Things Lost In The Fire (39 page)

“Until you,” Drew replied, turning to Valerie. There was so much affection in his eyes it made Sadie sick to her stomach.

“Okay, I’m sorry, but you just met him two days ago. What the hell is going on?” she asked her mother, shaking her head.

Valerie only smiled. “We’ve bonded. I guess you could say we both know what it feels like to lose what we love at the hands of someone else.”

Confused, Sadie looked back and forth at the two of them. “I don’t understand.”

“I don’t expect you to.” Valerie set her dog down on the wood floor, then rose to her feet as it scampered away. She winced with pain as she stood, but tossed her hair back and ignored it. “Now, why don’t you go get your things so you can come back home?”

Sadie’s eyes narrowed. “Why would I do that?”

Valerie frowned, as though it were obvious. “You aren’t safe, Sadie. You belong here with me.”

“I don’t want to come back,” Sadie replied, crossing her arms. “I’m perfectly safe at Dad’s house.”

“Because that reporter is staying there, isn’t he?” Valerie scoffed, dark humor and pity flavoring her voice. “You still have so much to learn about men, darling. They’re never as reliable as we want them to be.”

Sadie rolled her eyes, decidedly done with the conversation. “Right. I’ll see you later.”

She turned and left the room, only to be stopped by Drew at the front door. She faced him with irritation in her eyes. “What?”

Drew managed an awkward smile. “Look, I know this all seems strange to you, but your mom is just being nice to me. You really don’t have to leave.”

“Whatever the two of you want to do is none of my business,” Sadie told him, reaching for the door knob. He grasped her elbow and pulled her back, the firm touch of his hand sending an icy chill through her body.

“Stay,” he said, his other hand trailing up her arm in an affectionate gesture.

She was so taken aback by it that she could barely form words. When he only eased closer to her, a dark, lustful look coming over his eyes, she wrestled free and shoved him back. “Don’t. Leave me alone.”

He sucked in a sharp breath and closed his eyes as if to reign in a sudden flash of temper. When he looked at her again, any sign of anger was gone.

An odd smile spread over his lips. “See you soon, Sadie.”

She threw open the front door and fled to her car, her hands trembling. She managed to get the car door open and start the engine, relieved he didn’t follow her as she drove down the driveway and onto the street.

Once she was safely on the road, a stunned laugh that was more horrified than amused caught in her throat. Had she done something to encourage his behavior? Given him any indication she was interested in him that way? She didn’t think so, which made the entire thing that much more mortifying and awkward. What would she say to him the next time they ran into each other? Moreover, what would he say to
her
?

With her pulse still hammering, she drove on autopilot, lost in her own thoughts. The entire thing was just
weird
. Her mother inviting Drew into her home and treating him like some adorable lost puppy. Drew’s odd looks of affection toward Valerie and his insistence that Sadie stay despite the obvious tension in the room. Her mother’s assumption that she should return to live with her.

What the hell was happening? Sadie wondered, shaking her head. Why did it feel like all these things were done with purpose and not randomly, as it appeared on the surface?

A thought occurred to her then that stunned the air out of her lungs. She gripped the steering wheel as she realized it not only made sense, it made
perfect
sense.

Drew had to be the one who’d been stalking her. He’d come into her life around the same time, showed an interest in her that was more disturbing than it was flattering.

And her mother was in on it. It was obvious by the way they acted that she’d known him longer than just two days, despite pretending otherwise. She was using Drew, likely paying him, to scare Sadie away from Ben’s home and back into her own, where she’d be “safe.”

Her mind reeled at this revelation, certain it was the truth. She now regretted going over there alone. She should have brought Brody or Tess. Someone else who could connect the dots and convince her she wasn’t crazy. Convince her that her own mother would really stoop so low just to get her back.

Now that she knew, she realized what a fool she’d been for ever believing she could be a part of her mother’s life. Her father had been right to keep her away from the woman. He’d known all along what a selfish monster she was.

She’d been blind to it before, but now she saw it all with a damning clarity that made her sick to her stomach.

B
RODY SKIMMED through the gossip columns, reading the latest news being reported about Sadie. It’d been nearly two weeks since the story first broke about her alias and her mother’s cancer, so most of the initial gossip had died down. There were the occasional blips about Lee Walker and the new lead the police seemed to have, but nothing substantial.

That is, until he came across pictures he recognized all too well.

“Oh, shit.”

Across the table, Tess perked up. She set aside her cell phone and eyed him curiously. “What is it?”

Brody bit back another curse as he met her eyes, debating if he should show her or not. “You might die from the irony on this one.”

“Oh, goodie. Let me see.” She turned his laptop so she could see the screen, eyes narrowed as she reviewed the images from the beach and the accompanying tabloid article. Brody watched her features harden to stone as she shook her head. “Oh yes, very ironic, Mr. Paparazzi. Did you put her up to this?”

Brody grunted. “Hey, it’s not like she can stay inside forever. She deserved a day to have a little fun.”

Tess scrolled through the images, her scowl deepening. “This is just great. Don’t you know better than to P.D.A. in public?”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Honestly, I didn’t think about it.”

She pushed his laptop away and faced him angrily. “What, you were so caught up in being lovey-dovey with Sadie that it didn’t occur to you that someone could be watching?”

“Pretty much,” he replied, closing his laptop so he wouldn’t have to look at the images anymore. He threw up his hands and fell back against the chair. “Whatever. It’s done now.”

Tess pressed her lips together, her eyes searching his. “You’re really serious about her, aren’t you? I can see how beat up you are about this. It’s kind of weird, actually. I would expect you not to care.”

One of his eyebrows rose. “Why shouldn’t I care? Because I’m just some asshole who fucked up his career and now has to chase celebrities around for money?”

Amusement softened Tess’s face. “No. Because you’re a man and in my experience, men are selfish pricks.”

Brody snorted. “We’re only selfish pricks until we meet the right woman.”

“Is Sadie the right woman?” Tess asked bluntly.

He shook his head with a tired laugh. “Like you’d believe me even if I said yes.”

“Try me.” Tess leaned over the table, folding her hands together. “I mean it. If you love her, say it out loud. Get it off your chest. Then maybe I’ll finally be able to accept this weird little relationship you guys have.”

He knew she was serious, and though he wanted nothing more than to blurt the words out then and there, something inside of him refused to budge. Did he really love Sadie? Was that what it was? How could it happen so quickly, so unexpectedly?

And what would he do now that everyone knew?

The front door opened, distracting them both. Sadie walked in, looking tired and miserable.

“Honey, what is it?” Tess asked. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Sadie brushed off her friend’s concerns, shaking her head. “I just need some time alone. I’m sorry.”

She walked off before either of them could ask her more questions, disappearing inside her bedroom. Brody turned back to Tess, irritated with himself.

“I should’ve gone with her,” he murmured, his hands balling into fists on the table.

Tess shrugged. “You offered. She refused. Not much you can do about that.”

“If Valerie won’t drop that lawsuit, I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Go break down her door and make her?” Tess sniffed, rolling her eyes. “There’s something called the law, Rambo. Being a lawyer’s son, I’d think you’d understand that.”

Brody’s lips quirked in a dark grin. “Being a lawyer’s son also means I know what constitutes as trespassing and harassment and what doesn’t.”

Tess chuckled, settling back in her chair and toying with her phone. “Well, either way, there’s nothing we can do right now.”

He sighed, feeling restless. “I could go reason with Valerie.”

“You and I both know that’s not a possibility.”

Hating that she was right, he got to his feet and went to the fridge. He grabbed a beer, then nodded at her. “Want one?”

Tess shrugged. “Why not? What the hell.”

He uncapped two Coronas and set one down in front of her before taking his seat again. His gaze drifted out the window, where the setting sun was illuminating the city in rich golden light.

Across from him, Tess sipped her beer and watched him closely. After a few quiet moments, she set down her drink and spoke again. “I’m still waiting on an answer to my question.”

Brody kept his face carefully blank. “You want me to say that I love her.”

“I want to know that you mean it,” Tess corrected. “She’s my best friend. If she’s going to get all tied up in you to the point where it changes her plans, I need to know you’re not going to drop her the second something younger, hotter, or more interesting comes along.”

He shifted his eyes to hers, irritation flashing in them. “What makes you think she won’t be the one to drop me?”

“She cares too much,” Tess told him. Sympathy softened her voice. “She’s cool as a cucumber on the surface most of the time, but there’s depth there that most people don’t see.”

He nodded, seeing her point. “I can tell just by listening to her music.” He sat back and stared around the room, his mouth twisting in a sneer. “Ben and Valerie really screwed with her head.”

“And the incident with Walker didn’t help,” Tess reminded him. “It only made the divide between the three of them even bigger.”

They sat in thoughtful silence, weighed down by the demons of the past that refused to let Sadie go.

“I want her to stay,” Brody admitted, realizing then just how badly he meant it.

Tess nodded. “Me too. You know what just might do it?”

“What?”

Her lips curved as she lifted her beer in a toast. “Tell her you love her, and mean it.”

His eyebrows rose. “I thought you didn’t want her to change her plans for me?”

She took a long sip and continued to smile. “I don’t. But I do want to see her happy. And despite all my warnings and worries, you seem to make her that way.”

“So, I’m not the big bad wolf, after all,” he mused, drinking his beer.

“You’re not perfect, either. But I will say you’re not as bad as I thought you’d be.”

He nodded, losing himself in his own thoughts. He supposed he couldn’t blame her. With his reputation, he was used to people being wary of him.

When he didn’t say anything for a few moments, she spoke again. “What really happened in Afghanistan, Brody?”

He downed the last of his beer, then set it roughly back on the table. “I got two Marines killed.”

“They said you incited a riot on the streets of Sangin for the sake of a story.”

He grimaced. “I’d hardly call it a riot, and I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. I saw what I thought was a suicide bomber and tried to warn the troops. Being the arrogant son of a bitch that I am, I yelled ‘bomb’ before realizing the guy was only hiding stolen fruit under his shawl. That gave the real threat a chance to draw their weapons from within the crowd and fire.”

Tess’s brows drew together with pity. “The families blamed you, but it sounds like a simple mistake to me.”