Page 191 of Forever Never
“Fuck.”
“He’s a goddamn monster, son. I witnessed it firsthand. I’ll say it in any court of law.”
“You better hope you get the opportunity. Do you know who you’re messing with? Do you know who you just brought to my island? To my doorstep?” To his woman. His future.
“I do know.” William’s tone was serious. “But what else was I supposed to do, Will?”
“It’s Brick,” he corrected automatically.
His father blinked. “Brick? As in brick wall?”
“Pretty much.” He rubbed a hand over his forehead. He had too many things he needed to be doing right now. Too many preparations to make to have this conversation. “Look, make yourself at home. Or whatever. I need to make some calls.”
“Sure,” William said. “If you don’t mind, I’ll go check in on Cami. We bonded a little bit on our drive.”
“Fine. Whatever,” Brick said, already lost in preparations.
His father hurried off in the direction of the kitchen.
“Uncle Brick?” Hadley appeared on the bottom step, hand wrapped around the newel post.
“Yeah, Had?” he said wearily. He had a houseful of women that needed protecting. A houseful of women who would deny that until the bitter end. And his own father had goaded a madman.
“Are you mad at that man for bringing Aunt Remi’s friend here?”
Yes.“No. I’m...concerned.”
“Is she in trouble?”
He was big on protecting kids from ugly truths whenever he could. But in this instance, innocence needed to take a backseat to vigilance.
“She is. And that trouble could come here, Hadley. So I need you to keep an eye out. You’re a good observer. If you see anyone paying too much attention to this house, or to your aunt Remi, I need to know. Got it?”
She nodded solemnly. “I’ll keep watching.”
Going on instinct, he gave the girl a one-armed hug and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “We’ll all be okay,” he promised.
She gave him a small smile. “I know we will. You’re here.”
“Go check on your brother, okay? Make sure he isn’t brushing Mega’s teeth with my toothbrush.”
She shot him a smile and disappeared up the stairs.
He gave himself a beat to think and then fished his phone out of his pants pocket.
Brick: Emergency. My place. How soon can you be here?
Chief Ford: Is there blood or do I have time for coffee?
Brick: No blood. But get it to go.
Chief Ford: Be there in 5.
Brick locked the deadbolt on the front door and bounded up the stairs two at a time. He found Remi in the guest bedroom next to theirs. She’d laid out some of her own clothes on the bed and was karate chopping the bed pillows with more violence than style.
He watched her as she moved around the room. Tension in her jaw and shoulders. Every few moments, she’d stop and take a deep breath. Over and over again, the tension built and rose until she breathed it out.
“Fuck,” she muttered under her breath. She hurled a useless pillow against the wall and brought her hands to her face.
