Authors: Christy Reece
Hard, muscular arms closed over her, and peace washed through her. Here, safe in Brennan’s arms, was the only place she wanted to be...for the rest of her life.
Chapter Twenty-eight
She lay so quietly in his arms, Brennan wondered if she’d fallen asleep. After the emotional night they’d had, he was weary to the bone, but he was also exhilarated. He’d never had a closer, more intense connection than this in his life. It would be a memory he’d carry with him forever.
Kacie snuggled deeper into his arms.
“You asleep?” he whispered, just in case she was.
“In between.” She sighed. “I can’t believe we’re going home tomorrow.”
“Are you anxious to get back?”
“Yes and no. I’m looking forward to working with Montague on his new lines, but the other…I just wish it could be over.”
“We’ll find out who’s doing it soon. I know we will. Have faith.”
“I do…in you and all of LCR. You guys saved me once…I know you’ll save me again.”
He pressed a kiss against her forehead, hoping against hope that her trust was not in vain.
“Can you tell me about the tattoo?”
She drew in a deep breath. “Hard to hide something like that when you’re naked.”
“I know where it came from. I just—”
“You’re wondering why I’ve never had it removed?”
“Yeah. I’ve heard tattoo removals can be painful, but—”
“If it were that simple, believe me, I would have had it removed the day after my rescue.” She took his hand and pressed it to the small of her back. His fingers moved over something that felt like ridges.
“What the hell?”
“He had some kind of branding pen used on me first, then the tattoo went over it.”
“Son of a bitch,” Brennan growled. “So even if you had the ink removed…”
“Right. It would still be there. I didn’t see the point.”
“Another reason why you won’t wear a bikini for a photo shoot.”
“It would be hard to explain.”
She had that right. No wonder she felt that Harrington would never let her go. Every time she looked at her naked back in a mirror, she saw the reminder of what he had done to her.
She shifted in his arms to get more comfortable. “Enough about me. Tell me about Brennan Sinclair’s early years.”
“You mean, before he screwed up so badly?”
“No,” she said softly, “before he was hurt so badly.”
Unable to stop himself, he took another kiss, slow and thorough. She was so sweetly addictive, he could kiss her a million times and never get tired of her lips.
Settling her back into his arms, he said, “I had a great childhood…wonderful parents. My dad was the hardest-working man I’ve ever known. He was a cop, and on his days off and every other weekend, he was a bartender at a pub not far from our house.
“My mom was a stay-at-home mom, but not really. She was a CPA, worked out of the house. But she was always home when I got in from school…always had cookies or something waiting for me.
“I was an only child, but our house was always the house where all the kids congregated. Everyone felt at home with my parents.”
“They sound wonderful.”
“They were. I started playing football in junior high school. It came so easy for me…too easy. Played through high school. Did so well that I got recruited all over the country. I wanted to stay close to home, though, so I accepted a scholarship from Ohio State…played there for three years.
“I started getting highly recruited from the pros. My parents wanted me to finish my degree, but I didn’t listen to them. The money, the fame, everything was so damn enticing. I was going to make millions. I was arrogant…so incredibly full of myself. No one, not even my parents, could talk me out of it.”
“I remember hearing once that you were one of the youngest quarterbacks ever to play for the NFL.”
“Yeah…too damn young. Twenty years old and still wet behind the ears…knew nothing about life and so damn cocky I thought I knew it all. Got picked up by the Jets…didn’t figure I’d play much for a year or so. I was having a good time hanging out with my buddies and dating as many women as humanly possible.
“I met Vanessa that first year. It was lust at first sight for both of us. She was a few years older than me. She was already making a name for herself…commercials, a few small parts on Broadway, but she had her sights set on bigger things.”
“You?”
He squeezed her. “No, not me. She was ambitious. More than I ever knew. She wanted us to get married, said then we could both focus on our careers. We flew to Vegas one weekend and did the deed. Broke my parents’ hearts. But they got over it and did their best to like Vanessa. Unfortunately, it never took for either of them.
“After we were married, we saw them less and less. Not long after that, Todd Fulton, the Jets QB, broke his leg, and I had my chance. I took full advantage of it. I played, had a good time. Focused on what I wanted to do.”
“What was Vanessa doing?”
“She was focusing on her career…or at least she was until she found out she was pregnant. I convinced her it would be okay, that she could have the baby and still have her career, too.
“By that time, the charm had kind of fallen off our marriage. We were both so into our own selves, it didn’t leave us much time to focus on anyone else.”
“And then a baby was coming your way.”
“Yeah.” Brennan tried and failed to control the still-crushing pain of what came next.
“I was happy to be a dad…adored my son. But my job…my life was still football. I told myself that I was a hard-working man, just like my dad. That it was my responsibility to care for my family. But that was a damn lie. Everything I did, I did for me. My dad never let himself forget that we were his priorities. Nothing got in the way of his family.
“Everything I did, I did for Brennan Sinclair. No one else. And Cody…my perfect, precious boy, had a lousy father. When I was home, I’d pay attention to him, but not like I should have. Certainly not the way my dad did with me.
“I took him for granted…took everything for granted. And then it was gone.”
Kacie hugged him gently. She had started this conversation because she wanted to know more about him, and now that she understood what drove him, it broke her heart.
“So I’m guessing Vanessa wasn’t exactly mom of the year?”
“No. She resented Cody. Hated me. Blamed both of us for ruining her career. We got a nanny so she could go back to work, but the offers didn’t come. She became more despondent. I didn’t realize how bad it was until—”
He blew out a harsh breath. “That’s the kind of wake-up call no one ever wants. After Cody…I was so mired in regret, in pain. God, I hated myself. Hated Vanessa. I should’ve stepped up and finally become the man my parents raised me to be. Even though she had been a party to what happened to Cody, it was never her intent that he should die. I couldn’t forgive her, though. And she never forgave herself. Then, it was too late.
“I went back to work…thinking that would be the solution. Still stupidly believing that work was the answer. Football was all I had…all I’d ever done with my life. Brennan Sinclair was nobody unless he played football.”
“But then you just walked away?”
“Yeah. Walking off the field in the middle of the biggest game of the season wasn’t my finest hour.”
“Bet that caused you a lot of problems.”
“Yeah…and a lot of money. By that time, I didn’t care…not about the money, the fame. Most definitely not about me. I was lost for a very long time.”
“How did you come back?”
“Not overnight, that’s for damn sure. It was a long, slow process, and every time I thought I was on the road back, I got slammed again.”
“You never played ball again?”
“No. Not that anyone would’ve had me. I was a very bad risk. A twenty-four-year-old has-been. Besides, I didn’t have the desire to pick up a football, much less play.
“But it took my mom getting cancer before I dug myself out of my pity pool.”
Oh no, she’d feared something like this when he’d mentioned his parents as if they’d already passed.
“I still had some money…got more by selling all the properties, cars, and junk I’d amassed. I’d bought my parents a house my first year with the Jets, but it was nothing compared to what they’d done for me. I had to do something, so I contacted the most respected cancer doctor in the US. Flew him to where my mom was being treated. It was too late. She hadn’t told anyone, even my dad, how long she’d been feeling ill.
“We had her a few more months, and then she was gone. My dad…” He swallowed hard, and she held him tighter.
“My dad died only a few months later. Heart attack supposedly, but…I just don’t think he wanted to live without my mom.”
Kacie’s heart broke for him. He had lost everyone he’d cared about…and blamed himself for most of it.
“I was so full of self-pity…so full of guilt. And so damn sick of myself. I’d been given some powerful painkillers when I was injured, and for several months, that was my escape. Then, one morning I found myself on the floor of the bathroom. Had no idea how I got there…no memory. And I guess you might say I had a come-to-Jesus meeting with myself. I threw every pill I had away. Even aspirin.
“I realized no matter how much I wanted to die, it would be just another selfish act. And I was so damn tired of all the selfish acts I’d committed throughout my life. I decided I had to do something with purpose. Do something that really mattered, but I had no clue what that was.
“About that time, I saw Justin again. He’s a couple of years older than I am, but we went to the same high school and were friends. He kicked my ass back into shape and introduced me to the Carmichaels.”
“Who are the Carmichaels?”
“The meanest, toughest, baddest guys you could ever meet. Three former Navy SEALs who opened a kick-you-in-the-ass-or-kill-you training facility in Glens Falls. I went there to get trained and then stayed to be a trainer. Then about a year or so ago, they started a security and rescue branch.
“Then Justin got me in touch with McCall and…”
“And now here we are.”
“Never expected you.”
That might possibly be the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Brennan figured he’d remember this day for the rest of his life. It had happened before. Not this exact thing, but something like it. One moment you were happy, feeling like nothing, no matter what happened, could destroy you. And then disaster.
They were on the plane, headed back to the States. David Stallings and Britney had decided to stay a couple of extra days at the resort, which was a welcome relief to Brennan. Two hours of the giggle twins would put anyone in a sour mood.
Kacie hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, so he’d teased her about it and told her to take a nap, that she would need her strength for later. To see the confidence and happiness on her face was unlike any feeling he’d ever had.
Everything took a back seat the instant his cellphone rang. Before Brennan could get in a hello, McCall cut in, “We’ve got a problem.”
“What?”
“There’s a sex video online of Kacie.”
His eyes immediately went to Kacie, who was already deeply asleep. Thankful for small favors, Brennan stood and went to the back of the plane.
“With Harrington?”
“Yes. It’s not a clip…not photos put together. Lasts twelve minutes, forty-seven seconds. Even though she’s older and looks different, she’s easily recognizable as Kacie.
“And before you ask, yes, we were one hundred percent certain that those recordings were destroyed. No one has a clue how this one got past us.”
“Can you shut it down?”
“Our tech people have already taken care of it. Thankfully, it was only on one site. We monitor the web twenty-four/seven. The video was posted three minutes and six seconds before we found it. We got it down in a matter of seconds.”
“Any idea who posted it?”
“No, not yet. That might take a couple of days to track down, but we think we can find where it came from. But if it’s like the other online shit, this freak is traveling all over the city and using other computers to do his dirty work.”
“Then it’s likely it’ll get uploaded again. Possibly on more than one site next time. We’re one step behind each damn time.”
“Yes… Till we can find the creep and stop him for good. You think she’s going to be able to handle it? Will this destroy her?”
Tamping down his rage, Brennan took time to consider the question before he answered. Kacie was so damn courageous…but this…
His gaze went to the sleeping woman on the sofa. Slender, delicate, vulnerable. Strong. Yes, that was the key. She was unbelievably strong.
He answered McCall with complete assurance, “No, it won’t. It’s going to hurt her, but she’ll survive. She’s come too far…overcome too much. She’s strong…a fighter.”