Part 15 (1/2)

Except he did, right in front of Val and Max. In fact, Val was the one who'd pushed him. The familiar taste of bile rose in her throat. ”It was Dean's choice to take his own life,” Val said, repeating what her logical brain knew was the truth, though it didn't help her sleep at night. ”It's not Max's fault.”

”If it's not his fault, then why does he keep trying to pay me off? Tell him to leave me the h.e.l.l alone.”

Val sighed. Max would be furious with her for this. But he was already furious with her, and sitting on the truth was making things worse. ”Max is your brother, Jo.”

Jo blinked as if Val had spoken a foreign language. ”Excuse me?”

”He's your brother; half brother, specifically. Dean had an affair with Max's mother. Max was the result. He's probably trying to give you money as an excuse to have some contact with you.”

Jo's mouth fell open. ”That's a lie,” she said, her words choked.

”Dean told us himself, right before he...pa.s.sed away. I don't think he'd lie about something like that. You're Max's only immediate family member; vice versa for you now, I guess.”

Jo pressed her lips together as if prepping for a yelling fit. Instead tears filled her eyes and her shoulders slumped. She let out a trembling breath, then turned away from Val, got in her car, and drove away.

Poor Jo. Poor Max. Val rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. A headache began to take root, born from too much pressure between her ears, from the weight of the entire G.o.dd.a.m.n, terrible world. She itched to call Sten, the perfect drug for relief with a side of self-loathing. No, she wouldn't do it again. He'd already done too much for her. Just thinking about what he might want in return made her shudder. She went inside, made a beeline for the fridge, cracked open a beer, and rubbed the condensation on her face. Three more beers and the last terrible twenty-four hours would only be a nattering in the back of her mind. At least Stacey wasn't around to give her s.h.i.+t about it. Where the h.e.l.l was her roommate? Val hadn't seen her in...days, it seemed. She didn't remember. f.u.c.k it. Val couldn't take Stacey's pity anyway. It hurt too much.

She took a long, desperately needed drink of her beer. Of course that's when Sten called.

”Hey, beautiful,” he said. ”Didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?”

”I'd rather you call back when I'm drunk.”

”I a.s.sumed you were always drunk.”

”What do you want, Sten? Is this a booty call?”

”Please. Meet me at the corner of Second and Pine Street in an hour.” He hung up.

”s.h.i.+t,” Val muttered, then chugged the rest of her beer. Time to pay her pound of flesh.

Chapter Nineteen.

The corner of Second and Pine Street bustled with the tail end of rush hour traffic. Val parked on Second, then took a moment to bounce her head off the steering wheel a few times. If she knocked herself out, she'd have an excuse for not showing up...Nope, wasn't working. s.h.i.+t. She took a deep breath and heaved herself out of the car. Squinting at the sun blaring in her eyes and wis.h.i.+ng she could curl up in a ball and sleep for a week, she walked to the corner and scanned the area. No Sten. Maybe he wouldn't show. h.e.l.l, of course he'd show. She had to wait. Val was on his schedule now.

In the worst-case scenario, he'd order her to kill someone. She wouldn't commit murder, even if it meant reneging on their deal and suffering his wrath. She wouldn't seriously harm an innocent person, either. In fact, there were a lot of things she wouldn't do under any circ.u.mstance. He might have to kill her. She didn't doubt he was capable.

Val felt her cell phone vibrate; a text from Sten. Down the alley. She walked to the nearest alleyway on Pine, a dirty stretch of asphalt barely two car lengths wide and cast in shadow by the setting sun. In the center, Sten leaned against his unmarked police cruiser, casual in jeans and a plain dark blue T-s.h.i.+rt. Seeing him like that reminded Val why she'd been attracted to him in the first place, back in her early Army days. He struck an effortless, c.o.c.ky pose, lazy expression hinting at a hidden intelligence. He made people come to him. Val set her jaw as she approached. She wanted to be free of him-and not. He made her body feel good, and he could hone her visions like no one else, despite the oily feeling he left on her soul afterward. And, G.o.d help her, he was the only person she could relate to anymore, now that her primary emotions were anger and frustration.

Sten opened the back door of his cruiser and motioned for her to get inside. She hesitated for a moment, wary of where he would take her, but decided her options were limited and got in the backseat. At least there was no one else already in there.

”Scoot over,” he said.

She did so. He slipped in beside her and shut the door. Then he grabbed her legs and yanked them toward him. She yelped when her back bounced off the leather upholstery. He popped off her shoes, tossed them to the side, then pulled down her pants.

”I thought this wasn't a booty call,” she said, letting him tear off her jeans and panties.

”It's not.” He glanced at his watch, then ran his hands up her naked thighs. ”But we've got a little time to kill, and you look like you're going to explode. You need your pressure valve released, baby.” He spread her legs and dipped his head down.

”Don't call me that-” Her breath caught when she felt his tongue slide inside her. The car became a sauna as her body exploded with heat. She gasped for breath while Sten's mouth caressed her, played with her, sucked on her. G.o.d, he was good at this-too good, like a terrible drug she couldn't quit. She loved it as it killed her. He went on for a blur of time, soft and relentless. Her thighs trembled, body edging toward climax. Another terrible glimpse of the future was coming, either of someone dying, or the world ending, or a life with Max she couldn't have, or worse. Not again.

She mustered all her willpower. ”Stop,” she said, her voice breathless. ”Stop.”

Sten lifted his head so his eyes met hers. ”Why?”

”I can't.” Her chest heaved with the effort to calm herself down. ”I don't want to know the future. I can't take it anymore.”

”Are you sure?” He slipped two fingers inside her while his thumb rubbed her c.l.i.toris in slow circles. A spike of pleasure shot through her. ”I can make it a pleasant experience.”

Val squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. ”No. Please.”

Sten sighed and removed his hand from between her legs. ”Have it your way.”

He moved up beside her and wedged his chest between her p.r.o.ne body and the seat back. His head propped on one arm, he used his free hand to skim his fingers along her bare thigh. Val lay limp beside him, the pressure of her day replaced by the raw need for s.e.xual release that she took deep breaths to suppress. She tipped her head to the side until Sten's moist s.h.i.+rt touched her nose. If anyone had seen them at that moment, she and Sten might've been mistaken for lovers.

He'd stopped when she asked him to. She hadn't expected that, not after being used and violated by so many other people. The sliver of power he'd given her meant a lot more than he probably realized. A tiny kernel of real affection for him popped inside her.

”You taste good,” Sten said. ”I don't say that to every woman, just so you know.”

”You tried to kill me once.” She said it as much to remind herself as to rebuff Sten. No matter the positive feelings she was beginning to have for him, she couldn't forget he was a killer.

”That was for show. I wouldn't have killed you. I can't anyway.”

”Why not?”

”Politics.”

Another vague clue. ”But you would've killed Max.”

”Nah...well, maybe. That one was kind of up in the air.”

She scoffed. ”If you're going to kill him, you might as well kill me.”

Sten leaned over her. She opened her eyes and watched his lips come within an inch of hers, so close she could smell coffee and mint on his breath. Maybe she could settle for Sten. He wasn't so bad. Yeah, he'd done some terrible things, but so had she. They weren't that different. h.e.l.l, she needed somebody, anybody. His lips parted.

”Don't be so dramatic,” he said. He slapped her thigh and she jumped. ”Enough dillydallying. Get dressed and meet me at the corner. Don't take more than two minutes.” He sat up and got out.

Val pushed herself into a sitting position and took a moment to reorient back to reality. Of course she'd never date Sten again. What the h.e.l.l had she been thinking? He might not be willing or able to kill her, but if Max was fair game, then Sten was her enemy, no matter their shared interests. If he so much as looked at Max crossly, she'd beat him until his own squad mates couldn't identify his body.

Val threw her clothes back on and walked to where Sten stood on the corner. He didn't bother turning to face her, his concentration consumed by whatever lay ahead.

She folded her arms. ”Now what?”

”Follow me.”

They walked down Second Street, Sten's stride quick but not urgent, though she sensed an effort on his part to look casual so they wouldn't draw attention.