19. Chester
Chester
“ E arth to Chester.” A hand waved in front of my eyes, and I blinked in surprise to find Reid beside me. From the amused concern on his face, it wasn’t the first time he’d tried to get my attention. “Everything okay, boss?”
“Yep, sorry.” I smiled widely at Reid. “What’s up?”
“Your mood, apparently.” He smirked. “I’m guessing Finn looks just as wonderful without his clothes as he does with them?”
Reid had been off yesterday, granting me a whole day without any pesky questions. I’d hoped maybe he’d have forgotten my…date, with Finn in the meantime, but no such luck.
He could ask his questions, but that didn’t mean I was going to answer them. “Have you got the deliveries ready?”
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ then.” Reid jerked his thumb at the back door. “And yep, I’m about to take them out now. Is there anything else you need me to do before I go?”
That right there was why I kept Reid on. Both his timekeeping and understanding of professional boundaries were absent, but he was good at his job.
“Nope, but thank you.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “You head on out.”
Reid left and I forced all thoughts of Finn out of my mind as I fell into the easy rhythm of work. Honestly, the days seemed to fly by owning this place. Nothing made me happier than being surrounded by the sweet perfume of freshly cut flowers.
I was busy selecting the most pristine specimens for the next order on my docket, a bridal bouquet, when the bell went out in the shop.
Normally, I’d be grumbling under my breath about Reid not being here to deal with the customer, but not this time.
My mouth dried out and my pulse immediately started to race.
Was Finn back again? We hadn’t set a time to see each other, but that didn’t stop my nerves going into hyperdrive.
Fuck. Was I sweating? Could you see the soup I’d spilled down my front earlier?
There was no time to panic. Inhaling deeply, I strode into the shop with a smile on my face.
It faltered immediately when I spotted a man who wasn’t Finn.
He was tall, easily as tall as Finn. His build was sleeker though, all taut, lean muscles.
Around my age, he had dark, dishevelled hair and his shirt was buttoned wrong.
There were smears of dirt up his forearms too.
Odd.
Stop judging the customers, I told myself sternly, moving behind the counter and offering him a polite smile. “Hello. How can I help you?”
The customer smiled widely, showing off way too many teeth. Despite this, every line of him was tense. Coiled, like he was about to pounce. “I’ve come to make an enquiry. ”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, but I wasn’t sure why. He was being perfectly polite, but there was something about him that just seemed…off.
It was his eyes, I realised as he stepped closer. He was smiling at me, but his eyes were blank. Just dark bottomless pits of emptiness.
Go, my mind was screaming. Danger. Danger!
I wasn’t sure why my instincts were telling me to run from this man when they’d remained silent with Matt. Probably a sign that I was overreacting.
Still, I let my hand fall under the counter to the secateurs we kept there. I couldn’t imagine bringing myself to use them, but it made me feel better knowing they were close to hand. “Sure. What can I help you with today?”
“I’m looking for a man who I believe works here,” the man drawled, bracing his hands on the counter. “Reid.”
Alarm bells were blaring alongside the screams in my head. I’d never been one to lie, but the words slid off my tongue with ease. “Nope. Don’t know him. You must have the wrong place.”
The man tilted his head to the side, a smirk tugging at his lips.
“Really? I’m certain this is where I’m meant to be.
Let me refresh your memory. He’s twenty-three.
Dark hair, green eyes. Speaks more than is smart.
Known for getting himself mixed up in situations he should know better about.
Drama and trouble seem to follow him like a shadow. Sure you don’t know him?”
My blood was boiling at the casual insults he was dropping about Reid. My assistant had his faults, but none this twat had listed. “Nope. Like I said before, never heard of the bloke.”
“Interesting.” The man leaned closer. I gripped the underside of the counter to stop myself stepping back. The stranger inhaled deeply, and his eyes widened slightly. “Very interesting. I wonder if I can persuade you in other ways. I’m sure I can find a way to make you talk.”
He cracked his knuckles and I had to suppress an eye-roll. This dude was a bully who clearly got his own way by intimidating others. There was no doubt about it. I might not have recognised Matt as a bully, but this fucker was so obvious he may as well have had it printed on a T-shirt.
Squaring my shoulders, I met the guy’s gaze head-on. “You need to leave. I told you, there’s no one called Reid working here. You’re wasting my time and I’ve got orders to get to.”
The man pulled his lips back in a snarl but I didn’t back down. I wasn’t a violent bloke, but he didn’t know that. My size might work in my favour here, but I didn’t hold out much hope if this did come to blows.
Thankfully, he decided not to press any further. Taking a step back, he pulled a card from his wallet and threw it on the counter. “Give that to Reid when he returns.”
I didn’t look down at it. Didn’t even acknowledge its existence. I just glared at him as he made his way to the front of the shop.
“Oh.” He snapped his fingers and glanced over his shoulder at me. “Remind your friends that we have a treaty. A treaty I’ve respected by not inciting any violence. I expect them to do the same.”
Friends? Treaty? Violence?
He was gone before I could ask any questions, leaving behind a lingering disquiet. I stared down at the innocent rectangle of cardboard he’d left behind. All that was on it was an address some fifty miles or so from here. No name. No message.
Was that man part of the family Reid had needed saving from? If so, what should I do? I didn’t want to cause Reid any stress, but it didn’t seem right to hide this from him.
The bell on the door went again and my hand found the secateurs automatically. I exhaled, letting them go when I saw who’d entered. “Finn. Thank fuck.”
His smile faded away instantly. “Chester? What’s wrong?”
He sniffed the air. Once. Twice. All the colour faded from his face.
“I’m sure it’s nothing.” I chewed on my lip. “I’m not hurt or anything.”
Finn’s frown deepened as he rounded the counter. His eyes searched me all over, like he was checking I was uninjured. When he was satisfied I really was okay, he cupped my face. “Tell me what happened, m’eudail. It’s not nothing if it’s upset ye.”
I couldn’t help the little pulse of surprise. Finn wasn’t dismissing my concerns out of hand, he was actively pushing to hear them.
Whoever had raised this man should be damned proud of themselves.
“This odd bloke came in,” I explained. “He was asking about Reid. I told him I didn’t know him. That was the right thing to do, yeah?”
“Aye.” Finn’s nostrils were flared as he sniffed once more. “That it was. Reid has his reasons for keeping his location private.”
I nodded. “Yeah, he told me a little about the pieces of shit he grew up with.”
“Can you tell me what this man looked like?”
I frowned in confusion. “Wait, do you know Reid’s family? ”
“Sort of.” Finn grimaced. “Let’s just say our paths have crossed, and not in a friendly way.”
“He was very tall. About your height. Muscled, but like he was a runner. He was super tense too. It was weird, but he reminded me of a…” My voice faded away as I searched for the right term.
“Big cat?”
“That’s it.” I clicked my fingers. “That’s what I was looking for. Yeah, it was super weird. He stalked over and got all up in my space. He was pretty insistent that I knew Reid and was hiding it from him. He got a bit intense about it, if I’m being honest.”
There was an odd cracking noise. Almost like someone stretching to get cricks out of their back. I glanced around in confusion, trying to figure out where it was coming from. “Do you hear that?”
“What else did he say?” Finn asked, as though I hadn’t spoken.
“Not a lot. He gave me a card and told me to give it to Reid. No idea whether that’s a good idea or not though.”
Finn’s nostrils flared, his chest rising and falling rapidly. “Can I take a quick look?”
I picked it up and handed it over. Finn didn’t read it as I expected, instead bringing it to his nose and sniffing it. His eyes narrowed and a low growl rumbled up from his chest. “Mother fucker. Is he for fucking real?”
My brows shot up. “Finn, what’s wrong?”
Once more, he answered my question with one of his own. I wasn’t even sure he was doing it intentionally. If I had to guess, I’d say Finn was…freaking out. “Did he threaten you at all?”
I gave a half shrug. “Not really. He did get up in my face a bit and suggest persuading me and making me talk. Don’t know what he meant by that, but I didn’t back down.”
More cracks filled the air. My gaze flicked around the room. What the fuck was that?
I was about to ask Finn again, but as soon as I glanced at him, all thoughts of strange noises left my mind. Something was wrong with him. Finn’s eyes had gone unfocused as he stared at a spot above my head. His whole body was vibrating, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles were white.
Concerned, I put my hand on his chest. “Finn?Baby,are you okay?”
I didn’t know if it was my words or touch, but something brought him back to me. He blinked rapidly a few times before putting his hands on my shoulders. “Shit. Sorry, Chester. Didn’t mean to scare ye.”
“You didn’t, but I am worried.” I gestured to the back room. “Come on, let’s sit you down.”
“I’m okay, really.” Finn tried to smile, but it turned into a grimace. “I just need to step outside and make a quick call. Can ye do me a favour and stay right here?”
“Here?”
“Behind the counter,” Finn said. “I just…I don’t want to take my eyes off you for a bit if that’s okay?”
The unease from earlier was back. “Finn, what’s going on? Now you are scaring me.”
He kissed my forehead. “I’m sorry, m’eudail. That wasn’t my intention. Believe me, yer safe. There’s nothing ye need to be afraid of while I’m around. Now, can ye stay here? Just for two minutes?”
I nodded woodenly, wondering what the fuck was going on. Why had he sniffed the card? Why had he had such an intense reaction to finding out about the stranger? Did he know him?
More importantly, what wasn’t Finn telling me?
He kissed my forehead once more before striding for the door, phone already pressed to his ear. I watched him go, wondering why I wasn’t running from this. He hadn’t answered my questions. He was clearly involved in something he hadn’t shared with me.
It was a stark reminder of how little I knew about this man. So why wasn’t I shutting him out of my life? Or hiding behind the walls I’d built for a very good reason?
Just then, Finn’s gaze found me through the glass. Some of the tension leeched away from him as he saw me waiting there, just as he’d asked. He smiled reassuringly, and I knew exactly why I stayed.
Finn would never hurt me.
He just wanted to keep me safe.
It had been a long time since anyone had made me feel that way.
I was going to hold on to it with both hands for as long as I could.