Lost for You (7 page)

“I agree. It’s not like Elle and I will be going anywhere over the next week or two, apart from visits to the hospital for check-ups.”

“Okay. Has there been any movement in or around the apartment?”

“Nope, but I’m not going to risk it. Whoever the shooter was, he failed, so I know he’ll be back. I just don’t know when or how. I need to stay one step ahead.” I’m determined to hunt down the fucker.

“And I’ll help in any way I can. As far as I’m concerned, the job is on-going so keep me updated,” he says before ending the call.

I park my car and head inside the building. Shay and Devon have done an awesome job of cleaning the place up.

When I walk through the door, Shay and Devon are sitting in the living room. Devon has been crashing on Elle’s couch since we arrived, but he’ll be moving to Shay’s place when Elle is discharged. I nod my head at them as I walk in, putting the coffees down on the table in front of them.

“The boss just called. Gibbons has been cut loose,” I state as I take a seat on the couch.

“Fucking hell! Where is he now? Do we know?” Shay asks, his frown deepening.

“Nope. HQ are tracking his movements and calls, but the boss wanted us to know in case he shows his face around here. He’s a bit of a loose cannon right now, apparently. He was paid a lot of money to provide information about the job to Brimstone, and now he can’t do that anymore, so the money has dried up. We have no way of knowing what he’s going to do,” I tell them.

“What’s this Harry Brimstone capable of?” Devon asks as he picks up one of the cardboard coffee cups.

“Brimstone wants Brightlight all to himself. He’s got balls and knows that the only way to get Elle’s share in the company is to enact the incapacitation clause of the constitution.”

Shay interrupts me. “We need him to slip up before they come after her again.”

“Yup. That’s why the boss wants you two to go to LA. You need to work on getting someone close to Harry to flip.” It’s definitely not the most ideal situation, but it is something we need to do.

“Okay,” they both reply without hesitation.

“Fly out when?” Devon asks us.

“Tomorrow. The sooner the better. But no flying. You have to drive. It’s untraceable.”

Shay stands up and walks over to the kitchen counter where my laptop is kept. “I’ll work out the quickest route to get there. We’ll try to get in and out as quick as possible. I’m not sure about leaving you behind without backup though, Brax.”

“It’ll only be for a couple of days after Elle’s discharged, and she’ll be needing a lot of rest anyway,” I say, knowing that Shay can read between the lines. I need them to get to LA and bring Brimstone to his knees quickly then get back to us while also giving Elle and I time to ourselves.

I look up at the clock on the wall and realize that it’s almost time to head back to the hospital. “Okay, I’m gonna have a quick shower and head back in. You guys alright?” I ask, dropping my coffee cup in the trashcan.

“Yup,” they reply in unison, earning a smirk from me.

“God, you guys are even talking alike now,” I tease, cracking up laughing at the scowls on their faces.

There is a lot riding on Shay and Devon’s trip to LA. They need to get enough dirt on Harry Brimstone so that we have some leverage. I also hope like hell that Gibbons will give up on this now that he’s been let go by the boss man.

Somehow, I don’t think it is going to be that easy.

I’m livid. Beyond angry. If Brax James were in front of me right now, I’d wring his fucking neck. I’ve had a sweet deal going, but he had to go and ruin it by getting all suspicious and talking to the boss. Of course, the boss didn’t tell me exactly why he was letting me go. He just told me that he couldn’t trust me anymore, and he couldn’t have that in his organization.

Thankfully, my wife Gloria was out when I got home. I don’t know how I’ll explain any of this to her. All she knows is that the bank stopped calling us asking for money. She doesn’t know that I’m short two payments still. I’m waiting for Harry Brimstone’s call too. I’m expecting him to yell at me because I’m no use to him now. Not unless I can get to Elise myself.

Damn! That may be my last option. I can’t have Gloria find out about the financial shit we’re in. I’ve never been able to say no to that woman, and years of giving her free reign of our finances and credit cards have put us in this position, along with my awful luck at the poker tables in Atlantic City a few weeks before Christmas.

I thought all of my prayers had been answered when Harry sat down at the table next to me. Little did I know that making a deal with the devil himself would get me in an even bigger pile of shit. He saw his chance and took it like the shrewd business man he is.

In the beginning, all he wanted was info on Brax and his background. He said he had heard of him and just wanted to make sure he was the right kind of man for Elle. I told him all I knew which wasn’t much. He seemed unhappy with it, and asked if I could start monitoring the case and informing him if anything of interest came up. So I did. I’d tell him about any developments in the case, or the lack of them. That was when he made me the offer which would turn me against the boss and the organization that I’d worked at for over ten years; $500,000 if I could get Brax out of Elle’s life. This would leave Elle open for Harry to swoop in and, in his words, persuade her to sign the company over to him.

So I did what he asked. I made the call to get Brax out of Elle’s life, using Shay to relay the message. He had no reason to doubt my reasons for pulling Brax out. I told him that Brimstone had made the order, and called Evans in to deal with Elle unless Brax left her alone. I explained that it would be the only way we truly could keep Elle safe. I even promised to send a backup crew to watch over her. It all seemed too easy, really. I should have known it was bound to fail. I didn’t count on Shay staying behind.

Brax realized something was amiss the moment he landed in Atlanta, and the boss didn’t know why he was here.

So here I am; unemployed, on the boss man’s shit list, and waiting for the inevitable call from Harry Brimstone to tell me he’s reneging on our deal.

I’ll be stuck with a house close to foreclosure, a clueless wife just waiting for any excuse to walk out the door, and nothing left to fight for.

Dammit. There is only one option left for me.

I’ll need to take care of this myself. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

After nearly two weeks in the hospital, I’m finally being discharged today. I can’t wait to be at home and start sorting out my life with Brax.

He’s been so attentive since he came back. He’s lived at the hospital since coming back, not wanting to leave my side, and it’s only solidified my love for him. I know we need to talk about why he left so suddenly, and what he meant when he said that it was the only way to keep me safe, but I’ve been holding off talking about it until we’re back in our little sanctuary; our home.

I’m taken outside of the hospital in a wheelchair, and Brax leaves me with Beverly while he brings the car to the front door.

“I think I’m going to miss you two,” she says sadly.

I giggle.. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re going to miss having to hide Brax in my room so that he doesn’t have to leave.”

She giggles with me. “Well, maybe not that. But you two are so sweet, and I can see how much you love each other. It reminds me of my husband and I before we were married, it’s great to see,” she says with a smile.

“Thank you for everything, Beverly,” I say, putting my hand on her forearm.

“You’re very welcome, Elle. I hope I don’t see you back here for anything like this again, though,” she adds, leaning down and hugging me.

“Me too.”

I hear the Mustang come around the corner. Brax hops out and circles around the car to the passenger door, opening it just as Beverly wheels me towards him.

“Thank you for everything, Beverly,” Brax says. I can hear the sincerity in his voice, and it makes me smile.

“You’re more than welcome. You just look after Elle for me.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice,” he says with a smirk. “I can’t wait to get her home and spoil her rotten. She’ll be sick of me by the end of the week.” He gives me his arm, and helps me into the passenger seat.

I look over at Beverly one last time and smile. “See you around.”

Brax closes the door and gives Beverly a hug before hopping into the driver’s seat and revving the car.

“Time to get you back home, sweetheart. I think we’ve seen enough of this hospital to last a lifetime.” He pulls the car out of the parking lot.

The silence in the car worries me. The need to talk is like a giant elephant in the room. Brax seems on edge, like he’s almost nervous to be alone with me. I’m going to need to show him that we are okay. I made sure to check with the doctor when he discharged me this morning about when we’ll be able to resume the physical side of our relationship. Apart from taking it slowly, he said there is no reason why I can’t get back to living normally, including my relationship.

We pull up outside my apartment building and suddenly the panic sets in. I feel a panic attack coming on, so I try to concentrate on my breathing in an effort to keep it at bay. Brax turns the car off and turns towards me, looking concerned.

“Are you okay darlin’?” he asks.

I take another deep breath and exhale slowly, wincing a little because of the tenderness in my chest.

“I will be. I think I just need to get this over with and get inside.”

“The boys cleaned the place up. There’s a new bed, and the walls have been fixed up. It looks as good as new, baby, and I’m going to be here with you. Every step of the way if you’ll let me,” he adds nervously.

I lean towards him, cupping his cheek with my hand.

“I’m so glad you came back,” I say shakily before moving to kiss him. His arm snakes around my shoulders, carefully pulling me closer to him.

“I don’t think I can ever leave you again. It’s just not possible,” he murmurs before gently tugging on my bottom lip and pushing his tongue into my mouth, kissing me softly like I might break. I softly moan into his mouth, and he tightens his grip around my shoulders, our tongues waging a passionate battle. As my breathing picks up, I start to feel light headed in a good way. No, scratch that, in a fantastic way.

All too soon, he tears his lips from mine. “Let’s get you upstairs before I end up giving the neighbors a show they’ll never forget,” he says with a smirk, and I can’t help but grin back at him.

“Can’t have that happen, can we?”

“Minx,” he whispers before giving me another quick kiss and getting out of the car. I have a feeling that the next few weeks of taking it easy will be all the more interesting now.

Damn it’s hard to keep my hands off her. I remember how good it feels to be with her, to be inside her and bringing her to climax, then watching her come apart. But knowing how fragile she is right now puts a dampener on my amorous intentions. My job is to take care of her; show her that I’m here for the long haul.

I carry her suitcase and grab her arm, helping her get out of the car and through the front door of the apartment building. We take the stairs slowly, being careful not to wear her out too much, or cause her any stress. The specialist told Elle to stay calm as much as possible, and I plan on making sure that is exactly what happens.