Breathe Me In
Page 14
Sighing, he crossed his arms and leaned against his car, steeling himself for the worst. She looked at him uncertainly until he gave a circular gesture with his hand. Macy drew a breath, and managed to surprise him yet again.
“I saw Jameson Andrews drive by here that night you and I were here. I guess he waited until we left and trashed the shop. I didn’t point it out to you and I didn’t tell anyone, at least partly because the Andrews family and mine go way back. But also because I’ve been upsetting Candace a lot lately, and I thought she would never speak to me again. It was selfish and it was wrong, and if you never want to speak to me again, I’ll understand.” He just stared at her. “I’ll be sad,” she added, “but I’ll understand.”
Wow. No wonder she hadn’t been able to tell him this in front of everyone. Ghost scrubbed a hand over his head, wanting to be at least a little upset that she’d actually considered sitting on this information. But she looked so glum. It was plainly obvious she was a good enough person that this had eaten at her until she cracked. Besides that, he hadn’t asked her if she’d seen anything. He hadn’t told the cops she was with him. Either one of those things might have made her decide to come forward sooner. “Is that why you and Candace stopped by today?” he asked. “You did tell Brian, right?”
“Yes. I did.”
“So really, in the end there’s no harm done. The bastard’s been busted.”
“He could’ve been busted sooner. I know you guys have been miserable all this time. And you’ve worked so hard and—”
“Well, yeah. But we would’ve worked hard whether we had the proof or not.” What he couldn’t believe was that Brian hadn’t breathed a word of this. In fact, he hadn’t heard from Brian since he lit out of the parlor soon after Candace and Macy left.
Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit.
“Fuck,” he spat, digging in his jeans pocket for his cell phone.
“What is it?” Macy went from zero to panicked, and once realization dawned across her face, she raised a hand to her forehead. “Do you think he’s gone after James? Oh, God. That was something I didn’t really consider. He’ll kill him.”
“Get in. We’ll see if we can find him.”
He fired off a text to Brian as soon as they’d jumped into his car. Dude where u at? Macy buckled in and stared worriedly ahead, chewing her thumbnail.
Fortunately, the answer came just as he pulled into the street, and he almost laughed at how both of them practically dove for his phone. He let her get it since he was driving. “He says he’s at his brother’s and asks why you want to know,” she said.
Ghost blew out the breath he’d been holding. “Crisis averted, then. Just tell him I’ll call him later.”
She relaxed into the seat, typing the message. “Okay.” Then she laughed as she handed his phone back. “What were we going to do, anyway?”
“Hell if I know. If he didn’t answer, I was ready to go try to bail him out of jail or something.”
“You don’t think he’ll do anything?”
“If he were at home in a drunken stupor, I might consider going to babysit him. But if he’s at Evan’s, then that guy will talk some sense into him. It’ll be okay.”
“I don’t know Evan, but if what I’ve heard about him is true, I’m sure you’re right.”
“Brian probably went there just for that reason too. He damn sure didn’t want my influence.”
“Great. You aren’t going to do anything to James, are you?”
He chewed over that one for a minute, long enough to make her sit up straight and open her mouth. Grinning, he cut her off. “No. Though it probably wouldn’t be too good for his health to cross my path in the very near future. That’s all I’m sayin’.”
“Fair enough.” She watched the darkened buildings slip by them outside. “So where are we going now that our mission has been aborted?”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Hmm. I can’t think of anywhere in particular.” She shifted her legs.
He shouldn’t do it, his brain kept telling him not to do it, but that was like telling his lungs not to need oxygen. He glanced down at those smooth-skinned thighs, swallowing hard as he saw exactly how much skin was showing, how it positively gleamed in the passing streetlamps.
He wanted to touch her. Oh, f**k, how he wanted to. And he damn sure couldn’t do it while they were driving around...at least, not the way he had in mind. His fingers ached to chart every inch of her.
“Let’s just go back,” she suggested. He could get onboard with that. A parked car allowed for many more opportunities than a moving one.
Dermamania was dark and deserted when they returned. The past few weeks he and his coworkers had been worried about a repeat attack, and they’d discussed taking turns staking out the place at night, relishing the idea of catching the ass**le in the act. But no one had seemed too enthused about doing it. There was a security system now, anyway.
“Crazy thing, isn’t it?” Macy asked after he’d parked and killed the engine. “Our friends causing all this trouble.”
“It isn’t like they caused it. I’m sure they didn’t have any idea it would lead to all this.”
“Do you think it’s worth it? I’m not sure I do. I mean...I don’t know.” She finished on a dejected note.
He’d had similar thoughts while staring into the destruction that was once his lively place of business. It was up and running again, sure, but something about it was...off. Like their happy little bubble had burst and there was no blowing another one so round and so perfect no matter how hard they tried. “I guess it doesn’t matter what we think, right?” he said at last. “Only they can decide.”
“I predict this separation won’t last long. Candace won’t last long. She’ll go back.”
“And he’d take her in a heartbeat. He isn’t the problem, you know. He’s willing to work through it. I guess he’s willing to throw everything away. His business, us... everything, if he has to.”
“Wow.”
“Right.” He thumbed the grips on his steering wheel, thinking of Brooke. How he’d wanted to scour the f**king earth to find her after she left him, no matter what she’d done. “I guess it’s worth it, then.”
“It seems pretty selfish to me.”
Macy’s voice had hardened, and when he looked over at her, he saw her mouth had, too. Usually those lips were generous and seemed to be hiding a smile like a precious secret; now they were tight and forbidding. “What’s wrong with being a little selfish sometimes?” he asked. “In the end, we’re the only ones looking out for ourselves. No one else is gonna do it.”
She stared at him for a moment, a light “Hmm” escaping her throat. “I guess you’re right about that.”
Jesus. She was perfection from her sleek, shiny hair to the white-tipped fingernails she lifted pensively to her lips. To those killer legs. And everything he couldn’t see...he was damn sure it was perfection too.
He was feeling selfish as hell right now. He hoped she was too. This was a moment, her gaze remaining steady on his, and he feared if he looked away, if he even f**king moved, he would break the spell and the moment would be gone forever. The moment she was thinking of kissing him.
“I saw Jameson Andrews drive by here that night you and I were here. I guess he waited until we left and trashed the shop. I didn’t point it out to you and I didn’t tell anyone, at least partly because the Andrews family and mine go way back. But also because I’ve been upsetting Candace a lot lately, and I thought she would never speak to me again. It was selfish and it was wrong, and if you never want to speak to me again, I’ll understand.” He just stared at her. “I’ll be sad,” she added, “but I’ll understand.”
Wow. No wonder she hadn’t been able to tell him this in front of everyone. Ghost scrubbed a hand over his head, wanting to be at least a little upset that she’d actually considered sitting on this information. But she looked so glum. It was plainly obvious she was a good enough person that this had eaten at her until she cracked. Besides that, he hadn’t asked her if she’d seen anything. He hadn’t told the cops she was with him. Either one of those things might have made her decide to come forward sooner. “Is that why you and Candace stopped by today?” he asked. “You did tell Brian, right?”
“Yes. I did.”
“So really, in the end there’s no harm done. The bastard’s been busted.”
“He could’ve been busted sooner. I know you guys have been miserable all this time. And you’ve worked so hard and—”
“Well, yeah. But we would’ve worked hard whether we had the proof or not.” What he couldn’t believe was that Brian hadn’t breathed a word of this. In fact, he hadn’t heard from Brian since he lit out of the parlor soon after Candace and Macy left.
Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit.
“Fuck,” he spat, digging in his jeans pocket for his cell phone.
“What is it?” Macy went from zero to panicked, and once realization dawned across her face, she raised a hand to her forehead. “Do you think he’s gone after James? Oh, God. That was something I didn’t really consider. He’ll kill him.”
“Get in. We’ll see if we can find him.”
He fired off a text to Brian as soon as they’d jumped into his car. Dude where u at? Macy buckled in and stared worriedly ahead, chewing her thumbnail.
Fortunately, the answer came just as he pulled into the street, and he almost laughed at how both of them practically dove for his phone. He let her get it since he was driving. “He says he’s at his brother’s and asks why you want to know,” she said.
Ghost blew out the breath he’d been holding. “Crisis averted, then. Just tell him I’ll call him later.”
She relaxed into the seat, typing the message. “Okay.” Then she laughed as she handed his phone back. “What were we going to do, anyway?”
“Hell if I know. If he didn’t answer, I was ready to go try to bail him out of jail or something.”
“You don’t think he’ll do anything?”
“If he were at home in a drunken stupor, I might consider going to babysit him. But if he’s at Evan’s, then that guy will talk some sense into him. It’ll be okay.”
“I don’t know Evan, but if what I’ve heard about him is true, I’m sure you’re right.”
“Brian probably went there just for that reason too. He damn sure didn’t want my influence.”
“Great. You aren’t going to do anything to James, are you?”
He chewed over that one for a minute, long enough to make her sit up straight and open her mouth. Grinning, he cut her off. “No. Though it probably wouldn’t be too good for his health to cross my path in the very near future. That’s all I’m sayin’.”
“Fair enough.” She watched the darkened buildings slip by them outside. “So where are we going now that our mission has been aborted?”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Hmm. I can’t think of anywhere in particular.” She shifted her legs.
He shouldn’t do it, his brain kept telling him not to do it, but that was like telling his lungs not to need oxygen. He glanced down at those smooth-skinned thighs, swallowing hard as he saw exactly how much skin was showing, how it positively gleamed in the passing streetlamps.
He wanted to touch her. Oh, f**k, how he wanted to. And he damn sure couldn’t do it while they were driving around...at least, not the way he had in mind. His fingers ached to chart every inch of her.
“Let’s just go back,” she suggested. He could get onboard with that. A parked car allowed for many more opportunities than a moving one.
Dermamania was dark and deserted when they returned. The past few weeks he and his coworkers had been worried about a repeat attack, and they’d discussed taking turns staking out the place at night, relishing the idea of catching the ass**le in the act. But no one had seemed too enthused about doing it. There was a security system now, anyway.
“Crazy thing, isn’t it?” Macy asked after he’d parked and killed the engine. “Our friends causing all this trouble.”
“It isn’t like they caused it. I’m sure they didn’t have any idea it would lead to all this.”
“Do you think it’s worth it? I’m not sure I do. I mean...I don’t know.” She finished on a dejected note.
He’d had similar thoughts while staring into the destruction that was once his lively place of business. It was up and running again, sure, but something about it was...off. Like their happy little bubble had burst and there was no blowing another one so round and so perfect no matter how hard they tried. “I guess it doesn’t matter what we think, right?” he said at last. “Only they can decide.”
“I predict this separation won’t last long. Candace won’t last long. She’ll go back.”
“And he’d take her in a heartbeat. He isn’t the problem, you know. He’s willing to work through it. I guess he’s willing to throw everything away. His business, us... everything, if he has to.”
“Wow.”
“Right.” He thumbed the grips on his steering wheel, thinking of Brooke. How he’d wanted to scour the f**king earth to find her after she left him, no matter what she’d done. “I guess it’s worth it, then.”
“It seems pretty selfish to me.”
Macy’s voice had hardened, and when he looked over at her, he saw her mouth had, too. Usually those lips were generous and seemed to be hiding a smile like a precious secret; now they were tight and forbidding. “What’s wrong with being a little selfish sometimes?” he asked. “In the end, we’re the only ones looking out for ourselves. No one else is gonna do it.”
She stared at him for a moment, a light “Hmm” escaping her throat. “I guess you’re right about that.”
Jesus. She was perfection from her sleek, shiny hair to the white-tipped fingernails she lifted pensively to her lips. To those killer legs. And everything he couldn’t see...he was damn sure it was perfection too.
He was feeling selfish as hell right now. He hoped she was too. This was a moment, her gaze remaining steady on his, and he feared if he looked away, if he even f**king moved, he would break the spell and the moment would be gone forever. The moment she was thinking of kissing him.
