Obsession (Steel Brothers Saga Book 2) (15 page)

M
y brothers
and I drove into town to Murphy’s Bar for a little celebration. It wasn’t every day we decided to dig up the past so we could bury it once and for all.

I ordered Peach Street, of course. Jonah ordered a CapRock martini, and Ryan ordered a glass of his own wine.

Sean Murphy chuckled as he poured it. “You come in here and pay me for what you get for free, Ry. Now that’s a damn good customer.”

“We like to support the businesses of Snow Creek.” Ryan lifted his glass.

Sean, being the nonintrusive bartender that he was, turned around and focused on his tasks at hand, leaving us to talk.

“I guess I’ll go back to that Dr. Carmichael,” I heard myself saying.

“Great, that means I don’t have to get Jade to move back in to get you to go,” Jonah said. “And she does come highly recommended.”

Joe was the one who had given me her name a few weeks ago. “How did you come by her name, anyway?” I asked him.

My brother cast his gaze to his martini. Even in the dimness of the bar, I could see his cheeks pink up a little.

“Well?”

“I…met her at a bar in Grand Junction one night.”

I cocked my head. “Are you serious? You sent me to a shrink you picked up in a bar?”

He jiggled his martini. “No, no, it wasn’t anything like that. I was in the city a couple months ago, you know, at the agricultural conference. There was some kind of psychological conference at the same hotel.”

“So you’ve met her.”

“Yeah.”

I took a drink. “Then how come you two acted like you didn’t know each other when you saw her at the ER after I fainted?”

Joe’s threaded his fingers through his black hair accented with silver. “I don’t know. I didn’t want to say ‘good to see you again’ and then not have her remember me…”

This was getting good. He
liked
her. “Okay, fine. So what happened at the bar?”

“I was down there in the evening, chatting with some of the guys, and Melanie…err, Dr. Carmichael…came in alone.”

“And you picked her up.”

“No, I didn’t pick her up. She was alone, and she looked kind of… I don’t know. You’ve seen her. She’s a looker.”

“Yep, blond and beautiful. Tall too.”

That got Ryan’s attention. He raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

“Anyway, there was an empty stool next to me, and she asked if it was taken. I said no. The guys I was talking to excused themselves, and then there we were. We just talked a little, and we exchanged cards. She said she was working on a book about recovering from childhood trauma.”

“So you naturally thought of me.”

“Well…yeah.”

“And that’s all? She wasn’t highly recommended?”

“Actually, she
is
highly recommended. When I found out what she did for a living, I Googled her first off. She’s handled lots of cases like yours. I also talked to some of the other attendees at the psychology conference. Apparently she gave a couple workshops that were very well attended and informative.”

“And you had the hots for her,” Ryan piped in.

Joe shook his head vehemently. “Nothing like that happened. I swear. I haven’t had a woman in…well, too long to tell you the truth.”

“Has her book come out yet? Maybe I’ll give it a read.” Not that it would matter. I had read heaps of books and research on cases like mine. It hadn’t helped me recover, but it did help to know I wasn’t alone in the world.

Joe shook his head. “Nope. It hasn’t come out yet, as far as I know. I check every now and then.”

“You check?”

“Yeah, what of it? I’m obviously interested in the subject too.”

“Joe, you
do
have the hots for her,” Ryan said, laughing.

“So I find her attractive. What’s the matter with that?”

“Nothing from where I’m standing, bro.” Ryan took a sip of wine. “So both my brothers are smitten.” He laughed again.

“Yeah, she’s nice to look at,” I said. Of course, she was no Jade. “That really doesn’t matter to me. Can she help us?”

Joe took a sip and then put down his drink. He turned and met my gaze. “Tal, you truly are ready, aren’t you?”

“I said I was, didn’t I?”

Joe shook his head. “I know what you said. But it’s that last word you said that clinched it for me.”

“Yeah? What did I say?”

“You said, ‘can she help us?’ Not ‘can she help me?’ You’re finally seeing us as a team here. That’s huge.”

I inhaled and let the air out slowly. “I’ve always seen it that way, Joe. It’s just…” It was just that they hadn’t gone through it. Yes, they had their own demons that they were fighting because of it, but they hadn’t lived the horrors. Hadn’t been beaten, starved, molested. “It’s just…”

Jonah placed his hand on my forearm. “I understand. I always have.”

Maybe he had always understood, in his own way. Maybe I hadn’t given him enough credit. I’d been so busy having my little pity party and trying to destroy myself that I hadn’t been able to see it. But I no longer wanted to destroy myself. I wanted to live. I finally had something to live for—Jade. And loving Jade had opened my eyes and restored my sight. I could finally see what else had always been there to live for—Joe, Ryan, Marjorie, my ranch.

And me.

I wanted to live for
me
.

I opened my mouth to try to put this into words to my brothers, but Joe squeezed my forearm.

“It’s okay, Tal. You don’t have to say it.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Thanks,” I said gruffly.

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“Me either,” Ryan said. “I should be thanking you.”

“You have, Ry, many times. You don’t have to anymore.”

Awkward silence reigned for a few moments, until Jonah cleared his throat. “So how do you want to handle this, Tal? You take the lead on this. Do you want to go see the doc by yourself at first? You want us to go with you? Would you rather we not go at all? We’ll do this your way, won’t we, Ry?”

“Absolutely,” Ryan agreed.

“Thanks,” I said again. “I’ll go myself first. It’ll be difficult, and I don’t want you to see me like…that.”

“Talon,” Ryan began, “you don’t have to—”

“No, Ryan. This is his call.”

“Okay.” My younger brother nodded.

“But if you guys want to go. I mean, if you feel like you have your own issues…” I let out a sigh. “I get it. I do. This has affected all of us. I haven’t been able to see anyone’s pain but my own, and I’m sorry for that.”

“Tal,” Jonah said, “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you say ‘I’m sorry’ without wincing through it.” He let out a chuckle.

“I guess I’m seeing things a little differently these days.”

“A good woman can do that,” Ryan laughed.

“I don’t know that it’s Jade…” Yeah, right. They’d never buy that. “Okay, so it
is
Jade, but caring for Jade… Goddamn it…
Loving
Jade has made me see everything more clearly. Not just what I feel for her, but you guys, Marj, myself. Everything looks different now. I know I’ve been selfish.”

“Tal…” Ryan started.

“No, Ryan, let me say this. Just because I went through hell doesn’t give me the right to be a jerk. And I’ve been one. Hell… I’ve got to tell you… God, this is embarrassing…”

Joe started to speak, but I held up my hand to stop him. I had to do this.

“When I went into Grand Junction, sometimes it was to hook up with some one-night stand, but other times…”

“What?”

“Other times…I’d walk through skid row, purposely trying to get mugged, so I could beat up the muggers.” At my brothers’ shocked faces, I held up my hand again. “No, don’t worry. I never did any lasting damage. Heck, I didn’t beat them as much as I beat that asshole ex of Jade’s.” I looked up to the window.

And speak of the goddamned devil. I stood, anger raging beneath my skin. “Fucking A.”

Across the street, coming out of Enzio’s…

Ryan and Jonah stood.

“That’s Jade,” Ryan said. “Is that…?”

I nodded and walked out the door, my pulse racing. My brothers were close at my heels.

I crossed the street faster than a lightning bolt and was ready to pummel the bastard, when Joe pulled my arm back.

“Easy, Tal. You have court on Monday, remember?”

Red rage flooded into me. All I could see was the malignant blur of Colin Morse with his hand on my woman’s arm. This was so not happening right now. I would fucking kill him this time. Totally. Completely. Take him down like I had those enemies overseas.

I yanked my arm away from Jonah. “What the fuck are you doing with him?” I bit out at Jade.

“Talon…what are you doing here?”

“Having a drink with my brothers. What are
you
doing here?”

“We were having…dinner…because…”

I raised my fist to pummel the motherfucker, but Ryan stepped in front of me, quick as a panther.

“Don’t, Tal. Don’t undo everything we just talked about.”

“Get out of my way,” I seethed through clenched teeth.

“No, I can’t let you do this.”

“Oh, please, let him do it,” Colin taunted. “I’m not thrilled about this deal that you guys cut, anyway. Go ahead. Hit me. Put me in a damned coma. That way maybe you’ll go to prison like you deserve.”

Ryan stood between Colin and me. My little brother, always levelheaded, who’d take a bullet—hell, a cannonball—for me.

“Don’t let him get to you, Tal. He’s not worth it. Remember what we were just talking about. You have things to live for.”

“Things to live for? What the fuck?” Colin guffawed. “Come on. Do it.”

“Would you shut up, Colin?” Jade said. “Look, Talon, nothing is going on. I had to have dinner with him because he…”

“Because why, Jade?” Jonah asked. “Why did you have dinner with him? You know how Talon feels about this.”

“It’s
because
of Talon that I did it.”

“Yeah.” Colin quirked his lips. “It’s because of you. She’s over you.
We’re
getting back together.”

Jonah moved between us this time. “How old are you anyway?” he said to Colin. “Did you ever make it out of middle school? You sound like a stupid teenager.”

“I ought to kick your ass, next,” Jade’s ex said.

“You won’t get very far. I’m as strong as my brother and a hell of a lot meaner,” Jonah said.

“You threatening me?” Colin advanced.

Jade grabbed his arm. “You threatened him first, Colin. Just shut up, for God’s sake.” She turned to me. “Could we go somewhere and talk? I swear to you there’s a good explanation for this.”

“Sure. We can talk after I kick his ass.”

“You’re not going to kick his ass, Talon,” Ryan said.

Jade looked at me, her blue eyes sad and…frightened? “Talon, please. Just breathe in and out. He’s not worth it. Listen to me. He’s. Not. Worth. It.”

At her words, her sweet hypnotic voice, my rage began to scatter. Oh, I was angry, for sure. Why was she with him, anyway? But I would ask her about it. And she would tell me. And I could be angry with her, but I didn’t have to risk screwing up my future and hers by pounding the halfwit.

“Fine,” I said. “Come with me across the street to the bar, and you can tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t think so,” Colin interjected. “She’s with me tonight.”

Jonah stepped forward again. “Look, man, I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you’re not getting what you want this way.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.” Jonah raised his arm.

“Not you too, Joe.” Ryan caught Joe’s arm in a clench. “Look, man,” my younger brother said to Colin. “Do yourself a favor and get the fuck out of here. Now.”

“I don’t think so. You assholes don’t own this town.”

Ryan let out a chuckle. “As a matter fact, we do own quite a bit of stuff in this town. Now granted, you’re standing on public sidewalk. So I’m not going to make you move.”

“Like you could.”

Ryan chuckled again, shaking his head. “I could. And the three of us together? We’d knock you into the next century. But that’s not really the point, is it? I’m not going to do that. No matter how much you taunt Talon. No matter how much I would love to pummel your sorry ass.”

“So now you’re so civilized.”

“No, dickhead. My brothers and I are
not
civilized. Far from it. We are hard-working men. We don’t sit on our asses in three-piece suits all day. We work the land. Trust me, we’re way tougher than you are.”

“Please. You probably use slave labor to work your land.”

“Oh, for God’s sake.” Ryan rubbed his forehead. He was finally starting to lose his cool. “You really are asking to have your ass kicked.”

“Colin,” Jade said. “Just leave. Please.”

“Fine. I’ll see you in court on Monday.”

Jade turned her head. “Excuse me? We had a deal.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You said if I went to dinner with you—”

“What?” I said, my head spinning. “You had some deal to go to dinner with him?”

“Talon, I was trying to do what was best. For you.”

“Having you anywhere near him is not what’s best for me, blue eyes.”

“Blue eyes.” Colin rolled his eyes. “God.”

I turned to Colin, trying perilously to keep from shoving my fist in his face. “Look, you don’t come near her again. I don’t care what kind of deal you had with her. I don’t care if you show up at court on Monday. What are you going to try to do? Pay off the judge?”

“I don’t have to tell you what my plans are.”

“Fine. Don’t. Show up. I don’t care. But you leave her alone,” I said through clenched teeth. “Don’t you come near her again.”

For a split second, I saw a real fear in his eyes. Good.

“He’s right, Colin,” Jade said. “I don’t want anything to do with you. Just leave me alone.”

“You heard the lady,” Ryan said. “Come on, Jade. We’ll take you home.”

“That’s not necessary. You guys know I only live down the block.”

“
I’ll
take you home.” I grabbed her arm.

“You don’t have to. It’s not even all the way dark yet.”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight while this jerk is in town. I’m assuming he’s staying until court on Monday, so don’t expect to leave my side until then.”