Fated Love, page 1
Evernight Publishing ®
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Copyright© 2015 April Zyon
ISBN: 978-1-77233-208-7
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Brieanna Robertson
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This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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FATED LOVE
Massey, TX 8
April Zyon
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
Brandy chewed her thumbnail. She began to move quickly through her apartment and was determined to ensure that she had everything. There would be no coming back. There would be no packing up or having someone else pack up for her. This was a one-time shot in the dead of the night. That was that, period. End of discussion.
It had started two weeks earlier when she had told Colton Brody that she wanted nothing more to do with him. That had been her first mistake, getting involved with that overly fluffed up piece of crap jackwagon. Their relationship had only lasted all of one week and two days. Three of the days she had been hiding from him before she got the nerve to tell him to fuck off, but still.
Brandy looked up at the clock and winced. Crap. She was practically out of time! She needed to be gone like five minutes ago. She grabbed the last bits that she could shove into her purse and raced out of her apartment. She slipped into her rental car and might have pushed the gas pedal just a little too much. At least that’s what she figured when she saw the red and blue bar lights behind her.
“Crap,” she muttered, and with a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach, she pulled off to the side. She pulled out her license and registration, as well as proof of insurance so that she could pass it to the officer when he approached her.
Seeing the woman that walked to the side of her car, Brandy was surprised. “Franny?” Surprise tinted her words as she spoke them. “What?”
When Franny took the sunglasses off—things that were completely out of place in the middle of the night—Brandy jolted at the look of her face. “What the heck?”
“I just wanted to tell you to get gone, fast. I didn’t realize you were already doing so. I’ve filed a complaint with IA as well.”
“Crap, he did that to you?” Brandy knew that Colton was bat-crazy, but she hadn’t expected him to assault his sister as well. Not when they both served under the same captain on the police force. “He’s lost it.” Brandy felt for the woman, but she knew that Franny could take care of herself. “You make sure that you file that report and make them go through with disciplinary actions. We both know who his friends are and they will do all that they can in order to make the write up go away. Push for the disciplinary actions to go through, Franny, and if you need help, you call me. I will file my report, again.” She had filed reports, several of them, but because Colton Brody was one of the prodigal sons of the NYPD, and the Brody family had been in law enforcement there for generations, the reports were misplaced, or filed wrong. In other words, they disappeared.
After he had put her dog down at the animal shelter, she knew she had to go. If he could talk animal lovers into euthanizing a perfectly healthy and happy dog that wasn’t homeless, then there was no telling what else he could do. He was a monster, she knew that now. He was also a dirty-assed cop, but she didn’t say that. Not to his sibling, a woman that was actually a damn good cop, but one that was browbeaten by her family time and again. She was still a patrol officer instead of detective because her brother and father kept blocking her every way she turned. Even when Franny had wanted to transfer, that had been blocked.
No, it was best that Brandy go home. At least back home in Texas, she knew she would be safe. Finally.
“Take a vacation, Franny. We both know that you have a gob of time saved up, so take it now. Okay? For me?”
Franny just smiled and nodded. “I have a good friend that has always talked about Texas. Maybe I will visit there. Either there or the Virgin Islands. Those are beautiful as well.”
Brandy just smiled. “We have been friends for two years, Franny. We will remain friends.”
“Even though I’m the reason that Colton has fixated on you?” Brandy knew why Franny said that. She had been the one to introduce Colton and Brandy.
“I’m sure. Now, can I go?”
Brandy watched the woman slip her glasses back on and then nod. “Just stay under the speed limit. I didn’t call the stop in, so he won’t know you are leaving, but you need to get out. He’s going to go completely nuclear, so make sure you are in Tennessee or something before you stop.”
“That’s my plan,” Brandy whispered. She gave Franny’s hand a squeeze and smiled. “Later, my friend. I would give you my number, but I can’t.”
“I understand. Just call me in a month, please?”
“One month.” Brandy agreed, and then got her vehicle moving once more, this time at the speed limit, and got the hell out of dodge.
Chapter Two
Eleven Days Later
Brandy heard the door slam behind her and winced. She then grinned when she heard her mother. “Mama, I’m home!” she called. Dropping her suitcase and purse, she raced for the kitchen, and for her mom that was cooking dinner. The ride had been long, hard, and stressful as shit. She kept looking over her shoulder for someone to be there, and took a bit more than eleven days to make a three-day trip. She hated it, but she had to ensure that there was no one following her and that Colton had followed her false trail instead of the true one.
In the back of her mind, Brandy knew she was going to have to seriously tip the woman that was playing her and flying to Germany. More than the free trip, it was going to have to carry a significant bonus. When her mother came out of the kitchen with tears in her eyes, Brandy threw herself into her mom’s arms.
She was home. She was finally, finally home where she belonged. She was also being squeezed to death by her mother. She fought and finally came up for air. “Mama, you are killing me here.” Panic set in as her brothers filed in, each of them adding on to the hug she was getting. Holy shit. Frank Jr. was home?
“What in the world?”
Theresa Carver had dark circles under her eyes and they were bloodshot, the tears evident. The boys all had lines of exhaustion etched on their faces, and it was only then that she realized her mother was in black.
“Mom, what’s going on?”
“Baby, we received word nine days ago that you were gone. The boys did everything they could to find you and they couldn’t.”
“I left in the dead of the night, Mama. I had to.” Brandy couldn’t fathom her family believing that she was gone without proof.
“Baby, they brought your body home. We buried you two days ago.”
“What?” Brandy felt her knees go weak and she shook her head. “Obviously you didn’t, Mama.” She looked to Frank and then Brant. “Guys?”
Theresa sniffed again and pulled Brandy into a tight hug. “Baby, she looked just like you. She was burnt, but I knew it was you.”
Brandy knew then who it was and felt sick. “Oh God,” she whispered, and took the seat that Frank shoved under her ass. “I had hired an actress to pretend to be me. I put her on a plane to Germany to get away from him.” She gulped. “So bad. I didn’t do anything, but he wouldn’t let me go and I was never his.” She began to cry and felt her family once more closing in around her.
She told them of the man that she had only really gone on one date with. A man that used his position and influence to get what he wanted when he wanted it. She told them about the dirty crimes that he was part of, the truth of the person that everyone saw as only a good man and even better cop.
When she had finished telling them her story, she looked up at her mom. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t call you because I was worried he would somehow figure it out. I’ve been dodging left and right. I traded IDs with the actress and have used her credit cards and she’s used mine. As it is, though, I still kept turning back, retracing my steps, and going such an oddball way to get here that I was sure I wasn’t followed.” Tricks she had learned from her brothers. “I didn’t know. If I had, I never would have put her on that plane.” She had honestly thought that he would leave it be. He would ask if someone fitting her description had boarded, but she’d nev
“It’s okay, baby,” Theresa said, and looked to her sons. “I want you boys to make sure she’s safe. Whatever you have to do.” Theresa Carver wasn’t a stupid woman by any stretch. “For now, I’m taking Brandy up to bed. Send over someone to watch over the house, will you? And you boys are staying, right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Frank Jr. said to their mother. “We’ll definitely be sticking around. Go and tend to your baby bird. We’ve got this.”
The others gave a nod, though Joshua was watching her the closest. Only trouble with having a brother that was also her twin, he often knew everything going on in her head. That whole twin telepathy thing was real in their case. Or was for him. She didn’t always get anything from him like he seemed to get from her.
He stepped in close and gave her another quick hug. “Get some rest,” he said softly.
Brant touched her cheek lightly before her mother tugged her from the room. She caught the look her brothers all shared, and knew that she might not like what was about to go down.
“Are you hungry, baby?” her mother asked.
Chapter Three
His phone ringing brought him out of the workout zone he’d fallen into. It also nearly caused him to drop the weight on his own foot. Thankfully, he managed to catch it—just.
Grabbing up his phone, Anthony frowned at the caller ID. “Crank here,” he said.
“That’s creepy, dude, stop that,” Rhys Hollister said to him.
He couldn’t have stopped the grin if he’d wanted to. “Crank does whatever Crank wants.” He knew how much the third person speak irritated Rhys. It was half the reason he did it around his former CO.
“I will beat you within an inch of your fucking life, Tony.”
Snickering, he let it drop and eased to sit on the workout bench. “What’s up, boss man?” he asked in all seriousness.
“I need to ask a favor, and yes, this will be on me.”
“Okay, what do you need?” he asked cautiously. While he’d do anything for Rhys, or the other men from his unit, that particular phrasing had him slightly worried and mildly curious.
“You may recall the Carvers took a hit the other day.”
Yeah, he did. “The youngest was killed, wasn’t she?” he asked quietly.
“So we all thought. Turns out it was a decoy she’d hired to keep the psycho who thought he owned her off her tail while she made her way home. Only the guy, a Colton Brody, got to the woman who was using Brandy’s name, cards, and so forth.”
“Son of a bitch,” he breathed out. “Was she dating the guy or something?”
“One date from what Brant and Frank told me. The guy latched onto her and isn’t the sort to let her go. He’s highly possessive from all the pieces of information we’ve gathered. He also is part of the NYPD family. His father’s a cop, his father’s father, and so forth. They have huge history with the force.”
“And cops protect cops,” Anthony said. Yeah, he knew how that went. The mythical Blue Line wasn’t really all that mythical if you went head to head with a cop. All you ended up with was an entire force out to get you. Not good.
“Yeah. She’s filed paperwork with IA up there, but says that anything against the Brodys tends to magically disappear if it isn’t misfiled, or incorrectly filled out. Funny how that shit tends to happen with the most rotten of the bunch.”
Rhys sounded pissed. Perfectly understandable from Anthony’s point of view. “I take it that Brant’s going to do something with his connections?” It was his baby sister, after all. Of course the man would do something.
“Yeah, and Frank as well. Not quite sure what that particular Carver has planned. Quite frankly, I don’t think I want to know. I like the plausible deniability of things when it comes to shit like that.”
Something else Anthony understood fully. Snorting out a laugh, he rubbed a hand over his head. “So what do you need from me?”
“They need someone to help keep a watch on her. While they are busy digging into Brody’s life, his family’s lives, and everything else to do with them on top of the NYPD, they need someone to protect her.”
“Guard dog duty then,” he said.
“More or less, yeah. It’ll be more than that. Oh, and I should mention Theresa’s fully on board with this. It was her suggestion, actually. Mostly I think because she knows her own boys and how overprotective they can get.”
“Smothering is the word you’re looking for, Rhys.”
“Shut up,” he muttered.
He grinned. Rhys was a big brother as well, so he damn well knew the point Anthony was trying to make. Especially since Rhys’s own baby sister was married into the Carver clan. To Brandy’s twin no less.
“Since they all have their own lives, jobs, and such, they thought you could take up residence at the house.”
“Uh, thanks, but no fucking way. I’m an only child, so that whole claustrophobic family thing is not going to work for me.”
“Most of them won’t be there. Brant and Joshua are the only ones living there anyway.”
“Yeah, that’s two too many brothers hovering for my peace of mind. Besides, wouldn’t it be better if she isn’t spotted at the Carver homestead?”
A long moment of silence followed. “Shit,” Rhys muttered. “You may have a point. Okay, is your place habitable for a female sort with very protective big brothers, most of who are licensed to carry guns?”
Anthony looked around. While it was the bare bones of a house, it was still livable. “I’ll have to get another bed out here, maybe a few other items, but it could be in about a day or so. It’ll be better here than there, in my humble opinion. No one would expect her to be out on the old Milner property, especially in a house that just went up for all intents and purposes.”
Which was where he was living. Victor had purchased the property and was fixing up the main house for his own bride, Genny. Vic had then given both Anthony and their other friend Simon a lot of the land to do with as they wanted. Simon had no intentions of doing any building on his chunk of the property, but Anthony had gotten right to it. He’d bought a couple of those house kits online, and started the construction as soon as they’d been delivered.
He now had a nearly eighteen hundred square foot ranch style single level house. Lots of windows to enjoy the Texas landscape, and plenty of open spaces. The only rooms he’d really gotten furnished were the living room, his gym, and his bedroom. Other than that, he’d stalled out with what to do with the remaining spaces.
A houseguest would push him into getting the rest of the rooms a little more filled out, though. He could order everything online, and given it was a weekday, likely pay a bit extra to get it shipped out pronto from Dallas. Okay, so he’d have to pay more than a little extra. No big deal.
“Works for me. I’ll call Brant and lay this out for him, get his take on it as well. Expect a call from him, though. Or a visit. Likely the visit if I know that particular Carver at all, which I do.”
Great, just what he didn’t want. A visit from big brother laying down the law about his baby sister. Like Anthony had any designs on the woman. Besides all that, she’d obviously just gotten her ass out of one fire and didn’t need to get embroiled in anything else. Least of all with her brothers looking on.
Shuddering at the thought, he gave a grunt. “Remind him I’m doing him a favor. I’d really rather not get the big brother grilling, if you don’t mind. Hell, assure him his sweet and innocent baby sister is perfectly safe from me. I somehow doubt she’s into the same things I am.”
More silence on the other end of the line. Then Rhys began to chuckle. It quickly turned into a full out belly laugh that had Anthony bristling.
“What?” he finally demanded.
“Oh, brother, you are in so much trouble and you seriously don’t have any idea yet. It will be fun to watch this train wreck, though.”
