Obsession (Steel Brothers Saga Book 2) (14 page)

“
W
hat is it
, Tal?” Jonah stood in his house, wearing nothing but a pair of swim trunks. “I was just about to take a dip.”

“Great. I’ll join you. We need to talk.” I walked past him into the foyer and through the kitchen out to his backyard, where his kidney-shaped pool was waiting.

“You brought your trunks?”

I shook my head. “I’ll wear my boxers. You know I don’t care about that.” I gulped down the lump that had formed in my throat. “I… I told Jade I love her.”

Jonah slapped me on the back. “Really? That’s great, Tal.”

“Really? Is it really great?” I tunneled my fingers through my hair. “You know I don’t have any business loving anyone, getting involved with anyone.”

“You have just as much business as anybody else. Especially if maybe you go back to see Dr. Carmichael again.”

“I don’t know if I can. I need to resolve so much. Which reminds me, I had a really weird revelation today.”

“Yeah? What was it?”

“One of those guys. Remember all that I ever remembered before was that one of them had that fucking phoenix tattoo on his forearm? Oh, and you’ll never believe this. Jade wants to get that exact same tattoo.”

Jonah jerked his head forward. “Say what?”

“Yeah, she saw it in a book at Toby’s. Out of all those fucking tattoos, she chose that one. Unreal. So I did a little research. The guy who designed the tattoo can’t remember who he gave it to, but said it was a fairly popular design twenty to thirty years ago. He only remembers putting it on someone’s forearm a few times. I’m going to see if I can get his records.”

“If he still has them.”

I let out a sigh. “Yeah. I know. He’s this old biker guy who says he was stoned half the time back then. I’m going to get a court order or something to go through his records.”

“Why don’t you just ask him to see the records?”

“I should have. I was freaking out so much over the whole thing that I didn’t think of it.” I rubbed my chin. “Now that you mention it, that’s what I’ll do. He’s very cooperative when I throw a few bills around.”

“Most people are, bro.” Jonah chuckled. “Is that what you wanted to tell me?”

I shook my head. “No. I had a revelation, like I said.”

“What was it?”

“One of the guys, not the tattoo guy, and not the one I remember having a really low voice. The third guy, the one who seemed to be more of a follower. Anyway…he was missing the littlest toe on his left foot.”

Jonah’s eyes bugged out. “How did you remember that all of a sudden?”

“Damned if I know. Things just come to me sometimes. Like a couple weeks ago, I had a dream or flashback or something, and I remembered those guys taunting me with a full glass of water that was just outside my reach. All of a sudden it made sense why I wake up in the middle of the night, pour myself a glass of water, and then stare at it and don’t drink it.”

“Talon, don’t you realize that if you went back to see Dr. Carmichael, she could help you with all of this? She could probably bring more memories to the surface.”

I scoffed. “You think I want to remember that shit? I remember enough of it as it is.”

“But don’t you see? These are clues. We could still catch these guys.”

“Are you kidding? Those guys have got to be long gone if they know what’s good for them. Not all criminals are stupid, you know.”

“Then why are you chasing the tattoo clue?”

Hell, I didn’t know. Because…because I had to do
something
. But why? I’d never had any urge to do anything about this before. It had been my cross to bear, and I lived with it. “I don’t know.”

“I think I do,” Joe said.

Not surprising. My older brother thought he knew everything. “You don’t know shit.”

He laughed. “Maybe not. But I think I know why you’re raring to do something now, why you’re following that tattoo lead. It’s because you want to move forward. Finally. Because of Jade.”

Jade. Somewhere, stuffed into the recesses of my mind, did I actually think I could heal? Become worthy of her love?

Did
my brother know everything?

I chuckled to myself. No, he didn’t. But he might be right about this. Damned if I was going to admit it though.

“You got nothing to say to that?” my brother asked.

“Nope.”

Jonah let out a guffaw. “Means you think I’m right.”

“No comment.”

He shook his head, laughing. “Have it your way. But back to these leads. Any lead is better than none. So far we have a phoenix tattoo on the left forearm and a missing pinky toe on a left foot. That rules out the majority of the men in the world.”

“Yeah, I thought of that. So I ran to the computer and did a search, but nothing came of it. I’m not sure what I was thinking. There’s no database of guys missing toes out there.”

“I know you never wanted to do this before, but maybe it’s time we hire a P.I. Those guys could still be found. They could still pay for what they did to you.”

If I ever found any one of them, he’d pay. At my own hand. I couldn’t say that to my brother, though. “Maybe. I’ll think on that. But what are the chances of catching those assholes this late in the game? It’s been twenty-five years, Joe.”

“Yeah, I know. But I’ve been thinking about something else.”

“What’s that?”

“I think it’s time we tell Marjorie the truth. About everything.”

Marjorie? Jade’s best friend? From whom she had no secrets? Oh, hell, no. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“She’s just…not old enough to handle it.”

“She’s twenty-five. The rest of us had to handle it when we were half that age.”

“Well…” And the truth came out. “She’ll tell Jade.”

“Not if we tell her not to.”

“Look, Joe, you and Ryan and I decided a long time ago that the past was best left buried and we weren’t going to unearth it. Just as much for your sake as for mine.”

“But
you’re
unearthing it, don’t you see? By following this lead about the tattoo and now about the missing toe. Are you planning to just let that go? And if that was your plan, why did you go chasing all over to Grand Junction to find the designer of that tattoo?”

I sighed. “Pour me a Peach Street, will you?”

Joe headed to the kitchen and returned a minute or so later. He handed me a drink. “Come on. Let’s go outside and sit by the pool.”

We situated ourselves in a couple of chaise longues, and I took a slow sip of my bourbon. Damn good stuff, Peach Street.

I recognized the contradiction. Here I was, still wanting to bury the truth, yet I had gone on a wild goose chase trying to hunt down that tattoo. And now here I was all excited that I remembered something about another one of those fuckers.

On the other hand, we had decided long ago to bury it.

As if reading my mind, Jonah said, “I know what we decided a long time ago. But we were kids then, Talon. Just immature kids. You were embarrassed, humiliated, and hurt, and we all understood that. Even Mom and Dad. Now we’re adults, all in our thirties, and quite frankly none of us will ever be able to move on unless we all face this. Together.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Do you truly love Jade?”

I wished I could lie to him. Better yet, I wished I could say “no, I don’t” and not be lying. Jade would be better off for it. But I couldn’t do either. I nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“Do you want a life with her?”

Again I wished I could lie, for her sake. “Yes, I do.”

“If you want a relationship with Jade or anyone, you have got to face this and put it behind you. And the only way to put it behind you is to confront it, accept it, and find some way to deal with it.

“Hey, guys.” Ryan walked out, sporting some trunks and a towel around his neck. “Hey, Tal, I didn’t know you’d be here. I just came over to take a dip.”

Jonah let out a laugh. “Ryan, you have a perfectly good pool at the guest house.”

“Maybe I wanted to hang out with my bros.”

“You didn’t even know we’d be here.”

Ryan let out a loud laugh. “True enough. But you’ve got the good booze here.”

“You, the wine man?”

“Hey, I’m allowed to have a craving for Peach Street every once in a while. Tal finished up my bottle the other night.” He held out a hand. “Don’t get up. I’ll just help myself.” He came back with a drink and the bottle. “So what’s going on with you guys?”

“Well,” Jonah said, “your brother here is in love.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Yeah, but this time he told her,” Jonah said.

“No shit?” Ryan said. “Good for you, Tal. Didn’t think you had it in you.”

It irked me when he said shit like that. Ryan was always jovial. Well, of course he was. Nothing had happened to him. I’d saved his ass that day. I pursed my lips and didn’t respond.

“And I was just telling Talon,” Jonah said, “that I think it’s time we tell Marjorie the truth.”

Ryan shook his head. “No, I disagree.”

“Thanks, bro,” I said. “That’s exactly what I said.”

“Why dredge all that shit up now?”

“Because Talon’s in love, damn it, and he’ll never be able to have a normal life with Jade until we all deal with this. Why do you think none of us have had serious relationships, ever?”

“I like playing around the field, basically,” Ryan said. “I assumed the same for you guys.”

“For God’s sake, I’m thirty-eight years old,” Jonah said. “It’s high time I settle down. The two of you aren’t getting any younger either. Don’t you want kids?”

I shook my head. “Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t bring an innocent child into this horrible world.”

“Tal, what happened to you was awful. Heinous. Unimaginable. But it doesn’t happen to most kids. Most kids have great lives, and look around you. Look at all that we have. All this is ours. We need a legacy to leave it to.”

“Marj will pop out some kids,” Ryan said.

“Maybe, but we need to carry on the Steel name.” Jonah rubbed his temple.

“Maybe she’ll have them out of wedlock.” Ryan swirled the whiskey around in his glass.

“Ha-ha. I’m serious. It’s time to face this, head on.”

“You know, guys,” I said, “this really has nothing to do with either of you. It’s all on me. It’s my decision.”

Jonah shook his head. “I am so fucking sick of you saying that, Talon. This affects all three of us. We all died a little that day. Ryan and I not nearly as much as you. I get that. But I should’ve been there for you. I should’ve protected you. And Ryan, he’s only here because of you. Because you protected him like I should’ve done for you. You think we don’t both harbor a hell of a lot of guilt over that? You know we do. I say it’s time we all move forward.”

I scoffed. “It’s real easy for you to say, Joe.”

“You know what? No, it’s not easy for me to say. Do you think I’m looking forward to sitting our baby sister down and explaining what happened twenty-five years ago? Are you kidding me? But she deserves to know how she came into this world, why she goes by her middle name, why her mother fucking committed suicide, for God’s sake.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but Joe kept right on yelling.

“Dad went to a lot of time and trouble and money to cover this up when it happened, but I’m wondering if he didn’t do us all a disservice back then. We were never allowed to deal with it. We swept it under the rug. Then poor Mom couldn’t deal with it. So she fucking offed herself. It’s time for this all to be over.” He slammed his hand down on the wooden arm of the Adirondack chaise longue he was sitting in.

Ryan’s lips trembled, but he did not speak. That was Ry. He accepted the fact that this was my decision. I was his big brother. I was his hero. I had saved him that day. He would never go against my wishes. I knew that as well as I knew that my name was Talon John Steel. If I fought Jonah on this, Ryan would be right behind me, having my back.

But was it worth the fight anymore? If I worked through this and came out alive on the other side, could I have a life with Jade?

Because a life with Jade was what I truly wanted. Ached for. I would never be able to live without her. She had become my obsession. As vital to me as the oxygen I breathed.

So I did the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I turned to Ryan, and I said, “It’s time.”

C
olin was here
? Hadn’t my ex-fiancé already given me enough heartache and headache to last the rest of my life?

“Could you tell him to go away, Felicia? It’s Saturday night, and I really don’t want to be bothered.”

“All right, Miss Jade.”

A few minutes later, Colin walked out onto the deck.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Jade. He just stomped right past me. I couldn’t stop him.”

“Oh my God. I’m sorry, Felicia. Are you okay?”

“Of course. He didn’t touch me or anything.”

I eyed Colin. “Darn good thing, or I might have him arrested for assault and battery.” I said the last through gritted teeth, referring to him having Talon arrested for the same. Granted, Talon had beaten the snot out of him, but I couldn’t say I was too sorry. This was the guy who’d left me at the altar a few months ago.

“Why in the hell are you back here?”

“Your new boyfriend and I have a court date on Monday. Have you forgotten?”

“I struck a deal with Talon’s attorney. You don’t even have to be here, Colin.”

“Yes, but I have a few words to say to the court. Like maybe I’m not happy with the deal that you struck.”

“You’re going to be getting full restitution.”

“I don’t give a shit about restitution, Jade. You know I don’t need any Steel money. I have my own. I want to see the guy rot in prison.”

“He’s not going to prison for a misdemeanor assault, no matter what you do. Have you forgotten that we have an eyewitness? Namely me?”

“Yeah, also the prosecuting attorney on the case. No way should you be handling this, Jade.”

I opened my mouth but shut it quickly. He was right. I had so many conflicts in this case, but my boss, the unethical Larry Wade, had insisted I take it.

“If I read the Colorado statutes correctly, he can get up to six months in prison for misdemeanor assault.” Colin smirked.

“Yeah, and as the city attorney on the case, I don’t think it’s worth the taxpayers’ time or money to pursue this any further. I’m pretty sure the court’s going to agree with me.”

Colin nodded. “Sure. Because Steel is a homeboy. He’s probably got the judge in his pocket.”

Marjorie stepped forward then. “You take that back, Colin. My family may have money, but we are decent citizens, and we don’t buy people.”

Colin rolled his eyes. “Do you think I was born yesterday, Marj?”

“Oh my God, Jade. How did you stay with this asshat for seven years?”

I had no clue. Seven years of my life down the toilet. What if I had married him? He stood there, his dirty-blond hair slicked back, looking ever so sanctimonious in his pinstripe navy-blue suit and yellow tie. Who wore yellow ties anymore?
Hello, Colin? This is the eighties. We want our tie back.

“What are you doing here now? The court date isn’t until Monday, and you can easily get a hotel room until then. Why can’t you leave me in peace?”

“I want to take you to dinner.”

“Not that I would go to dinner with you anyway, but Marj and I are just about ready to sit down to eat. Felicia made some awesome spaghetti.”

“Oh, I think you’ll come to dinner with me.”

“And why in hell would I do that?”

“Because if you don’t, I’m going to make things really difficult for both you and Talon Steel come Monday morning.”

My heart lurched a bit, but I—hopefully—concealed it, willing myself to remain calm. “Seriously? You’re going to threaten me? Threatening an officer of the court? Threatening a defendant?” I looked over at Marj. “You’re my witness. He just made a threat.”

“That wasn’t a threat, Jade,” Colin said. “It was just a fact. You think this kind of thing doesn’t happen in court all the time? God, you are naïve.”

“If you don’t leave now,” Marjorie said, “I’ll call the cops and have you escorted off my property.”

“Simmer down, Marj,” Colin said. “This is between Jade and me.”

“Well, Jade is on my property and currently under my protection.”

Colin let out a snort. “Under your protection? What are you, a gangster now?”

“It’s a good thing my brothers aren’t here,” Marj said. “They’d kick the shit out of you again, and neither one of us would stop them.”

“You’d better watch what you say too,” Colin said. “That sounded kind of like a threat to me.”

“Just a fact.” Marj curled her lips into a saccharine smile.

I shook my head. “Colin, you think you’re so damned smart, but really what you are is arrogant. You don’t know anything about how the law works. Now get out of here.”

“Not until you agree to have dinner with me.”

“She will do no such thing,” Marj said.

“She has a mouth. Let her speak for herself.”

“I’ll tell you what. If I agree to go to dinner with you, will you be gone by Monday and just let this deal happen?”

Colin was silent a moment, his jaw clenched. Then, “All right. You’ve got a deal. You go to dinner with me tonight, and I won’t appear in court on Monday.”

“Fine.”

“Jade…” Marj began.

“And Marj is coming with us.”

“Oh, no. That wasn’t the deal.”

“The only deal was that I would have dinner with you, Colin. You didn’t specify that it would be a private dinner.”

“Come on, you know exactly what I meant.”

I pulled my best innocent face. “I’m afraid I didn’t. You know how
naïve
I am.”

“Fuck this. Forget dinner. I will see you in court on Monday at nine a.m. sharp.” He stomped off the deck.

Marj was gnawing on her bottom lip. “I hope he doesn’t make things really bad for Talon.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think he can.” I hoped to God I was telling the truth. “I’m the city attorney. This is my call. As long as the judge agrees to the plea…”

“What?”

This time I bit my lip. I didn’t know anything about the judge in the Snow Creek Municipal Court. Could Colin buy her off? He certainly had the money, and he was mad as a rabid dog right now, thinking Talon was going to get off after beating him to a near pulp a couple weeks ago.

“Do you know the judge, Marj?”

She shook her head. “No, not well. Everybody knows who we are though.”

Even if Colin couldn’t pay off the judge, he could still show up in court and outline all the conflicts I had in the case and screw up the deal. I couldn’t take the chance. I had to protect Talon. Without saying another word to Marj, I ran the other way through the house and caught Colin as he was getting into his car.

“I changed my mind. I’ll have dinner with you tonight, if you promise to leave and not come to court on Monday.”