Chapter 12

Brooke

When Carter comes through the door, his expression tense and face set hard, what little respite I’d found is shattered.

He leans in the doorway and crosses his arms. “Just follow my lead. We met in a bar in Portersfield. It’s close enough to Rover’s Retreat, and far enough away from here, Jonas will buy it. Act like you’re unbalanced and obsessed with me.”

It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine being obsessed after the incredible weekend we spent together, but I force a smile. “I can do that.”

He blows out a breath and uncrosses his arms. “There’s something else.”

I hold my breath, not sure of what else I possibly need to prepare for. “Nate’s here. According to him, he’s been forced by the cops into spying on Jonas.”

Of all the things he could have said. That was not even close to what I imagined.

I stumble over the words as I pull my aching body to my feet. “This just keeps getting better. He’ll tell them who I am.”

Carter doesn’t answer for far too long. There’s something in his expression I don’t understand until he speaks. “Once I get there, he won’t be in a position to talk for long.”

I open my mouth ready to ask how, when he turns his back on me, and a lightbulb goes off.

I swallow as I follow him out on shaky legs. He’s going to make sure Nate can’t speak. I don’t want to think about how he’ll do that as he unlocks the door to his fancy room.

He pulls the door closed and takes my hand to tug me towards a staircase. “Jonas doesn’t see value in women outside of sex.”

I’m not sure why he’s telling me something I already guessed until he sends me an apologetic look as we climb the stairs. “I’m warning you in advance. I have to be who and what he thinks I am. It won’t be pleasant to listen to.”

Since I already have an idea of what Jonas is like, I concentrate on putting one leg in front of the other.

By the time we reach the top of the stairs, I’m trembling, and sweat has started to creep down my back.

Carter looks about as tense as I feel. And I’m beginning to understand Carter has done what he needs to survive around Jonas. I can only imagine what it’s taken to come back to this hellish place after seeing how normal looks.

A long hallway stretches in both directions. Black and white photos cover the walls. To distract myself, I look at them and instantly regret it.

The first photo is a picture of a dead cowboy propped beside a coffin from the turn of the century when morbid photography was in fashion.

My stomach twists as we pass picture after picture of grotesque photos. Carter notices me looking, and his mouth tugs downward. “He’s fascinated by death.”

I have no time to reply when he stops at the door at the end of the hall. I can hear voices from inside, as Carter squeezes my hand. “You can do this, and you’ll be home before you know it.”

He releases my hand, and I swipe my clammy palm on my jeans. “What about you? What will you do now?”

Carter flexes his arms, rolls his massive shoulders back and knocks on the door. “I’ll figure that out once you’re gone.”

There’s no time to answer when the door opens. The brute who hit me is standing beside the door, looking menacing as his eyes fall to Carter.

He stands a little straighter as if he’s competing with Carter. I’m proved correct when he spits the words in Carter’s face. “That’s what you wanted to do? Fix up the pig’s face? What kind of a joke enforcer are you?”

True to his word, Carter is on him in a blink of an eye. He grabs him by the scruff of the neck and shoves Kurt against the wall so hard a picture rattles off the wall.

He looks so furious; it’s hard to believe this is just an act. I take a step back as he growls at the man who hit me. “You know nothing about how to do this job; you are nothing but a weak imitation.”

Kurt’s face turns crimson as he struggles in his grip and for a horrific moment I think they’re going to start brawling, but when Jonas starts to laugh, Carter seems to shake himself.

“Kurt, you’re out of your league. Carter could crush you and not break a sweat. Go work over my guest instead.”

Carter and Kurt carry on glaring daggers at each other, but with a sneer, Carter releases a now manic Kurt.

Carter’s chest is rising and falling as he grabs my arm. I stagger as he pulls me towards Jonas. Eloise dips her chin, so she’s staring at her hands. But not before I see her right eye and lip are swollen.

As Kurt leaves the room, muttering and cursing, Jonas narrows his eyes. “Explain yourself, Carter.”

Carter doesn’t hesitate. “She’s not a cop. She’s a friend of Eloise’s I fucked a couple times in Pottersfield. She’s stalking me, but she’s not a threat.”

Heat blazes to life on my face. If I didn’t already feel cheap, Eloise’s reply makes me feel even more so. “Jenny’s always been hot for thugs,” she mumbles.

Jonas stares at me. “That so? And you want Carter that bad?”

Eloise’s eyes widen a little, and I have to blink a few times to remember all the stories I’m trying to keep straight.

I nod my head. “I called Eloise and told her I was coming. She tried to warn me off, but I didn’t listen. She didn’t want me to come to your bar. She said I’d be a nuisance.”

I’m so terrified I’m not saying the right thing that it’s impossible not to look in Eloise’s direction to gauge her reaction.

Carter still has his arm around my wrist, but he’s not saying anything else, just staring blankly at Jonas as if waiting for a response.

Jonas appears calm, but appearances can be deceiving so I make sure I sound as ditzy as possible. “I just wanted to see him again. I thought the weekend we spend together meant something.”

I accent my pitiful admission with a sniff and quit trying to be tough. A tear spills down my injured cheek as Carter huffs a sigh. “I would have told her to fuck off, but you seemed interested in her, and she was a friend of Eloise’s…”

He lets his voice trail off as his eyes shift to look over Jonas’ shoulder. All the air is sucked from my lungs as Kurt drags a beat-up Nate into the room.

Jonas shifts his hand to Eloise’s leg. Her mouth tightens, but she doesn’t react when he leans forward and looks at Carter. “Sounds like you need to get checked out by Rissa. Go before you locate this Brooke Madison, he told me about.”

My pulse starts to speed. I swallow thickly, panic swelling as Carter’s eyes flick from Nate as Kurt shoves him onto a chair.

Eloise clears her throat and tries to rise. “Let me get everyone drinks.”

Jonas’ lip curls he lets her get up. She meets my eye as she saunters towards the bar. Her smile is impeded by her swelling lip when she passes me.

Jonas slowly rises off the couch and crosses the room to where Nate is slumped in his chair. His eyes are swollen shut, blood is splattered down his suit, and his face is an ugly mass of bruises.

His head is lolling to one side as Kurt pulls something out of his pocket and hands it to Jonas.

Carter’s fingers tighten around my wrist as Jonas stares at the item Kurt handed to him.

Cold chills spill down my back as Jonas’ face twists into an ugly snarl. His eyes snap to Carter. “So this is why you really came back?”

He stalks across the room, nostrils flaring as he throws a plastic card at Carter. Carter flinches but doesn’t look away as Jonas stands glowering two feet away from him.

They stare at each other, seconds ticking away as the room stills and the tension thickens. I risk a look at what Jonas threw at Carter’s feet and a choked sob escapes.

It’s my driver’s license lying on the floor.

***

Carter

All my muscles tense as Jonas just keeps staring at me. I don’t need to look to know what’s likely lying at my feet. I was stupid for forgetting about it.

In the hustle to get Brooke away, I forgot about grabbing and hiding the one thing that confirms Brooke’s identity.

Any relief I had at seeing Nate already messed up is fast replaced by loathing for Kurt. I can just make out his smug face in my peripheral vision. But he’s not the problem. The man who holds his leash is. And currently, that man seems to be at a level of anger I’ve never witnessed before.

Brooke seems to have stopped breathing beside me, but I concentrate on keeping my breaths slow and steady. “This is between you and me, Jonas. Let the women go,” I say.

Pressure builds in my body as Jonas barely blinks.

Jonas blinks then jabs a finger in her direction. Spittle flies from his mouth as he looks at Eloise, then me and Brooke. “You think you can fuck with me? I own all of you.”

He swings around and jabs his finger towards Kurt. “You want to prove yourself to me. Do it.”

Kurt crosses the room, a sneer growing on his face. I back away, releasing Brooke, so she doesn’t get in the middle of things.

I have no doubt I can take him, but it’s what Jonas will do when I’m occupied that worries me.

I shoot a look at my only ally and the one person in the room who understands how volatile Jonas is. “Get her out of here,” I growl at Eloise.

I don’t have time to do anything but fight back when Kurt launches himself at me in a tangle of muscles and fury.

I dodge his first sloppy attempt and block his next. I backstep, my guard up as he tries to hit me.

But when Brooke screams, I try to turn, panic flooding my body, just as Kurt’s knuckles make contact with my face.

With a grunt, I swing another punch, pray Brooke is okay and focus all my energy on the wannabe enforcer.

I can’t look at what’s happening behind me, so I concentrate on blocking and waiting for an opening to land a single knock-out punch.

I retaliate with an uppercut that sends him staggering. I shove against him using all my body weight to send him crashing into the wall.

When I hear Jonas cursing at Brooke, at Eloise and I’m sure I hear Brooke crying, I land a few more hits, using my body weight to slam my fists into him as I pay him back for hurting Brooke and Eloise.

Brooke yelps, and behind me I can hear Eloise pleading with Jonas to calm down.

With absolutely no finesse and fuelled by blind panic of what’s going on behind me, I smash my head into Kurt’s nose, breaking the cartilage and bone as my forehead connects.

His hands fly to his face as blood pours down his chin. I follow up with a blow hard enough to send pain shooting up my arm and him dropping like a stone.

I whirl around just as Jonas pulls out a gun. Time slows as he swings the barrel towards my chest.

Strangely, his eyes are misting. “I treated you like my flesh and blood. I gave you everything.”

Eloise laughs from behind Jonas. “You didn’t give him anything good you fucking prick.”

Jonas spins around, and I leap at him, tackling him around the legs. The gun goes off as he crashes to the ground.

Pain tears through my shoulder as I snatch the gun from Jonas’ fingers and ram it under his chin.

He freezes, eyes wide as I hear the faint sound of sirens outside. I risk a look up and find Eloise and Brooke both watching me.

Jonas spits a curse at me, forcing me to look at him. “What are you gonna do now? Kill me?”

The sirens are louder, competing with groaning coming from Kurt and presumably, Nate.

Blood spills from my shoulder as my fear and loathing combine. All I can think about is Brooke, about Eloise and every single person he has under his control.

I look up and lock eyes with Brooke. “Get out of here,” I growl.

Her eyes pop wider, and she starts to shake her head.

I look at Eloise instead, knowing I’ll get no resistance from her. “Get Brooke out of here and get her ID,” I mutter.

After a nod, she hurries across the floor and quickly locates Brooke’s driver’s license.

Eloise’s voice is hard as she hands the ID over to a pale Brooke and stares down at me. “You can’t be here when the cops arrive. Give me the gun.”

Jonas bucks under me, but he’s getting paler by the second. I shake my head, eyes flicking between her and Brooke.

Her eyes are locked on me. Pleading me not to kill Jonas. But she has no real clue about who or what Jonas would have done to her.

There are too many reasons to kill him and too few not to.

Eloise backs up a little and looks at Brooke. “Take him to get help before he bleeds to death.”

Brooke holds Eloise’s gaze, and something passes between them. Brooke nods slowly and looks at me. “Please. Come home with me?”

Home. Rover’s Retreat. Where I fix broken things instead of breaking people. Where Andy trusted me and gave me a chance. Where my new life was supposed to be.

I look Jonas in the eye and try to pull up a single memory that doesn’t involve him manipulating, coercing or belittling me.

He thinks he made me the man I am today. And maybe he’s right.

But the man I am isn’t willing to murder in cold blood no matter what he’s done. I pull the gun away from his throat and rise to my feet; my head is light as the floor rocks under me.

Brooke is at my side as I sway slightly, propping me up as the gun slips from my fingers. “Don’t stay for me,” I say to Brooke.

At the crack that sounds behind me, I spin on my heel, blood splattering on the floor as Eloise stands, gun in hand as Jonas lies staring unseeing at the ceiling.

She closes her eyes, shoulders sagging as she gestures to the door with the gun. “Go. Both of you. I’ll tidy up before they get here.”

***

Brooke

The sirens are getting closer when Carter finally decides to move.

He’s clutching his shoulder as he stumbles through the door and down the hallway. His breathing is rapid as he points in the opposite direction to where we came up. “Fire escape.”

I follow him, worried he’s going to pass out before we get clear when he collides with the wall.

He shakes his head, sending blood and sweat flying as I push my shoulder under his armpit.

I have to half drag him, but we make it to the fire escape just as a door crashes in behind us.

Carter curses as we try to navigate the narrow stairwell to the alley below. Carter’s breathing is too rapid as he yanks me by the hand, and we start a slow shuffle away from Jonas’ apartment.

His voice sounds too faint as he pauses, leaning against the brick alleyway. “Carpark is just ahead.”

I wait until he’s ready to move, wondering how I’m going to drive without my keys when he sags and nearly hits the ground.

There’s no way he can make it to the parking garage, let alone the hospital. I issue my own curse and frantically try to get my bearings.

He manages to pull himself to standing, and with my assistance, we make it to the end of an alleyway. We’re so close to the police; I can see the lights flashing and hear the radio chatter.

I poke my head around the corner and look down the end of the street. Neon lights are just visible as I squint.

Carter’s feet are dragging even heavier as I strain all my muscles trying to get him to the end of the street.

“And you asked me what I weighed…” I grumble.

He snorts and seems to put a little more effort in. With a final push, we make it to Rissa’s clinic.

My hands are slick with his blood when I press the buzzer and pray she’ll open up.

Carter leans against the wall, a shallow smile on his washed-out face. “Rissa? Good thinking. But don’t use our names.”

I have no time to reply when the door is answered, making me jump. “We’re closed.”

I press the buzzer again. “It’s Eloise’s friend. I have um, someone with me. He’s been shot.”

The seconds tick by, and the door stays closed. Carter growls and pushes off the wall. He leaves blood on the switch as he presses the buzzer. “Open the damn door, Rissa.”

The door buzzes and clicks. Relief floods through me as Carter stumbles through the door.

I close it behind him as Rissa appears looking irritated. Her annoyance disappears when she sees Carter sagging against the wall.

Without a word, she slides her shoulder under him, and together we manage to drag him to a clinic room I never got to see.

Carter sags, and Rissa curses as she jerks her head towards the bed. “Get up before you pass out.”

He manages to haul himself up, leaving a trail of blood over the white floor.

Rissa gets to work pulling on gloves and tearing his shirt off his chest as Carter’s eyelids start to flicker and his massive arms flop over the sides.

My voice comes out a croak as I ask Rissa for an outlook I’m not sure I want to hear. “Will he be okay?”

She sends me a curious look then inserts a needle in a now unconscious Carter. “I can stitch him up. But he needs a blood transfusion, and I’m low on his type. What type are you?”

I’m so overwhelmed my mind goes blank as I try to remember. I rub my hand over my face. “Um. Something negative?” I guess.

Rissa sighs deeply and looks at me as if I’m a complete moron. Which is exactly how I feel right now.

When she shoos me away, I collapse into the closest chair and listen to the chaos outside.

I lean my head against the wall and try to think about everything apart from Carter dying in front of me.

Something is digging into my leg, and with a moment of clarity, I realize my driver’s license is in my pocket.

I scoot forward and check the details on the back, hoping that the blood type is listed, but only find I’m a donor.

I chew my lip and frown as I vaguely remember the blood bank contacting me a bunch of times after I had surgery but not really bothering to find out why. “Is he O negative?”

Rissa’s lips curl into a smile. “If you’re O Neg you just saved his life. I’m surprised you don’t know for sure. Blood banks kill for universal donors.”

I force a smile and try not to give myself away as a coward.

Her eyebrow rises as she hooks up an IV beside Carter. “You are okay with needles?”

I know my voice is carrying a wobble when I breathe out slowly. “Yes,” I lie.

Rissa’s voice carries a hint of amusement as she cuts his shirt away from his body. “With the amount of cops crawling over the neighborhood and the amount of blood he’ll need, you’re in for a long night.”

I swallow hard and try not to flinch as she starts to poke around in Carter’s wound then pulls out a needle and thread.

“I’m not going anywhere till I know he’s okay,” I say.

Rissa looks far too relaxed given the situation. “You want to tell me what the hell just happened?”

I’m too on edge, too worried about Carter to filter what I’m saying. “Eloise just shot Jonas.”

As I say it, my body starts to shake but Rissa isn’t the least perturbed. She snorts a decidedly callous laugh. “Good riddance.”

I can’t say anything. I can barely think let alone sort through how I feel about all this. So, I just look away when she starts to tug the needle through his skin.