The Promise (Wolfe Creek Duet #2)

24

THEA

I seem to be counting my life in days since. Seven days since I came clean to Cassie. Four days since Cole assaulted me. Two days since I let Adrian watch Sutton fuck me.

Who am I?

I’ve transformed so much since the beginning of this year. I’ve shed layers and layers of skin. Loneliness. Monogamy. Helplessness. Compassion. Sanity. I don’t know who this woman is that I’m becoming. She’s not done yet. I feel as if my bones are shifting, morphing into something else… someone else. I don’t know who I’ll be by the end of this. I don’t know if I’ll recognize or like her. That probably won’t matter much.

I’m terrified that this woman will do anything for the ones she loves and I won’t be able to stop her. Cole is one thing, but how far off the rails will she go to destroy him? How much collateral damage will there be? I don’t feel like I’m completely in control anymore. And I think that’s the point. The old Thea wouldn’t have the courage to do this. She had too much heart—ripping that part out of her is the only way to protect my family.

I’m pulling into Olive Way as an unmistakable car passes me—the detective’s. Damn it.

He doesn’t stop to talk to me. I throw the Audi in park and jump out. I find Cassie in the barn, talking to a couple of the guys Damian sent to work on the renovations.

“Hey,” I call out. Her head snaps in my direction and she waves the guys off.

Cass grabs my arm, walking me out of the barn. “That detective was here asking questions.”

“I know. I saw him leaving. What happened?” My eyes are wild, searching hers for some sign that everything is about to crash down around me.

She signals for me to take a deep breath. Normally, I’d brush her attempt off, but I need it. My chest is tight from panic and I can barely think around the racing thoughts in my head. I inhale deeply, then let it out. I do it again.

“Everything’s fine. Okay?” Cassie grips my shoulders. “Everything is going to be fine.” I want to believe her, but it’s hard. “He came here asking if I knew anything about Gavin and when I last saw him. He asked me about you, your character, and your whereabouts on July fourth.”

I wait for her to go into detail about her answers. “And?”

She shakes her head. “I acted clueless. And I vouched for you. I kept my answers short and sweet.”

Finally, there’s a bit of relief. My chest loosens a little. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. You’re my best friend. I’d do anything for you.” I stare into her eyes and there’s no doubt in my mind that she’s telling the truth. “C’mon, let’s go figure out the next step. I have some info from Anthony that might help.”

Cassie and I sit in her car. Another safe space from prying ears and eyes, hopefully. She pulls up pictures of the tracking log that Anthony’s created. It all feels surreal. Tracking someone’s whereabouts isn’t something I ever thought I’d be doing.

“Anthony said that Cole stops at this gas station every morning. There’s a coffee place there too. Every other morning, he stays there about five extra minutes. Anthony and I assumed those must be the mornings he’s getting gas. The other days he’s just grabbing a coffee. He followed Cole this morning and confirmed our theory. Anthony showed you where he’s living. The rest of the locations are completely random. Except this one. He’s gone up to Tennessee a couple of times. I’m not sure what that’s about.”

I let the information churn in my head. I hadn’t thought much beyond the tracker aside from wanting to ruin Cole’s life like he’d ruined mine. The desire to kill him was an abstract one until now. Now it feels real. Then hesitation creeps in. I can’t do this. I can’t kill someone or psychologically torment them, even if it’s justified. “Cass… I don’t think I’m strong enough to do this. I don’t have it in me.” The old version of me peers through the darkness.

Her face softens. She takes my hands in hers. “I thought the same thing once. And I might not be here if I let those doubts win.” My brows furrow. What the hell did I miss? What had she gone through that she’s kept hidden? Cass must see my confusion and curiosity. “I can’t tell you. Anthony and I made a vow that it would stay between us. But I can tell you that by the end of this, we’ll have gone through something most people can’t comprehend. You’ll survive this, like I did.” Her words chill me.

“I don’t know what to do next,” I admit.

She smiles unexpectedly. “First, you need to fix that attitude. You’re a goddamn badass and no one can take that from you.” The fire in her eyes makes me believe it. I’m a badass.

An ember flickers to life. It’s not alone. Adrian lit one when he said I didn’t care about our family. Then I realize there are dozens of pulsing red coals. Each one signifying the betrayals, the neglect, the lies, and the abuse against me. They’re everywhere—itching to catch fire and burn everything down. It’s a disaster waiting to happen and Cassie’s words are fueling it.

I go over the plan in my head again as Cassie goes over wedding stuff. The conversation switched so quickly that my mind hasn’t had time to process going from dark to light.

“We need a way to get close to him. A way into his life.” Cassie’s words pulled something from my memory. When I first went through Cole’s room, I found something in his drawer—a key imprinting tool.

The start of an idea came to life after that. I told her we could use it to make a copy of his house key. I wasn’t sure what would come next, but it was something. Cassie’s eyes lit up. She suggested following him, then creating a distraction so that we could make a copy.

But we don’t need to follow him. We know exactly where he goes each morning. We could wait for him at the gas station on a day he’s there a little longer and use that to our advantage. I could tell Cassie was thinking of all the possible scenarios of what could go wrong.

“Listen, it may not work, but I know for a fact that Cole leaves his keys in the ignition whenever he fills up. It’s the perfect opportunity,” I suggested.

Cass thought on it for a minute before agreeing.

Step two of the plan is finalized. Get a copy of Cole’s key. I’m not sure how I should feel. Relieved? Scared? Empowered? I think I feel it all.

We each take a side of a large round table, lift it, and move it into place. My arms ache at the movement. My morning workouts have left my body in a constant state of pain, although I can feel myself getting stronger and that’s enough to keep me motivated.

“What do you think?” Cassie asks as she steps back and examines the layout. Her face scrunches. She’s not satisfied.

I try to find the flaws she’s seeing, yet I can’t. We’ve moved the tables around at least five times and each time it’s looked good to me. I don’t have the same eye for detail as her. “I think it looks nice.”

She clicks her tongue. “Let’s move these apart a few inches. I think it’s too crowded, especially if the dance floor is going to be right there.”

I don’t argue. She knows what she’s talking about. We move the tables slightly farther apart and finally, her face is content. “This is it,” she says, smiling. I’m relieved.

“Is five days enough time to get everything done?” I don’t want to stress her out, but we’re down to the wire. We’ve both taken turns on being anxious and calm over the last couple of weeks, each of us claiming a role, only for the calm one to soothe the anxious one.

“Wedding dress is being altered. Anthony and I have done our food and cake tasting. The florist has confirmed our order. Bridesmaid dresses arrived yesterday. Linens and decor will be arriving in the next couple of days.” I watch as she goes over the mental checklist in her head. “As for the renovations, nearly everything has been completed. The guys are just working on the little nit picky things that were bothering me.” She grins, satisfied with her accomplishments.

My brows arch up. “Honestly, you might be the only person in the world who could pull all of this off.”

“Well, if you think that’s impressive…” She eyes me cheekily, building the suspense with her pause. “I’ve already got some interest in event bookings for early next year. Just need the photos of the wedding to seal the deal.”

“Really?” I’m floored. When has she had time to do that? “How?”

Cassie shrugs. “What can I say? I’m a miracle worker,” she laughs out her reply.

As excited as I am, I feel guilty. She’s been putting in all of this effort while I’ve been complaining when my workload is half of hers.

“Hey. Don’t.” She must see it written on my face. “You’re doing what you can. We don’t work at the same speed. And honestly, I’m sure it took a lot to go to Damian about getting this place. That means something. Plus, all of his guys are here helping. You’ve done more than enough, Thea.”

I smile weakly. It did take a lot to go to Damian, but still, that guilt lingers and it gnaws at me on my drive home, leaving me in a sour mood by the time I arrive. The fact that I forgot to text the guys when I arrived at Olive Way and then again when I left only makes my mood worse. I’m sure I’ll hear about it from Damian.

ADRIAN

I’m staring at the ceiling. I’ve been staring at it for a while now—stuck between needing sleep and not being able to shut my mind off. The nightmares have been worse than usual. I thought having a safe place here with my brothers would have alleviated them. I was wrong.

Closing my eyes, I try to quiet my mind. Finally, I feel the faint pull of sleep.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

“What the fuck?” I mutter, my eyes flying open. The sound of the smoke detector’s shrieks makes me irrationally angry. Well, maybe not irrationally.

Memories of that night ten years ago slam into me. The smoke filling my lungs. The smell of gasoline. And the sound of the alarm. My heart pounds against my ribs and my chest tightens as the past assaults me.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Each shrill alarm pulls me deeper into panic. I can’t stand it anymore. Dragging myself from my bed, I race across the room. I’m seeing red by the time I get to the kitchen where Thea’s pathetically waving an oven mitt at the smoke detector that’s much too high for her to reach.

I go to the stove, turn off the burner, and dump the pan into the sink.

“Move,” I shout over the sound. I climb onto the counter and hit the button to turn it off.

Beep. Beep. Bee—

Silence, finally. But not for long.

“Hey! I was going to eat that!” Thea points to the pan in the sink as I climb down from the counter.

I give her a look of doubt. “No one should eat whatever that was you were trying to make.” I walk over and poke at what looks like a chunk of meat. “Didn’t Cole teach you the basics of cooking before you got rid of him?”

I watch her cheeks redden and her jaw clench. I can’t help the smirk that tugs at my mouth.

Thea’s eyes darken as her face relaxes. “Why don’t you go somewhere where you’re wanted?”

Her insult hits a sore spot, but she won’t win that easily. Licking my lips, I look her up and down, throwing her off guard. “You didn’t seem to mind my being here the other day… you know, when I watched you and my brother fuck. You’re into that kinda shit, aren’t you? Being watched?”

I half expect her to blush again, however, she just smiles deviously.

“What I’m into will never be your business. As for letting you watch, I wanted you to see exactly what you’ll never have.” Her head tilts cockily as her brows raise up. Thea’s words get to me more than I’d like to admit.

Two can play at that game.

Walking toward her, I get into her personal space. It might be a mistake because the events of Halloween come flooding back as her sweet vanilla scent hits me. “Hmmm, seems like you wanted to give it all to me in the haunted house. Fuck me. Fuck me, Damian,” I taunt in a whiny voice. It’s a mistake. As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them. I can’t let her see that, though.

The realization makes her face twist in horror. I’m not sure if she’s more disgusted that I tricked her or that her body wanted me so badly. Either way, I can’t help but to smile, unable to control my satisfaction at her shock.

That is until her palm comes across my face, hard and loud. My reflexes take over and I return the smack—not as hard, but enough to get my point across.

We’re both standing toe to toe, breathing heavy from the adrenaline and the stinging. I’m about to apologize. I’ve never hit a woman before and I’m ashamed, even if I hate her. Then Thea grabs my shirt and yanks my mouth down to hers.

I’m frozen. I don’t know what to do. Not only because of the unexpectedness of it but also because I haven’t kissed anyone in a very long time.

Her lips move with ferocity against mine and I don’t fight her when she slips her tongue in. Quite the opposite. My body unfreezes and my hands cup her face as I push her up against the wall. Fuck, she tastes so good. You’re a pussy. The thoughts bump up against one another, yet I can’t stop myself from devouring her.

Thea bites at my lips as her nails dig into my chest. God damn, my cock’s never ached this much. I push into her, letting her feel it, wondering what her reaction will be. She moans into my mouth. That’s all I need to unleash. Let it burn.

My hand slides up the back of her head. I grab her by the hair and yank her off of me. “Greedy little slut. My three brothers aren’t enough for you, huh? Gotta have one more?”

Her breath comes out hard and fast. For a moment, her lips curve upwards and her pretty blue eyes fill with lust. Then it’s gone. She flips the switch.

“Get the fuck off of me,” she growls, pushing me backwards. “You’re a psycho and you smell like an ashtray.”

As much as I hate it, it bruises my ego, but not enough for me to stay quiet. “Isn’t that what you like? Psychos? That’s probably why you loved Cole so much.”

Fire ignites in her gaze as she backs away toward the stairs. “Don’t tell anyone about this or you’ll regret it.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Havoc. It was entirely forgettable.”

My throbbing cock begs to differ. I watch Thea turn and head down to her room. I can’t let her destroy me like she did the rest of my family.