Текст книги "Collision"

Автор книги: K. A. Sterritt

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Leo

As I rounded the corner of the house, I stopped in my tracks.

“Don’t take another step.”

Standing in front of the Mini was a man I recognised from fight night. He was the one who had attacked Juliette, and he was pointing a handgun at me with a sly grin on his face.

Memories of him being rough with Juliette unleashed my rage. I clenched my fists and took a step forward.

“I said, not another step.” His voice lacked absolute authority even though I heard him pull back the hammer. The slight reservation was all I needed to know he wasn’t about to shoot me.

I raised my hands above my head as I took another step forward. I didn’t want him to perceive me as a threat, but I needed to get closer.

“What do you want?” I seethed, stopping my progress to engage him. The most common mistake in situations like these is being too confident. The second most common is fighting back, unless you are trained to disarm, which I was. My biggest concern was ending this before Juliette came back, and I knew I didn’t have long.

“Where’s the little blonde bitch?”

“She’s none of your concern, mate. Just tell me what you want. Then no one gets hurt.” I took another step forward.

He waved the gun around aimlessly. “I don’t give a fuck about you or the stupid bitch. I just want my money, and that means I need to deliver a message to you, and only you.”

“Who put you up to this?” I edged forward whilst keeping the conversation going. “Maybe we can come to an arrangement.” The only arrangement I was planning was the rearrangement of his face.

“Have you ever shot a gun before?”

“Of course I have.”

He was lying. His eyes glanced to the left, his mouth was tense, his lips pursed and he rubbed his nose with his gun. He had amateur written all over his body. I was obviously stronger than him, and he’d been at fight club, so he’d seen me fight. He shouldn’t have let me get so close to him.

I had one chance and I acted without hesitation. Before this amateur fuckwit knew what hit him, I moved myself to the left, out of the discharge line of the gun. It is slower for a man to aim to the firing side of his body than to the support side.

In a blur of rapid movement that caught him completely off guard, I grabbed his wrist that was holding the gun with my left hand and simultaneously grabbed the barrel of the gun with my right, pushing it in towards him. I rolled it against his thumb, being the weakest point of the hand, and he squealed like a pig.

I was in control and forced his hands down towards his body, dropping the arsehole to his knees with the weapon now facing him. Clearly in pain from a twisted wrist, he released the gun and I took a step back.

“Hands in the air, motherfucker.” When he’d obeyed my order, I pointed the gun at his head. “How did you find me here?”

He spat at the ground in front of me, aiming for my shoe but falling short. What a complete loser. I hit him across the side of his head with the handle of the gun. He yelped and toppled to the ground, sobbing like a baby. I stood over him and asked again, completely calm.

He managed to get back up on his knees, looking pale and defeated. “I’ve been paid to make you an offer,” he mumbled.

“Speak up, douchebag. I asked how you found me.”

“I saw you get in the car with blondie, but I lost you on the way here,” he continued. “She’s a fucking maniac on the road. I had to track her phone’s GPS. My employer is offering to pay you handsomely on a monthly basis. The only condition is that you stay away from the girl.”

I shook my head at the ridiculous offer. “Well, you can go back to Dick. I’m assuming it’s Dick who sent you. Tell him to man the fuck up. I’m not taking money to stay away from her. He missed his chance and I will fight for her. I’ll fight and I’ll win.”

I removed the magazine and racked the bolt, rendering the gun unloaded and safe in under a second.

I nodded my head. “Get up.”

When he was standing in front of me, I bunched his hoodie in my left hand and spoke calmly, but with the absolute authority of a seriously pissed off man protecting his girl. “Get the fuck off my property and, if you value your life, stay away from me. More importantly, if you get within ten miles of Juliette, I’ll kill you and make it look like an accident.”

“I don’t want anything else to do with that psycho bitch. Either of them. But little blondie will end up dead if you don’t accept the offer. I’m just the messenger. Next time there won’t be any warning.” He flicked a business card at me with a number printed on it. It landed in the dirt. “Text this number with your answer by ten tomorrow morning.”

I punched him in the face before I could consider what he meant by ‘either of them’. “I don’t like being threatened, and last time I saw you, I told you to stay the fuck away from me or you’d be drinking dinner through a straw.”

“You two deserve each other.” He spat blood on the dirt in front of him. “This job wasn’t worth it. Just text the fucking number and get your money. Then your little girlfriend doesn’t get hurt.”

“Tell Dick to go fuck himself. Now, get off my property.”

He scurried off up the driveway like the sewer rat he was. I watched him slip through the gate in the light of the half-illuminated moon.

The whole episode was over in minutes and it was only after he’d gone that I realised I had instantly discounted the sewer rat’s threat to her life. Should I consider the possibility the threat was real? Richard was money driven and money makes people do terrible things—desperate things. I could protect her when she was with me, but what about when she wasn’t? Juliette was far from defenceless, but she had a tendency to put herself in risky situations.

I had just enough time to pick up the card and stash the gun in the shed before Juliette returned.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Absolutely. Let’s get out of here.”

“Are we going to stay with Bea and Angus?”

I stroked her face gently and felt my protective instincts take hold. I couldn’t let anything happen to her. “I really love you.”

Her eyes softened. “I love you too.”

“Do you mind if we head back to the city instead of staying with Bea and Angus?” I kissed her neck and whispered in her ear. “I want to hear you say that really loud over and over.”

“I can get us back to the city really fast,” she panted.

She wasn’t kidding. No doubt she broke the speed limits, but I had to admit, she drove with the precision of a pro, barely having to slow down to take corners. The gear changes were smooth and deliberate, maximising the small car’s power and agility.

When we got back to my apartment, I climbed out of the car and stretched my limbs. There was enough room for me to fit but not enough to be comfortable.

I met her at the front of the car and we walked in hand-in-hand, sexual tension crackling between us.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Juliette

The second we were in his apartment, I found myself being dragged to the bedroom. Not that I was complaining. He pushed the door closed with his foot, kicked off his boots and pulled his jumper and t-shirt off in one go. His lips were on mine in five seconds flat. His tongue pushed into my mouth and danced seductively with mine. I pushed him back, wanting to take some sort of control this time. Leo groaned, clearly frustrated to lose his grip on me.

I unbuttoned his jeans, swatting his hands away when he tried to pull me back to him. I slid his jeans down, bending lower and lower with them until they were pooled at his feet. When I tapped his ankle, he stepped out of them and I thought I heard a faint chuckle. Kneeling, I kissed the light smattering of hair just above his boxers and was rewarded with a low, drawn-out groan. I could see his boxers straining and I couldn’t resist running my hand over the tented bulge. I looked up, and his incredible eyes locked with mine, glazed with lust, desire and what I now knew to be love.

I pulled the boxers down over his impressive erection and he kicked them off without hesitation. Before I had a chance to make my next move, I was pulled up to him and kissed passionately. I was fully clothed against his nakedness and I enjoyed the sense of power I felt over this man.

“You have far too many clothes on.” Briefly pausing our kiss, his gravelly voice sent desire shooting through my entire body.

When he started to pull at my top, I halted his progress.

“Tell me you love me,” I whispered, placing my hands on his bare chest to keep him at bay.

“I love you.” His intensity was a major turn-on.

I took a step back and removed my layers of clothing one by one, not letting him help me, despite his best efforts. Reaching behind my back, I unhooked my bra and slowly removed it, enjoying the heightening sexual tension between us. Leo took a step towards me, but I pushed his chest gently with my pointer finger. “Patience.”

He shook his head and another frustrated groan bubbled from him.

I hooked my fingers into the top of my underwear and slowly slid them down, not losing eye contact with Leo, who looked like he might explode any second. I retrieved a condom from the bedside table and stalked back to him, ripping the packet open. “We really need to both get tested so we can stop using these.”

“Agreed.” His voice was croaky and barely a whisper.

Completely naked, but not feeling remotely vulnerable, I sheathed him with a confidence I’d never felt before. I wrapped my arms around his neck and crushed my lips to his. He lifted my left leg and placed it around his waist, and I felt his hardness rub against me exactly where I wanted it.

“I need to be inside you, Jules.” He picked up my other leg and carried me to the bed. I was no longer in control and I didn’t mind.

He lay me down on the bed and positioned himself between my legs then thrust into me. I opened my mouth to cry out, but his mouth swallowed the sound.

“Your turn,” he whispered mid thrust.

“Don’t stop, Leo,” I practically begged.

“Tell me you love me.”

I placed my hands on either side of his face and said the words I could only ever imagine saying to him. “I love you.”

He pushed into me deeper than ever before and my head arched back against the covers.

“I fucking love you, Leo,” I repeated as his mouth moved to my neck then to my breasts, where they roamed with an agonising slowness that drove me insane. He kissed them, sucked them and licked them as if he had a direct line to my brain and knew exactly what would send me over the edge. I couldn’t help repeating his name over and over as my body surged to climax.

The man I loved was a god in every way. For the first time in my life, I felt like my life was on track and I fell asleep, wrapped in his arms, with a smile on my face.

***

I woke up the next morning and was instantly aware that Leo wasn’t beside me. My watch on the bedside table told me it was just after ten.

I found one of his t-shirts to put on then padded barefoot into the lounge room. I found Leo standing by the window, staring at his phone. He was gripping it like he wanted to crush it with his bare hands.

“Morning,” I said softly.

He turned around, startled, and I saw pain in his eyes. He’d obviously been deep in thought. “Morning.”

I closed the distance between us and hugged him. “I missed you when I woke up alone.”

He kissed the top of my head then stepped out of my embrace. “I’m sorry.”

He appeared pensive and distracted. His body language wasn’t welcoming me the way I expected, particularly after last night. Something had changed, and a cold dread consumed me.

“Something’s wrong. Please don’t shut me out.” I reached out and touched his arm. “Not now. Not anymore.”

He stared back out the window as if contemplating the problems of the world. “I just have a lot on my mind.” He stuttered his words as if saying them out loud caused him physical pain.

Undecided whether to push him on the subject or not, I set about making coffee, because coffee makes everything better. When I handed him a steaming mug, he still wouldn’t look at me.

“How about we go out to breakfast?” I suggested hopefully.

He nodded his agreement, but it appeared more out of resignation than consent. I got dressed quickly and returned to find him still staring out the window. There was something really troubling him, and I hoped he would share his burden with me over breakfast.

We walked the few blocks to St Kilda beach and found a café with a free table. In summertime, it would have been near on impossible, but the cold season didn’t attract as many tourists to the beachside suburb. He held my hand, but conversation was stilted for the first time.

There was definitely something off with Leo. If he hadn’t declared his love for me the night before, I’d suspect he was seriously reconsidering us or worse, trying to find a way to say goodbye. It was deeply unsettling and completely confusing.

When our breakfast arrived, I’d had enough of the inexplicable awkwardness between us. “I’m not trying to pressure you, Leo, but are you sure everything is okay? Have I done something wrong?” I twisted my napkin in my hands. “Are you regretting what you said to me last night?”

He snapped his eyes up to me and appeared pained, but he didn’t deny it. My heart plummeted and I felt sick to the stomach.

When he didn’t say anything, I shook my head and waved to the waiter for the bill. I sat there in silence just staring at him.

The bill arrived and I snatched it up before Leo could. Grabbing my coat and bag, I walked to the front counter to pay, not caring if he came with me or stayed at the table. I didn’t really want to deal with his mood any longer and needed some fresh air. How could you go from ‘I love you’ and making passionate love all night to this? I didn’t get it. It occurred to me that I had glossed over his secrets and his demons. I’d thought it didn’t matter when he opened up to me because our connection was so strong. I’d thought I could help him get over whatever was in his past. Perhaps I’d been mistaken.

My phone started ringing in my bag as I dropped my change in the tip jar.

“Hi, Dad.” I stepped out of the café as I answered. I wasn’t really in the mood for him either, but I did want to know how Mum was getting on.

“Hi, sweetheart. How are you?”

“Fine,” I lied.

“Are you busy?”

I glanced back to the table. Leo was still sitting there with his elbows on the table and his face in his hands.

“Umm, no.” It felt like the truth.

“Can you come over now?”

“Why?” I asked, concerned. “Is Mum okay?”

“She really wants to see you and she’s going to Dartmoor tomorrow, so it might be a good chance for you to say goodbye.”

I sighed. “Okay. I’ll be there in half an hour.”

“See you soon.”

He hung up, and I stared at my phone as I felt the walls close in around me. I tried to get some air into my lungs but felt it catch in my throat. I started walking, wanting to get back to my car and the hell away from St Kilda all of a sudden.

“Slow down, Jules,” Leo’s voice called out from behind me.

I didn’t stop and I didn’t turn around. I didn’t want to hear what he had to say, knowing it was probably words of regret. Fuck that. I kept going, taking short, shallow breaths.

I sensed him behind me the whole way back to his apartment. Fortunately, I had my keys in my handbag and I bleeped my car as soon as it was in range.

“Don’t leave like this,” he said when I reached for the door handle. “We need to talk.”

I put my hands over my ears and closed my eyes. “Stop talking. Nothing good ever comes after that phrase, so I don’t want to hear it.” I opened my eyes so he could get a good look at how he was crushing me. “I can’t believe you’d even say that to me after last night.”

His hands covered mine and gently pried them away from my head. He held them together between us. “I’m sorry, Juliette.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks. “You’re really breaking up with me.” I was going into shock. “I don’t understand, Leo. What did I do wrong? You told me you loved me. Why did you lie?” I couldn’t look at him.

“I do love you.” His thumbs caressed my knuckles and I saw red.

Air rushed into my lungs, and I pushed him away from me. “I’ve had enough of people treating me like crap when they’re supposed to love me. I thought you were different. I thought you really loved me for me.” I clutched my chest. “You obviously don’t trust me enough to open up about your past, so I guess this was never going to work anyway. I’m done being a punching bag and I’m done with you.” The spiteful words tumbled out of my mouth, and I watched his face drain of blood as if I’d stabbed him through the heart.

I didn’t allow any feelings of guilt to stop me getting in my car and driving away without looking back. When I’d turned the first corner and was out of sight, I pulled over and burst into tears, acknowledging the devastating pain of a broken heart.

My phone started ringing, and when I saw Leo’s name, I just stared at it. I should’ve waited for an explanation instead of rushing off. Perhaps after I’d seen my parents, I’d call him back. I knew he had demons, and maybe it was all too much too soon. I had told him I loved him and meant it, yet at the first hurdle, I had run. Perhaps it was too much too soon for me too.

One thing I knew for sure; I was still a hot mess.

Chapter Forty

Juliette

“Come on in,” Dad said when he opened the door. “Thanks for coming.”

“It’s fine.” I had an uneasy feeling about it for some reason.

“Let me take your coat.” I shrugged out of my black pea coat and scarf and handed them to Dad. While he hung it in the hall cupboard, I wondered where Mum was.

“Hello, darling.” My mother appeared at the top of the stairs wearing an impeccable pale pink woollen dress with expensive heels in a matching colour. Her hair was tied back in a tight bun.

“Be nice. Be nice,” I reminded myself through clenched teeth as she descended the stairs. “Hello, Mum.” I stepped forward when she reached the bottom.

She embraced me warmly. When she stepped back, she looked me up and down. “You scrub up so nicely when you make an effort.” I knew I looked terrible, but a backhanded compliment was a step up from outright criticism. I’d spent a lot of time fixing my makeup in the car before I arrived but was unable to hide the signs of my despair.

“Thanks,” I replied sarcastically. “I like your dress.”

“I’ll be in my office if you need me,” Dad said. “You mother would like some private time with you.”

“Fine.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I’d get this over and done with and then I’d go home and hide from the world. I was teetering on the edge of a full-blown freak-out session.

We walked down the hallway towards the back of the house and I inhaled the smell of Jean’s homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Before saying anything, she busied herself getting the tea ready. I was even being honoured with the use of her Versace cups and saucers.

“How are you feeling, Mum?” I asked tentatively.

She looked up at me and smiled. “Wonderful. Thank you.”

“Really?” I recoiled. I didn’t mean to say that out loud. “I mean. That’s great.”

When the tea was ready, we moved to the lounge room and sat in the wing chairs facing the fireplace.

“I’m sorry for what happened at Richard’s house.” She took a sip of her tea, holding the cup’s handle delicately between her thumb and pointer finger. “I wasn’t myself at all.”

“It’s okay, Mum.” I felt numb to her apology. “I’m just glad you’re going to get some help.” I stared into my cup and gently moved it around, fixating on the swirling tea and occasional tea leaf popping to the surface.

“You need to know something about Leo before you throw your life away.”

“What do you mean?” I looked at her, suddenly wary.

“He’s not right for you and he knows it.”

I shook my head and sighed. “Mum, I need you to let me make my own mistakes. I need to live my own life.”

“I’m really sorry to tell you this, darling, but I wanted to show you what kind of man he was. I offered him a generous monthly allowance to stay away from you.”

I almost dropped the expensive gold-plated cup when I jumped up. “You did what?” I snarled, outraged.

“Sit down, Juliette. I’ve done you a favour.”

“By offering money to the man I love to stay away from me? How exactly is that doing me a favour?” I was losing my mind.

Obviously realising I wasn’t going to sit back down, she stood up. In heels, she was taller than me. “Have a think about it, Juliette. You’re a smart girl.” She tapped the side of her head. “I wouldn’t be telling you this if he said no.”

Everything I knew about Leo told me it wasn’t true. “I don’t believe you. Leo loves me.”

She smiled and nodded then sashayed from the room, leaving me standing there dumbfounded. She returned moments later holding her phone out to me.

“What is that?”

“It’s a text from the man who loves you,” she stated sarcastically.

Grimacing, I took the phone and read the message.

I’ll stay away from Juliette.

I stared at the screen until it faded to black. Once again, loving me had a price tag and once again, the price was right. I calmly returned the phone to my smug mother.

“I hope you get the help you need,” I whispered, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Bye, Mum.”

When I was outside, I fumbled for my phone and called Sia.

“You leave for London in two weeks, right?” I asked when she picked up.

“Yep. Why?” she asked slowly.

“I’d like to come with you. I need a break.”

“What? Are you serious? What’s happened, Jules? What about Leo?”

“Yes or no, Sia.”

“Yes. Of course. I’d love you to come with me.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

“So, I’ll speak to Heath tomorrow about getting a temp to cover me.”

Sia squealed and I had to hold my phone away from my ear. I tried to share in her excitement, but at that moment I just felt sad.