Surface (Guarding Her Book 1) Read online

  “I don’t,” I tell her. “I, uh, my birth parents died when I was nine, and I was in and out of foster care until I was fourteen. Then my luck turned around when Erik and Polly adopted me. I don’t know what I did to be so blessed, but I thank my lucky stars every night because I know it could have been so much worse.”

  I rub my hand on my belly.

  She watches the movement. “Do you know what you’re having?”

  “No. We wanted it to be a surprise.” I laugh and then explain, “Well, I wanted it to be. Royce wants to know, but I think it’ll be better this way.”

  “I bet it’s a boy.”

  I smile. “Why do you think that?”

  “Just a guess.”

  “I don’t care what it is as long as it’s healthy and happy.”

  “I’m sure it will be. You’re young and healthy and so is Royce.”

  Just hearing his name still makes me smile. “Yeah. I hope so.” As long as someone doesn’t hurt us, all signs point to happy and healthy. I put in a funny movie, hoping to lighten the mood, but before it starts, I go make some popcorn.

  It takes a few minutes, but the tension releases from the room. A scene with Hunter Dean comes on, and we both sigh. “He’s so dreamy.”

  “He’s really cute.” She blushes.

  “I know. Royce’d kill me if he knew I said that. Apparently, he’s a jerk in real life.”

  “How do you know that?”

  I lean in closer to her. “Don’t tell anyone, but Royce said he hired them to do security for something, and it was a disaster. He lied and put one of the guys in danger. He got blacklisted from the company after that.”

  “Oh, wow.”

  “Yeah, you don’t mess with one of us. You do, and you get everyone on your bad side.”

  She nods. “Yeah, I bet. It must be nice to have that many people at your back.”

  “It is. I used to be so scared all the time, but when I was adopted, that fear went away. I hate that it’s back.” I wipe beneath my eyes. “I just don’t want anyone to hurt my baby. I don’t know what I’d do if that happened.”

  Royce

  My fist slams into his stomach, and he collapses on the ground, crying like a bitch. I grab him by his collar and yank him up, then push him against the wall.

  “I didn’t do it,” Chad screams at me, tears dripping down his face. “I swear I didn’t. I’d never hurt her. God! Don’t hit me again.” Jesus, what a pussy. I only hit him one time.

  Carter puts a hand on my shoulder.

  “Look at me.” I jerk Chad’s shirt, and his head wobbles back and forth. He opens his eyes, then squints and flinches even though I didn’t do anything. “If I find out it was you—”

  “It wasn’t, I swear! I left the same night she turned me down and—”

  I shake my head. “Now you’re lying to me.”

  “Okay, fine,” he wheezes.

  “And what did you do that night, Chad? Did you sit and think about how much you fucked up? Think maybe you could have a piece of her after all?”

  “No!” he screams. “No, I swear. I would never hurt her!”

  “Then where the fuck were you? I know you don’t have the balls to hurt her, but you have the money, don’t you?”

  His face pales even more.

  “Yeah, I know all about it. I know everything, Chadwick.”

  “That has nothing to do with Paisley.”

  I press my arm against his throat. “Don’t you say her fucking name.”

  He claws at my arm, and I loosen it enough to let him breathe. “I didn’t want the money.”

  “But you took it.”

  “Yes! I took it. My parents made me. I was fifteen.”

  “Where’s your baby now?”

  For the first time, I see unadulterated anger slash across his face. He leans into my arm and despite the pressure cutting off his air supply, he yells, “I don’t fucking know where it is. I don’t even know if it was a boy or a girl. They made me sign the fucking papers, and they took her away. I haven’t seen or heard from them since.”

  “And I bet that kills you,” I taunt him. “Your girl got away, and she took your baby. Shame it happened once but then you meet another girl, and she leaves you and gets pregnant, I bet—”

  “I was at a hotel fucking some random women, okay?” He falls back against the wall in defeat. “I left your house, and I got wasted and got laid because it made me feel better about my shitty fucking life. I was going to go home the next morning, but they were still there, and the morning led to the afternoon and then we spent another night fucking, and before I knew it, I’d been drunk at a hotel for days.”

  I drop my arms, and he wipes his nose with the back of his hand.

  “My life is a fuckin’ joke, man, all right? I felt like shit, and I did something that made me feel better about it. When I was going to leave, I realized there was nothing for me in New York. There’s nothing for me anywhere, so I just never left.” He lifts his head. “I would never hurt her or do something to threaten your baby.”

  Without another word or threat, I turn on my heel and leave the hotel room. Carter follows, and I get into the passenger seat of his Jeep.

  “That was hard to watch.” He pulls out of the parking spot and heads back to Royal.

  “Yeah.”

  He sighs. “Fucked up, man.”

  I simply grunt. It’s really a fucked-up story. Chad got a girl pregnant when she was fourteen, and he was fifteen. Girl’s parents paid him a quarter of a million dollars to shut him up. Her family moved away, and there is no record of the daughter ever having a baby.

  He’s the only damn lead we have, and since he’s been paying with cash at the hotel, it took us this long to find him. I want to have it be him, so I can put an end to it, but frankly, I believe him. Which means someone else out there wants my baby.

  * * *

  “We’re at a dead fuckin’ end. There haven’t been any more threats, no notes, no phone calls, no tails,” my dad tells the group of men sitting at the table.

  The companies’ merger has been successful, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the capabilities of my father and his men than I am right now. We’ve worn out all of our resources and have gotten nothing.

  No information is more frustrating than anything. It’s nearly impossible to follow an invisible lead.

  “We’re sure this note was directed at her? The hospital is right there. Maybe someone got the car wrong?” Lincoln says.

  “What the fuck are you saying? You think she—”

  “No. Whatever you’re going to say, no. Nothing bad about your girl, just the possibility that maybe the note was meant for someone else. Any other cars there around that time, have we looked at their owners to see if any have protection orders filed, anything like that?”

  “We won’t lessen our protection,” Erik states. “That’s my grandchild someone threatened. But it’s not a bad idea. Q?”

  “I’ll get on it,” he replies, already looking at his laptop.

  We’re mulling over more options and throwing out ideas when the door opens. The Ace guys start a slow clap, and the few Royal guys—Damien, Brenden, and Lincoln—look around with confusion at the man who just entered.

  “Well, look what the motherfuckin’ cat dragged in.” Gio pushes out of his chair and sticks his hand out.

  Noble takes it, and they pat each other on the back. Erik does the same and then Carter. By the time he makes it to me, I’m already out of my chair. I smile at him, and he punches me in the gut. I grunt at the force, and the rest of the guys laugh. They all sucker-punched me when they found out about Paisley and me. He just totally caught me off guard and got me good.

  “Asshole.” He slaps the side of my face, and I look up at him. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

  “Nope. Not even a little bit.”

  He laughs and takes the seat next to me.

  “Gentlemen, this is the elusive Noble,” Erik intr
oduces him to the new guys. “I’ve already filled him in on what we know so far. He’s gonna jump in on the rotations for protection detail.”

  Erik holds up his finger and answers his phone. “Hey, baby.”

  Everyone grumbles as he walks out of the room and talks to Polly.

  “How you been, man?”

  He shrugs. “Alive.”

  Typical Noble answer. Cryptic. Nobody knows the details of Noble’s past. The only thing we’re positive about is that he was a cop, and he lost his wife and daughter. I suppose we don’t need to know the particulars to understand why he is the way he is.

  I ever lost Paisley and my kid… I don’t think I’d survive, to be honest.

  Noble is the perfect bodyguard because he admittedly doesn’t have a life. He’s able to be gone for months and months at a time without worry. Which is where he’s been.

  “Okay. See you guys soon.” Erik walks back in the room. “Did you remember the Pop-Tarts for Brinley? Okay. Love you, too.”

  “Brinley?” Noble asks.

  “The girl I told you about who drove Paisley here and is now living in our guest room.” Apparently, they’ve already talked about the entire situation.

  Noble sits up, and the whole room thickens with tension. “You got a picture of her?”

  “Why?”

  “Her hair red?”

  “Yes.”

  “Get me a picture.” He stands. “Now.”

  Chapter 17

  Paisley

  “No, I think we’re good.” I hold my hand over the receiver. “Brinley, do you need anything from the store? Polly’s there now, and she says she already got your Pop-Tarts.”

  “No, thanks.”

  “No, we’re good. See you soon.” I hang up with her and take a drink of lemonade.

  Brinley doesn’t look up from the cutting board as she’s chopping some vegetables for the salad. We finished our movie and decided to get a jump on dinner. “Have they found anything else from the note?”

  “No. It was too dirty to get a print.” I grab a purple pencil and color some pedals on a picture in the adult coloring book Royce bought me. He brought home enough stuff to keep me busy for a year after I whined about being bored since both he and Derik told me I couldn’t work anymore. I already marinated the chicken so there’s nothing else for me to do right now.

  “That’s a shame.”

  “I know. I don’t get it.”

  She dumps some cucumber in a bowl. “Don’t get what?”

  “Why anyone would want to hurt me. Or my baby.”

  “Hmm. You haven’t managed to upset anybody your entire life?”

  I think back again. Just like I did when I went over everything with the guys. “No. Unless it was unintentional. I always get along with everyone I meet.”

  She huffs. “You can’t think of anyone who would not like you?”

  “No, I mean, there were a couple of boys in high school who I blew off, but the guys already ruled them out. I never had any trouble with any girls at my school, and I barely knew anybody in New York.”

  “What about before that?”

  I swallow the hurt before I continue. “Before that, nobody cared about me, so no.”

  “Nobody?”

  “Not that I can think of.”

  She looks up from across the island. “You can’t think of anyone who you wronged? A ghost from the past, a haunted soul… Not one single person who would hate you!”

  The palpitations of my heart thunder, and I drop my colored pencil. “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, come on, Paisley. Fucking think. Do I need to scream for you to remember?”

  “Brin—”

  “Yeah. Brin-ley.” The menace in her voice makes me queasy, and the hatred shooting from her eyes almost blinds me.

  Something about her has always seemed familiar. A pull I felt toward her from the first time I saw her. I never knew why, but as I squint my eyes and focus on her red hair and lightly freckled face, I choke on my own stupidity. “Oh, my God.”

  “Finally remembered, did you?”

  “Brinley.” It’s not a question anymore. It’s abuse and tears and screaming. Crying, bruises, and nightmares. I was only there for a couple of weeks before I was adopted, but it was enough. “Brinley…”

  “Yes, Brinley!” She screams and rushes at me with the knife in her hand. She hits the island so hard my phone falls off and lands on the ground.

  How could I have forgotten? The very last home I was in… there were four of us and she, she was the object of the foster dad’s abuse. “Oh, my God.” I never stood up for her. I never said anything. She was there before me, and the other kids warned me to stay away. They told me if you hung out with her, you’d get it too. And I… I never helped her. I looked the other way, and I never helped her.

  I didn’t tell a teacher or say anything to a case worker. Nobody did because we all knew nothing would get done about it. I made that mistake at the first foster home I was in by telling my social worker that they didn’t give me lunch money.

  When I came home, they withheld food from me for the entire weekend as punishment for “lying” about them. I learned to just keep my mouth shut. And for the most part, things were… fine. Not wonderful, but I knew they could also be so much worse. I could have been treated like Brinley was. I don’t know why I wasn’t, but it wasn’t something I was going to question.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

  “You’re right.” She waves the knife in the air. “You didn’t. You didn’t do anything. Nobody ever did anything.”

  A burn starts in my eyes, and I can’t even speak. Guilt and fear cripple me from even breathing right now. She pants. Heavy, rushed breaths echo around the kitchen that’s thick with hostility. Unlike earlier in the day when we all sat and ate breakfast together. Love and laughter surrounded me then, but now her rage suffocates me.

  “I never had a chance…” Tears stream down her face, and she wipes her runny nose with the back of her hand. “It should be me!”

  I stand, prepared to run, but she leaps over the counter. “Stop!”

  My stomach cramps, and I try not to show the wince on my face too much. “Okay, okay.” I hold my hands out, pleading.

  One of the guys should be outside. I’m pretty sure it was Landon, one of Mitch’s guys. If I screamed, he’d hear me, but she’s so close now that surely, she’d what? Stab me if I tried? If it was just me, I would make a run for it, but if there’s a chance she could hurt the baby, I won’t take it. That thought has me bringing my hands to my belly.

  Longingly, she watches the movement. “It should be me.”

  “Brinley, I didn’t do anything to hurt you on purpose. I want to help now, though, if I can because I couldn’t back then. I want to help now.”

  She laughs, manically. “No, you don’t. Nobody ever wants to help. Nobody ever wants to help me. Have you ever had a zero?”

  I don’t understand the question. “A what?”

  “A day that was a zero.”

  “I’d say the day when my parents died was probably a zero.”

  She laughs. “Honey, in my life, that kind of day would have been like a seven. But do you know how many days I had zeros? Huh? Any fucking idea?”

  “I’m sorry. Please, let me help you now.”

  “You don’t want to help me.”

  “I do, Brinley. I do. Polly does, and I know Erik would. Let us help. I was there, too, ya know… I remember what it was like.”

  She slashes her arm in the air, the knife inches from me. “No, you don’t! I was there! I was the only one who was there! He only picked me!”

  “I know, I know. I’m sorry. Let me make it right. Let me help you.”

  “No.” She shakes her head and her bright red hair flies. “You won’t help. Nobody helps. Everyone just hurts.”

  “Brinley, it’s going to be okay.”

  She shakes her head and chants, “No, it’s not; no, it’s not; no
, it’s not.”

  I didn’t see it. God, how did I not see it? How did I not realize who she was? She wasn’t just homeless; she was hurting. I got to leave, and she didn’t. I got a family, and she’s alone. I could be her right now. And she could be me… “Brinley, please let me help now.”

  “Nobody can help me.”

  “Rinny girl.”

  A voice I haven’t heard in forever floats into the kitchen. Brinley’s skin goes pale white, almost green with shock.

  “Come to me, Rinny.” Noble slowly walks into the kitchen with Royce and Erik on either side of him.

  Royce sees me, and I watch as his entire body relaxes. The anger painted on his face is going nowhere, and neither is he as Erik puts his arm out, holding him back from passing Noble. I inch myself back as Brinley is shaking so bad her hand continually bounces off the island.

  “Rinny girl.” Noble approaches her from the side. “Look at me, Little Red.”

  She drops her head, and he slowly reaches out toward her. The second his finger grazes her left arm, she screams and swings her right one around. The one with the knife. The blade slashes across Noble’s white t-shirt and crimson immediately dyes the fabric.

  He efficiently grabs her wrist, and Erik and Royce both rush to her. “Back up,” Noble commands. They stop, trusting their friend’s abilities enough to leave him with the knife wielder.

  “Shh.” The strength in his hand is more than her entire body as he overpowers her. “I’ve got you, Rinny. I’ve got you now.”

  Her fingers open, and the knife clatters to the ground. Noble kicks it away, and she collapses against him. Instead of lifting her up, he sags to the floor right along with her. His arms around her, she turns and crawls into his lap.

  She’s so petite. She looks like a child curled up with his big strong body around hers. His lips find the top of her head, and he gently kisses her. “I’ve got you.”

  I expect her to cry or do something, but she doesn’t move a single muscle. He continues murmuring into her ear and gently rocking her. The scene before me has me paralyzed in a completely different way than before.

  “Come here, precious,” Royce quietly calls to me, and I gingerly step around the cold and sardonic man who cradles a lonely soul. His eyes closed and his touch gentle, he holds her just as tight as she does him, and I wonder if he’ll ever let her go.