Chapter Fourteen
Sadie
Sweat pools at the base of my back as I work on trimming the hogweed.
This corner of the locked greenhouse gets the most sun, which suits my little sunbathers, but I know the next few months will be miserable as the temperature climbs.
It’s barely tolerable in the low eighties, but soon, it’ll be pushing ninety-five, and I’ll start questioning my sanity for moving somewhere hotter than California.
I’m about to check on the castor beans when I hear the door unlock. My muscles tense, readying for danger, before I remember that Lauren is working today. She doesn’t normally come back here, but she has a key.
“Boss?”
“Back here!”
She sidles into view, her gaze drifting past me and into the greenhouse itself.
The bright, sun-blasted containment beds behind me, the darker, cooler wing beyond, and the glass-partitioned sections that break the space into neat, hostile little climates.
Cold frames huddle along the front wall, bog beds glisten along another, and nothing is where it is by accident.
Growing so many different plants with so many different needs takes more planning than most people realize.
“What’s up?”
“Right.” She blinks, looking back to me. “I tried calling. You have a guest.”
With a frown, I pull off my gloves and reach for my phone. Sure enough, there are three texts and a missed call. All but one of the texts are from Lauren. The last is from James telling me he’s going to be early.
“Is he here?” I ask.
“If by ‘he’ you mean a Nordic god in a leather jacket that makes me want to purchase my ticket to hell for all the dirty things I’d let him do to me? Yes. He’s here.”
I laugh, thankful that my cheeks are already flushed from the heat. “Thanks, Lauren. Go ahead and let him back.”
Her eyes widen. “Back here?”
“It’s fine.” I should probably meet him in my office instead, but I have a few more plants I want to check on, and having something to do with my hands will help with these aggravating nerves.
“If you say so.” Lauren sounds unsure, which is fair. The only other person I’ve ever let back here is June. But she obeys and leaves to allow the man who has invaded my dreams into my personal sanctuary.
I hear his footsteps before I see him. He’s standing at the edge of the shaded wing, hands in his pockets, studying the white snakeroot that won’t bloom for months yet. Behind him, the light fades into cooler glass and partitioned sections.
“I knew you grew questionable plants, but seeing it firsthand is still somehow shocking.”
“I’m not going to ask how you knew.”
“When your best friend decided to kill mine, I did my research. You know she steals from you?”
I laugh. “Yes, I do.”
He pulls a hand free and gestures at the plants in front of him. “How dangerous is this one?”
“White snakeroot. It’s slightly poisonous. The real danger is if cows eat it, then you drink their milk.”
“Do cows often eat it?”
“Not these days.”
He turns to face me, and I notice how dark the circles under his eyes have become, like he hasn’t gotten a full night’s sleep in days, if not weeks. “Have you ever used any of these plants?”
My lips part at the unexpected question. Blinking, I mull over a response. “Most are poisonous to some degree. But not everyone is able to stomach intentionally hurting other people, even shitty ones who deserve it. And that’s okay.”
“Never said it wasn’t.”
I didn’t realize there was a note of defensiveness in my words, but the furrowing of James’s brows suggests there was. “That also doesn’t mean I think any less of people who can and do.”
“I know that.”
“Why are you asking? Still think I’m some hidden threat to your club?”
“Can’t I just be curious?”
Curious isn’t a word I would use to describe James Hartley. Inquisitive, sure. Analytical and a bit intrusive, but not curious. Curious suggests a personal interest in the matter. For James, I’ve always gotten the sense that he snoops on behalf of others, not because he has an intimate concern.
“I use the plants up front all the time, usually for tea. The valerians, lemon verbena, and passionflowers are my favorites.”
“Are those what June uses?”
My typical instincts to placate and answer questions just to keep the peace don’t seem to apply around James, and I’m not sure why. Maybe he’s gotten under my skin so much that he’s bypassed those particular aspects of my emotional armor.
“Is this what you wanted to run past me? Will my flowers, and the possible use of them by myself or my best friend, affect our plans?”
“No. I came to ask about your friend Maple.”
My frown deepens. “What about her?”
“We have a job for her, if she’ll take it. I wanted to run it by you first. Also, we haven’t talked about your… date.”
“Except in the bathroom, you mean?”
Despite his fair skin and red hair, James manages not to blush, though it’s a near miss if his darting eyes are any indication.
“Yeah.”
With a sigh, I nod for him to follow me to the supply room, where I gather some plant food and fertilizer. “You can start. Tell me about this job for Maple.”
~
Soot knows something is wrong before I do.
Whether it’s his dog instincts or the way I’m lost in my head after the afternoon with James, I’m not sure.
Maybe both. But one moment, Soot is walking me while I zone out, and the next second we’re coming to a jolting halt, my dog’s hair raising and a menacing growl rumbling the ground.
Despite his size, he’s rarely aggressive, so any hint of anger is enough to raise red flags.
My hand drops to the pepper spray in my utility fanny pack as I search for the threat.
I follow Soot’s attention to the left and see a figure walking toward me.
The streetlamps shine behind him, making his features momentarily unrecognizable, but he’s big.
My fingers tremble, the fear growing sharper when the man is close enough to see who it is.
“Bowie.” I start pulling the pepper spray free, movements slow so as not to draw his attention. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you, bella,” he says, an edge to his voice.
“You should’ve called. I can’t go out tonight,” I lie. June is at church with the Saints, Rose is on a date with Vanessa, and Ev is working late, so I have no plans.
“That’s okay, this won’t take long.” He steps closer, and Soot’s growls deepen, the warning obvious. I tighten my hold on the leash when Bowie’s attention drops to him.
If this jackass hurts my dog, my aversion to personally inflicting violence will disappear. I will happily wipe him off the earth if he dares to touch my son.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
“I was going to ask you that, Rosalie.” He says my middle name like an accusation, which is enforced when he takes another step, ignoring the way Soot lowers his head and lifts his upper lip in a snarl. “Or do you go by Sadie?”
Fuck. He found out who I am, and probably that I’m best friends with June. I figured this would happen eventually, but I thought I’d have more time. Carefully, I blow out a breath, mentally pulling every thread of my most intricate mask together.
“Whichever one. My oldest friends call me Sadie. These days, I go by my middle name, though.”
“Why’s that?”
I shrug. “Wanted something new.”
“New? Pretending to be someone else?”
Soot snarls, and I make a shushing sound, hoping to sound like I’m trying to calm him down without actually making him lower his guard. “No, I’m still me.” I pause, then let my lips turn into a soft frown. “Are you okay? Is there something wrong with my middle name?”
“Everything is fine.” His attention flicks to Soot again, this time also seeing the way I grip the pepper spray. He lifts his eyebrows. “Are you okay?”
“Honestly?” I shake my head. “You’re kind of freaking me out. It’s nine o’clock at night, and you show up outside my apartment, despite me never telling you where I live, with no warning, asking weird questions while my dog is clearly agitated.”
“I don’t mean to frighten you, bella. But in my line of work, you can never be too careful.”
“What? Sales?”
“It’s a cutthroat world. Rivals will do anything for an edge. Including trying to get inside information with spies.”
I wait a beat, then give a single disbelieving laugh. “Spies? Like honest-to-God spies? It’s sales, Bowie. Not nuclear missile launch codes.”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t do my research?”
My mouth opens, shuts, then opens again before I reply. “Research on what? Look, Wednesday was fun. But I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“I’ve never been a believer of coincidences. And a beautiful woman entering my life who happens to be friends with June Graves? That’s simply too big of a coincidence.”
My entire face falls and I straighten my shoulders, blinking several times. Honestly, I deserve an award for these acting skills. “Wait… June? What on earth does this have to do with June?”
His flicker of hesitation is quickly replaced by anger. “You know exactly what this has to do with that viper.”
“No, actually, I don’t.” I pull the pepper spray free and harden my voice. “Now back up before I let my dog do what he’s been dying to since you showed up.”
“You want me to leave, bella? After all the effort you put into getting my attention?”
“I don’t know what century you’re living in, but my world doesn’t revolve around getting the attention of men. I thought you were charming and attractive, and I had a great time on Wednesday, but I didn’t sign up for whatever this is.”
The hesitation returns to his expression and he takes a step back. “You truly don’t know why I’m here?”
“I truly don’t. But I’d like you to leave.”
He pauses, studying me from head to feet. Then he holds his palms out in surrender. “I apologize, bella. Clearly, I misunderstood. I will go.”
“Thank you.” I don’t lower the pepper spray or break eye contact. It’s not until Bowie has turned around and walked away that I start to relax. Well, as much as I can with a flood of adrenaline in my system.
Soot stops growling and his hair goes flat, but I wait five minutes before continuing our walk.
We take the shortcut back to the apartment, and I lock the doorknob and deadbolt before hiding in my bedroom.
Without thinking, I grab my phone and open the text thread with James, but I pause as my thumbs hover over the keyboard.
What am I doing?
I can’t text him in the middle of church that Bowie figured me out so quickly. He’d be so disappointed.
Fuck. Why did I insist on this stupid plan? He told me it was dumb, and he was right.
I can’t believe I thought I’d be able to do this. Of course it was an epic failure.
My ribs constrict, pushing tears up my throat into my eyes. I lean my head back, refusing to let them fall.
What if Bowie thinks this was June’s plan? Or the Saints? Oh God, if he retaliates against them, it’ll be my fault.
That can’t happen.
Maybe I can fix this. There was a hint of doubt in him, I’m sure of it. He doesn't believe in coincidences, so I’ll just have to make it not a coincidence. But in a way that keeps my friends safe and earns me a little trust.
I can do this.
I have to.