In the Black Read online

  “We’ll discuss it later. For now, let’s all listen in.” He gave King a pointed look.

  King grunted

  Aw hell.

  King wasn’t about to move on until he’d gotten some answers.

  “Did you sleep with my sister?”

  Ellie gasped. “Tommy!”

  Zane sighed. “I don’t suppose you wouldn’t believe me if I said no?”

  “You’re gonna make it worse, by lyin’ to me?” King took a threatening step forward.

  But Ellie stepped in his path. “Tommy, stop it. This is none of your business. I’m a grown woman, and I can make my own decisions.”

  “And what the fuck does that mean?”

  “It means shut up.” Ellie placed her hands on her hips. “This has nothin’ to do with you.”

  Zane resisted the urge to give King a smug look.

  King grunted. “I ain’t about to stand by, while you get hurt again. Tell me what’s goin’ on. Now.”

  Ellie glanced at Zane. King was like a dog with a bone and this was gonna get ugly.

  “Fine,” Zane said, running a hand through his hair. “Technically I slept with her, but it’s not what you think. I—”

  Zane didn’t even get a chance to finish his sentence. King rushed passed Ellie and took a swing at Zane.

  “I swear, brother, I didn’t touch her.” Zane blocked the blows but didn’t hit back. “She slept next to me, but I didn’t lay a finger on her.”

  But King wasn’t listening.

  And he kept right on punching.

  ***

  “Tommy, stop! Don’t you dare do this.”

  But her brother wasn’t paying any attention to her. Ellie was about to approach them when Nox grasped her arm and pulled her away from the brawl.

  She hadn’t even heard him walk down the hall. Honestly, the guy was like a ninja. Or maybe she’d been too distracted to notice.

  “Nope, let ‘em work it out.”

  Meanwhile, Zane had been backed into a corner, while Tommy punched like a boxer. Zane had stopped trying to explain himself, too busy fending off blows.

  “Aren’t you gonna step in and break it up?”

  Nox shook his head. “No point in it. They got issues.” He leaned against the wall, watching the show. “My money is on King.”

  She sighed in disgust. “Fine, if you won’t end this, I will.”

  And then Ellie ran down the hall to grab Savvy who’d been having a cup of coffee at the kitchen table.

  “Help, Zane, and Tommy are fightin’. Actually, Tommy’s beatin’ the shit out of Zane.”

  “Again? Dammit.” Savvy jumped up and followed Ellie to the scene of the crime.

  “Stop it, King!” Savvy shouted, but he ignored her.

  So, Savvy fisted her hands at her sides, tipped her head back and hit a high note. Her voice was loud, and so powerful, echoing in the space, filling up the room with sound.

  Both men stopped, turning toward her in shock. Nox winced. And Ellie felt like applauding.

  Savvy sighed. “There, that’s better.”

  “Thank you,” Ellie said.

  “Anytime.”

  At least, King hadn’t done much damage by the looks of things. Zane had a set of raccoon eyes since King had blackened the other one earlier, but other than that, he was unharmed.

  Savvy scowled at King. “This is the second time I’ve seen you whoop up at Zane. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  “He’s sleepin’ with my sister, queen!” King pointed to Ellie, as though there should be a scarlet letter embroidered on her chest.

  “No, he isn’t, Tommy. Although I don’t get involved in your love life, and I’d like the same courtesy from you. We slept side by side a couple of times. He was a perfect gentleman.”

  More’s the pity.

  “Yeah, I’m a gentleman.” Blood trickled from Zane’s mouth. The poor guy had been through hell the past few days. Maybe when this was over, they’d take a group trip to the emergency room. Neosporin for everyone!

  “Really?” Nox asked.

  Ellie blinked. For a second there, she’d forgotten about him.

  “I could’ve sworn you two were bonin’.”

  Eww.

  “Anyway…” Ellie said quickly.

  “See? You hit Zane for no reason.” Savvy groaned. “No, I said it all wrong. Even if she was sleepin’ with Zane, it’s her choice. Not yours.”

  “Even if he hasn’t, Zane wants to.” King lifted his chin, daring Zane to deny it.

  Ellie’s face burned. She’d probably blushed several shades of crimson.

  “What King meant to say was good luck. We wish you both well in your relationship or lack thereof.” Savvy took King’s hand, evidently squeezing it hard because King flinched.

  “No. That ain’t what he meant.” Nox pointed to Zane. “He’s gonna whoop your ass, whenever Savvy’s not around.”

  Zane sighed. “Yeah, thanks, I got the message.”

  “And damn, he’s a big’un.” Nox chuckled. “It’s gotta hurt.”

  “Trust me, it does.” Zane winced, clutching his side.

  And then Stormy opened the meeting room door so hard, it slammed against the wall.

  “If you don’t mind, I’m trying to conduct an interrogation in here. So, if you could keep it down to a dull roar, it would be greatly appreciated.”

  And then he banged it shut again.

  Chapter 9

  “Tommy, what the hell were you thinkin’? You can’t punch men who like me.”

  After Storm yelled at them, Zane took off upstairs, Nox had gone outside, and Savvy was talking with Mack and Annie at the kitchen table once more.

  Ellie took the opportunity to pull her brother aside and have a word with him. They were seated in the living room, having a conversation in hushed tones. Although, she’d bet anything people were eavesdropping.

  His smile was self-satisfied. “Yes, I can, and I have.”

  “I don’t get it. He’s your friend. If you think Zane’s such a terrible guy, why do you hang out with him?”

  “That don’t mean I think he’s relationship material. You deserve somebody better.”

  “Tommy, I appreciate your concern, but butt out. I’ll decide what to do with the rest of my life.” Until the department of corrections takes over, anyway. He had to stop being so overprotective of her.

  “Is that right? From where I’m standin’, you’ve made a lot of terrible ones.”

  She bristled. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. You got involved with an abusive bastard. And then started workin’ on a chemical weapons project. I’d say your judgment is impaired.”

  Ellie opened her mouth to argue with Tommy but couldn’t. He had a point. She’d seriously screwed up. Ellie had been thinking about her mistakes quite a lot lately.

  If by some miracle, she got through this situation, Ellie planned on making a lot of changes. She wanted to go back to school and find a job she could be proud of. And maybe then, she’d think about finding another guy.

  Only this time, she’d do it right.

  “You’re right.” Unexpectedly, she burst into tears.

  And just like that, he folded.

  Tommy instantly put his arms around her, pulling her into a big hug. She went into them eagerly.

  “I’m so sorry for draggin’ all of you into this. I should’ve cleaned up my own mess.”

  “Hey now, I take it all back.” He tucked her head under his chin.

  “No, you’re right.”

  “What I am, is an asshole. This isn’t your fault.” He pulled back so he could look her in the eye. “You weren’t the one who decided to hurt innocent people.”

  “No, I wasn’t.” She wiped her face with the back of her hand.

  “And you didn’t know the government was making a chemical weapon when you signed up, did you?”

  She shook her head.

  “And Dave wasn’t always a prick, was he?”

/>   “Not in the beginnin’, no.”

  “So, can you forgive your big brother for goin’ off the deep end?” He raised his brows.

  “Of course, I can.” Ellie didn’t even hesitate.

  He grinned.

  “You know, I remember a time when you weren’t so big. For a while there, I was taller than you.”

  “Yeah, until I had a growth spurt.” During puberty, he’d grown almost a foot in a year. And he hadn’t stopped.

  “I meant older, not bigger.”

  “I know what you meant. I’m just givin’ you a hard time.” He shrugged. “That’s more or less my job.”

  Ellie groaned. “You do it well.”

  “So, you’re gonna leave him alone then?” King raised his eyebrows hopefully.

  “You wish. I meant what I said, earlier. It’s my love life, not yours.”

  He scowled.

  “Okay?”

  “Fine.” Although it clearly wasn’t “fine” with him.

  “And you won’t hit Zane again?” Ellie had to make sure they wouldn’t have a repeat performance. Zane probably couldn’t take another round of this.

  “About this situation? I won’t lay a finger on him. But I reserve the right to kick his ass on an as-needed basis.”

  She sighed. “Fine. Let’s talk about you.”

  “What about me?”

  “How did the FBI interview go?”

  He hmphed. “Don’t worry. The bastards didn’t get a thing out of me.”

  “Thank you.” Ellie swallowed the lump in her throat. “I hate puttin’ you in the position to lie for me.”

  “Hey, I used to do it all the time. I covered for you when we were kids.”

  “This is different, and you know it.” Ellie blew out a breath. “And if this all goes to hell, I want you to save yourself.”

  “Ellie…”

  “Please. I’m not takin’ you down with me.”

  “It’s gonna be fine. We’ll figure it out, Ellie, we always do.”

  “I hope you’re right. Besides, you’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

  “Like what?”

  Ellie glanced over at Savvy, who couldn’t seem to take her eyes off Tommy.

  “Yeah.” Tommy sighed, all twitter-pated, like Thumper. “What do you think of her? Now that you’ve gotten a chance to know her better?”

  “I like her.” For someone who had so much power and influence, Savvy seemed down to earth, real. Her brother had met his match.

  King beamed.

  “It’s nice to see you smile.”

  “I can’t help myself. Savvy makes me feel…whole.”

  “I’m glad.” Ellie kissed his cheek. “You deserve a happy endin’.”

  “So, do you.”

  Ellie knew it was out of her reach. She was about to lose Zane and her freedom.

  ***

  “I take it back.”

  Two hours later, Storm walked into Zane’s room and closed the door, then leaned against it, closing his eyes with a pained expression as though he had a terrible headache.

  “Take what back?”

  “I’m not getting anywhere with this guy. I’ve tried nearly every trick in my playbook and nothing.” Stormy scowled.

  “Dave hasn’t said a word?”

  “Name, rank, and serial number. Does that count?”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, pretty much.”

  “So, he’s acting like a captured POW?” In the military, they’d been instructed to give out only those three pieces of information to an enemy. Nothing more.

  “Yeah, but I suppose it makes sense. In his head, we’re the bad guys.” Storm rolled his eyes heavenward, as though asking God himself to protect him from idiots.

  “And you explained you weren’t talkin’ to him in an official capacity?”

  “Yeah, but either he didn’t buy it, or he’s yanking my chain.” He shook his head. “I hate to even suggest this, but why don’t you try?”

  “I thought you said I was too emotionally involved.”

  “Under these circumstances, it might be an advantage. If you make him angry enough, he’ll argue with you. Once he starts talking, I’ll do the rest.”

  Zane felt almost dizzy at the prospect. He’d be alone in a room with the bastard. His fists clenched as Zane fantasized about punching the prick, hitting him the way he’d smacked Ellie around.

  “Hey! Are you paying attention?”

  Zane blinked. “What?”

  “You zoned out for a second there. To be clear, this is a fact-finding mission. You’re not going twelve rounds with this dipshit.”

  “I never said I wanted to hurt him.”

  “You didn’t have to.”

  Zane’s jaw clenched. “Fine, I’ll get him talking.”

  “Thanks.” Storm nodded. “I let him use the restroom and gave him a bottled water to drink. After he’s done taking a breather, then you can head in.”

  “Works for me.”

  After Stormy left, Zane went for a walk to clear his head. He wanted to get a hold of himself, calm down before he faced Dave.

  His thoughts were a jumble. Nights like this drew his dark side out, brought it right out into the open, where he couldn’t ignore it. The beatdown from King hadn’t helped matters.

  He’d learned to take one a long time ago, as a child. The first time Zane had been roughed up, he’d only been nine years old. His bastard of a father had snapped his arm after Zane had accidentally crashed his bicycle and broke the damn thing.

  Before then, he’d gotten hit with a belt, which hadn’t been pleasant, but bearable. But that time, his father had stomped on him, kicking his ribs, his shins, and then busting his arm in two places. He’d lied to the doctor at the emergency room, telling the woman he’d hurt his arm in the crash. His mother had taken him, and on the way over she’d helped him construct the lie.

  Zane knew exactly how to cover up abuse, how to take it silently. Well, Ellie’s abuser wouldn’t get away with it. Not tonight. Zane would see to it personally.

  He felt like he was going to explode.

  Zane hadn’t volunteered much information about his childhood deliberately. His brothers had stopped asking personal questions after they noticed how uncomfortable it made him. Zane appreciated it, but his past was resurfacing. Ellie’s situation had stirred up old memories, reminding him of everything he’d lost.

  When Zane walked around the corner of the house, he found Nox leaning against the wall with a cigarette in his mouth.

  Dammit.

  “I didn’t know you smoked.”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, there’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

  Nox took a pull on his cigarette and let the smoke out in lazy circles. He reminded Zane of the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland.

  If the bug was armed, and a douche.

  Nox actively cultivated an air of mystery. Zane couldn’t decide if it was an affectation, or Nox just didn’t like other people in his business. Or, given his kinky side, Nox just liked playing head games.

  Yeah, probably that last one.

  “And maybe there’s not a lot to know.” Zane was agitated. He’d come outside to be alone, and Nox was hardly his favorite person.

  He snorted. “What crawled up your ass and died?”

  “Why don’t you shut the fuck up for once?”

  “There’s the spirit.” Nox chuckled. “Maybe I was wrong about you. I thought you were one of those happy go lucky types”

  “Nope, but I play one on TV.”

  Sometimes he felt like everything about himself was a pretense. And he was doing a piss poor job of pretending with everyone.

  “I like this new you. You’re fifty percent less irritating.”

  Zane crossed his arms and leaned against the building, too.

  “It’s more like the old me.”

  “Why are you in a shitty mood?”

  “I’m about to question the suspect.” Like always, Zane found
a convenient excuse to explain away his behavior.

  Nox studied him. “No, that ain’t it. I think you’re excited to intimidate the fucker. And that’s why you’re so cranky.” Zane was about to protest when Nox shook his head. “Don’t even bother to deny it.”

  What the fuck? Was Nox clairvoyant or something?

  “So, you get your rocks off pushin’ assholes around. Who doesn’t?”

  “I don’t.”

  At the very least, Zane didn’t when he held himself in check, kept his dark side under wraps. While Nox seemed to live in the dark place and loved it. Unlike the rest of them, he had a certain moral flexibility.

  Then again, he’d acted like the hand of God, or the Grim Reaper.

  As a sniper, he’d killed countless people, all at the behest of the government. And he’d done it without question. While Zane had murdered someone he knew, someone who hadn’t seen him coming.

  No, I shouldn’t put on airs. Out of the two of them, Zane was the real monster.

  He held his hands up. “Hey, no judgment. If you need to talk, I’ll listen.”

  Zane wanted to hash this out with somebody, desperately, but Nox wasn’t the right person.

  Ellie is.

  At the very least, Zane owned her an explanation for his baffling behavior. She deserved to know all of it, every little bit of twisted past. And after he’d confessed his sins, she’d want nothing more to do with him.

  Zane was sure of it.

  And maybe it was for the best. Even her friendship was too much of a temptation.

  “You don’t understand.”

  “Try me.”

  “I did somethin’ terrible.” More than anything, Zane wished he could go back and change his actions that night, take it all back, but he had to live with his mistakes.

  Everyone else did, too.

  “Like what?” Nox raised a brow.

  “I can’t talk about it.”

  “Then why the fuck did you bring it up?”

  Zane closed his eyes. “For the record, you suck at this.”

  “At what?”

  “Talkin’ to people.”

  “It ain’t part of my skill set. If it was, I woulda become a shrink. Come on, fess up. We both know you’re dyin’ to. And I won’t ask again.”

  “I can’t handle this feelin’.”

  Rage blossomed inside of him. In his mind’s eye, Zane saw Ellie the first night she’d come here, broken and bruises. He didn’t just want to stop Dave and his merry band of assholes. Zane needed to hurt them.