a limp to his step. He nodded at Pete, who leaned over my shoulder to see if I was all right with it. With a pretend grin, I took my new friend’s outstretched hand and let him spin me around. Then his hand landed on my hip and he started to grind into my back. I looked over and saw Pete dancing with some other poor girl, who would be disappointed when he wouldn’t take her home.

“I’m Tim,” the guy grinding me from behind shouted in my ear. I shouted back with mine. For some reason, he took that as an invitation to let his hands wander. I played it off, as I was all right with it until I looked across and locked eyes with Seth standing a few feet away at a table with some other guys.

He stared at me. He wasn’t shy about the fact that I caught him. He just watched me, and me alone. As much as I’d missed him these past few weeks, I was pissed that he left me at the door after the hottest fucking kiss I’d ever had, never to be heard from again. So I decided to play a little, make him feel as I did. Used and hurt.

My arms reached back over my head, where I slid my hands around Tim’s neck and added an extra roll to my hips. Tim’s hands ran down my sides, and I leaned my head back, closed my eyes, and moved to the beat. When I opened them again, Seth was gone. I felt disappointed. I looked over and saw Pete solo dancing, singing the words loudly just for himself. Pete was incredibly comfortable in his skin, and it was contagious.

“I’m going to get a drink,” I shouted as the song ended. Tim snatched my hand and pulled me to the bar, then he pushed me in front of him.

“So, Emily, what is it you do?” His finger dragged from my collarbone to the top of my breasts.

“I’m a student at Orange.” I glanced over my shoulder and saw Erin heading for the restrooms. “Tim, would you mind ordering me a dirty martini?”

I headed to the restroom, but somehow I missed Erin. I fixed my makeup and popped a mint. I beat the long line that formed while I was in there. The hallway was dark and narrow, with little red lights to guide customers back to the club. Suddenly, Seth blocked my path. I stopped when he took two quick steps my way.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. He looked good in his red t-shirt and jeans. His hair was tousled in a sexy-messy way.

“Hey,” I said quickly as I went to walk by.

“Hey, can we talk?” He put a hand out to stop me.

“Sure.” Oh, this was not good. Why did it have to be so dark and cramped there? I resisted the urge to run my fingers along his arm muscle.

“I’m sorry I kissed you like that and left. I just—”

“It was a mistake, I know, it’s okay.”

Lies.

His head shot up. “No, no, it wasn’t a mistake. It was…” He shut his eyes briefly. “Can we start over?” His hands flew in the air when he realized how stupid that sounded. We were too sexually attracted to each other. “Not like that, but can we just try this out as friends?” Friends? That stung, but it also meant I’d see him again. I thought I would be willing to try that. “Please?”

“Why?” I needed to know.

“Because I need to be around you. Call me crazy, but there’s something about you that makes me feel right inside.”

“But you don’t know me that well.”

“I know, that’s why it’s crazy.” He laughed, and his whole face lit up. I saw a carefree fun-loving, incredibly sexy man who appealed to me in many ways.

“Okay, Seth Connors.” I gave a shy smile. “Let’s give this a shot.”

He leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek when I heard my name. I went to turn, and caught his lips with mine in the process. I leaned back and looked up at his expression. It was pure hunger.

Oh shit.

My back started to feel hot, like someone turned on the heat. I felt around the bed, but it was empty, and the sun shone in from a different direction. Wait, where was I? For a brief moment, I slipped into panic mode, but then I heard Vanessa downstairs and it all came back to me.
So much for our girls’ night.

After a hot shower and some fresh clothes, I headed downstairs to find Vanessa and Campbell at the kitchen table. I couldn’t help but stare at the bandage around his neck, and I could only imagine what the scar would look like.

“Hey, Em, I’ll get you some coffee.” Vanessa headed over to the coffee maker.

Campbell held up his cell phone and showed me five calls from Seth. He made a strange face, then I heard the front door open.

“Hello?” Seth called out, and Campbell mouthed ‘sorry’ to me.

“Kitchen,” Vanessa called out while she handed me my coffee. “I don’t care what’s going on, you just need to talk. You have too much history to leave it like this.”

“Hey.” Seth came in looking like he hadn’t slept at all.

“You look like shit,” Campbell muttered in his strained voice.

“Yeah, well, I had a lot to think about.” He glanced at me “Em, walk with me?”

“I have some things I need to do—”

Seth blocked the doorway. “Fine, but first we’re going to talk.”

I slipped off my shoes and left them by the wooden stairs. Seth did the same, and we walked down the beach until we were out of sight of the house.

“Do you think he bought it?”

“I do.” He nodded. “Johnnie doesn’t need this right now, but he’ll understand later. You can deal with Pete.”

“I hate to lie to our friends.”

“Me too, but this is our mess, and if we can protect them right now, then that’s what we have to do. The less who are involved, the better. Garrett and Riley are the only ones who can know, okay?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you about the house.”

Seth ran his hand along the back of his neck. “Avery is playing a dangerous game here. I’m just glad Riley found those papers for proof. Or I may have lost you for good.”

“No, Seth, I just reacted with my usual emotion, not thinking. I would have figured it out. I just don’t get it; why is Avery doing this? What are we missing?”

“I don’t know.” Seth checked his phone. “But we need to be very careful right now.”

“I want to go home.” I felt like I needed to be in my own space to re-group.

“I don’t know, Em, I—”

I turned to face him head on. “Seth, you can’t keep me from my home, you can’t—”

“Yes, I can, and I will. I made a promise to your father that I would protect you to the end. I will keep my word.”

“Wait.” I held up my hand. “You visited my father’s grave?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

“I just didn’t know. I didn’t think you would do that.”

“He is important to you, therefore he is to me. I wanted him to know that someone loved you, and will protect you no matter what the cost is.”

I lowered my head to shield my emotion. Seth moved closer, and both hands moved my hair out of my face, and his thumbs brought my face up to look at his.

“We have a sloppy history, but it’s our history. We’re young and have a lifetime ahead of us, and if I thought it was the perfect moment, I would get down one knee and propose the hell of you.” He stopped to read my face, but I was so stunned by his confession that I just stared up at him. “But now isn’t the time. We need to get through this first. I need to make sure you are safe so when I ask you to marry me, we can move forward and not get sucked backward in this bizarre hell.”

I nodded and closed my eyes to think about how wonderful that would be.

“Do you believe me?”

I took a moment to push Ronnie, the fake house sale, the flowers, and everything negative out of my head. Seth must have thought I was questioning him, because when I opened my eyes, he was below me on one knee.

“This has been a crazy rough go for us with Jimmy Lasko and now Avery. Why he’s messing with us now, I don’t know, but I’ll find out. I know everything seems to be against us being together, but damn it, Emily, I can’t breathe without you in my life. I don’t know how to live without you. I don’t have a romantic line to use to sweep you off your feet. I’m just madly in love with my best friend. I would take a bullet for you. I’m not perfect, I know I’m protective, stubborn, but it’s because I love you. I have a ring, but not on me.”
What? When?
“But, Emily McPhee, will you—”

“Don’t.” I stopped his rant. I couldn’t do this right now. “Please, not here, not now.” I had a sudden rush of emotion. He opened a whole new level of mixed feelings.

He rose to his feet, grabbed my hand, and led me into the cover of the forest. Thankfully, it was mostly pine needles under our bare feet. He stopped me in front of a thick tree trunk, where he guided me until my back hit the bark.

“Am I alone with how I feel?” His face scrunched, and I could see he was concerned.

“No, Seth, no!” I nearly cried. “I chased you for two years. I think I wanted you before you wanted me. It’s just this never-ending story with death, pain, kidnapping, basements, and I just feel like it’s all sitting right here on my chest.” My mind started to fire off all my unfinished business I had with Seth. “You kissed me, like a reach for the stars over the moon kinda thing, then you left me, and I think part of me flickered out that day. You just left me to wonder was it a girl calling, or was it a better offer—”

“My father,” he interrupted. “It was my father. He threatened to mess with you if I didn’t keep my distance. That day I left you, it was because my father came home with a visitor who harassed Mom and Maddy.” His body pressed into mine and his head hovered over me. “I regretted leaving you there, but despite what my father said, I couldn’t stay away. I thought about that kiss every single time I was around you. Every time you’d look at me, I got excited. Then you moved on, and started talking to other men, and I couldn’t take it. I’m selfish, I know, but I had to have you. Then I gave in, and I haven’t stopped falling ever since.”

“Yes,” I said quietly.

“Huh?”

“I will say yes when you ask me, Seth. Now isn’t the time.” I cupped my hand along his cheek. “I will marry you. I would have married you the day I met you. We have a lot to get through, we have to pull off one hell of an act, but if you love me even half as much as I do you, then my answer is yes.”