Reya beamed before a guy approaching us caught her attention. “Speaking of which. That’s the club manager. I’d better go and collect my pay.”
I motioned for her to go and a minute later she was back, frowning as she slotted an envelope into her bag.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked in concern.
She shrugged, not meeting my eyes, and I knew she was upset about something. “The bastard low-balled me. When I booked this gig, they said I’d get to keep forty percent of the ticket sales, and now he’s claiming we agreed on twenty. Since I never signed any official contract, there’s nothing I can do. God, I’m such an idiot sometimes.”
“Are you serious?” I said angrily. “He can’t do that. I’m going to have a word.”
Reya grabbed my hand. “No, don’t. If I kick up a fuss, they won’t let me play here again, and I need the money.” We shared a moment of eye contact, and a second went by before we simultaneously realised that Trevor wasn’t standing next to us anymore. Scanning the room, I found he’d approached the club manager, and appeared to be having a serious talk with him.
“Oh, my God, what’s he doing?” Reya hissed, her grip on my hand tightening.
“I don’t know,” I said, pulling out of her grasp before she left a permanent mark.
The club manager gestured wildly with his hands while Trevor spoke over him, his stance confident. The manager frowned and rubbed his chin. Trevor said something else, and then the manager seemed to motion for him to calm down. A moment later he pulled some money from his pocket, counted out the notes and shoved them into Trevor’s hand. Lee’s brother turned and sauntered back to us, holding the money out to Reya.
“There ya go,” he said.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“The twenty percent he owed you.”
“How did you….” she began, but Trevor cut her off.
“Nobody puts baby in the corner,” he said, as though that explained everything. Reya stared at him, flustered, clearly no idea what to say.
“That doesn’t even make any sense,” I told him.
“Course it does. Now come on, I believe you two lovely ladies owe me a drink.”
Yep, definitely the eccentric one, I thought to myself as we let him lead us back to the bar.
I woke up the next morning with the mother and father of a hangover. I’d stayed out longer than I planned to, letting Trevor convince me into going to nightclub after nightclub. The three of us drank and danced, and then drank some more. I literally lost count of how much alcohol I’d consumed, and that never happened. Every time Trevor looked at his phone, I got a little tingle down my spine, knowing he was texting Lee. It was disconcerting that just being around someone who had contact with him got me excited.
Though honestly? There was very little about my relationship with Lee that wasn’t disconcerting. Or, well, my non-relationship, as seemed to be the case now.
Alexis gave me a smug grin as I trudged my way to the bathroom. She sat by the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of cereal, and looking pleased with herself now that she wasn’t the only one who wanted to vomit their guts up first thing in the morning. Though at least she had a valid reason.
Instead of taking a shower, I ran a bath, pouring in extra bubbles before sinking into the soothing water. The honey and almond scent made me feel a little less like death warmed over. When I finally got out and dressed myself, I decided the first order of call was to go shopping for hangover food. It was after one o’clock when I left the flat to walk to the nearest shop.
Unlike last night, this time I spotted Trevor before he spotted me. He was hanging from the same metal bar, half his body suspended in mid-air.
“How’s the head, Constable?” he called when he finally saw me.
“Thumping. Why are you here?”
“I’m on guard duty again. No rest for the wicked.”
“Well, I’m just going to the shop. Then I plan on spending the rest of the day in bed, so you can head home,” I said, continuing on my way as Trevor dropped to the ground, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking alongside me.
“Lee wanted me to invite you over to ours. When I told him about our escapades last night, he said you must be hung over as fuck, and in need of a good feeding. He’s cooking a roast.”
“I’m not going to your house,” I said, my statement final.
“Why not? It’s free food, plus you’ll get to swoon over my brother and be all, Oh, Lee, take me upstairs and handcuff me to your bedpost. I want you to take me prisoner this time,” Trevor teased, pitching his voice higher. I smacked him on the arm and told him to shut up.
“I do not sound like that,” I huffed, and he chuckled.
“I know you don’t, you’ve got a bit of a husky rasp going on. Very sex-ay. But seriously, you’ve got to come. Lee said he wants to update you on everything that’s been happening. I mean, he’ll probably end up crying tears of sorrow into the gravy pot if you don’t show.”
I gave him a narrow-eyed look. “You’re really weird, do you know that?”
“Oh, give it up, we both know you’re charmed.”
“I’m far from charmed.”
“Then why have we already walked by the shop, huh? You’ve decided to come over and you don’t even realise it yet.”
“Why can’t Lee just call me on the phone and ‘update me’?”
“Maybe because that’s the unsexy option. Or maybe because the phone lines are being tapped.” He widened his eyes in mock terror.
I frowned, knowing I was never going to win with him. “But won’t it be a bit awkward? Liam’s got to hate me, and Stu’s never exactly been my biggest fan.”
“Lee’s already had a word with them. They’ll be on their best behaviour.”
I eyed him for a minute, unsure whether he was telling the truth. Unfortunately, I couldn’t deny that I really wanted to find out what was going on. Maybe my hung-over brain wasn’t functioning properly, because after a minute I finally gave in and told Trevor I’d go with him.
When we got to Lee’s street, I glanced up and down, checking to see if there were any suspicious-looking vehicles around. As it happened, there were only a few cars, and all of them were empty. Besides, being such a shrewd customer, I thought that if Lee was being monitored, he’d know about it.
Christ, what the hell was I doing? I really shouldn’t have been there. The old woman I’d noticed peeking out her window at me before was standing by her doorstep two houses down, a sweeping brush in her hand as she swept dust from her hallway out onto the street.
“Hello, Trevor,” she said with a warm smile, at the same time eyeing me somewhat suspiciously. Did she recognise me out of my uniform?
“Afternoon, Mrs Spencer,” Trevor replied, “You’re looking fetching this fine Sunday.”
The woman chuckled and shook her head, waving him off. God, he really was a shameless flirt. I swear, if there was a cat in front of him, he’d find some way to chat it up.
Stepping inside the house, Trevor led me into the living room, where Sophie was sitting on the floor, playing with her son and another little girl. It took me a moment to recognise her as the next door neighbour’s kid, the one I’d seen the first time I came here.
“Isn’t that the girl from next door?” I asked curiously. I remembered how she’d run to Lee, like he was a safe place away from her nutjob of a mother, and how it had warmed my heart.
Trevor’s expression sobered as he nodded, while Sophie explained, “This is Billie. I’m taking care of her because her mum’s gone AWOL. She was in the house alone for two days before I found her. Some people don’t deserve to have kids.” She sounded angry, and I couldn’t blame her. I remembered Lee telling me how Sophie’s mother had abandoned her in a similar fashion when she was only little. Looking back at the girl, I saw that she was wearing clean clothes and her hair was braided into a French plait. It seemed like she was being well looked after, but I still wanted to suggest they call social services.
/> “Sophie’s determined to foster her,” Trevor told me quietly. “Lee’s not sure the social will give her the green light, though.”
I nodded, looking back to Lee’s cousin and completely getting it. Even though she was young, there were some women who were just born to be mothers, and seeing how Sophie interacted with Billie and her son was evidence of that.
“So, you’re with Lee now? Can’t say I saw that coming,” said Sophie, breaking me from my thoughts. Her expression gave nothing away, and I really couldn’t tell how she felt about me.
“Oh, no, we’re not….” I began, but she waved me off.
“Don’t bother. I get it. I just hope you both know what you’re doing,” she said, her face serious.
And that was the problem, wasn’t it? I wasn’t sure either one of us had a clue what we were setting ourselves up for, or where this would lead. Ever since I’d first met Lee, a feeling of recklessness had formulated in my gut, and it had only grown bigger and bigger each time I saw him. A part of me didn’t want to live by all the rules and procedures anymore; it wanted them to scatter in the wind.
Trevor turned to go into the kitchen, and I followed him. Stu was sitting at the table, typing on a laptop, while Lee stood by the cooker, checking on the food.
“What the fuck’s she doing here?” somebody asked angrily, and my attention went across the room to Liam, who was leaning against the wall with his arms folded. I shot Trevor an annoyed glance. Clearly he’d been lying when he said Lee had told his brothers I was coming.
“Yeah, I second that,” Stu piped in, his eyes narrowed to slits.
The two of them regarded me with open hostility, causing my stomach to twist with discomfort. The notion that I shouldn’t have been there echoed in my head once more. Lee wiped his hands on a dishcloth and levelled each of his brothers with a sharp look. “The two of you, shut it. She’s here because I say so.”
Both Liam and Stu bristled at the authority in his voice, but they didn’t argue. I barely had a chance to blink when Lee came toward me, his stride purposeful.
“Karla,” he breathed, and the way he said my name made me shiver. He slid his fingers between mine and pulled me back out into the hallway for privacy.
“They’re right — I should leave,” I said before he could get a word in.
His hands went to my face, palms cupping my cheeks as his eyes flickered over my features. “You look tired,” he murmured, his voice low and tender. The gravelly tone had a strangely arousing effect on me, and I suddenly felt too warm. I was also overly aware of how much I’d missed him. All of him.
Trying to summon some reserve, I took his hands and lowered them from my face before stepping back a bit. Clearing my throat, I said, “Trevor said you had an update for me.”
Lee frowned and closed the distance I’d put between us. “Still all business, eh?”
“I don’t see how I should be any other way.”
We stared at one another in silence, so much want between us I could almost taste it on my tongue. Unable to resist, my gaze lowered to his lips. I missed how they felt on me, missed how his eyes could devour me from the inside out. Schooling my expression, I knew Lee could see just how much of a hard time I was having being this close to him. He took a deep breath and stepped away.
“All right. Let’s do this your way, then. The update is that everything’s been settled. Nobody’s gunning for you anymore. It was mostly a precaution anyway, because they didn’t even know your name.”
Air rushed out of me all at once. “That’s good news.”
Lee eyed me speculatively. “Yeah, it is. So, are you staying for dinner, or are you gonna run off now that you’ve gotten what you wanted?”
“You could have just called me, you know.”
“I know,” Lee said, looking me up and down before whispering, “but then I wouldn’t get to see you.” He breathed in deep, moving closer, and I shivered slightly. “You smell incredible. What is that?”
“Uh, honey and almond,” I answered, blinking. His proximity was causing me to flounder a little.
“Stay, Karla, eat. I want to spend time with you. And I promise I won’t touch you unless you ask me for it,” he told me huskily.
I should have tucked tail and fled right then, but I didn’t. No, I was my own worst enemy, because I didn’t have the willpower to say no to him. Finally, I nodded shyly and was rewarded with the handsomest of smiles. He took my hand in his again and led me back into the kitchen.
Twelve
I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I sat at a table and ate a proper family-style dinner. Sure, I visited Mum and Dad’s every once in a while, but that was different. There was no warmth between us. The Cross brothers did Sunday dinner the way it was supposed to be done. People passed bowls of food around, they spoke over each other, they laughed, but more importantly, it was clear that they all genuinely enjoyed one another’s company. Well, aside from the fact that Stu and Liam refused to acknowledge my presence.
Still, it wasn’t a chore like it was when I went to visit my parents. And really, it made me uncomfortable to think how much more functional this family of thieves was compared to the strict, law-abiding household I’d grown up in.
Sitting between Lee and Trevor, I tried to focus on my food rather than the fact that Lee’s thigh was pressed up against mine, the weight of it sending butterflies flittering around in my stomach with wild abandon. As soon as he’d taken the seat beside me, he positioned his legs so we were touching. He was already breaking the promise he’d made in the hallway, but I didn’t care. In fact, I savoured the contact.
For some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off Sophie where she sat at the end of the table, helping her son with his dinner. More so than ever I felt sort of…empty, knowing I’d never get to experience that maternal bond, or care for a child who belonged to me.
“You okay, Snap?” Lee asked, his eyes wandering from Sophie and then back to me. He’d obviously caught me looking.
I scooped some potatoes up onto my fork and nodded, before shovelling them in my mouth so that I wouldn’t have to speak. Unlike Trevor, who seemed to have decided we were buddies now, Liam and Stu continued to ignore me.
When everyone was finished eating, Lee went over and took a plate covered in tin foil out of the oven.
“Liam, go bring this down to Mrs Spencer, would you?” he said.
Liam nodded and got up, taking the plate from him and heading out. He’d set aside dinner for the old lady? My heart really didn’t know how to deal with that information, because it made him far more appealing than he had any business being.
I tried to help Lee wash up, but he told me to sit and relax. Next, dessert was served, which consisted of a delicious jelly trifle. I was stuffed by the time I was done, and Sophie invited me into the living room to sit with Jonathan and Billie while the boys cleaned up. Standing by the door, I felt unsure of myself, but then looked down and found Billie staring up at me, a doll in her hand.
“Do you want to play with Sally?” she asked, presenting the doll.
“Uh, sure,” I replied, taking it while she led me into the room.
I sat next to Sophie while Billie informed Jonathan they were going to play a game of tea party. I almost laughed when Jonathan screwed up his face in displeasure.
“Trevor said you want to foster her,” I said quietly.
Sophie let out a long sigh. “I suppose you’re going to tell me it’s a bad idea, that I’m too young.”
“Not at all. I think it’s a very honourable thing to do. In fact, I can send you some information if you’d like. It’d help you figure out where to get started.”
She glanced at me in surprise. “Really?”
“Sure.”
Her lip quivered slightly as she shot me a look of thanks and looked back to Billie. “She reminds me so much of myself when I was little, you know. I just hate the idea of her going through what I went through. If I can give her a safe plac
e like Lee gave me a safe place, then I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.”
Lee gave her a safe place, and God, he was only a kid himself. The thought made my heart squeeze yet again. A silence passed between us before Sophie turned to me. “He’s a good person, deep down. We all are.”
Unsure of what to say, I took her hand and gave it a squeeze before finally replying, “I know you are.”
After a while, I excused myself to go use the bathroom. Once there, I splashed some water on my face to freshen up, still feeling kind of crappy after last night’s indulgence. When I returned, I found Lee had come in from the kitchen. He had Billie on his lap as he unravelled the French plait from her hair. I was struck speechless by the sight of him being so affectionate and caring with a child who wasn’t even related to him, and a feeling of warmth spread across my chest.
“There, all done,” he said before Billie turned and gave him a hug.
“Thanks, Lee. Sophie always plaits my hair way too tight,” she told him, rubbing her head.
“Hey! I heard that!” Sophie exclaimed, feigning annoyance.
Lee chuckled, his eyes finding mine, and he saw how I was hovering. “Come in, Snap.”
Stepping inside, I went to sit on the couch, but Lee grabbed my wrist and swung me around, pulling me down to sit next to him on the love seat. The heat of his body pressed all along the side of mine, and I felt a sudden bout of nervousness. It was doubled when Sophie gave Lee a knowing smile and announced she was taking Billie and Jonathan for a walk.
Lee picked up the remote, flicking through the stations. “You want to watch a movie?” he asked, his attention fixed to the screen. Peering at his profile, I took in the smooth sweep of his nose, the angular curve of his lips.
“Okay,” I replied, my voice unexpectedly soft.
It snagged Lee’s attention, and his gaze flicked to mine, catching me studying him. I looked away quickly, fighting a blush.
Without looking, I knew he was smirking. “You looked hot last night in your blue dress.”
“Thanks.”