Roasted

Brooklyn

 

 

 

I KEPT MY MOUTH shut all damn day long, but what I’d found out from Frankie tore me up inside. I didn’t wanna come off as that guy—threatening and in Delaney’s face—but goddammit, I was more than a little hot under the collar.

“Shouldn’t we go check on the horses?” She fidgeted under my intense gaze.

“Stop avoiding me. You’ve been acting strange all day.”

“You know what? You’ve been avoiding me. You’ve been acting weird all day!” Her voice rose in challenge as she stomped across the floor in her boots.

Leaning away from her, I tried to relax my shoulders, soften my tone. “You’re right.” I jerked my head toward the living room. “Why don’t we go sit down?”

“What’s this all about, Brooks?” A tiny frown marred her forehead.

“C’mon. I’ll light a fire, and we can just talk.” I offered her my hand, but still she hesitated. “You know I’m not gonna hurt you, right?”

“You’re still scaring me though.”

Blowing out a huge breath, I shook my head. “Don’t mean too. I asked you to trust me before. You still can.”

I settled her on the couch nearest the fireplace and struck a match. The dry kindling quickly caught, and I fed a few logs into the fire.

Wiping my palms down my pants, I sat beside her after pulling out my phone. “Look, Delaney. I know Eric’s here.”

Her startled eyes flew to mine, and she started to rise.

I laid my hand on her arm. “Sit. Please. We’ve gotta talk about this. I need to talk about this. And it’s not like you don’t know he found you.”

“What do you mean?”

Clicking on my phone, I flipped her the photos Frankie had sent me earlier. The ones that showed the biggest asshole of all standing at her door that morning.

“How’d you get those? You’ve been stalking me too?” Fiery anger turned her eyes brittle gold.

“No. I hired a PI to investigate your cunt of a husband to make sure he didn’t hurt you again.” I was mad at Delaney for risking shit, for not coming to me the second that dickweed showed up in town . . . but more than that, I wanted to rip her husband’s head from his neck and his cock from his balls.

Harsh breaths rocked in and out of my chest, but I dialed down the full-throttle fury because I’d sworn I’d never frighten Delaney. And definitely not because of that shithole of a husband.

“You what?” she asked, pointed finger shaking as much as her voice.

“Hired this guy Frankie, because apparently you had no intention of telling me if you got into trouble again.”

“You’ve been investigating him behind my back.”

“Damn right I have!”

Delaney punched to her feet, shoving her finger at my chest. “I never asked you to protect me!”

“There sure as hell isn’t anyone else looking out for you.” I stamped to my feet, too.

“Are you kidding me?”

“I’m so very far from kidding you it’s not funny. I’m so worried about you I’m fucking up my game because of you!” I roared.

Delaney blanched back, and I struggled for a deep breath. Struggled to reel in the anger that wasn’t even meant for her.

“I’m sorry, babe.” I touched the side of her cheek with a fingertip then moved away from her when she flinched. “I feel so fucking helpless about all this. And it’s been building inside me all day.”

“I knew something was wrong.” She raised bleak eyes to mine.

“The most important thing is you’re okay. You’re okay, right?” Raking my hands through my hair, I shook my head. “Jesus, I’m such a schmuck. I should’ve asked you that first. I should’ve called off this Thanksgiving dinner so I could make sure you were all right.”

When I glanced at her my heart nearly busted apart.

Giant tears glimmered in her eyes, but she swiped them away. “I’m okay. He didn’t get to hurt me this time. Remember—self-defense.”

I swallowed, nodding, aching to go to her. “Can you tell me what happened this morning?”

“It’s not just this morning,” she whispered.

“Jesus, Delaney.” Another punch to my gut.

She stood across from me. “That package, remember? The morning you dropped me off? It was from him. I should’ve told you.”

“What the hell was in it?”

“A prepaid cell phone. A note saying he’d be in touch.”

I was tempted, so very tempted to slam my fist against the wall. “What’d you do with it?”

“Smashed it to pieces.”

“That’s my woman.” Finally releasing a gust of breath, I took cautious steps toward her. “Can I—?” I opened my arms, offering comfort if she wanted it.

Her forehead crumpled. Her lips quivered. She walked into my waiting embrace. Shivers wracked her body.

“You’re here now.” I kissed the crown of her head, thankful, so very thankful she wasn’t harmed. “What about this morning?”

“He said he owns me. He’s never giving me a divorce.” Her muffled voice drove another spike into my heart. “He threatened me, but I . . . I kicked his ass and kicked him out.”

Pulling her head up, I peered into her eyes. “You hurt him? You hit him?”

“Yeah. I won this time.” Her expression firmed into the fearless one I recognized from when she was on the field.

“But what about next time?”

“I’m hoping he doesn’t come back,” she said.

“We both know he will. And that fuckhead needs to be served divorce papers as well as an arrest warrant,” I muttered, the rage rekindling.

“No.” She shook her head furiously. “I don’t want the police involved this time.”

“Why the hell not?”

Delaney broke free. “How dare you even ask me that when you of all people know they did nothing the last time I reported him!” Her hands cradled her tummy, but her eyes blazed like hot molten fire. “I miscarried because of Eric, and they turned a blind eye!”

“Not all cops are the same.” I hated the hurt she was going through again, and god-fucking-dammit, Eric the Asshole needed to be put behind bars.

Or in the ground.

“After what I survived, how am I supposed to trust them?”

“What about me? You trust me, right?” I asked because I didn’t understand . . . why. “Why didn’t you come to me?”

“You’ve already been going behind my back,” her shout reverberated through the room.

“Because I protect the people I love. Goddammit!” I blasted back with every single feeling in my body cracking wide open like my stupid heart.