Текст книги "Hearts of Blue"
Автор книги: L. H. Cosway
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Текущая страница: 21 (всего у книги 21 страниц)
Epilogue
2 years later. HM Prison Belmarsh, London.
Lee
Hands on the steering wheel. Gear stick in neutral. Heart lodged firmly in my fucking throat.
I’ve been waiting at her good Majesty’s prison for the last half an hour. Any minute now my brother will walk out those gates and finally be a free man. After serving two years of a seven-year sentence that should’ve had my name on it, he’s finally going to walk. I’m not angry. Not anymore. But I’m not grateful, either. Life’s too short to go around acting like you owe people. Stu did for me what I would’ve done for him. It was simple. We were brothers.
We still are, but recently it hasn’t felt like it.
For the last three months, he’s refused to take my visits. I haven’t had a single phone call, letter, or smoke signal, and I’m beginning to get worried. Fuck it, that’s a lie. I was worried long before now, but I have it on good authority that Stu’s alive and in perfect health, so why the hell has he cut off communication?
I sit up straighter when I see the gates open and two screws step out. They usher forward three blokes, and I immediately recognise Stu as one of them. He walks straight, head down, wearing a hoodie and jeans.
I smack my hand down on the horn to get his attention and he looks up, recognising my motor. I see him mutter something to himself, a few effs and jeffs, I’m willing to bet, before turning his wheels in my direction. Liam and Trevor are at the house, helping Sophie and Karla set up the welcome-home party. By the looks of it, they’re going to have a fuck of a time getting Stu in the party mood.
He opens the door and slides into the passenger seat. “Didn’t ask you to come,” are the first words out of the moody bastard’s mouth. If I had less restraint, I’d give him a kick in the balls.
“Wasn’t going to let you get the bus, now, was I?” I say, starting up the engine.
We drive in silence for a couple of minutes, Stu staring out the window, big horror head on him.
“Well, I must say, Stuart, you’re a veritable ray of fucking sunshine today.”
All he does is turn his head, level me with an expression that has “piss off” written all over it, and resumes looking out the window.
“So you’re not going to explain why I’ve gotten nothing but radio silence off you for months?”
He tilts his head to me, all snotty. “Wasn’t feeling chatty.”
“I thought they put you in the hole. Found out from Jimmy Kelly’s cousin that you’re walking around fit as a fiddle.”
“Jimmy Kelly’s cousin can go fuck himself.”
That does it. I slam my foot down on the brakes and pull the car off to the side of the road. He’s putting up a front, I can just tell. Snapping free my seatbelt, I turn to him, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. He flinches at my touch, and let me tell you, seeing your six-foot-two, brick-shithouse brother flinch away from a friendly touch would do a number on anyone.
“This is me, Stu. There’s nobody else here. No bullshit, so stop blocking me out.” I keep my voice measured, not letting my temper get the better of me.
All of a sudden, Stu slumps in his seat. His breathing goes funny, and he closes his eyes. I stare at him, not knowing what to do. It seems like he’s ignoring me again, but then I see the wetness on his cheeks and I realise he’s crying.
“Ah, fuck,” I swear quietly, emotion biting at my gut as I pull him into a hug.
He heaves in my arms, all two hundred and some pounds of him, and I notice he’s become a lot bulkier during his time away. The pain he’s been dealing with rolls out like a riptide now that he has a safe place to expel it. It’s a bullshit social standard that men aren’t supposed to cry anyway. Fuck, I’d cried like a baby into a bottle of Jack when I thought I’d lost Karla, and I’m man enough to admit it. I know Stu had a rough time of it when he first got sent away, trying to avoid fights and stupid political mind games. A bloke like me can disappear into a crowd, become wallpaper, but not Stu. He stands out.
“Fuuuuck,” he curses, gripping my shirt as he pulls back and runs his hands down his face. “I’m sorry.”
“Not necessary.”
“It is. You don’t need me coming out with a chip on my shoulder. And I missed your wedding.”
I laugh softly. Missing my and Karla’s wedding is the last thing I expected him to feel bad about. “It’s not like they were going to let you take a day trip.”
“Yeah, but, I could’ve, I dunno, Skyped myself in or something. I always thought I’d be your best man.”
“Me, too. Trevor did an okay job.”
“Little prick stole my thunder.”
I chuckle and grip his hand in mine. “You didn’t miss nothing fancy, that’s not mine and Snap’s style, but it was the best day. I wish you could’ve been there.”
He perks up, sliding his eyes to mine. “Yeah?”
Sitting back in my seat, I describe the day, knowing it’d be good for him to picture something other than a six-by-eight cell and high walls. “Yeah. Alexis was her bridesmaid. You would’ve appreciated the low neckline.”
Stu groans. “Don’t fucking torture me. It’s been two years, bruv.”
I frown. “I know. My bad.”
“Not your fault. What else?”
“Karla had her hair up in this thing, looked like a bloody Danish pastry. I don’t know how birds do that shit. It’s like it’s purposefully designed to make you want to pull it and make a mess. Obviously, her old man didn’t show. Her mum made a brief appearance, though. Karla seemed real happy about that. We had Liam give her away. Trevor, the greedy little git, wanted to play father of the bride and best man, but I wasn’t having it.”
Stu laughs.
“And during the afters he tried getting off with Larry Murphy’s wife. The bloke nearly de-bollocked him. Trust Trev to pull a stunt like that, but fuck it, a wedding’s not a wedding without a bit of colour.”
“True.”
A quiet falls between us, and I cast him a look. “Are we good?”
Stu nods before letting out a long exhalation. “Yeah, we’re good.”
“Great, because Soph’s throwing you a welcome-home party, so you’re going to have to plaster a smile on that ugly mug for the next few hours.”
Stu chuckles loudly. “You’re jealous of this mug and we both know it.” A pause as he side-eyes me. “She hasn’t invited a bunch of people, has she?”
I shake my head. “Nah, just the family today, bruv. I’m making you a slap-up meal, by the way. Been planning it for weeks. It’s gonna blow your socks off, make you forget about all that prison slop you’ve been eating.”
Stu groans. “I never thought I’d miss fruit, but Christ, I swear I’d get a stiffy if I saw an apple right now.”
“All round and ripe for the picking,” I say with a grin. “Sexy little bitches.”
Stu barks a laugh, and it makes me feel ten feet tall to see him smile, even if it is only for a minute. I pull a pack of ciggies from my pocket, light one up, and hand it to him before lighting another for myself. We sit in quiet as we smoke, staring at the road ahead. When we’re done, we throw our butts out the window and I start the car up again.
“Wait,” says Stu, putting his hand on mine. I turn to him. “Can I drive?” he asks.
“Go for it,” I reply, and we get out to switch seats.
All the way home I watch him, little by little seeing the tension seep out of him the farther we get away from the prison. Still, he seems different, more stoic and thoughtful somehow. I mean, being put away would change anyone, no matter how strong they are going in. I wonder what it’s like to be all caged up like that, stuck looking at the same dumbfuck faces every day. That fate was almost mine, and I’m resolved to do everything in my power to make life better for my brother from here on out.
By the time we arrive at the house, Stu almost looks like his old self again. We step in the front door and everyone’s waiting in the kitchen, shouting “welcome home” and blowing on party whistles. Stu shakes his head, but I know he’s secretly loving it.
Karla steps up and gives him a hug, and he seems to sink into the touch. It doesn’t make me jealous, far from it. He hasn’t smelled a women in over two years, so I understand that he can’t help absorbing her softness. She smiles when she catches my eye, letting go of Stu and moving across the room to greet me.
I love her punch-to-the-gut beautiful smiles, love her bright blue eyes and sexy red hair. I love her body, love how everything about her seems like it was made for me. But most of all I want that for my brother. After everything he’s been through, I want him to find a woman who grabs his heart by the balls and shows him what it feels like to truly love someone.
“You look gorgeous,” I tell her, laying a quick kiss on her mouth while my hand slips down to cup her arse.
“Oh, but you’re prettier,” she teases me, giving my lip a saucy little bite. For a second I consider dragging her upstairs for a quickie, but then I remind myself that today isn’t about me and my horndog needs. Today is about Stu.
Letting go of my perfect, tough, kickass police sergeant wife, I head to the fridge and pull out the ingredients I prepared earlier. I’m cooking Stu an Angus steak with all the trimmings.
“Fuck yes,” he says when he sees what I’m making, clapping me round the shoulder and knocking back a slug of the beer Sophie handed him the moment he stepped through the door.
Karla goes to sit at the table, in between Liam and Trev. She smiles at them both as she pulls Billie up onto her lap. The kid’s been living with us full time ever since Karla helped Sophie foster her. She affectionately pushes a strand of her hair behind her ear and asks Liam how he’s getting on at the police academy, then questions Trev on his latest adrenaline-junkie endeavour.
Stu sits on the other side of the table, beside Sophie, content to listen to the conversation flow around him. It’s like a strike to the chest, seeing Karla surrounded by all my family. They’re her family now. And she doesn’t even realise it, but she’s become like a mother to all of them, looking out for their welfare, giving them help when it’s needed.
I’d always done it alone, but now I have someone to hold my hand and shoulder some of the burden. She’ll never have my kids. I know that and I hate it, but it doesn’t take away even an ounce of the love I have for her. In fact, it only makes me love her more. Because she’s made my brothers her sons, Sophie her daughter, and bettered all our lives in the process.
The world isn’t blue, isn’t lonely any more, and though I was supposed to be the thief, she was the one who stole my heart.
End.
Look out for the next books in the Hearts series, releasing in 2016; Trevor & Reya’s story, Hearts on Air, and Stu’s story, Thief of Hearts. Read on for the blurb.
Seduce the teacher.
Meet the cousin.
Make a deal.
Steal the painting.
Andrea Anderson has no clue of the thoughts churning around in the dark and dangerous ex-con’s head as he enters her classroom. In fact, she’s momentarily lost for words. Not in her entire teaching career has she had a student who looked quite like Stuart Cross.
A widow at just twenty-eight, love is something Andie hasn’t considered a part of her life for a very long time. However, when lingering touches turn to whispered words and hot, searching stares, she begins to wonder if maybe she should take a leap of faith.
But Stu is in her class for a reason, and it has nothing to do with love. He’s there to burrow his way into her life and repay a debt, otherwise his family will suffer. Andie is the first person to show him true kindness since he left prison, and though he doesn’t want to mislead her, he doesn’t have another choice.
Before long, Stu can’t tell whether or not he’s acting anymore, and his feelings for Andie could throw all of his carefully crafted plans into complete and utter disarray.
Check out more books in L.H. Cosway’s HEARTS series!
Praise for Six of Hearts (Jay & Matilda’s story)
"This book was sexy. Man was it hot! Cosway writes sexual tension so that it practically sizzles off the page." – A. Meredith Walters, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author.
"There is a way that certain authors write that just grips me by the throat because I can see the world, I can smell the sounds, I can hear the voices, and I can feel their hearts." – Marie Hall, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author.
"I loved the twist at the end. I loved how sexy it was. (DAMN IT WAS SEXY!!)" – Penny Reid, Author of Neanderthal Seeks Human.
"Six of Hearts is a book that will absorb you with its electric and all-consuming atmosphere." – Lucia, Reading is my Breathing.
"There is so much "swoonage" in these pages that romance readers will want to hold this book close and not let go." – Katie, Babbling About Books.
Praise for Hearts of Fire (Jack & Lille’s story)
"This story holds so much intensity and it's just blazing hot. It created an inferno of emotions inside me." – Patrycja, Smokin' Hot Book Blog.
"I think this is my very favorite LH Cosway romance to date. Absolutely gorgeous." – Angela, Fiction Vixen.
"Okay we just fell in love. Complete and utter beautiful book love. You know the kind of love where you just don't want a book to finish. You try and make it last; you want the world to pause as you read and you want the story to go on and on because you're not ready to let it go." – Jenny & Gitte, Totally Booked.
"Babies! I want to have babies with his book. Ladies, you will drool over Jack, want to run away to the circus and play with matches and hot wax. Definitely going in my top 10 favorite books of 2015." – Katie, Babbling About Books and More!
Praise for King of Hearts (Alexis & King’s story)
"Addictive. Consuming. Witty. Heartbreaking. Brilliant–King of Hearts is one of my favourite reads of 2015!" – Samantha Young, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author.
"I was looking for a superb read, and somehow I stumbled across an epic one." – Natasha is a Book Junkie.
"5+++++++ Breathtaking stars! Outstanding. Incredible. Epic. Overwhelmingly romantic and poignant. There's book love and in this case there's BOOK LOVE." – Jenny & Gitte, Totally Booked.
"The writing was stunningly beautiful, and the emotions that this story brought out of me has definitely placed this book on my top 10 favourite shelf of 2015." – Arabella, I Love Book Love.
About the author
L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.
She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories.
Find L.H. Cosway online!
Website
Newsletter
Books by L.H. Cosway
Contemporary Romance
Painted Faces
Killer Queen
The Nature of Cruelty
Still Life with Strings
Six of Hearts
Hearts of Fire
King of Hearts
The Hooker & the Hermit
Urban Fantasy
Tegan's Blood (The Ultimate Power Series #1)
Tegan's Return (The Ultimate Power Series #2)
Tegan's Magic (The Ultimate Power Series #3)
Tegan’s Power (The Ultimate Power Series #4)
Thank you for reading Hearts of Blue. Please consider supporting an indie author and leaving a review <3
Glossary of Terms
Nick: Steal
You’re nicked: You’re under arrest
The nick: The police station
Old Bill: Police
Bruv: Bro/Brother
Trainers: Sneakers
DI: Detective Inspector
ARV: Armed response vehicle
NCA: National Crime Agency
Ringer: A car made from stolen parts, or one with a swapped licence plate.
Tooled up: Carrying a weapon
Numpty: Idiot
Bent: Corrupt
Quid: Pounds (£)
Boozer: Pub/Bar
Mug: Fool/Face
Smarmy: Smug
Barnet: Hair
Playlist
Check out the author’s playlist for Hearts of Blue HERE.
