“I put a fresh towel on the rail in the bathroom and switched the shower on for you,” his deep timbre announced from behind me.
I nodded and walked toward him, my voice low as I said, “Thank you.”
“Anytime, kid.”
My head snapped up at his words, but the grin spreading over his face told me he was messing around. “Whatever, old man.” I stepped past him, my stomach dipping like I was on a roller coaster when his laughed echoed around us. It was carefree, like he didn’t have a single worry in the world, and I couldn’t help but glance back at him.
If there was one thing I knew, it was that nothing would be the same after Brody. He was bringing a light into a part of my life that had been basked in darkness for so long I’d forgotten what it was like to see clearly.
I turned back around, heading for the bathroom, and promising myself I wouldn't get too close to him.
Maybe it was already too
late?
* * *
BRODY
The sounds of running water drifted throughout the apartment I currently called home.
I could sense the hesitation rolling off Lola as we walked into the building and up the five flights of stairs. Something inside begged me to tell her this wasn’t really home. Home was where she could be safe, where nothing could touch her—especially Hut.
But I couldn’t say a word.
I knew she’d noticed the apartment was bare. She wasn’t stupid—she was one of the most observant people I’d met. She had this way of looking around and cataloging everything, sensing where she was and the way to act. I’d watched her do it around Hut and the crew before, but never with me. There seemed to be zero calculation when it came to me, or maybe that was me being wishful.
I scrubbed my hand over my face and through my short hair, blowing out a breath as I sat down. I shouldn’t have brought her here, but the moment her sad face had stared at me, I knew I couldn’t let her stay in that house—not tonight at least. I was overstepping and about to enter murky waters, but I couldn’t stop myself. The tide was washing me out to sea, and no matter how fast I moved my arms, nothing could halt it.
Stretching my legs out in front of me, I stared at the wall and waited until the shower turned off and the door to the bathroom opened. I didn’t make a move as her footsteps bounded closer, didn’t look up as she sat on the other side of the sofa, and didn’t say a word when she cleared her throat.
Having her in this space—my space—was tearing me up inside. I didn’t regret the kisses we had, but I knew that it shouldn’t happen again. Shouldn’t being the operative word, because damn if I could stop myself. She had me wound so tight I wasn’t sure I could undo a single thread she’d weaved. But it didn’t matter, did it? I was on a job, and as soon as Hut was taken care of, I’d go back to my life.
The life I had before her.
The life I should have been thinking about.
But fuck. All that disappeared when I turned my head and faced Lola. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders, the wetness dripping down onto her T-shirt, creating a wet pool over her shoulder. I was fascinated as it grew, becoming bigger and bigger the longer I stared.
“So…” She cleared her throat and glanced up at me. Her hazel eyes bore into mine, silently telling me something I already knew. There was no way I could walk away from her after all of this was over. But did I really have a choice? “This is your place.”
“Yeah,” I croaked out, my voice deeper than usual. It was so quiet in this room, and yet the silence seemed louder than ever. “What do you think?”
It was small talk, something I’d never been good at. I was a get-to-the-point kind of guy and didn’t mince my words, but with her, it was different. I didn’t want to be abrupt, I wanted to ease her into things, show her me in a way no one else had ever seen. How the hell had this happened?
“It’s...nice.” She shrugged and leaned back against the sofa, bringing one of her legs with her and pressing it against her chest. Her chin leaned on her knee, and she flicked her gaze around and then looked back at me. “I’ve seen worse.”
I grimaced, knowing she was talking about the drug dens we’d been searching. I had a feeling that wasn’t the first time she’d had to go looking for her dad or stepmom, and the thought had my fists clenching.
“I—” The ringing of my cell cut me off, and I pulled it out of my pocket, cursing when I saw who it was. Clicking the answer call button, I brought it to my ear but didn’t take my eyes off Lola once. “Hut.” She flinched, her chest moving as she took a deep breath, but as soon as she did, a mask slipped over her features. She was locking herself away right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
“Where the fuck are you?” he growled over the line, the obvious sounds of a party almost drowning him out. “You were supposed to be here when I got back.”
I leaned forward, still not looking away from Lola as I answered, “I forgot my cell at my place, so I came back to get it.” I gritted my teeth, hating I was having to explain my whereabouts to a jumped-up kid who didn’t know what the hell he was doing half the time. No, that wasn’t true. He did know what he was doing because, if he didn’t, he’d have been behind bars right now.
“Well, get the fuck back here. We’re having a meeting with Carson, and I need you there.”
“Be there in fifteen,” I barked out to him and ended the call. If he needed me there, that meant two things. One, he didn’t think things were going to go well, and two, he was starting to trust me.