Chapter 35 Ty
TY
Stretching, I attempted to look half-interested. The man I was directing this attention to stood at the front of the conference room, his face a shade of crimson.
Tim was one of the financial analysts at Keller Enterprises, and he was passionate about money.
It probably had something to do with the fact that the more we made, the higher his salary increased.
He had a paunchy belly and a few gray hairs combed over a bald spot.
His tie was crooked and loose, and had a gravy or sauce stain about halfway up the fabric.
What he lacked in grooming, however, he more than made up for with his enthusiasm.
Regardless of the reason for his overzealousness, I often found myself swallowing a chuckle as he flailed his hands wildly with dark sweat stains appearing under his arms.
“If the next quarter’s trends continue on their upward trajectory as this one has, I could see us wanting to open an additional branch. Supply and demand, people.”
I tapped my pen on the conference table and skimmed over my notes. The Keller companies were thriving, and for that I was grateful. My family’s business legacy would live on.
Behind it all, though, was a shit load of turmoil and anxiety. Little did our employees know that our personal lives were hanging on by a thread. Hopefully, they never had to find out.
We’d been waiting for an answer from Nico, but I was beginning to think Sylas had somehow fled the country. Every casino search turned up empty, and my wolf grew increasingly anxious. We needed Liza safe, and as long as Sylas was roaming free, she wasn’t.
Dad had assured me multiple times that Nico was the best man for the job. “If Sylas is alive, Nico will find him.”
If Dad was that confident about his man finding Sylas, I couldn’t argue with him. With each passing day, though, I began to lose my trust in the plan Dad and I had formed. It was taking too long, and the danger increased every day. We couldn’t keep living this way.
Every fucking man we had to spare had been sent out with one goal: find Sylas and bring him back to the Keller Estate alive without drawing any attention to the capture.
My father and I wanted to deal with Sylas on our own terms without raising the alarms of other local authorities.
I propped my head in one hand and stared at the screen, trying to focus on the graph projected behind Tim, but no matter how hard I tried to pay attention, it was no use. I couldn’t get my mind off Liza.
The past few nights, she’d woken up shaking, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Every time, I held her and tried to comfort her, which was no hardship on my part, but her fear was palpable.
When she was fully awake and no longer trembling, I’d ask her what the dreams were about, but she always refused to answer me.
She immediately closed down and shut me out.
Up until now, she’d always confided in me when she had dreams about her past or her parents, so I couldn’t be sure if that was the nightmare taunting her or if it was a new one because she wouldn’t tell me.
She had taken to treating me the same as she would a stranger rather than the man who slept in her bed, who comforted her, and who had gone out of his way to protect her.
I figured she was still upset with me for putting the tracker on her phone, but I sure as fuck wasn’t going to apologize for wanting to know where she was when she wasn’t in my presence so I could protect her better.
Regardless of what Liza thought, I didn’t want to keep her locked away like a princess in a castle. I just needed some peace of mind. I’d drive myself crazy if I had no way of knowing where she was and whether she was okay.
Every time I asked her if she was doing all right with the stress of Castro being on the loose, she answered that she was fine. She might have thought I couldn’t see through her lie, but I’d come to know Liza better than anyone, even Bryce.
She wasn’t just scared. There was something else going on, but I wasn’t sure exactly what that was. Without her telling me, I sure as hell didn’t know what to do to help her. It made my guts ache, but I was at a loss.
I looked up at the clock. Tim had been talking for nearly an hour. Most of the other people in the room had already given up on listening to him as they doodled on paper or stared out the window.
“Well, that’s probably all we need to know for today, folks, so unless you have any questions, I think this concludes our meeting.”
It was a bit rude since I was well aware that Tim didn’t like being interrupted mid-sentence, but he looked relieved. “Anyone who has questions knows how to get a hold of you, correct?”
He nodded. The poor guy must’ve thought that my lack of interest meant I wanted more in-depth information.
As everyone filed out of the room, I pulled out my phone and texted Liza.
You, me, and the sunshine. How about a run this afternoon?
We hadn’t shifted in a while, and I figured her wolf probably needed a nice long run by now. Even if hers didn’t, mine sure as fuck did.
She replied quickly. Are you sure it’s safe for me?
I didn’t have to hear her voice to know how fearful she truly was. She tried to put on a brave face, but she was terrified of Castro. Texting wasn’t good enough. She needed to hear me say the words, so I dialed her number instead.
“Hey,” I said, my tone gentle and reassuring when she answered.
“I would never put you in danger, and if it was too risky for us to go running together, I wouldn’t even suggest it.
” I would have hoped she knew me well enough by now to know that.
If she needed some reassurance, however, I could give her that.
“The grounds around the estate have been secured with round-the-clock security, so if anyone tries to enter without permission, we’ll know.
” I paused, thinking about her nightmares.
“If it makes you too uncomfortable, though, we can certainly do something else.”
She was silent for a bit before finally responding. “No, let’s go. I need the distraction.”
“I’ll see you soon.” A run was exactly what she needed—what we both needed.
I hung up and exhaled, relieved that I’d been able to convince her and that she hadn’t been too afraid to give it a shot. The fear of Castro wouldn’t consume her if she had something else to focus on, and hopefully running with me would allow her to forget about it all, if only for an hour or two.
I gathered my notes and shoved them into my briefcase, quickly making my way out the large conference room. To my dismay, Tim was waiting for me in the hallway. “Mr. Keller, do you have a moment to chat?”
I glanced at my watch, hoping he’d get the point that I had somewhere to be. “Sure. I guess I can spare a minute.” And I certainly meant only the one.
He seemed oblivious. “I hope you don’t think this is too forward, sir, but I couldn’t help but notice that you cut me off before I was done presenting this quarter’s numbers.”
Shit. I guess the look on his face earlier wasn’t relief. It was disappointment.
I nodded.
“Well, that kind of confirmed what I’ve been hearing around the office.”
I studied Tim’s face, trying to get a read on him and decipher his motives. A fine sheen of sweated glistened on his skin. “What have you been hearing?”
He grimaced and shifted his weight. “It’s nothing serious.”
“For God’s sake, Tim. Out with it.” I was quickly losing my patience.
He sighed. “People, not me of course…” He paused.
I nodded. “Of course.”
Large droplets of sweat beaded his forehead.
“It’s just that they’ve been saying you’re.
.. distracted.” He held his hands up defensively.
“We all know you have a lot on your plate as CEO, but I can’t disagree with those who are saying that your personal life is getting in the way of your professional life. ”
Ballsy.
Did this fucking guy have no idea to whom he was speaking?
No way could he think that talking to me like this was professional or okay in any way.
“Perhaps you should check yourself and stay in your lane, Tim. Last I checked, you worked in finance, not human resources.” His cheeks reddened, and he took a step back.
“You are my financial analyst, and I am your boss. I wasn’t aware our positions had reversed.
My personal life is, quite frankly, none of yours or anyone else’s fucking business.
” I’d overshot pissed a couple of sentences ago.
This fucking guy had no business checking up on me, informing me that people were talking.
Okay, so maybe I was a little preoccupied with trying to keep the Keller name from being ruined.
If my employees knew that my change in behavior was due to a threat that could result in them all losing their jobs, I bet they’d spend less time gossiping and more time working their asses off in a job that paid them well above the average salary.
Instead of sharing my thoughts with Tim, I turned and stormed out of the building, leaving him standing there like an idiot.
My mind was in a million different places.
I had to protect Liza and Keller Enterprises at the same time.
It seemed like no matter what I did, one or the other would suffer.
Sure, I was the upcoming alpha, but that didn’t mean I could be in two places at once.
As long as Liza’s safety was in question, I couldn’t give my full focus to our businesses, and that was a problem.
I stopped in front of my car and looked up at the sky. It had been a long day, and I was exhausted, but my wolf kept pushing forward. He knew Liza depended on me, and that was all the motivation I needed to keep going.