Chapter Eighteen

 

 

 

 

 

Evan

 

 

 

 

After soccer practice, in which we both acted like nothing was different, I spent Tuesday evening at Victoria’s house, cooking her dinner. She tried to help but everything she touched in the kitchen turned to disaster.

Literally.

She cut herself when she was shredding cheese, somehow managed to run almost a whole head of lettuce through the garbage disposal, and even spilled an entire jar of salsa.

When the last thing happened, I stared at her in disbelief. She just gave me a sheepish smile while standing there in a salsa-stained tank top that hugged her torso. Her hair was down, there wasn’t a speck of make-up on her face, and she was wearing a tiny pair of shorts that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

It was completely endearing and I knew that I would never meet another woman like her. I took three steps, grasped her face in my hands, and kissed her until we were both breathless.

Then I made her leave the kitchen so I could salvage the tacos.

We ate dinner in the living room while watching some reality housewife show that I never would have pictured Victoria into. She admitted that she had a thing for trashy TV and it ended up being a lot more interesting than I expected. Not that I was going to tell her that.

Since she had to be to work by seven the next morning, we were in bed by nine but we didn’t go right to sleep. I pinned her to that mattress and teased her with my tongue until she was begging for me to fuck her.

Of course I obliged the lady, taking her hard and fast until we were moaning out in pleasure. When we finally separated our bodies, it was only barely and we fell asleep wrapped in each other.

She wasn’t even the same woman I’d originally slept with. Any shyness or reluctance was gone and I was learning that Victoria Jones was actually quite confident in the bedroom. Or in the shower. Or on the kitchen counter. I could spend hours lost in her flawless body and even more time listening to her smart mouth.

It was amazing.

We both left her house at the same time Wednesday morning after taking a shower that didn’t involve a whole lot of cleaning. Not that either of us was complaining.

It felt like nothing could go wrong that day. I walked in to some leads on new informants and an email that gave me an idea of who Clay could be. To top it off, Victoria had been sending me texts throughout her shift. It was a relief to know that she wasn’t going to try and avoid me again.

Then everything went to shit.

The phone on my desk rang shortly after lunch and I picked it up when I saw the extension for the receptionist on the display.

“This is Coleman.”

“Detective Coleman, you have an unscheduled visitor.” She paused for a second. “His name is Tristan Dunsworth.”

I was immediately on alert. I’d only seen my brother four times since he was released from prison and none of those visits ever involved him coming out to New Hope in any way.

“I’ll be right out.” I stood from my desk and let my mask settle over my face, locking away any emotion.

My footsteps echoed against the tile as I walked down the hallway and when I got to the reception area, Tristan was tapping on the glass to our aquarium obnoxiously. When he saw me standing there watching him, he straightened to his full height, which was the same as mine, and offered me a slick smile.

Like me, he was in a suit except his was missing the tie. His black hair was shaved on the sides but pretty long on top, gelled into some hairstyle that I knew was popular at that moment. His grey eyes looked cold and calculating, matching that grin still on his face.

He looked just like his dad.

“Nice suit. Did you get that from Walmart?”

Keeping my face passive wasn’t even hard because his first attempt at insulting me was lame as fuck. “Is there something you needed, Tristan? Surely you didn’t drive all the way out to New Hope to critique my wardrobe.”

“Can’t a guy visit his big brother?” He raised his brows and chuckled when I didn’t respond. “Actually, a little birdie told me that he saw you in the city the other night with a hot little number on your arm.”

“I’m not talking about her with you.” I moved towards the front door but froze when he spoke again.

“My sloppy seconds, huh, Evan? Tell me- is her pussy still tight as hell or did I wreck it with all of the times I fucked her into oblivion?”

The receptionist gasped from her desk and I stepped forward until I was nose to nose with my little brother. “Shut the hell up and get out, Tristan.”

“I remember the first time I took Tori Jones,” he continued, acting as if I hadn’t spoken and without an ounce of worry in his eyes. “She was all shy, even with a shit ton of alcohol running through her veins, but it didn’t take much to get her to spread those legs. Did you ever watch the video, Ev? I bet you jacked off to it, didn’t you? I still do.”

“You mother fucker.” My voice was a growl and I shifted ready to knock his ass out, but Dom was suddenly between us with a serious expression on his face.

“Don’t do it. You know that’s what he wants you to do. He’s not worth the headache.”

I glanced back to my brother and knew my best friend was right. Tristan was still grinning with satisfaction painting his features.

“You’re still hanging out with Morris, huh? I guess it’s true- when you hang around trailer trash, you become trailer trash. How’s the wife, Morris? I hear you’ve got some mulatto kids now.”

Dominic rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. “Good to see you, too, Tristan. It’s nice to see that you’re just as insecure as always. It’s time for you to go, though.”

Tristan shook his head and ambled towards the door like he had all of the time in the world. “Touchy, touchy. These reunions are fun. Maybe I’ll go hunt down Tori, see if she wants to take a walk down memory lane, too. I hear she looks like she’s still a tight piece of ass.”

My restraint broke and I moved too quickly for Dominic, taking my brother by surprise when I shoved him into the wall. Tristan and I were pretty evenly matched body-wise but I knew he didn’t stick to any sort of exercise regimen anymore. Between my physical activity and my rage, I couldn’t guarantee that I wouldn’t fucking kill him. The brief look that crossed his face told me he knew it, too.

“If you so much as breathe in her direction, I will beat the shit out of you. Daddy won’t be around to save you, either,” I told him in a low, deathly voice. “Leave her alone.”

I let go of the hold I had on his shoulders, allowing him to fall back from the wall. He put his mask of indifference back on and smoothed out his shirt, offering me a smile as he did.

“I don’t take orders from you, Evan.” He stuck his hands into his pockets and strolled towards the door. “I lost my career because of that bitch. I went to prison because of her. While you’re strolling down the street with her, pretending that you two are in love or some shit, remember that she owes me.”

Without another word, he walked out the door. I watched him get into the Aston Martin his father had undoubtedly paid for and didn’t move until he’d driven off.

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” I muttered, staring at the spot where his car had just been. I stood like that for a moment before a voice reminded me that I wasn’t alone.

“He’s a coward, Evan. He’s just trying to get under your skin.”

I straightened up and looked towards Dominic. “If he even goes near her…”

“I know. He’s all talk, though.” He gestured to the hallway. “Let’s cool down and go grab some lunch.”

“Yeah, okay.”

I appreciated my best friend and his attempts at distracting me. I had no idea if Tristan was all talk or if he was planning on confronting Victoria but the thought of her getting hurt by my family- or anyone, really- again made my blood boil.

My phone buzzed on the desk a few hours later and I reached for it, ready to slam it into the wall if it was my brother again. But when I saw Victoria’s name, a sense of calm spread through me. I unlocked the screen and brought up the text message she’d sent.

 

Victoria:      You left a hickey on my boob this morning.

Me:            I know. I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice.

Victoria:      I just got back from a call and saw it in the shower. That’s very caveman of you.

Me:            You bring the caveman out in me, Tor.

Victoria:      I just rolled my eyes.

Me:            Yeah, I believe that. Everything good at work?

Victoria:      Yup. Just another day in paradise if paradise included nine dudes who smell like sweat, farts, and who knows what else.

Me:            I don’t like your version of paradise. See, my version includes the two of us on a secluded beach. You’re either wearing a tiny bikini or absolutely nothing. I haven’t decided yet.

Victoria:      I like the way you think, Coleman. I have to go finish my shift chores. Can I call you later?

Me:            Yes, please.

 

I sat down in my chair with my phone in hand and a smile on my face. It took several moments for me to remember Tristan’s visit. I had no idea what that asshole was planning but I wouldn’t let him hurt Victoria.

The rest of the day sucked. The leads led nowhere, this Clay person was as much of a ghost as Zero was, and I had no idea what my brother was planning.

When I left work, I went right home and immediately changed into a pair of running shorts and my sneakers. I hadn’t been home for more than three minutes before I was out the door and hitting the pavement.

Each mile chased away some of the stress. It was hot as fuck but I couldn’t bring myself to care. By the time I made it back home, after successfully dodging neighbor Shelley, I felt a lot better.

I was sitting on the couch when my phone rang around eight, Victoria’s name spelled out proudly on the screen. I smiled and brought it up to my ear.

“Hey, beautiful.”

Victoria cleared her throat before she replied but I could tell she was smiling. “Coleman. What are you doing?”

“Watching some TV.” I muted the volume and let my head drop to the cushion behind me. “How’s work?”

“Quiet. I was just going to lie down and try to get some sleep while I could.” She chuckled softly. “Although I’ve probably just jinxed it so I have no doubt a call will come in the second I doze off.”

I smiled because she sounded so different than she had during our first interaction all those weeks before. I absolutely hated to do anything to ruin that but knew I needed to tell her about my brother.

“Tristan stopped by my office today,” I murmured quietly and silence greeted me. It stretched for a long minute and I thought maybe she’d hung up. “Tor? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m here.” The happiness was completely gone and I wanted to kill my brother for that alone. “What did he want?”

“To fuck with me. Someone told him that we were at the game together. Are those guys you were talking to buddies with him?”

“Definitely not.” Her response was quick and firm. “Dumbo and Reyes can’t stand Dunsworth. They wouldn’t ever betray me like that. It had to have been one of the other two guys. They didn’t look familiar but who knows. Your asshole brother has friends in low places.”

Yeah, that I knew. “I kicked him out but keep your eyes open.”

“I will.” She let out a long, obviously weary sigh. “Whatever. I’m not wasting any of my brain cells on Tristan Dunsworth. What did you have for dinner? Barthe made four boxes of Hamburger Helper but he bought two different kinds and mixed them together. It was a disgusting shit show.”

Soft laughter fell from my lips as I told her about my sorry excuse of a frozen meal. We continued talking long after I had sprawled out on my bed in nothing but my boxers and Victoria had tucked herself into her own bed. The thought of her in that dark room alone had me thinking dirtier thoughts but the frequency of her yawns increased.

“You need to sleep,” I told her softly, not for the first time. Whenever I mentioned ending the call, she protested and claimed she wasn’t tired. So when she agreed with me, I knew she was completely exhausted.

“Okay. Talk to you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, Tor.” I used my fist to rub one of my eyes and was unable to keep myself from smiling. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Be safe if you go out tonight.”

“I’m always safe, Coleman.” It was obvious that she was smiling, too. She paused for a moment before speaking in a quieter tone. “Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Hell. My man card was probably docked a few points because my heart began to thump faster in my chest. The fact that Victoria Jones was actively reaching out first proved that I’d broken through most of those walls and gave me hope that I wasn’t alone in my feelings.

I was falling for that woman, hard and fast. She had me hooked from the moment she smiled at me in the station that one day- maybe even before, back in that Las Vegas police station. Loving Victoria wasn’t the achievement, though, because I knew loving her would be one of the easiest and most amazing things I did with my life. Having that love reciprocated would be a gift I would gladly take and cherish.

“Ev?” she whispered, snapping me out of my thoughts and reminding me that I hadn’t responded. I cleared my throat and stared up at the dark ceiling.

“No maybe, Tor. I will definitely see you tomorrow.”