The Promise (Wolfe Creek Duet #2)

37

THEA

I want to tell Damian no. I can’t do this today. My arms are killing me from working out. My entire body aches from being fucked roughly. And it’s all hitting me now. I want to cry. I tell myself it’s just the physical pain, but that’s a lie.

Still, as much as I’m hurting inside and out, I know it’s making me stronger. This is just a moment of weakness.

Physically, I’ve noticed that my body’s changing. Mostly, I’m the same, however, I am stronger. I’ve started to notice some definition in my arms and legs. Emotionally, while today feels difficult, in general, the torment I’m inflicting is helping to make Cole’s torture manageable. Mentally, well… I’m fucked up. There’s no denying that.

Who in their right mind would let their psychotic ex secretly assault them just to execute a plan of revenge? What mentally stable person would push her boyfriends to hurt her during sex? What sane person drugs themself and lets a guy she hates fuck her while she’s unconscious? Yeah, mentally, I’m not okay. But two out of three is going to have to do.

I barely remember Adrian fucking me yesterday. There are flashes, but I’m not entirely sure I can trust my own memory at this point. I drank way too much sleep medicine. That was probably dangerous. Still, there was some sick satisfaction that made me smile when I finally came to and cleaned myself up.

For one, there was a kind of cathartic release doing to me what Cole had done to me. Like I was taking back my power in a way. Then there was the twisted part of me that relished knowing that he watched the footage of his brother who I hate fuck me. And not only that, I let Adrian fuck me how Cole did at the Evergreen Inn, completely out of it and asleep.

“Again, princess. You’re not concentrating.”

I want to snap at him. How can I concentrate? I have too much on my mind. Not just Cole and Adrian, but my conversation with him as well.

I never saw him last night, although I did confine myself to my room after waking up from my encounter with Adrian. So the ride to the gun range was a lecture and an inquisition on everything about the detective and Gavin.

I told him as much of the truth as I possibly could, but still mostly played dumb. I don’t think he bought it. He didn’t push it, though. That was enough to make me suspicious of him.

Aiming the gun, I focus on the target in front of me. I inhale and place my finger on the trigger. Exhale and pull. The gun bucks in my hand.

“Better,” he says as he pulls my earmuff away so that I can hear him. The mediocre praise does nothing for me. Still, I empty the rest of the magazine into the target.

Setting the gun down, I remove my safety gear and turn to Damian. I need a break. My arms won’t stop trembling from holding the stance. He follows my lead and removes his gear, too.

Something Jessie said the other day stuck in my head. “Yesterday, Jessie said she’d lose her retirement package if it meant I was far away from you. What did she mean by that?”

Damian looks annoyed. “She shouldn’t have said that,” he mutters. I don’t let up on my gaze. I want to know. He relents. “When we decided to hire a cleaner, we knew there was a chance that person would be witness to some not so savory things. Best-case scenario, they would run their mouth around town. Worst case, they see something that could get us locked up. So, I decided that whoever came to work for us would need to sign an NDA. In exchange, I’d offer a retirement package. When Jessie turns sixty, she’ll move into the house I’ve purchased for her and I’ll cover whatever expenses she’ll need for the rest of her life. Food, gas, medical bills. Whatever she needs.”

“Why would she risk that?”

His blue eyes soften. “It started out as a business deal, but over the years it changed. Jessie doesn’t have kids of her own, so she’s taken on a bit of a motherly role with us. I mean that in the sense of trying to keep us in line and giving us tough love when we need it. That’s why she’d risk it.”

I nod. That makes sense. As much as Jessie and I don’t get along, I understand where she’s coming from. She’d give up her retirement plan if it meant that the guys would be safe. That’s something I can get behind. I’m willing to give up my freedom for them. I just wish I could tell her that so that she’d stop busting my balls.

I’m lost in my thoughts when Damian steers the conversation somewhere else. “What happened to your wrists?” Instinctively, I tug at my long sleeves to cover the bruising.

“Rope workout. I had them wrapped around my wrists yesterday morning. Guess they were too tight.” I shrug casually, hoping that he’ll buy it. There’s no way I’m going to tell him that these marks are from Adrian. When I woke, they ached so badly that I knew I’d be bruised.

Damian tilts his head. “You sure?”

I nod, but I know he doesn’t believe me. He probably won’t believe anything I say after the search warrant. I counter, “You sure you’re okay? You look tired.” I hope it’s enough to take the attention off of me. His eyes shift away from mine, so I push a little more. “You must be overwhelmed with everything going on. The tattoo shop. Adrian being back. Sutton.”

“I’m fine.” He’s lying. “I’ve been doing this most of my life. I can handle it.”

Stepping in closer to him, I put my hand on his arm. “I know you can handle it, but you don’t have to do it all alone. You don’t have to shoulder everyone’s issues, feelings, and responsibilities. Once in a while, you can take a step back and just take care of you. Everyone will figure out their own shit.”

“That’s not true. They need my help. They need—”

I interrupt him. “You?” I pause for only a second. “Damian, they need you as a friend, a confidante, a shoulder to cry on. They don’t need you to fund their lives or solve every problem that comes their way. They don’t need you to be their father. They need you to be their brother. And you need to learn how to be happy with that role. You aren’t more or less worthy of their love based on what you provide to them. You know that, right?”

For the first time, I see something crack in Damian. Redness creeps into his cheeks and I swear some of the iciness in his eyes melts a little. Then it’s like it never happened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replies coolly.

I huff at his insufferable pride. “Yeah, I’m sure. Just like I’m sure you didn’t know that Cole was psychotic.” It’s a stupid move on my part, but he’s pissed me off. I don’t wait for him to answer. I storm out of the firing line and wait at the car.

Ten minutes later, he emerges. The ride back home is quiet except for the low music coming from the speakers until I’m forced to ask a necessary question. “Is everything all set for Sutton?”

“Yeah,” he answers coldly.

We’re plunged back into the heavy silence, but at least I have my answer. That brings me some satisfaction. I can’t wait to see Sutton’s reaction later.

I pull the burner phone from my pocket, lean against the Audi, and hit the call button. Looking around, I make sure I don’t see anyone I might know. I’m paranoid, I can’t deny it. I’ve left my satchel in the car while I talk, unsure if there’s some kind of recording device sewn into it. The same goes for the car itself. I have no idea if it’s been bugged.

Between Cole’s camera in my room and Damian’s cameras all over the rest of the house and at the studio, there’s nowhere safe for me to have this conversation. So here I am. Parked at the grocery store after lying to Damian about picking up some balloons for the surprise later today just so I can call Cassie.

The phone rings twice before she answers.

“Everything okay?” she asks in an urgent whisper.

“No... Can you talk? Where are you?” I mirror her low voice, even though there’s no need for me to do it.

Her voice is muffled on the other end. Then I hear her clearly. “Sorry, I was finishing up with a client. What’s going on?”

I dive right in. Cassie listens quietly as I tell her about the search warrant the detective executed yesterday. I finish by telling her, “I need to speed things up with Cole before Williams finds a way to lock me up.”

“Hold your horses, Thea. I mean, I agree, but we need to think this through.”

I let out a sigh. I know she’s right, yet this panic inside of me is at war with logic. “What should I do, Cass?”

She’s quiet for a moment. “Can you wait a week? Wait until after Thanksgiving. I’ll come up with something. I know you want to handle most of this and I’m really proud of you for coming to me for some of the help. But you need more. If you’re going to have any chance of getting away with this, you need my help.”

“Cassie, I don’t plan on getting away with this. I fully expect that I’ll get caught. And if I don’t, I’ll go down for Gavin’s disappearance. There’s no way this detective is going to let me off the hook. As long as Damian, Sutton, and Wes are off of his radar, I’ll give up everything. They’re worth giving up everything for.”

I can picture her face on the other end of the phone. Her jaw set rigidly. Her eyes filled with challenge. Her voice confirms what I suspect. “Thea, you can get away with this. We can get away with this. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again. They might be worth giving up everything for, but I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you don’t have to.” Her words make my eyes water. This is all I’ve wanted in this life. Someone like Cassie who will go to the ends of the earth for me. But I can’t drag her into this.

“I—”

“You haven’t even heard me out,” she interjects. “What if we kill two birds with one stone, figuratively speaking?” I’m not sure what she means. “What if we can get Cole to tell us what he’s done to Gavin? We can give that confession to the detective. Then you’re in the clear with his disappearance and Cole gets locked away.”

My mind searches for a flaw in her plan, but I don’t find one. It could work, but only if Cole cooperates. It’s not a guarantee and I’m not sure if I can get completely on board. Although, I don’t see another option right now. I need Cassie’s help—we both know it. So outright refusing her suggestion doesn’t seem like a good idea.

I can wait until after Thanksgiving. That’ll give me time to figure out an alternative solution in case it doesn’t go the way she thinks it will.

“Fine. I’ll wait. But we need to come up with something good. He won’t talk easily.”

“Oh, I’m sure Anthony and I can come up with a few ways that won’t give him much of a choice.” Her sinister tone is one I’ve never heard before. A chill slides down my back. It’s becoming more and more apparent that I don’t fully know my best friend. I’m a nosy woman, but this may be the one time I’m not sure if I want my curiosity to get the best of me.