Page 12 of The Desperate Warrior

Hurt battered her insides. Why was he being so formal? So stiff? She gave him a questioning look. Something she couldn’t discern flashed in his dark eyes. He was standing right in front of her, but he might as well have been a thousand miles away. Despair clutched her like a tourniquet. Her instincts had been right on the money. Brock was pulling away.

He motioned. “You remember Fitz and Charli?”

“Of course.” A bolt of hot anger streaked through her as she aimed a glare at Brock before turning her attention elsewhere. She’d met Fitz and Charli the night of Zoe’s makeup line launch—when Tippin proposed.

“It’s great to see you again,” Fitz said as he gave her a hug. Charli immediately followed suit. At least they were acting normal. Confusion rattled through her. What was wrong with Brock? She thought he cared as much about her as she did him. What had changed?

“It was such a beautiful ceremony,” Charli began.

Fitz sported a sly grin. “I guess Tippin chased and chased Zoe until she finally caught him.”

Both Charli and Fitz laughed. A smile was the most that Jules could muster under the circumstances. Brock remained stone-faced.

Charli looked from Brock to Jules. “Is everything okay?”

“Great,” Jules said breezily. “Why do you ask?”

Charli looked thoughtful. “The two of you seem a little tense.”

Jules remembered from meeting Charli before that the woman was a straight shooter. Not one to mince words.

Fitz stepped closer to Charli and linked his arm through hers as he chuckled smoothly to ease the tension. “Maybe it’s just hard for Jules to see her sister get married.”

“I’m so happy for her,” Jules said honestly. “This has been a long time coming.” She pressed on a smile. “Like I said, I’mgreat.” She was a terrible liar. Everyone could see right through her.

Fitz looked at Brock. “Maybe this guy’s tired of us trying to put pressure on him to relocate to Carmel and join our agency.”

“We only hire the best,” Charli piped in.

“The best is right.” Fitz turned his attention to Jules. “You saw Brock’s handiwork firsthand when he was protecting Zoe from the henchman Nico Ventura hired.”

“I did. Brock saved all of our lives that night.” Jules locked gazes with him as a deep sadness overtook her. She looked at his mouth, remembering how his urgent kisses had lit her on fire. She was so in love with this man that she hardly knew what to do with herself, and he was going to shatter her heart into a million pieces.

Fitz jumped back in, his voice earnest. “If you’re worried about Sutton, then I can have a talk with him. Sutton has lots of capable men on his payroll. Surely, he wouldn’t mind spreading the love. We could really use a man of your expertise. Give it some thought, would ya?”

“Hon, give it a rest,” Charli inserted as she gave Brock an apologetic smile. “You heard what Brock told us earlier. He’s trying to work things out with his former wife so that the two of them and their son can be a family again. I can certainly respect that. Family comes first, after all.”

“What?” Jules gasped. Her hands began to shake as she lasered in on Brock. “Is that why you’re acting so cold and formal?” Did she really just say that out loud? Normally, she was much more in control of herself in social situations. Well, not today.

Anguish twisted his features. “I was gonna tell you. I just didn’t want to do it today at Zoe’s wedding.”

“I’m so sorry.” Charli’s face turned red. “I had no idea that the two of you were involved.”

“We’re not,” Jules snapped. “Not anymore.” It was all she could do to hold back the avalanche of tears pressing against her eyes. “Excuse me,” she said to Charli and Fitz as she stumbled away.

Brock went after her. “Wait.” He caught hold of her hand. “Jules, please.”

She whipped around to face him as tears blurred her vision. A hard laugh scratched her throat. “I could feel you pulling away from me, but I thought I was being paranoid.”

“I’m not going back for Adrian. I’m going back for Trevor. He deserves to grow up with both of his parents.”

“And what about you?” she fired back. “What about all of those things you said about Adrian being so manipulative and how you worried that she had a personality disorder? Was that all a lie?”

He jammed a hand through his hair. “No, it was all true.”

Her voice went shrill. “And yet you’re going back? I thought you were smarter than that.” The outburst drew the attention of the people around them.

Brock lowered his voice. “I have to do what’s best for Trevor. He needs me in his life now more than ever, especially with a mother like Adrian. Please try to understand.” He gave her a pleading look.

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