Chapter 21
21
Christa
“ H ow’d you sleep?” Teagan asks as soon as we sit down in the Hawthorne company cafeteria the next morning.
“Surprisingly, like a log,” I reply.
“Do you feel better?”
“Yes. I guess it is easier when the truth is out.”
I let a heavy sigh roll from my chest as I look at my best friend and recognize the genuine concern in her hazel eyes. My hunger gets the better of me and I get to work on a ham and cheese panini, washing it down with freshly squeezed orange juice.
“I’m not sorry we argued about my brothers,” Teagan says, adding sugar to her coffee. “I believe I was well within my rights to be upset.”
“And I’m not going to contradict you,” I reply. “You’re right. I broke the code.”
“Oh, screw the code. I mean, yes, that pissed me off, too. But the fact that you didn’t tell me about it pissed me off a lot more.”
I nod slowly. “Again, I totally get it. And I am sorry. If there’s anything I can do to earn your forgiveness, just tell me. I don’t want to lose you.”
“Christa, you never lost me. You never will. I think I forgave you as soon as I walked out of the building that night. I can still remember the thought process. It’s your life, it’s your body, and your heart at stake. All I can do is support you and make sure those three don’t hurt you.”
I give her a worried look. “Is there something I should know about your brothers?”
“No,” she says sharply. “My brothers are good men. They’re the best men I’ve ever met, besides Tony, of course.”
“How are things with Tony?”
“They’re fine. We talked everything through and made up.”
“That’s good. I suppose every relationship has its ups and downs.”
“And so will yours. You get that, right?”
“I’m aware,” I tell her. “My past has been a dent in our relationship from the very beginning. I assume you know about—”
“Perry-Sage and the Mancinis? Yeah, they filled me in. Nathan said you gave him permission to share.”
“You’re family, Tee. And you are at risk. Every moment you spend in my company puts you at risk.”
“And you are underestimating us. I think you spent too much time in LA and forgot how we Portland goons deal with people who want to hurt us,” she shoots back. “You’re the closest thing I’ll ever have to a sister. Don’t think for a second that I’d sit idly by and let someone hurt you.”
“I hurt people, too.”
“Let’s not get into the fifty shades of morality of the work you did for Perry-Sage. I told my brothers the same thing last night after Nathan came back from dropping you off. They did terrible things in the military. They were doing their jobs, too.”
“You talked about me?” I’m blushing now.
“Oh, I gave Cassius an earful. I think he got it.” She laughs lightly.
“How so?”
“He’s always been the righteous type, but sometimes he forgets he’s human, that we’re all human. Usually, I don’t need much to remind him. Last night was no exception either. He means well, Christa. And he is head over heels with you, that much I’ll admit. The three of them are whipped.”
It's my turn to laugh, my heart sings as I listen to Teagan going over the events of last night, of how she tore them a new one and reminded them they’re never going to find another woman like me.
“You’re too kind, Tee, seriously.”
“They just felt like they had no control over the situation or the relationship. Cassius hates feeling that way because he’s usually very quick to react and able to come up with a solution. The mere thought of losing you; I swear. I’ve never seen my brothers like this before,” she adds.
It sounds wonderful. As wonderful as it can sound given the present circumstances. Were it not for the bloodthirsty crime family out to get me, I’d be jumping out of my seat with glee, my heart fluttering and my toes wiggling with delight at the thought that there’s more to our dynamic than just the sexual component—even though, as Nathan put it last night, I already felt like there was more to it.
And so did they.
I’d like nothing more than to fawn over them right now without a care in the world. But I’m not sure we’ll have a chance at a future together. Intention doesn’t stand a chance against reality.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Perry-Sage,” I say after a while.
“Oh, that I totally get,” Teagan replies. “I understood from the moment you mentioned the NDA, though I had no idea of the ordeals you went through.”
“Those ordeals were more or less of my own making.”
“It doesn’t mean you deserved to watch Brett be murdered. It certainly doesn’t mean you deserve to live like this, in constant fear,” she says, shaking her head while her gaze wanders across the cafeteria.
There aren’t many people here at this hour. Then again, it’s almost ten. Most of the Hawthorne staff have already started their shifts. I’ve got the day off. The only reason I’m here is because it’s one of the safer places for me to be.
“You shouldn’t be staying at your aunt’s place either,” Teagan adds. “Although I am glad to hear you patched things up with her.”
“Well, my apartment isn’t an option, and a hotel is a tad too public.”
“Our place,” Teagan suggests.
I chuckle dryly. “You want me to crash with you and your new hubby?”
“No, you mathematical genius. The Hawthorne mansion. It became a literal fortress the moment my brothers came back from the service.”
Granted, she has a point there. I spent my fair share of nights there, rolling in the black silk sheets of the Hawthornes’ beds. I saw the cameras and the motion sensors.
“It’s up to your brothers,” I mumble. “But I don’t want to impose.”
“My God, you’ve been a stray for too long. You’ve forgotten what we do for the people we love.”
“I think it’s got more to do with my fear of dragging anyone else down with me.”
Teagan thinks about it for a moment. “So hear me out, then.”
“I already don’t like it,” I shoot back with a cool grin.
“Hear me out,” she insists. “All the stunts you pulled to take down a massive fintech corporation… that was something else, wasn’t it? A Fed’s wet dream, right? I mean, you had access to all that inside information, proof, everything. And you made sure the cops found it.”
I nod slowly. “Yes. Where are you going with this?”
“What do you have right now in terms of information that might help bring the rest of the Mancini family down?”
My blood runs cold. “I witnessed a murder. But that would be my word against theirs. The manager from Perry-Sage who was there that night died in prison not that long ago. Suspicious circumstances, I heard.”
“Nothing else?”
“I don’t have access to any private email servers or anything like that. Even if I could gain access, it would have to be done in Los Angeles. I would need to be inside their offices.”
“Smack in the belly of the beast,” she sighs deeply. “Not a good idea.”
“Nope.”
“What about the notes you got? Don’t they constitute a threat?”
“Forensics might or might not link them back to a Mancini. But with the kind of lawyers those people roll with, they’d barely get a slap on the wrist. I’m sorry, Tee, I don’t mean to sound hopeless. It’s just that I shot my payload on Perry-Sage. I can’t do much else without direct access to one or more of their computers.”
Teagan takes a long, slow sip of her coffee. “I figured we might get you into an interview room with a detective, tell them the whole story. With the amount of anonymous support you provided for the FBI and the SEC, the least they could do is open a case against the Mancinis regarding Brett. His killer is still free, isn’t he?”
“I couldn’t even tell his mother where to send her PI to look.” I groan with frustration. “I could’ve, but I didn’t want to risk exposure.”
“At the end of the day, you did the best you could under some godawful circumstances. You tried to protect yourself and you still managed to bring that entire corporation down. I’m telling you, the Feds would probably give you a badge if they knew where to find you.”
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do next. I’ve reached out to a few people I trust. People in IT, programming, and cybersecurity that is. There may be options, but I need to go over each in great detail before I take action.”
“Personally, I’m just relieved we can still sit like this and talk.”
“Me too, Tee.”
“I’ve missed you.” She sighs once more. “I don’t want you to leave again.”
“I don’t want that either, but I might still have to. Even if it’s just for a while. Honestly, I don’t know how we’re going to handle this.”
Teagan leans forward and gives me a playful wink. “Four heads are better than one, my sister from another mister. In our case, we’ve got three super-smart ex-Marine noggins, plus your genius brain on top. I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”
“You didn’t count yours,” I chuckle softly.
“I’m not the smart one. Consider me moral and emotional support,” she quips. Her phone pings. “Excuse me just one moment. I’m waiting to hear from Tony about dinner tonight.”
“Do your thing.”
“Oh, it’s Alexandra Jones,” she says, somewhat surprised.
Honestly, so am I. “You exchanged numbers?”
“A while back. She invited the entire Hawthorne family to the theater and dinner afterward. Her way of thanking my brothers for the whole green energy collaboration, I guess. She’s actually really nice. I like her.”
“Me, too. She surprised me.”
“She wants to take us both out to lunch one of these days. What do you think?” Teagan asks.
Good question. What do I think about this?
I’m not entirely opposed to the idea. I’m not sure it’s what I need right now. Or maybe it is. Alexandra has been supportive. Teagan seems to like her, too, and I could do with a bit of socializing.
“We should pick the restaurant,” I tell my bestie. “Just so we have some form of control over the location.”
Teagan stares at me for a second, then chuckles and starts typing a reply to Alexandra. “You’ve been spending too much time with my brothers. Next thing I know, you’ll start talking about strategic location advantages for the Trocadero while I’ll be busy perusing their wine list.”
She’s not that far from the truth.
But I have to think this way. I have to watch my back and hers while we’re together. I can’t stay cooped up inside all day either. After last night’s episode, Nathan agreed that the Mancinis are done with direct interactions, at least for a while. Their purpose is to make me toss and turn at night, to make me stew before they do worse.
It gives me a few days to put a plan together.