Same/Difference (The Depth of Emotion #4) (24 page)

C
arter slapped Falcon on the shoulder as the four of them walked out onto the porch. “You could’ve told me, brother.” He shook his head with a feigned disbelief.

“Yeah, well, some things are better left unsaid.” He gave Paige a playful look. “And others speak for themselves.”

“You said you spent time together in Vegas but I’m curious; did this start at the party?” Aimee pressed for details.

Falcon pulled her to him as he leaned against the post. “It did start at the party. The day we went for a walk.” She looked up into Falcon’s eyes. They twinkled with mischief. “I thought she might be somebody’s little snow bunny by the amount of sweaters she was wearing.”

Carter laughed. “Paige is nobody’s snow bunny, so don’t get any ideas.”

“Seriously, I thought there might have been something going on between her and Blake.” He felt her stiffen and he pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “While we were in Vegas I was assured that there wasn’t.”

Paige paled at his disclosure. Aimee noticed.

“Are you okay?”

Falcon looked over her shoulder. “She hasn’t eaten yet today. I don’t think she ate much yesterday, either.”

“Come with me.” Aimee guided Paige away from the men and into the house. “Aria put out the leftover hors d’oeuvres. Let’s get you a few of these.”

A
s they made small talk, Paige nibbled at the plate of food Aimee made for her. Then Aimee went to see if Aria needed any help, leaving Paige to sit in the living room. As she came out of the kitchen, she passed by Paige and walked toward the porch.

“Aria said lunch is ready. I’m going to get the guys.”

Falcon walked over to Paige and the two of them went to the table. It was set buffet style. He handed a plate to her, and then noticed she was still pale.

“Go ahead over there and sit down. I’ll make a plate for you.”

Her stomach was in knots and she happily complied. So much had happened since yesterday. By the end of the day, all of her friends would be aware that they were married. Although she was happy about it, it was still a little nerve wracking.

As she watched Falcon through the doorway, he looked at her and pointed to the different dishes that were being served. He waited by each one to see what she wanted to eat. He laughed at her because the dishes he would have eaten she scrunched her nose at, and the healthier fare that he would have bypassed she wanted to eat. He couldn’t help but wonder where the girl was that he’d been with in Vegas, the one who enjoyed her alcohol and steaks. She probably broke the rules on vacation, just like everyone else. It would be fun to see what other traits she hid.

He brought the plate to her, sat it down on the coffee table, and handed her a knife, fork, and napkin.

“Eat,” he ordered. She rolled her eyes. She lifted a forkful to her mouth as he went into the kitchen. When he returned he brought a beer for himself and a glass of wine for her.

“The wine might help after you get something on your stomach.” Touched by his thoughtfulness, she took his advice and ate as much as felt comfortable, then sipped on the wine.

“Feeling better?” He put his arm behind her on the back of the sofa.

“Much.” She scooted closer to keep her voice down. “I was afraid Blake was going to ruin the party yesterday. My stomach has been upset ever since then.”

“He won’t bother you again. Not if he’s smart.”

“I don’t know if Aria and Declan noticed what was going on, but I was afraid he would make a scene. I knew if Declan came outside and saw him that he would have been angry. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt—especially because of me.”

Falcon frowned, but his eyes flashed dangerously. Though he was touched by her concern, he was also humored by it.

“Sweetheart, no one’s going to get hurt as long as Blake keeps his distance.” He placed his hand on her knee. “Just trust me on this, okay?”

He gave her a reassuring kiss on her head.

A surprised Aria walked in on the scene. She looked from one of them to the other with a puzzled expression on her face. She spoke to Falcon, but never took her eyes off Paige.

“Declan and the guys are going out front on the porch to smoke cigars. They sent me to find you.”

He lifted Paige’s chin and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll be back.” He politely nodded to Aria and went in the direction of the men. Aria watched until he had gone outside before turning back to Paige. She sat in the seat Falcon had just vacated to catechize her friend.

“Girl…I want details.”

F
alcon enjoyed a good cigar, as did the other men. It was just the three of them- himself, Declan, and Carter. He took a seat beside Carter as he listened to Declan’s conversation about Karas’ birth and how being a father had already changed his outlook on life.

“I’m telling you,
everything
I do has a different meaning since the baby was born. Even my business is more focused. I don’t ever want that little girl to go without. It’s crazy how much I love her. She has become the most precious thing in the world to us.” He focused on the sun hanging high above the horizon line. This was the most relaxed Falcon had ever seen him. He was sitting in one of the weatherworn chairs with his feet up on the railing. His expression was one of deep thoughts. He puffed on his cigar until the head of it glowed, then released a cloud of the aromatic smoke.

“We watch her when she’s sleeping, you know? It’s difficult to explain. Sometime it’s hard to believe that she’s ours.”

“It’s tough for me to believe you’re married with a kid,” Carter chimed in. “I never even expected you to get married. A lot’s changed in a couple of years.”

Declan gave his brother an inquisitive look “What about you? When are you and Aimee going to make it official?”

“I’m not the one who’s stalling. She’s got the ring on her finger but I can’t get her to pick a date.” Carter nodded toward Falcon changing the subject. “Seems Grey over there is dating your wife’s girlfriend.”

Dumbfounded, Declan sat up. “Really. You’re with Paige?”

Falcon’s grin was a confirmation causing Declan to fall back in the chair. “Well, I’ll be damned.” The corner of his mouth curled up as he gave him a mischievous look. “Blake will be sorry to hear she’s off the market.”

“He already knows.”

The friendly atmosphere chilled under his icy words. Declan and Carter both waited for him to elaborate. He leaned forward for a more personal conversation and rested his arms on his thighs. The cigar dangled between his fingers.

“How well do you know Blake? Either of you?”

“I guess as well as most of the group,” Carter shrugged. “I met him through my brother. When Declan had the accident, Blake called all the time to see how he was, and when he got better the three of us went to Hawaii together. It’s not like we’re good friends.”

Declan’s expression sobered. “Why are you asking?”

Falcon needed answers. There were things that didn’t add up. “Have you noticed anything different about him? Because the guy sets off red flags for me.”

“You mean as far as Paige is concerned?” Declan shrugged. “Aria told me he was pushing too hard for her to go out with him. I told him to back off.”

Falcon’s expression hardened when Blake and Paige were mentioned in the same breath. It caught Declan’s notice.

“What happened that you’re not telling us?”

“When I went to Vegas for the Security convention, Paige and I ran into each other. We had hit it off at the party, but Blake kept giving her the evil eye. When Carter told me that he wasn’t her boyfriend, I thought it was odd that he acted so possessively. When we ran into each other again, one thing led to another. We were together almost every day—sometimes twice a day.” His jaw tightened and he gave Declan a grave look. “You say he was pressuring her to go out? That you had to step in? He obviously didn’t get the message. It turned out that he was in Vegas the same time we were. I don’t know if he followed her there or if it was a coincidence, but he sure as hell didn’t like her going out with me.”

“I’ll talk to him again if he’s bothering her.” There was a hint of defensive anger in Declan’s voice. “Maybe he just didn’t get the message the first time but I don’t have a problem with talking to him again about it. We’ve been friends for years.”

“That’s not saying much for your taste in friends.”

Falcon’s tone was accusatory and Declan responded aggressively.

“What the hell are you talking about Grey? Spit it out!”

“I’m saying he didn’t get the message,” Falcon defended. “Not from her, and not from you. He was watching her in Vegas—stalking, I would say. After one of our dates he broke into her room. He beat her and tried to rape her. If I hadn’t come back, he probably would have.”

The two men were obviously shocked, but Declan more so than Carter. “Are you shittin’ me?”

“No.” Falcon’s jaw was tight as his expression hardened. “I threw the son of a bitch onto the elevator and marched his ass down to hotel security. I told them to call the police, and I told him that if he ever came near her again I would break his neck. He had done some kind of drug, I’m sure of it. His eyes were glassy; his pupils were dilated…he acted like he was fucking invincible. The only reason he didn’t go to jail was because Paige wouldn’t press charges.” He looked at Carter. “That was why I was so pissed off when I got back from the trip. I wanted the bastard to rot in jail for a while, but she acted like it was all a big, fucking misunderstanding. What really happened was she didn’t want to cause waves for anybody, including him. It took us a while to get past it, but we did. Then I find him here yesterday grabbing her while he thought no one was looking. Well, I saw him and he’s lucky I didn’t snap his damn wrist. I dragged his ass out of here and told him to keep his hands off of her or the next time I was going to kill him.”

His neck was crimson with rage. He wiped his face with his hands took a deep breath while he tried to clear his head. He looked at Declan.

“I know he’s your friend and all, but I’m not letting him get near her again.”

Declan’s mouth tightened into a thin line and Carter looked like he wanted to punch something.

“Look,” he said to both of them. “If this guy is your friend then, I’m telling you, something’s going on with him. But I don’t give a shit what his problem is, if I catch him near her again I’m going to jail because I’m going to kill him.”

As thick as a foggy night, a sobering pause fell in the conversation. He knew they were mulling over the information he had just relayed. Declan took a long drag and blew it out. He stared at the thick ash on the glowing end.

“What I said is true, Fal; Blake and I
have
been friends for years.” He looked at Falcon with a troubled expression. “That being said, I haven’t seen him on a regular basis since I’ve been married. If you say he attacked Paige, I have no reason not to believe you. And I sure as hell don’t want him hurting her. If he was pulling some shit in my house, then I’m glad you kicked him out. I would have too if I’d seen it. And he should know better than to try anything at a party for my daughter!”

“I trust your judgment Fal,” Carter interrupted. “You’re pretty good at finding out somebody’s end game. What do you think his is?”

Falcon shook his head. “I don’t know. Paige and I talked about it and she said he wasn’t always like this. The one, odd thing that stands out to me is that he was hanging out with Manny Vallega and his wife. Paige filled me in on what Marisol did before she got put away and I know about her obsession with you.” He looked at Declan. “Blake could probably explain away why he was with her, given their work history. What’s odd is that, when I saw him, he was so buddy-buddy with Vallega. I know nothing’s been pinned on him yet, but he’s as dirty as they come. He and Marisol—not a good pair.”

Declan’s shock grew. “Blake was with Vallega? Yeah. Something’s not adding up.”

Falcon nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”

Declan was very introspective for a moment and then turned to his brother. “Can I hire you to check into Blake and Vallega?”

“We’re a security company, not investigators,” he answered.