Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Dahlia
L ooking up at the guard outside of the music school, I give him an uncertain smile. Jack dropped me off at the front, and watched me walk up, but had to leave quickly to get to work for a call.
I’m not a child, I can handle my first day on my own.
“Hi, it’s my first day. Do I need to call Sullivan to clear me?” I ask. Jack gave me my new boss’ number in case I had any issues. I’m glad for it now, because the man in front of me is a mountain.
It’s giving me flashbacks of when I worked at the strip club, and it isn’t my first experience with men who are bouncers or guards. It’s still a little overwhelming though, to have to look up so much to be able to meet someone’s eyes, even at my five-foot-eight height.
“Name please?” the man asks gruffly, glancing at his phone.
“Deidra Demarco,” I say, giving him my new name. “I was hired yesterday.”
“I see you now, Miss. I get a little nervous when I spot new people,” he explains. “The paparazzi are shitheads, and aren’t above sending in someone new. I just need your identification, please, and then they’ll make you a work pass, so it’s easier for you to enter and leave.”
I have a cross body purse that I dig into for my identification card, handing it to him. I’m wearing a pair of navy, wide-legged trousers, a cream shell top, and comfortable heels. A navy blue lace cardigan finished the outfit to break up its severity, though it’ll do nothing to stave off the chill if the air conditioning is freezing inside.
“You’re going to head inside, and Mark is going to bring you to Human Resources to fill out some paperwork and he’ll make your name badge,” the man says, handing my ID back. “My name is Karl. I’m typically here in the mornings.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, walking inside as soon as he opens the door. It appears as if the door is locked at all times, unless you have the code, or your thumb is set to be able to open it.
Karl uses his thumb, and it makes me wonder what would happen if he was knocked out. Would it still work?
I would blame the spy movies I’ve been watching, but I haven’t been able to get into anything recently. My mind just races any time I try to watch something.
The next two hours fly by as I learn the ropes of the music school, and get a grand tour. There are six different rooms for students to practice in that are soundproof, eight classrooms, offices, a conference room, and then three recording booths.
It’s a fairly large property, and the acoustics are really good in all of the work spaces. I got here at six in the morning, well before any students would arrive to figure out my way.
Sullivan strides through the door at nine, and I know classes today start in an hour. Teachers have been through a little before him to prep for the day, but I think Thursdays have a later start.
“Good morning, Dee. What do you think?” he asks.
“I think you should be really proud of what you’ve built here,” I say honestly. “This building is beautiful, and I actually do feel safe, knowing how much security there is here.”
“Good, good,” he says, bobbing his head. I can see he’s musically inclined now that I’m really paying attention. His body kind of looks like there’s a melody playing in his mind that only he can hear.
“I think Jack would have my head if something happens to you. Students are going to be arriving soon. I should have mentioned that you’ll need a thick skin around some of them…”
Remembering my past and what I’ve gone through, I almost laugh. I think I can handle some snot-nosed musicians.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I tell him. “Are any of them physically dangerous?”
“No,” he says quickly. “That’s grounds for expulsion. They know I’d blacken their names to keep them from ever working in this industry again. Not all of them are solo musicians. Most of them need my support to be able to get gigs or connect them to the right people. They’re just assholes.”
Snorting, I cover my face quickly at his amused look. “I can definitely handle that,” I reassure him. “Thank you for the heads up.”
“Good. Ah, so, I had planned for the interview to happen tomorrow, but we aren’t going to be open then. Instead, the board wants to talk to you at four this afternoon.”
“Oh, shit,” I whisper, blushing as he grins. My hands drop to my sides as I think about that. “Everything is happening really fast, but it’s fine. You don’t mess around.”
“No,” he chuckles. “I definitely do not. I know it’s sooner than you expected, and that can be nerve wracking.”
“It is,” I agree. “I didn’t bring my notebook or anything to show that I’m worthy of being here.”
“Look,” Sullivan says. “What I read and the way you fucking talk about your work… I know you’re worthy of being here. The rest of it is a formality. I’ll see if Jack can bring your notebook, or at least send me those photos of your work. Either way, I’m not worried about that part, and neither should you be.”
“Okay…” I trail off as he nods and walks off. My new boss is super intense, but it’s nice that he believes in me.
The first students to come inside are two older teens that appear a little younger than I am. The girl has a nose ring, while the other is a guy who is covered in dark, angry looking swirls up his arms. While Jack has tattoos up both his arms, they aren’t as jarring for some reason.
“You’re new,” the girl sneers as I raise my eyebrow.
“How terribly astute of you,” I murmur. “I am. Today is my first day.”
The guy’s lips twitch in amusement, but I’m not sure if it's a good or bad thing. “Are you Hayes’ next charity project?” he asks. “He’s insanely talented and has connections that keep me attending this school, but his heart is too soft.”
My lips twist as I gaze at him. Sullivan doesn’t give off the bleeding heart vibes to me, and if necessary, I’d use the auction money toward tuition.
“I don’t believe that man has a single soft bone in his body,” I say honestly. “He is, however, doing me a solid, so I promised not to make anyone cry today. Go do whatever your spoiled brat selves need to do and remove yourself from my presence.”
“Harsh,” the guy mutters, pushing the girl to move as I roll my eyes.
I meant it when I said I had thick skin. I’m not impressed by any of the people who walk into the school. While some smile brightly, many gaze at me with suspicion. I don’t need to make friends at work, I have them at home.
At three forty-five, Jack comes rushing through the door, and I sigh as I gaze at him. I managed to catch a quick lunch, take a million phone calls, and field questions from students. He’s a welcome distraction.
“Hey,” I say with a smile. “What are you… You brought my notebook!”
It’s a mixture between a hiss and squeal. I’m still constantly surprised by these sweet gestures.
“Sullivan asked me to, but I got seriously pulled into my day. I feel as if I’m pulling a Hail Mary here. Traffic was a bear,” he says.
Reaching out to grab my hand, he tugs me around the desk to stand before him. His fingers drift up my arm, raising the hair on it due to the thin material of my cardigan, before the pressure of his fingers force me to look up at him.
Even in heels, he towers over me, making me feel tiny. Eating regular meals has helped me to gain some weight, which makes me cheer with happiness.
There’s thin, and then there’s sick, which is what I was from lack of nourishment, because I wasn’t eating enough.
His mismatched eyes are warm and content at whatever he sees as he looks down at me, and then his lips brush mine. God do I love that he can do that.
“Aren’t you supposed to be working instead of making out?” the guy with all the tattoos asks. I found out his name is Ivan, and the girl he was with is named Arina. They’ve been in and out of the school together all day, but he’s alone now.
I give Jack a look that asks the Lord to give me patience before I smooth my features into a look of professionalism.
“I happen to no longer be working today,” I tell him. The school closes at four today, which is why he’s one of the last people in the building. “I also believe that question is inappropriate.”
“It was,” Jack growls. “I was bringing her something for her interview.”
“Why would she be interviewing for a job she already has? I don’t believe that’s how it works, old man,” Ivan says with a laugh.
“Boy, I could erase you from existence,” Jack says, eyes narrowing. “You will be nice to my girl, or you will find yourself with a zero balance bank account and Immigration at your door. Is that understood?”
Ivan pales even as he shakes his head. “I was born here, you can’t do that,” he rasps.
“I can make the computers think whatever the fuck I want them to,” Jack grunts. “Stop being a jerk.”
“Dee, we’re ready for you,” Sullivan says, walking into the lobby. “Ivan, did you need something, or are you simply harassing people?”
“Nah, can’t do that to people who won’t be here long enough to make a difference,” he says, taking a step back to head for the exit.
“Ah, you may want to rephrase that. She’s about to go in for an interview with the board, which I can tell you is simply a formality at best,” Sullivan grunts, unimpressed with Ivan. “Dee is going to be a student here, you may as well get used to her sticking around. Hey, Jack.”
“Hey,” Jack grunts, handing him my notebook. “I just managed to make it by. Everything going well?”
“Yes,” Sullivan says with a nod. “Dee is amazing. I haven’t had to deal with a single call that didn’t legitimately need me. She’s a fucking godsend.”
“I feel like I haven’t done anything out of the ordinary,” I say honestly as Ivan snorts obnoxiously. “I’m sorry, did you need something, Ivan?”
Sullivan told me not to be rude, but I don’t have to deal with Ivan’s attitude toward me while off the clock, right?
“I’ve been insulted and threatened while standing here. I think I’m the one who’s been wronged,” Ivan complains.
“Ivan, if Jack threatened you, then it was because you were a dick to his girlfriend,” Sullivan says with a shrug. “Maybe don’t do that. Jack’s not a great person to be on the wrong side of.”
“Wait, you mean he can really get me deported even though I was born in America?” Ivan gasps.
“Yeah,” Sullivan says with a snort. “He manages the security of this building. When is the last time you’ve been harassed by a photographer or media reporter? Jack makes that possible. Don’t fuck around, and then complain that you wrote checks your mouth can’t cover.”
Ivan blinks as he tries to figure out what that means before walking out of the building.
“Well, that escalated,” I murmur.
Jack chuckles as he wraps his arm around my shoulder, and we walk toward the conference room, where the board is gathering.
“I was trying to let you figure it out, but then realized that Jack would put me out of business in an effort to school the snot-nosed kids, I teach a lesson,” Sullivan says with a sigh. “Ivan is really talented, but is an asshole. I think it’s a precondition for some musicians.”
My lips twitch as I walk, wondering if it may be. Having a musical gift that you spend your life practicing and cultivating to perform at your best has to give people a certain degree of entitlement, right? All I want is to be able to learn enough to write songs.
I wish people would realize how lucky they are.
“Knock ‘em dead, baby,” Jack says as we arrive at the door.
“Thank you,” I murmur, taking a deep breath as I walk into the room.
Ready or not, here I come.
I refuse to take any of this for granted. I know what it means to get a second chance at life.
Five days later, Tuesday
Jack
“I’m sorry I’ve been so slammed ,” Greg groans, leaning back against his chair. He video called me, and looks really fucking tired. We’re on a completely secured line, so we can speak freely.
“ This client has been a search and rescue, and I had to get boots on the ground and call in some favors. Thankfully, she’s been returned to her family.”
“Good, I’m glad,” I say, and I mean it. Greg’s side of the company is much more hands on in some ways. People come to him when they have no other hope, because he can get into places no one would want to.
“I have my team annoying Gareth, and watching his moves. He goes to work, community fundraiser events, and home. No one has seen much of Dolly’s mom, Lucia, though.”
“ That doesn’t surprise me, if the shine has worn off,” Greg grunts. “ There may be some possible abuse. Is she still employed at the hospital?”
“ It’s the first place I had them look. Records even state that she’s working there,” I sigh. “My priority right now is Dolly, and making sure she’s safe.”
“I’ll take over watching him ,” Greg says. “ I’ll find a reason to get into the house to snoop. We may be playing the long game with him.”
It’s not exactly what I wanted to hear, but Gareth’s deep pockets and community work make it harder to just kill him. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself. Late at night, when I’m watching Bee and Dolly sleep next to me, I want to just blow him off the face of the earth.
I never thought I was a killer, but I’d break my soul apart for both of them.
“Alright,” I say. “How is the family?”
I spend the next few minutes catching up with him, because we’re friends and I’m not a complete asshole.
“ I do not know the whole story with Dolly, do I?” Greg asks, and the back of my neck heats. I asked him to look into things, help me erase her in places my team may not be able to reach, but I didn’t explain it all.
“It’s complicated,” I admit. “When Dolly disappeared on her sixteenth birthday, Bee and I were shattered. We didn’t know where she went, or how badly Gareth was abusing her. She disappeared off the face of the earth. Bee and I went to an event almost a month ago, and we found her staring out at us.”
“Holy shit,” he says. “ Dude, you stole her girlfriend for all intents and purposes.”
“Don’t be an ass,” I groan as he snickers. God, he can be a dick, but he’s a good guy. “It wasn’t like that, but while she was gone, I started to fantasize about her the last couple of years. It wasn’t in a weird, creepy way?—”
“ Nah, you’re not like that,” Greg grunts. “ The reason people fall for each other that they’ve known their entire lives is because of the familiarity. You know everything about the other person. Feelings evolve.”
“Exactly,” I say, relieved. “Dolly was standing there, scared, and so damn tiny. I thought a stiff breeze might push her over. She’s been homeless for a couple of years, and then started living in a rough area of Detroit. She had awful roommates that kept stealing from her, so she wasn’t able to take care of her more basic needs.”
“ Please tell me that you paid them back for that,” Greg begs. He’s fucking bloodthirsty, but I did love frying Frankie’s nuts.
“Stun gun to his cock,” I mutter. “Fucker pissed himself, but not before he ruined all Dolly’s things while she was gone for the weekend.”
“ I hope he can’t ever piss in a straight stream, and his cock is always limp,” Greg snarls. “ So, what’s going on now?”
“We decided to see where our relationship would go with the three of us,” I explain. “She’s working at the Melton School of Music, and is also taking classes there. I think Dolly could have a career at song writing, but she needs the framework for it.”
“ Sullivan is a good guy,” Greg says warmly. “ You’re really in the public eye, Jack. Is this a good idea?”
“I know. Bowen is going to attend the next party with me that the mayor invited me to,” I say. “I’m not hiding our relationship?—”
“ No, you’re protecting her,” Greg says. “ Make sure you remind her that you’re not hiding her. It can end up feeling like that real fast. Miscommunication fucking sucks.”
His wife had a stalker once, and it nearly destroyed their relationship. The guy was very good at manipulating things, so Greg speaks from experience.
“It does. I’m a fucking caveman, I’ve realized, when it comes to both of them,” I say. “If anyone looks sideways at either of them, I’m practically growling. I don’t know how long it’ll be before someone tries to spin this as me cheating on Bowen.”
“I’ll bury the damn news rag ,” Greg promises. “ We’ll try to wrap this up as soon as we can. I don’t want anyone to miss him when we do. I’ll start destroying his reputation so no one truly cares that the good doctor is dead.”
“Thanks,” I breathe. “I knew I’d feel better after talking to you. I’m impatient.”
Saying our goodbyes, I work through the day and take care of some errands until I need to pick Dolly up from work. She’s taking classes during her lunch break and during the last classes of the day. Sullivan decided that he’d have a student work the desk while she’s in class during her lunch break.
It’s not perfect, but she’s already better than the previous people who have worked the desk before her. It’s stressful, and the students aren’t always pleasant. As far as I’ve heard, Ivan hasn’t been a problem.
Dolly is talking excitedly to a teacher when I walk into the lobby. The guard knows me by sight, as I’m his boss, which means it’s easy for me to pop in to visit her and pick her up.
She’s learning music theory, and will be starting guitar lessons next week. Her classes are filled with younger students, but she was just excited to be in class at all.
“This is a beginning theory book, but it’s a good basis for what you want to be able to do,” the professor explains.
Dolly doesn’t have an issue with hard work, and nods eagerly. “Thank you, I feel like I’m behind, so this definitely will help,” she says. “Is there anything you can suggest?”
“Voice lessons can really help you when writing your songs, so you’re able to hear how you’d like them to be sung,” he says. “There’s someone who works with students, and I’ll have you added to her roster. It may be after hours, but I think it’ll help.”
“Thank you,” she says again, eyes shining with the drive to succeed. I will never blow smoke up her ass. I think Dolly has an incredible gift for words. College may not be the best option, unless it’s to continue to learn music.
Sullivan’s school is the best I know though, so I still think she’s in the right place.
“Absolutely,” he says with a nod. He walks away toward the exit, and I smirk at her.
“Good day?” I ask before she’s launching herself at me.
“The best!” she squeals. “I just want to go home and work on the skills I’m learning.”
“Good, but first you need to eat,” I tease her, holding her tightly to me. I’ll never get tired of being able to do this. “Anything else happen?”
“Not really,” she says with a shrug. “I am starving though. I manage to eat on the run since I’m in classes during lunch, but it’s totally worth it. The fourteen-year-olds also haven’t managed to enter their asshole villain era either.”
“You’re adorable,” I say, kissing her forehead. “Bee went home early, I think she may have had a rough call. Her boss is really careful about balancing her counselor’s mental health.”
“Shit,” she whispers. “So, we need lemon cake, ice cream, and garlic butter chicken.”
“You just named all her favorites,” I say, grabbing her sweater. It’s almost eight at night, and Detroit’s weather is being finicky.
While it was eighty degrees during the day, it’s now down to fifty. Gotta love the Midwest.
“Best girlfriend ever. Lucky for you, all of that is currently waiting for us to take it to her in the truck. We should go before the ice cream melts.”
Her eyes widen as she nods, pulling on her sweater. Running around to the desk, she pulls up the cameras on her computer to see who is left in the building. I watch as she finds only one professor is here, and she calls her extension.
“Hi, Professor Vernon. It’s Dee. I’m getting ready to leave, can you make sure to hit the lights on your way out, please? You’re the last one here,” she says.
Dolly chats for another minute before hanging up, and scurries back to me.
“Now, I’m good,” she says. “Can I just say your team is incredible? It’s so easy for me to find people, check to see who is here, or drop a message for them to return a call.”
Barking out a laugh as I start walking toward the exit, I incline my head at the guard still inside of the building.
“You mean I made it easy for you to stalk people,” I tease her as we leave. “This place is so large that it’s a pain to locate everyone, so this was also done for Sullivan.”
“Well I appreciate it,” Dolly says airily with a shrug. “Okay, let’s get home. I want cuddles.”
The drive home is easy since it’s late enough that the rush hour is over, and Dolly races through the door to the apartment as soon as I open it.
Bee is napping on the couch, eyelashes wet from tears. My heart clenches as I pass by, my fingers ghosting over her cheek. She has such a big heart, but not everyone can be saved or wants to be.
Sometimes, the pain is so great that the person calls the hotline so they can say goodbye to someone, even if it’s a stranger.
Dolly drops to her knees beside Bee as I put the ice cream in the freezer so it won’t melt.
“Hey,” she whispers, gently playing with Bee’s hair. “Wake up, you have to tell me something.”
“What? Oh, hi, baby,” Bee says, turning to face her. “There’s something I need to tell you?”
The repeated question back to her is adorable, and I hide a smile as I wait.
“Mmhmm. Are you hungry or do you want lemon cake and snuggles?” Dolly asks very seriously.
“Lemon cake,” Bee says immediately, pouting. “Today sucked.”
Tears are thick in her voice, and I blink rapidly, because the pain is palpable. I fucking hate when they’re hurting. Putting the chicken away, I plate the lemon cake with three forks. Why the fuck not?
“You’re the boss,” I tell her, coming back into the living room. “Want to talk about it?”
Bee moves so that she can allow Dolly and I to sit on either side of her, and picks up the fork to take a bite of the cake. Breathing deeply, she allows the flavors of the dessert to hit her taste buds.
I swear, I can see the dopamine hitting her system right now.
It’s sexy as fuck to watch her eat. I have this obsession with taking care of both of them. If sugar when they’re sad counts as self-care, then I endorse it.
“A woman called around two in the afternoon,” Bee says, leaning back as she recalls it. “I’d just returned from lunch, and I could hear water running in the background. She said her name was Nancy, and that she was having the best day. Nancy sounded almost too upbeat, which made warning bells ring in my head. I called my supervisor over, following the protocols.”
“What happened next?” Dolly asks softly.
“She said she went and bought herself roses, because her husband used to do it every year,” Bee says. “Nancy explains how her husband had died of cancer the year before, and how depressed she was.”
Fuck.
“We spoke a little about this, and she told me that she was okay,” Bee says, her voice cracking. Gasping, she shakes her head. “I asked her what she was doing, and she said today was the anniversary of his death. She said that she thought it would be harder than it was, but that it was okay… because she decided she was tired of missing him.”
“Oh no,” Dolly whispers, eyes wide.
“Nancy ate the entire contents of a bottle of Xanax that was prescribed to her by her family physician, and a handful of her husband’s hydrocodone before she called me,” Bee says, her gaze haunted.
“The water was the bath she was getting ready to take. There wasn’t any way I was going to be able to call an ambulance to get to her in time, and she tossed the phone away, as she told me that she was going to take one last bath before she met her husband. I was sobbing as I listened, knowing she was drowning peacefully. My supervisor sat there with me, because we couldn’t track the call, and we had no way to know where she was.”
“Nancy knew what she was doing,” Dolly says. “I think she wanted someone to know.”
“That’s what my supervisor said,” Bee says, tears spilling over. “I spoke with her in her office, and she made sure I was mostly okay before I went home.”
“That’s when you called me,” I say. “I’m so sorry.”
“I know not everyone is going to call wanting to be talked down,” Bee mumbles. “I’m having a hard time with it, so I have a therapy appointment tomorrow. I’m taking tomorrow off.”
“Good call,” Dolly agrees. “What you do is so important, but it takes a toll.”
The three of us sit and talk, eat cake, and silently hope Nancy is with her husband now. Just the way she wished for it.