Darken (Siege #1) Page 13

  “Noah asked me to come in for some training.”

  “Training, huh?” Keeley wiggled her eyebrows and giggled. “Is that code for something?”

  “Sorry to burst your bubble, but no. Manager training.”

  “Too bad. I really hoped you’d given up on Gavin and moved on to some equally hot muscle.”

  Cora turned her back to Keeley and shoved her purse in her locker.

  “Noah’s the boss,” she said.

  “So?”

  She smiled at Keeley’s response. Considering Keeley had a serious case for Logan, Cora hadn’t expected anything else.

  Keeley unplugged the curler, pushed it to the side to cool down, and then moved to her locker beside Cora’s. “You ever gonna tell me what’s going on?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You totally ditched me to spend Sunday night at his place. Which, by the way, pisses me off, because I was so going to hook up with Logan that night, and instead, I ended up sitting around at home waiting for you.”

  “Don’t you mean you were going to dream about hooking up with him?”

  “Whatever. So, what gives? What happened?”

  “Nothing,” Cora said, avoiding looking at her friend.

  There was a second of complete silence before Keeley shrieked and grabbed Cora in a hug.

  “Oh, my God. You slept with him!”

  Cora tensed up in Keeley’s arms, torn between embarrassment and the slightest feeling of glee that yes, she’d finally slept with Gavin. She wormed her way loose of Keeley.

  “Spill! I want all the horny details,” Keeley said, a massive grin lighting up her face. “I need to live vicariously through you.”

  “Uh, no.”

  “Oh, come on.” Keeley pouted. “Some details?”

  She thought of his hot body pressed against her, the delicious sensation of his hard flesh sliding within her, and a wave of tingles coursed through her.

  “Not a chance,” she said.

  Shoulders sagging, Keeley gave her an over-the-top look of sadness.

  “All right, if you’re not going to tell me how hot he was in bed, will you at least tell me why you didn’t stay there? If Logan ever lets me into his bed, he’d have a hella hard time getting me out.”

  That small iota of joy Cora had felt vanished.

  “It’s complicated,” she said. Keeley stared at her and Cora squirmed under the gaze, slamming her locker shut. “I’ll catch you later.”

  She had no intention of telling Keeley anything, particularly when she didn’t even understand half of what was going on herself.

  Chapter Thirteen

  HE WAS GOING TO kill his brothers. He just needed to decide which one was gonna go first. He’d been contemplating it for the past week.

  “Hey, sugar.” Hailey sidled up to where Gavin sat in the back corner of the bar. “What’s going on?”

  “Not much,” he replied and took a sip of his beer.

  “Why are you way back here all by your lonesome?” She propped her hands on her hips and thrust her chest forward, stretching the pale blue t-shirt she wore across her breasts. He admired the view, but it didn’t do anything for him.

  “Just needed some quiet.”

  She laughed. “Most folks go home for that.”

  He shrugged and drained the beer from the bottle. No way in hell he was leaving. Shifting his chair to the right, he glanced around Hailey. His brothers hadn’t moved. There was, however, a man moving straight in his direction. Gavin went on alert, muscles tensing and eyes narrowing.

  Hailey glanced over her shoulder to check out who had captured his attention. She broke out a come-hither smile and reached a hand out to the man. The guy tugged her in close and gave her a kiss suited more for the bedroom than a bar. When he released her, she asked him to grab her a drink and then watched him walk to the bar before turning back to Gavin.

  “New boyfriend?” he asked. She moved on fast, although, it wasn’t like what they were ever more than fuck buddies.

  “Maybe.” She gave him a teasing smile. “You snooze, you lose, sugar.”

  “I never lose when I really want something.”

  “Neither do I.”

  She pulled out a chair and moved it so she sat beside him, able to see what he saw. He cranked his head to the side, despising the discomfort that festered inside him as she dissected his view.

  “Interesting,” she said, her eyebrows lifting. “You’ve got some pretty stiff competition. One girl, five hot guys fawning all over her. It’s like some naughty sex fantasy come to life.”

  There were so many things wrong with her observation, the least of which was that four of those five guys were his brothers; the biggest issue being that Cora was the girl.

  It had been like that every night since she started back to work. During the day, she worked her shift and then afterward, one or more of his brothers were eating dinner with her, laughing with her, taking her home. That day, Merrick had joined the pack.

  He tried to justify their presence by saying they were protecting her from Sinclair. She was in danger, and despite her protests and even her ability to shoot the small gun she carried in her purse, they needed to protect her as much as possible.

  Yet, that didn’t explain why they had to sit so close, or why she had to throw her head back to laugh, exposing the delicate line of her neck. Or why the fuck Merrick’s fingers were stroking the back of her hand.

  Gavin surged out of his chair and stormed toward them. When he got to the table, he ignored the surprised looks on his brothers' faces, yanked Cora’s chair back, grasped her hand, and tugged her from her seat.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  Rather than answer, he kept a firm hold on her hand and forced her to follow him as he went stomped the entire way to the manager’s office. He closed the door and locked it as she snatched her hand from his.

  “What’s going on?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Gavin paced the small space, struggling to figure out what the hell possessed him to bring her in there. He was actually surprised she hadn’t put up a fight. Then again he’d caught her off-guard.

  “You dragged me in here and now you’re not even going to tell me why?”

  “I …”

  Damn, she was right. He acted like a complete ass, and once he had her alone, he didn’t even know what he wanted to say. He just knew he couldn’t sit there watching her anymore.

  Stopping in front of her, he stared into her furious blue eyes and nothing else mattered except losing himself in the feel of her. He cupped the back of her head and leaned down to close his mouth over hers. She tasted of the sweet Bahama Mama she’d been drinking. His tongue lapped along hers, wanting to consume her.

  With an arm around her waist, he lifted her up and her legs wrapped around him. He set her on top of the desk, and his hands roamed over her back and down to her hips, holding them in place as he rocked against her.

  A knock on the door pulled them apart, and breathing heavily, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. The knock came again, followed by a voice.

  “Gavin. I know you’re in there," Keeley called out. "Open this door right now or Logan will break it down.”

  He let go of Cora, stepping back to give himself space to think. While he tried to pull himself back together, Cora slipped off the desk and cracked open the door.

  “Did you need something?” she asked Keeley as if everything that happened in the past five minutes was completely normal.

  “Are you okay? Josh said Gavin went all caveman and carried you back here.”

  “He didn’t carry me, and everything is fine,” Cora said. “We’re talking.”

  There was a pause then Keeley whispered, “Blink twice if you want me to stay, three times if I should call the cops.”

  Cora gave a soft laugh. “Keeley, I’m okay. Really.”

  “All right. I’ll go, but only if you let me see Gavin first.”

 
Cora’s eyebrows drew down in confusion, but she opened the door wide so Keeley could get a good look at him.

  “Damn it,” Keeley said, a saucy pout wrinkling her face. “I was hoping he’d at least be partly naked.”

  “Oh my God, Keeley. Shut up.” Cora slammed the door and then leaned her back against it.

  Her face had gone such a bright shade of red, Gavin couldn’t help but laugh. She scowled at him and reached out to smack his arm, but it did little to stem the flow of his deep chuckles.

  He sat on the edge of the desk and rubbed a hand down his face.

  “What the fuck are we doing?” he muttered.

  “I don’t know, but you can start by explaining why you practically carried me in here.”

  “Hell if I know.” And he honestly couldn’t explain the intense rage that had consumed him when Merrick touched her.

  “That’s not much of an explanation,” she said. “And I think I deserve one.”

  Gavin tried to piece together a response, but nothing he came up with made any sense.

  “I don’t want you hanging around Merrick or my brothers.”

  She stood up straight, shock widening her eyes. “Excuse me?”

  “That came out wrong. I mean … Shit. I don’t know what I meant,” he said, then shook his head. “No, I did mean it. I don’t want to watch my brothers slobbering all over you, and I definitely don’t want Merrick touching you.”

  “You don’t get to make those decisions.” She jabbed a finger into his chest.

  A small part of him had been hoping she would give in and let him boss her around, but he’d known she wouldn’t. She might not possess the assertive self-confidence Lela had, but when Cora stood her ground, she was impossible to move.

  “I realize that. I just … You don’t have to sit with those guys. You could have sat with me.” He almost flinched at how pathetic he sounded.

  “Considering you’ve gone out of your way to not be anywhere near me for the last week, you didn’t exactly give the impression that I’d be welcome.”

  His hands gripped the edge of the desk behind him, and a heavy sigh lifted then dropped his shoulders.

  “Yeah, well, maybe I’ve been acting like an idiot.”

  “Or an ass,” she suggested.

  “Possibly.”

  “I’m not going to play games, Gavin. You made it clear you have no interest in a relationship, so what do you want from me?” she asked.

  Six months before the answer would have been nothing; two weeks ago he would have said sex. That day … sex was only part of it.

  He pushed away from the desk and slipped his hand into hers, gazing down at the top of her head. He lifted their joined hands and tipped up her chin. Her features were so delicate, and her big eyes gave her a waifish look.

  “Come with me,” he said.

  “I can’t.”

  “We’ll drive around and talk,” he clarified at her doubtful look. “That’s it.”

  “All right.”

  He led her out the side entrance and through the parking lot to his Jeep. As they climbed in, Cora paused and glanced around nervously, searching for something. Obviously not seeing what she expected, she shook her head and slid into the vehicle.

  Despite his promise they’d talk, they rode in silence through the town. Although it was early evening, the sun had yet to settle, leaving the scattered street lamps flickering in the fading daylight. He drove without purpose, weaving around the town as he contemplated what to say. With anyone else, the quiet would have been awkward, but with Cora, it felt natural to just be with her.

  “Pull in here,” Cora said, pointing to a parking lot.

  He followed her instructions and then parked the car in front of a set of wrought iron gates. The realization of where they were left him twisted inside.

  “Why are we here?”

  She didn’t respond. Instead, she got out of the car and went around to the gate, slowly pulling it open. He opened his door and stepped out, resting an arm atop the frame of the Jeep.

  “Cora,” he called. “Why are we here?”

  She walked along the dimly-lit path a few yards, before glancing over her shoulder at him. “Are you coming?”

  She didn’t wait for him to answer. Instead, she continued walking, disappearing behind a cluster of trees and down a slight hill. He slammed the car door shut. Of all the places in town to go to, she picked the one he’d successfully avoided for the past two years. He should have gotten back in the car and left, but that meant leaving her alone, and with Sinclair out there, he couldn’t do that.

  Shaking his head, he jogged down the path and caught up with her as she came to a stop. Standing beside her, he peered down at Lela’s headstone. It was a simple arched stone, etched with her name and the dates spanning her life. Cora bent down to wipe away the naturally-gathered dirt from the face of the stone.

  “It took me almost five months after she’d gone before I could come here,” Cora said, straightening up. “Even then it was hard. I felt so guilty.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  After blaming her for so long, those words sounded strange. Yet, it was the truth. Sinclair hadn’t forced them off the road because she gave him the finger; he did it because he was sick and determined to play his twisted games with the Walkers.

  He cupped her face in his hands, tipping it up until she met his eyes.

  “Cora, this is all because of Sinclair. You were as much a victim as Lela.”

  “She was my best friend. How can I not feel guilty about being alive while she’s dead?” Tears filled her eyes and spilled over, sliding down her cheeks until they pooled against his fingers. His thumbs wiped them away. “When I woke from the coma and learned she was gone, my first thought was about you.”

  “That’s because you always put other people first.”

  “No. I thought about you because I loved you and the one person standing between us was gone.” She turned her face away, and his hands fell to his sides.

  He didn’t believe her because that wasn’t who Cora was. The thought might have been there in some dark hidden place in her mind, a logical deduction in the midst of everything that happened, but her heart and soul weren’t capable of wishing death on anyone.

  “But she’s still there, and I’m starting to think she always will be,” she said.

  “I loved her. I still love her. I wish I didn’t, but I do.”

  “Her being between us has nothing to do with you still loving her. She’s there because you won’t let go.” Her lips tilted up in a sad smile. “I don’t want what you had with Lela. I want something that is only us that has nothing to do with the past.”

  He didn’t understand what she meant, and he wasn’t ready to hear it. All he wanted to do was focus on getting Sinclair and keeping Cora safe. She’d asked him what he wanted from her, but he didn't know the answer any more than he knew what she wanted from him.

  “We should go before we end up locked in here,” he said and extended a hand to her. She stared at it for so long he thought she’d refuse to take it. Finally, she slid her hand into his, and with darkness enveloping them, they returned to the Jeep.

  Gavin started it up and reversed out of the parking spot. He headed toward Cora’s apartment, and when he pulled up in front of the building, he turned the car off.

  “You don’t need to walk me up,” Cora said and climbed out of the car. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She started to close the car door then stopped and stuck her head back in.

  “There’s something on the windshield.”

  He peered at the bottom of the window; sure enough, there was a dark envelope wedged under the wiper blade. He half got out of the Jeep, reaching around to snag the envelope, and then opened it. Trepidation filled him as he took out a single slip of paper.

  How is our dear Coraline doing?

  Fury ripped through him, crushing the note in his fist. Getting all the way out of the car, he swu
ng the door shut and stomped around to the sidewalk.

  “Let’s go,” he said, wrapping an arm around Cora’s shoulder while he scanned the street for anything suspicious.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He held up the crumpled note. “Sinclair. He, or one of his lackeys, was watching us. They were at the cemetery.”

  She led the way up to her place, and when she unlocked the door, he scooted in front of her and locked the door behind them.

  “Wait here,” he ordered, then did a quick walk-through of the apartment to make sure it was clear.

  “What did it say?” she asked when he came back into the main room.

  “It asked how you were doing,” he answered, and he moved right up to her, lowering his face level with hers. “Have you been sick? Noticed anything different since the accident?”

  “No, nothing. I swear.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  The thought of her going through some of the side effects he and his brothers went through during Sinclair’s tests was sickening. He grasped her arm and pushed up the sleeve of her sweater until he found the spot where Sinclair had injected her. The area was clear, no angry rash or blisters.

  “Gavin, I’m fine,” she reassured him. “I’m not showing any kind of side effects, so whatever he did to me didn’t work.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.”

  Sinclair’s work was meant to be hidden. Gavin realized their options were limited. He couldn’t dismiss Sinclair’s taunting. Not when Cora’s life was at stake.

  “You need to have blood work done to find out what he did to you,” he said.

  “You told me not to worry.”

  “I was wrong.”

  “Okay, I’ll call the doctor’s office in the morning.”

  He shook his head. “Not for this.”

  “Then where?”

  “SIEGE.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  SHE SHOULD TELL HIM. She should have told him when he told her about Sinclair and how the psycho might have injected her with something.

  Gavin was obviously familiar with strange, well-beyond normal crap. How else can you describe a childhood of forced confinement for a government conspiracy to perform genetic modification on children? Still, visions just seemed too fantastical. Any normal person would take her revelation as a cry for attention rather than seriously.