Chapter 12 Brooks
brOOKS
Ican't sleep.
I keep tossing and turning in my bed, opening and closing my blinds, turning on my white noise, turning it off, fiddling with the thermostat.
But nothing seems to work, because all I can think about is how tomorrow I'm basically throwing her to the wolves, sending her into the wild, where I know there is an actual threat.
And instead of protecting her from it, I've bought her some cute little outfits, and I'm sending her on her way. It feels irresponsible. It feels wrong.
I grab my phone, and I dial my brother. He's the only person I know who is usually awake past midnight.
“Hello?” he answers.
“Keat, can we talk?” I ask.
“Sure,” he says. “Is there a reason you're calling me at almost one in the morning?” Keaton and I have a complicated relationship.
Julian has always been a little bit more of a nurturing big brother, probably due to our age gap.
Keaton has always resented me. Our relationship has always been a little more complex because we spent more time in the same house together.
By the time I was walking and talking, Julian was already out of the house.
But there are some things I know I can talk to him about, and at the end of the day, we're still brothers. And just like I know I would do anything for him, I know he would do the same for me.
“I'm struggling, man,” I admit to him. “It feels so wrong what we're doing.”
“What do you mean?” he asks. “You know what Dad has done.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know,” I say. “I don’t mean that. I mean sending her in like this. It feels really risky. I’m worried.” There's a short pause, and then Keaton speaks again.
“You care about her, don't you?” he says. I scrub a hand down my face as I hold the phone up to my ear.
“Yeah, man,” I say, “I really do.” I hear Keaton sigh on the other end of the phone.
“What an inconvenient time for you to not act like a jackass,” he says, and I laugh at how similar his and Julian's responses are. It really says something about the type of guy I used to be.
“Julian warned me about this,” he says. “Look, Brooks.
I know we don't have a lot in common. It's not a secret that we haven't always gotten along, so I need you to know that I mean this earnestly when I tell you that I do want you to be happy.
Julian and I have been waiting for fucking ever for you to grow the fuck up and find someone or something that you find worth it to get your shit together.
And while it appears that this is the most inconvenient fucking time ever for it to actually happen, I'm happy for you. I know you care about her, but we need her, and by ‘we’ I don't mean you, me, or Julian. I mean all the women who our father has hurt for the last two decades, all the people who are out there who he hurt and whose lives he broke. We can't let that be the legacy that the Everett name leaves behind, and I know you know that too.” He’s right, but it doesn’t make this suck any less.
“We are so lucky to have Wren in this situation, and I'm so grateful for her offering to do this.
So I'm gonna ask you again, even though I know Julian already has. Please don’t fuck this up.
Please don't hurt her and make her regret this so that we're back at the starting line.”
“I hear you, Keaton” I say, “but I need you to hear me now too. I need you and Julian to reassure me that we are doing everything we can to keep her safe and to make sure that nothing happens to her. I need you to tell me all the things that are happening behind the scenes.” Keaton takes another breath.
“Julian has a contact who is a professional in situations like this. He’s the best in the world.
He’s going to have two of his guys positioned at and around the perimeter of the building every single day while she's there.
We're also going to greet her in the morning with a tracking device and a wire.”
“You're gonna make her wear a wire?” I ask, a little frustrated. I didn't care to be in on the plans before. But now it’s different.
“We have to. It's the only way we can get the evidence we need.”
I sigh.
“Does she know about this?”
“Yes, she does. She and I discussed it at the initial meetings that you didn't come to.” If I could go back in time and kick my own ass, I would do it. I don't regret taking the trip with my mom, but I regret not meeting Wren sooner. I blow out a long breath.
“Okay, and what about us?” I ask.
“We can't be seen, Brooks. No one can see us near the building, so if you're gonna be a dumbass and still go, I need you to promise me that you stay invisible.
Don't take the car. Take something else. Park somewhere private. Make sure your windows are tinted, and wear a fucking hat. Do not fuck this up.”
“I hear you, big brother. I won't,” I promise him.
“Brooks, I want you to know that I really am happy for you,” he says again. “And she's going to be just fine. We are all gonna take care of her. I promise.” I smile.
“Thanks, Keat. I'll talk to you in the morning.” I set my phone down on the nightstand and stare up at my ceiling. I replay his words in my head.
She's going to be just fine. We're all gonna take care of her.
Yes, we are.
I wake up the next morning to my alarm blaring next to me.
The blinds open automatically, as they do every morning, but the sky is still dark.
I get up, change into some gym shorts and a t-shirt, and walk down the stairs to my gym.
I get a good run in on the treadmill, lift some weights, and sit in the sauna before I go back upstairs to shower.
I check my schedule for the day. A few meetings scattered about. That shit makes me anxious as hell, not being able to be at her beck and call. I send her off a text.
Good morning, beautiful. I hope you're feeling ready to kick today's ass, I say.
I'm in the car now, she says. Not feeling super kickass. Feeling a lot more stressy than anything else.
I press her contact, and I dial her.
“Good morning,” I say before she even says anything on the other line. I hear her giggle, and it makes my insides twist. “How are you feeling now?” I ask. She laughs again.
“A little bit better.” Now I laugh.
“Good. I know I have that effect on people.”
“I'm sure you do, loverboy,” she says.
“What do they have you doing today?” I ask.
“Today is just supposed to be some sort of orientation, but the only thing on the schedule says meeting with Cato at 9 a.m.” I swallow, and I feel my heart rate start to pick up.
“Okay,” I say. “According to some of the survivors that we interviewed, it didn't sound like things got too weird right away, but you have all your tools that my brothers have set you up with, right?”
“Yep. Everything is secured and turned on,” she says. I want to make a sex joke here, but the timing doesn't feel like a joke.
“Okay, good,” I say. Look at me being all mature. “I have a few meetings in the earlier part of the morning, but then I'll be around the building. If anything goes wrong, I just want you to get out, okay?”
“What do you mean?” she says.
“I want you to get out of the building,” I tell her. “I don't care what cover it blows. I don't care who sees you. Just promise me that you'll do whatever it takes to get yourself safe until I can get to you.”
“I promise,” she says on the other line. I nod my head.
“Very good. Now, can you be ready by six o'clock tonight?”
“Ready for what?”
“Ready for your first-day-of-work celebratory dinner,” I say. She laughs.
“Yes, Brooks. I'll be ready.”
I'm a nervous wreck the rest of the morning.
I'm checking my phone for updates from her, and when I don't get them, I'm incessantly texting my brothers to see if they've heard anything.
Finally, it's lunchtime, and I almost break my ankle jumping up from my desk when I see that she's calling me.
I run to shut my office door before I pick it up.
“Baby,” I say.
“Hi,” she says.
“How's everything going? What's happening?” I ask her frantically.
“Honestly, nothing,” she says. “Everything has been super normal.
Some lady came in and gave me what seemed to be a legitimate orientation today.
They gave me a badge, and I just had a meeting with your dad and that Randall guy.
They also gave me a voucher for a free lunch, so I'm walking across the street to some restaurant Cato recommended.
I only have one more meeting for the day, and then your dad told me that I should get home early before the traffic gets bad.
I can see why people fall for him. He's got the whole charming-billionaire thing down.”
I scoff on the other end of the line.
“Charming, my ass,” I say.
“Don't worry, hon. No one is as charming as you,” she says. I don't laugh or even break a smile.
“Just promise me that you'll stay vigilant,” I say.
“Brooks,” she says, “I got this.” I nod into the receiver as if she can see me.
“Okay, baby,” I tell her. “I know you do. Have a good rest of your day.”
“You too,” she says, and then she hangs up. I finish my last few meetings for the day before I leave the office. I check in with Gary, who is the only connection I have to my dad's rogue hiring procedures.
“So whatever happened to the hottie, Gary?” I ask.
“Oh, the brunette?” he says, and I hate the way she is whittled down to just one physical characteristic.
“Yeah, her,” I say, gritting my teeth the entire time.
“I think she got hired somewhere,” he says, playing dumb.
“There's no way the powers that be were letting a piece of ass like that slip out of their hands.” I force myself to giggle before I tap the top of his desk and tell him to have a good night.
I just needed to see what the consensus was about her around the office.
I know Gary knows she was hired, but he's pretending not to know where, or maybe he really doesn't. But either way, it appears that her involvement at Everett Enterprises is still very much anonymous, and I would like to keep it that way.
Finally, I'm back in my car, cruising back to my apartment so I can change before dinner.
She texted me shortly after to tell me she was on her way home and that everything went smoothly.
I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding.
I feel my chest loosen up a little bit, and I realize just how bad I have it for her.
My every thought is consumed by her, and if it's not how badly I want her body or how badly I want to totally possess her mind, it’s how desperately I need to keep her safe. It’s the lengths that I would go for her.
I'm pulling up outside of her apartment, but just as I'm getting out to go get her, I see that she's already waiting on the curb. I open the door and give her a look.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“I didn't want you to have to walk all the way up four flights of stairs,” she says.
I get out of the car and scoop her up into my arms, and she lets out a little whimper. I slide her gently onto the seat and then climb in after her and close the door, and then I look at her.
“Don't ever do that again,” I tell her. She giggles, and I go in for a long, hard kiss. “I'm so glad today went well.”
“Me too,” she says. We spend the next few hours wining and dining at one of my favorite restaurants in SoHo.
She gets pizza, and I absolutely love that about her.
Most of the girls I date barely eat a piece of lettuce in front of me.
They want me to believe they're totally happy and content with barely eating or barely showing any semblance of the fact that they are actually human.
I love this about Wren. She's never shown me any other side.
She's been genuine the entire time I've known her, and I love that.
I pay the bill, and she doesn't even reach for her wallet.
I smile as the waiter comes back with it for me to sign.
I like that she knows how to be with me.
I like that she's comfortable with how to act, and honestly, I like that I know how to be with her.
I take her hand and lead her out the back entrance to the alley where Eddie has parked.
I've had to do my research and find the places where we can be the most undercover.
So far, I've stuck to the restaurants where I know the owners, and I know that we'll get anonymity.
When we finally get in the car, I turn to her.
“I sent Stella out to go shopping today,” I tell her. She quirks an eyebrow at me.
“Okay…” she says.
“I gave her your sizes from Teresa's. She bought you some things.” Now she narrows her eyes at me.
“Brooks, you don't have to do that,” she says.
“I know,” I tell her. “But here's the thing. I really like spoiling you. And now you don't have to go home.” She can't help but break out into a giggle.
“What?” she asks.
“Now you have everything you need to stay at my house tonight. So, will you come back with me?”
She bites her lip, her eyes still narrowed on me, but she can't help but smile.
“Yes, Brooks,” she says. “I'll come back tonight.”