Slice (The Elledge Family #1) (44 page)

I rolled my eyes. Typical Lucas to worry about me when there was nothing to worry over. I dialed his number and waited for him to answer, “Lucas.” I said when I heard his voice on the other line.

“Where in the hell have you been and why has Asher been guarding your phone?”

“I’m in the garden. Holly is teaching me how to pick good veggies.”

“Dear God, do you have a jacket on at least?”

“What do you want Lucas?”

“I miss you is all. I should be back within the hour.”

“I swear sometimes you are clingy as hell.”

“You made me this way.” He added.

“Well, I’ll see you when you get here.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Lucas

Cypress had been oddly quiet since we departed the airport and I had not asked why. A part of me was afraid to ask her what it is that had her upset. I just knew that I wanted to be home in front of my telly with beside me and the rest of the world far from view.

“Hungry, love?” I asked as I turned onto the motorway headed to the loft.

“I'm tired.” She whispered.

“What's the matter?”

“Nothing,” her voice was a murmur. She tussled her hair back from her face and leaned her head back against the window.

“Ever since we left you have been kind of down. I mean we will see Mark and Asher around here and Shia.”

“I don't care about them Luke.”

“Well, what do you care about that has your attitude in the pisser.”

“I don't know; can I not be tired. I want to go home and relax in my bed.”

“You don't want to go back to my place?”

“No, I want to go home. You can come with, but I want to go to my apartment.”

“Alright love, can I stop by my place and toss my shit in?”

“Yeah,” Her hands grazed her stomach and I noticed the small nudge push across her stomach. Feisty little guy already, that was all her.

“What the bloody hell is your problem? I mean I have tried to talk to you this whole entire time and you have been giving me nothing. We’re about to be married in a few months. Better yet, we’re about to be parents. I want to know what's wrong with you right now before nappies have to be changed and flower arrangements have to be made?” My voice rose and I looked at her. She had yet to stop going through the damn phone. “Hello?” I waved my hand in front of her.

“I don't know Luke. Get your hand out of my face. Drive home so I can sleep. I must just be tired.”

“Tired.” I moaned. It was those bloody hormones. They fucked with her too much. She would be furious, then laughing and then burst into tears all in one minute. “Well snap out of this funk. We have to talk to parents. Your parents in particular about moving and the wedding and the baby. You said your reveal is next week and you haven't said anything about it.”

“I don't plan my own reveal party. I couldn’t plan it. I can’t know what is revealed. Lydie has all of that worked out and ready to go. So yeah, and my mom knows about the wedding and I don't know about moving just yet.”

“You don't know?” I snapped. “What happened to the you that wanted to build a life there? One moment you are head over heels for me the next you are bat shit crazy. It’s driving me mad!”

“I'll show you bat shit crazy Luke.”

“Please don't.” I rolled my eyes and we pulled into the parking lot of the loft. “Are you...” My eyes went into a frenzy. There were more than ten unmarked cars in my parking lot and they were in my apartment. “What the fucking hell?” I growled. “Stay in the bloody car!” I yelled.

“The guest of the hour is here.” McMillan said as I opened the car door.

I could feel everything turning red. My hands shook as my eyes couldn't focus. “What is this?”

“Did you enjoy your getaway?”

“What is this? Why are you here?”

“For this.” He handed me a sketch of the knife. My father's name engraved and it looked identical. How in the hell would he know? “You know where it is? It would save us some time and you some cleaning.”

I felt my knees grow weak under me and bent over to take as much air in as I could. It was over. Everything was about to crumble before me. My chest hurt as my heart pounded against it. “Where is the warrant?”

“Do you know what it this is Luke? It's your torture piece right?”

Cypress was out of the car, she never bloody listened, even when it was for her benefit. “What's going on?”

“Glad you made it back safely Cypress.” McMillan smiled at her. “You are getting out there.” He gestured to her stomach. “You still look nice though. You carry the extra weight well.”

“Don’t fucking talk to her! Where is the warrant!” I yelled. The agents surrounded me. One, two… I inhaled and stared at him. The countdown to crazy had started less than a minute ago. I tried to relax myself and use every method that Asher had suggested and all of that shit was out of the window for the moment. “Now!”

He tossed the paper at me. It was signed and it was real. “I don't know where you got the idea that I even own a knife, but… you can't be here like this.” My voice rumbled in terror.

“Your good friend helped us find it. She was so relieved that you left that she ran to us with whatever she could to lock you up. Her efforts were applauded.”

Good friend, I paused. Fucking Persephone. She told. She told when I was gone. “I don't have friends.”

“Well, you do now... We'll be here for a while… if you want to take a seat or help that would be great.” McMillan smirked. “I know your girl here is tired. And you should enjoy the time with her while you have it. I don't think she'll let you see the kid on death row...”

I exploded. Every rational thought I had was gone out the window as my fist crashed into his face and sent a spray of blood to the ground. My body hit the pavement hard as they wrestled me to the ground. I heard her cry but I saw nothing but red. I wanted to finish him. Fuck that, I needed to finish him.

“Book him,” McMillan yelled.

“Bravo fucker! Round of applause for the desperate agent! You finally got me for something!” My voice boomed as I lunged towards him. “I’ll fucking end you.”

“Lucas!” Mark yelled. He quickly closed his door to his car and ran over. He bypassed the officers and cars that had surrounded me. “What the hell?”

“He is under arrest for assault of a federal agent.” The blood poured from his mouth like a faucet and it sparked something for me.

“Fucker,” I mumbled.

“Enough Luke!” Mark made his way over. “You don't say shit and you should keep your hands to yourself. I will be down there to get you in a bit. Cypress, come with me, okay?”

Cypress looked at me. “Behave yourself, please. We'll be there shortly.”

Grade A, I was about to be cuffed and tossed in jail and there was not shit that I could do about it.

Cypress

It was a good thing they would not find anything in that loft. It was 1500 miles away and safely hidden in my things. I exhaled. There was so much that ran through my mind. Had he killed Philip? Would he kill me? Were my kids safe? What the fuck had I gotten myself into and Who was Lucas?

I sat in the loft as the agents ransacked the place. My feet propped on the couch, they ached just from walking up the steps. I had bundled my legs in the cover and watched as they cut open mattresses and tore apart everything in the place. Mark continued to argue that there was no reasonable evidence to conduct the search. I was relaxed. I had to find a way to not freak out because there was a part of me that was dying inside. Who was Lucas really and why I had not figured out before the baby or the engagement? Why hadn't he told me what was really going on?

“Why are you so calm?” McMillan asked me.

I sipped my water as I glanced through the wedding catalog I had gotten from the airport. “I can't freak out… I'm pregnant and there is a high chance that I'll develop preeclampsia.”

“You can still get out of this relationship unscathed, you know that? We can put you in Witpro and have you and that baby protected from him and his fucked up family.”

“I hate when you talk to me like you think you know me. I love Lucas and I know for sure that he is innocent. I am not worried about a search for an item that is fake. That bitch Persephone, who I am more than sure is the reason that you are here can burn in hell. And you, sir can join her.”

“We got the knife from the girl he cheated with. Do you remember that? He cheated on you and you are okay with it. The girl that was so terrified of him she almost ruined her education.” He sat down on the couch.

“Do you think that I could forget it? I tried to forget it, but thanks to your little images it is permanently engraved in my head. Fuck you for that.”

“What does he say to you that makes you feel safe? I mean I can look at him and with one look know that he is… insane.”

“I see nothing like that.”

“I can tell. What are your parents going to say when they find out that you are with a psychopath?”

“Aren't you supposed to be looking for something?”

“Right. Well… you two have a nice place here.”

“I know.”

They finally cleared out with nothing to take with them. And the loft was destroyed. Tables flipped as well as clothes tossed everywhere. Mark looked at me with confusion. “Why are you so calm?”

“Can you take me home?”

“Home?”

“Yeah, home to my apartment where I can sleep this jet lag off and hopefully recover from this shit Fest.”

“What about Lucas?”

“One night in jail will not kill him.” I rolled my eyes and walked towards the door.

He helped me down the steps and to his mini coop, which had to be the most inconvenient car for a pregnant woman. He closed the door as I adjusted myself in the seat of the small car. He pushed his hands through his short blond hair. “Why are you so calm?”

“Because I think I know the truth and it hasn't hit me yet. It hasn't hit me and I don't want it to.” I smirked. “I don't want to think like that.”

“They didn't find a knife.”

“But they know what to look for now.”

“He didn't...”

“Save that bullshit Mark!” I yelled. “What in the fuck has Lucas got you pulled into? If he has done what they say he did… there is no coming back from it. There is no way that he can be normal! How can I expect him to raise my children?”

“I know he didn't do it.” Mark added. “I mean, that was a push just to get the...”

“Did you see his face when they showed him the sketch.” I paused. “Right you weren't there. But I was and he went eggshell white. He was terrified. He looked like he knew it was over and I can't help but to think why would an innocent person react like that? Don't play me like I’m stupid. I know that there is no way in hell that he could be innocent. I don't want to hear your lies. I want to be alone. I want to sleep.”

“Can you talk to Asher?”

“I won't. Because he’s in on it too. You’re all sick and the last person I want to see is you or your brothers. When you drop me off. Tell Lucas I said to stay the fuck away, please.” I touched my stomach.

“You should let him talk to you. You can’t judge and not know what he has to say. And I know that he loves you.”

“Mark, SHUT UP! Don’t you get tired of constantly cleaning up after his ass!”

The car halted and he slammed his fist against the steering wheel. “Cypress!” He said in frustration. “Don’t act like this, please. This is the time that he will need someone by his side more than you know. So don’t act like”

“Act like what! Act like he isn’t hiding something and here I am holly, jolly and fucking pregnant. I was a fool to every god damn thing that he has going! You want me to act like he hasn’t lied to me since day one about who the fuck he was! I can’t. I can barely…” The tears streamed down my face I choked on my words. “I can barely breathe! I can’t take it. Just take me home!”

My apartment was the kind of quiet that made me over think. There was nothing that could get my mind off of it. Maybe he did kill Philip. Maybe he has done everything that they had said. And if it was true who was I? I cleaned. Even though there was nothing to clean I wiped everything down. I played music to drown out the loud yells of my conscious. She screamed at me with anger and there was nothing that I could do about.

The night passed uneventfully. No television, no music, just silence in the darkness and everything ran through my head. Was Ireland an option to escape? Why did he want to marry me? I couldn't even look at the ring. Though my fingers were swollen, like my feet I found a way to slide the beast off and shoved it in the
dresser. I needed no reminder of him. I already had a big one in front of me. 

The knock at my door came to no surprise that morning. It was him. He knocked and knocked until I gave in. I waddled over to the door in my nightie and my gel house shoes. “What?” I hadn't shed a tear or bathed in my fear, yet because there was someone else I had to think about. And every decision I made at the moment impacted his or her life.