Chapter 22 Forest
FOREST
The office door opened, and Keith slid in, shutting it behind him.
He took a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk.
I couldn’t get over how weird it was when he did that.
This was his shop, his and JJ’s. He shouldn’t sit across from me like I’m the boss when it was the other way around.
“How are you doing?” he asked, quickly eyeing the door. “I don’t just mean with work. You have shadows wherever you go.”
I’d decided there was no point in hiding what was going on from him.
I had two guards with me now. Besides, if someone wanted to get to me, I needed Keith and others to know what I was up against. This wasn’t an ex who was jealous because their lover was with another person.
Not to downplay that at all. Vail’s ex was proof of how unhinged someone could be.
What I was dealing with was a different kind of fucked up.
“I try not to think about it,” I told him.
“At least while I’m here. My brother or V will call me if anything happens with Sheldon or anyone else.
I’m more worried about Sheldon getting hurt.
He’s out there all day. When he’s in the building, he’s safe.
When he’s with Jordan, going wherever, he’s in the open. ”
“I’d feel the same way. The only reason I don’t worry about my partners is because I work with them.
It’s a blessing and a curse. I’m their boss on top of their lover.
There can’t be any favoritism with Damian and Jeremy.
At the same time, everyone here knows we’re together and is comfortable with it.
You’re dating a bodyguard for the mafia.
That’s a different ball game.” He put his hands up.
“No judgment. I’m the last person who’ll do that.
I saw some shit with JJ a while back. It wasn’t pretty. I’m here for you though. We all are.”
“I appreciate it. Any other place wouldn’t tolerate this.” I motioned toward the door. On the other side was either Micah or Winnie. They took turns manning it and walking the perimeter of the shop and property.
Keith leaned forward, putting his forearms on the desk. “Is it fucked up that I like having them here? It means more security for all the employees. They won’t let anything happen.”
“Not at all. I like that Sheldon has other badass people with him every day. They’re more than capable.”
A knock on the door halted our conversation.
Winnie stuck her head in. Her black hair was pulled back in a tight bun.
She wore a formfitting T-shirt tucked into a pair of cargo pants and boots that looked like they could kick the shit out of someone.
“He’s really laying it on thick.” She grinned and presented a bouquet of orchids.
Dark pink and white, they were gorgeous, perfectly arranged in a clear glass vase.
I still had the bouquet of pink roses on my desk from two days ago.
I hadn’t given much thought to receiving flowers. It wasn’t that I thought only women should get them. I’d never received them. Now that I had, I realized how much I loved it.
Standing, I carefully took the flowers from Winnie and set them on the desk. She closed the door as she stepped back into the hallway. There was a card nestled in the middle, much like the others.
Roses. What an amateur. Sheldon can do better.
Do you like my gift to you? I thought they’d brighten up an otherwise dull work environment.
Til I see you again.
“Winnie!”
Keith was on his feet, taking the card from my hand as the door slammed open.
“What?” she asked.
“This wasn’t from Sheldon,” I said in a shaky voice. It wasn’t just my lips that were trembling. My whole body was.
Everything started to fade as my vision tunneled to the flowers. My body swayed, the room spun. Arms wrapped around me, slowly lowering me to the floor.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
“Keith?”
“Yeah. We’ve called Sheldon.”
Darkness crept in, trying to pull me under, but I shook it away, focused on the sounds around me. Micah yelled to pull the bay doors down and lock the front. Winnie spoke to someone, I thought, on the phone. It was all distant yet not.
Keith didn’t let me go, sat with my back to his chest.
Damian filled my vision, his hair falling onto his forehead. “Focus on me.”
I nodded. At least I thought I did.
“You see me?”
“Yes,” I whispered. Nothing had happened to me and yet my throat was raw.
“Good. Sheldon’s coming, okay? Until then, no one’s going to get to you. We won’t let them touch you.”
“The flowers.” My throat squeezed, my air cutting off.
“Gone.”
I nodded again. Breathing wasn’t any easier. It wasn’t until Keith began to slowly rock me that I could draw in more.
Why was this happening to me? I was fine when Sheldon received a note.
Not fine, but I didn’t nearly faint. This made it real.
The threat wasn’t just against Sheldon. It was me too.
I wasn’t afraid for me then, only him. Now, I wanted to return to Jordan’s building, where nothing could get to me.
Not only that, but what if this person hurt the people I worked with?
Tears burned my eyes as I looked at Damian. “I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for, right, K?”
“Not at all. You’re one of us. We watch out for each other.”
“Move!” I heard bellowed through the shop.
“Sheldon,” I whispered.
Damian slid out of the way before Sheldon quickly appeared in front of me, his knees hitting the floor, his hair a mess. The room was no longer tunneled. Everyone was sharp in clarity.
“You didn’t wear a helmet,” I said with no anger to it. I should have been, but I was just glad he was here.
“Beautiful, no one fucking cares. Are you okay?”
“I care. I don’t want you hurt. I thought we agreed you’d wear one.”
“When I get a call that you were threatened, you better believe I’m dropping whatever I’m doing and coming for you as quickly as humanly possible. I may need a faster bike.”
“No!” As much as I loved riding on the back of the one he had now, faster could mean more of a chance of him getting injured.
“Are you done telling me what to do?”
“No.”
“Are you okay?”
I shook my head. Nothing about this was okay. Not a damn thing.
He pulled me into his arms and sat on the floor. “No one’s going to touch you. Remember when I said that? You’re mine. I’ll kill whoever comes near you.”
“The flowers… They knew you sent me some.”
“Yeah. I’ve got people checking the buildings around us. As soon as they’ve cleared them, we’re going home.”
“Please,” I begged brokenly. I didn’t want to be here any longer. I also didn’t want to lose my job.
“You have to stay home until I get this figured out.”
“My work…”
“I have a laptop and your stuff packed,” I heard Keith say.
Leaning away from Sheldon, I peered up at my boss.
“I had a feeling it might come to this at some point and wanted to be prepared. JJ ordered a new computer and had the software you need installed on it. I hate that shit, so I let him handle it. In reality, it was Greer who did it.”
There was no fight in me, no pushback about not wanting to be hidden away. That was all I wanted in this moment, to be safe in Sheldon’s home, where no one could get us.
“We cleared as much as we could,” Kayli said, entering the office. “The Nav is in the shop, bay doors closed. You just have to drive it out.”
“Keys are in the bike,” Sheldon told her.
“Wow. I can’t believe you’re letting me drive it. When do I get to drive the car?”
“Never. Thank you for your help.”
She waved him off. “Just another day in Dremest.”
Sheldon’s eyes met mine. “Ready to go?”
No. “Yes.” I had to get out of here. Reality slapped me in the face with the note and flowers. Flowers the person must have seen getting delivered so they did the same.
I hadn’t put much thought into my privacy. No one had cared what I did before I moved here. In my apartment, I wasn’t at street level and didn’t think much about who could be looking in, or who could hurt me because of the man my brother and best friend were in a relationship with.
Today, that changed. I couldn’t help but wonder what else they’d seen. Had they been watching me since I got the job? Did they see me in my apartment? In my brother’s studio? Were they watching him too? Was this how Hartley and Vail felt being with Jordan? Fuck, I was spiraling.
Sheldon helped me to my feet, drawing me from my thoughts. He kept my hand in his as he took the bag Keith offered and led me into the shop where the Navigator waited behind a door. The sound of a bike revving could be heard on the other side.
I waited for Sheldon to make a smart-ass comment about Kayli and his bike, but he didn’t say a thing. His attention was solely focused on getting me inside the vehicle and him driving us out of here.
Keith opened the bay door. In front of us was another of Jordan’s SUVs. I was sure Micah and Winnie were in it. They pulled away first and we followed. Kayli rode alongside us as another SUV drove behind us.
“Sheldon, I don’t need all of this. It’s not necessary.”
“Yes, you do. You’re mine. Not only that, you’re Hartley’s brother and Vail’s best friend. Jordan doesn’t want anything to happen to you. You’re his family.”
“This is too much. I’m not that important.”
His gaze slid to mine briefly before focusing on the road again. “That’s where you’re wrong. I haven’t been telling you how I feel enough if you doubt how much you mean to me. I’ll rectify that once we’re home. This isn’t a fling or any other just for fun bullshit for me.”
“I know.” I did. My head was all fucked up over what happened. I was afraid, wondering what I was thinking, that I could go to work and not worry about myself. How did one note and a bouquet of flowers upend it all?
“Sometimes all it takes is a trigger,” Sheldon said.
“What?”
“You were fine and then you weren’t. The flowers were the catalyst. It happens to all of us. We go through situations like nothing new happened, then we get triggered. The whole world feels like it’s closing in.” That was precisely what occurred.
Sheldon gave my hand a squeeze as he drove.
My eyes swept around us, jumping from vehicle to vehicle and then to the buildings.
Could the person after us be in one of the cars around us, pretending to be a regular citizen?
Could they be waiting on the street or in one of the buildings?
Were they stationed across from Jordan’s, where they could see when we came and went?
“I hate this,” I said.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to have you wrapped up in my shit.” He tried to pull his hand away but I wouldn’t let him.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? I don’t mean you. I…” Fuck me, did I almost say I love you? How did I fall for Sheldon so fast? “You’re mine too,” I said instead. “Don’t ever pull away from me again.”