Rebels and Roses (Winslow Heights #2)

Chapter 2

2

C ooper pushed open the door of his brother Tate’s tavern, his gaze scanning the room. The lighting was dim, but from his vantage point, he couldn’t see anyone who looked like Fiona. It had been some years, but he was sure that he’d recognize her in a room of perhaps two dozen people.

His brother was working behind the bar, and Cooper sidled up, ready to order a drink.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

“Actually, I’m here because I received a text from Fiona. She said that she was waiting for me here, but I don’t see her.”

Tate didn’t have a chance to reply. A hand came down on Cooper’s shoulder, and he spun around expecting to see his ex-wife.

It wasn’t her.

It was Tom, Fiona’s younger brother. Cooper would have recognized him anywhere. He hadn’t changed much, although his face was leaner, and his shoulders and chest were wider. How old had Tom been the last time they’d seen each other? Maybe twenty-two or three? He’d be almost thirty now.

Letting out a relieved breath he didn’t even know he was holding, Cooper rubbed at his temple which was now beginning to throb with a headache. He should be home in bed right now.

“Dammit, Tom. What game are you playing here?”

It might be a relief that it wasn’t his ex, but it being her brother didn’t make any of this any better. If anything, it was far more bizarre. As far as he knew, Tom lived in London. That was a hell of a long flight to play a prank.

I don’t have the patience for this.

“It’s nice to see you, too,” Tom laughed. “I see you haven’t changed much.”

“I’m not going to say that it’s nice to see you, because I haven’t decided yet if it is. And you haven’t answered my question yet. Does this have something to do with Fiona? Is she okay?”

Tom’s smile instantly dropped, his shoulders stiffening.

“This isn’t about Fiona. She doesn’t even know that I’m here. I want…no…I need to talk to you, Coop. I don’t know who else can help me. I’m at the end of my rope.”

Cooper and Tom hadn’t been all that close when he was married to Fiona. They’d spent time together but in a more superficial way. Not best buddies, but certainly friendly. They’d never confided in one another or dug deep into one another’s lives. It didn’t make any sense for Tom to be here in Winslow Heights asking for help.

Which is what made the request interesting to Cooper. He was the last person on earth that Tom should be talking to…and yet…

Here they were.

“Tate, we’re going to take that booth over there,” Cooper said, never taking his gaze away from his former brother-in-law. “Can you send a large pizza over?”

His curiosity had won out. He had to know what was going on. If Cooper wasn’t sure he was awake, he would have thought he was having some weird dream after eating spicy food.

“Will do,” Tate replied, tossing his bar rag over his shoulder. He’d been watching the play-by-play closely. Cooper had no doubt he was going to be grilled later by his brother as to what all of this was about. “I’ll get that order in now. What do you want to drink?”

“Whiskey. Neat.”

Cooper had a feeling he might need it. The entire situation was bizarre. The last thing in his life that he’d expected was to hear from Fiona. Or her brother Tom.

They sat down facing each other as Tate slid a whiskey in front of Cooper before disappearing into the back kitchen. His gaze studied Tom’s face and posture closely, looking for some clue as to what was going on here. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was some sort of prank, although he didn’t have a clue as to why Tom or his ex would do something like that. They’d happily stayed on opposite sides of the Atlantic for years, never communicating in any way. It had worked for them.

“I know I sound a bit crazy,” Tom finally said after the long silence. “But I’m not. I’m completely sane.”

“I’ve never thought of you as someone who wasn’t in touch with reality. I’ve never seen you overreact.”

Tom pressed a palm to his chest and took a relieved breath.

“Thank you for saying that. My friends and family are acting like I’ve lost it.”

“Why don’t you tell me why you’re here, and how I, specifically, can help you. Start from the beginning, okay?”

“I’m not even sure where the beginning is,” Tom replied with a nod. “But I’ll try.”

The silence stretched awkwardly as Cooper allowed the younger man to collect his thoughts. In the meantime, he sipped at his drink, the smooth liquid leaving a welcome trail of fire all the way to his belly.

“I guess it all started about six months ago,” Tom said, his fingers clutching his beer bottle so hard that the knuckles were white.

It was clear to see that the man was disturbed by something or someone. He was usually the happy-go-lucky sort who laughed and smiled far more than frowned. He had a bit of a hair-trigger temper, but Cooper had only seen it once or twice. And for good reason, too. Tom wasn’t the sort who flew off the handle often.

“It wasn’t a big thing at first. I didn’t think much of it. There were times that I thought I was being watched. It’s almost like I can physically feel them staring. If you’ve never felt it, I’m not sure I can explain it. For the first few weeks, I just dismissed it as maybe I was drinking too much, or I’d watched too many true crime stories with my girlfriend Erica. She loves those shows about serial killers. You know the ones that I’m talking about?”

“I do.”

Cooper sometimes would research true crime for ideas for his books, but eventually, he’d stopped as he’d found that the truth was often more unbelievable than fiction.

“Yeah, so I just thought I should watch some funny movies or something like that. But it didn’t stop. It got worse. Much worse.”

“What happened that was worse?” Cooper asked, still not sure how he fit into this tale.

“My condo was broken into, and they stole my television and laptop. One night after having a few drinks with some co-workers, I was walking home and heard footsteps behind me. I kept walking faster and faster, almost running, but they stuck with me until I got inside of my car.”

It did sound strange, but those events weren’t automatically connected. It could all be a coincidence. A weird one, but a coincidence, nonetheless.

“This all happened in London, right? When your place was broken into, did they have any CCTV footage?”

Tom frowned, and then shook his head.

“No. No, man. I don’t live in London anymore. I haven’t for a while. I live in Denver with my girlfriend Erica. Fiona’s not in London anymore either. She’s in Miami. You didn’t know that?”

“I haven’t talked to Fiona since the divorce was final. Is your family still in London? Or did they move, too?”

Fiona and her family were American but had moved to England - among several other countries while they were school-aged - due to their father’s work at a multi-national corporation.

“Nah, they retired to Naples, Florida. Dad goes fishing almost every day, and Mom sits by the pool and reads. When the weather is nice, she gardens and has lunch with some friends she made there. About twice a year, they go on month-long vacations all over the world. They still don’t like having too many roots in one place. They joke that they’re spending our inheritance.”

That wouldn’t be easy to do. The Kemp family was sitting on generational wealth, plus the father Drew had been extremely successful in his own career.

In other words, they were loaded.

That was one thing that had brought Cooper and Fiona together. They’d both come from wealthy families, and their dads were total assholes. Drew Kemp had taken one look at Cooper and immediately decided that he wasn’t good enough for his little princess. They’d barely shaken hands yet, and the relationship was dead in the water.

“This is an interesting story, Tom, but I’m not sure why you came to me about this. If you think you’re being followed and harassed, you should talk to your local police. As for your apartment being broken into, that does happen.”

“I’ve talked to the police,” Tom replied, frustration in his tone. “I’ve told them about how I’m being followed, but they say there isn’t anything they can do about it. Even after my condo was robbed, they didn’t do a thing. They just took down the information and said they’d watch the pawn shops.”

“Did you get your stuff back?”

“No. My insurance paid for a new television and laptop.” Tom’s fist came down on the tabletop with a thump, and a few heads whipped their way at the sound. “But they didn’t give a shit. They didn’t dust for fingerprints or even try to find out who had done it. If I’d been home, they might have killed me.”

Now Tom was being a tad overdramatic. If he’d been home, Cooper had a feeling that the burglars would have simply passed him by. They probably only wanted to break into homes that weren’t occupied at the time. That would make their “job” a hell of a lot easier.

“You still haven’t told me why you’re here. I’m not a cop. I’m a writer.”

“I know, but you know a lot of cops and detectives. Fiona told me about all of your contacts in the law enforcement world. The ones you use for research for your books.”

Cooper did have a wide network of contacts when he needed to research a storyline. He tried to make his books as realistic as possible, even if that meant actually interviewing killers and cops alike.

That didn’t mean, however, that he could simply dial one up and ask them to spend their time looking into some allegations by his ex-brother-in-law. They had their own workloads without him tasking them with something else. Thomas Kemp, however, probably hadn’t heard the word “no” very often in life. Like his sister Fiona, he didn’t like it much.

“Okay, let’s start at the beginning again,” Cooper said, trying to hold onto his patience.

He’d left a warm bed and a willing woman for this meeting, thinking that Fiona had contacted him. Which reminded him…

“First of all, when you sent me a text, why did you use Fiona’s phone? And does she know that you have her phone?”

For the first time that evening, Tom looked unsure of himself.

“I took her phone,” he confessed, not able to meet Cooper’s gaze. “I didn’t think you would pay any attention to a text from me, but I knew you would from Fiona.”

Shit. This was so screwed up.

“Does she know you have her phone?”

“Yes, she’s been sending me texts telling me I better bring it back. And I will. I just needed to talk to you first.”

“You were in Miami with Fiona?”

“No, she came to visit me in Denver. I’d been telling her about my suspicions. She came out to talk to me in person.”

“What did she say?”

Cooper had a decent idea already. But there was always a chance that Fiona had changed in the years they’d been apart.

“She told me I was being paranoid, and I needed to get my shit together. She said I was talking like a crazy person.”

Nope, she hadn’t changed. Fiona didn’t beat around the bush. She was a straight talker who didn’t coddle anyone’s delicate feelings.

“Did she suggest you call me?”

“No, she’d never do that. She suggested that I get away. Take some time from work and go on vacation. Rest up. She suggested that I’d been working too hard. I took her advice. Sort of. I put in for a vacation and came here.”

“Here?” Cooper echoed. “Not Las Vegas or the tropics? You came to a tiny town in East Central Illinois?”

“I visited Chicago first before I came here. I…know someone there.”

The way Tom said it made it sound like something more.

“You know someone?”

“She’s a girl,” he said with a shrug. “We’re not a couple or anything, but we see each other whenever I’m in the area. It’s kind of a situationship, if you will.”

“Even though you have a girlfriend in Denver already?”

Christ on a cracker. Was Tom really this dim?

“I don’t think I need to be a genius to figure out who might be watching and following you,” Cooper replied with a sigh. “If you’re catting around on…what’s her name? Erica? She might just have someone tailing you to see what you’re doing.”

“That doesn’t explain the burglary.”

“The two things may not have anything to do with each other. Listen, I don’t think there’s anything I can do to help you. Go back to Denver and stop cheating on Erica.”

“You cheated on Fiona,” Tom protested. “You don’t have to act so holier-than-thou.”

What in the what?

Cooper leaned forward, locking his gaze with the younger man. He wanted to be sure he was heard loud and clear.

“I never cheated on Fiona. I want to make that clear. I don’t know what she told you, but it didn’t happen.”

It could have. He’d been given opportunities, but surprisingly, he hadn’t done it. With his upbringing, he should have been a total asshole with women, but he’d gone the other way. He’d always made sure the lady that he was with understood exactly how Cooper felt and what he was able to give them. With Fiona, he’d even made vows. They’d meant something to him, even when they’d been absolutely miserable together. It had been a mutual decision to pull the plug, and he hadn’t regretted it. It had been the right thing to do, and they were both relieved when it was over.

“I’m just going by what she said. Take it up with her.”

Cooper had no intention of speaking with Fiona. He was going to have to let this one go. After all, it didn’t matter anymore.

An image of Jane flashed in his brain, all golden skin and long, dark hair, wrapped up in one of his sheets. He definitely should have ignored the damn text and stayed in bed with her tonight.

“I can’t help you, but you can stay at my place tonight, if you want. Tomorrow we can talk more about what you should do, but frankly, I’m exhausted and barely awake.”

“That’s great.” Tom had perked up visibly at the news. Cooper doubted that Tom had thought about where he was going to stay or perhaps, he’d just assumed that he would crash at Cooper’s place. “I’m grateful. I really don’t know what to do about this. It’s creepy as hell.”

“Do you have to be back at your job soon?”

Cooper didn’t mind putting up Tom for a night, but he wasn’t looking for a roommate. Even a temporary one.

“I took two weeks, so I don’t need to be back for another ten days. I was only in Chicago for the long weekend. The fact is, Fiona was right. I could use a vacation. I’ve been working way too much.”

The young Tom that Cooper had known would never have been accused of working too hard . He’d been the king of sloth. His greatest ambition - self-confessed - was to play video games, drink with his buddies, and spend his trust fund.

“What is it that you do?”

“I work for Erica’s dad. He owns a chain of small boutique hotels and a few resorts in exotic locales. That’s how I met her, actually. I was on vacation with a few friends, and we were at the resort nightclub partying a bit. Erica and I ran into one another - literally - at the bar. I offered to buy her a drink… That’s how it all began. I absolutely fucking love her. We have so much fun together, and she’ll be a terrific wife and mother someday. We both want lots of kids. I’m planning to propose soon.”

“And the woman in Chicago?”

“She’s just some fun,” Tom replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “Like I said, it’s not serious.”

But Tom was still going to see Chicago-girl while planning to propose to Denver-girl who also came from money?

“It’s good to see you buckling down with a career,” Cooper said. “Do you like your job?”

“Fuck, no. But Erica told me that her dad would never let us get serious or married if I didn’t get a job. He offered me one, and I took it. It’s a stupid, thankless grind. This nine-to-five bullshit is crazy.”

“There are jobs that don’t have those kinds of hours.”

“Once Erica and I get married, I doubt he’ll fire me,” Tom chuckled. “I just have to keep my nose to the grindstone until then. Plus, Dad is thrilled that I have a career now.”

With a plan like that, how could Tom lose? Have a trust fund, and then marry another one. Set for life.

“We’ll finish our beer, eat the pizza, and then we’ll get out of here,” Cooper said, motioning to the almost empty mug. “I’m just down the street a bit.”

Tom obliged by chugging the remainder, a big grin on his face. If he was worried about being followed, he wasn’t at the moment.

“My suitcase is in my rental car parked outside.”

“You can grab it on the way. Let’s get out of here.”

In the morning, Cooper would try and talk some sense into Tom and then send him back home. Why he was even entertaining his former brother-in-law at all was something he didn’t quite understand.

Maybe guilt? He’d been a lousy husband to Fiona. If he helped her brother, would that satisfy that heartless bitch karma?

Probably not. But he wasn’t going to send Tom out into the night alone. Tomorrow, he’d give a pep talk and send the young man on his way.

The one bright spot in all of this?

He hadn’t seen Fiona after all.