Chapter 10 #2
I should probably lie to her to cover my ass, but for some reason, I can’t do it. “Logan and your brother had a falling out. I told him to talk to him, get it sorted, but he didn’t listen.”
“So, Stephen really was a corrupt cop?” she asks, her bottom lip wobbling.
Knowing it won’t do her any good to know just how corrupt her brother was, I downplay it. He isn’t alive to defend himself or explain, and Nevaeh learning all the shit her brother did will only hurt her. Fuck! When did I grow a damn pussy?
“He had some issues with gambling and was in over his head. He owed a lot of people a lot of money and was making threats to the wrong people. To be honest, I didn’t really know him.
I’m sorry for your loss.” And I mean that.
I would never wish death on her brother.
I wanted my money, to get him to stop with the threats and blackmail, but I didn’t want him dead.
And the fact Logan killed him so quickly has me wondering if Logan told me the entire story.
And now, finding out he’s in cahoots with some sex trafficker…
I’m thinking there’s more to this story.
Nevaeh nods slowly, and several tears fall down her cheeks. My fingers itch to stop them in their tracks, to wipe them away, but I don’t.
“The cops are acting like he wasn’t killed, and they made me feel like I was losing it. My parents don’t even know he’s dead, and I imagine there can’t be a funeral until he’s found. Everyone just thinks he took off on vacation.”
“He won’t be found, Angel,” I say. “And the cop you spoke to… He’s on my payroll.” The minute they showed up at Stephen’s apartment and saw it was wiped clean, I got a phone call. I didn’t have to say anything more than he’s on an extended vacation for him to know what I meant.
Nevaeh nods again in understanding. We sit here for a moment, neither of us saying anything, before she speaks again. “I want to give him a funeral. My parents are going to need closure.” She hits me with her watery eyes. “I need closure.”
“Let me first figure out what Logan is up to, and then once you’re safe, you can do that. Everyone thinks he’s on vacation.”
“Okay,” she whispers, more tears streaming down her face.
“I’m really sorry, Angel. I’m not a good guy, but I never intended for your brother to be killed.
I don’t know what the hell is going on with Logan, but I’m going to get to the bottom of it.
” I’m shocked by the shit coming out of my mouth.
I never apologize to anyone, but Nevaeh reminds me so much of someone I used to know.
She’s so damn innocent and shouldn’t have been pulled into this world.
But nonetheless she’s here and I’m going to make sure she makes it out alive and unharmed.
“Why do you call me Angel?” she asks.
“The night in the club you were wearing all white.”
“Oh, I thought you were making fun of my name.”
“Your name?”
“Nevaeh…it’s heaven spelled backward.”
It takes me a second as I spell her name backward in my head and then I’m laughing harder than I’ve laughed in a long time.
What are the fucking odds? The woman who attacked me in my club was wearing all white, she’s a damn virgin who worships God, and her fucking name is heaven spelled backward.
If there was ever a sign that I need to leave this woman alone, it’s her goddamned name.
“What’s so funny?” Her nose scrunches up in annoyance.
“Nothing.” I shake my head, still chuckling. “I wasn’t making fun of you when I called you Angel. Honest.”
“Okay.” She stands. “Well, if I’m going to be stuck here for the foreseeable future, I’m going to need some clothes. Can you take me to my apartment?”
I pull the covers back and get out of bed.
“I’ll go by your place and grab your clothes.
It’s best for you to stay here. Logan wouldn’t think to look here for you.
My dad lives in New York, only visiting occasionally for business, and when he does, he usually stays at the hotel.
And I have a townhouse in Margate City. He would look at those places first. My dad never liked Logan, so he was never invited out here to his beach house. ”
“I have a roommate…Blaire. She’s going to be worried. And I need to notify work. We went back to work today from spring break. I also need to call my dad to let him know I’m okay. I got into a fight with my mom yesterday and was supposed to go to their house to finish our conversation.”
“I’ll grab your purse and cell phone,” I tell her, remembering I have both at my place.
“Oh! You have them? I thought it was all destroyed. When the detective tried to track it, it came up untraceable.”
“I turned it off. You can call whoever you want to check in, but you’re going to need to take some time off from work. Tell them you went on an impromptu vacation.”
“I can’t afford to take time off work, and I’m going to be leaving my students and the principal hanging.
I was planning to quit, but I was supposed to give my two weeks’ notice so they could find someone else and I could hopefully find a new job.
Plus, I’ve never gone on vacation before. They’ll never believe that.”
“If you’re taken by Logan, your job won’t matter anyway,” I say too harshly, but damn it, she just doesn’t understand what people in my world are capable of. “It doesn’t matter if they believe it. Just say it.”
She sighs. “Okay.”
“Why were you planning to quit your job?” I ask, curious.
She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and chews on her fleshy lip for a few seconds, debating what to say.
Then what she does say, shocks the hell out of me.
“I’ve decided to change some aspects of my life.
I’m done with the church and God and my mom for the foreseeable future.
And since they all go hand in hand, I’ve decided it’s best to quit my job. ”
“You’re done with God and your mom?”
She nods. “For now.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve spent my entire life giving them everything, all of me, and in the end, all they gave me in return were lies and heartache.
I’m going downstairs to make breakfast.” She turns and heads out the door, and once again, I watch her ass sway as she walks away.
I make a mental note to make sure I grab lots of pants when I pick up her clothes.
After showering and getting dressed, I head downstairs to find an omelet waiting for me.
It’s delicious, and I devour it in four bites.
It’s been over twelve years since a woman has cooked for me.
I go in search of Nevaeh to thank her and let her know that I’m leaving—this entire situation is beginning to feel way too domestic for my liking.
I quickly find her in the back of the house, lying out on a lounge chair by the pool.
It’s a bit warmer today, and the sun is shining in the cloudless sky.
“Thanks for the omelet. I need to get going. I’ll be back later.”
She gives me a soft smile. “You’re welcome.”
“If you want to go swimming, the pool is heated. My dad keeps an array of bathing suits in the guest bathroom. They’re all new.” I start to walk away, but she stops me in my tracks.
“Wait! Do you have an iPad or Kindle I can borrow to read on?”
“No, but when you walk past the dining room and make a left, two doors down you’ll find a library. It was my mom’s, so I’m sure there is a ton of romance crap in there.”
Her smile widens. “Thank you.”
“Yep,” is all I say before I leave, refusing to acknowledge what her smile does to me.
After swinging by the club to check on shit and go through some applications and interviews with Erika—successfully hiring several new people—I go by my place to grab some clothes, as well as Nevaeh’s purse.
Reaching into her purse, I pull her cell phone out and turn it on.
It comes to life, but the battery indicates it’s just about dead.
Before it dies, I go through the missed calls and texts that pop up.
There’s a missed call from her mom, and one from Blaire, but no voicemails.
Clicking into her messages, I find one from Blaire, mentioning that she’s staying with her boyfriend longer than she planned.
The next one is asking why she’s not at work.
Apparently Nevaeh’s mom called Blaire and told her Nevaeh never showed up for work, so now she’s worried.
I shoot her back a text, giving her the excuse of taking a last minute vacation, like we discussed.
The next set of texts are from Gerald, the asshole I met at the club.
Gerald: I can’t believe you are with that guy.
Gerald: I know you didn’t cheat on me. You’re too good for that.
Gerald: Did you have sex with him?
Gerald: I waited for you for two years and got nothing! Such a damn tease.
The texts continue, getting angrier the longer she doesn’t respond, and something snaps in me, wanting to defend this woman.
He thinks she’s a tease and a cheater because of me.
I went off at the mouth that night not knowing she’s a virgin.
I had no idea just how good of a person she is.
I’m about to text him back, admitting I lied, when I see a text from him calling her a whore.
My anger gets the best of me, and I shoot back a message telling him to go fuck himself then block his ass from her phone.
What the hell was such a wholesome woman like Nevaeh doing with an asshole like that guy?
I delete the entire conversation.
There’s a few more texts from her mom and principal asking where she is and if she’s okay, but I ignore those.
She can deal with them when I give her back her phone.
I throw it back into her purse and head over to her apartment.
It’s about fifteen minutes from my place, over in Pleasantville.
I find her unit number and am about to break in when I remember I have her purse, which means I have her keys.