Building Faith (Long Beach Series Book 2) (37 page)

I lift my hand and knock on the door, bracing myself for the upcoming confrontation. I'd sent Zoey a text earlier asking if she could make sure Caleb was in the apartment around two. That way I could drop by and try to settle this thing between us. Zoey had been all for it, so here I am.

The door opens and Zoey peers up at me, a slightly tense smile on her face as she holds the door wide open for me to step inside. When I cross the threshold, I see that Caleb is at the island counter working on his laptop and glancing at a paper every so often.

“Well, I think I'm going to go take care of the laundry,” Zoey announces brightly as she grabs a basket loaded with clothes that's sitting on the edge of the counter. She quickly ducks out of the apartment.

Caleb frowns after her, then his eyes settle on me. His expression is unreadable as he says, “So, you're the reason she decided not to go to her brother's grave today.”

Aw, fuck.

I picked a shit day to try to do this, and Zoey never said one word to me. Zoey picks one Sunday out of the month to go to Pasadena to visit her brother's grave site. Looks like this was the Sunday she'd chosen and instead of blowing me off, she'd put aside her own plans.

I slip my hands in my front jeans pockets, feeling a bit like pond scum. “I didn't realize this was the Sunday she was going out there. She never said anything to me.”

“She wouldn't. She'd rather you and I fix things than go off to Pasadena. I'll take her on Thursday when we both have off from work,” he says as he reaches out to close the laptop. He turns his gaze back to me, and his eyes narrow. “So we're doing this today, eh?”

“It has to happen sometime,” I point out.

Caleb doesn't make a move to rise from his stool, nor does he offer me a seat. “Logically, I know I'm being a stubborn dickhead where you're concerned. Zoey keeps pointing out to me that your relationship with Faith is between you two, and I need to stay out of it,” he says dryly. “I've been getting an earful of advice from her that I'd likely give someone else if it weren't for the fact that it's me with the issues.”

“I can tell you how much I love her until I'm blue in the face, but it's not going to fix anything. I think you should just lay it all out for me, and I can go from there with explaining myself.”

Caleb nods. “You went behind my back,” he says simply, his eyes betraying his disappointment.

“Not intentionally,” I say levelly. “We were strictly platonic for quite a while until things began to change. When we realized our attraction was a losing battle, we sat down and discussed whether it was worth taking it to the next level or not. I was upfront with her about your warnings to me, and we decided to move forward with our relationship anyway. What we have isn't something we could ignore any longer, Caleb. We had every intention of telling you, but we wanted to wait until we had something solid going.”

Caleb crosses his arms, looking completely unmoved by what I'd just said. “How do you know you love her? I've seen the way you've gone through women since I moved here, and as far as we all know, you've never bothered to even try anything serious with someone.”

“You're right, I have never had a serious relationship before. But that doesn't mean I'm not capable of one. I haven't touched a woman since Faith came into my life. I
can
commit, and trust me, it'll never be an issue,” I promise as I look him dead in the eye. “As for how I know I love her, that's easy. I'd do anything for her, and if Oliver makes a move on her, he'll have to go through me first. Faith is my life now, and someday she'll be my wife—like Zoey will be yours. Faith has opened my eyes to so much in the short time she's been here, I'm not letting anyone come between us, not even you,” I add calmly.

“Like it or not, you're bad for her. She just got out of a controlling relationship and now she's diving head first into another one—”

“Give her more credit, Caleb,” I cut in darkly. “You've seen who she's become since she’s moved here. She's strong and independent. She doesn't take shit from anyone, not even me. Have you seriously looked at her and
seen
her lately without the memories of how she used to be getting in the way? You're blinded by that and basing everything off—”

“You weren't there!” Caleb cuts in, raising his voice as he rises to his feet. “You didn't see her in the hospital. You didn't look into those eyes and see the shock and emptiness within their depths. She was nothing but a fucking shell. You'll ruin her with your controlling ways and your fucked up need for tying women up!”

My fists clench at my sides as I look at him steadily. “Shit happened when I was younger. Restraints became a way for me to keep women from touching me below my waist without my permission during sex. Faith knows all about my past, and she still accepts me. All of me,” I clip out tightly.

Caleb stares at me, recognition flaring in his eyes. His expression slowly morphs into one of calm acceptance, and I know he's figured out what kind of 'shit' likely happened. “I didn't realize...”

I shoot him a brooding look. “It's not something I go around sharing with people,” I say derisively. “Faith's the first person I've talked about it with. She'll be the only one too, because I don't need you analyzing my emotions and shit.”

Caleb is silent now as he studies me.

I hate the way he's watching me, but I started this conversation, and I'm going to finish it. “I trust Faith, outside and inside the bedroom,” I continue determinedly. “I've only restrained her once, and that's because she insisted on it. She wants all of me, even those dark parts that crave that control. What you need to know is that it isn't all about me controlling her or overpowering her. It's about trust between us. She trusts me to love her body without hurting her while allowing me to enjoy a little dominance.” I give him a deliberate look as I ask my next question. “Didn't you end up cuffed to Zoey's bed the first night you two became aware that the other existed? I know Zoey enough to know that all she was after that night was a little harmless control, and you were willing to give her that. I'm also going to assume that you both have fooled around with those cuffs since then. Did it change the dynamic between you two outside of the bedroom? Do you have a need to control her all times of the day? Does
she
try to control you?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

Caleb frowns. “No.”

“Zoey had a reputation when you moved here. She was the girl that slept around and never screwed anyone more than once. No one on campus thought she was capable of settling down, and now here you two are, engaged and living together. How can you have gone through that with her and just assume I'm not capable of changing myself?”

“You're right,” Caleb breathes out as realization spreads across his face.

About fucking time.
I'm not about to rub it in his face, so I keep silent and wait to see if he has more to say.

His eyes hold mine as he says, “Seems like Faith knows more about you than I do. I judged you by your reputation, and for that I am sorry. I'm still not comfortable with your preferences, but I'll try to keep my nose out of it.”

I shake my head and fight back a smile. “Talk to Faith about it. I balked at the thought of restraining her, but she could tell that it's now a part of me—it's something I genuinely like. She did a bunch of research and spouted a whole bunch of crap to me about how it's okay and even healthy for couples as long as it's consenting.”

“Well, if I had any doubts, they're fading fast after hearing that she's clearly done her homework on the topic,” Caleb says dryly.

“She understands me like no one else does. Look, I get your need to protect her. You probably feel the same way I do where she's concerned, especially with her past. I have no intention of hurting her, Caleb. I'm not saying we won't have arguments, because that's life. There are going to be days she's pissed at me or vice versa. No matter what happens, I can swear to you right here and right now, I won't ever walk away from her.”

“Understood. But if you should ever fuck up bad enough to where you need your face rearranged, I’m the one doing it,” Caleb warns.

“I wouldn't expect anything less.”

It's hard concentrating on my job when I know Ace is confronting Caleb. Caleb's friendship means a lot to Ace, so I'm hoping that Caleb will come to his senses and realize that nothing he can say or do will have any impact on my relationship with Ace. Yes, things will continue to be awkward if he continues to be stubborn, but the only relationship that'll be hurt by it will be his and Ace's.

“That guy has been here for over two hours. I'm thinking it's time to politely kick him out,” Flynn says under his breath to me as I package up some cookies for a customer while he's making a toffee latte.

I realize he's referring to Jeremy. Ace had taken the bus with me to work earlier, and he'd stayed for an hour before Jeremy arrived. Since it's Sunday, Ace is determined to have someone here at the café during my entire shift. When Ace comes back from talking with Caleb, Jeremy will leave, and Ace will ride the bus home with me later.

“He's here for me,” I murmur to Flynn.

Flynn looks up and gives me an odd look. “I thought the big, blond guy’s your boyfriend.”

“He is. There's a situation I'm dealing with right now, and they're just being protective.”

“What kind of trouble are you in, Faith?” he asks with concern.

“It's fine, nothing to worry about. We're handling it,” I assure as I fold up the bag and turn back to the register to ring up the customer.

“Let me know if I can do anything to help,” Flynn tells me before he turns away to deliver the latte to whoever ordered it.

After I'm finished at the register and no one else approaches the counter, I grab a small plate and put a couple of cookies on it before walking over to Jeremy.

He's slouched in his chair at a corner table looking bored while reading a book he'd snagged from the book store. He looks up when I approach him, and I set the plate on the table. I'd given him free coffee and cookies earlier, and he'd demolished them almost immediately. Jeremy brightens at the sight of more cookies and begins to dig his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans.

“It's on the house,” I insist.

He shrugs and slips his wallet back in his pocket. “Thanks.”

“Did you cancel plans to hang out here this afternoon?”

“I work at four, so no. I would have just sat around or found something to do until then,” he says, reaching for a cookie.

“Thanks. I mean, I know you're watching over me for Ace, but I appreciate your willingness to help.”

He looks up, his brown eyes connecting with mine. “I'm doing it for you both. You're one of us now.”

The fact that he considers me a permanent fixture in his and Ace's life has my heart warming. I give him a genuine smile, and I'm about to say more when the bell above the door draws my attention. I see that Ace has just entered the café, and he walks right over to us.

“Hey, man. Thanks,” Ace says to Jeremy, and they do a fist bump that guys tend to do.

“No problem.” Jeremy rises to his feet and hands me the book. “I never paid for it. Good thing, too. It sucks,” he says bluntly before he affectionately squeezes my shoulder. “Later,” he says and then he's gone.

Ace turns his full attention on me and gives me one of his devastating smiles. “How's your shift going?”

“It hasn't been too bad. How did things go with Caleb?” I ask tentatively as I search his expression for a clue as to how it went down.

“It's all good,” he assures.

I take a step towards him to hug him, but then I draw back because I'm working.

Ace sighs and drops down in the chair that Jeremy just vacated. He glances at the clock on the wall. “Two more hours, then you're all mine.”

“Can't wait,” I say lightly before I walk off to ring up another customer who's waiting at the counter.

The rest of my shift passes in a blur, and then I'm walking out the door with Ace. His arm is wrapped around me, and I'm enjoying snuggling into his side.

“I brought the Hummer. I thought we could pick up something to eat instead of you cooking,” he tells me.

I look up at him with surprise. Ace never passes up home cooked meals. “What's the occasion?”

“You. I want you to relax tonight.”

“That sounds nice. Got anything else in mind?” I ask mischievously. Knowing Ace, he has the entire evening planned out.

“You'll just have to wait and see.”

We approach his Hummer and climb in. Ace drives us to a restaurant several blocks away and runs inside to grab take-out that he'd pre-ordered from his phone earlier. When he's back in the driver's seat, he backs out of the parking lot and waits for a break in traffic so he can pull out onto the street.

“So, I was thinking,” he says a minute later as we slow down for a red-light at the end of the block, “that maybe we could get out of town next weekend.” He glances at me. “Just you and me, no one else. Jeremy said he'll help us sneak out of town so Oliver doesn't follow. Sound good?”

“I'd really like that. What did you have in mind?” I ask as my mood perks up even more. An entire weekend of uninterrupted time with Ace. It sounds like pure heaven.

“Do you think your boss would let you have off?” he asks as the lights turn green, and we cruise through the intersection.

“I never ask off, so I would think he'd be fine with it. I have Saturday off already, so it'd just be Sunday that I'd have to switch with someone. I'll bring it up to Bruce tomorrow.”

Ace nods, his eyes focused on traffic. “We could fly out of the state if you want. Or we can drive up or down the coast and find a nice hotel. We could even rent a beach condo or beach house,” he suggests as he glances at me briefly. “Whatever trips your trigger, Angel.”

I give him a brazen smile. “You trip my trigger.”

“That, I am already aware of,” he says with a knowing smile.

When he turns back to focus on his driving, I settle in my seat and think over his suggestions. I don't want to do anything too expensive. I just want time with Ace. “Let's road trip and see where it leads. I think it'd be fun to just go with no actual destination.” I glance at him to wait for his reaction.

Ace nods approvingly. “Sounds good to me.”

A couple minutes later Ace pulls into the parking lot behind the apartment complex. He smoothly parks the Hummer and cuts the engine. He turns to look at me. “I wanted to bring something else up to you. I've pretty much ditched Jeremy lately, so I was thinking of having a guys’ weekend once this shit with Oliver is sorted. I'd like to include Caleb as well. I promise we won't do anything that would piss you and Zoey off,” he assures.

I'm a little uneasy with the idea of him taking off for a weekend with just the guys, but I need to show that I trust him. “Okay.”

He smiles. “You can plan a girls’ trip with Zoey that same weekend.” A stern expression crosses his face. “
You
do the planning, not her. She finds trouble wherever she goes. You plan something that sounds fun for you two, and I'll pay for it,” he says easily. “Bev is welcome too, if you want,” he adds lightly.

I'd made a big deal out of him sleeping with Zoey, so it's only natural for him to assume I might have issues with Bev. “I like Bev, it's fine,” I tell him lightly. I motion to the take-out bag on my lap. “We should go in before the food gets cold.”

We climb out, and Ace immediately walks around to my side to take the bag out of my hands. “You can use my laptop tonight and start looking into planning your girls’ weekend.”

I look up at him wryly as we walk side-by-side through the car filled parking lot. “This your way of trying to take my mind off of Oliver?”

“Guilty.”

A
pop
suddenly echoes throughout the parking lot, and a car window next to me explodes in a shower of glass. I freeze, staring at the shattered window with bewilderment before I feel Ace's body slam into mine, and I'm tackled to the ground.

The pavement is unforgiving, and I feel instant pain as my knees connect with the hard surface and then my elbows. Because of the jarring impact, I bite my tongue. Instantly, the bitter, metallic taste of blood fills my mouth. I'm still trying to process what's happening as I spit it out across the pavement. It dawns on me that Ace's weight is pinning me down. I hear another
pop
nearby; then there's silence.

“Ace?” I ask shakily as I begin to realize what those popping sounds had been.

“Shh,” he says in my ear.

I feel him shift on top of me, and I see in the corner of my eyes that his arms are braced on the pavement on either side of my head, sheltering me. “Is he really shooting at me?” I ask, needing confirmation.

“Yes. Faith, you have to get out of here. He's after you, not me.”

“What do I do? He has a gun.” His weight is heavy on top of me, and it's a struggle to draw in a full breath.

“You're small. I bet you can crawl underneath all these cars without him ever seeing you. There's a door that leads into the complex on the other side of the lot. When you get there, throw a rock or something to let me know you made it. I'll distract him so you can get inside. Then run as fast as you can and lock yourself in your apartment. Then hole up in the tub. If he's choosing to come after you in public, he'll likely try to follow,” he says grimly.

I turn my head, trying to peer at him, but I can't see him behind me. “What about you?” I ask breathlessly.

Ace eases his weight when he realizes he's squishing me. “I'll be fine.” Another
pop
has me flinching underneath him, and I hear the sound of glass shattering a couple feet away. Ace swears. “He's getting closer,” he says with growing alarm, and I can now hear the sound of slow footsteps. “God dammit, go!” He slides off me and literally shoves me towards the next vehicle.

Pain seems to fade, and as I lie there on my stomach gazing at Ace with fear, it sinks in that things could go bad. Real bad. One of us might end up with a bullet in our head. “Ace...” I whimper.

He leans down and kisses my forehead. “I know. I love you. Go!” He pushes me further beneath the next vehicle, and I have no choice but to do as he asks.

I spare one last glance at Ace, whose back is now to me as crouches behind the Hummer's front tire to peer around it. I begin to army crawl beneath the vehicle he's pushed me towards, and it's not easy. My elbows are losing skin, and I'm now suddenly thankful I'd worn jeans to work. When I reach the point where I have to crawl out in the open to the next vehicle, I look around anxiously. All I see is the pavement and lots of tires. When it seems clear, I flatten myself to the ground and roll myself beneath it as fast as I can.

“Oh, come on, Faith! Meet your death like a big girl,” a voice shouts out.

I freeze beneath the car. That's not Oliver's voice. It's a woman’s voice, but I don't recognize it. The voice doesn't make sense to me, but it doesn't matter at this point. Whoever it is wants to kill me. I scramble as quickly as I can beneath the next few vehicles before I hear another short burst of gunfire. My heart leaps into my throat, and I clamp my hand over my mouth to stop from screaming Ace's name. I breathe heavily through my nose and wait to see if I can hear anything.

Another shot rings out, and I hear the woman warn, “Don't move, or I'm going to splatter your brains all over that car.”

She's not talking to me. Her voice is too far away. “NO!” I scream out from beneath the car when I realize she's found Ace.

“Faith, don't even think—” Ace's shout is cut off as another
pop
echoes throughout the lot.

No, no, no, no!
If Ace goes down, I go down with him.

I scramble out from beneath the car, tears stinging my eyes when I realize Ace might be bleeding to death. I draw in a breath and slowly straighten up, waiting to feel the brutal impact of a bullet piercing my body.

When nothing happens, I focus on looking around and see that a woman has a gun pointed at Ace's forehead about twenty-five feet away. She looks familiar...

“Come join the party, Faith,” she sneers while she keeps the gun held steady on Ace. I'm relieved Ace is still alive, and his expression looks pained as he watches me.

I can tell this is the absolute last thing he wants me to do, but it's too late now. I hold my hands up and slowly begin to walk over to them. As I get closer, I realize it's Justin and Oliver's mother. She's changed since the last time I saw her. Her dark brown hair is almost now completely gray when a year ago it'd only just begun to show signs of gray. Her face looks aged, her eyes sunken in slightly. Her frame is now on the verge of skinny when before she'd had ample hips and bigger breasts. The ankle length skirt does nothing for her, nor does the ugly orange and red flowery shirt she's wearing. It's then that I realize that she was the elderly woman I'd seen on the bus.

As I walk towards her, I realize it was never Oliver that had been after me. I should have known that out of anyone in that family, it would be Barbara that would have a vendetta against me. Justin was always a 'mama's boy.' Barbara and Justin had been extremely close, and it hadn't been lost on me that she hadn't ever really approved of me. She'd always intimidated me with those cool, pale blue eyes of hers. There were times when Barbara had outright ignored me at their house, and I'd been meek as a mouse, eyes fastened on the floor as Justin spoke with her.