14. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Monday rolls around and I wake with a feeling of dread.
Much to everyone's surprise—my own included—I had called in sick to work on Friday. Margot was forced to spend the night at my apartment, holding my hair back as I threw up the contents of my stomach into the toilet every fifteen minutes until dawn.
I finally sent her home Saturday afternoon, convincing her I was fine and that I'd stay in the apartment all weekend. Reluctantly she left but continued to text me all Sunday, including links to various chastity belts.
I mean in theory it's a good idea—locking up my bits to stop them from doing stupid things—but realistically, if Hawk and Jett were around, I wouldn't put it past them to saw it off with a blowtorch.
Today our new attorney starts and I have no idea what I'm in for. I can just imagine how unbearable Nick is going to be, let alone the extra work coming my way.
I walk into the office at eight, greeting everyone casually. Immediately, I spot Jason in his office, talking to someone. I can only see the back of his head, jet black hair neatly styled, but I can easily guess that it's Elijah.
Surprisingly, Nick is nowhere to be seen, and I settle into my office, opening my emails. I manage to catch up on all of them by the time there's a knock at my door. I look up, smiling at Jason.
"Rayne, I'd like to introduce you to Elijah."
A tall man steps inside, and I'm a little shocked. He looks a little older than Nick—not carrying those boyish features that he still has. Dark blue eyes scan over me casually, a smile appearing on his face.
"Hi," he says warmly, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you."
I stand up at my desk, reaching to grab his outstretched hand. I shake it, introducing myself back.
Jason gestures to me, looking at Elijah. "Rayne will be helping you out. She'll help you get set up and anything you need in the interim, please let her know."
"Will do," Elijah answers, hands in his trouser pockets. "I look forward to working with you both."
"Likewise," Jason says, shaking his hand. "I'll leave you to it. Rayne, he'll be situated in the vacant office in the corner."
I nod, watching him leave. When he's gone, Elijah turns to me, smiling warmly. My stomach does a small flip, caught in a trance at his handsome features.
"I'll show you to your office," I say, walking around my desk. "Have you been showed around yet?"
"Briefly," Elijah answers. "Mary was kind enough to give me a quick tour."
I smile. "Mary is wonderful. Well, if you follow me…" I gesture, leading the way as I head down the row of offices until we reach the end.
Elijah steps inside after me, looking around. "It's a great view," he comments, pointing out the window.
"It has its moments," I laugh, heading to the computer on the desk.
Someone has left login details in an envelope on the desk. I rip the envelope open, logging him in. "You'll need to change your password, but at the moment, all the details are here. I believe Mary has emailed you a list of files that you'll be taking over. Did they give you a key card?"
Elijah holds up the white plastic card between two fingers. "This one?"
"That's the one. It gets you into the building but also the printers. Everything is digital so you just need to swipe."
Pulling open the emails, I find Mary's and hit print on the spreadsheet list. Standing up, I take him to the printer room, showing him how to access the forwarded documents.
As we head back to his office, I find Nick inside, pacing slowly.
"Nick?" I ask.
He pauses, turning to look at us. I cringe when his eyes darken slightly at Elijah, a smile still on his face.
"Good to see you again, Elijah," he says coolly.
"Nick Forrester," Elijah laughs, holding his hand out. "It's been awhile."
I watch the two of them shake hands, standing awkwardly as I wonder if I need a whistle to break up an oncoming fight.
"I trust Rayne has been nice so far," Nick states dryly.
Elijah looks at me, surprised. "She's been wonderful."
"Good," he replies briskly. "Rayne, could you give us a few moments, please."
It's the first time I've heard please in recent times, but I nod, turning to Elijah. "Let me know if you need anything."
Nick gives me a dirty look, annoyed that I'm willingly offering support, but I ignore him, heading out of the office. I give Mary a quick wave on my way back to my office, and when I sit back down, I let out a breath, muttering positive thoughts to myself.
The rest of the day goes by uneventfully, and I catch Elijah in the elevator when I leave.
"Good first day?" I ask, swiping my key card on the elevator pad.
He nods, smiling at me. "It's been very welcoming."
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise, earning me a laugh from Elijah.
"Old friends with Nick?"
"Not really," he answers truthfully. "I'm sure he'll warm up though."
A smile threatens to appear on my lips, but I compose myself, watching the numbers on the elevator screen as we descend. "Well, I'm glad it was relatively smooth sailing for day one."
"Me too," he replies happily. "I'm excited to get stuck into some files tomorrow. I might need some help."
The elevator dings as we arrive on the ground floor, the doors opening up. I give him a small nod, smiling. "Just let me know if you do. Goodnight."
I turn and leave the elevator, hearing his footsteps behind me as I head outside into the warm gentle breeze. It's a gym kind of day, and I don't look back as I walk because the last thing I need is to get myself in more hot water.
The rest of the week passes by in a blur. Elijah is settling in well, and Nick has continued his usual charade of bombarding me with tasks. Not letting him get to me, I get everything done with a smile.
For some reason, I feel like a quick drink after work, so I head to a nearby bar by the courthouse. It's usually frequented by attorneys, and when I enter, I see several familiar faces—some from my own firm and people from others that we've gone up against on cases.
Taking a seat at the bar, I order a drink, scrolling on my cell. I hear the chair next to me scrap along the ground, but I pay it no attention as I read some social media posts on my screen.
"Busy week?"
I freeze, finger stopped mid-scroll. Slowly, I turn my head to my right, my eyes finding familiar blue ones.
The bartender walks over with my drink, pushing it toward me. "What can I get you?" he asks my new companion.
"Whiskey, neat."
He nods, walking away and I grab my drink, taking a sip.
"What are you doing here, Hawk?"
Hawk rests his elbows on the bar casually, watching me closely. "I'm having a drink."
"This bar? Of all places?" I mumble, looking at all the suits. "Not really your crowd."
He smiles. "And what exactly is my crowd , Rayne?"
I shrug. "Criminals," I answer sarcastically.
Hawk glances around the room. "Seems like I'm in the right place then."
"Why? Because you need an attorney due to your illegal activities?" I snort.
"Because they are all criminals too," he answers casually.
I put my glass down heatedly. "Our father was an attorney," I snipe at him.
"I know," Hawk replies. "And he's a good man. But that guy in the back corner," he nods, and I turn to look. "He's buying drugs as we speak. Narcotics would be my guess."
I roll my eyes. "You're one to judge. Besides, working in law is extremely stressful. It has one of the highest suicide rates in the world."
Hawk takes his drink from the bartender, bringing it to his lips. "That one," he says, pointing his finger slightly before it curls back around the glass. "He steals from trust fund accounts."
"Now I know you're just bullshitting," I scoff. "Is there something you need?"
Putting his glass down, he slowly looks up at me, fingers tapping the glass. "Are you offering?"
"No," I spit out. "Preferably, you leave and never return to my line of vision ever again."
Hawk smiles, unfazed. "You seem tense. Want to talk about it?"
I quickly finish my drink, pulling some money out of my purse. "Absolutely not. I'm not meant to be speaking to you anyway."
"Is that what Margot said?" he asks casually.
Whipping my head toward him, I glare at him. "Leave her out of this."
"I don't plan on bringing her into this. I prefer to keep my attention on one woman at a time."
"I'm not yours," I hiss at him through clenched teeth.
Hawk's hand moves so quickly that I don't have time to react. It comes down on top of mine, holding me to the bar. "Stay. Have another drink."
I tug my hand but he keeps it firmly pressed on the bar. "I need to get home."
"You're not very good at lying. Your reruns can wait," he says, motioning to the bartender. "Two more, please."
I finally manage to get my hand free, rubbing it. "Fine. One quick drink. Are you lonely or something? Jett ditched you for someone more interesting?"
Hawk laughs, running his hand through his hair. "Jett's on a date. He has a life. Do you know what that is?"
My stomach clenches, a small ping of jealousy hitting me unexpectedly. Hawk scans my face, smirking.
"I have a life," I shoot back.
"Don't be jealous," he answers, ignoring my comment. "Jett's been thinking about you too this week."
I throw him a look of disgust. "I'm not jealous. If anything, I pity the poor woman he's with."
Hawk raises an eyebrow. "Who said it was a woman?"
I stare at him, puzzled. "He's on a date with a man?"
"Business meeting," he says casually, hiding a laugh. "But good to see how you really feel," he adds, winking at me.
My jaw clenches tightly, and I turn away, giving him the cold shoulder. "You're insufferable."
"True," he says. "But it's just one of my many charming features."
"No one finds it charming," I scoff, grabbing my new drink.
Hawk thanks the bartender, handing over some money. "Want to bet on that?"
"Like how you bet on my life?" I mutter angrily. "What are you going to do? Hold a gun to someone's head and make them kiss you?"
"I could," he shrugs. "But I don't need to." His eyes scan the bar patrons, before he finds who he's looking for. He nods towards a woman in the back, sitting by herself. "She looks like she needs some company."
Against my better judgment, I swing around to look. I don't recognize her, but still, I don't want her to be subjected to this psychopath.
"Leave her alone. And no, that's not jealousy."
Hawk laughs to himself, not budging from his stool. "And what about that guy along the wall? He keeps staring at you."
Peering over my shoulder, I spot Nick, sipping a beer with some friends. He locks eyes with me briefly before turning his attention away. I have to hold back my laugh because if Hawk thinks that Nick is checking me out, he's very very wrong. But we won't tell him that.
I don't like Nick, but I put up with him for the sake of work. But Hawk? That's a whole other story.
Picking up my drink, I slide off the stool. "That's a great idea, Hawk. I might go join him," I say coolly.
Hawk doesn't react immediately. He just picks up his drink, taking a sip, appearing unfazed. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he replies casually, but there's a small threat lingering in his words.
"Try and stop me," I whisper under my breath, walking away as I cross the bar to a surprised Nick.
I sit down much to the surprise of Nick. I don't become flirty or over the top, just ask him about a case—something that will engage him to talk.
Hawk watches us for a few seconds before my cell vibrates in my purse. Excusing myself from Nick, I pull it out, glancing at the text message.
Unknown: Don't test me, Tempest.
By the time I glance up, Hawk is nowhere to be seen. I scan the bar quickly, heart racing. He's gone… and Nick is losing interest in our case discussion.
Shit.