Say You Need Me (21 page)

“Cecil’s a big boy. If he wants to talk to you, he’ll call you.”

Serena sighed. Maybe this wasn’t going to work. “Look, I don’t care if he’s moved on, but he has some things of mine I’d like to collect.”

“I haven’t heard from him. Sorry.”

Serena heard a click, then moments later, the dial tone sounded in her ear.

Well, that hadn’t worked. And she didn’t know what to think. If Cecil had screwed Virginia over, wouldn’t she have been inclined to badmouth him?

Serena reached for a pen, then put a little check beside Virginia’s name, indicating that she’d reached her. She moved on to the next number.

Jan McDonald. Wasn’t that one of the women who had reported Cecil to the police? Yes, Serena was sure that’s what her sister had told her. She dialed the number.

After several rings, it was apparent that no one was going to answer, so Serena hung up.

The next number belonged to Frances Ottey. After one ring, a man answered.

“Uh, hello,” Serena said. “I’m looking for Frances.”

“One sec.”

Moments later, Frances came to the phone. “Hello?”

“Hello, Frances. This will probably sound weird, but I’m trying to locate my boyfriend, and I found your number in his black book. We’ve broken up, so I don’t care if he’s moved on, but he’s got some property of mine—”

“Who’s your boyfriend?”

“Cecil Montford.”

Frances guffawed. “Honey, kiss your things good-bye. That man has a way of milking a woman dry.”

“What did he do to you?”

“If you still have a roof over your head, be glad, and cut your losses. Cecil’s slime.”

While Serena tried to think of something else to say, Frances hung up.

She spent the next twenty minutes going through the remaining numbers in the book. Tamara’s number was there, but like Jan, she wasn’t home. Serena didn’t leave a message.

She reached a few more women, none of whom seemed particularly thrilled to hear Cecil’s name, but if they knew where he was, they certainly weren’t talking.

Serena went back to the living room and was startled when she didn’t see Darrell. She did a three-sixty around the room and saw him through the patio doors. She headed that way. As she neared the window, she saw ducks surrounding Darrell’s feet.

A smile touched her lips. He was feeding the ducks.

She slid the patio door open. Darrell turned when he heard her.

And smiled.

He had a sweet smile, one that lit up his whole face. Especially his eyes.

She walked onto the concrete and slid her feet into her flip-flops. “Feeding the ducks?”

Darrell tossed some bread. “I came out to see if Buford was okay.”

“And is he?”

“He is.” Darrell threw the last pieces of bread to the ducks, then strolled toward Serena. “What’d you find?”

“Nothing much. Most of the women weren’t home, so I didn’t leave messages. Of the ones who were home, I got mostly condolences on having been involved with Cecil or congrats that our relationship was over.”

“Great.”

“I’ll try the numbers again in a little while.” Serena’s
gaze went to the ducks. They’d followed Darrell. “I didn’t have much bread, did I?”

“No.”

“Wanna go buy some? We can feed the ducks, then I can make some more calls.”

“Sure.”

Cecil’s head whipped up when he heard a sound. Virginia stood with her arms crossed over her chest, leaning against the doorjamb. He’d been sleeping and didn’t know she had returned.

“When did you get back?” he asked, sitting up.

“Who’s Carol?”

“Carol?”

Virginia strolled casually into the room. “I don’t mind putting you up, but please—tell your other girlfriends not to call here for you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I just got off the phone with Carol. Says you two broke up, but you have some of her things.”

“I don’t know any Carol.”

Virginia flashed Cecil a plastic smile. “If you’re going to stay here, I at least expect some respect. Don’t treat me like a fool.”

“I’m telling you the truth!” Cecil bolted up from the bed. “Shit.” He began to pace. “I told you already, I’m in a bit of trouble. Someone’s obviously looking for me.” His eyes flew to hers. “What did you tell her?”

“That I didn’t know where you are.”

“Okay, good. Damn, how would anyone find me here?”

“Look, I don’t want any trouble here,” Virginia said in a
matter-of-fact tone. “This place still isn’t quite mine. Not until after this whole business with court.”

“No, no,” Cecil replied quickly. “Everything’s cool.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Even if someone has your number, they won’t know where you live.” Cecil frowned. “But something’s up.”

“Is it?”

The tone of her voice changed, and Cecil met Virginia’s eyes. One perfectly sculpted eyebrow was arched and her dark eyes flashed heat.

“You’ve been ignoring me all day, Cecil.”

“You haven’t been here.”

“True enough.” She smiled. “I’m here now.” Virginia began unbuttoning her blouse.

“But I’m trying…” Cecil’s voice faltered as she did a sexy strut toward him. “I need to think…”

She dropped her silk blouse to the floor and unfastened her bra. “There’ll be plenty of time to think—later. Right now, I need a reminder of why I’m keeping you around.”

She dropped the bra to the floor.

One look at those double D’s and Cecil was lost.

Virginia was wrong. Cecil loved her new breasts as much as she loved showing them off. And damn if she didn’t have it going on as much as a woman fifteen years her junior.

What the hell. He’d wanted to call Serena again and see if she was around, especially since it made sense that Darrell was with her. But that could wait.

After all, he had to keep Virginia happy.

Before she kicked him out on the street.

Time certainly flew when you were having fun. After a trip to the grocery store for a couple loaves of bread and spending some time feeding the ducks, the day had practically flown by.

It was early evening when Darrell and Serena stepped back into her apartment.

“I’m gonna make those calls now,” she announced. There was no reason she couldn’t make them with Darrell around, so she added, “Just let me grab Cecil’s black book from my bedroom.”

Serena scurried to the bedroom. So far, she felt she was doing a lousy job at playing detective, but she didn’t know what else to do. She was still kicking herself for not blurting out to Cecil that his brother was with her, but she’d been so stunned by his call. And she certainly hadn’t expected him to hang up seconds later.

In the bedroom, she reached for the black book on top of her bed—and noticed that the answering machine on her phone was flashing a red zero-one.

She depressed the play button.

“Serena, this is Cecil calling back. Damn, I was hoping to find you home. I spoke to a friend earlier today, and it sounds like my brother’s in town. I don’t know what you all are doing, but please tell Darrell to lay low. I’m in trouble, and if anyone thinks he’s me…It could be bad. That’s why I haven’t been able to return your necklace, but I should be able to as soon as this is all worked out. In the meantime, watch out for a man and woman traveling together. If you see them, don’t stop. Better yet, tell Darrell to stop looking for me—I know he is. Oh, and whatever happens, do not call the police. All right, I have to go, but I’ll try and be in touch later.”

Serena could only stare in wide-eyed disbelief at the machine once the message was over.

She hurried back to the living room to get Darrell. “Darrell, you have to come and listen to this message. It’s from Cecil.”

Hearing Serena’s words, Darrell’s eyes lit up. “My brother called?”

Serena nodded, then pivoted back in the direction she’d come from. Darrell was fast on her heels.

After listening to the message, Darrell faced her. “Okay, so he knows I’m here. He’ll probably call back.”

“Hopefully.”

A soft grin formed on Darrell’s lips. “I don’t know when whatever mess he’s in will be resolved, but at least he still has your necklace and plans to do right by you.”

Serena wasn’t quite ready to share Darrell’s enthusiasm. “We’ll see.”

Annoyance flashed in Darrell’s dark eyes. “I could understand your skepticism when he called this morning, but if he was full of it, why call twice?”

“To keep me from going to the police. You heard what he said.”

“I know my brother,” Darrell replied a little testily. “He’s going to do the right thing. Maybe it took this situation to finally set him on the right track.”

“You admitted Cecil has been a criminal almost since day one. This call is probably about doing whatever he can to save his own butt,” Serena added, unable to hide her irritation.

“I say we give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“Like I did before?” Serena asked, then scoffed.

“You’ll get your necklace back,” Darrell said. He’d
raised his voice and was clearly angry. “I already promised you that.”

Before Serena could say anything else, Darrell stormed out of the room. She was going to go after him, but instead she emitted a loud groan and dropped herself onto her bed. God, she just wanted this whole situation over and done with.

Yet the thought of Darrell leaving made her stomach take a nosedive into a pool of disappointment. She especially didn’t want him to leave angry with her. She appreciated everything he was doing to help her.

Serena waited several minutes, giving Darrell time to cool off, then went out to the living room. She felt a moment of panic when she saw that Darrell wasn’t there. She hurried to the apartment door to see if the Viper was still outside, but stopped short of opening it when she realized he might be in the bedroom. Going back down the hallway, she gently rapped on that door.

“Yes,” came Darrell’s soft reply.

Relief washed over her. “Um, I was wondering if you’re hungry.”

After a moment, he replied, “I guess.”

“I’m going to order a pizza. Anything you want on it?”

“Whatever you get is fine.”

Serena frowned her displeasure. He was mad at her, and she didn’t know what to do or say to make things right.

Darrell had said she should give Cecil the benefit of the doubt, but it was something she simply couldn’t do. Where Cecil was concerned, she’d have to see it to believe it.

Darrell was as uncomfortable as hell.

Though he and Serena were sitting at her kitchen table eating dinner, and though she’d been nothing but cordial to him as she’d gotten him a plate and a drink, the tension between them was thick enough to make mud balls with and sling at each other.

They’d barely spoken two words, and Darrell had just finished his last slice. He was lousy at small talk and didn’t know how to diffuse a situation that was an emotional time bomb. Give him something real to solve—like bailing his brother out of jail—and he could deal with that. But figuring out a way to get a woman to stop sulking—he was clueless on that front.

Which drove home the point that he was lousy at relationships. With his last girlfriend, he’d shut down when it came to arguments. Only after a bout of fussing and pouting and ultimately crying on her part did he finally
break down and apologize, then try to comfort her. It was something he hadn’t seen his own father do when he and his mom had gotten into their crazy spats, so Darrell had figured it couldn’t hurt. But when he found himself always apologizing to Jessica, only to realize that she
never
apologized, he’d figured out how big a fool he was. Of course, he’d figured that out once and for all after he’d caught her stealing from him. He’d vowed never to be that kind of fool again.

He knew Serena had a right to be pissed with Cecil, and he understood her hesitation in trusting him, but why would he call twice and promise to return her necklace if he had no plans to honor his word? It would be a new kind of low to so obviously screw her twice—once, by taking the necklace, and twice, by pretending he was going to return it. Cecil wasn’t the most honorable guy around, but he wasn’t that bad. Besides, that didn’t make any sense.

Darrell glanced at Serena. She was carefully cutting her slice of pizza into bite-size pieces. Hell, she had to know he was staring at her, but she refused to look at him.

That, Darrell realized, was the bigger issue. She was angry with Cecil, but she might as well be angry with him—that’s how bad he felt over the whole situation.

Serena had told him he wasn’t responsible for Cecil’s actions, but Darrell had taken responsibility for Cecil’s wrongs his whole life. He’d done his best to get Cecil to do right, but he’d failed majorly. So yeah, Serena’s criticism of his brother also seemed like a criticism of him.

Darrell pushed back his chair.

“I’m sorry we argued earlier,” Serena said, before Darrell could stand. She met his eyes briefly, then looked
away. “It’s just that I’m so mad at your brother for all he’s done, and I’m stressed, and I’m worried. I don’t know what to think.”

Just like that, Serena broke the ice, and Darrell was glad. He hated the strain between them. But his heart did a little dance in his chest at the knowledge that he
was
right about Serena. She
was
different. He’d never known a woman to offer an apology first after a squabble.

“I’m sorry, too. I’ll admit, I’m a bit testy where my brother is concerned. All those old protective instincts kicking in.”

Serena nodded, speared a piece of pizza with her fork, then rested the fork on her plate. “It still amazes me how different you and Cecil are.”

“Believe me, it’s a question that haunts me.”

“From what you’ve told me, it seems you took the role of father to Cecil from early on. Were you ever simply brothers?”

“You mean did we hang out and stuff?” Darrell shook his head. “Not really. When we were really young, yeah, but not after Cecil hit puberty. He ran with a rough crowd, the in crowd, and I didn’t care about that. As a result, we did totally different things. I played soccer, football. Cecil learned how to break into cars.”

“Yet you still feel close to him.”

“‘Obligated’ is a better word. My brother and I have nothing in common. Well, that’s not entirely true. My father was hardly there for as long as I remember, so Cecil and I had to fend for ourselves.” A small frown played on Darrell’s lips. “I suppose it’s our shared past that makes us close.”

“As opposed to familial ties?”

“Cecil and I both got a bum rap growing up. In a way, I know why he choose the path he did, even if I didn’t chose it for myself. I know some people use rough childhoods as an excuse for every evil thing they do, but in this case, I
saw
it all unfold. If my father had been there for Cecil, I’m sure he would have turned out differently.”

“What about you? You needed your father just as much as Cecil did, and you didn’t turn out the way he did.”

“Cecil was needier, I guess.” Darrell shrugged. “I don’t know. Somewhere along the line, we adopted different roles than just brothers. Cecil was needier; I was there for him.

“My father ignored us so much that Cecil needing me started to feel nice at one point—like my life actually had a positive purpose.”

Serena gave him a sad look. “God, that sounds awful.”

“Hell, maybe I didn’t do enough to discourage the path he took, just so I
could
always be there to bail him out.”

Surprised at Darrell’s comment, Serena met his eyes. But Darrell didn’t hold her gaze. “I don’t believe that,” Serena told him. “I know you did the best you could.”

“It wasn’t good enough.”

Once again, Darrell’s body language changed as he spoke about Cecil. His shoulders drooped as if they carried the weight of the world on them. It was absolutely beyond Serena’s comprehension that someone could so deeply feel responsible for another’s faults. Her grandmother was a firm believer that parents held only so much responsibility for their children, then they were on their own.

And here, Darrell hadn’t even been the parent.

Which made her wonder about his mother. It was ob
vious by the fact that he never mentioned her that she’d never been there for them, either.

“You never mention your mother in reference to Cecil. Where was she?”

“My mother split when Cecil and I were seven,” Darrell replied frankly. “She left my dad because he couldn’t give her all the material things her little heart craved, and when she left, she didn’t look back. You’d never know she had two kids.”

Serena reached for his hand. “Oh, Darrell. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t sweat it. That was a long time ago.”

“You,” Serena began softly, “you said she died?”

“Yes. Ten years ago. Sickle cell anemia. She knew she was dying, but she never called to make things right.”

“God,” Serena said, mortified. Then, “Maybe she was too ashamed.”

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter. If she’d called…I would have forgiven her. I wanted to know that she regretted forgetting us, but I guess she didn’t. I tried to feel something at the funeral, some sadness, but I didn’t feel a thing.”

Judging by the grim set of his face and the forlorn look in his eyes, Serena knew that wasn’t true. And she could feel that there was a void in his heart.

“That’s too bad,” Serena said.

“I’m sure the path Cecil chose is a direct result of my mother leaving us. Because we didn’t only lose her, we lost our dad. He was crushed and became distant and overly strict, seeking solace for the loss of his wife in as much alcohol he could get into his system. So what does Cecil do
now? Scams women, avoids commitment like the plague. That’s no coincidence.”

“And what about you?” Serena was surprised when she realized she’d actually voiced that question.

“How did my upbringing affect me?”

Serena nodded.

“My mother’s abandonment and my father’s inability to be a father…” Darrell halted, shrugged. “Sure, I wished every day to have a normal family life, but that wasn’t the case. So do I believe in that American dream? I’ve seen firsthand that it’s not true.”

Serena inhaled a shaky breath, deeply troubled by Darrell’s words. “You can’t speak for everybody. Like I told you before, my parents were very much in love. They adored each other until the day they died.”

“You were one of the lucky ones, Serena. All you have to do is look at the divorce rate today to see that I’m right. Does the perfect woman for me exist out there somewhere? Maybe, but what are the chances I’ll ever find her? I was engaged once, but Jessica was only out for my money.”

“Darrell, I’m sorry.”

“I’m over it,” Darrell said, the hint of bitterness in his tone betraying his words. “But it was a lesson to me. Starting with my mother, the only women I’ve know have been out for what they can get in a relationship.”

“Not everyone is like that,” Serena said softly.

Darrell shrugged. “Maybe not, but I’d have to be absolutely sure before I ever agree to walk down any aisle again.”

A wave of sadness washed over Serena. A thousand
thoughts swirled in her mind, so fast they made her light-headed. She wanted to reply that Darrell would know when the right woman came along, feel it in his heart, but she bit her tongue. She knew he’d have an answer for that.

And maybe he was right. She was a hopeless romantic, still holding out for the kind of love her parents had shared. She hadn’t found that yet, but she was still saving herself for that perfect man. That was something even her sister didn’t understand, her deep commitment to not simply giving in to lust unless she felt a heart-and-soul connection with a man.

But she hadn’t found that man yet, so how could she dispute what Darrell said? Who knew if she ever would?

Still, it pained her in a way she didn’t think possible to know that Darrell was so dead-set against the idea of love and commitment. Exactly why, she wasn’t sure.

Maybe because he was so passionate, so deeply committed to family in a way he didn’t even understand, it would be a waste for him never to experience the joy of marriage and parenthood.

“Cecil’s all I have.” Darrell spoke out of the blue, startling Serena out of her thoughts.

“For what he’s done, he’s most likely going to do time,” Serena began cautiously.

Serena’s statement struck a nerve with Darrell. Though he and Cecil were completely different, Darrell had always loved him and always would. But there had been more than one time that he’d wondered what would have happened if Cecil had done some real time in a prison, even as a young adult. Would a taste of what prison was all about have straightened him out then, or simply made him a better criminal?

He suspected the former.

If Cecil had done the crime, then he’d have to do the time. That’s just the way it was. Darrell couldn’t make this one right for Cecil, no matter how much he wanted to. Besides, it was time Cecil took responsibility for his actions. Darrell only hoped his brother would survive long enough to get to a prison cell.

“Maybe if he had done time years ago, he would have smartened up then.”

“For what it’s worth,” Serena began, “I’ll see what I can do about getting the charges dropped regarding my complaint. Provided I get the necklace back.”

Darrell’s mouth fell open as he stared at Serena. But she didn’t meet his eyes. Instead, she pushed her chair back and stood, then reached for her plate.

Instantly, Darrell was on his feet. Serena kept her head lowered as she stepped past him.

Darrell walked behind her as she made her way to the kitchen sink. “Serena.” Her name escaped on a raspy breath.

Hearing her name, Serena stopped but didn’t turn.

She was an enigma, and Darrell wanted to figure her out. “Why would you do that?”

Slowly, she faced him. “For you.”

Darrell couldn’t have been more shocked if he’d touched a live electrical wire. “For me?”

“You’ve been through enough.”

She took the remaining steps to the counter and placed her plate there. Darrell followed her.

As if his body held hers captive, Serena froze. He studied her form. Her long, slender neck, her narrow shoulders, her slim waist, her shapely behind.

And then he reached out and touched her, first running a finger along the length of her spine from her neck to the groove above her buttocks. Serena remained very quiet, very still. Darrell ran his hands down both her arms, reveling in the silky softness of her skin.

God, it wasn’t enough.

He pulled her against him, and she made a soft mewling sound. He held her soft body against his, pressing his groin against her buttocks. When she didn’t protest or move away, but instead leaned her head back against his shoulder, Darrell slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

“Darrell.” His name floated off her lips.

He whirled her around in one quick motion and smothered her lips with his. At first, she seemed surprised and didn’t move, but after a moment, her mouth moved beneath his, soft and pliant.

She tasted like heaven—soft and warm and sweet. He urged her closer, pressing her breasts against his chest. Maybe it had been too long, for it felt like the first time he had ever touched a woman.

Serena was dizzy, spinning out of control in a whirlwind of delicious sensations. Why did only Darrell have the power to make her lose all reason with one touch, one kiss? God, she wanted nothing more of life than to spend the rest of it in his arms.

As Darrell urged her closer, she wrapped her arms around his neck and strained her body against his. Lord help her, nothing had ever felt so right.

She could hardly get enough of him.

He pulled away from her to gaze down at her. The scorching look in his eyes brought a hot flush to her
cheeks, and a soft moan escaped her lips. He was enticing her into a dizzying world of passion.

“I want to stop playing,” Darrell said. He nuzzled his nose against her neck. “You smell so good.” He flicked the tip of his tongue across her skin. “Mmm. You taste good. Damn.” He gripped her tightly. “God, I want to be inside you.”

Serena’s breath caught in her throat as her entire body erupted in flames. An alarm went off in her brain, telling her that if she didn’t stop this now, there would be no stopping it. Yet she couldn’t pull away, not when her body was pressed against his gloriously hard muscles and she felt like a completely new woman in his arms.

This was the woman she’d waited her whole life to be.