AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He’s getting far too close to that line again. He’s pushing me too far. It wouldn't matter with anything or anyone else, but not when it comes to Wicked. I’m an impatient man when it comes to her, when patience is usually my strongest quality.
He’s focusing a bit more…but still not enough. I need to clear it up.
“I saw the way you were looking at her earlier. I know what you were about to tell her.”
“Yeah? So fucking what?! Are you going to punch me if I try doing that too?”
“Yeah. I will.” He tries to glare at me, but there’s no real heat behind it. He’s struggling to wield his anger. Anger that’s failing him for once. So I push harder. “You’re not going to say those words until you’re damn sure that you’re sticking around. She doesn’t deserve that. If you can’t handle it, it’s best if you fuck off before you make her love you too.”
“I-”
“Words have power, especially those ones. It will open her up to you, soften her, and leave her vulnerable. She will fall in love with you. And if you decide you can’t handle this after she’s fallen for you, you’ll leave her soul broken and bleeding, unable to ever be the same again. And I won’t let that happen. So don’t say it. Not until you know for sure.”
His eyes are glued to me, his mind open, walls vulnerable and ready to crumble. So with my sights firmly on him, shot ready, I hold my breath and open my steel box of emotions. I let out every ounce of fury at his behavior and treatment of Wicked. I let it fill me completely, allow it to settle on my face and in my body language. I bring to the surface every memory of him pushing her just a little too far, crossing lines that shouldn’t even have to be drawn, or lashing out at her because what he’s truly struggling with is the feelings inside him. Ones he’s never felt before.
I feel it all. And I let him see it.
Then I take the killshot.
“If you break her heart…I’ll kill you.”
3
“Okay, boys. It’s time to get to work!” I rub my hands together with a wicked grin on my face, Gizmo and Snitch squeaking their agreement as they bounce around my feet.
I’m fully dressed and ready to go and actually get something done now that we’ve given shit a couple weeks to calm down after my mother’s attack. On Nic’s orders, of course. We played it safe and kept our heads down. Something about needing to convince Alan we weren’t going to be disturbing any waters in reference to the case. Blah blah blah.
Good fucking luck.
Alan’s not stupid. He’s worked with me for how long? There’s no way on earth that he is even mildly convinced that I’m going to just sit down and wait for someone else to figure it out. Even if it wasn’tmystalker that we’re trying to catch, I would never let anyone solve a case that I’ve been pulled into. Call it a pride thing, but I like being the one to figure it out. It gives me purpose.
So, even if we waited another two weeks, or three, there’s still no way that Alan will ever believe that I, Izabella Wicked, psychic detective and true crime addict, will ever step back from a case. Especially when it involves me.
But, I did relent just a little bit to keep Nic happy. Well…content. No, that’s not the right word. Ah, yes. To make him feel like he had any sort of say on the matter. That’s it. I had to give him a little faux control, or I would never hear the end of it.
Now that his two week time limit is up, it’s time to get shit done. Period.
“Wick! Come on! Can’t we do it tomorrow?” A very hungover and sleepy-voiced Kai grumbles as he nurses his headache on the couch.
“Absolutely not. Maybe you shouldn't have drank so much at the wedding. You knew I’d be invoking the rite of sleuthing today!” I tease brightly, itching to leave and get to it. A second flash of pained and annoyed grumbles joins Kai’s and I turn to Nic. “You too, grumpy-pants. I didn’t know you were such a lightweight.”
His response is more mangled groans and muttered Spanish curses and my grin threatens to break my face in half. He was absolutelywreckedlast night. In fact, I think that’s the only time he’s ever been so nice to me. The entire car ride home he was plastered to my side and telling me how pretty I am. I mean, he also confessed how much I aggravate him as well–Nic is stillNicafter all–but it’s nice to know how absolutely drop-dead gorgeous I am in his eyes.
“Alright,” I sing before spinning and latching myself onto my big friendly giant who is already dressed and ready to go. “I guess I’ll just be taking Ezra then. Have fun in your alcohol-induced misery! We’ll let you know what we find out when we get back.”
Ezra follows my silent command and starts leading me to the front door, where he begins unlocking the many deadbolts and chains that we’ve gotten infinitely better at putting in place when we get home. His t-shirt leaves his ginormous arms bare for me to feel his warm skin as we start leaving and I take advantage, letting both my hands roam over the large muscles he’s packing. I don’t know how the man manages to stay warm in the crisp, bordering on winter weather, but I am so not complaining.
I let out a laugh as I hear Kai and Nic fall over each other and race to throw on some clothes. I can almost picture the scene in its entirety as Nic curses at Kai to get off his shoes, right before bellowing in anger as a thud sounds close to the door, which I’m pretty sure means that he threw said shoes into the hall.
Kai is the first to catch up as Ezra graciously helps me into the front seat of his truck, Gizmo and Snitch hopping in and positioning themselves in the backseat. Their excited chirps fill the cab, telling me exactly how happy they are to be going out after being locked up for the duration of the wedding. Not that they had trouble finding a way to entertain themselves in the form of scavenging through the cabinets all night.
It’s a damn good thing Mrs. Dixon is coming tomorrow to clean and stock the place. They were so angry at being left alone that they did not stick to the rules of keeping their mess in their rooms alone. Nope. I’m pretty sure they totally meant to leave the minefield of skittles for me to slide and fall on as soon as I walked through the door. Especially because they didn’t even come to check on my bruised ass after I succumbed to their little booby trap. They just came out into the hall, squeaked haughtily as if to chastise me, then returned to their rooms for the rest of the night.
Thank God Kai and Ezra were there to kiss my injuries and carry me through the rest of the traps the furry shitheads left for me. My little trash pandas are so lucky I love them.
“I can’t believe you were going to leave me behind! I’m wounded, Wick.” Kai pouts as he gets into the backseat, quickly followed by a raging freakazoid in the form of Nic-the-Dick. I swear I’m buying him an inflatable cock costume for halloween so his outside can match the massive member that he embodies.
“Oh shush! I just needed you to hurry! You made it, didn’t you?”
