15
Walker
Poppy has been quiet on the drive back to Georgia. Too quiet. But I know she’s over there, in the passenger side, just stewing. Wondering what my uncle could have possibly been talking about when he said I was paying a price.
After her ultrasound showed no internal damage, we headed home. But little does she know that part of the deal I made with my uncle on the phone last night wasn’t just for him to check her over. But also for him to help me keep her safe. She told me that Van owed some bad people money and they were coming to her to pay them. But that’s really all she’s told me so far, and because it just happened last night, I don’t want to push her to open up right now. But tonight, I’m going to need to find out exactly how much he owed them before he died and everything else about her attackers. My uncle has friends in the police force who agreed to help find them. So, that’s what we need to do.
Unfortunately, when I asked him for his help, I basically signed my life over to him. But what choice did I have? Poppy is in danger. I’ve failed her so many times, and I’m not going to do that again. Especially because if I don’t protect her, who will?
Even if it means that, just like Briar, I’ll be stuck marrying someone of my uncle’s choice once Poppy is better. Marrying into a family strictly for my uncle’s benefit is sick and fucking insane. But then again, that’s who Dr. Beckett Benson is. The TV just doesn’t show that side of him to the people watching him on the screen.
Briar has spent the past few months with Beckett’s wife, Natasha, in Italy. This is all because Beckett brainwashed my sister into an engagement with the son of a powerful couple.
My uncle’s circle is much like that of a cult. And if you stick around too long, you’re going to drink the Kool-Aid. One thing my uncle couldn’t stand about me while I was living with him was, I refused to drink that shit. I’d never get that thirsty. But now, I don’t have a choice. Poppy needs the type of protection that I can’t afford without Beckett’s help.
“Are you going to talk at all or just sit over there and be bitchy?” I finally mutter.
I basically feel her anger radiating now.
“That depends. If I talk, will you lie? Because it sure seems like you’re hiding something for a dude who was just begging me to trust him last night,” she sasses, her eyes fixed on the window.
Keeping one hand on the wheel, I run the other over the top of my head and groan. “There’s nothing you need to know right now. It’s not going to make this entire situation any fucking better—I can promise you that.”
“You’re so predictable.” She laughs bitterly. “You are good though—I’ll give you that. Just when you convince me that it’s all good, that I can trust you, and that you are the boy I grew up with…you remind me that isn’t the case.”
“Fucking A, Poppy!” I roar. “That is not true! Everything I do is for you!” I slam my fist against the console. Instantly regretting it when she flinches. “S-sorry.” I grimace. “I didn’t mean to scare you. But, Christ, Poppy. Everything I’m doing, I’m doing with you in mind.”
“Then, tell me the truth,” she bellows. “What is the deal you made with your uncle?”
I grind my back teeth together, staring straight ahead at the highway. I could tell her right now, but it would only make her entire fucking situation worse. She won’t want to hear that I’m about to be engaged to someone who isn’t her. And she certainly won’t want her safety to be the reason why. Nothing good will come out of me revealing the truth right now. Other than I wouldn’t be lying to her.
“I’ll tell you soon enough, I promise.” Glancing over at her, I cringe. “I can’t say the words out loud myself. Just give me a little time, okay? To see if…to see if I can change Beckett’s mind.”
She looks at me for a split second before snapping her gaze back to the window. “Fine,” she mutters. “Whatever.”
The only girl I’ve ever wanted is sitting beside me. Battered and bruised. But last night, I had to choose between her safety and knowing that I’ll never get the chance to be with her again.
I have to keep her safe. I’m the only one who can.
*********
Poppy
“Why are we here?” I look at the swanky hotel we’re parked in front of. “Like…why?”
Killing the engine to the truck, he stuffs his keys into his pocket. “You said yourself that you don’t want anyone to see you beat up,” he says, shrugging. “You’re going to stay here until you’re healed.” He pauses. “Oh, and until your attackers are found and…dealt with.”
My eyes must grow to the size of saucers, and my mouth hangs open. “Walker Samuel James, I know that you are not bringing me to this hotel and holding me hostage.” I poke my finger into his arm. “No freaking way have you lost your mind enough to do that.”
“Actually, that’s exactly what I’m doing,” he says, unfazed. “Deal with it, Poppyseed.”
“You’ve got to be joking,” I snarl. “You’re going to, what, force me to stay here? Like Cinderella trapped in her tower?”
The corner of his lips turns up. Clearly, I said something to entertain him.
“Christ, Poppy. Even I know it was Rapunzel in the tower, not Cinderella.” He shakes his head, laughing lightly. “You are literally the least romantic human being on the planet.”
“I’ll be romantic one day,” I sass, “when the right man comes along.”
I watch as his grip on the steering wheel tightens and his eyes narrow.
“Oh, yeah? Maybe I’ll keep you in there forever then.”
“Right. You’re going to tie me to the bed and force me to be your prisoner.” I huff, rolling my eyes. “You don’t scare me, big guy.”
He sucks in a breath, and I watch as he shifts in his seat. And when my eyes float downward, I bite my bottom lip when I notice the growing bulge in his pants.
“Sounds like wishful thinking on your end, babe. Be careful. I’m going shopping for some clothes for you later. I can easily pick up some rope or handcuffs,” he drawls slowly. “It’s obvious that’s where your mind is right now.”
It takes me a few seconds to unclog my brain enough not to act like a pathetic idiot. So what if I’m now having thoughts of him tying me to the bed and devouring my body? Who cares? That doesn’t make me a weak bitch.
Not at all.
“Come on,” he says, sighing when he looks me over. “Everyone in here is about to think I’m a fucking woman beater.”
He has a point. I’m rough-looking, to put it lightly.
“I’ll just wait in the truck until you get the key.”
“Fuck no. We’re too close to Brooks. Those two lowlife thugs could be anywhere. For all I know, they are tracking you.” His eyes widen. “Which reminds me, I’m going to have Hudson look at your phone later to make sure they didn’t put anything in it to track you.”
“They never had my—” I pause before scowling. “Who the hell is Hudson?”
Pushing his door open, he jumps out, and I can sense the hesitation all over his face. “He’s going to be your security guard while I’m not here.”
He closes his door and comes over to my side.
I shove him backward when he tries to help me down. “A guard? Now, you’re not only keeping me here hostage, but I also have to have a babysitter.” I shake my head. “No. This is absolutely absurd.”
“Yeah, see…it’s not a request.” He shrugs. “Besides, don’t get your fucking panties in a bunch. You can order room service all day long. You can use the pool and hot tub once you’re healed enough. Oh, and they have a spa. I know you’re not really into that shit, but you could test out being a chick for once and do girlie stuff. And, oh, I don’t know…enjoy yourself.”
“Fuck you,” I hiss, folding my arms over my chest.
“Such a dirty girl.” He tsks me. “So eager for me to fuck you again.” Sliding his hands onto my waist, he dips his forehead to mine. “Just think, if you have a fit right now and cause a scene, someone could call the cops. And I’m pretty sure we just drove all the way to South Carolina because you didn’t want to get cops involved, right?”
I huff out a deep breath and groan. “Fine. But move and let me get out of this truck alone. I don’t need your help.”
Stepping back, he holds his hands up. “Suit yourself.”
As I step down from the tall truck, my stomach screams in agony, but I force myself to keep it together. I refuse to show him how hurt I am right now.
I don’t need someone to save me. I’ve been saving myself my entire life.
*********
Walker
Such a sassy girl.
Here she is, limping along in front of me on our way to the elevator, acting like a tough guy, not wanting any help. When I got our key cards from the front desk, I saw the receptionist giving Poppy a look of horror. I’m sure she thinks I did that to her, and that makes me sick to my stomach. I’d never hurt her. Hell, I’d fucking jump in front of a bullet just so that it couldn’t get to her first.
Under her eyes, she is black and blue with a purple hue in some spots. Her cheek is the same, but it also has a pretty deep laceration that Beckett put butterfly stitches on.
Stopping in front of the elevator, I can tell she’s uneasy, being in a place this fancy. Especially looking the way that she does in the Wolves hoodie and sweatpants I grabbed for her from my dorm before we headed to South Carolina last night.
The doors to the elevator open, and out walk two middle-aged women, all dressed up with their hair perfectly curled. They openly gawk at her face, not so much with empathy because of her bruises, but more with disgust. Especially when their eyes rake over her attire.
“You should see the other guy,” Poppy mutters with a small smirk before brushing past them and onto the elevator.
Following behind her, I can’t help but chuckle and shake my head.
“Real funny, Poppyseed. Real funny.” I press the button for the twelfth floor, and the doors quickly close.
“What?” She shrugs. “They were staring. Staring is rude.” She sighs. “They look like their names would be, like … Margaret and Eloise or something. Stuck up and offended by everything.” She pats her legs. “They don’t know what they are missing. Sweatpants are life.”
She has a point there. They did look like they’d be like that. Then again, I bet ninety percent of the people in here look like that too.
Her eyes widen when we step out of the elevator after the doors open.
“There are only two doors up here? Which means …” Her voice stops.
“A penthouse suite. And before you get even more annoyed, I only did it because it seemed the safest. Plus, this way, Hudson will have the room next door.” I shrug. “No matter if we stayed at the sketchy Super 8 downtown or the most expensive place in the area, my uncle was going to keep the deal the same. I figured … fuck it. Might as well make it nice. Right?”
“So, this Hudson dude isn’t going to stay in the same room as me then, right?” She raises an eyebrow. “That’s what you’re saying.”
Rearing my head back, I scowl. “Fuck no, he’s not staying in a room with you.”
I trust Hudson. I really do. But the dude is attractive. And covered in tats. And pure muscle. So, no, he isn’t staying in a room with my girl while I’m gone.
“Walker, this all seems too—”
Putting my hand on the small of her back, I lead her to the door and flash the key card in front of the black pad. When it blinks green, I open the door and usher her in.
“Holy shit,” she whispers, walking through the kitchen and into the living room. Looking out the windows for a few seconds, she quickly heads toward the bedroom. “Wow. This is the nicest bathtub I’ve ever seen,” I hear her call out. “There are those fuzzy robes. The ones I’ve seen in movies.”
Moments later, she emerges. Only now, with her eyes narrowed and a hand on her hip.
“You said that Hudson will be here when you can’t be. So, let me get this straight. Since Hudson gets the room next door, that means you’re staying there when he’s gone. Correct? Because there’s only one bed. And … yeah. Not happening.”
“What’s not happening?” I ask, amused.
“You. And me. In a bed. We’re not sleeping together. Like, not sleeping together. As in real sleep. And we’re not … you know, hooking up.” She stops, clearly flustered. “So, anyway, you’re staying in the other room. Right?”
“First off, we already did sleep together. And I enjoyed it, in case you were wondering. And second, no,” I say as I walk over to the window and look out at the parking lot. “I’m staying here. With you. Will that be a problem, Poppyseed?”
“Umm … yes. Yes, it will.” She stomps her foot down. “We can’t … you know … do what we did,” she whispers.
“Why are you whispering?” I grin. “Who exactly are you afraid is going to hear you?”
Even with the bruises, I can see her face turn red.
“Shut up.”
Pulling her phone from her pocket, she presses the side button to turn it on. And within seconds, it’s vibrating like crazy as messages come through.
She looks anxious, chewing on her bottom lip. We’ve spent enough time together that I’m confident she doesn’t have a boyfriend. But some of those messages coming through could be from guys. And I don’t fucking like that.
“I’m going to go into the bedroom and make some phone calls,” she says softly. “I need to figure out everything with the school and with Jolene too.”
“I emailed the school from your phone last night,” I say casually. “They said they’d pass the message on to Jolene.”
She’s pissed now. Stomping toward me like a kid who wants a lollipop or some shit.
I’ll give her something to suck on any day of the week.
“What exactly did you say?” she hisses through gritted teeth. “That is such an invasion of privacy.”
“I said you had some family things going on and that you would be out of town for the next week or so. And that if they could email you your assignments, that’d be fucking awesome.” I stop, winking. “I didn’t say fucking awesome, so don’t panic.” I nod toward her phone. “It’s all in your email. You can see exactly what I said, Poppyseed.”
“You had no right,” she growls, tipping her chin up at me. “That’s like … stalker, creepy, Lifetime movie ex-boyfriend type of shit!”
My eyes involuntarily roam down her neck, and my cock twitches. I always love when she gets feisty. I find it incredibly fucking hot, to be honest.
“What I think you mean to say is … Thank you, Walker. That was nice of you to take care of that in all your spare time,” I say smoothly. “So, you’re welcome.”
Her nostrils flare as she continues to glower up at me, but eventually, she trudges off into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
In a perfect world, she and I could use this next week or so of her healing to build back everything we lost. But what would be the point when she can’t be mine in the end anyway?
I’m already ruined for anyone else. But one more taste of her, and I’ll never want anything besides her. Another time inside of her, and I’ll be in too deep to get out.
Who am I kidding? I’ve been in too deep since we were kids. Everything in my life begins and ends with Poppy Wilson. And now, because of it, I’m about to pay the ultimate price.
I sit impatiently on the couch, staring mindlessly at the TV. Poppy went into the bedroom and locked the door over two hours ago and has yet to come out. Eventually, she needs to eat something and take her meds.
Fuck, her meds.
I look at my phone to see the last dose she had. Because, yes, like a fucking weirdo, I wrote it down. Given her family’s history of drug addiction, she refused anything from my uncle for pain, but has been steadily taking Motrin and Tylenol, and it’s seemed to help.
She has fifteen minutes until her next dose. If she isn’t out by then, I’m going to break the door down if I have to.
There’s a knock at the door, and even though I know it’s Hudson, I still check through the peephole. Sure enough, I find his handsome, gigantic self-standing there.
Hudson’s sister owns the strip club near Brooks, the one a lot of chicks who attend Brooks work at. Hudson’s worked there as a security guard every now and then for the past few years. But he’s also traveled with a lot of celebrities and rich people—my uncle included.
When Beckett and Natasha took Briar to Italy weeks ago, Hudson went with them as Briar’s personal bodyguard. But a few days ago, he flew back to the States. And perfect timing because he’s one of the few I’d trust with Poppy. He might be terrifying to some, but I know Poppy will be safe with him when I can’t be around.
Though I’ll admit, I worry she might be checking him out. I’ve only been around him at a few events, but women would turn into blubbering idiots when he so much as looked at them. Which makes me wonder how it went with him being Briar’s guard. Though my sister isn’t one to throw herself at any man. She’s tough. But for whatever reason, my uncle has turned her into a meek girl who does shit like agreeing to marry a man she doesn’t know.
Opening the door, I hold my hand out, and he clasps his hand with it and leans in, bumping his chest to mine.
“Well, if it isn’t Uncle Boobies’ biggest problem child,” he says with a grin. “You know, my sister is pissed at you. I was supposed to be working at Peaches these next few days.”
“Hey, I’m not his child at all,” I point out. “He’s just lucky that I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to Briar alone. When I do, I’ll make her an even bigger problem child.”
His face grows somber for a moment, and there’s no mistaking his sense of sadness. “Yeah, I, uh … how’s she doing?”
His fumbling over words surprises me because he’s not a man who does that. “Guess she’s getting married sometime soon,” I mutter, dragging my hand down the back of my neck. “Fuck if I know with that screwed up bunch.”
“Yeah,” he mumbles, looking off in the distance. “It’s … it’s pretty fucked up. Isn’t it?”
“You ain’t kiddin’,” I drawl, opening the door wider. “Come on in, man. My … guest is in the bedroom right now. So, we can go over details.”
“Guest, huh?” He chuckles. “I’m going to start callin’ your ass Mr. Lewis.”
I scowl. “Who in the fuck is Mr. Lewis?”
“You know, Edward,” he deadpans. “The dude from Pretty Woman.”
I stare blankly at him. “Yeah, sorry, but I don’t watch chick flicks in my spare time.” I shake my head. “Isn’t that movie about a fucking hooker? Poppy sure as hell isn’t a hooker.”
He looks amused, and his lip twitches. “You ought to watch it in your spare time, young gun. Anyway, moving on since your ass clearly doesn’t appreciate a good movie, tell me … what’s the job? I got the gist of it on the phone earlier, but I want more details.”
As he takes a seat on the barstool, I lean on the counter to face him. “So, last night, when she was leaving the coffee shop where she works, she was attacked by two guys wearing masks.” I try to keep my voice even as I talk, but it’s really fucking hard. “Her brother Van recently overdosed. But apparently, he owed people money.” I speak low, not wanting her to hear me in the bedroom. “Bad people.”
“Shit,” Hudson mumbles. “So, what’s your plan? You can’t keep her locked up forever, you know.”
“Poppy’s the most private person I know. I knew she wouldn’t want anyone to see her beat up the way she is. So, while she heals, we can keep her safe.” I pause, looking down for a moment. “And while she’s here, safe, Beckett’s hired a few officers to find out who the scumbags are. And to take care of them somehow.”
He pulls in a deep breath, leaning back on the stool. “Fuck, man. Officers?” He waves around the room. “Two penthouse suites?” He shakes his head, pointing toward himself. “My protection?” Grimacing, he swipes his hand over his face. “With a dude like your uncle, that must be one fucking deal you made. Did you sign your life over or what?”
My stomach churns. Hudson knows how my uncle works. He’s traveled to enough events with him to understand how selfish and calculated he is. I think that’s why he isn’t working with him anymore.
“Yeah. Pretty much,” I mutter, tipping my chin up toward the closed bedroom door. “But just like her old man, her brother ran with bad people. So, if selling my soul to the devil means I get to keep her from ever getting hurt again or dragged into that shit, so be it. Beckett can do his worst. I don’t care.” I shrug. “I’ve seen it all. There’s nothing he can do that scares me. As long as that girl in there gets out of this and can go on to live her life and I can keep playing hockey, fuck the rest.”
“You know, that sure sounds like love, brother.” Hudson grins. “And don’t you worry. We’ll keep her safe. You and me.”
“Fucking right we will.” I nod. “I appreciate you being here, man.”
“First things first,” he says, taking his phone out. “Every call that comes through her phone will be coming to mine too.”
I relax a little because I know that she’s in the best hands with Hudson being involved in keeping her safe. The dude knows his shit. And if her attackers are dumb enough to actually contact her, it’ll be game over for them. Because he’s smart.
My eyes find the door again, and I know I’m going to have to force her to open that door soon because she needs her medicine.
And I’d also really, really like to sleep in that bed beside her.
***