Chapter Eight

West

It had only taken mere minutes before she was out like a light, sound asleep. While I seldom allowed myself to relax more than a few hours at a time to avoid the nightmares of my past, I longed to drift into sleep beside her. Wake beside her. She looked so calm, so relaxed. Exhausted from all the years of stress, hard work, and struggling to keep her business afloat, though not under these circumstances, I wished she could enjoy a peaceful trip on a beach somewhere or anyplace she could take a load off her mind without worry.

I wished her life to be simpler.

I pushed off the bed and reached for the sheet that was still wadded up on the floor along with the rest of the bedding. She sighed when I covered her, and I leaned down and kissed the top of her head and that silky hair that had been the first thing I noticed after I got past her eyes.

For seconds, I watched her sleep, wanting to crawl back in bed and have her again and again. But I was here for work, as a favor to my now deceased boss turned friend, and possibly to kill her brother for shit's sake. I'd let my thoughts stray, crossed every line, and broken every Stealth rule by putting my dick's needs over my priorities.

I pulled on my jeans, not bothering with a shirt, and made my way into the kitchen and my laptop. Once I checked email and responded to a couple, I made a call to see if the Nissan had been located. It hadn't. I paid a couple of bills, then reached into the napkin holder where I noticed she stored her own. Utilities, cell phone, car insurance, bank note. All outstanding. Jesus, how did she even have money to put food on the table?

"Fuck."

I speared my hands through the sides of my hair, then woke my laptop again. After I finished taking care of a few extra items, I realized the time and that we hadn't eaten a bite in hours. After a quick look through the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry, frozen chicken wasn't going to do me a bit of good. There was no time for thawing, and the last thing I wanted when I was hungry enough to eat the ass end out of a cow was rabbit food, so I searched delivery in the area and placed an order.

Forty-five minutes later I was opening containers of spicy chicken with broccoli, crispy beef, drunken noodles, egg rolls, and soup. I reached inside the refrigerator for two bottles of water while making a mental note to place a grocery order a little later.

"I guess you were hungry."

I rotated to see her behind me. Hair a mess, what little makeup she wore smeared, and those fabulous tits free of a bra underneath the thin tank top, she looked gorgeous. Freshly fucked. Yet, dark vibes the size of Dallas also radiated off her and she struggled looking me in the eye. While I knew she was dealing with guilt, I also knew damn well she hadn't felt anything but ecstasy when my dick was inside her.

I crossed over the kitchen, placed the water on the table, then pulled out a chair. "Sit. Eat. Refuel."

"I'm not gonna lie," she replied, which brought a smile to my lips at her choice of words. "I'm famished. This smells so good."

We both ate in silence until neither of us could swallow another bite. I covered the remaining food, then turned toward Brooklyn as she returned soy sauce to the refrigerator. "We need to talk."

Her eyes welled with confused tears. "I guess we do. Look, West. We were both tired, both stressed and lonely. What happened was a mistake and—"

I reached for her arm and pulled her against me. "A mistake? Are you fucking kidding me? What happened between us was one of the best experiences of my life. Don't make it something ugly. What I wanted to talk to you about is your brother." I gestured to the kitchen table. "Sit back down."

"Have you heard something? Did he call?" The look on her face gutted me, her eyes full of fear. But she had to know the truth, needed to know her brother wasn't the saint she perceived him to be.

"Before we get to Ben, you and I need to agree on something. Fair enough?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. I guess."

"One thing I've learned over the years is how to read a liar. Rapid blinking, failure to look someone in the eye, shifting from foot to foot. Baby, you've done them all. And it ends right now. Understood?"

She shook her head, a flicker of anger crossing her expression. "I have been honest. I don't know where he is, and I know nothing about any money. So stop accusing me when you don't know what you're talking about."

I lowered my eyes to see her right leg shaking. "My pretty little deceiver continues defending someone who has in turn been keeping things from her. Ugly things, baby." I slid the phone from my front pocket and clicked on photos. "Maybe this will convince you to stop lying to my face." I handed her my phone with the shot of the camera I removed from her bathroom and disposed of.

"I don't understand. What am I looking at?"

"A camera. One I found attached to a light fixture right here in your home. Baby, Ben has been monitoring you. This was in your goddamn bathroom."

Her mouth dropped open, a tear slipping down her cheek. "What? Why? Why would he do that? How could he?"

"I'm not yet sure. But rest assured, I'm not leaving you until I find out. So do us both a favor and stop protecting him. Tell me where your brother is hiding."

"I … I don't know," she said as she reached for her hair and twirled it between her fingers. "As God is my witness, I don't. He just told me he was taking care of business and that his truck was having transmission problems, so he needed to use my car. He didn't say what kind of business, and I didn't ask. That's all I know."

"Ben embezzled money. He was warned more than once to return the funds and in fact was told he could keep his job if he did. He never returned the cash and was let go after some harsh words between him and his boss. That's why I'm here. With a client who detests attorneys and refuses to pursue that avenue, I was hired to take whatever measures necessary. Do you understand the importance in that comment?"

Her hands wound around her middle, panic flaring in her eyes. "I didn't know he was fired. He said business was slow and that he was laid off and needed to take care of some things. He didn't say anything more. My God, I don't know what to do. None of this makes sense. But there is one place he's always loved since we were kids. I guess he could have gone there."

"Okay," I replied after she admitted her brother's love of fishing and his favorite local lake. "Here's what we're going to do." I moved my chair closer to hers and lifted her ice-cold shaking hand to my lips. "You're going to call Sam. Open the shop tomorrow while I wait here and make some calls to cabin rentals around Joe Pool Lake. I know a guy, a private investigator. I'll give him a call. He'll watch over you and Sam to ensure your safety."

"How am I supposed to work after this?" Sadness loomed in her eyes. "Ben did everything for me growing up. He loved me. What would possess him to do something so vile?"

"I'm not certain what all he's involved in. But I'm not leaving until I find out. That's a promise."