3. Holden
Chapter 3
Holden
Day 30 without you: I don’t regret my actions, but I miss your smart mouth more than I thought I would.
D etective O’Neal nods to his officers in the foyer. “Take him down to the car. I’ll be right there.” He leans against the doorway that opens up to the vaulted living room. “I thought I wouldn’t hear from you or Phoenix for a while after what happened, yet here we are. New woman, new trouble, huh?”
You can’t kill him.
You cannot kill him.
“Are you trying to piss me off?” I raise my brows and fold my arms over my chest.
Okay, maybe I take a threatening step toward him too.
Just a tiny one. If I’m not allowed to rage the way I want to, I might as well have some fun.
Sue me.
His shoulders drop, and he holds up his hands. “Not at all. I was just hoping you wouldn’t need me again, for your guys’ sake.”
“Well, that makes two of us. Trust me, it wasn’t my idea for some asshole to break into Olivia’s condo with a long list of sick fantasies to act out.”
Just thinking about what could have happened if I hadn’t been here has me seeing red.
You still can’t take your anger out on the cop.
We’re supposed to be good, remember?
You told Olivia there wouldn’t be a murder in her home.
And no, you can’t punch a hole in the pristine white wall either.
O’Neal tips his head. “Fair enough. I’ll see what I can get out of him. Especially since this building is supposed to be well-guarded, meaning he might have had help.”
My blood boils at his comment. A lot of people will lose their jobs after tonight. I have no patience for carelessness. “Keep me updated?”
“Of course.”
A loud bark from upstairs breaks the tension, and the detective tilts his head toward the door. “I’m out of here. You’re sure you don’t want any of my men to stay?”
“I don’t mind extra eyes outside the door or in the garage, but no one will stay inside her home.”
I already feel stabby enough without more men sniffing around Olivia.
The corner of his mouth twitches. “How do you know Miss Parker again?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I didn’t say how.”
“Right.”
He laughs like we just shared a joke, and I’m ready to show him out of the condo. Forcefully.
“Didn’t you say you were going to leave?”
He tips an imaginary hat. “Always great seeing you, Holden. I’ll be in touch.”
The second he crosses the threshold, I grunt and shut the door behind him. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to check the message.
Archer: What the fuck is going on over there? Is Olivia okay?
Me: Why am I not surprised you already know about this?
Archer: Because you know I’m awesome?
Me: You’re definitely good at stalking people, that’s for sure. And Olivia’s fine. A bit shaken up, but she pretends she’s okay.
Archer: I’m furious we didn’t get a security alert about the break-in.
Me: Same.
Archer: Also, did you hear that Luke didn’t see anything? He said, one second he was driving back to Phoenix’s house, and then boom, something slammed into the side of the SUV, and he flipped.
Me: Yeah, I called him before O’Neal got here. The other car must have had the lights off so he wouldn’t see them coming. It could have ended very differently.
Archer: Fuck, man. Any idea who could be behind this?
I blow out a harsh breath. I’m so not in the mood for another psychopath in my life.
The Highlander’s “There can be only one” declaration pops into my head.
What a mess.
Me: No clue, but we better find the fucker quick before something else happens.
Archer: Agreed. I’ll review the police reports and video footage again to see if we missed anything. I have a new motion detection software I wanted to test anyway.
Me: Thanks.
Archer: Who will we send in place of Luke? Chase, Beck, and Jax are mostly open.
Me: No to Chase. He can’t keep his dick in his pants. Beck is a no too, but Jax could work. Let me see how the next few days go.
Archer: Are you staying with her?
Me: Yup.
Archer: You sure that’s a good idea?
I brush a hand over my face before I reply.
Me: She doesn’t want me around, so there shouldn’t be any issues if we just avoid each other.
Archer: How’s the weather in Delulu Land?
Me: Fuck off.
Archer: See you Friday at the club?
Me: Yeah.
Archer is someone I’ve considered a brother since we were teenagers. He’s my chosen family, just like Phoenix and Evie. I owe him a lot. If he hadn’t been able to bury my arrest and prison sentence, Olivia wouldn’t have her career.
Archer’s also the reason my future didn’t disappear with my imprisonment. He took care of our investments—a set of clubs as well as cryptocurrency—growing them so much that we were both set up for life by the time I was released. I returned to money, connections, and a security company we had considered opening for years. I could never have built that life alone, not without Archer. He had my back. Something I’ll never take for granted.
A series of barks come from upstairs, where Olivia took Stormy when the police arrived. A second later, muffled thumps on the stairs turn into paws on hardwood. Stormy charges toward me with her tongue hanging out.
She leaps at me just as I slide my phone into my pocket, wiggling in my arms so I slide down the wall with her half in my lap.
Even though I’ve seen pictures, I still can’t believe this is the same dog Olivia rescued all those years ago. But time changes everything. Stormy used to be a puppy, and life was a lot easier. Olivia and I used to be friends.
As if summoned, she shuffles down the stairs and collapses onto the couch, wrapping her arms around her middle as if hugging herself.
I wish I could hug her.
“Did everything go okay with the police?” She yawns and rubs at her now makeup-free face.
I glance past her at the oversized, cathedral-style windows and the inky darkness outside. I forgot how late it is. “Yeah. They talked to me once they were done with you. The guy claims he’s been talking to you for months and you gave him the access card.”
I brush my hand over Stormy’s head, rubbing the spot between her ears that she seems to love. She looks ready to pass out.
Olivia drops her head against the back of the couch and groans. “Seriously? And he thinks anyone would believe that? I have no idea who he is or how he got in.”
“So you weren’t talking to anyone online in the past few months?”
She lifts both eyebrows. “Are you serious right now?”
I stay silent, and she lets out a humorless laugh. Yes, I’ve closely tracked her movements, but my eyes can only reach so far. Tapping her phone didn’t seem necessary.
“You are serious. Wow.” She drags her hands over the yoga pants she must have changed into. “No, Holden, I wasn’t talking to him or any stranger online in the last few months. Nor did I tell anyone I have a blood kink and to please wait for me naked in my bed with a knife. I don’t need or want a guy in my life. My toys keep me satisfied enough.”
We stare at each other until she sighs.
“Ugh. Forget I said that.”
Sure, let’s forget Olivia just mentioned her sex toys. Fat chance.
But that’s for later.
First, I need to release some of these pent-up emotions by doing push-ups or something.
“Anyway.” She claps her hands on her legs like we’re just having a nice chat. “Sorry about what happened. I’m all good now, so you can head home. I know dealing with me and my mess wasn’t on your bingo card for today.”
Dealing with her? Heading home?
I pat Stormy’s side and get up. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Excuse me?” She jumps up, standing tall, as if she’d ever stand a chance against me. At least physically.
Yet, with her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed at me, she’s ready to rip me a new one.
A tough warrior queen. Walls up as high as the sky, not letting anyone in.
And painfully beautiful inside and out.
On a few rare occasions, I caught glimpses of what’s underneath the facade. There’s so much more to her. So much she’s hiding.
And you went and ruined it all.
But I didn’t have a choice. I did it for her.
I wanted her to have a chance at the life she’d always dreamed about—the life she fought for. I couldn’t let her lose that.
But she doesn’t know any of this.
And I can’t tell her either.
We were only married on paper, but sending her the divorce documents with only a note that said I’m sorry, Hurricane, but this is for the best was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
It was all one big fat lie. But thanks to Archer’s impeccable hacking skills and a few name changes, she couldn’t find out what actually happened either.
I’ve detested lies ever since.
It was, without a doubt, the right thing to do though, and I’ve clung to that belief all these years. It’s the only reason I left her alone after I was released. I didn’t want the house of cards to collapse around us.
Then I had to go and have a weak moment and tell Evie that I knew Olivia.
That doesn’t mean I need to turn her life upside down now with my presence though. I’ll stay here until we’ve sorted out this situation and I know she’s safe. Afterward, we can go back to avoiding each other as much as possible.
Yeah, sure. Just keep telling yourself that.
I cross my arms over my chest and widen my stance. “Unless you call the cops back and have them drag me out of here, I suggest you go to sleep, Hurricane. Because I’m staying.”
She huffs in annoyance and mumbles, “Suit yourself then,” before stalking off.
Stormy lets out a whine.
I give her a quick scratch and point across the room. “Go. She needs you. I’ll see you tomorrow. Go.”
With her tail down, she follows Olivia. A minute later, a door shuts upstairs with a bang.
And what do I do?
I smile like a lunatic.
Nothing has changed about our past, and it never will, but this has been the most time I’ve spent with her in five years. And damn it, I missed her crazy ass—even her attitude. There’s a reason I nicknamed her Hurricane. She stormed into my life on my sister’s death anniversary and turned my life upside down. Instead of spending the day moping and wallowing in self-pity the way I usually do, I agreed to marry her.