Chapter 24 Elizabeth
ELIZABETH
Finn swivels in his chair the second we step inside, his gaze flicking to Brady before landing on me. Brady slows beside me, his hand brushing the small of my back. I don’t think the others notice, but his touch allows my lungs to expand.
Sera is leaning against the far wall, arms folded. To the casual observer, she’s watching Finn, but I can tell she’s focused on me.
“The deleted voicemails,” Finn says. “I could only get three of them.”
I lick my lips. “There were only three. He called several times, but he didn’t always leave a message.”
Finn gets to his feet. “I pulled them from your carrier’s backups. They’re pretty degraded, but I cleaned them up as much as I could.”
He gestures to the chair in front of his station. My knees feel strangely loose as I cross the room and sit. Brady moves in close behind me, his palm settling on the back of the chair.
“Ready?” Finn asks.
No. Absolutely not.
I nod.
The first message clicks on.
Elizabeth… I don’t know if you’ll even listen to this, but I miss you. I was wrong. I’m sorry. I can’t… I can’t even remember when the small lies started twisting into bigger ones. And then I didn’t even recognize my life anymore. Somewhere along the line, I lost track of the truth.
The sound of his voice is more jarring than I expect—familiar and wrong at the same time. Brady’s thumb sweeps once across my shoulders where they peek over the chair back.
I know you are probably still mad at me. Or maybe you’re already over it.
The sound glitches, and then I hear Keith’s bitter laugh.
“I probably did you a favor by fucking up so bad. Let you move on with your life. You never said it, but I always knew. Saw it in your eyes. You didn’t think I was smart enough to be with you, and I sure as hell wasn’t strong enough to keep up with you.
I’m not sure anyone ever will be. You always had to be in charge, making all the decisions just because I didn’t do it as fast as you wanted, but we aren’t all as smart as you, Liz…
You’re like one of those robots, what do you call them?
Terminators. No holds barred, always winning…
The sound glitches again cutting off his diatribe.
My cheeks feel like they are on fire at the bitterness in his voice. I can’t bear to look at the others in the room and see their reaction, but the chair back creaks under Brady’s grip.
My chest is tight with dull pain in my ribs, and it makes me furious. This isn’t the first time Keith has said these things to me…
He was right about one thing. I should be over it.
I bite my lip because Keith isn’t done. He lets out a shaky breath.
I’m sorry. I’m just really stressed right now. I didn’t mean all that. Look, Liz… I need your help. I’ve… um… gotten myself into a bit of a jam. You’re the best negotiator I know, and I was kind of hoping you would help me.
Another pause.
I’m in real trouble this time, Liz. Please call me back.
Sera tilts her head in my peripheral vision. “That’s… not what I expected.”
“Second one,” Brady snaps.
Finn cues it up, and Keith’s voice sounds through the room again. This time it’s noticeably more subdued, and I clench my fingers together in my lap. He sounds afraid.
Hey Lizzie. I know you’re still mad. You have every right to be. I don’t deserve help, but…
There is an odd gulping sound, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he was crying.
I thought about the day we got engaged today.
The sound of the birds, the way you laughed and pretended to be surprised.
Huh, I guess we both were guilty of the little white lies.
You told me you loved me, and I was desperate enough to let you lie to yourself.
I know I didn’t deserve you, but—God! I’m such a fucking idiot.
Keith roughly clears his throat
I wish you’d go back there. Maybe we could go together. Soon. I… Just… Just you and me one last time. There’s something I need to tell you.
His voice grows softer, and I have to strain to hear.
You’re the toughest person I’ve ever met, Elizabeth. If anyone can figure out how to get us out of this… I didn’t mean to… I thought I was buying time. But I think I’ve run out of it. Be safe Lizzie.
My hands are shaking now, and I blink rapidly trying to banish the tears. How had we gotten so far from that day? Keith was wrong. I had loved him. Maybe not the way I should have, but I did. The memory of that young couple starting out after college graduation has my heart breaking.
Damn it. Two tears slip free and slide down my cheeks.
Brady takes my hand and squeezes, before swiping away the tears on my cheeks with his thumb.
The shock from his team is palpable, but Brady ignores them, bending to press a lingering kiss to my lips.
“You’ve got this, Firefly… and if you don’t…
Then I’ve got you.” The words are quiet, but there is no way the others don’t hear.
Sera hisses out a breath, but Finn and Vincent stay silent.
Brady straightens his hand still engulfing mine and says in a gruff voice. “Play the last one.”
Finn coughs, but then sound is playing again.
“Fuck! Liz. I’m sorry.”
The audio’s muffled and distorted, like the phone is in his pocket.
“He knew he was making the call,” Sera points out in a flat tone.
Keith’s voice comes through, tight and shaky.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know anything. She never—” A sharp cry follows.
Another voice, low and cold, “Who did you tell?”
“No one. I was just going to sell it.”
Keith’s pleading, but there is an odd, hopeless sound to it, like he knows it won’t do any good.
There are several dull thuds, then a scream.
“Lying will just make this take longer.”
I glance at Brady with surprise at the cultured female voice.
“We know you have it. Give it to me, and this will be over.”
“Please,” Keith wails, and my stomach turns. “Oh god, don’t. Please don’t.”
Something crackles like electricity. Another scream.
Keith is sobbing now. “I swear I don’t have it anymore. But it’s safe. If you just let me call—”
“Your ex-wife?” The woman sounds irritated. “Was she in on it?”
“She’ll give it to you, just let me call her.” Keith’s voice is panicked, and there is a shuffling sound before two suppressed gunshots.
I jerk in my chair, and Brady’s fingers flex around mine. Reminding me I’m safe.
“Let’s see what the ex-wife has to say…”
Another voice joins the two previous ones, ordering a car to be brought around. Then it’s just the sound of fabric rubbing against Keith’s phone.
I feel sick.
“Two men and a woman.” Vincent’s voice is impartial.
I swallow past the knot in my throat and push the chair back to rise.
I’m seriously concerned my legs won’t hold me as my ears buzz loudly, blocking out what the others are saying.
Brady releases my hand and finds the center of my back.
His palm is firm, and I lean against it before I think better of it.
Sera notices, her narrowed gaze darts between us, but she says nothing.
“I think I know what he’s talking about,” I manage. I have to swallow again against the metallic taste in my mouth, and I realize I’ve bitten my cheek hard enough to bleed.
“We got engaged on my grandmother’s property in Blue Ridge. She used to throw these big family get-togethers there. Keith loved them, mostly because he didn’t have a family of his own.”
Or he had until he decided that my rural family was beneath him and the image he was trying to cultivate in Atlanta. At first, I continued visiting without him, but eventually it became awkward. I was constantly making up excuses and finally stopped going to spare everyone the embarrassment.
“There’s a hollow in the tree by the pond. That’s where he hid the ring when he proposed.”
“He totally gave you up,” Sera says. “What a cowardly piece of shit.”
“Sera—” Brady barks, but I interrupt before the room can get more tense.
“You’re not wrong. But in a way I’m responsible. I always solved the problems he created.”
An odd look creases Sera’s face, before she averts her eyes.
Finn breaks the silence. “The property is in Blue Ridge?”
I nod. “It was sold a couple of years ago, after my grandmother passed, but Keith wouldn’t have known that.”
“We’ll head north tomorrow. I already have plans tonight.” Brady doesn’t need to spell it out. His tone says everything. He’s going after Carrow.
Fear crawls low in my stomach, and my lungs seize with anxiety, but I bite down on it, and allow him to lead me back upstairs to my room, Keith’s voice following me up the steps.
By the time Brady closes the bedroom door behind us, I’m a mess.
Standing in the middle of the room, I wrap my arms around myself.
Brady prowls toward me, crowding my space, until he’s backed me against the wall. His hands settle firmly on my arms.
“Breathe,” he commands.
I stare up at him, having difficulty processing his words.
“Breathe with me, Firefly.” He pulls in a long, deep breath and then blows it out slowly through his mouth. He lifts one hand to nudge me under the chin with a smile. “Come on, I look stupid if I’m doing this by myself.”
His words break through the panic racing through me, and I mimic his breathing until the vise around my lungs is gone.
“Good girl,” he praises, and kisses my forehead. “My sister is too blunt,” he admits. “But she’s not wrong. Even in asking you for help for the trouble he caused, he still made himself a victim and fired shots at you.”
The rock in my stomach is still firmly in place.
“I know.” My voice sounds small in a way I detest. “It’s just…
hearing him say all those things again…” I shake my head like it can banish the ugly memories.
My eyes fall to my feet, and I give voice to my deepest fear.
“What if he’s right? What if no one can be with me because I’m so—”
Brady cuts me off by kissing me hard.