Unbroken (The Disclosure Series Book 2) Page 26

  He stared at her quietly.

  “She tried to ruin you, Luke. Ruin you! And what did you do? You found her a job, gave her a reason to stay here, to meddle, plot, plan, and play whatever fucked up game she’s playing.”

  He scrubbed a hand down his face, his eyes tired and sad. The mask of anger had slipped from his features, and she could now see the pain behind his eyes, the full weight of the guilt he was carrying for bringing her into this.

  But she didn’t care if he hurt, she didn’t care if he didn’t deserve her anger, she didn’t care about anything. She wanted to expel the fear and the rage; not feel anything anymore.

  Angry tears stung her eyes as she continued. “She took pictures of us. Of our private moments! Doesn’t that scare you? Fuck with your head just a little? This isn’t some girl with a crush, anymore. She’s a crazy bitch who has some kind of twisted, fucked up vendetta against you, and I’m caught in the crosshairs, because of you!”

  He visibly bristled, the anger returning. “Right,” he said, glowering at her. “It’s all on me. Because dealing with your crazy fuck of an ex was a walk in the motherfucking park.” He turned his back on her and stormed down the hall.

  She reared back as if slapped. How dare he.

  “You lied, Luke. You broke us, and now she’s here to finish the job!” She hurled the words at his back, but he didn’t react. He simply stomped into the poolroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

  Luke flew into the room in a rage, slamming his hand against the rack in the corner and sending pool cues flying. Then he collapsed on the couch in the corner with his head in his hands, his chest heaving with the effort to reel in his anger. He was choking on his fury, overwhelmed with the need to break something, hurt something. Unlike Embry, he refused to unleash it where it didn’t belong.

  A hollow ache filled his chest. He’d never let someone close enough to hurt him, but Embry’s words had ripped a hole right through him, filling him with emptiness and dread. She knew exactly what to say to bring him to his knees.

  But it wasn’t even the words, not really, it was the truth behind them. She was angry, scared, hurting. She didn’t have a malicious bone in her body, and he knew she was probably sitting in their bedroom, beating herself up right now. But that didn’t lessen the sting of truth behind every accusation she’d thrown at him.

  He hadn’t protected her, kept her safe. He hadn’t even been aware of the threat, and that was like a punch right to the fucking balls. He’d rid Jack from her life just to replace him with someone even crazier and completely unstable, and he hadn’t kept her safe, sheltered her. Instead he’d launched her right into the eye of the storm.

  He felt like an idiot for listening to Camden. He knew his brother meant well in suggesting he get Sydney a job. And Luke had agreed with the logic, thinking that if he just helped her out maybe she’d get out of his hair. Their mistake was treating her like a semi-normal girl with somewhat misguided feelings, when really she’d been a fucking psychopath all along.

  A chill ran through his body as he pictured Sydney sneaking around his property, following him and Embry, stalking them, invading their privacy. Documenting and destroying their most intimate moments. She’d crossed every line imaginable. Obliterated every social boundary.

  He wasn’t playing nice anymore.

  When the door opened, Luke was dragged from his thoughts. A sliver of light from the hallway seeped into the room, illuminating Embry’s face. Her skin was red and tearstained, her eyes filled with regret and apology. She stood timidly in the doorway as if seeking permission to enter. He dropped his head again, his thoughts weighing him down. He wanted to be angry with her, yell and scream and beat his chest, show her how much of a man he was, but he couldn’t. All he could feel was the heaviness of his failure.

  She padded across the room until she was standing before him. He didn’t move, his head hanging heavy between his shoulders.

  “Luke?”

  Not knowing what to do or say, he kept his gaze locked on the floor.

  Her fingers dug through his hair, gripping his head and forcing his face up, and he stared into her green depths, his throat burning with emotion.

  “Do you hate me?” Her voice quivered.

  He shook his head slowly, his gaze clinging to hers as a million emotions passed between them—hurt, anger, pain, sadness, fear. He lifted his arms and wound them around her waist, resting his forehead on her flat stomach. Her arms came around his head, holding him tight to her and she let out a weighty sigh, a combination of sadness and relief.

  He held her close and breathed her in, fighting the sting of tears against the back of his eyes. He couldn’t lose her, not again. He’d do whatever it took to fix this, to keep her safe. Lifting his head he found her eyes once more. Her fingers flexed in the back of his hair, love and need, anger and pain in her gaze.

  “I’m sorry, Embry.” The words meant nothing, he knew that. He wished he could fix it… take it all away.

  Her fingers tightened in his hair, tugging slightly. “No. Stop. You’ve done nothing wrong. I was so overwhelmed and scared, but I never…” She lifted a hand to her face, swiping at the tears that had begun to fall anew. “I never should have treated you that way. I took it out on you because it was safe. Because I knew you’d let me. Because I knew you’d still love me.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve got broad shoulders. It’s fine.” And it was. Her words hurt, the truth hurt more. But her hands on him, her warmth pressed up against him, made it all fade into the background.

  “No, it’s not. I just…” She blew out a long breath, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. “I feel like the universe is fighting against us. Jack coming out of the woodwork and now this. It’s too much. I don’t know what to do with it, how to handle it.”

  He pulled her into his lap, her long legs straddling his thighs. “You’re my universe, Embry. You’re the only thing that matters. I don’t give a shit about anybody, anything else. The world can fight against us and I’ll fight back.”

  Her eyes searched his, filling with longing and tenderness, before she leaned in, her soft lips brushing against his.

  His heart turned over in his chest. The touch of her lips, the feel of her body, was pushing him over the edge. He ached to lose himself inside of her, forget the troubles plaguing them and just be.

  “Help me forget, Luke. Please. Just for tonight.”

  It was all he wanted—needed to hear. Driven by a sense of urgency, he stood, taking her with him, her legs coming up to wrap around his waist as he walked her toward the pool table. Setting her to rest on the edge, he quickly stripped off her shirt and unhooked her bra, dragging it down her arms. His hands explored her beautiful body as his mouth covered hers hungrily, devouring her softness.

  Breaking the kiss, she tugged on his shirt, her eyes pleading, as if she couldn’t bear to have the layer of fabric between them any longer. With a low grunt, he reached behind him and pulled his T-shirt over his head, then crushed his body to hers. The warmth of her skin set him on fire. He had to have her.

  She stared intently into his eyes, need warring with pain, as he lifted her, stripping away her pants, and taking her thong with it before setting her back on the table. He pushed his pants down his hips, kicking them aside, and stepped between her legs. Fisting his cock, he teased her, dragging it through her wet center, loving the tortured sounds that escaped her lips.

  “Please, Luke. Now. I need you now.”

  He wouldn’t make her wait any longer. He needed her, too. Maybe more. He needed to know she was his, always would be. Sydney wouldn’t ruin them and he wasn’t going to let anything else come between them, either. He was going to fucking fix this.

  He eased her down on the pool table, the sharp clack of the pool balls echoing through the room as they scattered across the felt. Spreading his palm across her stomach, he held her firmly as he sunk inside of her.

  His name fell from her mouth like a prayer, and th
ey were both lost.

  Luke woke early the next morning, rolling quietly out of bed so as to not wake Embry. He took a moment just to look at her—blonde hair fanned out across the pillow, long eyelashes fluttering against her cheek. She looked so peaceful.

  He got himself showered and ready, and left a note for Embry before heading out. He’d take care of things today, once and for all. Sydney would be nothing more than a distant memory.

  After spending over an hour losing himself in Embry last night, she’d gone to bed and he’d stayed up planning, setting things in motion.

  First, he was meeting with Chuck.

  He drove through the large office park until he found the large, red brick building. Chuck’s firm didn’t open until nine. It was eight-thirty. He’d intentionally arrived early to get his friend alone, and speak in private.

  Luke walked through the firm’s double doors and into an empty reception area.

  “Come on back, Brody,” he heard Chuck call from his office.

  Luke straightened, standing tall and he walked back to find his friend lounging in his office chair, feet propped up on his desk. “Hey, man.”

  “How are you, brother?” Luke handed Chuck a cup of coffee he’d picked up for him on the way in.

  “Caffeine, thank you.” Chuck raised an eyebrow. “This must be serious.”

  Luke took a seat across the desk and shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s Sydney.”

  There was no need for panic. Chuck was a good attorney, a good man. If Luke told him what was going on, he didn’t think there’d be any problem. But Sydney seemed to have a way of adding drama to any situation, so he tried his best not to play into it.

  “Aww fuck, man. She’s a good attorney.” The expression on Chuck’s face told Luke that he was more concerned with some of Sydney’s other features and not necessarily her ability to practice law.

  But there was one thing and one thing only that Luke could say for Sydney— she was a good attorney. She was intelligent and had a good grasp of the law, but it was more of an innate skill. The more he learned about her, however, the more he was beginning to think it was her manipulative and cunning nature that made her so good. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t help her in this situation.

  “She is,” Luke agreed. “I taught her. But she’s gotta go.”

  He’d given Chuck the basics when he’d first recommended her for a job. Chuck was a close friend from law school, and Luke could trust him. But now he told him everything, laying it all on the table so that Chuck could make his own decision.

  Chuck raised an eyebrow in question. “And what’re you gonna do if this doesn’t work?”

  Luke shrugged. “I’ve got a few more ideas, but I’m hoping this sends her backpedaling for Georgia. She’s got nothing and no one else up here.”

  Chuck nodded. “It’s done, then. I’ll give her a call when you leave.”

  “Good man.” Luke nodded.

  They sat and caught up for a few minutes more, agreeing to get together for drinks when the semester was over. Then Luke thanked his friend and left, feeling satisfied that all would be taken care of very soon.

  He checked his watch. It was five to nine. Cars were pulling into the parking lot, employees ready to start their day. He sat on a bench near the front of the building, his eyes traveling the office park as he waited for Sydney. She wouldn’t need a phone call from Chuck. He’d be delivering the news in person.

  After a few minutes of waiting, a light blue hardtop convertible pulled into the parking lot and out she stepped. Her long legs shone in the sunlight as she stood from the car, her skirt so short it may even offend Chuck’s delicate sensibilities.

  Luke chuckled to himself. He was sure his friend would miss the view at work every day, but he most definitely wouldn’t miss any future drama Sydney was bound to bring.

  Sydney walked through the parking lot, aloof, teetering on her too-high heels, her blonde hair shining in the sunlight, with sunglasses covering half of her face. He shook his head. Too bad few people know the crazy lurking beneath the attractive package.

  He took his time, standing, buttoning his suit jacket, making himself known, as he strutted toward her.

  “Sydney!” He smiled widely, baiting her and waiting until she drew nearer.

  A surprised smile spread across her face and he knew he had her as she nearly pranced toward him at a confident pace.

  When she was within reach, he pulled the envelope full of photos from the inside of his suit jacket and flung it at her. The photos came loose from their package and knocked her lightly in the face before scattering across the concrete.

  She gasped as her hand dramatically flew to her chest.

  “You’ll want those back I’m sure.” His eyes were steely, filled with cocky confidence. “Don’t worry, I’ve made copies.”

  “Luke.” She forced a placating smile onto her face, eyelashes fluttering. “I, um—” She smoothed down her skirt. “I’ve got to get to work. What’re you—” She was squirming, desperately trying to maintain her façade, and it was nice to see. A little too nice. He took a step into her personal space, his eyes narrowing, his smile growing in cold satisfaction. “No need to get to work, Sydney. You no longer have a job.”

  Her eyes widened slightly, her lips pressing into a thin line.

  “In fact,” he continued, stalking toward her until she was forced to take a step back, “you have nothing left in New York.”

  She pursed her lips, tilting her head to the side as her eyes turned to ice. “Is that so? You caused this, Professor,” she spat. “You turned me down, pushed me away. Because I was a student. So what does she have that I don’t?” She waved her hand toward the photos scattered across the pavement. “I had to see for myself.” Her stare was pure evil. “Because I want what’s hers.”

  His heartbeat pulsed in his ears, anger burning through him at even the mention of Embry. “Do not fuck with me, Sydney,” he growled. “You won’t like the outcome.”

  Then he turned away, not waiting for a response. Stalking off, he hopped into his truck and tore out of the parking lot. In his review mirror, he saw her standing in the middle of the parking lot, staring after him. He’d felt good for a moment, the beginning of relief, but now he could see that it hadn’t worked.

  It was in her eyes.

  She’d straightened to her full height, her chin jutting out as her eyes lit with challenge. She was determined, and he’d just fueled her fire.

  In his home office, Luke spent the rest of the night putting together exam prep for his ethics students. The semester was winding down, and finals were right around the corner. Embry was hunkered down with Jeremy in the library. With oral arguments out of the way, she was devoting all of her time to studying and working on her outlines. Luke didn’t have to like it, her spending that much time with Jeremy, but he wasn’t about to give her a hard time about it, either. Other than him losing it a bit over her rejection, Jeremy had been a good friend to her, and she needed all the friends she could get. Especially right now.

  Luke chewed anxiously on the tip of his pen as he thought back over his encounter with Sydney, his brain sorting through the options he had left. There weren’t many. There was a limit to what he could do, and short of catching her in something criminal, he had nothing.

  The photos—her following Embry—he could make an argument for stalking, but he’d come away with a misdemeanor at best. He’d hoped that if he took her job, destroying her connections in New York, she’d be forced to flee back to Georgia. Now he wasn’t so sure. She was resilient, crafty and, most importantly, absolutely bat shit crazy.

  When his cell beeped on his desk, he picked it up, expecting a message from Embry. Instead, it was a text from an unknown number. Opening it, he clenched his fists, his face growing red with anger as he stared at a picture of his girl sitting on a bench outside the law school. She was laughing with Morgan, carefree and completely unaware that a psychotic bitch was watching her.


  The message below the picture chilled him to the bone.

  Leave her, Luke. Leave her or I’ll have your career, and I’ll ruin her like you ruined me.

  He exploded from his desk in a rage, throwing his phone across the room and watching it shatter into pieces as it hit the wall. Then he fell back into his chair, his chest heaving. There was only one thing left to do—take away her ammunition.

  Embry walked through the front door, dropped her bag, and tossed her keys onto the entry table. Luke’s car was out front, but the house was quiet.

  “Babe?” She wandered the lower level, finding it empty. Walking up the stairs, she called him again. “Lucas James, where are you?”

  He’d left before she awoke this morning, and she hadn’t heard from him all day.

  “In here.” His voice was muffled, coming from his study down the hall.

  She poked her head through the door and smiled. “Hey, handsome.”

  He grinned at her, a bottle of Johnnie Walker open on his desk. Not a good night then, she thought.

  He rolled a tumbler full of scotch between his fingers. “Hey, gorgeous.”

  She stepped around the desk, settled herself on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I leave you alone for a few hours and you hit the bottle, huh?” She knew the stress he was under and wished she could help ease it.

  He nuzzled his nose to her neck. “Mmm, I don’t get a kiss hello?”

  She obliged, pressing her lips against his. He immediately deepened the kiss, digging his hands through her hair and tilting her head. And she gave herself over to him freely, reveling in the spicy sweet taste of the scotch on his tongue.

  Dragging his mouth from hers, he gazed into her eyes. “I love you.”

  She smiled. “I know.”

  His baby blues searched hers, and she hoped he found what he needed there. “You sure?” he asked. She saw the uncertainty behind his eyes and it nearly broke her heart.