Risk It All - Raph X OC

Taking the plan into her own hands

Author's note:

I have been wanting to get this story off my mind for YEARS. I'd appreciate any reviews or comments! After this story is done (it's not even close to being finished, mind you), I have a new 3-part story I'm outlining as soon as I finish this one.

Enjoy this chapter :)

Brooke tugged her purse out from under the front passenger seat, where she'd hidden it, and dug around inside until her fingers made contact with her cell phone. As she touched the digits 911, a flash of silver in her peripheral vision caused her to look up from her phone. A familiar sedan had just reversed onto the street. Trevor's car. But was her brother-in-law behind the wheel, or was it someone else moving the Lexus away from Sidorov's property?

The front headrest obscured the identity of the driver but then the brake lights came on, the car jerked to a stop, and the driver's door opened. A man lurched sideways and vomited onto the asphalt road.

"Trevor," Brooke breathed, her forehead sagging against the steering wheel in relief. Had he escaped or been released? There was no way to know, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was unharmed.

"This is 911 dispatch. What's your emergency?"

She jolted at the voice coming form her cell phone. She'd been so focused on the sedan and Trevor that she'd forgotten she'd placed the call. She started to answer, then hesitated as Joe's words played back in her mind. What's your brother-in-law mixed up in? Will Joe make another appearance in your life? Wait... why are you concerned with him?

She'd been quick to defend Savannah's husband, but it had been a knee-jerk reaction. She didn't really know the man. He came across as a bland, unexciting guy, and, over the years, she'd come to appreciate his stability and even temperament because that was exactly what her volatile sister seemed to need. As for what he needed or wanted, apart from Savannah, she had no clue.

Why had Trevor met with Sidorov? If it had been a business meeting, why had they met at the Russian's home instead of at the bank? If it wasn't a business meeting...she didn't want to think about what it might have been. If she carried on with this call, she'd set in motion events over which she'd have no control, and those events would give rise to consequences she couldn't foresee. What impact would that have on her sister? She needed to talk to Trevor and understand the situation fully before she decided whether or not to involve the police.

"Do you have an emergency?" The calm voice prompted again.

Hoping she wouldn't regret her decision, she said, "Sorry, my mistake. There is no emergency." Then she hit End and tossed her cellphone into the cup holder between the seats. When she glanced up, Trevor's car door had closed, and the Lexus was pulling away from the curb. She watched the right signal light blink on and the vehicle execute the turn before she started her engine and followed.

While trailing Trevor, Brooke's mind wandered to her new friend she made earlier. Okay, he wasn't exactly a friend. He just saved her and blew her mind on what reality really was. Does anyone else know of his existence? Are there more of him? WILL she see him again? The power and pure mass strength that permeated from his body was difficult to ignore. Why are you thinking, Brooke? Her luck with men was terrible and wasn't worth delving into. This couldn't possibly work out, so these intruding thoughts NEEDED to dissolve.

"I'm going to have to dig up that vibrator..." she mumbled under her breath. She was losing her mind, that's all. Too much work and not enough play made Brooke find a giant turtle tantalizing. Tantalizing?