Undone (15 page)

“This is cool...
did it hurt?”

For once grateful for the subject change, Roan mindlessly brought a hand to his ear, fingering the taper he'd inserted no less than a month ago
. He grinned and shook his head. “Not really. The industrial was a bitch though. Took a while to heal.”

“I lik
e them, they look good on you.”

“Do you have any?”

Sophie laughed and Roan silently remarked on how lovely it sounded, even as he marveled at the effect it had on him. “No, I think I'd be too much of a coward to get one. ‘Sides, it wouldn't look good on me, I'm not a piercing sort of girl. Mind if we get out of the cold? Don't know about you but I'm freezing my ass off out here.”

Roan drew her back
. “We done with the pity party?”

Peering down at their interwoven fingers
, Sophie met Roan’s gaze with a soft smile. “For now.”

“Well, if you feel the need to throw another one, don't forget my invite.”

“You can count on it.” If she allowed herself, and she more than likely was on the way there, Sophie knew it would be too easy to lay her troubles at this man's doorstep and lose herself in those soulfully dark eyes. Too easy.

The ride home was a slow one steeped in silence.
With the blizzard having cleared off by midafternoon, the snow plows were able to clear the roads and, though there was salt and sand, Roan drove with great caution. The occasional look he tossed the girl seated in the passenger seat of his truck either went unnoticed or was ignored, seemingly lost in thought. Loathed to have the discomfort from earlier return, he gripped the steering wheel with one hand and with the other he touched Sophie’s hands. Her startled dark eyes rose to finally meet his stare.

“A penny?”

Sophie smiled wanly all too aware of the large hand covering her hands. “I was lost in thought.”

“Apparently. What were you thinking about?”

Roan looked at her. Sophie’s lower lip was captured between her porcelain white teeth, a habit he’d had come to realize she did when she was nervous or anxious about something. For some inexplicable reason, Roan found that he was terribly envious of the teeth nibbling on that tender flesh.

“How the hell am I going to explain to my parents where
I’ve been all night. Nicholas has been a little protective of us. It’s a sheer wonder I managed to get past his security, but after this stunt he’s probably going to stick the guard dogs on me.”

“Well
, it’s no less than you deserve. You shouldn’t have been out that late, let alone by yourself. I wouldn’t blame the guy if he put you on house arrest.”

Sophie rolled her eyes and pushed Roan’s hand away. “So glad to see I have your support.”

“You get no sympathy here, brat. If you were mine and you pulled something like that, I’d have your ass on lock down.”

If you were mine
. Sophie didn’t pretend to miss that little statement and she wondered, not for the first time since meeting Roan, whether he was too good to be true. More often than not, when guys turned out to be
this
perfect, something had to be up. Only thing was, everything in Sophie was telling her this was good. Roan was good. Especially when he looked at her like that. Things fluttered, namely her heart and the butterflies in her stomach, it all went hand-in-hand with the tingles. The tingles were almost magical when he’d kissed her.

“I’m glad we’re friends, Roan
,” she said softly.

The dubious expression gave way to that boyish grin of his. “Oh geez, it’s hard yelling at you when you say stuff like that.”

Sophie smiled. “It’s the truth.”

“Yeah, I’m glad we’re friends too.”

Ten minutes later Roan pulled up to the wrought iron gate, the Grayson home just beyond stood in all its red brick glory. The cameras zeroed in on Roan’s car, the little black box to the side of the gate demanded to know who he was, but before he could slip his head out the window and respond Sophie grabbed his arm.

“Maybe it’s best if I told my parents about you first. Springing another surprise on them so soon after the other one wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“I was actually looking forward to seeing your mom again and Bella and Dylan.”

“Roan,” she silently implored needing him to understand.

“Yeah I get it and it’s no problem. I had more than a blast seeing you again. I’m sure that’ll hold me over for a bit.” His grin instantly put Sophie at ease.

“Are you always such a flirt?”

“What can I say, Soph, you bring it out of me.”

Sophie rolled her eyes. “Thank you for everything. I’ll see you later, Roan.”

“Count on it.”

Roan watched her leave, the gates opening for her as she showed her face to the camera, the hood of his sweater concealing the rest of her from his view. He remained parked in front of her home for another ten minutes before taking off, silently wondering if tomorrow was too soon to see her again.

Julian Hunter or as he was known to some
, Andrew Hunter, and even to others as Julian Andrews nervously shuffled his feet in the dirty snow, making his way into the warehouse he huddled deeper into his black windbreaker. Colder inside than it was outside, the abandoned, burnt out warehouse provided little warmth from the elements.
Shit it was cold.

He blew hot air on his gloveless hands in the attempt to melt away the numbness. His gaze, every now and then
, trailed to the warehouse entrance, edginess gutted him, made him spook too easily as he waited for his guest to arrive. They’d broken him out of jail. Crooked cops, who could easily be bought off, released him a few days after what happened at the Grayson place.

The cop had given him his cell back
and told Julian to expect a call. That had been nearly a month ago. He’d been on the run since. Keeping a low profile. Hiding out where he could. He was paranoid as shit because he knew there were people after him. Not the cops, no, they couldn’t find a perp if he came and smacked them in the face. No, the sort of people that were after him were dangerous. Grayson’s men more than likely, ready to finish the job they’d started a month ago.

He needed protection. The question was would he get it from the guys he’d been working with, considering he’d fucked up so badly? That was why he was here now, today, waiting in this dick freezing weather
, so that he could make up for his mistakes. Not only was there money to be had if he got it right this time, but he could finally get away from all this shit. Maybe head out to Jamaica or some hot ass tropical island somewhere. Hide away from the world he’d gotten himself in.

The sound of tires driving on gravel penetrated through his thoughts and his head whipped up. He watched with nervous tension as the black, unmarked Phantom drove inside the warehouse. Tinted windows prevented Julian from seeing anything as it slowly rolled to a stop a few feet away from where he stood. The driver stepped out and walked around to open the rear door, he waited silently for Julian to enter. Despite the bad feeling at the pit of his stomach, Julian hopped in, the door closing with an ominous thud echoed throughout the empty warehouse.

There were three men seated across from Julian—one of the hulking men flanking the one in the middle Julian was aware of. Ace, the one to the left with the mean scar bisecting the lower half of his face was the one who always called Julian. He’s the one who’d contacted him for the job a few years back. He used to work for one of the guys at the casino Julian played around in.

They’d been deep in money laundering, drug trafficking,
and loan sharking. Ace, big as he was, had broken a few bones in his days. Julian remembered all too well what it was like having those massive fists raining down on him. The other guy Julian didn’t know but could bet his last bottom dollar that he was just as mean as Ace. His gaze trailed over to the man in between them and Julian suppressed a shudder as he met colorless eyes. Thin lips drew back in disdain as Julian stared at a face that could’ve been called handsome once, but now, weathered and twisted with hatred appeared older than it was.

“You failed to do what I asked of you, Julian.” The heavy rasp in that voice matched the cruel twist of his face. “One simple little thing and you couldn’t even handle that.”

“I…I was going to get to him, Sir, I just needed a little more time.”

“I warned you Nicholas wasn’t anyone to underestimate
,” the man said with false calm. “He’s not like most people.” The corners of his mouth lifted. “He’s quite brilliant in fact. He’s done amazing things, given amazing gifts.” Here he touched a hand to his knee, his smile growing ever wider. “I’ve been biding my time, waiting, just waiting for the day I could return the favor. Give him back just as much as he’s given me.” The gleam in his watery eyes seemed almost maniacal as he spoke more to himself now than the nervous man seated across from him.

“I can…I can try again, Sir. I know I failed the first time. But I’m willing to try again.”
His eyes met Julian, a little bluer than they’d been.

He said nothing for a moment before slowly nodding his head, coming to a silent decision. “Yes.”
His soft laughter, unexpected as it was, sent a dead chill down Julian’s back. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, isn’t that right, Julian?”
 

“Uh…yeah. Yes, Sir.”

“Such manners,” he said, his voice like silk. “You don’t see that nowadays, do you boys?”
 

“No Boss
,” they answered like well-trained automatons.

“Alright, Julian. I’ve invested a lot of money in you. I believe it’s time I collected what’s owed to me.”

A cold sweat trickled down Julian’s spine as he saw the butt of the gun Ace retracted from the hidden holster under his coat. Julian held up his heads, shaking his head, dread like cotton in his mouth. “Come on, man, I…I’m sorry I fucked up. But I’m telling you, I can do better. Just send me back there, please! Shit, don’t do this! Please!”

Three pops to the middle of
his forehead and Julian slumped over, his body limp, dead to the world.

“I do intend on sending you back, Julian. Just not in one piece.” Taking hold of his cane, Matthew Bates unscrewed the golden head of the lion. He tucked his smallest finger into the snow white powder and brought it to his nose. “We’re going
to send our beloved Ellie an early birthday present and
you
, my dead little friend…well, you’re going to be the guest of honor.”

There was no word strong enough to describe how much Matt hated Ellie Holbrook. She was the reason for all of this. She’d taken everything away from Matt and it’d all started with his best friend. The sad part was, he’d been the architect of his own demise. That stupid fucking bet
from so long ago had started all this. Had Matt known then what he knew now, he would’ve gone about everything differently. But no matter. Matt was going to return the favor.

The Grayson-Holbrook clan was in for a big surprise, Matt
thought silently, a smile growing on his thin lips. After he lit his joint, he sat back and lost himself in memories. He remembered a time when things had been much simpler. A time when all he’d ever cared about was watching his best friend fuck around and get high. They’d been teenagers when life had thrown them together, cut from the same cloth. They were supposed to walk a path of greatness together, forge a future that was untouchable. Nicholas had been his best and only friend. He’d stuck by Matt’s side when he’d discovered the truth about his parentage. He’d gotten wasted with Matt and shared every bit of the intimate detail of his life in those videos Matt treasured so much.

They’d done so many things together, had seen each other through the worse
, and through it all, Matt had fallen in love with his best friend, had become so obsessed with Nicholas that his entire life had revolved around the silver eyed man. And Matt knew Nicholas had loved him in his own way, had cherished their special bond just as deeply as Matt had.  But he’d gotten sidetracked with Ellie Holbrook’s golden twat and abandoned Matt to a fate worse than death. But while he’d been in that asylum, while he’d played the good, obedient little pawn that Nicholas believed him to be, Matt had time to think, years to devise and cultivate his plan.

Matt had known better than to get someone else involved in doing things for him, he’d failed to learn his lesson from the last time. But he’d needed an in and Julian Hunter had been a good one as any. He’d wanted to get to Sophie’s oldest
daughter, manipulate the little brat and see exactly how far he could push her before she ran to daddy dearest to fix it. But Julian had fucked it up and Nicholas had found him out. Even though Matt had made sure to cover his tracks, it seemed he hadn’t been proficient enough. It was only a matter of time before Nicholas’s men made the discovery, but Matt wasn’t overly concerned with that. Plan A had failed, but there was always a plan B and that was the plan that put a grin on his face.

Nicholas had lost his touch. His best friend had grown complacent
. The very fact that Matt was even able to get Andrew close enough to his stepdaughter proved that. But he was on his guard now and that’s just how Matt wanted him to be. He wanted Nicholas on his A game, he wanted him to anticipate every bit of his moves, because then, when Matt succeeded in bringing him to his knees, he could not only have his friend suck his dick, but he would make him apologize for all the shit he’d put them through. And then they could move on with their lives…he and Nicky would reclaim their destiny.

~*~*~*~

There was a certain appeal to watching two men grappling on the floor in an attempt to one-up each other that put a smile on Sophie’s face. That smile grew even wider when Roan jumped to his feet as his favorite fighter took the upper hand to subdue his opponent with an over-hook that took them to the floor. The TV crowd roared, the excitement matching that of the occupants in the living room. Sophie cheered right along with the group of ten gathered at Adam’s place.

‘Fight Night’ Roan had called it when he’d invited Sophie, was a usual for Roan and his buddies. Every second Saturday of the month they gathered at Adam’s place, ordered enough food to feed an army and settled in to watch the fight while
anticipating the main event. Roan had explained the finer points of MMA fighting when he’d picked her up earlier in the evening and so Sophie understood the rules. Of course it was easy enough to follow—two men, a caged ring, a timer and the bell. The bloodier the event the better it seemed.

Sophie wasn’t a fan of the blood but everything else
she’d learned to appreciate. This being the third time she’s been invited to Adam’s house, she’s come to know what was expected. Like Adam for instance, Roan’s best friend and all-around goof ball, was the life of the party. He had an easy demeanor about him that instantly put one at ease.  He was also full of jokes, the cruder the better, and a consummate flirt, from what Sophie had come to discover, making it a point to touch, wink or even peck her cheek on occasion. He was only joking around of course, but he seemed to enjoy it immensely because his antics always got a rise out of Roan. 

It’d been like this for the last several weeks, Roan going out of his way to include Sophie in the majority of his plans with his friends and Sophie tagging along because he wouldn’t stop bothering her otherwise. She’d initially been wary of hi
s intention, was still in fact leery of him and no one could fault her for that.  Her naivety had made it so damn easy for Andrew or rather Julian to target her and in turn her family. The guilt of that still weighed heavy on Sophie’s mind, a shadow that lay in the recesses of her mind, ready to pounce when she was alone.

She subconsciously tugged at the sleeves of her sweater further down her arms, making sure that her wrists and half of her hands were covered
, leaving only the tops of her fingers exposed. She could feel the texture of the sweater chafing against the healing cuts, reminding her of her stupidity, of her inadequacy. Roan’s laughter made Sophie look up and silently she observed the man who was determined to become friends with her.

He looked far removed from the
fifteen year old boy she remembered. He was all man, there was no denying that. Strong, virile with a knock ‘em dead smile that had her stomach doing flips. There was an energy around him, an aura that drew everyone within his gravitation. He looked genuinely happy, free…completely aware of who he was as a person. She hadn’t known him long, at least not the adult Roan who had rescued her two short weeks ago and temporarily sheltered her in one of her darkest moments.

Sophie didn’t know this Roan. She didn’t know what he was capable of, if anything at all. But
logic told her to run from him, forget his generosity, because it couldn’t possibly be genuine, and run as fast as she could in the opposite direction. But something made Sophie want to stay, something inexplicable, maybe curiosity or her latent twisted nature, but something made her want to see how far down the rabbit hole she could follow him. So she hung around him despite her better judgment waiting to see his version of wonderland.

Sophie blinked at the sudden movement of Roan’s “friend” coming into her line of sight. She was an interesting woman, Sophie mused silently, watching the odd display of affection between the two. She sidled up to Roan’s side, his temporary shadow
, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She craned her head up in anticipation of a kiss that Roan kindly bestowed it in the form of a peck. But she wasn’t satisfied with that and drew him down for something meant for closed bedroom doors.

“She’s something, isn’t she?” Adam asked as he flopped down beside Sophie on the loveseat
, a bottle of beer in his left hand.

“She’s something alright
,” Sophie caustically murmured, turning to find an amused smirk on Adam’s face. “What?”

“You look like you want to spill that can of
Coke all over her pretty white dress.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t have a very good poker face, Sophie.”

“And you’re suddenly an expert on all my facial expressions?”

He shrugged. “I’m a good people watcher.” Then with a grin he swung an arm around her shoulder and leaned in close. “But I think I like watching you the most.” Sophie gave him a dubious stare, not sure whether he was serious or he was joking. What she was sure of though was that Adam had the most amazing honey-gold eyes she’d ever seen. “What’s up with you and Roan, anyways?”