Branded (Strand Brothers Series Book 1) (8 page)

He smiled, “So, what’s going on with the blonde bombshell shacking up with you?”

“She’s not shacking up with me,” I replied exasperated. “She’s in trouble.”

“And you’re her white knight in shining armor?”

“Hell, no. If anything, I’m the dark knight.”

He chuckled at my remark and then addressed, “You really think Caleb did it?”

Geez, what didn’t Alex share? “Yeah, I do. It has his stench all over it.”

“You would know better than anyone. After the shit he pulled with Rachel, you’d recognize the signs.”

That was no lie. Caleb Reynolds stalked Rachel for the year and a half I was with her. He had probably been at it much longer than that, but she had never put it together. Besides, there was no proof even if he had. He had been completely obsessed and thoroughly convinced I’d stolen her away from him. Now there was Aimee, who had an uncanny likeness to Rachel, and, once again, I was involved. The whole thing had disaster written all over it. For the best interest of everyone, I should put Aimee on a plane and let her move on with her life. Yeah, well, as if I could let her go now that I found her.
What the…? I am not getting involved with her!
I would simply make sure Reynolds backed off, and then I would send her on her way. Simple. “Thanks, E. I think I have a game plan.”

His brow arched. “Mind sharing?”

I smirked, “I’ll clean this mess up, make sure Caleb doesn’t bother her again, and commission her to go on with her plans.”

His eyes widened. “Who’re you kidding? You
want
her and you know it.”

While that was a statement of fact, it didn’t mean I would act on it. “I’m not known as a cold-hearted bastard for no reason. I
can
and
will
control myself.”

He grinned and quipped, “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

I shoved back from the table and stood. “It’s only a week at the most. I’m not some green boy who can’t keep his dick in his pants.”

E raised his glass in salute. “Keep telling yourself that, my brother.”

I could hear his laughter over the din of music as I strode away. I would show him and Alex, too.
Yeah, right, I’m going to enjoy watching you fail
, the little voice in my head mocked.

Chapter Eight

Aimee

Grr!
The man was a darn yo-yo. One minute, I could see desire—hell, I felt the evidence against my stomach—in his eyes. The next, he pushed me away. What the heck was that “I’m no good” about? Nonsense. As if a prostitute was good? Really! What parallel universe was he from? After he shut me down, one thing was certain: I would not stick around for an encore. He could go screw himself.
I’m done.
With anger propelling me, I stormed out of his humongous penthouse and made my way home.

*****

As I unlocked the door to my apartment building, I couldn’t help but be reminded of how different Nik’s and my life were. He was accustomed to luxury in the extreme. While I lived well, there was no comparison. I had done my best to put away every cent I could to buy my first hotel. The only other place I put my money was in Dad’s doctor and hospital bills. I could easily live in a high-rise with a doorman for security, but I was happy in my brownstone in the Upper West Side. No, it was not Fifth Avenue, but it’d been my home for five years. Now, more than ever, I knew I’d made the right decision to leave Manhattan and move across country. California was definitely on my radar. With the San Francisco deal pushed aside, maybe it was time to check into San Diego, Lake Tahoe, or Napa Valley. Guess I would see where fate led me.

I approached my apartment and quickly realized I couldn’t enter. Instead, I used my key to Renée’s place.
That’s funny, the lights are on but she’s nowhere to be seen.
“Ren!” I hollered, “You here?” There was no answer, which was very odd. She didn’t believe in wasting electricity. I decided to go check her bedroom. All of a sudden, there was a heavy knock at the front door as a deep male voice roared, “Aimee! Open the damn door.”

Crap! How did Nik figure out where I was? “No!” I bellowed.

“Either you open up or I’ll break the fucking thing down. You have till the count of three.” Was he serious? Then I heard him counting, “1…2…” Well, that answered my question.

Before he finished, I yanked the door open. “What the hell are you doing here?”

He stood there with a menacing look on his face, add to that his thick arms crossed over his massive chest, and I was terrified. I took a step backwards. I’m not stupid; I knew when to back away from a furious man. And this one, in particular, was beyond that. I actually rubbed my hands over my arms due to the icy waves his body produced.
Oh, he’s pissed off.
“Why’d you run from me, Aimee?”

“I…uh…well, I…” I stammered—unable to complete a thought, let alone a sentence.
Geez, what have I gotten myself into with this man?
He arched a brow at me, as if to say, “I’m listening.” Finally, I found my voice. “I wanted to stay here. I was uncomfortable at the penthouse.”

With a firm “Bullshit,” he called my bluff.

Ah, hell. How could I tell him the truth? As if I would ever confess to being hurt by his rejection.
So I suggested, “You don’t have to take my word for it. I think my actions speak very clearly,” I huffed and spun around to walk away from him.

He wasn’t going to put up with that. Therefore, he firmly grabbed my arm, turned me around and commanded, “Never turn your back on me.” His gaze was intent, and his grip insistent. I wasn’t in pain, exactly, but I wasn’t comfortable either. When I tried to pull away, he wouldn’t let me. “Are we clear on this, Aimee?” I stared him down. Who did the man think he was? I did not take orders from anyone, especially
him
. “Answer me,” he demanded.

As I stood my ground, I titled my chin up in defiance. “Fuck. You.”

He hauled me against his hard body. “Watch it,” he warned. “You’re on thin ice with me right now. Don’t make me take you over my knee,” he threatened.

What the?! And
why
did that sound so hot? I’d never been into pain for the sake of pleasure. When I say pain, I mean the hard core kind like Renée was into. Not my thing, at all. I scoffed, “As if.”

Next thing I knew, I was lying across his lap, and he was actually spanking my butt. It was not pleasurable. It hurt! “Ow,” I complained. He only struck harder. “Okay, enough. Dammit.” When he released me, I was fighting back tears. Immediately, I stood and backed away from him. My eyes blazed into his as I scolded, “That was uncalled for.” He had some nerve. The man wouldn’t have sex with me, yet he’d spank me. Appalling.
Why I oughta find something big and heavy to clock him with.
Asshole!

While he approached me, he declared, “I warned you. Next time, you better remember I don’t make idle threats.”

“You are a Neanderthal.”

“Maybe. But you will respect me.”

“Oh, like you revere me? Let’s be clear here,
Nik
. Touch me like that again and I’ll find a way to retaliate. Are we clear?” It was not a threat; it was a promise.

His demeanor softened, as if suddenly he admired me. “You had me worried sick. I can’t very well protect you when you take off like that.” He ran his hands through his long hair. A sign of frustration I was becoming familiar with. “Are you okay? I never meant to hurt you,” he stated sincerely.

“I’ll be fine.” For emphasis I rubbed my butt, silently telling him that it did
indeed
hurt.

At least he had the good sense to wince. “I’m sorry, Aimee,” he apologized.

Just as I was about to fire off a sassy retort, we heard something break in the bedroom. Both of us took off at a full sprint and abruptly halted at the sight we’d come upon. Surely my eyes deceived me, that couldn’t be my best friend laid out on the floor. Could it? When she moaned and reached up for the nightstand, I realized it was her. “Renée?” I squeaked, “Honey, what happened?”

Nik grabbed my hand when I reached for her. “Hold on a sec. Let me check something first.”

I stared at him dubiously. What was he thinking? My best friend was lying there semiconscious and needed help. “Why?”

“I’ll tell y’later. You can touch her as soon as I’m done.” I watched in horrific fascination as he scanned the area for—evidence?—clues, like he’d done when my apartment had been ransacked. Bewildered by what I was witnessing, the man came across as a thug sometimes, then, at other times, he was as observant as an investigator. Yet, another piece of the puzzle that was Nik Strand. How I wanted to fit it all together so I could see the complete picture. Complicated didn’t even begin to define him. When Renée groaned again, I held my hand above her blood soaked head and looked up at Nik, silently begging him to let me touch her. “Go ahead.” He nodded his head for emphasis.

I was eternally grateful as I mouthed
Thank you
. I swept Renée’s hair to the side. “Hey, Ren. I’m here,” I reassured. “Don’t move, okay? We’re going to get you some help.” I fought back my hysteria while I watched her try desperately to open her beautiful hazel eyes. She couldn’t due to the swelling. They were already a horrid blackish-blue. My heart broke for her. She had been through so much for a young woman of twenty-seven. It just wasn’t right this had happened to her.

Nik glanced up, pocketed his cell phone and announced, “An ambulance is on its way.”

“Hear that, sweetie? Help is coming,” I assured. “You just hang on for me, okay?” She reached over and squeezed my hand. Unable to hold them back any longer, tears slid down my cheeks. All of a sudden, I was engulfed by incredible heat when a huge corded arm wrapped around my shoulders. Grateful for his support, I was no longer angry with Nik. Whenever my life was in tatters, he was always there to rescue me.
Sure seemed that way.
How could you not appreciate such a quality? I leaned my head into his shoulder and absorbed the comfort he provided.

The firm knock at the door broke the bond we’d been forging. He stood and stated, “That’d be EMS.” He walked out of the room, and I couldn’t help but feel bereft by his absence. Renée moaned again in pain, and I suddenly felt guilty. Something inside of me knew, somehow, this happened to her because of me. I backed away to let the medics do their job. As they loaded her onto the stretcher, Nik said, “Come on. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

There was no way I could speak at that moment, not with anxiety and guilt digging their claws into me. I nodded in acquiescence and leaned on him when he put his arm around me, once more. Yet again, appreciative for his strength and presence.

*****

On our way to the hospital, Nik queried, “Does Renée have any enemies? Someone that’d want to hurt her?”

I shrugged. “Old ones.” Then I firmly replied, “No. I don’t know of anyone who’d do that to her.”

“What’d you mean by old ones?”

I heard the inquisitiveness in his voice. How much should I share about Renée’s past? I figured honesty was best. “Her brother’s in a gang. She had a rough upbringing, but that was a long time ago.”

“Do you think this has anything to do with him?”

“No, I really don’t,” I concluded.

“Why’s that?” he questioned.

“Well, honestly, she keeps her distance from him.” I turned to face him. “He’s only around when she needs him. Otherwise, they don’t really have a relationship,” I answered.

“I see,” he said contemplatively. I suddenly had a sick feeling deep in my gut and began to shake uncontrollably. He squeezed my hand. “Hey. Are you okay?”

I bit my lip hard, tasting blood. “It’s him, isn’t it?” I whimpered.

“We don’t know that for sure.” He didn’t even pretend not to understand whom I meant—for which I was grateful—but it didn’t change the fact Caleb was sending a message. No matter what Nik had said about not knowing for sure; I knew. And his message was loud and clear: Return to me
or
else. I shuddered at the thought. How was I going to get away from that man? More to the point, how would I protect the ones I loved
from
him? “Don’t let your imagination get away from you, Aimee,” Nik said, pulling me from my reverie. “Once we know for certain, then, we deal with it.” He’d parked the car and tugged me into a hard embrace. “You’re not alone,” he vowed. “I’ll do whatever I have to, to keep you safe.”

I whispered, “Okay.” Still not understanding the pull between us, I hugged him back. “Thank you, Nik.”

He pulled back and lifted my chin gently. “It’ll all work out. Trust me?”

Ironically I did, which made no sense considering I didn’t know this man. Yet, I did. It was beyond confusing. I decided to be truthful and responded with a definite, “Yes. Yes, I do trust you.”

He rested his forehead against mine. “Thank you,” he murmured.

With that, we left the car and proceeded into the hospital.

Chapter Nine

Nik

Hate was too weak a word for how I felt about hospitals. The smell alone was enough to make me turn tail and run. Hard. Fast. As far away as I could possibly go. All of a sudden, I was
there
all over again: The five security guards wrestling me to the ground. The doctor screaming, “Stop! Before you permanently damage your arm!”—which had already been broken. The gut wrenching howling as they informed me, “dead on arrival. Baby could not survive outside her mother’s womb.” Every finite detail of the worst night of my life played through my mind in HD Technicolor. Somewhere in the haze between past and reality, I heard a soft voice.

“Nik? Can you hear me? Come back, you’re scaring me,” Aimee confessed. She grabbed my face with her hands and tugged me down to her. “Hey, I’m right here.” She reassured, “I won’t leave you.”

I blinked furiously and attempted to get my bearings. “What…?”

She held my gaze. “Do you know who I am? Where you’re at?”

“Aimee.” Then I paused as I tried to assimilate my location. When I answered, “Hospital,” I felt the blood drain from my face.