Stronger With Us (The Strength Series Book 3) (5 page)

“So, why do you sound so happy about it? I thought they didn’t really get along.” I’m hoping he’s just here because of the wedding and not something else.

“They don’t, but they’re going to have to fix that. I’m not marrying into that drama. If I had a sibling, I would do whatever I could to make that relationship work. I know Steph would do anything to have her sister back.” Stephanie’s sister was mentally ill and killed herself in front of the family.

“I get it. If I my brother was still here, I’d want him in my life, too,” I say quietly. I don’t talk about him much, it’s just too painful.

“I’m sorry, Christin. I wasn’t even thinking about Bobby,” Becca says as she squeezes my hand. I feign a smile and walk away.

“It’s in the past. Let’s focus on the happy stuff, like what you’re going to wear for your wedding. I assume you’re not going with a traditional white dress with fifty-foot train,” I say, hoping we can move away from the subject of why Jude is here.

“Oh, well, you know how it is,” she responds sarcastically. “It’s difficult to pack that much material in one suitcase. Let me show you what I have in mind,” she says as she pulls me into the closet.

F

I’m still surprised that Colin wants me over for dinner. He has resented me since we were kids. I make no apologies for how I treated him, because sheltering him from our father’s angry outbursts was more important than Colin liking me. I’ll bear the scars and his resentment knowing that he was never beaten by the asshole sperm donor we lived with.

“Who left this fucking mess in the kitchen? I am so sick and tired of you little shits making more work for your mother. Get your asses in here and clean this shit up!” I hear him yell from out in the backyard. I know what’s going to happen next and Colin is too little to handle it.

“Why don’t you go next door and play with Brandon,” I suggest to my little brother. He’s only six years old and doesn’t know what kind of man our father is.

“I don’t want to, Jude. I want to play with you,” he pouts.

“I know you do, but I have to go in the house. Dad needs me to clean up our mess in the kitchen. Go to Brandon’s, and I’ll come and get you when I’m done, okay?” I turn and push him toward the neighbor’s house.

“Please hurry. I want to finish building our fort,” he says as he walks away slowly. I watch until he’s inside the neighbor’s house before returning to deal with my father’s wrath.

“Jude, you little shit, are you just trying to make my life harder?” My father backhands me across the face, sending me to the floor. I don’t cry, yell, or move. I know the drill. He likes it when I fight back so I make sure not to give him what he wants.

“Answer me when I ask you a question,” he spits out, lifting me from the floor. I can smell the alcohol on his breath and it makes my stomach roll.

“No, sir, I’m not.” I say quietly. He drops me back to the floor and kicks me in the butt.

“Get this cleaned up before your mother gets home,” he says as he gets a beer out of the refrigerator and stumbles into the living room. I breathe a sigh of relief that he doesn’t do more to me as I start scrubbing the counter.

I did everything I could to protect Colin from the abuse and I think I succeeded. After our mother died unexpectedly, Dad seemed to collapse into himself. He doesn’t really care about anything or anyone now. Thankfully, he still lives in Minnesota so we don’t have to see him on a regular basis.

I pull my truck into Colin’s driveway. The house he and Becca bought is really nice. It’s an older home with leaded glass windows, wraparound porch, and a gabled roof. It looks like something you’d see in chick flick where the cute single woman lives alone in her grandmother’s house.
What the fuck is wrong with me?

I take a deep breath as I walk to the front door. I don’t want this night to end up in an argument with my little brother. I want to have a real relationship with him. He’s all I have now that I lost my job and can’t seem to find a woman worth keeping.
That’s not really true,
my inner voice pipes up. I shake my head to clear that thought as I ring the doorbell.

“Jude, it’s so good to see you again,” Becca says after opening the door and pulling me into a hug. I practically have to bend at the waist to return the embrace.

“It’s good to be here, Bec. How’ve you been?”

“Oh, you know, busy with school and the house. Come on in and make yourself comfortable.”

I walk past her into a large living room. There are two couches in the middle with a fireplace surrounded by a stone hearth. My brother is sitting on one sofa, glaring at me.

“Hello, Colin,” I say with a smile that I hope is friendly. I can feel his hostility from across the room.

“Colin, get your ass up and say hello to your brother,” Becca scolds. He has the decency to look guilty as he gets up and comes over, holding his hand out in greeting. I take it and shake it quickly.

“Jude, it’s good to see you. I wish you would have given me more notice you were coming up and we could have made plans.”

“Sorry about that,” I reply. “I wasn’t sure that you’d want to see me. I came up for an interview with Belator Security Systems, and they hired me today.”

“That’s great,” Colin says sincerely. “I’m glad you and Davidson were able to work something out. I think you’ll like working for him. He’s fair and as long as you do the job, he mostly doesn’t give a shit about your personal life.”

“Why don’t you boys sit down and catch up while I check on dinner. Jude, would you like something to drink?” Becca asks.

“I’d love a beer if you have one, Bec. Thank you,” I say as I follow my brother to the couches, taking the one across from him.

Becca leaves the room, and Colin stares at me. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, and that’s unnerving. After Becca brings the beer to me and leaves the room again, Colin finally speaks.

“So, what the fuck happened with the DEA? You always close your cases.”

“I guess I stuck my dick in the wrong woman. Somebody Vaughn’s daughter. I don’t have a fucking clue who he is, but I guess he’s a big deal.” I lean back on the couch and take a long pull from the beer.

“Oh, shit. I didn’t know Vaughn was involved. Yeah, he’s a powerful man. No wonder it all happened so fast. I’m guessing that you had no idea who she was when you went home with her.”

“No, I didn’t even get her last name. I didn’t care. So, now I’m going to start over and do something different. At least with this job I don’t have to catch the bad guys, I just have to take them to different facilities and to court. Should be a piece of cake.”

“Nothing you do is ever that easy. You have got to keep it in your pants and do your job,” he says shaking his head.

“I never said I was a saint, and we both know you’ve got a past, too. No need to be a judgmental prick.”

“I’m not, asshole. I don’t want to see you do anything stupid to fuck up this opportunity you’ve got now. Davidson is cool, but he has a limit on the bullshit he’ll take from his employees.”

“All right, I hear you. I do need some help finding a place to live that’s not near the University. Any ideas?”

“Let’s talk about that while we eat,” Becca says as she walks into the room. Colin looks over and his face lights up in a smile. It seems like just being in the same room with his woman has a calming effect on him.

“Sure, sounds good,” I answer as I get off the couch. “Then you can tell me about school and everything else going on with you, my dear,” I say as I follow her to the dining room.

Dinner was very pleasant. Becca kept Colin calm and didn’t judge me when she heard what happened with my job. She kept giving my brother a look, like she wanted him to say something, and he rolled his eyes every time.  As we finished the dishes, I finally had to know what was going on.

“Seriously, Colin, just tell me. Whatever it is it can’t be that bad.”

He has the audacity to look at me with shock. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Bec has been giving you looks all through our meal, and you keep blowing her off. Just say whatever it is that she thinks you should and get it over with. You’re just pissing me off now.”

Colin takes a deep breath, and Becca moves to stand beside him. He opens his mouth a couple times and closes it before he spits it out.

“Becca and I are getting married this weekend in Las Vegas. I’d like you to be part of the celebration.” Becca has a huge smile on her face and pats my brother’s arm when he finishes.

“I’m speechless, man. I’m more than honored that you asked. Of course, I’ll be there. I just need to be back in time to start my new job on Monday. Wow, my baby brother is getting married.” I can’t stop the idiot grin that breaks out on my face.

“We’ll be flying back late Sunday night. Since this is such a last minute thing I didn’t have time to ask off.”

“Who else is going?” I have to know if she’ll be there.

“Kevin, Stephanie and her man, James, and Christin. We just want our close friends and family. Becca’s mother wanted to have a huge wedding and reception, but we weren’t feeling it. I’m sure there will be some grand party in the future, but for now, this is what we want to do. We’re going to charter a flight so we don’t have to worry about flying commercial. I have a buddy who has a plane, so all we have to pay for is fuel and fees.”

“What about the old man? Are you going to tell him?” I really hope not.

“No, he’ll find out when Becca’s parents do. Probably in a few weeks.”

“I’m in. I guess I’ll head back to Tampa in the morning and get some of my stuff. I need to find an apartment, too. Suggestions?”

“I think my old place is still available. If not, I’m sure there’s something in that complex. If you stop by on your way out of town you might be able to get it taken care of.”

“I’ll do that. I’m going to head out. Congratulations, you two, I’m very happy for you. I’ll be back later this week ready to head out west,” I say with a smile.

“We’ll see you on Friday, Jude. Thanks for coming over,” Becca says as she gives me a hug. I return the gesture and shake my brother’s hand before walking out to my truck.

G

“I’ve been waiting forever for you. Where the fuck have you been?” Jude says loudly as I enter his room.

“Well, it’s good to see that you’re up and moving,” I say ignoring his outburst. “I’ve got your discharge papers here so you can get out of here. Will that cheer you up?” I ask with a sweet smile on my face.

“Yeah, that will help. Where do I sign?”

We go through the instructions for caring for his wound, and Jude signs everything. He starts to walk out of the room but stops suddenly and turns back to me.

“How the fuck am I going to get to Colin’s place? Do you have a cab service around here that I can call?”

“Actually, I’m going to be done with my shift soon so if you want to wait, I’ll take you,” I say before I fully think the offer through. Do I really want to do this?

“Um, well, yeah, that would be great. I just realized I don’t have my wallet. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

Yes, I do, my brain screams but my mouth says the opposite. “No, I’m happy to do it. We’ll have to stop at the pharmacy on the way. Why don’t you wait in the employee lounge while I finish up?”

Jude follows me down the hall and past the nurses’ station where Jonathan doesn’t hide the fact that he’s eye fucking him as he walks by. Thankfully I’m the only one who notices. I show Jude where to wait, and I make my way back to the main desk to finish my paperwork and end my shift.

“Whatcha doin’?” Jonathan asks in a sing-song voice.

“Paperwork,” I answer sternly.

“You know what I mean. You’ve got agent hottie in the lounge. Are you giving him a ride or are you hoping he’ll give you one later?”

“Oh my god, will you stop? He’s staying with Colin, who lives next door to Becca. I’m simply taking him home.”

“Uh huh, sure. Girl, I’ve known you for years, and I’ve never seen you act this way around a man. Just get out of here. I’ll put the files together and send them to records. You’ve done all the electronic stuff, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve just got to deal with the actual papers. Thanks, babe. I appreciate your help today.” I stand up and give Jonathan a big hug. He’s really the best person to work with.

“No problem, but you know I’ll expect a favor in return someday.”

“I can live with that,” I say as I walk toward the lounge. For the first time in years I’m looking forward to something other than my job.

I wake with a start. Apparently seeing Jude again is causing me some anxiety. Making my way to the shower, I remind myself that I’m a grown woman and I can control my urges and desires.

Thirty minutes and a self-induced orgasm later, I’m throwing the last of my things into the suitcase. Stephanie and James are picking me up so there aren’t too many cars over at Becca and Colin’s while we’re gone.

I like James a lot. He’s good to my friend who’s had a rough start to her adult life. They’re quite a contrast, though. He’s well over six feet tall and she’s only five-four. His brothers call him Runt, which is completely hilarious. I’m guessing that Jude will probably be able to look Runt in the eye. I’ve always had a thing for tall men.
What the fuck am I thinking?

Thankfully the knock at my door stops that train of thought.

“Are you ready to go,” Stephanie asks with a big smile.

“I am, are you surprised?”

“Actually, I kind of am. You usually take forever to pack.”

“Not this time. I love Vegas and I can’t wait to get there and see who I can play with,” I reply with a wink.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find exactly what you need,” she says quietly as I follow her out to the SUV where James is waiting.

The ride to Becca’s is fairly short and the conversation flows easily enough. James is laid back and always friendly. The hardest part is watching Stephanie hang on every word and look at him with true love in her eye. Not that I begrudge her any happiness; it’s just that I’m starting to think that’s something I want for myself but may never find. I’m sure that it won’t be much longer before these two get married and then I’ll really be the odd gal out.

“Why are you pouting back there? What’s wrong?” Stephanie asks.

“Nothing’s wrong. Sorry, I was just thinking. Don’t worry about me, everything’s fine,” I say with a smile that I just don’t feel. Stephanie is a genius, but she’s better with computers than people, so hopefully I can slip this one by her.

“Okay, but if something is bothering you, I’m happy to listen.”

“Thanks, my friend. I appreciate that but it’s all good.”

When we arrive at Becca and Colin’s there’s a stretch limo parked at the curb. Kevin is putting his luggage in the trunk as we get out of the SUV.

“Hey, guys! We’re almost ready to head out,” Kevin greets us. “There’s plenty of room in the trunk for bags.”

Kevin is a nice guy. We hooked up once but there just wasn’t any chemistry between us. He’s been looking for a wife as long as I’ve known him, and I’m not the wife type. He’s a loyal friend and Colin’s former partner, and I know Becca trusts him completely with her soon-to-be-husband’s life.

“Is everyone in the house?” I ask looking around for him.

“We’re still waiting for Jude to show up, but, yes, the rest of the wedding party is inside.” I nod and head toward the house, hoping that Jude doesn’t show. It would be one less headache to manage this weekend.

“God damn it!” I hear Colin shout from the kitchen as I walk in. Becca jumps up from the couch and runs to him. I try not to listen to what they’re saying, but it’s too loud to ignore.

“He fucking promised he’d be here. I should have known,” Colin says.

“Let me see your phone,” Becca responds quietly. “He just said he is running late and he’ll meet us at the air strip. Honey, it doesn’t mean he’s not coming.”

“I’ll believe it when I see the whites of his eyes. We might as well get going since everyone else is here.” Colin walks out of the kitchen and right past me without noticing that I’m sitting on his couch. He looks really upset. Becca comes out and sits next to me.

“He has such a hard time trusting Jude with anything. He always expects the worst,” she mutters as much to herself as to me.

“I think he has reason to be worried. From what I’ve seen of his brother he seems to be less than reliable.”

“Jude is a self-fulfilling prophesy. He just does what he thinks others expect of him. Since they pretty much plan on him letting them down, he doesn’t make an effort to prove them wrong. It’s probably a consequence of growing up with an abusive father.”

“Don’t get all shrinky on us,” I say with a chuckle. “I know you want to help everyone, but he’s about to be your family and you know you shouldn’t psychoanalyze relatives.” I smile at her and nudge her shoulder.

“He’d be much better if he found a good woman to call him on his bullshit and keep him in line,” she replies as she stands up. I’m stunned into silence by her words.

“Oh, Christin, stop it,” Becca says pulling me up from the couch. “I didn’t necessarily mean you, though I do think it would be good for both of you.”

“All right, that’s enough,” Stephanie says from the doorway. “Let’s get this show on the road without marrying off everyone in the group.” We both laugh and the tension is broken as we walk out of the house arm-in-arm.