Authors: Casey Clipper
Derrick watched over her protectively as she flopped back, closed her eyes and breathed. Derrick stroked her arm. He loved Courtney, but this wasn't the way he wanted her. This nightmare wasn't supposed to ever happen. What he wanted was to share Courtney with his brother. Lord knew he dropped hints about the three of them starting a relationship, but Darren never read into his suggestions. Since his brother never received his subtle implies, he had hoped one day he would so he didn't have to remain alone.
Court's diamond ring caught the florescent light, grabbing his attention.
Darren.
His younger brother. His best friend. His closest confidant. His partner in crime, literally. Never did it occur to him Darren would fall victim to the world he
had created. Not in the real sense anyway. Only in vague discussions.
Derrick stared at Courtney. He needed to get a grip and concentrate on her first, make certain she
and her baby was safe. Then he'd mourn his brother. Darren would expect that of him.
Courtney
She opened her eyes and found Derrick watching her. She knew that look. That same expression Darren wore for years. As if someone smacked her upside the head, it occurred to her that Derrick had been watching her in that same fashion for as long as she remembered. She reached up and stroked his chiseled cheek, the feel of stubble from a long, hard day started to appear. He'd admitted to it previously but it never sunk in until that very moment.
"You love me," she whispered.
Derrick took her hand and kissed her palm. "Always have."
Tears spilled down the sides of her eyes.
"How did I get so lucky to be loved by two beautiful creatures," she whispered more to herself than to him.
Derrick gave her a warm smile. A smile reserved for only her.
Sean stalked back into the room. "They're going to release her within fifteen minutes."
She smiled tiredly at her cousins. "I love you both so much."
Ryan's body relaxed when he stepped up beside her. "I love you, too, sis. I don't know what I would have done if you'd been in that car."
"Why weren't you in that car, Court?" Sean asked.
"I was mooning over a diamond necklace in the store window next to the baby shop. Darren loaded the bags into the car." Her lip quivered but was unable to hold in her tears. "He was laughing at me and told me I could stare at it online."
Horrified, Derrick couldn't believe Courtney's fate. For once she indulged and admired a diamond necklace, and that ended up saving her life.
***
When Courtney stepped through the front entrance of the house, Darren's scent hit her full force. She collapsed into Sean's arms. That wonderful aroma consumed her. She wouldn't be able to get away from the smell. It would be a constant reminder of her now dead husband.
“Court, do you want to lie down,” Sean asked.
She shook her head, choking on her tears. “I can’t be in our bedroom without him.”
Pulling away from her cousins, she looked at Derrick, a spitting image of his brother. She flung herself into his arms and sobbed into his chest.
“Shhh, it’s going to be okay, sweetheart,” Derrick whispered. His grip was tight as he held her against his hard chest and led her to the sofa.
Ryan entered the room with a glass of water. He handed her a tiny pill to help take the edge off her nerves.
She shook her head. “I don’t want to take those.”
“You must, Court. For your baby. You're too worked up, please,” Ryan begged.
Derrick knelt down in front of her. Silent, large tears continued to roll down her face. Derrick brushed them away. He leaned up and kissed her chastely. "I love you and that baby you're carrying, Courtney. It's us now. We have each other to lean on through this. We'll take care of one another. But I need you to care for this baby. For us."
He grasped her hand and squeezed.
"Promise?" she whispered.
"Always," he vowed. "Get some rest, sweetheart," he ordered.
He stood, kissed her cheek and allowed Sean and Ryan to temporarily dote on her.
Derrick
When Derrick stepped into the kitchen to snag a moment alone, he braced himself against the island. For the first time that day he processed that his brother had been killed. And his sister-in-law managed to ward off death. A part of him wanted to mourn the loss of his best friend, but the other part, the part he allowed all to see, wanted revenge. For his brother. For himself. For Courtney. For his parents and sister. For all the men that worked under Darren. And for his brother's unborn child. A tear escaped down his face. He angrily swiped at the damn thing. He couldn't allow himself to show weakness, even for his brother.
He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his cell phone. He needed to call his parents before they watched evening news. He did
not
want them finding out over the television that their youngest son had been murdered.
Derrick
Darren's home somberly bustled with his men and their wives, his own family, and Courtney's family. Not much noise, sounds consisted mainly of sniffling, quiet sobs, and murmurs.
Everyone who visited took their turns keeping a watchful eye on Courtney. Food was pushed upon her, decaf tea, bottled water, but it all remained untouched. She'd shut down. Seated in the corner of sofa, she stared off at nothing in particular, with not a hint of life behind those blue eyes. As Darren's wife, she was expected to greet those who stopped by her home to pay their respects. But she wasn't capable of holding down any form of conversation. Every so often a tear would slide down her cheek and land on her chest but not a peep came from her.
Darren's parents were distraught and Diane sobbed into her husband's chest. They tried to understand what had happened, but couldn't comprehend why their son had met his demise. They were well aware of Darren's business but had been under the impression he was well protected.
Acting as her personal security, Courtney's parents, Sean, and Ryan took guard over her. They allowed her to get into her own mind and grieve but refused to leave her side.
Derrick continuously checked in on Courtney. He would kneel before her, caress her tear stained face, and ask her how she was doing. Did she need anything?
Unable to speak, she
would only shake her head.
Now Derrick stood in the kitchen with Jack, Carl, and a couple of the territory managers.
"I want it known right now that everything remains as it has under Darren. I will be taking over, and trust me when I say, I will be far worse to deal with than Darren ever could if anyone looks at Courtney crossed-eyed," he said,
his features dark and dangerous.
"But you aren't Courtney's husband," the Eastern territory manager stated factually and arrogantly.
Derrick stiffened, the muscles in his jaw flexing.
"And Darren insisted that I make certain Derrick is put in charge," Courtney said, surprising everyone.
All heads whipped the direction of the doorway. She cautiously approached Derrick, who protectively wrapped his arm around her.
"Darling, you should be resting," he said.
"I'll be fine as soon as this is settled." She turned back to the manager, narrowing her eyes. "Derrick will now be the one in charge. According to Darren's will, I name a new head and that is Derrick. He's now in charge. Does anyone have a problem with that?" she challenged.
They all shook their heads, stunned by Courtney's interference.
"Good, but just in case anyone does have a problem, they can speak to me about their issues. I'll always open my door for anyone to walk through," Courtney said. She turned on her heels to leave the kitchen, but stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "Although, that doesn't mean they will be leaving through that door...alive."
She left the kitchen and approached her cousin. "Sean, I'm going to bed."
He bolted up off the couch. "Okay, sweetheart, let me help you upstairs."
"Do you want me to come with you, Court?" Derrick said from behind her.
Courtney startled, unaware he'd followed her. "Finish your business."
"I won't be long, honey," he said.
He kissed her on the cheek and watched her like a hawk walk upstairs with her cousin. He went back to the kitchen needing a plan in place to protect Courtney and find his brother's killer before
any more damage could be done.
"What she said." Essentially, Courtney just ended all conversations regarding who was in charge of the family and crowned him king.
***
Two hours later Derrick stepped into Courtney’s bedroom. He never meant to take that long but had too many phone calls on leads to follow up regarding his brother’s premature death.
Lounging on either side of Court, her cousins gazed at the television that was kept at a low volume. Both men quietly and stealthily crawled out of the bed.
"Did you give her something?" Derrick asked.
"We had to," Ryan shamefully admitted.
"She was too hysterical crawling into bed. She's clinging to Darren's pillow right now." Sean nodded towards her. Sure enough, a pillow tucked under her head, her face was buried as if taking in her husband’s scent.
Derrick nodded. Unfortunately he agreed with that course to keep her calm.
"We're going to go home unless you need us to stay. Ryan will be back first thing in the morning. I work tomorrow," Sean said regretfully.
"No, go. You both must be exhausted," Derrick said.
They all stepped into the hallway.
"We talked about it and want to make arrangements to deliver the baby here when the time comes," Ryan said. "There's some unused equipment the hospital can loan us. We can easily turn one of the spare bedrooms into a hospital room."
"I agree. Thank you," Derrick said grateful. How appreciative was he that her cousins were just as overprotective of her.
"Take care of yourself and Courtney," Ryan said gruffly.
"I will."
Derrick didn't bother to see Sean and Ryan out. Plenty of security surrounded the home to make sure they found their way out. Until the person who made the hit on his brother was found, the Murphy home would be on lockdown from outsiders. His men knew to vet anyone who came knocking. Sean and Ryan were on the short list of approved visitors.
Down the hall, Derrick stepped into the spare bedroom and switched on the overhead light. God, his entire body and mind felt drained. Exhausted, he shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it on a large plush chair in the corner. Yanking off his tie, he threw it over the jacket. He found a pair of lounge pants in the chest of drawers, stripped out of his suit, and slid into those pants.
Courtney had insisted on keeping a complete bedroom set up for him with suits, shoes, casual clothing, and sleepwear. Often he stayed the night and she’d expressed that there was no reason for him to get up early to go back to his place to shower and dress. Randomly one day, she had insisted he check out the room and gave him a tour of all she purchased for him to stay the night comfortably. He’d been humbled at that fact she took time to cater to him.