Chapter Twenty-Four
Riley
The next few weeks flew by quicker than I’d hoped.
The clock was ticking—I didn't have that much time left with Jeremy and Duncan.
But I was determined to focus on the positive.
Jeremy and I were having a lot of fun together, and Duncan was so swoon-worthy that I wasn't sure how any other man could hold a candle next to him.
Paula had a new job, and she seemed to be happy there. Which was why when she called me on a Wednesday afternoon, just as I was heading out to pick up Jeremy from summer school, I instantly knew something was wrong. She wasn't one to call in the middle of the day. I answered right away.
"Hey. What's wrong?" I asked.
She sighed. "Don't panic."
My heart leaped into my throat. "What’s wrong?" I repeated.
"My shit ex-boss kind of lost it. He called, demanding I go back to work."
"He did what?" I ran my hand through my hair, cursing under my breath.
"He’s coming here. Not even sure how he got my address.”
"Why?" I asked.
"To talk. And I know this is bad timing, but I could really use some of that sass you gave him last time, you being a lawyer and everything."
I nodded even though she couldn't see me. "I'm on my way."
"Thank you so much." The relief in her voice was clear. Then Paula asked, “Hey, have you talked to Mom in a bit? You haven’t told her anything, right?”
“No, Paula, I haven’t mentioned it, but you should. You know Mom will finagle it from one of us eventually.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I know. I just wanted to get settled first before I mentioned my drama. Hey, does she know about Duncan?”
“She knows I work for him.” And no, she doesn’t know we’re together, and I want to keep it that way for fear of getting a lecture about not eating where I sleep or whatever the saying is.
“But not the rest, right? I just don’t want to ruin your parade unknowingly,” Paula said, which I appreciated. Both of us usually spoke or texted with Mom weekly and tried to not worry her with things she’d have no control over.
We talked more about her shitty boss, and I could have slapped myself for not having taken up Duncan on his offer to make sure he wouldn’t bother Paula again. Clearly, I hadn't done the job properly.
After hanging up, I remembered that I was supposed to be picking up Jeremy.
"Shit. Okay. Breathe in, breathe out. Riley, you've got this."
I took in another breath and called Duncan. To my relief, he picked up immediately.
"Hey," I said.
"Riley? Anything wrong?"
Shoot. I knew I didn’t sound like my normal self. But I wasn’t going to hide this. Duncan and I had moved past that, and I knew he’d want to know.
"Yes, um…" My voice shook. "Paula is having some issues with her ex-boss. She asked me to go over to her place and help out. Any chance you could pick up Jeremy?"
"What kind of issues?" he asked.
"He belittled her on the phone, and now he said he's going to drop by her place."
"What the actual fuck? He’s harassing her, that fuc—" he bellowed.
I couldn't believe he was getting so indignant on behalf of my sister, that his protectiveness extended to her as well.
I interrupted him, saying, "I know. That's why I want to be there."
"I'll come too."
"What?" I asked sharply.
"I'll ask one of my brothers to pick up Jeremy.”
"You really don't have to do that." It was one thing to be protective of her, but I didn't want to drag him into this.
"I don’t want the two of you alone with him. I don’t like him one bit."
"Neither do I," I admitted. "I'll meet you there, okay?"
"Do you want me to pick you up?"
"No. It's faster if we both head there."
"Got it."
I was feeling a bit guilty that he was taking off in the middle of the day and that someone else was picking up Jeremy. But I couldn't deny that I was happy he was joining us.
I hurried to my sister's, forgoing public transportation and taking an Uber instead.
When I arrived, Duncan's car was already in front of her building.
Honestly, he and I needed to have a chat about speed limits.
He couldn't have arrived too long ago, though, because he was standing in front of the building’s entrance, phone in hand.
"Duncan," I said, hurrying toward him.
He looked up from his phone. "I was about to call you." His mouth was set in a thin line. Frown lines marred his forehead.
"Is everything okay with Jeremy?"
"Yeah. Griffin got him.”
“I'm really sorry?—”
"Riley, you don't have to apologize about anything. Come on, let's go to your sister's apartment. I forgot which unit it was."
"Number 3."
I pressed the button, and the front door buzzed a second later. We hurried inside, going straight to her place. As we approached the door, I heard voices coming from inside.
Damn it! The guy was already here. I'd hoped to arrive before him so my sister could give me more details.
We didn't bother knocking. I just opened the front door.
"Christ. What the hell are you two doing here?" Her boss was outrageously belligerent, just like last time.
“The better question is, why are you here?” Duncan bellowed. “We told you to stay the fuck away from Paula.”
"You have no real basis to come here and demand that she go back to work for you," I said as coolly as possible.
He glanced at Duncan, then at me. "You know what? I've looked you up. You're not a licensed attorney, so don't think you can put up that same spiel you did last time. You're a liar, just like she is."
Paula rolled her eyes.
"I’ll have my license this month."
I had no idea how I was being so calm, but I suspected it had something to do with having this mountain of a man next to me. I'd always been sassy and strong, but having him next to me made me feel grounded in a way I'd never experienced before.
"Riley might not be a lawyer yet, but I've got an army of them at my beck and call."
The guy sneered. "Really? Is that so? And who the fuck do you think you are?"
"Duncan Sterling."
His eyes narrowed. Sterling Investments was a huge company. Even a slimeball like him would have heard about it.
"Yeah, right," he said with disbelief. "The fuck you are."
Duncan stepped closer to him. "You leave here right now, or we’re going to sue you into the next century."
"For what?"
"The list is endless," I said. "Stalking, for which she has witnesses." I pointed to myself and Duncan.
"Not providing safety and security at work," Duncan added through gritted teeth. “You name it."
Paula wasn't saying anything. She simply crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot.
He looked between all of us and said, "This conversation isn't over."
"Yes, it fucking is," Duncan said. "Now get the hell out."
Duncan stepped closer to him. The guy winced. My heart was in my throat. I hoped it didn't come to a physical altercation because it would definitely count against us.
Finally, he stomped out of the room. I blew out a breath of relief when the door closed behind him. Paula started shaking. I put an arm around her shoulders.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm just glad that he left."
"What the hell did he even want?" Duncan asked in a harsh tone. He rolled his shoulders and shook his head, as if he needed to expel the adrenaline from his body.
"He said that the last few people he'd hired all quit after a few days and that I was his longest-lasting employee.
It all started good on the phone, you know?
Friendly. He almost convinced me to go back to work.
He was so charming; he can really be nice when he wants to.
Then, when I asked if he planned to install cameras, he totally turned on me. And then he showed up here."
"All right, you can't stay here anymore," Duncan said. "And no argument allowed."
My sister looked straight at him and then back at me. "You know what? I think I really shouldn't."
Will you look at that? She ignored me when I wanted her to, but Duncan convinced her with one sentence. I would definitely remember this for the future, whenever I have a hard time convincing her again. Sheesh.
"I don't think he’d show up here again," Paula said, "but I also don't want to risk it."
"And the place is a shithole," Duncan said in a stern voice. "There were plenty of guys looking for trouble outside."
She nodded. "Yeah, I know."
"How about we move you to my place now?" I wanted to strike while the iron was hot. "I can help you pack."
Paula laughed. "Sure. It's not like I’ve got a ton of things. And my lease is month to month and up next week anyway."
That was news to me. Maybe she’d been listening to my pleas after all?
“Don’t worry about any of those logistics. I’ll have someone take care of that stuff if you have any problems,” Duncan said in that take-charge manner that I loved.
There really wasn’t much to help her with. All her belongings fit in one suitcase. The apartment had been furnished, so she wouldn't be taking anything with her.
Less than an hour later, we were on our way to the house.
I messaged Christine and Julia so they weren't blindsided when they came home in the afternoon and my sister was there.
This wasn't unexpected, though; I'd spoken to them about the possibility of Paula rooming with me for a while, and they'd been very supportive.
Once we arrived, Duncan took her suitcase out of the trunk and brought it inside the house. He'd rolled his sleeves to his elbows sometime in the past few minutes, and the sight was absolutely exquisite.
"Do you want something to eat?" I asked Paula once we were inside the house.
"Um, yes, actually, I'm starving. I didn't have much for breakfast and didn't manage to get lunch at all."
"I’ll make something really quick," I said, disappearing into the kitchen.
I needed a few moments on my own—though not too many because I didn't want my sister to get suspicious. Like Duncan, I also had adrenaline flowing through my body, and I needed to expel it. I did that best when I was on my own.
Duncan
Paula sat down on Riley's bed. "Thank you so much for showing up there today."
"No problem. Anything you need, let me know."
She smiled. "You sound like my sister. No wonder she likes you so much. And I like you, too, Duncan."
I winked at her. "You'd better not think I'm doing all this out of the goodness of my heart. I'm hoping to win some points."
She laughed. It was good to see her relaxed. "I'm not buying that. I think that's exactly why you're doing it—out of the goodness of your heart."
“I always take care of family.” I wanted her to understand how important Riley and she were to me. “I know Riley’s glad you decided to move in with her. It’ll give her some peace of mind too.”
“Yeah, I should have done so when she first suggested it, but don’t tell her that.” She smiled, adding, “She’ll get all ‘big sister’ on me.”
We laughed, and I could see how similar the two were, both independent and self-sufficient.
"I'm going to go check on her."
"I was going to suggest just that," Paula said. "She put up a tough act back there, but I know Riley. It takes a lot out of her."
"I know," I said.
Her eyes widened. "You really do, huh? You're great for her, Duncan."
That was good to hear.
I stepped out of the room, walking to the kitchen. Riley was putting toast, cheese, and ham on a platter. Her hands were shaking slightly, as were her shoulders. I went to her without saying anything and simply put an arm around her waist. She stilled instantly.
"I'm here with you," I whispered in her ear.
She turned around and buried her face in my chest. I put a hand at the back of her head, massaging it lightly.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she murmured. "Both for coming with me and convincing my sister to move here."
"I didn't need to do much convincing," I said. "She agreed fast."
Riley looked up at me with a happy smile, but her eyes were glossy. Had she been crying?
"You used that mysterious voice. Of course she agreed," she said. "I hope she picked up on the serious and not the sexy part." She wasn't making much sense, but I didn't interrupt her. "Anyway, you did help, trust me."
“My pleasure, Riley."
"Huh. See, you're using it again. And it’s working."
"Good, because I meant what I said about the lawyers. That moron is trouble. At Sterling Investments, I have some of the finest lawyers in the city. I can ask them to deal with him."
She bit the inside of her cheek. "But is that okay? To use them for personal issues?"
"Fuck yes. I'd do anything for you. They work for the family as much as they work for the company."
Her eyes softened. She muttered, "The family," and then smiled again. Her body was less tense than it had been before.
"Okay," she said. "If it's not too much trouble."
"It's fucking not. I mean it. I’d do anything to help you out, to help Paula out. Whenever either of you needs anything, I want you to know, Riley, I can help. Always."
She gave me a wry smile. "You're so sure about that, huh?"
"Yes. I know you two are very capable, but I can make things easier.” Money and influence had a tendency to do that.
I had vast resources at my disposal, and I didn't mind using them for Riley and Paula.
"Now, I have a proposition for you. Take care of your sister, and then I'll take you away and care of you. "
"She might need me the whole day."
I shook my head. "She's going to be happy knowing you're taken care of."
Riley stepped closer to me, laying a hand on my cheek and then my shoulder before drawing it down my chest.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Checking that you're real. That you're really standing here, saying all these beautiful things."
"I'll do so much more. I’ll show you."
I cupped her face, and her breath turned ragged instantly. I loved that I had this effect on her. That her breath quickened when I was near, no matter what.
I tilted over her, kissing the curve of her neck. "Let's take care of your sister.”
I spent the whole afternoon with Riley and made several phone calls to our lawyers, not wanting to waste any time.
Paula volunteered all the information she had on the guy.
The lawyer agreed to start soft. There was no point asking for a restraining order just yet, but they could give him a good scare.
I’d dealt with slimeballs like him before. A display of power usually sent them scurrying away.