Say You Need Me (26 page)

Maybe it was the hint of vulnerability in Darrell’s voice that got through to Cecil, because his brother’s eyes filled with tears. “I’ve made your life a living hell, haven’t I?”

“Honestly? Pretty much. But I tell you that because I love you, and because I know you have what it takes to do right.”

Cecil’s shoulders drooped and he quickly brushed at his eyes. “You’re right. I have to do the right thing.”

“I’ll always stand by you, Cece, but you have to do this on your own.”

Cecil nodded.

“The cops said we could head to the station to give our statements, but they’re probably still outside.”

“I hear you,” Cecil said, catching Darrell’s meaning. “Thanks, Darrell.” He gave him another hug, long and hard. “I appreciate everything. You coming down when you knew I was in trouble. Not giving up on me over the years.”

Darrell gave Cecil’s back a final pat, then stepped backward. Emotion filled his throat. “They’re probably still out there.”

Cecil gave his brother a sad smile, then headed out of the apartment. Darrell tipped his head back and looked at the ceiling, then blew out a harried breath. After several seconds, he made his way outside.

While Serena stood beside a cruiser speaking with one of the cops, Cecil made his way to a van. Darrell watched him open the back and remove a small metal box. Serena’s eyes went over the cop’s shoulder to Cecil as he made his way toward them, and even from where Darrell stood several feet away, he saw happiness shine in Serena’s eyes.

And he felt it in his heart.

He was proud of Cecil at that moment, more proud than he’d been of him all his life.

Watching Serena take the metal box with one hand and wipe a tear away with the other, Darrell made his way toward them.

“My name is Cecil Montford,” Cecil was saying when Darrell reached them. “There’s a warrant out for my arrest…and I’m turning myself in.”

Serena’s eyes flew to Cecil’s in surprise, then, as if sens
ing Darrell, she turned and looked at him. Darrell gave her a soft smile.

When Darrell looked at his brother again, the short female cop was placing cuffs on him. She led him to one of the cruisers.

“Darrell,” Cecil said.

It hurt to see his brother being arrested, more than Darrell had thought possible, yet in a way, it was a relief. Cecil was safe. And maybe, by turning himself in, he would end up with a lesser sentence. This should have happened a long time ago, but hopefully it wasn’t too late for his brother to genuinely turn his life around.

“Yes?” Darrell softly responded.

“You can keep the car. I won’t need it where I’m going.”

As she watched Darrell and Cecil communicate, Serena couldn’t help feeling a moment of sadness. She hadn’t turned Cecil in, giving him some time alone with his brother, and she couldn’t have been more surprised when he came out and confessed that he was wanted by police. Even as she’d stared at him in shock, she’d sensed how tough that was for him to do…and she couldn’t help feeling empathy for him. Perhaps because of everything he’d been through as a child, she didn’t see him the same way she had before.

She was simply happy to have the necklace back. She felt a modicum of chagrin at having doubted Darrell. Obviously, Darrell had been right when he’d said that Cecil was probably at a point in his life where he’d want to make amends and start over with a fresh slate.

So she approached Cecil and said, “Thank you. There were a million other things you could have done with this
necklace, and for a while I doubted you’d do the right thing, so thank you.”

“I’m sorry for everything,” Cecil said. “I really did care about you. That wasn’t a lie.”

His last words left Serena stunned. What exactly did Cecil mean by that? That he’d actually cared about her? And if that’s what he meant, was he telling the truth?

But why lie now? Unless he figured that by being nice to her, he could be sure she’d be nice to him in court.

Serena didn’t know what to think. All she knew was that Cecil’s words made her think of Darrell and what they’d shared. It was Darrell she wanted to hear say that he cared about her.

She stole a glance at him, and her heart started beating double time. It wasn’t just one thing about him that made her react that way; it was the whole package. He was sensitive, yet strong. Caring and devoted. A wonderful lover.

She wanted more of him, more than he was willing to give.

Yet as Serena remembered how he’d held her after she was shot at, she couldn’t stop her heart from thinking he cared about her on a deeper level. Maybe he just didn’t want to admit it.

Sensing her, Darrell turned his head slightly and met her eyes. But as if he could read the direction of her thoughts, he quickly looked away.

A lump clogged Serena’s throat. God help her, she loved Darrell, but he didn’t love her back.

The day had been draining, and by the time both Serena and Darrell gave the police detailed accounts of what had
happened at the police station, neither had much to say on the way back to her apartment.

Serena wanted to say so much, but she didn’t dare. She knew time was running out. With Cecil arrested and out of immediate danger, there’d be no reason for Darrell to stick around.

The fact that he wasn’t saying anything didn’t make her feel better. She didn’t have any practice in these matters, but she’d already made a fool of herself where Darrell was concerned, and if he wanted something more with her, he’d have to tell her.

And if he didn’t…well, life went on.

Even if, right now, Serena couldn’t imagine how she’d ever live without him.

When had she fallen this hard? That’s what she really wanted to know. She’d never doubted that one day she would fall in love, but she couldn’t be more stunned at how it had come about. Cecil’s brother, of all people? A man who shunned the idea of marriage and family because of his own upbringing. A man who was so clearly wrong for her, given what she wanted from life, yet she’d fallen for him nonetheless.

Butterflies did a nervous dance in Serena’s stomach when she and Darrell arrived at her apartment complex. With each minute that passed, she was closer and closer to never seeing him again.

Or to learning that dreams did indeed come true.

They walked quietly to the door, Darrell resting a gentle hand on her lower back. God, just the touch of his hand against her body made her all warm and fuzzy inside. She wanted to feel this way with him forever.

Inside, Darrell said, “So, how you feeling?”

“Relieved.”

Darrell nodded, then silence fell between them. “I have to head back. To Orlando. There’s so much I put on hold to come down here…”

No proclamation of love, but it wasn’t like she had expected one. So why was her heart breaking?

“Yes, of course,” she managed, forcing a smile. “You have a life to get back to.”

“A business to run.”

“Naturally.”

Pause. “I’m not going to leave right away,” Darrell said quickly. “You don’t mind if I spend the night, do you?”

“Oh, no.”

“Because it’s kinda late.”

“Mmm hmm. No problem.” Serena paused. “I can drive you to the airport if you like.”

“Cecil said I could have the Viper, so I’m gonna drive it back. Use the time and clear my head.”

Will you be thinking about me?
Serena wondered.
About us?

“Hey,” Darrell said, his eyes lighting up—and Serena’s heart soared with hope. “I almost forgot. I’d love to see the necklace.”

Serena’s heart fell. But as she went to retrieve the necklace, her mind drifted from Darrell and her feelings for him. Knowing that the necklace was safe with her once again was reason to smile.

She went to the small safe in her bedroom and opened it, then withdrew the old metal box that housed the dazzling piece of jewelry.

Darrell saw both happiness and pride in Serena’s eyes as she gently fingered the exquisite necklace. It was nothing short of magnificent, and he was glad that it was back with its rightful owner.

“It’s stunning,” he said. He reached for it. “May I?”

Serena paused only a moment before passing him the box. Darrell examined it closely. Set in silver, it had diamonds around the entire length of the necklace. The main stone was a ruby, surrounded by tiny diamonds.

“Wow.” Darrell let out a low whistle. “I can see why this is so important to you.”

“Yes,” Serena agreed, taking the box from him. “Every time I look at it, I get goose bumps, knowing so many of my ancestors once held this. It gives me a great sense of belonging.” Serena stood. “Let me put this back.”

Serena disappeared, and returned minutes later. Once again, she felt tension between her and Darrell. Rubbing a hand on the back of her neck, she asked, “You hungry?”

“Not really. Actually, I’m pretty tired. So I’m gonna head to, uh, bed. To sleep.”

Just last night, he’d been making sweet love to her. Now, he could barely say two words to her.

“Good night,” Serena said cheerfully.

“Good night.”

“He doesn’t love me,” Serena pined later. She’d filled her sister in on the day’s events and the reality that she was in love with Darrell. The reality of the situation was made somewhat more bitter by the fact that Kiana and Geoff were finally working things out. While Serena was elated for them, she wanted some of that happiness for herself.

“Maybe he does,” Kiana said. “But it’s been nonstop action since he got here. He’s been so worried about his brother, he probably hasn’t had time to examine his feelings.”

“He’s leaving tomorrow, Kiana. And I’ll never see him again.”

“Hey, you don’t know that. If he’s anywhere near as stubborn as me—” Kiana’s voice abruptly stopped and she let out a little shriek. “Geoff, stop
that.
”

“Okay,” Serena said. “Sounds like this is getting X-rated.”

“No,” Kiana managed between giggles.

“Yeah, sure.” Not that she could blame them. They’d been apart so long that spending quality time loving each other was exactly what they should be doing. “Anyway, I’m gonna go.”

“All right.” Kiana didn’t protest.

“Call me…whenever.”

“Oh, sis. You sound so sad. Cheer up, please. I’m sure things will work out once everything’s settled down.”

“I hope so,” Serena said, but in her heart, she didn’t believe it.

The next morning, Darrell knocked on Serena’s bedroom door, waking her. “Hey, Serena,” he said from behind the door. “I’m leaving.”

All night, Serena had hoped this moment wouldn’t come, that Darrell would return to her bedroom and tell her he couldn’t live without her.

She wanted the fantasy, but this was life, and the cold hard reality was difficult to bear.

“Give me a minute,” she said, reaching for her glasses beside the bed. She stood and put on a robe, then finger-combed her hair. Out of habit, she gave herself a brief once-over in the mirror, then realized how pointless that was.

No matter how she looked, Darrell just wasn’t interested.

She forced a smile as she exited the bedroom. “You hungry?”

“I’ll pick something up on the road.”

Because he couldn’t wait to leave her. Serena nodded. “Okay.”

“I do appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

His words were like a slap in the face. She’d given him her love, yet he didn’t appreciate that. Yet she kept her retort in check.

Darrell lifted his suitcase, then moved to the front door. Serena followed him, part of her wondering if she should confess her feelings and assure him she’d never abandon him the way his mother had, or if that would be a waste of time.

But at the door, when Darrell faced her with a smile that said he didn’t have a care in the world, Serena made the decision to keep her mouth shut.

Darrell stepped forward and spread his arms wide, as though he intended to hug her. A hug was more than she could manage, considering how strong her feelings were for him. So instead of walking into his embrace, Serena took a step past him and gripped the door handle. She opened the door. “Have a safe trip.”

Darrell’s lips pulled into a taut line. “Thanks.”

Serena held the door open, and Darrell stepped outside
the apartment. And even when she saw his head turn back toward her, she quickly closed the door before she broke down and begged him not to leave her.

And there she stayed, pressing one ear against the door. She listened for sound, but heard none.

Was Darrell standing opposite the door, deciding whether or not he should knock? Or had he already walked away?

Oh, this is stupid
, Serena told herself. Frustrated, she pressed both hands on the door and heaved herself backward. Darrell hadn’t given her one indication that he loved her, so why was she even trying to hang onto the unfounded hope that he’d suddenly realize Cupid was trying to get a good shot at his heart?

All Serena could do now was put their incredible night of lovemaking behind her and move on. Yes, it hurt, and perhaps it always would, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She’d made a colossal error in judgment, and it would haunt her for a long time.

But she would go on. Find someone to love who would love her back.

A sob bubbled up in her throat. God, who was she kidding? She didn’t know if she’d ever be the same again. Part of her wanted to open the door and run after Darrell, tell him what was in her heart. But another part didn’t want to risk humiliating herself any more than she no doubt already had where he was concerned.

It was better this way, of course.

A quick, emotionless good-bye, and now they could go back to their lives before they’d met.

Darrell had told himself that over and over again as he
drove north along Florida’s turnpike, but something still nagged at him. Maybe it was the unreadable look in Serena’s eyes as she’d told him to have a safe trip. Until then, he’d been able to read all her emotions easily, and it bothered him that he couldn’t.

It bothered him to think she’d stopped caring.

Not that he wanted her to care. In fact, it was better that she not care. He couldn’t give her what she wanted or needed. Still, he’d started to get comfortable being around her, had enjoyed seeing her face every morning. It had been nice to know that someone as genuine as Serena actually did care about him, enough to put his concerns for his brother over her desire for justice.