Hewitt: Jagged Edge Series #1 (20 page)

Getting in touch with my friend at the Department of Family Services, I explained my situation to him. At first he wasn't willing to help me, but then I reminded him of what I did for him and how he was able to get a job working with children. Matt and I grew up on the streets together. Shortly after I came back to the States from my tour of duty overseas, I ran into him. He’d gotten himself into trouble and needed a friend more than anything. He was lucky that I was in the States and was able to provide him with an alibi. I knew there was no way he could have robbed that jewelry store. His story was that he heard the alarm go off as he was walking home from work. The stupid shit decided to investigate and walked right inside the store. The cops were on him in minutes. He looked guilty as hell so they arrested him on the spot. I covered for him and told the cops that I was with him the exact time the alarm went off. The cops believed me since I was a hero. I found out later that even though Matt didn't break in, he stole some high quality diamonds that the thieves must have dropped when they left. He hid them in a safe place minutes before he was arrested. I never told anyone, and Matt put himself through college because of it.

Needless to say, he was able to pull a couple of strings to make sure Lilly wouldn't be able to tie me to her brother and his death. As far as Lilly was concerned, the text I had received was for a job in Washington. I wasn't lying about the job. I had been notified earlier yesterday that I was needed there to protect some crooked diplomat until he could testify against some well-known arms dealer. I was scheduled to head out later tonight. I really didn't want to leave Lilly behind with everything that was going on, but the money was too good to pass up even though it would be dangerous.

As much as I wanted to go with Lilly to the foster home where I spent the majority of my childhood, I couldn't risk someone recognizing me. Instead, I requested that Cop go with her. Vince "Cop" Coppoletti was one of the best men I had. No matter where he was or what he was doing, he never complained about having to drop everything to do a job for me. I could always depend on him.

Going through my emails, I waited for Lilly to finish getting ready. Appearing before me just as I was finishing up, I couldn't take my eyes off her. Never has a woman made my dick as hard as it was at that very moment. Getting up from the couch, I walked over to where she was standing. Reaching behind her, I wrapped my arms around her waist, taking in the fruity scent of her perfume. God, how I wished I could capture her scent and take it with me to Washington.

Lilly's head tipped back and rested on my shoulder. Twisting her body so that she was facing me, I captured her lips with mine, giving her one last kiss before I headed out. I tangled my tongue with hers, feeling the warmth of her mouth taking me in. Deepening the kiss, I heard a soft moan, sending a rush of heat down my body to my throbbing dick. I wanted nothing more than to have one more round of sex with her. I knew that if I didn't get out of there right away, I would lose control.

"I need to take off, baby. Cop will take you to the foster home when you're ready." I softly kissed her on the head, leaving my body aching for more.

~****~

I never thought leaving Lilly would be so hard. I wasn't sure if it was because of the shit I was leaving behind or the fact that I already missed her soft body next to mine. Sitting at the airport waiting for my flight only made me think about Lilly and the danger I might be putting her in. This is why all of my relationships ended up in one-night stands. With the life that I led, I couldn't chance getting involved with anyone, but that didn't mean I couldn't satisfy my needs. With Lilly it was different. Never before had I wanted a woman as much as I wanted her. Confessing my love for her was probably not the wisest thing I had ever done. She had a spell over me that I just couldn't break.

I hated flying. I was glad that at least I was seated in first class. It was the only way I would fly. As I took my seat, the flight attendant was there to take my drink order. I ordered a double scotch, since I wasn't too keen on flying in the first place. It was the only way to tame down my fear of flying. I preferred to drive or ride my bike whenever I needed to be somewhere.

It was a six-hour flight to Washington, and unbearable, to say the least. The minute we landed, I was one of the first people off the plane. I hauled ass through the gate to baggage claim. I wanted to get out of this airport as fast as possible and into my hotel room. As I waited for my luggage, I quickly called Cop to see how everything was going with Lilly. Even though it was early, I needed to know how things went after I left yesterday morning.

"Cop, give me an update," I said, leaning against a pole as I watched the carousel spit out luggage from our flight.

"Not too much to report. I took Lilly to the foster home in Brooklyn. She didn't say much when she left. She looked disappointed that she didn't get the information she wanted. I dropped her off at the gallery after that," he explained.

"Where are you now?" I asked, hoping he would be at Lilly's place.

"Just getting ready to take a shower and grab some shut-eye. Josh is keeping an eye on her until I get back," he advised.

"I may not be able to contact you for a couple of days. If anything comes up text me," I said.

"Will do."

At least I didn't have to worry about Lilly finding out anything. The way it sounded, she didn't find the information she was looking for. I just hoped that she would give up on finding her brother instead of continuing her search for answers.

~****~

The first thing I did when I got to my hotel was crash on my bed. I didn't even bother taking off my clothes. The tension of the flight left my body exhausted and my nerves completely shot. It was no surprise I was out the minute my head hit the pillow. Then it began, the dreams. I hadn't had one of these dreams in a long time. Visions of Adam's face crept in. Over and over, I kept seeing the look in his eyes as my mind kept rewinding what I did. Everyone kept telling me it wasn't my fault. There was no way I could've held on to him. He was one-hundred ninety pounds to my one-hundred ten. I never told anyone what really happened. Instead, I lied and said he slipped and I tried to pull him up, but I couldn't hold him. I was so angry with him. He kept telling me I was the son of a whore and that my mom fucked anything with a dick. He kept saying that my mom threw me away because it was the only way she could make money.

I should have never pushed him. I should have tried harder to pull him up instead of watching him fall. I hated him for what he said. My mother didn't leave me. She overdosed on whatever drug she was using. I remembered shaking her to wake her up. She never did. I always stayed near her. Kept her warm. Nothing helped. When the pounding on the apartment door began with the yelling,
"I know you're in there, bitch. Where's my money you fucking cunt?"
I tried blocking it out by putting my hands over my ears. Eventually the banging stopped, but I knew they would be back. They always came back. Only the last time, it wasn't them.

"Stop! Stop! Please don't take me away from my mommy,"
I yelled out. I tried to forget. It was always the same. First his eyes, then my mom's. Shaking my head to clear out the demons, I pushed myself from the bed and headed to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. Lathering my body with soap, I tried to picture something other than the thought of my nightmare. I tried to focus on the only person who could make me happy, the only person who could tame the demons. Looking down, I could see the erection that was surging between my legs. Gripping my shaft, I imagined Lilly's lips wrapped around me, stroking my dick with her warm mouth. I could feel the tip of her tongue tease the head of my cock while she sucked, pulling me deeper inside. My movements began to increase, seeing only Lilly's head move up and down as I thrust deeper and deeper inside her sweet mouth. My head fell back as I moaned, "Fuck," wishing she was with me now as I came with needed fury, covering the shower wall with my release.

After my scene in the shower, it was hard for me to concentrate on anything but Lilly, which only led to another hard-on. I needed to hear her voice. Taking my cell from the nightstand, I dialed her number and waited for her to answer.

"Hello," she said.

"Hey, baby. I just needed to hear your voice," I said like a love-struck teenager. "How did things go at the foster home?"

"Good, I guess. I found out that my brother died when he was fifteen. He fell from the tree house they used to have in the back yard at the foster home. The person I talked to didn't know much about it other than some older boy tried to save him."

"Did they say anything about the older boy?" I asked, hesitantly.

"No. They didn't have any information on him. The couple that ran the home when it happened were no longer around, and they didn't have any information on where they went."

"I'm sorry, baby. At least you know what happened to him," I said.

"Yeah, I just wished I knew more about him and what he was like," Lilly said softly. "I found out where he was buried. I'm going to visit the cemetery this afternoon."

"Be sure that Cop goes with you," I ordered.

"Okay," she replied softly.

Everything in my heart told me I needed to tell her the truth about her brother. I just couldn't though. As much as it pained me to hear the sadness in her voice, I knew it would kill her if I told her what really happened. I only wished I were there to comfort her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Lilly

After talking with Peter, I was beginning to miss him more and more. It had been less than twenty-four hours since I had seen him, but my body was beginning to have “Peter withdrawal” symptoms. I couldn't even concentrate at work without thinking about him. Brie was scheduled to come in at one o'clock, which only gave me a couple of hours to get done what I needed to before I left for the Peaceful Grove Cemetery where my brother was buried.

Staring at my computer, I began to think about my real mom. It occurred to me that she didn't know that he was dead. As far as she knew, he was still alive leading his own life. I wasn't even sure how to get in touch with her. Thinking about what Peter said about her just taking off, I decided to check with the manager at the motel she was staying at first. Hopefully there was a chance she may have left information as to where she was headed in case someone came looking for her.

Once Brie arrived, it didn't take me long to gather my things and head out. Cop was already waiting for me. As he helped me get into his truck, I tried to get in as gracefully as possible without showing too much of my backside, since I was wearing a skirt. I wished I had suggested he drive my car instead of his F250. I settled in the seat as he rounded the front and got in. Fastening my seatbelt, I looked over to him. "Can we make a quick pit stop before we head to the cemetery?"

"Not a problem. Where do you want me to take you?" Cop asked, easing his truck from the curb.

"I want to go to the motel where my mom was staying," I said.

Cop looked over to me with one of those looks that I recognized right away. It was the same look Peter gave me when he was trying to hide something. "Do you have a problem with that?" I asked, trying to gauge his reaction.

"No, ma'am," he said.

The minute Cop put the truck into park, I was out and on my way across the parking lot of the motel to the main office. I didn't care that my skirt slid up my legs, revealing the strap of the garter holding up my silk stockings. Before I could close the door to the truck, Cop was beside me.

"I think it would be better if you waited in the truck while I talked to the motel manager,” he said sternly.

"Don't be silly. This will only take a minute. Nothing is going to happen to me between now and then," I said, noticing the uneasiness in his voice.

"I really need to insist, Lilly," he said forcefully, as he stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the office.

"What is this about, Cop?" I asked, beginning to feel the onset of anger approaching.

Looking over his shoulder, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My mom was walking up the steps to her room. She hadn't left. She was still here. Pushing Cop aside, I headed towards her.

"Wait, Lilly," Cop said behind me.

Turning my body, I gave him one of my signature “piss off” looks. By the time I reached the stairs, my mom was already in her room. Climbing the steps as quickly as I could in four-inch heels, I could only think about how pissed I was that Peter lied to me. From where I was standing, I could see Cop, who was now pacing the length of his truck with his hands raking through his thick brown hair. He knew he'd been caught. He was just as guilty as Peter, as far as I was concerned.