Page 29 of The Storms Between Us
twenty-four
I leaveEmber sleeping peacefully in my bed, her hair fanned out around her like a golden halo. The only time she sleeps soundly lately is after I've made her come so many times she can’t keep her eyes open any longer. I definitely won’t complain about that, though. I’ll wear her out every day of the week, if that’s what it takes.
There’s no way I could go back to sleep after our 3am wake up call, though. She is having nightmares every time she closes her eyes, and I hate it. I head downstairs to grab some coffee and check in with Breaker. I know he’ll be up this early. That asshole never sleeps. As I walk into the kitchen, I see two sets of eyes lock on mine and I jump.
“Jesus! You guys fucking scared me. What the hell are you doing up?” I ask. Everett and Rory are both sitting at the bar, looking like I just interrupted an intense conversation.
“Dude, I thought I gave you very explicit instructions when you told me you were gonna be fucking my sister. I distinctly remember saying ‘as long as I don’t hear you handling her’, then I was cool with this situation. I really never needed to know that my sister is a screamer,” he says, faking a gagging noise.
I genuinely laugh for the first time in what seems like forever. “I’d say I'm sorry, man. But I'm really, really not,” I say with a smirk.
“Ewwww. No thanks,” Rory says next to him, covering her ears like a child. “I can go the rest of my life without ever knowing a single detail of your sex life, bubba. Gross,” she says with a shudder.
“Unfortunately, I was only responsible for one of those screams,” I say, blowing out a frustrated breath. Rory’s face falls, and Everett clenches his fists at his side. I pour a cup of coffee and scrub my hand down my face. “The nightmares are coming every night now.”
“I’m so fucking done with this shit,” Everett says, slamming his fist down on the bar.
“Is she okay?” Rory says quietly.
“She is now. She’s sleeping, but I'm not sure how long that will last,” I reply.
“What about Breaker? Has he found anything solid on this son of a bitch?” Everett asks, pushing away from the bar and pacing through the living room.
“Nothing good. This asshole is worse than she realizes. He’s from old money, so mommy and daddy have bailed him out of so much shit. Honestly, he should be in prison by now,” I tell him. He snatches his cigarettes off the edge of the table and storms out onto the deck, slamming the door behind him.
“What can we do here, Eli?” Rory asks, desperation in her voice. It warms my heart to know she cares so deeply for Ember already.
“I’m gonna reach out to Breaker again and see if he’s been able to get a lock on Justin. I want to know exactly where he is. I think it’s about time to give him a taste of his own fucking medicine,” I say.
“I think you guys need to go do something fun today. She’s been stuck in this house like a prisoner for days. It’s not healthy, Elijah. Take her somewhere, just the two of you, and get her out of her head for a while,” Rory suggests. It’s really not a bad idea. We’ve both been so hung up trying to solve this clusterfuck of a situation, we’ve barely taken any time to just enjoy being together.
“Yeah, you’re right, Bug. I think we’ll get out of town for a little while this weekend. Hopefully, it’ll be a nice mental break for both of us,” I say, already knowing exactly where I’m gonna take her. I give my sister a kiss on the forehead and walk into the living room to call Breaker. He answers on the second ring, not sounding tired at all.
“What’s the status, bro?” I ask.
“I think I found him,” he says, sounding like he just got the high score on his favorite video game.
“What? Where?!” I ask, adrenaline already flooding my system.
“He’s been in Charleston this whole fucking time. He’s got some bitch back in Durham using his card, paying his bills, and driving his car just to make it seem like he's still there. But she signed her own name on a restaurant bill last night, the dumbass. Once I figured out she was the one using his shit, I tracked her cards and phone. Everything is in Charleston. I even found her car in the security footage from the clothing store where Ember’s Jeep was parked. He used her card at the coffee shop next door an hour before Ember and Rory got there,” he says. Finally, I feel like we have a solid lead on this guy.
“You’re sure about this?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“I’m insulted you would even ask me that, Elijah,” he says, scoffing sarcastically. “Of course I’m fucking sure, asshole. I’m always sure.”
“Thank you, Jason,” I say, his real name sounding foreign coming out of my mouth. I've only said that once before when I needed him to know I was serious. “You have no idea how much it means to me.”
“Of course. If she’s important to you, then she’s family, Elijah. Even if she wasn’t Everett’s sister,” he says, his tone serious and genuine. “I’ll send you everything I’ve found. Let me know if you need anything else.” He hangs up before I can get another word in.
For the first time in weeks, I feel like we actually have something substantial to look into. I fill Everett in on everything I’ve learned and we agree to go soon to check out the address Breaker sent. It makes me uneasy to know it's only about fifteen miles from our front door. But today I’m not gonna dwell on that. I ask Everett and Rory to help me put my plan into motion, and they’re both more than happy to help me make it happen. Today, I’m gonna wake up my woman and get her out of her head and out of this town for a few days.
