Chapter 12
I’m not a ten. I’m more like two 5s being held together by mashed potatoes.
— Keely’s secret thoughts
KEELY
The last thing I wanted to do three nights later was go to work, but luckily I wouldn’t be doing it with Dorie .
I was working with one of the new hires, who hopefully wasn’t as overwhelming as Dorie had been.
Dima was at my side as we walked toward the sleep center, his eyes taking everything in while simultaneously looking like he wasn’t scanning at all.
The knife I usually carried with me was in my bag instead of my hand, because I had something infinitely more dangerous standing next to me.
“ Have you happened to have seen me walk to work before this?” I asked worriedly.
Dima didn’t look down at me, but he did flash a small grin before his face smoothed out again.
“ The hunting knife is a nice touch,” he admitted. “ But you look too confident when you’re walking around with it, like you’re not crazy enough. You should add a little head twitch to maybe act like you’re high as fuck or something.”
I snorted.
“ I’ll try that next time that you’re not with me,” I teased.
His eyes did turn to meet mine then. “ There won’t be a time when I’m not with you.”
My brows rose at that as we came to a stop in front of the sleep center’s door. “ You’re not going to be able to be with me twenty-four-seven,” I pointed out. “ One day, I’ll need to put your new theory to the test because you’re out offing a man in Plano .”
He tucked a curl behind my ear, and it immediately sprang back into place.
“ We’ll see.” He chuckled.
“ Will you…” I hesitated, unsure how to ask if he’d be there when I got done with work.
“ Be here to walk you back to your car when you’re done with work?” he asked. “ Yes .”
I flashed him a relieved smile. “ Good .”
He touched the tip of my nose with one finger, then opened the door to the sleep center for me.
No kisses or overt displays of affection, but enough to let me know that I was going to be on his mind.
“ Oh , excuse me. Thank you.”
I jumped, but Dima didn’t seem surprised to find a man walking up to us.
“ You’re welcome,” came Dima’s smooth, dangerously soft voice.
I looked from the man to Dima and said quietly, “ Do you have my number?”
His eyes flicked down to me, then right back up to the man that’d gone to the desk to check in with the receptionist. “ Yeah .”
“ Text me tonight,” I said. “ I don’t have anything but your email.”
“ Will do,” he said. “ Watch out for that one.”
I frowned. “ Do you know him?”
“ Not yet,” he said, like he was about to do a deep dive into the man’s personal life.
I winked at him. “ There are several other people here besides me. I’ll be okay.”
“ Hmm ,” he said. “ Call me if you need me.”
IE , call him before I go calling 911.
The scary part was, I was fairly sure he’d get here before the authorities ever could, and I’d be way safer because of it.
I went up onto my tippy toes, and still, he was too tall.
Staring up at him expectantly, his eyes warmed and he met me more than halfway.
Jeez , the man was tall.
“ Be safe tonight, whatever you’re doing,” I urged.
His eyes gleamed at that. “ Yeah , I’ll do that.”
I didn’t like my new coworker, and I especially didn’t like the patient that’d come in for his sleep study tonight.
The good thing was, I was very much never going to see this man again.
The second good thing was, despite my coworker being useless, the doctor that was helping today wasn’t completely useless.
Luckily , he was one of the ones that didn’t go to the back break room and go to sleep during the shifts. Unluckily , my new coworker, Melody Edams , had a crush on him and flirted with him to the point where I knew that if they were alone, they’d totally be doing it in the break room.
It was like I wasn’t even there.
For hours now, they’d been flirting and acting like they were two seconds away from ripping clothes off and fucking each other.
And I was done.
So overly done.
I hated this job.
Even worse, I hated my other job more.
A job that I refused to get any compensation for, and now had to go visit when I was done here.
If I was lucky, I’d be able to catch some drive through McDonald’s before I headed that way.
If Copper was smart, though, he’d have it ready for me.
Speaking of Copper …
“ Hello ?” I answered his fourth phone call of the night.
“ A couple of weeks ago, there was a board meeting discussing a merger between Real Estate Ark - La - Tex and Castanon ,” he started out without a greeting. “ In the board meeting notes, it specifically said that you were opposed to the merger, and that you didn’t agree, and were the deciding vote for it. Yet , a contract is on my desk right now for the merger.”
I frowned, trying to go back to the day we’d talked about a merger, and came up empty.
“ I don’t know,” I admitted. “ I can’t remember anything about it.”
“ In the board meeting notes, it specifically says that you were appraised, and opposed.” He paused. “ But , as I’m looking at it, I don’t see anything else said by you at all.”
I was too tired for this. “ I don’t remember anything about it, Copper . I’m sorry.”
“ Okay ,” he sighed. “ You’ll still be coming in after work? I have a few more things I want to go over with you.”
“ Yeah ,” I yawned. “ Why are you there so late?”
“ Well ,” he paused. “ There’s a lot to catch up on. And about ten years of neglected paperwork and quality control issues. Which coincide with you taking over CE .”
I grinned. “ I did the best I could.”
“ I know.” I could tell he was smiling. “ It’s still here. And fully functional, if not a little…problematic. Once I get the board members straightened out, and the weak links out of the building, I’ll get it straightened out.”
“ Are you getting me food, or will I be responsible for getting my own?” I yawned again.
“ I’ll have it delivered,” he said. “ Chevy and Cutter will be here, too.”
“ Okay .” I yawned for a third time. “ Have coffee.”
“ I’ll do that,” he teased and hung up.
I yawned for a fourth time and then got up to get some paperwork done.
I was very tired today.
When I had days off, I tended to flip back to my normal sleep cycle of night sleeping. When I had to make the flip only for a night like I did this time, I tended to be extremely tired, like I was right then.
My new coworker, Melody , made a particularly disgusting comment about how hot the doctor was, and I inwardly groaned.
Would it be that hard to take the talk into the damn break room, at least?
Rolling my eyes, I got up and headed to the break room myself for a small break.
I made it to the kitchen and was just reaching for the cupboard above the sink to pull the coffee can down when I felt two hands go to my hips.
I twisted, raised an elbow, and reared it backward so hard that I heard and felt the air leaving a man’s lungs.
When that man stepped back and gave me space, mostly because he was hunched over and trying to breathe, I whirled around and palmed the closest thing I could use as a weapon. A can of baked beans.
“ What are you doing?” I barked.
The patient, Cornelius Stone , said, “ Sorry for startling you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “ Startling me would be clearing your throat from the other side of the room. What you did was assault.”
His brows rose. “ That’s a bit excessive, isn’t it?”
“ No ,” I snarled. “ What’s excessive is thinking you can go up to a woman and put your hands on her hips while she’s pressed against a counter and think it’s all right.”
He grinned at me, and I wanted to smash the can of beans into his face.
“ What’s going on here?” Dr . Adams asked as he came into the room.
“ Just a misunderstanding,” the patient lied.
“ Why are you out of the bed?” Dr . Adams asked.
“ Because I was thirsty,” Stone lied.
“ You went through the water we provided you already?” he asked.
“ Yes ?” Stone lied yet again.
“ I’ll bring you more,” Dr . Adams said. “ Please return to your room, and the next time you wish to leave, you need to use the intercom system and inform us. Also , the staff break room is off limits.”
I clenched my hand on the can of beans while I watched them walk away.
When I was finally able to control my heart, I placed the beans on the counter, then leaned my butt against it as I tried to breathe through my anger.
The text that came through moments after that didn’t surprise me at all.
Unknown :
I trusted you when you said you’d be safe.
Me :
I am. Now .
I resaved the number into my phone, then memorized it for good measure.
Me :
I was about to bash him upside the head with some baked beans.
Me :
I wish I would have.
Me :
I was only going to make coffee. Also , this guy creeped me out all night. Cornelius Stone . That’s his name. Luckily , he’s not my patient.
I knew damn well and good what Dima was going to do with the man’s information.
I also knew that I didn’t really care what happened to him.
What I did care about was that he understood what respect was, and that actions had consequences.
Dima never replied, which completely bummed me out.
I was about ten hours into my shift when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
I turned, fully expecting to see one of my coworkers when I realized that it’d been rather quiet for the last fifteen minutes.
They’d both disappeared and left me in the observation room all by myself.
I was sipping on my cup of black coffee—which I hated but someone drank all my damn creamer I’d left in the fridge—when I heard it.
The creek of a patient room door being opened.
The way the sleep center was set up was kind of like a star. The patient rooms were all set up in the points of the star, and the observation room was in between all of the rooms, able to keep an eye on everything that was happening in all of the rooms.
I turned and fully checked every room that was being used today and saw all the figures where they were supposed to be.
And because I was crazy, I pulled out the can of baked beans that’d followed me the rest of the night and started into the hall.
I was fully unsurprised when I made it into the hallway to hear a rhythmic banging coming from the break room.
The least they could’ve done was taken it outside.
Now I had to go in there and get my belongings later, and I wasn’t sure that they hadn’t infected it with their sex cooties.
Gross .
The hall was mostly silent besides the sex happening, and all the rooms were closed—except for the last door on the right. The room that wasn’t ever occupied because there were issues with equipment in that particular room.
But still, it was open and…
A black figure poked his head out of the space between the door and the doorjamb, and I couldn’t help the smile that stretched over my face.
“ Dima .” I smiled. “ What are you doing here?”
He jerked his head toward himself, and I hurried toward him.
He closed the door once I was through and then kissed me.
His hand closed around the baked beans, and I relinquished it to him.
His chuckle was the best thing I’d ever tasted.
“ You’re safe now, killer,” he teased.
“ Thanks ,” I said. “ It makes me happy to know that you are here.”
He pulled back, then gestured toward the table behind him.
My heart literally melted as I saw the McDonald’s and coffee.
“ You went to my favorite coffee shop,” I said.
“ Vanilla latte, single shot, decaf because you’re about to go to bed.” He recited the order. “ You order that a lot.”
I did.
“ It’s my favorite,” I admitted as I moved to look into the bag of food. “ How did you know that I wanted McDonald’s ?”
“ Because you mentioned it to your brother half a dozen times,” he explained, looking confused that I would ask that when it was clearly the obvious answer. “ I was going to let you eat there, but I saw that Copper called in food from a diner down the street. And he got you scrambled eggs which I know you don’t eat.”
I winced.
Once upon a time, Copper had known everything there was to know about me.
But I wasn’t that little girl anymore that loved scrambled eggs.
I actually hated them now.
They smelled like wet dog, and I couldn’t ever get over the smell.
But it only made me feel even worse because, once upon a time, Copper was a happy, carefree seventeen-year-old with the world ahead of him. Then he’d walked into the kitchen after school and seen me being assaulted by my father.
If I could erase time and keep him from seeing that, I would. If I could make it to where that had happened before he’d gotten home, I would.
I never, ever wanted my brother to go to prison. At least, not for my safety.
I was nothing in this world.
My brother had been everything.
Even now, with my years of therapy under my belt, I couldn’t turn off that little voice inside of my head that said that I didn’t deserve to be happy. Not at Copper’s expense.
Later , I’d choke those eggs down.
Later , I’d give my brother a hug and endure the stupid bullshit that I would have to endure with Castanon Enterprises , and I’d be happy while doing it. All because my brother had given the ultimate sacrifice to save me from a life worse than hell.
Soft fingertips touched my cheek, and I glanced up into beautiful brown eyes.
“ Hey ,” he said softly. “ You’re okay.”
I swallowed hard. “ I’m broken inside, Dima .”
His lips twitched. “ Maybe together, we can make a whole.”
Maybe together, we can make a whole.
As the shift wound to an end, and Dima waited outside for me to get off, I repeated those words in my head over and over.
Dima knew me well.
Sure , he only knew me well because he’d been watching my every move for weeks without my knowledge, but for some reason, that didn’t bother me too badly.
“ It was great working with you today,” Melody cooed as she walked out the door with me.
I nearly rolled my eyes, but stopped myself before letting her know how much I disliked her.
If she didn’t suspect me, when she found herself without a job tomorrow, she wouldn’t point any fingers my way.
“ Sure , I had fun as well,” I lied.
I spotted Dima across the road and waved.
He’d give me a ride back to my car on his bike.
Where my brothers rode Harleys , Dima’s motorcycle was black, sleek, and fast.
Not saying that my brothers’ couldn’t haul ass as well, but Dima’s looked and sounded like it would go faster than the speed of light.
I idly wondered how many cops he’d outrun on that vehicle.
“ Have a good day,” Melody called out as she started walking in the opposite direction.
I waved at her, not replying.
She smiled and scooted off down the street, and I stopped on the curb and looked both ways before crossing the street.
When I got to the alley in which Dima was parked, I walked right up to him and threaded my arms around his neck—which, might I add, he allowed by bending down for me.
“ Ready to ride, doll face?” he asked.
I grinned.
“ Killer earlier, and doll face now,” I teased. “ Those two don’t even go together.”
He shrugged, his eyes dark and unfathomable. “ I call it like I see it.”
I turned toward his bike and said, “ I’ve been on my brothers’ bikes a bunch of times. But I have yet to be on one of these. Where do I put my feet to get on?”
He mounted the bike, then held out his hand before telling me where to place my feet.
The bike was quite a bit less comfortable to be on the back of, but I figured the trade out of being pressed completely against Dima’s back might make up for it.
And let me tell you something, the thought of being pressed up against him, and being actually pressed up against him, were two completely different things.
The moment my body pressed against his, and he started his bike, my entire being just went…calm.
Like I was exactly where I was always meant to be.
I knew without a doubt that this man would protect me with his life. I knew that he’d take on the world for me. I knew that he was it for me.
That’s when my unhealthy obsession began.
Or maybe, joined his.
Whatever happened, as he drove me the six blocks to my car, I knew that my life would never be the same.
I felt like I was losing my soul’s connection when I got off his bike.
“ Are you going to come to CE after this?” I asked hopefully.
Castanon Enterprises was my least favorite place in the world, and the thought of having Dima there felt like a balm on my antsy heart.
“ I’ll be there.” He paused. “ Do you want me to come in with you?”
I smiled then. “ Yes .”
“ If I come in with you, I can’t be a ghost to spy, though,” he pointed out.
I opened my mouth to say “ I don’t care” but closed it.
Copper might need a ghost…
“ Um …” I hesitated. “ I guess just head to the conference room, and I’ll introduce you to Copper . Then we can see if he might want to use you there.”
I didn’t bother to ask him why he thought I might need a ghost there.
I knew that CE was fucked up.
I’d been working in that CEO position for years, and I’d been ignoring all the signs because I hadn’t wanted to deal with it.
I was thankful that Copper was finally going to do something about the issues that had surfaced, though.
Maybe I should’ve been a better sister and dug the rot out for him, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t do it as concisely as Copper could.
But with Dima’s help, he might get it done a hell of a lot faster…
With our plans made, I started heading to my car, heading between two large trucks that’d parked on either side of me.
I’d just reached my door when a screech came from out of nowhere.
That screech was followed by Dorie jumping out from behind the truck to my left and throwing herself at Dima .
She threw her arms around him and banded herself around him like a barnacle, determined to prove the point that she can take any man, no matter what.
Or , maybe she’d figured out that Dima had been the reason that her boyfriend had gotten hurt a few nights ago.
I didn’t really know what went through her head in that moment, but if I’d seen a man like Dima , I would’ve run the other way rather than coming toward him. Let alone jumping on his back to prove a point.
Dima reacted before she could even get her legs all the way around him.
With one swift flick of his wrist, she was flying.
She hit the wall behind us with a solid thud, and Dima had to stop himself from going after her a second time.
Dorie stared up at him in stunned silence, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.
I stared at her long enough to realize that she was having a hard time breathing, and not finding it in me to care.
“ That was dumb.” I attempted not to snicker as I got into my car. “ I’ll see you at CE .”
Dima winked at me, and I knew I’d find him there way before me.
The smile on my face stayed the entire drive there.
It quickly fell off when I was met with the bullshit at the door, though.