Branded (Strand Brothers Series Book 1) (16 page)

Seriously! Like he cared? “Cut the act,” I demanded. “You don’t really care one way or the other.”

He scoffed, “You’re wrong about that, Aimee.”

What was his game?  I snorted, “That why you attacked me the last time we were together?” Ha! He actually blanched. Good.

He nodded, “I owe you an apology for that. My emotions were running high”— holding his hand up to stop my interruption—“however, that’s no excuse for my behavior.”

“Whatever.” Should I bring up the ransacking of my apartment? What about the attack on Renée? Was it wise to show my hand at this point? “You wanted to speak in person. So, talk,” I insisted.

He chuckled, “Yes, well. I do believe you wanted to converse with me as well, correct?”

A fact I’d made clear earlier—no need to lie about it now. “Yes.”

He waved his hand and announced, “By all means, ladies first.”

Lady? Yeah, right. Lady of the evening was more like it.
Before I responded, I pondered. I needed to do this just right, I held his gaze. “Why did you harm Renée to give me a message?”

“You ran from me. To my adversary,
no less,
” he sneered slightly, yet his voice remained calm. “If she’d cooperated, she wouldn’t have been hurt,” he stated reasonably.

I knew I couldn’t very well argue with him on that. Renée wasn’t exactly known for her conversational skills. Especially if someone she loved was in danger. She would go to her grave before she’d rat you out. Loyal to a fault. None of that changed the fact: He’d threatened me via my best friend. No way would I let him get away with it. I squared my shoulders, lifted my chin and asserted, “‘Marry you or else.’ Wasn’t that what your thugs told her?”

He had the decency to appear chagrined.
Please.
“I do believe I have been misrepresented.”

“You don’t say,” I added with mock dismay.

“No need to be facetious,” he scolded.

Just who did he think he was? He was the one who had Renée beaten-up as a form of communication. “You have some nerve!” I accused, “She would not be in the hospital if it hadn’t been for you. Do not play innocent.”

He apologized, “I am sorry she has suffered as a result of a poor judgment call. Rest assured, I have fired the men involved in that unforeseeable incident.”

Well, that was news, but didn’t change the fact it’d happened. Nor that it was under his orders. He obviously thought I was gullible
.
“Doesn’t change the outcome—your men, your responsibility.”

He ceded, “You may be right about that. Although I am sorry she was injured. I’ll make sure her hospital bills are covered. Along with that she’ll receive income until she’s able to work again.”

“Why would you do such a thing?” I asked incredulously.

“As you pointed out, it is my albatross. I do not slack on my obligations,” he affirmed.

Duh. What kind of politician would he be if he did? The fact that all the ones I had been involved with were two-faced shouldn’t have changed a thing. I mean, looking out for numero uno was the code in D.C. Well that, and—you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours. I was more than ready to leave that life behind me. “Fair enough,” I abdicated. “However you need to understand—I. Will. Not. Marry. You.”

“Why is that, exactly?” he inquired wholeheartedly.

Never forget he’s acting sincere
, I reminded myself. Nevertheless, I owed him honesty on this. “I’m not in love with you.”

He chuckled, “But…”

I held up my hand. “There’s no but. And before you say love has nothing to do with marriage, let me be perfectly clear, I won’t
ever
love you.”

He placed his hand over his heart. “You wound me.”

I rolled my eyes. “I cannot be married to a man I have no hope of ever loving.”

“Ouch!”

“It may sound cruel, but it’s the truth.”

He nodded, “Point made. I only wanted the reason.”

Now
that
I did not buy. Nonetheless, there wasn’t any point in arguing with him. If it could end amicably, then, by all means, I was for it. “Nothing more?”

We were interrupted by room service. I took the respite offered. For I knew he would drop an H-bomb sooner or later. In order to prevent his hounding, I ate half a slice of toast, couple bites of eggs, and a piece of bacon. Grateful for the coffee, I sat and waited for the shoe to drop. He did not disappoint.

“You were correct. Love is neither needed nor wanted for me to be married to you.”

I set my mug down. “What’s in it for you? My previous occupation would ruin you.”

“Are you willing to sacrifice your reputation?”

I contemplated that. Not worried about me, per se, more concerned with my parents. If the fact that I’d been a call-girl got out to them, they would be devastated. Truth be told, that was probably what I would have to do in order for him to leave me alone. I stared at him intently. “Yes,” I answered unwaveringly.

“Well, then,” he gasped.

No doubt, I had shocked him. Yet his cunning knew no bounds. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Something had changed. He had the strangest look in his eyes, as if a veil had just been lifted. And he was…? There were no words for his expression. After a beat, he revealed his true self. “You. Lying. Bitch.”

“I beg your pardon.”

All of a sudden, the table and all its contents went flying. He reached for my throat. I had barely dodged his hands before I ran towards the door. “How
dare you
pretend to be someone you’re not,” he bellowed.

No clue as to what he was talking about, I pled, “Caleb? I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

He roared, “Shut the fuck up!”

On cue, there was a knock at the door. Then I heard my savior’s voice. “Open the door, Aimee.”

Nik
. Oh, thank God! I reached for the knob but was shoved out of the way. I screamed, and that was when the door flew open. I tucked myself into a ball to avoid being hit by said door as I rolled out of the way. This time there was no fight. Before I could blink, Caleb was in a choke hold. Nik assisted me up to my feet. “Are you all right?” There was concern etched in his eyes.

“Yeah.” I added, “He didn’t touch me.” By the look on Nik’s face, I realized that statement saved Caleb’s life.

He pivoted. “Get him out of my sight.”

José escorted Caleb out of the room. But not before he declared, “If I ever see you again, I will kill you for impersonating
her.
”

What. The. Hell. I had no clue who “
her
” was.  I shook my head as shivers traveled up and down my spine. That look in his eyes was going to give me nightmares for the rest of my life.

Nik’s gaze traversed between us. Once Caleb was out of sight, he queried, “What did he mean?”

I sank to my knees. “I have no idea.” My voice trembled.

“Hey. Let’s get you out of here.” He reached down and lifted me into his arms. I folded in on his muscular chest, needing the comfort and warmth his body provided. I had never been so terrified. Plus, I knew beyond a shadow of doubt Caleb meant what he had said. Annnnnnd didn’t that just suck.

*****

Caleb

Un-fucking-believable! The audacity of that wretched wench pretending to be someone she was not. She’d pay for that. I grabbed my phone and placed a call to my right-hand man. “Joe? Yeah, I need another one. Right. I should arrive in D.C. this afternoon. Uh-huh, same location. You know the drill.”

Just what I needed to let off steam, some crack-whore no one would miss. Easy pickings, they came a dime a dozen. And I knew full well what was in store for her. With that knowledge, I rubbed my growing erection. It’d been awhile since I’d
played
. Yes, I was looking forward to it. Still, the need to teach Ms. Taylor a lesson was at the top of my to-do list. How, exactly, would I go about it? Strand would make sure to keep her well guarded. Hell, wouldn’t surprise me if he went ahead and married her himself. That was what I’d do in his position—which meant, I had my work cut out for me. Good thing I loved a challenge. If there was a way to kill two birds with one stone, I’d have it made. And wouldn’t that be a dream come true. The bastard had escaped my last attempt. Next time, he wouldn’t be so lucky. No, I’d learned a few tricks in the past few years. Quite frankly, taking a life was as easy as taking candy from a baby, even if the prostitute I was with wasn’t high.

Where there’s a will there’s a way.

I sat in my private jet and pondered all the possibilities. To plan murder took time and effort.
Like the last time you went after Strand?
Shut-up! I lacked experience then. All of a sudden, Rachel ethereally appeared next to me—like so many times before—she smiled at me and declared, “I believe in you, Caleb.”

I held her hand. “No worries, baby. I promise you, I’ll take care of everything.”

I closed my eyes and envisioned our life together. This was precisely what we needed to be happy forevermore. Nik must die. And so did the trollop who had impersonated my beautiful Rachel.

*****

Aimee

Curled up in Nik’s lap, I felt protected. Not just due to his size—which did help immensely—no, it was also his compassion and sense of honor. He tried so hard to keep his walls up. “Let no one in” was his motto. But every now and then, I got a glimpse of the wounded man inside. I only wanted to know more of
him
. As I snuggled in close, I could feel the electricity humming between our bodies. I wanted him like never before. Would he let me breach his barriers this time? There was only one way to find out. Before I could put the moves on him, the SUV unfortunately came to a stop. After a beat, the door opened. He easily climbed out with me in his arms and whispered, “Let’s get you inside and comfortable, okay?”

“Sounds good to me,” I murmured into his chest. Heavens, he smelled good. And I knew once the opportunity presented itself, I
would
have this man.

Totally and completely.

Chapter Nineteen

Nik

Every cell in my body screamed at me to take Aimee straight to my bed and have my wicked way with her. This close, with her scent all around me, I wasn’t sure I could resist much longer. My arousal was downright painful. Fact was, she didn’t need this right now. She was almost attacked, again. Although this time, something was off with Caleb. Things were about to go DEFCON 5 before I walked into the hotel suite. What set him off? Why was he convinced she was impersonating someone else? For that matter, who? No, the last thing I needed to do was act on my lust. I had to admit, if only to myself, I was losing not only the battle, but the desire to stay away from her. It was only sex. So, why shouldn’t I act on it? She wanted me as much as I wanted her. We’re consenting adults. What was the harm?
Because you’re half in love with her already, idiot.
What happens when you give in? Where will that leave your precious memories? How could you betray Rachel that way? Besides, doesn’t Aimee deserve all of your heart?
No matter what, I couldn’t give her something I no longer had. That would be beyond unfair.
Who says life’s fair?

I was thankful Alex and E were here. With their help, we could work out a strategy to keep Aimee safe. Not to mention she really should rest. And I needed some distance from her. I walked into the guestroom and placed her on the bed. I attempted to smile. “My brothers are in the other room. Get some rest.” I clasped her hand for reassurance. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

When she tugged on my hand, I had to take a step closer. She stretched upwards and kissed my cheek. “Thank you, once again.” She pulled back and let go of my hand. “I’m not sure I would’ve been able to handle Caleb by myself.” She shook her head. “No, that’s not true. I doubt I would’ve left there in one piece if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”

“Glad I could be of some assistance,” I acknowledged.

She half-smiled. “Yeah, I’m feeling rather grateful at the moment.”

Oh, hell no. You will not ask her to show you how much.
I swear, around her I seemed to have only thoughts of sex. Not good. I was a grown man, not a teenage boy. I
could
and
would
control my lust—even if it killed me. I assured, “I’ll be here for the rest of the day if you need me.” With that, I closed the door and strode into the living room where my brothers sat, waiting.

*****

In desperate need of a drink, I hit the bar across the room first.

Alex inquired, “Everything all right, Nik?”

At the same time E chimed in, “’Sup, brother.”

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. They were daylight and dark. Unsure of what that made me, I replied, “No. This has become a clusterfuck. I don’t have any idea what’s going on here.” I squared my shoulders and said something I thought I’d never say. “I could use some help from both of you.”

That got their attention. Alex instantly stood. E leaned forward on the sofa with his elbows braced on his knees, held my gaze intently and said, “Tell me what you need.”

Alex nodded as he approached, clapping me on the shoulder. “Anything,” he vowed. “I’ll help in any way I can.”

I knew I didn’t deserve their loyalty. As I began to pace, I took a gulp of the fiery liquid out of the glass I held and then laid my cards on the table. “Here’s the deal. Caleb went bat-shit on Aimee today.” Alex’s brow furrowed, as E stood. I began to fill them in on the events of that morning. Once they were up to speed, E claimed, “He won’t touch her. What’s your plan of action?”

I chuckled without mirth. “Time to take a trip to the altar.”

He whispered, “Fuck me.”

Yeah, that about summed it up.

Alex was far more level headed on the issue. “Marriage will definitely make any attempt to harm her more difficult. I think the sooner you say ‘I do’ the better.”

No, shit Sherlock. I wasn’t exactly whistling Dixie here.
“It’ll happen ASAP,” I affirmed. “But what I can’t put my finger on, is who does Caleb think she’s posing as? Something just doesn’t add up here.” I took a deep breath to fortify my next confession. “She’s not the only one in danger.”