Chapter 28
brOOKE
“There you are!” Casey said.
I’d just shut the front door of my house behind me when she stuck her head around the corner from the kitchen.
After she’d texted me that she wanted to talk about Roy, I’d tried to call her but couldn’t get through. I found her car in the driveway when Roy brought me here to pack a bag to go to Montana. She had a key to my place and had let herself in.
He hadn’t wanted to leave me here, but I told him Casey and I needed to catch up, so he’d reluctantly dropped me off to pack up his stuff–and the few things I’d left behind–and check out from the hotel.
I wanted to talk to her in private before I introduced them since it seemed like she had something to say about him.
“Where have you been?” Casey asked. “I flew back early to talk to you and make sure you’re okay.
” She exhaled hard. She was in a pair of black leggings and an old band t-shirt, but she had on full makeup, and her hair was up in her “flight attendant” style.
She hadn’t been back for long. “And why is there cereal everywhere?”
I hadn’t been in the house since the whole bad-guys-almost-shooting-me situation. Seeing the spilled raisin bran reminded me of what had almost happened here. At least the bodies were gone. It only solidified my decision to go to Montana with Roy. I didn’t feel comfortable in the house anymore.
“A crazy thing happened,” I told her. “I didn’t tell you about it when we talked on the phone.”
She gasped and came over to me, looked me over. Her gaze snagged on the bite mark on my shoulder. “Oh my God, did he hurt you?”
I slapped a hand over the mark. It didn’t hurt any longer, so I’d forgotten about it. “Who? Roy?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Roy. ”
I shook my head. “No, he rescued me. It’s a long story. I never told you how I met him in the first place.” I took a deep breath and pulled her to the couch where we sat down, ignoring the cereal under our butts.
I gave her a quick rundown about what happened from the beginning. With the work meeting and the wire transfer, the bad guys and how I’d run into Roy. I left out the part about him killing people and about being a wolf.
She listened, a frown between her brows. “I’m glad he rescued you, but do you think maybe this is happening a little fast?”
“I know, but he’s great. I really like this guy. That’s why I’m going to Montana with him. You know–to see if things can work.”
“What? No.” Casey set her hands on my shoulders to turn me to face her, and her eyes met mine. Hers were blue in contrast to my dark ones. “Listen, I have to tell you something about him. That’s why I texted you and came back early.”
A twist of misgiving started turning in my gut.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“I don’t know how to say this.” She closed her eyes then opened them. “I think he’s dangerous, Brooke. It’s even possible he killed someone.”
The twist tightened. “How did you–I mean, what makes you think that?”
I frowned, confused. How did she know about the guys in the garage? “Wait…what are you talking about?”
“He likely killed his commanding officer in the Marines.”
I forced my lips to move. “He k-killed his commanding officer?”
“I don’t know–maybe. Roy Banner, the guy whose driver’s license you texted to me, was arrested for murdering a superior in the Marines. The charges were dropped, but he was discharged. Kind of like they wanted to sweep something under the rug.”
Oh God. He’d told me he had something happen in the service, and he’d ended up in jail.
What had he said?
…on the third tour, I had this commanding officer…I had a run-in with him, and it landed my ass in a military jail cell…
Casey set her hand on my arm. “I guess the Lieutenant Colonel had a broken neck.”
Broken. Neck.
She squeezed my arm. “Maybe it’s all easily explained. I just didn’t want you going cross country with this guy until you knew everything about him. It’s not like I’m going to let you go if he’s a murderer.”
I swallowed hard. “I feel like I’m going to puke.” My brain was still reeling. Trying to mesh all the information together. All the red flags were waving in my face right now. The sense of urgency–to run out of the burning building that I’d made of my life was overwhelming.
I was all cold and clammy. Fear had crept into every cell of my body.
We turned our heads when we heard a vehicle pull into the driveway. I surged to my feet.
“Is that him?” Casey jumped to her feet, too.
I nodded, practically shivering now.
“I’ll be nice, but you can’t go to Montana with this guy. You can’t. You just met him two days ago. Two. You told me to remind you when you’re acting like your mom, so I am. You, Brooke Lee, are acting just like your mom, going off with a man you barely know. He might be dangerous.”
“Yeah. I know. Stay with me,” I pleaded and grabbed her hand. “Stay with me while I end things.”
“You’re ending things? Isn’t that a little drastic?”
“No. I’m glad you reminded me that I can’t trust my instincts with men. I almost did something really, really stupid.”