The Lover's Surrender (No Exceptions) (3 page)

“About Tiffany,
and your brother.”

“No.” I
grimaced. “Not quite.”

He
straightened and turned to face me. “Definite ‘not quite?’”

“I kept it
short.”

Kenny
leaned back, regarding me for a few seconds.

I pressed
my lips into a tight line, my heart beating faster as I remembered the morning
Brooke confronted me.

“Short?”
Kenny’s voice was low, but I could still hear the accusation. “How could you
keep your explanation about Nate being out of prison short? This is the guy who
wanted to kill her.”

I gripped
the edge of the table and watched my knuckles turn white from the pressure.
“You think that this comes easy to me?” I whispered, the words choking me.
“Fuck, bro, do you even know how much I hate him?”

The words
were sharp and the tone angry.

“Every time
I think of Nate, my blood turns to ice,” I continued, leaving Kenny no chance
to interrupt me. “I don’t know how to move forward without this hate consuming
me. I don’t even know how to sleep at night because my head keeps spinning and
thinking of ways to get to him without anyone knowing.”

I released
my grip on the table and looked up to catch Kenny’s expression, while fighting
the urge to grab something and destroy it with my bare hands.

Kenny’s
face remained surprisingly blank.

I moistened
my lips, eager to fill the silence with words. “I’ve never felt so much desire
to hurt anyone, not even when I was living on the streets and hated my father’s
guts for it. But now with Nate out and Brooke anxious, my wish has reached a
new peak. I want to kill him—protection witness or not.”

I even had
the perfect revenge plan. Now, if only I could get Brooke out of NYC.

If only
Brooke wasn’t so stubborn and unreasonable.

If only we
hadn’t fought, and my mind could focus on him instead of her.

My hands
wiped across my face, as if the motion could get rid of the bitter mark in my
soul.

“I get
you,” Kenny said.

I shook my
head slowly. “I don’t think you do, because you have no idea what Brooke went
through. Or what Nate said to me. It was hard enough to see him there, with
that smug smile of his, listening to what he wants to do to her, while keeping
up the façade,” I said through gritted teeth. “You think he’s forgotten? Well,
I’ve got news for you. He told me he dreams of raping Brooke every day. That he
is working on having her killed. He described his morbid plans every single
time that I visited him, and every time the details became more vivid.”

“Why didn’t
you tell me?” Kenny asked quietly.

Hesitating,
I raked my fingers through my hair. “Why? Because there was no point. It wouldn’t
have made me feel any better.” I looked up at him and caught the dangerous
glint in Kenny’s eyes. Just like me, he stood by his friends and helped in any
way he could, even if that help entailed breaking the law. “Of course, I know
he’s trying to scare me,” I added before Kenny decided to do something stupid.
“But if he was speaking the truth, trust me, I’m going to kill him first,
before he even catches a glimpse of her.”

“Killing
him won’t make you feel better. I don’t have to tell you that,” Kenny remarked,
his tone betraying that he was lying. He was worried about what I might do to
my brother. And rightly so.

“Maybe.” I
stared him down. “But I owe it to Brooke. To my father, who’s still in a coma.
I owe it to myself for allowing Nate to fool me the way he did. You can’t stop
me. Not when he’s killed so many people and when I know he’ll probably do it
again.”

Kenny
leaned forward, his lips curling into a smile. “Stopping you was never my plan.
But I’ll gladly join you. You tell me when and where, and I’ll be there way
before you, getting rid of him once and for all.”

“No, I’m
doing it.” I looked at him hard. “It’s my job.”

Every day I
kept telling myself that I’d get my chance for revenge. I wouldn’t let someone
else rob me of the chance once the opportunity presented itself.

“Then know
I’ll have your back.” His expression was serious.

For the
first time, I felt hopeful.

A mutual
understanding passed between us. Of course, Kenny would never let me down. He
never did.

“So…how are
things between Brooke and you?” he asked carefully.

I stood,
taking my time with a reply as I headed for the liquor cabinet. Grabbing two
glasses and a bottle, I walked back and poured us some bourbon. I handed Kenny
his glass, then dropped on the sofa opposite from him. Ignoring his questioning
look, I chinked my glass against his before I took a large gulp. It was only
when the alcohol began to course through my veins that I could feel myself
relaxing a little.

“I told
Brooke it’s complicated,” I said eventually. “That’s all she needs to know
right now.”

“Did she
believe you?” Kenny’s tone betrayed his doubt.

“No.” I
shook my head slowly. “Of course not. She believes I want to kill her to get
the fucking Lucazzone estate. Seems like we haven’t moved an inch in terms of
building trust.” I grimaced and drained the glass, then refilled it.

“There’s
still enough time to tell her, you know. I’m sure she’ll understand why you
need to get away.”

I grimaced
again. “Why’s everyone pushing me? First Tiffany, then Brian, and now you. You
realize Brooke’s pregnant?”

“She’s a
lot stronger than you give her credit for, bro,” Kenny said. “If she knew what
was going on, she’d play along.”

I stared at
him. He obviously knew nothing about Brooke if he believed she’d just let me do
my thing without getting involved. “And stress her more, or worse, get her
involved while risking her life as well as the life of our baby? Sorry, not
happening,” I said gravely. “Given her condition, I can’t take the risk. Her
doctor has been very clear. I don’t expect you to understand, but Brooke’s
condition makes her more susceptible to suffering a miscarriage than other
pregnant women. It’s not worth it.” I didn’t need to specify what Brooke’s
“condition” was. Kenny knew she had been drugged and kicked in the abdomen while
pregnant. We still didn’t know if the baby had been harmed.

“Right,”
Kenny said. “So you’d rather have her think you cheated on her?” The disbelief
in his tone didn’t go unnoticed.

“If that’s
the way to keep her out of this, then by all means, yes. She’s free to believe
whatever she wants, even though I didn’t cheat, and I told her that countless
times. It’s her choice whether she wants to believe me or not. It’s not like I
can force her to trust me with something that she doesn’t want to accept.”

I paused,
leaving the rest unspoken. Thunder echoed somewhere in the background as the
sound of rain splattering against the window increased in volume. The image of
Brooke all alone popped into my mind, and the fact that we were supposed to be
on a plane to Las Vegas, where the danger around us would have been forgotten.
At least for a while.

“So, how do
you think you’ll get her away now?” Kenny asked quietly, sensing the direction
of my thoughts.

“Don’t you
worry. I’ll think of something. I’m seeing her tomorrow.” I looked at him in
silence while taking another swig of the liquid that seemed to burn all the way
down my throat. “All that matters is that I take her away from NYC and keep her
distracted.”

“And if she
doesn’t want to come or doesn’t agree to see you?”

I
hesitated. The thought of Brooke not wanting to see me had entered my mind
before, but I had pushed it to the back of my mind just as quickly. Every time
I imagined her slamming the door in my face, or thought of not touching and
kissing her, a dull ache formed in my heart. But then I remembered her words,
her willingness to give up on us so easily, and the anger returned.

“No idea,”
I said grimly. “If she doesn’t want to see me, I’ll stay away until she’s given
birth, then I’ll try to explain. Maybe once her hormones have settled, she’ll
see more sense.”

Kenny shook
his head. “That could take months.”

I shrugged.
Did I have a choice?

“Well,
maybe this will help.” He tossed a brown package at me. I caught it before it
hit my stomach. I had noticed it before, when he had joined me, but I had paid
it no attention…until now.

I frowned.
“What is it?”

“Courtesy
of Brian.”

“Brian?” I
looked up from the bundle in my hands, surprised. Remembering my earlier
argument with Brian, I pulled a face. Gifts from Brian were never a good thing.

“I don’t
want it,” I said and pushed it back to Kenny. When he didn’t grab it, I leaned
over to press it back at him, if need be, but Kenny held up a hand.

“He
insisted.” He cocked his head toward the box. “Come on. Open it.”

I eyed him
dubiously. “Do you know what’s inside?”

“No, but I
might have some idea.”

It felt
light and was perhaps the size of a book. The brown paper was cheap and torn at
the edges, as though Brian had used it before. As much as I strained my head to
guess what lay hidden underneath, I had no idea. Reluctantly, I started tearing
off the wrapping, taking my time.

“Is this
some kind of joke?” I picked up the small gun, my frown intensifying. It was
barely bigger than my hand and almost as light as a feather. “Because this sure
looks like something a woman would use.”

Kenny
grinned. “Brian said it’s for Brooke.”

I met his
expression with another frown. “What for? So she can shoot me?”

Kenny let
out a snort. “I doubt the bullet could pierce through your chest, dude. You
should see how tiny it is. Like a pea.” He laughed, which only managed to
increase my irritation.

“I’m not
worried about my chest,” I mumbled. “Knowing Brooke, she’d probably aim for my
head if she got her hand on this thing. And since she’s never learned to aim,
she’d probably end up blowing off my toes—or worse.” I didn’t need to
specify what part of my body I was referring to. “Really, Brian could do a
better job giving her a club.” I placed the gun back inside the package and
handed the box to Kenny.

He shook
his head. “Keep it. It’s hers. Brian wants you to give it to her, and that’s
exactly what you’ll do…unless you want to piss him off even more than you
already have.”

My
suspicions instantly rose. “Why would he persist? I thought he was mad about
Tiffany.”

Kenny
shrugged. “Maybe he isn’t as mad as you thought he’d be.”

“He was
when I left the hospital.” I narrowed my eyes. “What happened?”

“He gave
you a gun before,” Kenny said.

“That was
years ago. Before he found out his girlfriend kissed me.”

“He didn’t
find out. You told him. That’s different, isn’t it?”

 
It was my time to shrug. “It’s all the
same to me. I highly doubt just telling him the truth has turned him grateful.”
I paused for a moment, pondering what could have caused the gang leader to
suddenly warm up to Brooke. I couldn’t think of anything.

“He’s
grateful. That’s the real reason?” I prompted.

“He said he
owes you.”

“Owes me
for what?” I met Kenny’s eyes, noticing his sudden change in mood. His eyes
were lit up, and there was a smile on his lips. It had been three hours since I
left the hospital.

Something
must have happened in the meantime.

I couldn’t
imagine what it was, what could have changed Brian’s stubborn frame of my mind
and his annoyance with me.

“You’re
keeping something from me,” I said matter-of-factly. “Spill it.”

He nodded
as if he had been waiting for this reaction all along.

“Tiffany’s
pregnant,” Kenny said at last. ”They found out about an hour ago.”

For a long
moment, I stared at him as the words slowly began to sink in.

Eventually,
I leaned back, unsure how to react to the news.

“I thought
she couldn’t conceive,” I said slowly.

“That’s
what they thought, too.” Kenny leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper.
“But she got pregnant, damaged tubes and all. They call it a miracle. If we
hadn’t found her, she would have died. So Brian feels like he owes you.”

I stared at
him.

A child had
been Tiffany’s dream ever since she lost her first.

It was the
source of her problems, the constant battle with depression and alcoholism.
Brian always said that if she had another child, it would give her a new
purpose, a chance to redeem herself, and the strength to stay sober and recover
from her addiction.

“That’s….”
I trailed off, looking for words. When they failed me, I gave up. “Why didn’t
you tell me when you arrived?”

“I’m
telling you now,” Kenny said matter-of-factly. “Besides, the look on your face
is too priceless to be missed.”