Crazy Nights (The Barrington Billionaires Book 3) (8 page)

“I haven’t talked to Mom in a while, you know that. I doubt she wants to hear from me. At least that’s what she said the last time I saw her.”

“The last time you saw her you were wasted and pissing on her rose bushes on Christmas Eve. You fell in the fireplace for God’s sake and almost took the Christmas tree down. But I know she’d want to see you. Just try to be sober.”

“I had just buried two buddies I served with. You try to be sober after that. Try to enjoy the Christmas cheer with that hanging over your head.”

“I get it,” Mathew said with a sigh. “I do. All I’m saying is Mom would like to see you. You should warn her about Dad. It should come from you.”

“I’ll call you when I know more,” Emmitt said with a huff, glancing quickly over at Evie then turning away.

“Hey,” Mathew said with a chuckle. “Are you into Evie or what? She’s a great girl; if you are finally taking your head out of your ass maybe it’s time—”

The line went suddenly dead and Emmitt cleared his throat. “I’ll drop you off.” He shifted in his chair, straightening his back.

“What about breakfast?” she asked, pretending to be more upset than she was. “I was promised pancakes. You can’t just say something like that and then take it back. A girl starts thinking about syrup and bacon and orange juice and then you just snap it away. That’s not very fair.”

“Pancakes.” He sighed. “I guess I can get you pancakes before I drop you off.”

“You aren’t dropping me off,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m staying with you. To find your dad, to talk to your mom, and for whatever else you plan to do.”

“Oh, you are?” Emmitt asked not able to fight off the smile creeping across his face.

“You said it yourself. You
need
me.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he corrected quickly. “I don’t need anyone.”

“Good,” she said, slipping her hand into his. “Because now I know when you don’t drop me off it’s because you want me here, not because you need me here. That’s even better.”

“You can convince yourself of anything can’t you?” He gave her a sideways look, but tightened his grip on her hand.

She turned her eyes toward the window and stared out at the passing tree line. “It’ll be all right, Emmitt. It’ll all work out.”

“Like I said you can convince yourself of anything.” He lifted his knee up to hold the steering wheel while he grabbed his sunglasses. It would have been far easier to let go of her hand and get them, but he clearly didn’t want to.

“I can. The real job is getting you to believe it. But lucky for you we had a lot of mules on our farm, and I learned my stubbornness from the best.”

“I feel like I’ve done my part to warn you. I met the obligation of telling you this won’t work out well. You might be hardheaded, but something tells me you’re still tenderhearted, and that’s just about the worst combination I can think of when it comes to being around me.”

“Are you going to make me sign a waiver?” she teased. “I hear you, Emmitt. I’m not stupid, and I’m not looking for a fairy tale. I just want to stay with you. Do you want me to? Just right now. I’m not asking about forever. I’m asking about right now. If I left would it matter?” She phrased her question intentionally. Not would you miss me? Would you feel sad? She just needed to know it would matter to him.

“Stay,” he said, and although it sounded like an order, she knew full well it was a request. “Just don’t—” he started but didn’t seem to know how to finish. “I can protect you from a lot of things, Evie. I can keep you and my sister and my mother safe from anything out there. But I can’t protect you from my fuck-ups. If someone ever bothers you, I will break their face, but I’m just as likely to break your heart.”

“So if I do sign the waiver can we stop talking about this?” she joked, knowing it took a lot for him to speak this openly and offering him the gift of levity. “Emmitt,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I’m not giving you my heart. I’m giving you my time. And since I have nothing else to do you aren’t getting a very hot commodity.”

“Warned,” he said again. Pulling her hand up and brushing his lips to her skin. “Thoroughly warned.”

S
top fucking looking at her
.
Emmitt could berate himself all he wanted but it was futile. He’d been on plenty of stakeouts and recon missions but there had never been a gorgeous blonde sleeping peacefully in the seat next to him. She’d borrowed his sweatshirt, rolled it into a pillow and, though she promised she wasn’t tired, quickly fell asleep. Now as she breathed long relaxed breaths and her lashes fluttered with a dream he wished he could be a part of, he realized he had a real fucking problem.

Evie had pulled her hair up, and the way she lay against the car window left her neck bare and exposed. He was supposed to be watching the door of the bar apparently known for being a makeshift gambling hall. It was exactly the kind of place his father would be if he was as desperate as Emmitt assumed he was. But no matter how hard he tried to peel his eyes from Evie he just couldn’t.

“No,” she murmured, and he leaned back suddenly, finally glancing at the bar he was supposed to be watching. “No,” she said again in a small cry, and he realized she was still asleep. “Mom, please, no.” Evie thrashed quickly then clutched both her hands to her head.

“Evie,” Emmitt said louder than he meant to. “Evie, wake up; you’re having a dream.” He reached for her shoulder, but she swatted him away as she came back to reality while sucking in a deep and terrified breath. She curled up into herself, putting her hands back over her head and crying full on.

“Evie?” he asked, quieter than before. “Are you all right?” Before she could answer he heard the click of her seatbelt and her car door flew open. She was out into the night air before he could catch her arm. “Where are you going?” he asked, chasing her down the side street. “Christ, Evie are you sleepwalking?”

“Fine,” she said, waving him off. “I’m fine. I just need some air. Sorry I’ve probably blown your cover or whatever.”

“It’s no big deal. I don’t think he’s in there. You sure you’re all right?” He closed in on her, but she wouldn’t turn to face him.

“Good, I’m good. Just a weird dream. That happens when you eat a bag of candy and chips and then pass out from boredom.” She forced a laugh through her tears, but he ignored it.

“You were talking about your mother,” he said, scanning her face for a reaction. She tensed a bit and suddenly he knew exactly what question to ask. “Why can’t you go home?”

“What?” she asked, pulling her hair out of the messy bun it was in and trying to flatten it.

“You didn’t say you didn’t want to go home, you said you couldn’t. Why not?” He was analyzing her face, looking for any indication of where this pain was coming from.

“You’re being ridiculous.” She smiled with her mouth, but her eyes remained unchanged, still glazed over and filled with secrets. “I had a bad dream not a premonition. Let’s get back in the car. I really promise not to fall asleep this time.”

“You could tell me,” he said as he followed her back toward the car. “I’d listen.”

“I’m good,” she said. “It was just a dream. I’m totally rested now. I’m ready for recon. Let’s do this.” Plastering excitement back on her face, she quickly deflated when he hopped in and started the car. “Are we leaving?”

“He’s not here. I have a few contacts that are going to check in with me soon. We can head back to the hotel and get a few hours of sleep.”

“This thing with your dad,” she said, settling her head on his sweatshirt again. “Does that mean you don’t believe people can change?”

There was a depth to her question that usually sent him running. But that was the problem with Evie, she made him say things out loud he never even bothered to say to himself. “People don’t change. They just get better at lying. They get more convincing. More skilled.”

“Are you better than you were five years ago?”

He had to hold back the answer that came to him first because he didn’t want to prove her right.
I’m better than I was five days ago.
“I make different bad choices now. But that doesn’t make me a better person. Who is it you are hoping will change?” He probed, but she didn’t bite.

“Was I snoring?” she asked, shifting in her seat to get better look at him. “I was, wasn’t I?”

“You weren’t,” he said, rolling his eyes. “But I can see you’re just going to keep changing the subject. I’ll let you off the hook.”

His phone rang through the car speakers, and he clicked the button to answer it. “Hey Mathew, what’s up? This is way past your bedtime.”

“Did Mom call you?” he asked through his panting breath. “The alarm system at the house was triggered, and I can’t get her on the phone. The alerts go to me. The cops called and asked if they should go check the alarm. The cops will freak her out too much if it’s nothing, but if it’s something—”

“I’m less than five minutes away. Don’t send the cops, but keep trying to get her on the phone. You know it’s him.”

“We don’t know that,” Mathew corrected.

“He probably figured he could go in and swipe a few things without anyone knowing. I had the best alarm system on the market installed. He probably wasn’t expecting that.” Emmitt imagined his father moving through an unlocked window searching for valuables.

“It might be Mom opening a window for air and forgetting to disarm it. She’s done it before. Before I came to Texas I was there once a month reminding her not to set it off.” Mathew’s voice was full of forced calmness that Emmitt could see right through.

“I’m already on my way. Just give me time to check it out before you call the cops.” Emmitt disconnected the call and looked over at Evie, trying to find a viable solution for getting rid of her right now. There was no plausible reason he could think of to set her on the side of the road and tell her he’d be back. But there was also no way he wanted to take her with him to his mother’s house right now.

“It’s all right,” she said quietly. “I’ll stay out of the way. I can even stay in the car if you want me to.”

She’d read his mind or more likely the expression on his face. “Just let me get a handle on things first, then I’ll let you know.”

“Of course.” She folded her hands in her lap obediently and managed not to ask whatever questions must have been burning at the back of her throat.

When he pulled into the driveway, stones kicked up from the tires and he hardly had it in park before he was out the door. “Lock it,” he instructed as he made his way to the mansion doors. He could only imagine what a girl like Evie would think of a house like this.

“Mom,” he said, pressing a code on the keypad on the door and letting himself in. “Mom, it’s Emmitt. The alarm went off; are you all right?”

“Emmitt?” he heard his mom sing out in guarded hopefulness. “Oh son, I’m so glad to see you.” She flipped the light switch on and off three times and then stepped over the threshold of the main entry to see him in. That one small act, the game with the light told him all he needed to know. She wasn’t cured of the obsessive mannerisms that had plagued her for years. No matter how much he hoped one day they’d just mysteriously vanish, they never did.

“It’s been so long,” she said, pulling him into a hug. “But the shirt.” She uttered nervously moving away suddenly and turning her back. “Honey, the shirt.”

“I forgot, Mom,” he apologized, looking around for some kind of solution. “Mathew called and said your alarm was going off, and I was close by so I came. I forgot I was wearing red.”

“I’m still happy to see you,” she said apologetically though she wasn’t seeing him at all. Her back was still turned and now she nervously spun a lock of her hair around her finger the way she always did when her weird ticks were challenged.

“I have a blue sweatshirt in the car. Let me go put it on and I’ll be right back.” He looked around the entryway again making sure no imminent danger seemed to be lurking around and then headed outside.

“I need my sweatshirt,” he said uncomfortably as he reached his hand out to Evie. “I can’t wear red.”

“Why?” she said half laughing. “Is there a bull in there?”

“My mother has OCD. She panics when people are wearing red. Or when the light dimmers don’t line up perfectly on the wall. Or when curtains touch the floor. She flat out faints if she sees the television is set to channel twelve. So I need my sweatshirt.” He wasn’t mad at her joke; he’d have easily done the same if the roles were reversed. But he was mad that he couldn’t wear red and that now Evie would understand why.

“Let me come in,” she said, grabbing his wrist before he could step away. “I want to. Please.”

“Fine,” he said with a defeated shrug. “But you can’t fix this. Don’t try.”

“I wouldn’t,” she said earnestly. “I’m not trying to make anything better.”

“Then what are you doing?” he asked, suddenly skeptical of her desire to interject herself into his problems. “This shit is messy. It’s bad. Why do you want to be here?”

“Things don’t have to be bright and sunny all the time, Emmitt. It doesn’t mean you have to sit in the dark alone.” She kept at his side, not looking up at him, and he was grateful for that. He didn’t need her knowing the impact of her words. He glanced at her quickly and saw a smile break across her lips. “Plus I have to go to the bathroom.”

He stopped in his tracks and spun on her, still stone-faced but fighting the urge to laugh.

“I swear that’s not why I’m coming in. I meant the light and the dark and not sitting alone and all that. But completely unrelated to that I also need to pee. Badly.”

A small weight lifted off of him. It wasn’t the full burden. It wasn’t all the pain but it was a noticeable lift in emotional cargo he carried around with him. That was maybe what separated Evie from other people he’d known in his life. There were women who made him laugh, but he couldn’t recall a woman who took him from the lowest moment and still elicited something from him. Normally when he hit these depths nothing could penetrate him.

He let the smile finally form as he looked down at her poorly contained laughter. “I guess we’ll never know if you really wanted to support me or you just drank too many sodas.”

“Can’t it be both?” she asked as they headed back for the door. “Hey,” she said, falling serious, “I’ve got your back. Whatever the deal is, whatever is going on, I’m with you. Nothing is going to scare me off.”

He nodded his head and entered the code on the front door again, knowing his mother’s compulsions would have forced her to lock it three times after he stepped out.

“But seriously, where’s the bathroom?” she whispered as they stepped in.

“Mom, this is Evie,” Emmitt announced and watched his mother’s hands fly to her unkempt hair.

“Oh Emmitt, I’m not decent for company,” she protested.

Evie waved her off. “As you can tell by my hair right now, I’m not really decent to
be
company. So we’re even.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” she said, nodding yet not taking her hands off her hair.

“The alarm went off, Mom. Is everything all right?” Emmitt asked gently. His mother was fidgeting some, tugging the sleeve of her nightgown.

“It was nothing,” she said, waving him off. “I opened the front door and forgot it was on. I turned it off a few seconds later. I’m happy to see you, but you didn’t need to rush over.”

“Why did you open the front door this late at night?” Emmitt gestured for Evie to follow as his mother let them in to the formal sitting room.

“I thought I saw someone outside,” she explained. “But no one was there.” She looked disappointed by this fact. “Or if anyone was there the sound of that damn blaring alarm must have scared them off.”

“Good,” Emmitt said. “You shouldn’t open the door when you think you see someone outside the house at night.”

“You’re right,” she said apologetically as she sat in the large wingback chair by the fireplace and gestured for Evie and Emmitt to sit on the couch across from her. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately,” she cooed and smiled. “Mathew said you were very helpful to him in Texas. That’s a good thing. I’m glad for that.”

“He’ll be back soon,” Emmitt said, knowing his mother would be missing her dedicated and helpful son. Mathew spent plenty of time here. He handled all of his mother’s affairs and somehow dealt with her compulsions compassionately. Emmitt was always quick to be bothered by them. Annoyed by how they made her look, how little control she had over herself. “Who did you think you saw outside?” Emmitt asked worried it was his father, unsure if he should warn his mother that the bastard was poking around their family again.

“I just saw a light,” she shrugged. “It was probably a groundskeeper or something. I’m very tired.”

“Do you want me to walk you upstairs?” Emmitt asked, rising when his mom did.

“No, no, I’m fine. But stay. It’s late. I’d like you to stay over. And your friend too. There’s a room here for each of you. I want to see you in the morning when I’m not so tired and not so much of a mess.” She exchanged a small smile with Evie and patted her hair down again. Making a move toward Emmitt, considering a hug or maybe a kiss, she looked as though she changed her mind and retreated.

“We’ll stay,” Emmitt assured her as she slipped out of the sitting room and up the stairs. He saw her flip the light switch three times in the hallway before she disappeared. “She’s a good person,” Emmitt said, feeling desperate for the chance to explain.

“She seems lovely,” Evie sang out quickly. “If you’d prefer to stay here by yourself I can call a cab and go back to the hotel.”

“Your call.” He shrugged, not wanting her to feel any kind of obligation. “I can understand why you wouldn’t want to stay. It’s not normal.”

“Normal doesn’t exist, Emmitt. If you sit around waiting for it, you’ll spend your life disappointed. I think your mother seems great, and she was happy to have you back here. I’ll stay too, if you think I won’t be in the way.”

He grunted and shrugged as though it didn’t matter to him what she did. As though watching her walk out the front door wouldn’t bother him at all. Lucky for him he was a well-practiced liar.

“It sounds like your mother would prefer we were in our own rooms.” She smirked coyly. “We should respect that.”