Later that night, I was on a ladder, shoving a pry bar between the last of the wood paneling in the living room, when headlights hit my window. I sighed and shoved harder, successfully knocking down a portion of the dated wood, sending a puff of dust flying through the air in the process. I let out an exasperated breath, because I had no doubt who had just pulled into my driveway.
It had to be Jeremy.
Clearly, my warning to stay away hadn’t taken.
I hopped off the ladder and removed my dust mask, heading for the door. I grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the upside-down bucket and uncapped it, swallowing a mouthful before setting it back down. My body still hummed from the orgasm he’d given me. Even though I wanted him to stay away from me and the danger surrounding me, my traitorous heart sped up at the thought of seeing him.
No matter how logically I looked at the situation, one thing wouldn’t change: My body remembered Jeremy Holland, and it wanted more of his touch.
Much more.
A girl could only save a guy from herself so many times before she stopped trying.
Being a good person didn’t come naturally to me, and resisting temptation wasn’t my strong suit. Eventually, I’d stop pushing him away.
And then he’d be in as much danger as I was.
Footsteps sounded on the porch as I swung the door open. “You just can’t take no for an—” I broke off, the words choking me, because it wasn’t Jeremy on my doorstep this time.
It was a cop.
Oh, shit. They knew. They found me.
“Chelsea Adams?”
“Wh—?” I blinked. Chelsea Adams…? Paul. He’d come through. “Y-yes?”
“I’m Officer North. I’m afraid your brother has been attacked.” He removed his hat. “He told an officer you’re his sister, and his emergency contact.”
Paul. Oh God.
Paul was the only family I had left who wasn’t behind bars, and I couldn’t lose him. “What happened? Where is he?”
“He was jumped outside his office, on his way to come see you.” The officer fiddled with his hat, as if unsure where to look or how to act around me. “He’s in pretty bad shape, but he should recover. I can take you to him, miss, and the doctors can tell you more.”
“I’ll drive myself,” I said quickly, reaching for my keys.
“Ma’am?” He leaned in, locking eyes with me. I stiffened, because I didn’t need him all up in my face. “I can smell the whiskey from here. I think it’s best I drive.”
My cheeks flushed and I nodded, ducking my head down. In my worry, I’d completely forgotten about that. That wasn’t like me. Then again, I’d done a lot of uncharacteristic things these past few days…my behavior with Jeremy was just the most recent example. “Right. Thank you.”
The ride in the cop car was filled with awkward silence. For a moment I reveled in the novelty of riding in the front for a change. Then I started quietly panicking. Paul had just been attacked, and the timing was a coincidence, right? My brother had his fair share of enemies. I shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that this was the work of the people after me.
But when I walked in the room and saw Paul lying in the hospital bed, I knew. His eyes were nearly swollen shut, and parts of his head were shaved, with thick bandages covering wounds. A thin white blanket concealed most of his body, but I could see that both of Paul’s thumbs were splinted. I knew what that meant.
They were here.