I sat in my car,staring at my brother’s place on Staten Island. He had already started making it his, but I could tell that he was holding out, hoping to get Mari’s opinion once he told her how he felt and then asked her to marry him. I knew how my brother’s mind worked. Even though he hadn’t said as much, he was making plans here—for a wife, for a family, for a future.
A wave of nausea came over me, dreading the talk we were about to have.
My phone rang, and my head popped up from the steering wheel. Scott’s name flashed across the screen. We’d been talking lately, but thanks to his schedule and mine, we hadn’t seen each other much. The longest we were together was five minutes, and without making a deal of it, I tried to distance myself from him. I wanted to make this as easy as possible, but Cash had told me not to say anything. It was a specific order.
“I’ll tell you when the time’s right.”
Scott had accepted my offer to come to this party. He seemed eager when he realized that my family was going to be there. Mari had mentioned it in front of him. He had to make another trip to my place when her pervert of a landlord had been killed.
Just as I said, “Hey,” an expensive car pulled into Harrison’s driveway. A second later, Cash Kelly stepped out, wearing a black t-shirt that hugged his muscular frame, dark jeans, and boots. Expensive sunglasses covered his eyes, but his gaze locked onto mine right away and refused to move.
“Kee? You there?”
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “I’m here.”
“Listen.” Scott sounded out of breath. “I thought I could make it, but that politician’s still missing.” He’d told me the day before that he didn’t think he’d be able to make it to the party, because all manpower had been brought in, but then told me he thought that maybe he could. That was his life. Making plans to break them for his job.
“Sounds like madness,” I said, and the dullness in my voice couldn’t be hidden.
Scott was quiet for a moment. “This is my life, Kee. I know it’s hard to deal with in the beginning, but here’s a deal I’m willing to make: I might not be around all of the time, but when I’m home, I’m yours. I won’t even think about a dead body.”
“Cute,” I said.
Cash leaned against his car, like he didn’t have a care in the world. There was thatla de daattitude. And there I was, my entire world crashing in around me.Bastard.
Scott sighed. “I’ll make this up to you, I swear. We’ll take your mom and dad out to dinner. Maybe it’s best if I meet the boys one at a time. They might kick my ass if I just show up.” I heard someone call him and then he told me he had to go. “Kee,” he stopped me before I hung up. “I’ll see if I can make it later. I love you, sweetheart.”
Forcing my eyes away from the marauder’s, I looked down at my phone, shaking in my hand. My hands had been shaking ever since the day he told me I had to marry him. It caught me off guard because sometimes I didn’t even realize they were.
Scott had hung up, but my heart was in my throat.
I should tell him. I should tell him. I should tell him.
One look at Cash Kelly and I knew I couldn’t.
He knocked on my window, and I used the hand crank to roll it down. “Can I help you?”
“Who was that?”
“None of your business.”
“Nah, that’s where you’re wrong, darlin’. You are my business now.”
“Scott Stone. He can’t make it.”
His eyes narrowed, and even though his face didn’t reflect a particular change, something about him was different, something I could feel rather than see.
“Since you seem a little disappointed that not everyone can make it—” That was when it hit me like a blow to the gut.Scott.What did this have to do with him? Did they know each other? Was Scott crooked and had double-crossed Kelly? I didn’t want Cash to catch my reaction, though, so I relaxed my features, or tried to.
Cash leaned in a little closer. His cologne smelled like something expensive, but woodsy. If it were anyone else, I would’ve licked my lips and even rolled my hips if I were on the dance floor. “Cat got your tongue, darlin’?” Then he opened my car door. “This party is not for Scott Stone. It’s for you.”
“You mean us.” I stepped out, and even with wedges on, I had to look up at him. Scott never liked when I wore them because we were the same height. Sometimes I was taller depending on the shoe, and I totally avoided those altogether. There was no way I was going to reach the marauder’s height unless I wore platform heels.
I ran a hand down my green silk blouse, ironing out any wrinkles. “Aren’t we announcing our engagement tonight?”
“We’ll see.”
“Always so cryptic.”
