vittanos willow (16 page)

bone steak.

Her dinner companion laughed as she took a bite of her baked

potato. “You must be pissed if you are eating like that.”

Another healthy swallow of beer passed Chantoya’s lips. “Shut

up, Dez. I love steak and beer.”

“I know, but I haven’t seen you attack them with that type of vi-

gor since…since that trucker said women couldn’t possibly drive an

eighteen wheeler.”

CJ paused, another bite of steak heading toward her mouth. “I

remember that chauvinist. I loved making him eat his words.”

Both women laughed as they recalled the man’s astounded ex-

pression when CJ had backed up her rig in half the time it had taken

him to do it. “You’re right, though, Dez. I don’t eat like this anymore.”

CJ put down her fork and ran a hand across her face.

“Something else bothering you?” Dez took her fork and stabbed

a chunk of steak from CJ’s plate and ate it, ignoring the raised eyebrow.

“No,” CJ sighed. “Well, maybe…hell, I don’t know.” She

reached for her beer and took a smaller drink.

“Everything okay with you and Osten?”

“Yes, I guess.” CJ put her attention on the bottle. “I’m falling for

him, Dezarae. And it scares the crap out of me.”

Dez drank her wine. “I’m not that far away if you ever want to

talk about it, and I promise none of if will get back to Ross.”

“I know,” CJ sighed again.

“But that’s not it.” Dez frowned as she looked at her friend. “CJ,

you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”

Though she didn’t want to answer, CJ knew Dez wouldn’t drop

it until she did. “I feel like someone’s following me. I can’t shake the

feeling.” CJ met Dez’s concerned look and shrugged lightly. “I’m just

getting paranoid. I’m sure its nothing.” She sent a smile across the table.

“Tell me about you. How’s everything going?”

As the two friends parted company that evening, Dezarae was

still worried. Worried enough that when her husband asked how the

evening had gone, she didn’t even pretend to be affronted. Dez told him

about CJ’s fear and suspicion. And that night, while Ross lay in bed

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holding the woman he loved, he made a mental note to pass the infor-

mation along to Osten.

“What the
hell
do you think you are doing, Osten?!” CJ’s screech

filled her small apartment.

Standing on the chair in the kitchen, Osten swallowed. He knew

how it looked. There was a miniature camera in his hand and a vent

near his shoulder with the cover removed.

“It’s not what it looks like. I found this,” Osten began, and

sighed when he saw the tears well up in her eyes.

“Then explain what it isn’t.” She was also furious. How could

he? “You found it and what…thought it would go great up there?”

“No. CJ, I’m taking it down.”

“Great!” she yelled. “Positive now about who comes and goes in

this place? What were you thinking? Tape her? Sell it?” Her eyes grew

wide. “Oh, God, you got the time in the kitchen here?!”

“CJ, please. Let me explain.”

“Hell, no! Aside from you, only my brothers come here. Just get

out!” her voice cracked. “Take your fucking camera and get out!”

Climbing down, Osten moved toward her, stopping when she

shrank back from him. “I wouldn’t do this to you, CJ. You have to

believe that.”

“Get out. Between you and my brothers, I’d bet on you leaving it

here.” Wiping the traitorous tears away, she crossed her arms and tried

to look brave.

“Okay,” he sighed. “You’re too irrational right now to listen to

reason.” Her eyes narrowed. “I have no reason to spy on you, CJ. You

know that.” He moved away and slid his jacket on. “I’ll give you a few

days to calm down before I come by or call.”

“Don’t bother,” she hissed, stomping past him to the door and

yanking it open. “I’m sure I’ll still be
irrational.
”

Way to go, Scoleri. Bad choice of words.
“Think about it, Chantoya.

Why would I sabotage what we have?” He stepped into the hall and

watched her.

“I seriously doubt you planned on getting caught. Oh, and it’s

had. What we
had.
” CJ slammed the door in his face and engaged the

locks.

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Aliyah Burke

“Interesting,” the man said as he watched CJ crying on her bed.

“Very interesting.” A sadistic smile crossed his face as he witnessed her

slam her door on the man who had discovered one of his cameras.

“At least it was just the kitchen one.”

His left hand freed his cock from his boxers. He sat there and

jacked himself off as he observed CJ cry on her bed. At the last minute

he put a cloth up to catch his stream of ejaculate.

His Chantoya still lay on her bed. One finger reached toward

her. “Look at it this way; you may have saved his life.”

Standing, the man walked to his shower and got cleaned up for

his night out on the town.

Chantoya moped around the house. She ate a half gallon of ice

cream and watched old romantic movies. She fell asleep watching
The

King and I
with Yul Brenner.

A loud pounding at her door woke her. Lurching off the couch,

a very disheveled CJ opened the door and stared through puffy and

red-rimmed eyes at her brothers. All three of them.

“Jesus, Chipmunk, you look like hell. What happened?” Thurs-

ton asked as he moved into the apartment without waiting for an

invitation. The other two men followed.

Three sets of masculine eyes roamed over her apartment. They

took in the dishes in the sink and on the counters. The empty and

sideways ice cream container, the partial bowl of cheese puffs and some

snack mix.

“You okay, little sis?” Ajani asked, frowning at her.

“What do you guys want?” she groused.

“It’s Saturday,” Binh said as if it should explain everything.

“Which means I have a day off. What are y’all doing here?”

Tightening the blanket around her, she stumbled drunkenly back to the

couch where she fell face first onto it and covered her head.

The three brothers frowned as they looked at each other and

back to Chantoya. Something was horribly wrong if she was acting like

this.

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CJ felt herself being lifted. One whiff and she knew it was Ajani

who carried her; he wore a very deep, woodsy scent. He placed her on

the bed and left her there, closing the door behind him.

When she woke again, she smelled eggs and bacon. Rolling off

her bed she stumbled to the door and headed up the hall. All three of

her brothers sat around her kitchen table eating breakfast.

Binh glanced at her before looking back at his plate. “What?” she

snapped, not realizing why she was being so mean. “What are you still

doing here?”

“Fix yourself a plate and sit down,” Ajani’s voice ordered.

“What is it with every fucking male trying to order me around?”

she hollered as she threw her hands up in the air.

“Chantoya Willow Jackson, mind your tongue!” Ajani thun-

dered.

Wide-eyed, Chantoya did just that. Ajani didn’t shout often. Jaw

clenched she took a seat at the table. Thurston and Binh avoided her

gaze.

Ajani set his fork down beside his plate and looked at her. He

never said a word, just waited for her to raise her head and meet his

gaze.

Slowly CJ lifted her eyes and put them on the eldest member of

the family. There was nothing but love in his gaze. “I’m sorry, Ajani,”

she said.

“What is going on for you to be acting like this?” When she

didn’t say anything, he arched a brow and waited her out.

Ajani won. But then, Ajani always won. “I’m just frustrated. I

feel like someone has been following me and watching me.” CJ left out

finding Osten with the camera in hand. “And I just broke it off with

Osten.” Her head thumped on the tabletop. “So forgive me if I’m less

than happy to see anyone.”

The three men exchanged glances. They didn’t like the sound of

this. “What do you mean you think someone is following you?” Thurs-

ton demanded.

“Just what I said. I’m losing it. I’m just tired and need a vacation.

Desperately.” Shoving back from the table, CJ walked over to the stove

and fixed herself a plate of breakfast. “Please, I don’t want to talk about

this right now. I need to work through it.”

With her filled plate in hand, CJ sat down and picked at the still

warm scrambled eggs. She kept her eyes on her plate although it was

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Aliyah Burke

easy to tell they were watching her. The silence became almost over-

whelming.

Regardless of how much she loved her brothers, all she wanted

was to be left alone to wallow in her own personal misery—something

she had in abundance at the present moment. She could feel the tears

and bitter taste of betrayal surfacing all over again.

Everyone noticed how her hand trembled as she reached for a

glass of juice. Still her brothers never said a word.

“Would you quit looking at me like I’m about to have a psychot-

ic breakdown? Just say whatever is on your minds, already!”

Binh leaned back in his chair and laced his lean fingers behind

his head. “I think you need to come with me to Vietnam.”

CJ’s head snapped up as she stared at the youngest brother.

“What did you say?”

“I think you should come with me to Vietnam. Take some per-

sonal time and go. You work way too hard. You never take time off and

you are running yourself ragged.”

She opened her mouth only to shut it when he shook his head at

her. “No. I got my gift from you all and I am touched. But I think now

you should be with me as well.”

Her eyes took in the faces of her other siblings. “Tell him. I have

to work. Make a living and all that.”

“Actually, we think it’s a wonderful idea. And now that we’ve

seen you, our decision is even more solidified.” Thurston looked at her

as he leaned massive arms on the table. “You need to get away. Get

away and sort some things out.”

Chestnut eyes met and looked at each other set around her table.

“I would love to go with you, Binh.” All three brothers smiled until she

said, “But, I can’t go until Christmas vacation. I can’t bail out on my

students just because I’m having a crisis.”

“I’ll make the reservations. Email me your dates of the break

and I will go from there.” Binh picked up his coffee mug and drank the

rest of it.

“Okay, now would you guys please tell me what you are doing

here?” She looked at them all again. “I know I’m a mess and I know my

life seems to have gone into the crapper, but normally you don’t show

up this early on a Saturday.”

Ajani stared at her. “Do you really not know?”

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CJ shook her head. Closing her eyes she tried to remember what

she had forgotten. All she could see was Osten and his betrayal. “I

haven’t a clue.”

The three men grew somber. “Chipmunk,” Thurston said gently.

“Today is the day we go to the cemetery.”

CJ was ashamed; she had totally forgotten. She took in the suits

her brothers wore and shook her head. “I am so sorry. I’ll be ready to go

in a few moments.” The tears of shame were streaming down her face

before she made it out of the kitchen.
How could I have forgotten some-

thing so important? I am the worst daughter ever.

Osten was in a foul mood. The image of Chantoya’s face as she

accused him of spying on her never gave him a moment’s rest. Then

again, neither did her parting shot as she slammed the door in his face.

What we had.

Had
. As in past tense, not to have again. Ever. Osten swore and

kicked the standing heavy bag in his apartment. Never. Finished. Over.

Chapter closed.

All words of finality streamed through his head as he fought the

bag. Sweat ran in rivulets down his face, and still he pressed on. Punch

after kick after punch after kick.

“Aaarrrgh!” he shouted as he delivered one last kick to the bag

before sagging against it. Chest heaving with exertion, Osten grabbed a

towel and wiped away the dampness on his face.

Snatching up the water bottle, he took a swig before staring at

his reflection in a wall mirror. The person who stared back at him

wasn’t one he was proud of. There was bitterness in his gaze that hadn’t

been there when he’d been with CJ.

Two days. Two days had passed since she ordered him out of

her apartment.
Out of her life,
his brain taunted. “I’ve given you the

weekend, CJ. I can’t give you any more time. I need you back in my

life.”

It was Monday. He knew where she was and how to reach her.

Heading for his shower, Osten tried to come up with of plan to get her

to hear out his explanation.

When Ross had told him what CJ had told Dezarae about her

suspicions of being followed, his body had kicked into protect mode.

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He’d merely been doing a cursory check of her apartment when he’d