Pieces of Us (Confessions of the Heart, #3)(89)

Rage tightened every muscle in my body, the chains of her manipulation yanking at my insides. Twisting me apart. Knew that whole neglected bit meant she wanted me to bring her money, too. I no longer knew if it was her blackmailing me or I was bribing her to keep it quiet.

Me: Told you I was finished with you toying with me. It’s over, Clarissa. Sink your claws into someone else.





Clarissa: Aww. I’m sorry to hear that. I’d hate for one of Charleston’s finest to be found to be nothing but a criminal. Even worse that his cute little girlfriend was involved.





A frenzy built in my body. A storm that raged in my soul.

She knew Izzy was here.

Shit.

She knew it.

Dread pulsed, and I didn’t know how the screen of my phone didn’t shatter when I fired off my response.

Me: Stay the fuck away from her, Clarissa. Away from me. I am warning you, you don’t want to mess with this. I will make sure you regret it.





I tossed my phone to the desk. Hostility boiled in my blood, and my knee was bouncing, trying to find a direction to focus my aggression.

I looked at the clock.

I needed to pick Benjamin up in thirty. Needed to cool it. Get it under control before I did something that I would be regretting.

I grabbed my phone and called Pete back.

“Yo,” he answered.

“I’ve got to run, but do me a favor, will you?”

“Anything.”

“Get whatever you can on Clarissa Pelter. Bank records. Cell records. Anything you can.”

“Shit . . .” Could feel him stirring on the other end of the line. “You don’t think she’s involved?”

“Don’t know. But I am going to find out.”



“Big Ben, buddy,” I murmured softly, heart gripping as I glanced in the rearview mirror of my truck. Benjamin rode in the back.

He’d just finished his session.

This one . . . this one had been brutal. He’d worked so goddamn hard, but there had been no missing the agony that had been written all over him. The frustration and the discouragement, just like what dimmed his spirit now.

His attention cast out the window.

Child silent.

But it was a different kind than his typical quiet observation.

This was . . . sad.

Fucking sad.

And I didn’t have a goddamn clue how to fix it.

He shifted his attention to me, meeting my eye through the rearview mirror. He didn’t answer. Just looked at me. Blue eyes glistening with unshed tears he was trying to hold back.

“What’s wrong, buddy?” Could barely force the words out around the torment crushing my ribs.

A tear got loose. He tried to hide it when he said, “Don’t worrrrry. It’s okkkkay.”

He seemed barely able to form the lie over the thickness in his voice. A lie I knew wasn’t done maliciously, not in any way, but to pretend like everything was okay.

Some days I knew it just couldn’t be.

I could feel my heart rioting against my ribs. “You can tell me anything. Did you know that? You can tell me anything.” My words deepened in emphasis, close to desperate. “Confide anything. If you’re hurting or scared, you can come to me. You don’t ever have to be ashamed.”

That blue gaze flashed hesitation before he was forcing out the response, “I dddon’t think I’m strrrong enough.”

Everything tightened. “Strong enough? You’re the strongest person I know.”

I was trying to get my voice to come out positive because fuck, it was the truth, but it was wobbling.

His crooked mouth hung open in the most heartbreaking sort of surrender. “It huuurts too bad.”

God.

I couldn’t handle this.

Couldn’t handle the desperate need to make this right and being completely powerless to do it. This kid's plight was one I couldn’t undo no matter how bad I wanted to.

“I’m so sorry, Benjamin. I’m so sorry that you have to go through this. I wish I could change it.” My words were a tumble of grief.

He just stared at me, like he was trying to make sense of why and what this meant. Trying to process the awareness that clawed between us, a fierce force drawing us together.

Making a decision, I took a right and headed in the opposite direction of Izzy’s place and back toward my house. We rode in silence, and my attention was snapping around the yard as I pulled into the drive, a swelling of hostile protectiveness rising up within me at the thought of me putting this kid in danger by bringing him here.

Benjamin shifted in his seat, edging up to get a better look, confusion in his expression.

“What are we ddddoing here?”

“Want to give you something,” I told him.

He didn’t respond, just sent me a look of trust.

That kind of gutted me, too.

Ensuring nothing was awry, I returned to the truck and unbuckled this kid who had gotten so deep under my skin that I hardly recognized myself anymore.

I pulled him into my arms.

Holding him because I got that was what he needed right then.

Support and unwavering encouragement.

And suddenly, I was getting all the warnings that Izzy had given. The fact that this wasn’t easy—not in the least—but it was the most important job I would ever have.