27. twenty-five
twenty-five
. . .
ASPEN
A few hours later, Crew left for work, leaving me once again alone in his big house. After all the excitement from the morning, I crawled back into his bed, his intoxicating scent surrounding me, and promptly fell to sleep.
When I woke again, a glance at my phone screen told me it was nearing three p.m. For the first time in a long time, I felt well rested. My scars weren’t bothering me, and bad dreams hadn’t chased me from sleep.
I got up, showered in Crew’s massive, glass-walled shower, standing way too long under the head that mimicked rainwater, letting it wash over me, soothing me.
Once I was dressed and set the coffee to brewing, I squared my shoulders and strolled outside to assess the damage.
I wasn’t sure whether to be happy or sad that my car was gone, leaving nothing but a wide, misshapen scorch mark in the center of the concrete pad I’d parked on. The garage doors had also been cleaned, though the once-pristine white paint now sported a pink tinge as a reminder of the words that had been there before.
You can run …
A shiver wracked my body, and I rushed back inside, slamming the door and triple checking that the lock was bolted, the security system armed—then made my rounds of the rest of exterior doors and windows to ensure the house was completely secure.
My stomach was still too unsettled to eat, despite the fact that I couldn’t name the last time I’d consumed a meal, so I took my mug of coffee into the office, sitting in front of the murder board and thinking while I sipped.
What were we missing?
After another hour, my coffee was gone, and my eyes were gritty from staring so long at the wall, willing a clue to jump out at me.
I knew what I’d normally do in these situations: go for a walk. That always did wonders for my peace of mind, both from a stress standpoint, and because allowing my thoughts to wander was the perfect brainstorming activity.
Walking Crew’s property without anyone nearby should something happen was a terrible idea, doubly so because I had no idea where I was going. But I was already getting a mean case of cabin fever after only a few hours cooped up inside. I needed fresh air. I needed to feel the sun on my skin and hear the whisper of the leaves on the trees rustling in the wind.
What Crew didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, right?
With that thought, I brought my mug back to the kitchen, rinsed it and loaded it in the dishwasher, then retreated to my room to change into a pair of leggings and a comfy tee, pulling a fleece overtop that I could remove if I got too warm.
My taser was stuffed in the pocket. I wasn’t that reckless.
Stepping outside instantly improved my mood. Like the band that had been holding my lungs hostage finally slipped free, allowing me my first full intake of breath since…God, I didn’t know when. Maybe since before I’d been abducted.
Crew’s property was stunning. The house itself was shaded by a few maple trees, and a long dirt path cut off the main drive into a field that went on what seemed like forever until it butted up against a thick stand of pine trees in the distance. I walked along one of the narrow tracks made by years of tire treads, the tall country grasses swishing around my calves.
And to think, this and what I’d seen at the Lawless family home were only small portions of the ranch land. I found myself wishing to explore all of it, to take an ATV and ride along tracks like this one that likely crisscrossed the acreage. I wanted to learn more about the rescue and dude ranches, pick Trey’s brain about his security company. Hear Aria sing for a crowd. Listen to more stories about their parents and the brother who didn’t live here.
I wanted to learn how to ride a horse, and hear more about Finn and West’s ranch operations.
I wanted everything when it came to this place.
I stumbled a step, that thought pulling me up short.
For the first time in way longer than I could remember, despite the fact that I had a crazed serial killer after me, I was at peace. This place, these hills and valleys, the people.
Crew.
All of it had settled me in a way I’d never found before, not even in my own home. I loved my parents, but I’d never been very good at living up to the high standards Lola had set, and when she was gone, well…I couldn’t compete with a dead girl. I missed my sister with every fiber of my being, and I wished more than anything she was still here, giving me nieces and nephews and growing old alongside me. Instead, she was frozen in time as that perfect girl about to graduate college at the top of her class, forever setting the bar out of my reach.
I knew Mom and Dad loved me, and maybe they didn’t mean to, but they constantly made me feel like I was never good enough. Like everything I did fell short of the woman they expected me to be. And that included when I’d landed the Sun Times job right out of college. Instead of “we’re so proud of the woman you are” I often heard “why can’t you be more like Lola?”
After the ordeal that ultimately had me giving up my life in Chicago in favor of running as far away as I could, I stopped trying to meet their expectations, though they still refused to give up the fight. Mostly Mom. Dad was happy one of his daughters still drew breath.
I didn’t understand why that couldn’t be enough for Mom. Even now, after I’d almost lost my life again , she hadn’t been able to let the impossible standards go, nor had she given up trying to micromanage my life despite my constant protestations.
After leaving Chicago, getting my PI license and bopping around the country had been fun—in theory. But I’d never felt the pull to put down roots any deeper than the shallow ones I’d planted in Denver.
That was nothing compared to the way I felt about Dusk Valley.
A lot of that had to do with my sexy-as-sin, tattooed, overprotective roommate.
I spent a few hours wandering the property, and while nothing in regards to the case jumped out at me, I felt recharged when I returned to the house.
Until I walked inside and was greeted by the faint strains of music.
Someone was in the house, and I knew it couldn’t be Crew. He’d texted me a bit ago from the station to check in.
Wrapping my fingers around the taser in my pocket, I prowled down the hall from the mudroom, pausing to peek around the corner into the kitchen.
I found Trey at the stove, humming softly to himself while he stirred a pot of something bubbling, steam wafting into the air around him and scenting the room with a deliciousness I couldn’t name.
“What the fuck,” I breathed .
Trey whirled on me, grin on his face. “Nice walk?”
“How did you—” I cut myself off, mentally smacking myself in the head. “The cameras.”
He nodded. “They’re placed sporadically around the property to keep an eye on things.”
“Someone should’ve told me.”
“Where would the fun be in that?”
I grumbled in response, then withdrew my phone to call Crew.
“Hey, little phoenix,” he said in greeting, and the nickname had warmth blooming in my chest.
“Why is your brother here?”
“I asked him to come check on you.”
“So now I’m a captive and I need a babysitter?”
“You just took an unsupervised walk on my property,” he reminded me. “You’re hardly being held captive.”
I snorted. “ Unsupervised my ass. You had eyes on me the entire time.”
In the background on his end, an alarm blared, and Crew cursed under his breath.
“I have to go, but we’ll talk later.”
“Don’t bother,” I said, hanging up.
All the peace I’d found on my walk evaporated in an instant, replaced by a fury so consuming, I was genuinely shocked smoke didn’t pour from my ears.
I whirled on Trey, about to tell him to get the fuck out, but he held up a hand.
“I’m not leaving, so you can give up on that little crusade right now. I made you dinner, so you can sit down and eat with me like a good girl, and maybe I’ll leave you alone afterward.”
“Fuck you.”
“Only if you ask nicely.”
Groaning, I clenched my fists at my sides, pressing my nails into my palms until the sting grounded me. Otherwise I’d do something insane like take a swing at him.
“Really, I don’t need you here. Your fancy security system will keep me safe until Crew gets home in the morning.”
“No can do, little one.” He pointed the wooden spoon, stained red from the sauce he’d been stirring, at one of the island stools. “You might as well sit and enjoy the meal.”
Knowing there was no way I was getting rid of him, I reluctantly slid onto the seat. “I’ll eat because I have to, but I can assure you I won’t enjoy anything about this.”
Trey tipped his head back and laughed. “I like you.”
“The feeling is not mutual.”
With a grin, he returned to the stove, and I texted Crew.
ME
I hate you.
HOTSHOT
C’mon, little phoenix. You don’t mean that.
ME
Okay fair. But I do hate your brother. I don’t need a babysitter, Crew.
HOTSHOT
I know you’re miserable, and I’m sorry, but please do this for me. If it makes you feel better, he’s a hell of a cook—and maybe I’ll make it up to you later.
That got my attention.
ME
I’m listening…
HOTSHOT
We’ll discuss when I’m home
ME
You’re a menace.
HOTSHOT
See you in the morning
I cursed and dropped my phone face down on the counter.
Trey chuckled, his back still to me. “I take it that went well.”
“I’m stuck with you until tomorrow.”
“I promise I’m a good time when you get to know me.”
Truthfully, I didn’t doubt that, but Trey wasn’t the kind of good time I was interested in. It did, however, make a certain amount of sense to get to know him platonically if I was going to be sticking around and becoming a permanent fixture in Crew’s life.
But that was putting the cart before the horse. I hadn’t even talked to Crew about the epiphany I had on my walk. I couldn’t get ahead of myself.
Trey moved around the kitchen like he knew the layout as well as he knew that of his own home, and I had to guess he spent a significant amount of time here. Despite the way they antagonized each other, the brothers were obviously close.
My eyes practically glazed over as I stared at him, my mind a million miles away.
To me, having a vehicle had always equated independence. As long as I had wheels and enough money for gas, I could go wherever I wanted, and no one could stop me. I’d gotten my license only a few weeks before Lola died, and I used to drive around in her car, blasting the mixed CDs she kept stowed neatly in a case in the center console, crying and missing her.
Now, I was effectively trapped here like a princess in a tower, and I hated it. Hated Trey for invading our space—yes, our , and no, I wasn’t going to examine that word choice too closely. Hated this killer for putting my life in danger and dragging Crew and his family into it.
Most of all, I hated myself. For not being stronger. For not being able to find this guy already. For being taken down so easily outside the bar that night, and for giving this fucker the chance to continue terrorizing this wonderful town and its residents because I couldn’t remember a goddamn thing about the day I’d been held captive.
“You’re thinking awfully hard over there,” Trey said without looking at me as he plated the pasta dish, then withdrew a bottle of wine from the pantry.
“Want a glass?” he asked.
I shook my head, knowing I needed to keep my wits about me where this man was concerned.
And damn was I grateful I had as the next twenty minutes played out.
Once he’d poured himself a healthy serving of the Cabernet, he grabbed the plates of food and inclined his head to the table.
“Come eat.”
“I’m fine here.”
Like hell was I sitting at that table with him like this was some sort of friendly meal.
As far as I was concerned, Trey was an interloper, and interlopers didn’t get cordiality.
“Fine,” he said tersely, his unflappable attitude was starting to wear thin.
Unceremoniously, he dropped the plate in front of me, and I grinned at the shift in his mood. Maybe I could piss him off enough to make him leave.
Not interested in carrying on a conversation or even acknowledging his presence, I dug into the food.
I barely silenced the moan that wanted to escape me.
First Crew, then Birdie, and now Trey? Was there anyone in this family who was a bad cook ?
“You can say it,” he chuckled softly. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
I swallowed the mouthful and spared him a quick side eye. “It’s…fine.”
“Keep fighting it,” he said, and I saw his mouth stretch into a grin in my periphery. “But you know that’s the best pasta puttanesca you’ve ever had.”
Not bothering to respond, I shoved another forkful into my mouth.
Yeah, equally as good as the first.
And maybe I’d been teetering on the edge of hangry, because the more I ate, using the thick, crusty slice of homemade garlic bread to mop up any lingering sauce on my plate, I almost softened toward Trey.
At the very least, I came to tolerate him enough to not be outright hostile when he asked me questions. Unlike with Crew, though, I kept my cards close, giving him clipped answers.
For the entire meal, he tried and failed to engage me in a meaningful conversation. Honestly, I should’ve bolted to my room the second the last mouthful passed through my lips, but I remained rooted in place.
Which gave Trey the perfect opening to do something really fucking stupid.
He put his hands on me.
One of his massive palms slid up my thigh, pinky arcing dangerously close to the apex, and I scrambled to my feet, knocking over the stool in my desperation to get away from him.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“C’mon, Aspen,” he grinned. “We’re all alone in this big house with nothing else to do. Why not pass the time getting lost in each other?”
“Because I want nothing to do with you,” I spat.
“No, you want my brother. But newsflash, Aspen. You’ve been living in this house with him for over a month and he hasn’t made a pass at you.” I nearly made a noise of protest, but I wasn’t giving Trey the satisfaction of being right. He smirked. “You don’t know my brother like I do. He’s too fucking noble to cross that line with you because he sees it as taking advantage of a woman in a vulnerable state. And he’s spent his entire career protecting women and removing them from such situations.”
Was that really how Crew saw me? A legitimate damsel in distress who couldn’t take care of herself?
No . I shook my head, throwing off Trey’s words before they could settle and burrow beneath my skin.
Trey may think he knew his brother, but he didn’t—not really.
Crew wasn’t locking me in this house because he didn’t think I could take care of myself, and he hadn’t asked Trey to keep an eye on me because I needed a babysitter.
Trey was here ensuring my safety because if something did happen, he didn’t want me to be alone. He wasn’t worried I wasn’t strong enough to handle whatever was thrown at me. He was worried about something happening to me and him not being here for me. Like my nightmare last night when I ran to him and he was gone.
Siccing his brother on me was the next best thing.
Still, that little niggling doubt wormed into my brain and wouldn’t let go.
Why hadn’t he made a move yet? There was no denying the physical connection between us. And for all his teasing and flirting and filthy promises, we hadn’t crossed that line, though clearly we both badly wanted to.
Lost in my inner turmoil, I hadn’t noticed Trey closing the distance between us until his hands snaked around my waist.
Instantly, my knee came up to his balls, and he dropped to the floor.
“What is wrong with you?” I hissed. “He’s your brother .”
Trey wheezed from the fetal position, looking up at me through watery eyes .
“Just checking the temperature around here,” he managed to gasp out, unfurling slightly from the ball he’d been curled into and resting on all fours.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
He was silent for a long time while he marshaled himself, and I couldn’t help but grin down at him. It seemed all my self-defense lessons paid off because I’d gotten him good .
At last, he sank back on his heels and scrubbed a hand over his face, sucking in gulps of air that eventually steadied.
“Crew is obviously into you,” he started, staring up at me, his face beet red as he struggled to regain his composure. “And now, I know you’re into him and can’t be swayed otherwise. I think maybe you two should stop dancing around it, and I just gave you the push you needed.”
“What happens between me and Crew is none of your business.”
“Keep telling yourself that, little phoenix . But my little brother has never once had an extended house guest, nor has he ever brought a girl to the ranch…until you. If you’re going to be around, you’re all of our business.”
“He’s doing me a solid by letting me stay here,” I protested weakly. “And he didn’t want to leave me alone.”
Trey shot me a look as if to say get real as he gingerly rose to standing, hand cupping his junk to adjust himself—or maybe to protect himself from further assault.
“If I never have children, I blame you,” he groused as he gathered our dirty dishes and his empty wine glass from the island and took them to the sink, where he rinsed then loaded them into the dishwasher.
“You’d have to find someone willing to sleep with you first,” I shot back. “And I’m not going to hold my breath.”
Trey chuckled. “Yeah, you’ll fit in just fine around here.”
I didn’t press the issue because truthfully, I was done with the conversation—done with Trey. So instead, I watched as he cleaned.
Like his brother, his movements were efficient and confident when he wiped down the counters and returned the kitchen to its original state. Where Crew only had a single sleeve of tattoos engulfing his left arm, Trey had one and a half, the ink on his right arm stopping right above the crease of his elbow. If it wasn’t for the fact that Trey was slightly taller and leaner, telling him apart from Crew, and even Lane and the twins, would be difficult.
He was, objectively, good looking. All the Lawless boys were beautiful. But my blood didn’t heat at the sight of any of them the way it did with Crew.
Trey making a pass at me had forced my hand, and Crew’s as well. As irritated as I was, I could almost appreciate it. He knew I’d tell Crew what happened, and Crew would either put up or shut up.
Still, I held my ground, watching him head for Crew’s room where he’d be sleeping.
I almost begged him to switch, but that would only make matters worse. So I let him go, staring at his retreating form, eyes darting up to his gaze when he paused at Crew’s door and turned back to me.
“You could do a lot worse than my brother, Aspen. And you could do a lot worse than calling this town home.”
With that he disappeared.
I know , I wanted to say.
I figured that out already.