Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
BLAKE
The office is a hive of activity this morning with another major case unfolding and pulling everyone in.
Everyone but Theo and me, that is. The case Frank assigned us is consuming me.
I’ve lost track of how many hours I’ve spent buried in research.
The only time I’ve stepped out of the library has been for coffee or the occasional bathroom break.
I need to prove myself to everyone here, but to Theo most of all.
There’s still that small part of me—the eighteen-year-old girl—that fell in love with the wrong guy and is desperate for his approval, for him to notice me.
But then I remember who the fuck I am and smack that idea out of my head.
I didn’t need him then, and I sure as hell don’t need him now.
Brushing my hair out of my face, I reach into my bag and grab my eye drops and face mist. Staring at books and screens has always given me dry eyes, so I like to keep them well-moisturized.
Also, having the world's driest skin means I have to apply creams or mists to keep it from feeling like it's peeling off my body.
Dropping two drops into each of my eyes, I blink, moving the liquid around before spritzing the mist onto my face. There’s a strange smell to it, but I don’t pay it any attention, enjoying the way it sinks into my skin.
I flip through the pages absentmindedly.
When you don’t know what you’re looking for, it's kind of hard to focus. Harper’s statement and the police reports about what happened the night they found her overflow onto my desk.
She didn’t say much; every question was met with a shrug or a smart ass remark.
It’s like she’s protecting the guy or something? Does he have something on her?
I rub my temples, frustrated that I can’t see the bigger picture. When my hand comes away from my face, though, I do a double take.
Why is my hand green?
I rub my fingers together, the texture sticky. Moving papers and books around on the table, I check to see if there’s any hidden paint or a blown pen on the desk, but there’s nothing. I hear a snigger behind me and twirl in my chair.
Theo’s propped against the door, arms folded against his bulky frame and a shit-eating grin on his face.
“What did you do?” I seethe, narrowing my eyes and pointing a finger at him.
He stands up straight, a hand to his chest and an innocent look on his face as he says, “Moi? I did nothing. Your misty spray thing on the other hand…” He smiles with glee as he gestures to my face.
“Might wanna do something about that. We have a meeting with Frank and Senator Thomas in”—he glances down at his watch—“oh, five minutes.”
“What the hell did you do?” I ask again, grabbing my bag and shoving everything into it.
“You knew we had this meeting. Are you trying to sabotage me on purpose?” I stop, think for a second, then place everything down on the desk and brace my hands against it.
“What am I saying? Of course you are,” I mumble, rolling my eyes.
“Less talky, more… cleany, Blakey.” He chuckles.
“Wouldn’t want to keep everyone waiting and lose your job now, would you?
” He pauses before putting a finger in the air.
“On second thought, take all the time you need. I can handle this meeting without you.” He winks and walks away, leaving me desperate to smack him upside the back of his head.
Racing to the ladies’ room, I push past everyone, grateful that I chose to wear flat shoes instead of high heels after my first day.
People give me strange looks as I go, some laughing and pointing, clearly showing their immaturity.
I shove my way through the door and come to a stop in front of the mirror, gasping at the sight that greets me—I look like the Grinch.
My face is covered in some sort of green dye that’s spread everywhere my face mist was.
I grab a handful of tissues from the dispenser and pump out a load of soap onto them before scrubbing frantically.
It’s not coming off. In my desperate need to get to the bathroom, it dried on.
I’ve rubbed so hard I made it worse, and now I’ve got a nice red tint to add to the green.
I want to say I don’t get teary-eyed, but I do.
After I’ve decided enough is enough, I lift my head and look at myself in the mirror. I straighten because I refuse for this asshole to get the better of me. “Okay, big guy, game on.”
It took me another couple of minutes to wipe off the soap and put myself back to some sort of normal, and by then, I was well and truly late to the meeting.
Stopping outside the door, I heave out a breath, knock on the door, then enter. Faces turn toward me, and I try my hardest not to shrink down under the weight of their gazes. It’s hard, but I manage it, especially when I see that fucker with a smug look on his face.
“Apologies for my tardiness,” I announce to the room. “I had to retrieve the files Mr. Moore requested. He said they were paramount and had vital information for today’s meeting.”
I’m full of shit, but they don’t know that, and from the look on Theo’s face, he’s not impressed. Frank’s lips purse before he directs his gaze to Theo, whose icy glare is still firmly on me. I blow him a kiss, fueling the fire and enjoying every second of it.
Kiss it, Moore.
Quickly walking to the table that’s large enough for twelve people, I sit down in the only available seat—the one next to Theo.
A hand clamps down on my thigh, squeezing.
The heat from his hand sends shivers down my spine, and the firm grip causes my clit to pulse, knowing precisely what those hands are capable of.
But I brush his hand away, sit up, and concentrate on the meeting taking place.
Senator Thomas appears older than he does on TV. His hair is receding, and the crow's feet around his eyes are deeper. He still holds himself with an air of intimidation, though, and I guess he wouldn’t have gotten to where he is without it.
Frank clears his throat from the head of the table. “So, Theo, what was it that you were having Blake look into?”
I glance over at Theo, wanting to see how he gets himself out of this one, but once again, he surprises me.
“Your daughter, Senator Thomas, she was with the man in question for three years?”
The senator nods but says nothing.
“I believe Harper was targeted. That she was taken not because of who you are but because they wanted her for themselves. An unrequited love gone wrong. Someone coming out of the shadows to take what they wanted. Someone who had possibly tried in the past but was rejected by your daughter.”
I had an inkling this was the case; our minds, apparently, work the same way.
“Now, Harper knows who it was. She knows their name, what they look like, and how to get to them for prosecution. The only problem is, she isn’t talking.”
The senator nods again, and I peer back at Theo.
He’s relaxed, as if this is something he handles off the cuff daily, rather than the hours and hours of research I’ve had to put into finding this information.
Begrudgingly, I feel a sliver of respect creeping in for how he’s been put on the spot and is stepping up.
“We need her to talk,” Theo continues. “She doesn’t have any friends, and she shuts down therapists who try to help her.
So, I propose another tactic. Harper needs to return to school to complete her education.
I have the perfect setup in mind, with the perfect confidante who’ll get us the information we need.
All I’m missing is the go-ahead from you, sir. ”
“Harper’s over the age of eighteen. Why do you need my permission?” the senator asks, an eyebrow raised.
“Because I need to put her under a conservatorship, which means all of her freedom will be taken away,” Theo explains.
The senator sits up, spluttering, “Take her freedom away? Hasn’t she had enough done to her? No, I won’t allow it.”
“She won’t have her freedom taken away, Senator, she’ll just think it’s been taken.
Everyone around her will believe it as well.
It’ll be a fake conservatorship so we can place her where we need her until we can get the information.
” Theo sits forward, leaning his arms on the table.
“This isn’t an ideal situation, I get that, but if Harper wants a normal life without looking over her shoulders constantly, drastic measures need to be taken. ”
The senator looks from Theo to me, to Frank, and then back to Theo. “Fine, but I don’t like it.”
“I didn’t expect you to, sir, but this is the best option we have in mind. This will also be on a need-to-know basis. Harper will be kept in the dark as much as you will be so we can keep her as safe as possible. Life is to continue as normal until we get her to talk.”
The senator stands, and we all follow suit.
He buttons up his jacket and looks at Theo.
“You'd better make sure you get what you need and my daughter doesn’t hate me at the end of this.” He gives one last look to Frank and a tilt of his head before he exits the room, leaving me confused as to where Theo is going with this and whether he’s ever going to tell me.
The door echoes around us as it closes, and I blow out a sigh of relief, which is short-lived when Frank shouts, “What the fuck happened to your face, Blake?”
I turn to look at him, his face a mask of anger, and I don’t blame him. I look like a complete mess.
“Sorry, sir. I had an incident this morning, and it won’t come off,” I reply, cheeks flaring under the green.
As much as I would love to get Theo into trouble, I’m not a snitch. Whatever’s going on between us is just that—between us.
“Make sure you cover it up, Blake. I’m not impressed,” he yells, his face going red with anger, and I nod, feeling two inches tall as he continues.
“Theo, make sure you give your subordinates the code of conduct, and you”—he turns back to me—"don’t ever step foot into my conference room with no plan in place and a face covered in green…
makeup again. Get out of my sight, the pair of you. ”
Theo smiles, and I wince at Frank’s tone. This isn’t going well at all, and it’s entirely his fault.
I follow Theo out, and his swagger of confidence does nothing to appease the frantic thoughts swirling in my head shouting that it could have been a lot worse, and I could still get fired. My footsteps are quiet as we step out into the deserted hallway.
The breath is knocked out of me when I’m hauled against the wall, Theo’s hand slamming down above my head and his face inches from mine. “Watch it, firefly. I’ve already warned you once before not to mess with me, and what you did in there? Messing. With. Me.”
His eyes are cold, colder than I’ve ever seen them before, and a shiver settles over me. Theo’s breath is warm on my face as my breathing picks up, the scent of his cologne filling my nose and making my heart flip in my chest.
“You messed with me first, asshole,” I whisper-yell, our faces millimeters apart. “What? You can dish it, but you can’t take it, hmm?” I’m taunting the beast, I know I am, but I can’t help it. He brings out a different side of me when he’s like this—feral and unhinged.
Theo runs his nose up the side of my neck, breathing me in, and I feel like my heart’s about to burst out of my chest. “Oh, I can take it, firefly. Just don’t come crying to me when you lose everything, 'cause you'd best believe that’s where I’m going with this.
I want you to suffer. I want you to know what it’s felt like for years to hate someone as much as I hate you. ”
He draws back, and my eyes dart to his lips. A slight smirk pulls when he sees where my gaze went, and my eyes shoot back up to his.
“Already there,” I sneer, shifting closer. “I’ve hated you from the moment I laid eyes on you. You’ve been nothing but misery in my life.”
“You think you’re better than me?” he taunts, his thigh settling in between my legs and his chest brushing against mine.
“No, just smarter,” I quip, done with him and this conversation.
He growls. “You really like testing my patience, don’t you?”
“Good, now you know how I feel.”
He scoffs. “The last thing I ever want to know is how you feel.”
“Yeah? Then why are you standing so close?” I raise an eyebrow. Theo says nothing, so I push against his rock-hard chest, making him step back.
Breathing easier now he’s not so close, I give him one last glare before walking away, back to the library and my only sanctuary in this godforsaken place.