Page 95 of Play With Me

Lola snuggled deeper into my body, as if she were afraid that the bond we felt and the connection we’d always had would fizzle while I was beginning to realize the truth behind our bond. I tightened my arms around her with reassurance, and then added, “That was the same day my wife died, but Sophie was saved.”

She let go of a stressed breath, and I held her in my arms. Lola didn’t know it, but I needed her way more than she ever needed me.

“Sophie?”

“Marissa was pregnant at the time of the accident. She died shortly after Sophie was born.”

Lola tried to sit up. Feeling her distress, I kept her body close to mine.

“Brook, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry you’ve been in so much pain.”

“My pain is nothing.”

I wasn’t sure where the words came from, but they were true. Nothing mattered, so long as Sophie and Lola were safe. The world could stop spinning, so long as I could have them both in my life forever. I couldn’t put a Bandaid over the past, and I couldn’t erase all the scars, but I could prevent new ones from forming and that’s exactly what I’d do. I had to keep them safe because my gut wasn’t done warning me and I knew exactly what it was trying to tell me. Except it wasn’t as much of a warning as a reminder – a reminder that the answer I’d been seeking the past eight years may have possibly been right under my nose. As I held Lola, rocking us back and forth, absorbing the comfort of her body, I felt at peace. Now that I knew she belonged in my life, we had the rest of our lives to heal.

By the time I carried Lola upstairs to my bed, the clock showed that it was just after two in the morning. In less than six hours, it would all be over, and by the time I had breakfast, hopefully Lola would see why I’d kept her away from a murderer. I loved her with all my heart. I loved her so much that losing her was no longer a chance I was willing to take – it never had been. Lola’s determination and skills were needed, and I would never ask her to step away from her work, but I would do everything to ensure she worked the safest cases. What was about to go down this morning wasn’t safe, and Lola couldn’t know until it was done. She could go back to being a ghost once Cortez was behind bars – no sooner. Hopefully after the sting, I could fix that for her.

“Sleep, Lola. Sleep as much as you need to, because tomorrow we begin a new day.” Tomorrow I would lay all my cards out on the table and see whether Lola was ready to share our lives.

Chapter 22

Lola

“How could you do this to me, Brook?” I screamed from across the road.

As soon as the gunfire ceased, I jumped out of the cab that had refused to drive right up to the precinct door, and ran across the park. A man sat, shot, in the driver’s seat of the getaway car, which Brook had just passed as he jogged up the sidewalk. I saw his two other brothers, Jax and Dean, checking their guns and placing them back in their holsters by the parking lot fence. I ran across the street, headed straight for Brook and the police station where I hoped that Kate, who had never showed up this morning, would be waiting, still alive.

When I’d woken up to a doorbell that morning, I was surprised to see Mary standing at the front door with a basket of fresh pastries. Sophie was with her. We had a ‘girls only’ breakfast and chatted. I’d somewhat expected Brook to come back as well, but he never did. That’s when Mary told me about their sting to help Kate capture Cortez.

Were they crazy?

To my left, by the park’s entrance, was another dead body, and there was another on my right. I passed the getaway car and hurried toward the building’s entrance.

“You think fucking me five times will tire me out and keep me away?”

“I was hoping it would. And it was six,” he replied.

“This isn’t funny, Brook. Stop being an asshole.” I shuffled my feet up the five steps where he blocked my entrance.

“You shouldn’t go in there.”

“Why?”

“Honestly, I’m not really sure what we’ll find inside.”

I pointed my finger toward the building. “You better pray my friend is alive in there.” I moved to the front door and it slid open, revealing a crime scene.

“It’s all right, she’s with me.” Brook waved an ID as soon as we entered, and the officers lowered their guns. That’s when I noticed that he was dressed in SWAT gear from head to toe. A bullet must have skimmed over his left shoulder because the padding there was freshly torn. I felt sick to my stomach as I realized what would have happened if it had hit him six inches lower.

I shook my head and pointed to the dead body on the floor – and Kate, who was shaking in the middle of the hall.

“You don’t see why I would want to be here for this? For her? You’re fucking lucky she’s alive.”

One of the officers removed the gun from Kate’s hand. I stepped over the man who was lying flat on his face and hurried to Kate. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I… I shot him.”

“I know. It’s okay; everything’s going to be fine. Ouch.” I grabbed my stomach, and Kate just stood there, motionless.

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