Withholding Secrets (26 page)

***

The air was thick as we walked into the house after the game. I hadn’t even realized that we had won until the ride home. Kane talked and Jordan was hyped up over the persistence that he and Andrew had on winning this time, and I fazed it all out. My main concern was with the divorce not being set in stone, Joe still had rights to the kids and he could take them away from me.

Getting up to the door, I tried to see the number that Kane pressed in, but it was something completely different this time. I could tell by the movement of his muscles. He changed the codes, and I loved him even more for it, but how was I going to know if he changed it again?

After we piled into the house, Kane usually returned to the box and pressed in the code to arm the place again. Though, this time, he didn’t and the house remained unsecure.

“Listen.” Resting his hands on the hips of his black dress pants, he grinned. Dressing in a suit was customary for the coaches on game day, and he was trying to fit the part for the kids to get used to if they ended up pursuing their hockey dream. And did he ever look so nice in the black pants and shirt with the red tie. “My parents are coming to pick the both of you up. They want to take you both out and take you shopping for some much needed new clothes.”

My heart dropped hard. Sure, his mother was pretty nice and I did like her, but these were my kids. They didn’t need to be taking them out without me and spending money on stuff that I should be buying them. “No.”

His jaw tightened as he kept the smile on his face. “Yes. They want to, and the kids need new clothing.”

“That is my job, Kane.” My eyes burned and I went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. I needed to think. Why would Joe do this to us? What did he want if he was still hanging onto us? He wanted something, and I had to find out now. Waiting until Monday could be fatal. And under constant lockdown, there was no way I could get to him before he got to us, again.

“Keri!” Kane walked up, putting his hand down on my shoulder making my heart leap and tuck and roll in my chest. “Did you not hear a word that I said?”

My face paled as I glanced over at the long faces on the kids. They wanted to go, and I was sure that his parents were great and would take care of them, but with this whole new threat of Joe and our marriage still not being finalized could get the kids taken away in a flash.

“Keri!” He shook me a little, gaining back my attention. “What has gotten into you?”

“Take the money out of my account and they can use that. They can go, but your mom and dad have to watch over them like hawks.” Maybe letting them go wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I could call Chuck and talk to him to see if he had any more information on the missing girls and this whole sex thing. Then, I would have to find a way to get out of the prison Kane put us in and find Joe. If I had to beat him into filing the divorce papers, that was what I needed to do.

“They would anyway, Keri. You can trust them. After all, they raised me. They are good people.” He slid his arm around my waist, pulling me tight to him. “What’s wrong? You’ve been gone all day.”

“I just have a few things on my mind.” How could I look into those caring emerald eyes and not be disgusted with myself? I should have checked before starting anything with him to be sure that the paperwork had gone through. I just took it for granted that because Joe was out of the picture, I would automatically be granted the divorce.

“They have money, Keri, and it will be fine. They just want to take the kids out and spend some time with them.”

“Why?” I bit back hard, but why would his parents that barely knew us want to take my kids out and spend money on them?

“What do you mean
why
?” He cupped my cheek as those greens buried themselves deep inside of me, urging my heart to shatter into tiny pieces. “Keri, I told you that I will be the last man that you will ever be with, and I mean it. You are mine, and that includes them.”

The walls were closing in on me, and I couldn’t breathe. My chest was collapsing, and no matter how hard I tried to get some air, I couldn’t take any in. I was suffocating and things were beginning to get fuzzy. The ground was swaying and the earth was moving too fast.

He was going to be so pissed when he found out. He was going to hate me more than anyone in this world. How could I have been so stupid as to not make sure that the divorce had gone through completely? I was smarter than that. I knew better. And I was going to drive away the one man who really loved me and cared for me and the kids.

The horn honked from outside, and Kane turned away from me. Taking the kids out to the black fancy car out front, I watched as the world slowed to a halt and dropped on the floor around me. It was all going to come down. It was going to all go away because of me.

Kane came back to the house with the questions deep in his green eyes. They were so amazingly beautiful. He turned as he lifted the small picture frame on the wall, reveling an inside alarm box. I caught the first three numbers, but the forth … the fourth … I got it!

My heart jumped, knocking into my lungs, and I was able to get a drink of much needed air. I had the damn code, but would he change it? How often did he change it? He was amazing with just how protective over us he was. How could I lose someone as good to us as he was?

“Do you have a computer?” Holding onto the granite counter, I held my breath while trying to keep those numbers in my head. There was too much in there, and I was going to lose them. I was going to lose those damn numbers if I didn’t clear my mind.

The missing money.

First number is three. The second is a six. And the third … the third was a…

The break in and having to climb off the roof in the middle of a night based rain storm.

Seven. No! There wasn’t a seven!
Come on, Keri. Concentrate!
Four. It was a four.

The marriage wasn’t dissolved.

And the fourth … the fourth number was a … it was a… Damn!

My chest ripped apart and the loud cry tore from my throat as I slid down the cupboard doors. Wrapping my arms around myself, I knew that I lost the numbers. How in the hell could I get out of the house and find what I needed? How could I find Joe if I couldn’t remember the numbers to break free from this prison? I needed to get those papers taken care of. I needed to before Kane found out. Gasping for air, my body was burning up and my head was swimming again. Numbers were all jumbling up, mixing with letters, and every single incident that had happened to us was replaying all at once.

“Baby, what’s wrong with you today?” Kane’s warm hands cupped my side as he knelt before me, the worry settling deep in his eyes. How could I do that to him? How could this even happen? “I have to be at the club in a couple of hours. Seeing as my mom and dad have the kids, why don’t you come out with me and relax a little?”

“No. I can’t leave them with anyone else for the night, Kane.” How could I when the kids were my responsibility and I was creating the worst of the worst for us? I had been so worried about others getting the kids taken away, but I didn’t even worry about myself being the culprit.

“You need to have a life, too, Keri. You do. We do. My mom will bring them back here and stay until we get home. She’s fine with that.”

I nodded as the guilt was pooling into my lungs and removing the oxygen out. Going out together would be an instant give away that we were together. If anyone looked in on the situation, they would see that I was still married to another man. Maybe I should really tell him.

“Go out with me tonight.”

“And ruin your chance to have some fun? Won’t your ladies be upset? The jealousy card could get me out of this. I could send him down there alone and act like I was really insanely jealous of the other women, and then I could figure out how to get out so I could bring Joe down.

“Keri, you’re still on this?”

“I can’t go down there, watching them rubbing up on you. Color that what you want, but I can’t do that.” Hot tears trickled down my cheeks, knowing damn well there wouldn’t be another woman who could come near him. Not that he would allow. Kane wasn’t like that, and if he was being devoted to the three of us, he wasn’t going to allow anything to come between us. But it was my only escape. I needed the escape just for tonight so I could get our lies straightened out.

“You will be the only one that will be rubbing up on me now, Keri. I promise you that.” He covered my mouth with his kiss, deeply filling my soul so much that I didn’t want it to end. The instant hunger filled through me, but it was wrong. It was so very wrong. I was still married and … but he was so good at this. And the heat was building between my legs, remembering what it felt like to have him nestled between them.

Instead of trying to fill the hunger that was thumping in my core, I pushed him back and the cry broke through my control. “I’m not divorced.”

The pit of my stomach fell out and crashed on the fancy white tiled flooring, and I crumpled to the floor without any hopes. Any second, he would walk out and never come back. He would never come back to us, and I would be the one the kids hated for this.

“Keri.” His hand brushed my cheek as he nodded. “How can you not be? You filed the paperwork, didn’t you?”

“I did, but it was never pushed through, Kane.” The hurt damn near exploded inside of me as I waited for him to leave, but he didn’t. He hadn’t yet.

“Let me make some calls and see what I can find out. Hey,” pulling me up, he cradled me to his chest, “this will be okay. We will fix this.”

“I want to find Joe. I need to talk to him.” Another try. I needed to get out so I could find out where Joe was and lure him to me. But, with Kane hovering around, Joe would never appear.

“I’ve been working on that, Keri. He’s laying really low and they haven’t found him yet.”

“Please, don’t leave us.” Looking up, the hurt was packing into those beautiful emerald eyes; hurt that I was putting there. And to get that out would take so long. A lot longer than I could ever imagine.

“I’m not going to, but let me make some calls and see why the divorce wasn’t pushed through.” He kissed me and carried me over to the couch. “By the way, you can throw your jealousy crayon in the trash, because you are one of the women who has ever come into this house. The other one is related, and goes by the name, Mom.”

My heart leapt and danced as I watched him open the hidden bedroom door. “What about the club?”

“Not since I had it redone,” he called back. “And that was the day after you ruined my life, Keri.”

“Did I really ruin your life?” Getting up, I went into the bedroom, seeing him pulling the shirt over his head and those awful scars that were littered all over his back. Whoever hurt him was a monster, because only monsters would ever do that kind of work.

“You must have. You’re the only woman who has been in this house, seen me with my shirt off, brought home for dinner, and invaded my bathroom at the club that I can’t look at without getting…” His teeth gritted as he shook his head, his eyes casting over his shoulder at me standing in the doorway. “You’re everywhere now. My truck, my ice, my office, my heart. You’re everywhere, and you’re not going anywhere. Better get used to it.”

“The only one that has seen you with your shirt off? You’re beautiful.” Slinking up behind him, I ran my fingertips over the scars on his back gently. His muscles stiffened, but instead of pulling away, he let out a little moan.

“Yes. I like my privacy, Keri. I don’t share anything with anyone, and you invaded it all.” Clearing his throat, he tipped his head. “My parents did this to me. They were monsters, and I am just afraid that I inherited it.”

I froze. His parents? The people who had my kids?

His eyes shifted up to me as he pressed his lips together, the horrifying truth lying deep within them. “The ones that you know are the ones who saved me from that life. I’m adopted.”

“Kane.” I swung him around and wrapped my arms tight around his neck, pulling him down to me. That was why he was so protective when he met Jordan. That was why he didn’t want the police involved. In his own life, he had been there and done that. Same with Sky. His instant protection over her, his gentle hand, and his need to watch over her like a hawk. Loving warmth filled into my chest and swept up all the pieces of my shattered heart and held it all back together. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“Because I don’t share my life with anyone, Keri. I never have. I just don’t.”

“You’re telling me now.”

“Because you invaded my life with your color box of odd crayons and those kids. You broke through every single defense that I had. This marriage thing … we need to get it taken care of now. You and those two kids belong to
me
.”

“But those are all the issues I created…”

“What don’t you understand? You are not alone anymore. Now, let me make some calls so I can get this taken care of.” His eyes softened and he slithered his arms around my waist. “I love you, Keri. All of you.” A smile spread across his face with the rosiness darkening in his cheeks. “And that is something that I never said to a woman either. Go. Get. Ready. I am taking you out tonight.”

Groaning, I pulled away from him and headed for the shower, taking my phone with me. Texting a message to my brother, I hit the send button and put the phone down to get into the large three headed shower.