Defensive Heart: The Donnolleys, Book 2 (23 page)

James had already stolen her body, and now, she was more than convinced, he was trying to steal her heart. She couldn’t let that happen, but Sonja was no longer certain she could stop him.

Chapter Thirty-Four

The sound of Jimmy’s cell ringing roused him from the deep sleep he’d been in. The kind of sleep that happens after you’ve had some really intense sex. Speaking of…spooned up behind her, he pulled Sonja’s body closer. He must’ve dreamt that his phone was ringing because the room was silent—until it rang again.

Rolling over he reached, blindly, for the device. He squinted at the bright screen.
What the hell?
“Hello,” he whispered.

“Jimmy, I need you to come get me!” Casey let out a loud sob, sounding like she was in a complete state of panic.

He could barely understand her. “Slow down, Casey. One sec, honey.” Careful to move without jostling the bed, he got up, walked into Sonja’s closet and shut the door. “Okay, where are you. What the hell is going on? Are you hurt?”

“No. Well, I don’t— Please, can you come get me?” Her voice hitched before breaking into more sobs.

Jesus, fuck. “Calm down, honey. Where are you?”

“Um,” She sniffled. “I’m down in the Village in some shit-hole apartment.”

“What the fuck, Case? You were supposed to be sleeping at your friend’s house two blocks from here.” Jimmy ran his fingers through his hair and his “duh” moment struck. “You’re with that fucking Drake, aren’t you?”

She let out another sob. “Yes.”

“Did that fucker hurt you? Dammit! Look, I’m hanging up so I can get dressed. Can you text me the address? I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

“I think so. Hurry, okay?”

“Yeah. You got two seconds to send me that text, Casey. Hear me?”

“I will. I promise.”

Jimmy disconnected the call and retrieved his clothes from the bedroom. Moving back to Sonja’s closet, he dressed and his phone beeped with the expected text message from Casey. He replied as he headed out the door to get her. Christ, Sonja was gonna bust an artery over this. He didn’t wake her, just snuck out, hoping like hell she’d stay asleep. At least until he got back.

The cab pulled up in front of the address Casey had sent him. After asking the driver to wait, he entered the building. Taking the steps two at a time, he climbed four flights of stairs. Adrenaline coursed through him, and he stalked down the hall with his hands balled into fists. If that douchenozzle-punkdick hurt his girl, he was going to make him suffer. Slowly. Jimmy didn’t care if the kid wasn’t eighteen yet, he’d had about enough of the asshole.

Banging his fist on the door, he crossed his arms and waited. When no one answered he pounded harder, and again, several more times, until finally the door swung open.

“What the fu—?” A skinny kid with greasy blond hair greeted him.

“Where the fuck is Casey, is what.”

“Uhh… Who?”

“Who, huh? Get the fuck out of my way.” Jimmy shoved the kid aside and stalked in, hollering for Casey. A quick scan of the small living room turned up nothing, so he moved down the hall to the left. “Casey? Where are you, honey?” He opened a door— And there was Dickfazio, lying on a bed, sheets and blankets hanging off the end, joint halfway to his lips…and some young girl curled around him.
What. The. Flying. Fuck!
“Where is she?” Jimmy rushed forward. “And so help me God, you lie to me and it’ll be the last time your jaw works for a long fucking time.”

Drake raised his hands in surrender. “Dude, I swear— Ahhh!”

Jimmy grabbed him by his shirt, hauled him off the bed and then slammed him against the wall. “Wrong. Answer.” He yanked Drake forward, then banged him against the wall again. “Now, before I beat you within an inch of your pathetic life, I suggest you try again.”

“Christ, wait—”

“Jimmy?”

He snapped his head around to find Casey standing in the doorway. Black eyeliner and mascara streaked down her cheeks from her tears and her hair was a tangled mess. “Oh thank fuck.” Jimmy blew out a breath. “Get your stuff. Now.” Turning back to Douchnozzle Dickfazio, he narrowed his eyes and got nose to nose with him. “Listen up, dickhead, and you better hear me good because this is the last time I’m gonna say it. You stay the fuck away from Casey! If you don’t I
will
make you wish your mother’d swallowed the night she got knocked up with you. Get me?”

“Y-y-yeah.”

Jimmy had such a tight hold of Drake’s shirt, the kid’s feet weren’t touching the ground. He slammed him against the wall one last time for good measure. “Don’t forget it.” He dropped him, then left the room and found Casey waiting at the front door. “Let’s go.”

The retreat out of the building and the entire cab ride to her home was in silence—which was good because it gave him time to cool down. Jimmy was tempted to bring her back to his loft to talk it out, but figured it was better to get her home.

On their way up the elevator of her building, she finally spoke. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

“You gonna tell me what the fuck happened?”

She glanced up at him briefly before looking away, twisting her hands in front of her. Dread and fear burned the back of his throat and he blew out a shaky breath.
Shit.
Maybe she shouldn’t tell him because he might end up doing something to Drake that could really land him in jail.

“If I tell you, are you going to tell my mom?”

He stepped off the elevator, and she followed. “I don’t know. I guess it depends on what happened, Case.”

“Mmkay.” She unlocked and opened the door for them.

He patted her shoulder. “Go get your PJs on and meet me in the kitchen. I’ll make some hot chocolate.”

“Mmkay.” She shrugged before disappearing down the hall and into her bedroom.

Jimmy made his way to the kitchen and grabbed the container of gourmet cocoa from the pantry. He set a pan of milk on the stove to warm and then pulled two mugs from the cabinet. Dragging his fingers through his hair, he yawned and glanced at the clock on the microwave. Four fifteen a.m. It was going to be a long night…or morning, rather.

Casey came into the room, clad in her jammies and fuzzy slippers, looking a whole hell of a lot better than when they’d gotten home. Jimmy wasn’t sure if she trusted him enough to share what went down, but he hoped so. She’d trusted him enough to call him for help, so maybe he’d get it out of her. Bottom line, he wasn’t going to let it go, and not understand exactly what they were dealing with. He spooned cocoa into a mug. “Glad you got all that black crap off your face.”

She took a seat at the island and smiled, but he could tell it was forced. “Yeah, makeup remover wipes are like magic.”

Jimmy slid the mug her way and then worked on making his own cup. “Magic…I guess that’s one way of looking at it.”

“Did you grab the marshmallows?”

“Nope. I didn’t see any in there.”

“I’ll get them.” Casey stood, shook out her hands, and grabbed the bag of mini-marshmallows from the pantry and brought them to the island. After dumping a handful into her mug, she offered some to Jimmy.

“I suppose cocoa
is
better with little puffs of sugar.” He smiled and dropped his own handful into his mug. “Although this gourmet stuff you got here is pretty damn sweet all on its own. Haven’t you ever had Swiss Miss? It’s what us average peeps drink.” He winked and took a sip.

They sat in silence for a little longer, both sipping their cocoa. Casey drew in a deep breath and focused on the dark liquid in her mug. After a few more beats, she spoke. “You’re waiting for me to start talking, aren’t you?”

Jimmy leaned forward, resting on his forearms. “Yup.”

“I figured.” Casey blew out a breath. “I was at Trina’s, like I told Mom I’d be, but then Drake texted and said there was a party. Trina didn’t want to go though.” She glanced up at him.

Jimmy tried like hell to keep his expression relaxed, calm even, but he knew his eyes probably had a fire blazing in them. “And?”

Casey glanced back down at her mug. “I snuck out after Trina fell asleep.”

“Okay, go on.”

She shrugged. “Well, the party was fine, ya know? I mean, only a few people there.”

“Drinking?”

“Some.” She took a sip of her cocoa.

“Drugs too?”

She flinched. “Some.”

Fuck!
“Casey, listen, you look like you’re crashing really hard right now from whatever you took. Kinda hard to fool me where that’s concerned, so just get on with what happened.”

“Are you pissed?”

“No. Not pissed. Worried and scared for sure. But not pissed.”

She stifled a yawn and rubbed her eyes. “Are you gonna tell my mom?”

“I don’t know. Like I said before, all depends on what happened.”

“Fine. I took some pills. Two of them. Not sure what they were.”

Jimmy grunted, but remained quiet. He had no idea if she was being truthful with him. She could be on any number of drugs. He wanted to believe she wasn’t, but there was no way to know for sure.

“I guess whatever they were, they’re finally wearing off. But I’m okay.” She shrugged and avoided his gaze.

Jimmy blew out a breath. “Okay.” He blew out another breath and grunted. “What happened with Dic—Drake?”

“It wasn’t that big a deal.” A tear streaked down her cheek. Turning away, she wiped her face.

Jimmy’s heart broke seeing her fall apart. He came around the counter and pulled her into his arms. “Hey, hey. Case, it’s okay.”

Casey wrapped hers around his waist, buried her face in his shirt and cried. He stroked the back of her head, and when she finally got a grip on her sobs, she pulled away. He handed her a napkin and she blew her nose. “Well, that was embarrassing.”

Damn, he hated that she was hurting, so he did the one thing that always worked with his younger sisters. He cracked a joke. “I’m just glad you didn’t blow all that snot on my shirt.”

His joke was enough to break a bit of the tension, and Casey giggled. “So gross.”

“Psshaw, you’re telling me? I’ve lost a few shirts to female snot before. It ain’t pretty, kid.” He cupped her chin in his hand, raising her eyes to his. “Whatever it is, you can tell me, Case. Seriously.”

“Fine.” She blew her hair out of her eyes. “We started messing around. In the room you found him in. But he always pushes me, ya know?”

He took a step back as anger bubbled to the surface. “Did he hurt you?” His voice was a low rumble and he knew he sounded pissed.

“No.” She shook her head. “Not
that
way anyway.”

“Okay, then in
what
way?”

She covered her face with her hands. “God, this is so embarrassing!”

“Casey.”

“Fine. He’s mean, okay? Because I won’t do it with him. He’s mean. He started calling me names. Told me I was a tease and didn’t say it that nice either. Why do guys do that?”

Jimmy pulled her into another hug. Jesus hearing this sucked. “Because, I’m sorry to say, some guys are assholes. Not all, but some.”

“Yeah well, I guess I picked an asshole.” Casey hugged him tight. “Tomorrow he’ll be all sorry about it.”

“Uhhh, no he won’t because I told him to stay away from you.”

She jerked back from him. “Why did you do that?”

“Because that guy is bad news, Casey, and he’s going to get you into trouble. Were you too high to even notice the chick curled up and cozy with him in bed when I got there? You need to stay away from him.”

Casey stood. “Well, I’m not gonna. You’re not my father. You can’t tell me what to do!”

“You’re right; I’m not your father. But right now, I’m the one who’s here, and I’m also the one who came and got your rebellious ass. So yeah, you’re going to stay away from him.” Jimmy stepped back and crossed his arms. She needed to hear this, whether she liked it or not.

She shot him a glare. “Screw you. Screw everybody!” She turned and stormed out of the kitchen.

Jimmy blew out a breath and stared down at his feet. “Well, that went well. Not.”

Casey was tired and upset and, by now, probably hung over. It was best to let her sleep it off. He’d try to talk to her more in the morning. As far as telling Sonja, he figured Casey wouldn’t tell her mother, and Jimmy planned to decide if telling her was necessary in the morning too. For now, he and Casey both needed some sleep.

Chapter Thirty-Five

In a half-dream state, Sonja felt the warmth of James’s body pressed against her back and then his arm slid around her waist. She covered his hand with hers and scooted her backside closer. “Is everything okay?” she whispered.

He kissed her shoulder. “Yeah, mo chroí, everything’s fine. Go back to sleep.”

“Mmm…okay.” Raising his hand to her lips, she kissed his fingers and closed her eyes.

When Sonja opened them again, the sun was shining through the edges of the drapes. Turning over, she faced him. He was lying on his back, arm draped over his face, still sound asleep. Sonja ran the flat of her palm down his chest to his stomach—and he didn’t so much as flinch. She smiled, guessing she must’ve worn him out more than she thought last night.

Sonja rolled over and got out of bed, heading for the bathroom. She turned on the shower and stepped inside. Pouring a generous amount of shampoo in her palm, Sonja massaged the long lengths of her wet hair into a lather. It was still early, and Casey wouldn’t be home for a few more hours. Maybe she and James could go out for breakfast.

Sonja finished up in the bathroom, got dressed, then wandered back to her bedroom. James was still asleep. He looked so peaceful, she contemplated not waking him. Deciding to give him a little more time, she went out to the kitchen and started a fresh pot of coffee.

After having two cups of coffee, reading through the paper and giving in to her hunger by eating a muffin, she wandered back to her bedroom. It’d been about an hour and half, and he still wasn’t up. Maybe he was sick. Sonja moved to his side of the bed—when the hell did she start referring to it as
his
side of the bed? Sonja shook her head and sighed. She supposed it had
become
his side, hadn’t it? Smoothing the hair off his forehead, she smiled. Damn this man for sneaking into her life like he had. Damn him for accomplishing what she swore last night she’d never let him do.

Stealing her heart.

Sonja bent over him and pressed a tender kiss to his lips, then placed soft kisses along his jaw to his ear. “Wake up, honey.”

James jerked a bit, then cupped the back of her head with his palm. “What time is it?”

She nipped his earlobe. “Just past ten thirty, sleepyhead. You feeling okay?”

“Mmhmm. Just tired.” He ran his hand down her back and pressed her closer. “Casey up yet?”

She kissed down his neck. “No, she’s at Trina’s, remember?”

He sat up. “Wait. She’s not here? Did you check her room?”

“No. Why would I check her room?” James got up out of bed, practically shoving her aside and donning his jeans. “What’s wrong?” She followed him out of her room. “James? Where are you going?” Sonja stopped when he knocked on her daughter’s door.

“Casey?” He knocked again.

“Honey, what’s going on? I already told you she’s not here.” She grabbed his arm, but he pulled away and knocked again. He was in a state of panic.

Before she could stop him, he opened Casey’s door and barreled into the room. Sonja went in after him.

“Fuck!” He turned to face her, a look of sheer panic and fear on his face.

“James, for God’s sake, what’s the matter with you?”

“Shit…I can’t fucking believe she did this.” He ran into Casey’s bathroom, and was back out in mere seconds. “Where does she keep her backpack?”

Sonja glanced around her daughter’s messy room. Clothes were strewn everywhere. “In the closet. You know what, you’re scaring me. Maybe you need to sit down.”

He opened the closet door and rummaged around on the floor. “I think she’s taken off.” He moved to her and grabbed both of her arms. “Casey called me last night. I picked her up from some party with that scum boyfriend of hers, and now she’s gone. Her backpack isn’t here and neither is her iPad or phone. So, please, call the police. I’m getting dressed.” He turned away from her and ran out of the room.

Sonja took a deep breath to calm down. He was talking crazy. Getting hysterical along with him wasn’t going to help the situation. She followed after him to her bedroom. “Are you sure you didn’t have some sort of nightmare?”

“Sonja, I did not have a damn nightmare.”

“For goodness sake, she’s at Trina’s. That’s why her backpack and stuff is gone. Let me call her, and you can even talk to her. Just, take a breath for me, okay?”

“Fine.” He pulled his shirt over his head and nodded before bending to put on his socks and boots.

Once she got Casey on the phone, she was definitely going to make him lie back down. He obviously needed a little more sleep. Sonja dialed Casey’s cell. Holding the phone to her ear, she took a seat on the settee and listened. It rang and rang, then went to voicemail. Disconnecting, she glanced up at James. He had his hands on his hips, an impatient look on his face. “The girls are probably still asleep. I’ll call Trina’s mother.”

“Fine. Since you’re looking at me like I’m nuts, you do that. But I guarantee you, your daughter took off and is probably with that dickhead right now!”

Raising both brows, she leveled her tone. “James,
do
not
raise your voice at me.”

He let out an exasperated sigh and crossed his arms. “Fine. Make the call.”

Sonja shook her head, mostly in disbelief at this whole display. Bringing up Trina’s home phone number, she hit the call button and put the phone to her ear. Maybe she needed to rethink that whole he’d-stolen-her-heart thing because this crap was outright unacceptable. Trina’s mother answered after the third ring. “Hello, Adrianna, sorry to bother you, but Casey didn’t answer her phone. I assume she’s still sleeping. Could you wake her please?”

“No problem, Sonja. Just a second.”

“Thanks.” She glanced over at James, who was now wearing a path in her carpet, pacing. “She’s going to wake her up. Will you please sit down and relax?”

With his hands on his hips, he continued pacing. “No.”

“Sonja, you still there?” Adrianna asked.

“Yes. I’m here.”

“Casey isn’t here. Trina said she woke up earlier this morning and Casey was gone, so she went back to sleep. She figured she went home.”

She stood up. “Are you certain?”

“That’s what Trina said. Is she not home?”

“No, but I’m betting she’s wandered down to the Starbucks or something. Thank you, and again, sorry to disturb.” Sonja disconnected the call and stared down at her phone.

“She’s not there, is she?” He turned and headed for her door. “I told you! Dammit, Sonja, call the cops.”

She ran after him. “You still haven’t told me what exactly happened last night, and if you would give me a minute, I’ll text her. I’m not calling the police. Please stop jumping to conclusions.” James walked to the kitchen, and she followed, sending a text to Casey to call her ASAP. “Have a cup of coffee and you can tell me what happened.” She moved to the pot and poured him a cup and handed it to him.

He took it from her, set it on the counter and glared at her. “Call the police, then I’ll tell you what happened.”

Anger beat through her like a drum and she slapped her hands down on the counter top. “Call the police and say what exactly?” She’d about had enough of these theatrics. “What the
hell
happened?”

“So much for not raising voices, right? Her room is a mess. Her stuff is missing. And she’s not here. Report her as a runaway! You’re a goddamn lawyer, you should know this.”

“She has
not
run away!”

“I got news for ya, denial’s
not
a river in Egypt, sweetheart. Now, call the fucking police.”

Sonja flinched like she’d been slapped. The last damn thing she was was in denial. Her daughter wouldn’t
actually
run away. The idea was preposterous. Sonja pressed her lips together. The fact that James accused her of being in denial was offensive, and downright insulting. Refusing to even look at him, she cleared her throat and spoke. “You can leave now.”

“Like hell. I’m not leaving.”

“If you’re not going to explain to me why my daughter called you to pick her up last night, then there’s no reason for you to be here.”

“Fine. You win.” He blew out a harsh breath and took a seat at the counter. “She called me from some shit-hole apartment down in the Village.”

Sonja’s ears began to ring. The Village? She gripped the edge of the countertop. Casey didn’t have any friends in the Village. “What do you mean?”

“I mean just what I said. Around three a.m. I woke up to my phone ringing. Casey was scared and crying and asked me to come get her. So I got dressed and went and got her.”

“What the hell was she doing in some apartment in the Village?” Sonja’s voice came out in a high-pitched tone. She flinched at the sound and tried to tamp down the panic spreading through her body. She swallowed, and her vision went hazy. James must’ve gotten up without her realizing it because in a flash he was in front of her. She tried to focus on his face as she gripped the front of his shirt. “What the hell was she doing there?”

“Shh, mo chroí
,
take a breath.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Come on, sit down.” Sonja let him lead her to one of the bar stools. After he’d settled in the seat next to her, he turned the chair to face him and continued. “She was at Trina’s, and Drake called. Apparently there was a party. She wanted to go, but Trina didn’t, so she left after Trina went to sleep.”

Bile rose in Sonja’s throat, and she clasped her hands together in her lap. James took her hands in his and squeezed them. “She was a mess when she called so I made her text me the address, and I went and got her.”

Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked in an effort to clear them. How could he take this upon himself, keeping something so important from her? “Why didn’t you wake me? You should’ve woken me.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. But I didn’t want you to freak out. I figured I’d grab her and get her back home safe. If she truly wasn’t okay, then I would’ve woken you when we got back. But she was fine, just a bit shaken up.”

“You didn’t have the right to make that decision. I’m not okay with what you did.” She pulled her hands away. “Tell me what happened.”

“Look, I did what I thought was right at the time. You don’t have to tell me what I have a right to do and not do. You’re wasting time and energy taking your fear out on me. What you should be doing is calling the police.”

Sonja crossed her arms and anger beat through her. Who in the hell did he think he was talking to? “First of all, I’m not afraid, and you need to stop telling me what I should be doing in regards to my family. Secondly, you can’t just come in here and step into a role no one invited you into.”

“I’m not stepping into any role, but if you really want to argue that point right now, consider why she called me instead of you.” James stood and turned to leave.

Sonja flinched again at his harsh words and pressed her hand to her chest. “Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving. You’re right, I’m out of line. She’s your daughter and not my responsibility. You do what you want with her.”

Panic ricocheted through her stomach. Jumping from her seat, Sonja grabbed his arm. “At least tell me what else happened, please?”

He stopped, but didn’t turn to look at her. “She’s fine. We talked for a little while once I got her back home, but then she got pissed at me.”

Sonja moved around him in order to see his face. “Why did she get pissed at you?”

“Because I told Dickfazio to stay away from her. She didn’t like that. She stormed off and went to bed and so did I. You can get the rest of the story from her if you want.”

“James, wait.”

“No. I’m tired of waiting. Tired of caring. And always being left on the outside. I’m done.” The cold tone and look in his eyes made her blood freeze in her veins. He stepped around her and left the kitchen.

Sonja rubbed her arms, unsure what to do next. A few minutes later she heard the echo of the front door closing. She swallowed, and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Grabbing her phone, Sonja sent a text to Casey.

With her phone in her hand, she waited another thirty minutes for a reply from her daughter. When one didn’t come, she dialed another number and forced herself to say the words she’d never imagined would come out of her mouth. “Hello. Yes, this is Sonja Martin. I need to report my daughter as a possible runaway.”