Brown Siblings - 01 Laid Bare (14 page)

In the end, Ella had just wiped the counter, taken the cup and plate away and looked Erin right in the eyes. “This guy
is
your way back to your feet. You’ve had love before. This is different and you know it. Don’t let fear chase your potential for happiness away.” Erin knew Ella understood the difference between love and obsession; knew her friend was trying to get on her own feet again after a long, harrowing relationship. The irony that it was Erin who usually offered advice wasn’t lost on her, and she’d truly taken it all to heart.

But it had been a lot to process and she still struggled.

That night when they’d gone to dinner and he’d come back to her place had moved things inside her. She wasn’t comfortable in her skin because she wanted him. She wanted to see him, to be with him. Damn it. The second and third round that night had been just as powerful as the first. It wasn’t just fucking as he’d held her wrists, the leather of his belt chafing her skin just right. He’d looked her in the eyes the entire time. In the morning he’d laughed and praised her simple toast and eggs. He’d sucked down her coffee, and as he’d left, he’d told her he loved her.

So she’d tried to dodge his calls, but he’d simply shown up at the café every day at lunch. She told herself she wanted him to give up and go away, but mostly she knew it was a lie, even if she did think it would be better for both of them if he found a woman who didn’t jump at shadows and sleep with the bathroom light on.

“Mmm.” He took in the plate with a happy sound. Before she could dodge, he’d grabbed her and kissed her, bold as you please. “That’s even better.” He plopped his gorgeous, hard-as-steel ass down and dug in.

“Why, hello there,” she said, unable to stop a smile.

“Good salad. Is this pasta or rice or what?”

“It’s orzo, rice-shaped pasta.”

“Ah. Okay then. It’s good. Mint is a nice touch. Unexpected.” He leaned forward and said quietly, “Is it just me or is my sandwich on steroids?” He looked around. “It seems bigger. Is that because you’re sweet on me or something?”

She rolled her eyes and moved to help a customer. “You’ll do,” she said over her shoulder.

“Good. I guess that means you’ll go to the movies with me tonight. Or I can grab a pizza and we can rent a movie.”

“I can’t tonight. I’m working with Adrian.” Adrian was sick of her coming over; she was sure of it. But he hadn’t said much other than to tell her she was being a pussy for not just talking to Todd and telling him what happened.

“Lots of that going around lately.”

He finished his food and tried to pay. She gave him a dirty look; he told her he’d call her later and that he’d see her tomorrow. The same as he’d done every day for the last week.

She wished her feelings for him would just wear off, but she looked forward to seeing him walk through that door every day just the same.

He hadn’t seen her alone in two weeks. He’d called and they’d e-mailed, but she’d put him off and he knew she was avoiding him. He still showed up at her café for lunch every afternoon. At first much to her consternation, but now she had a plate of something tasty waiting for him every day when he arrived. They’d had that much progress at least. But she wasn’t alone with him and she continued to plead busy if he asked her to dinner or to spend time with him after work.

That last night he’d seen her, he’d slept over. He’d used his belt to strap her wrists and tie them to the headboard of her bed. He’d knelt over her, feeding her his cock as she sucked it eagerly.

They’d made love, they’d fucked, and he’d gorged himself of her body and soul. They’d connected, and when he’d left the next morning, he knew with total certainty she loved him too.

Which was why she was avoiding him, he knew. She was scared of losing him. Given what he’d done ten years before, he understood. Despite that knowledge, he was annoyed.

“Sit down and use your damned computer to look it all up,” Cope said, standing up and pushing Todd into his chair and sitting next to him. Ben manned their main office just south of downtown Seattle but Cope had set up shop three days a week with Todd in his basement turned home office.

The place had turned out very nicely. They’d spent a lot of time painting and laying down new flooring. There were still plenty of windows set high into the walls, but they’d installed good lighting as well. It was brightly lit and comfortable, with several computer terminals, multiple phone lines and other office equipment, including the not-so-standard gun safe in the back corner under the stairs.

“Fine,” he growled, swiveling toward his computer. He’d been putting it off. He wanted her to tell him and then when she’d started avoiding him, he’d kept it off his mind the best he could, thinking up ways to get her ass by his side permanently.

Two hours later he felt sick. All the pictures, all the news coverage, the media circus of the trial.

No wonder she’d returned to Seattle. No wonder she’d worried about losing anyone else she let into her life. No one should have to endure what she had.

“That’s just fucked up. Your woman is even more awesome in my eyes now. Go talk to her.

She’s afraid, dude.” Cope moved back over to his desk from the chair where he’d sat next to Todd as they surfed the Internet.

Todd stood, gut still roiling, and headed out. “I’m gone for a while.”

“Take the time you need, man. I’ve got things covered here.” Cope waved at him as he left.

It was still early, earlier than his normal lunchtime visit, but the café was dark and her purple sparkly car wasn’t anywhere near the area; he’d driven around to look. So he decided to go into the tattoo parlor.

Brody Brown was a big man. Where Adrian was lively and a bit smaller, not quite six feet tall, Brody was watchful, menacing even. His black hair was close-cropped, and his eyes had clapped onto Todd the moment he’d walked into the shop.

“I was wondering when you’d come around.”

The two men had only met briefly ten years before. Brody had been in Erin’s café several times in the last two weeks when Todd had stopped in for lunch. They’d achieved a somewhat civil relationship and Todd liked how Brody seemed to take care of his sister.

“Come around back,” Brody said before grabbing his bottle of soda and leading the way out the back door.

“I tried to respect her space. I care about Erin. I love her. But she’s holding herself back and I hate it. She won’t tell me about what happened in LA.” Brody stiffened.

“Yeah. Two weeks ago she told me I could guess the details. She wouldn’t give me specifics.

I’ve tried to be patient. I tried to let her come to me with the story, but I looked. Okay? I looked and now I know. And I’m sick at heart for her. More sick at heart than I was before I knew the details.”

“You love her? What’s different now than before? When you broke her fucking heart? You tell me now, and I better like your answer.” Brody crossed his arms over his chest, his muscles bulging. Todd and Brody were roughly the same size, but Brody had the righteous indignation of a big brother to a little sister done wrong. Those odds were
not
in Todd’s favor.

“I was young before. Stupid. And so very wrong. Not ready to face what I was, who I was. She was smart, knew it and didn’t want to apologize for what she liked.” He shrugged, really not wanting to be much more specific than that. “But I am not that confused boy anymore. I know what I want, I like it, and I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with Erin all these years anyway. I can stand here and shout that I love her. I want to marry her. I want to have kids with her, but I know it may not ever happen because of Adele and I am okay with that. I want Erin and I want her to be happy and safe.”

Brody remained silent for a while before speaking again. “She’s broken inside. Not as much as she thinks, but what happened to her, the months of terror at being stalked, the kidnapping, the attack, Adele’s death, her near death, the trial, god, it was unbelievable. She drank too much just to get through the day, took pills. She was a mess and we were too. She was just . . .
not there
.

But we managed to get through the trial. Thank god that fucking bastard got twenty-seven years, although he should have been killed for what he did to my sister and niece. Her relationship with Jeremy was over, that was obvious. We packed her clothes, her guitars, her awards and stuff and we brought it back here. She’s slowly been coming back to life ever since.” Brody began to pace, lighting a cigarette as he did.

“Don’t tell Erin I was smoking or she’ll kick my ass. I’m supposed to be quitting.” Brody flashed a guilty smile. “I haven’t seen her so happy in years. Because I fucked up my share of times with a woman I love, I’m going to cut you a break right now. You tell me, one last time, are you in this? For real? I need to know, because if you’re not, if you have any doubts, just get out now.”

“Where is she? Why isn’t she here today?” Todd finally remembered to ask. Jesus, his fucking adrenaline was riding him now.

“Are you in or not?”

“Yes! I’d die for your sister. I love her. I’ve said that to one woman in my whole life and that’s Erin. It’s the only time, other than my mother of course, that I’ve meant it enough to say it.” He hadn’t even said it to Sheila, he’d just done the
you too
thing. Another reason she’d left and another reason he hadn’t blamed her.

“She’s not here. She won’t be here tomorrow either. Probably not Friday. Tomorrow is June sixteenth, the anniversary of the attack, of Adele’s death. She goes into lockdown every year for a few days. She wasn’t too bad yesterday. I’d begun to think it wasn’t going to be bad this year, but Ella, her assistant manager, got a call saying Erin wouldn’t be in for a few days and could she just open for two hours in the mornings for the coffee rush.”

“Why are you here? Is Adrian with her?”

“She’s alone. Holed up in her fortress of solitude. I can get into the building, even past the doorman who knows me. But I can’t get in her front door. I tried.” Brody held up a key ring attached to the chain at his waist. “It didn’t work. She gets new locks a few times a year.” He exhaled, pinching off the end of his cigarette and tossing it into the trash. “Adrian tried, same deal. We went to the doorman, but he shined us on.”

Todd’s heart raced at the thought of her all alone and suffering. “I’m going over there. My business partner is quite handy with picking locks. Is she all right? Should we just call 911? She wouldn’t harm herself?”

“No. She knows the pain of losing someone; she wouldn’t do it to me and Adrian. But she’ll be in rough shape I’d wager.”

“I’m going over there right now. Thank you.”

“Call me.” Brody handed him a business card. “So Aid and I know she’s all right.” Todd nodded as he jogged back through the shop toward his car. On the way, he called Ben and told him to get his ass down to her building ASAP.

14

“Okay, here’s the deal, I know the codes to get upstairs and also her internal code on her alarm.” Ben held up a hand. “Don’t ask how. I just do.”

Ben punched some numbers into the pad on the elevator from the lobby and they rose skyward.

“I brought you an overnight bag.” Ben held it out. “I had Cope shove your toothbrush and some underwear in it. A few T-shirts. Don’t get mushy. We just figured you might need them.” Todd smiled his thanks. When they exited the elevator, they went to Erin’s door and knocked.

She didn’t answer. There was no noise from inside and Todd shielded Ben with his body as his friend made very quick work of all three locks.

“Get her to put a chain lock on, will you? I like her, she sucks at cards, but she never gives up.

Strong.” Ben opened the door and stepped inside, where he punched numbers into an internal keypad stationed behind a pretty wall panel. “Go. I’m out of here. Call me if you need anything.” Todd took a deep breath, sent a thank-you to Ben and shut and locked the door behind himself.

“Erin?” he called out. He tried to calm himself enough to walk slowly, but his fear, the fear born of walking into more than one crime scene and finding disaster, made him jog into the main room.

A mess. Not her normal level of artsy-fartsy chaos—scribbled song lyrics, colorful batik-patterned scarves, bags, books and bass and acoustic guitars. No, this was disquieting. Takeout containers left on countertops. Empty soda cans. Clearly her descent had been happening for several days. Even as she’d been working and smiling to his face, she’d been aching inside.

He walked through and a stack of photographs caught his eye. He picked them up and saw Erin with short, inky-black hair, holding a chubby, cake-faced one-year-old. The baby had her mother’s eyes, and mischief as well as frosting on her face. Erin in the picture was the Erin he’d met ten years ago. Fearless because she held the best thing on Earth.

“Erin? Goddammit, where are you?” He put the picture down carefully and stepped over a pile of stuff to head back down the hall where the bedroom was.

Her office was empty, but thank god it wasn’t trashed.

He heard something in her room and rushed inside. She was there, lying on her bed. An empty vodka bottle lay on the floor to one side.