Electra Chapter 7 #2
The hours had flown by. My call lasted over an hour.
After that, I was off to the next task. I stayed behind closed doors.
When Micro tapped on it and called out that he was leaving, I gave him a brisk goodbye without bothering to open my door.
Swerve had knocked a couple of times, requesting to speak to me.
I informed him I was too busy to chat at the moment unless it pertained to a life-or-death work matter that required my immediate attention.
When he said it didn’t, I informed him we’d have to catch up later.
I lectured myself on acting like a brat, but couldn’t seem to stop it.
As time for lunch drew nearer, I knew if I didn’t open the door, Swerve would make me.
His patience had to be wearing thin. But if I opened it, I’d have to listen to him lecture me and compare me to fucking Annette.
I didn’t need to hear from him that she was a better example of attractive feminine qualities than I was.
I’d been hearing that my entire life. I was never womanly enough.
I thought I had given up caring what others thought, but I guess not.
Making a hasty decision, I placed a call. When it was answered, I quickly spoke.
“I want to meet for lunch. Can we do it in an hour, at that place outside of town where we met before?” I asked.
The man on the other end didn’t hesitate. “Sure. Are you alright?”
“I’m double fantastic.”
He let out a deep breath. “In an hour.”
“See you then.”
I hastened to finish up the task I was on, then got up.
I was back to wearing my heels. I grabbed my purse from the bottom drawer of my desk and went to the office door.
Unlocking it, I breezed into the hallway and set a steady pace toward the front.
As I passed Swerve’s doorway, I never bothered to look inside.
“Electra, we need to talk!” he called out urgently.
“I’m going to lunch. We’ll have to do it when I get back,” I breezily called out.
“What do you mean you’re going out? You never leave the building during the day,” he said.
I heard him moving his wheelchair. Not wanting to get caught, I sped up. Annette was at the desk. I saw her out of the corner of my eye, giving me a questioning look.
“I’ll be back this afternoon. I might be gone for more than an hour. I have an important meeting. If anything is urgent, Swerve is here. He can handle it,” I blandly reminded her.
I exited the door as I heard Swerve calling my name. I practically ran to my car. I tore out of the parking lot like my ass was on fire. I drove to the meeting spot in a haze of thought. Things weren’t going as planned. I was becoming involved. That was not supposed to happen.
I was relieved when I saw the restaurant a short time later.
I had made the drive and remembered none of it.
The restaurant was on the outskirts of St. Augustine.
No one would ever mistake it for a high-end eatery, but the food was good, and it gave some privacy from prying eyes.
The place was quite full, but I managed to find a parking spot.
I checked myself in my mirror before I got out and made my way into the building.
I spotted him within moments. He was seated along the wall, and toward the back, close to a window, just like I knew he would be.
There was no other way he’d ever allow himself to be seated with his back to the crowd.
His gaze scanned the room, always watchful.
His expression was bland until he saw me.
There was a slight uplifting of the corners of his mouth.
That was a smile. I grinned back. His smile increased.
I waved off the hostess and made my way through the tables to him.
He was on his feet by the time I reached him.
We hugged each other. It felt good to feel his arms around me.
When I eased back, he placed a brief kiss on my lips, then pulled out my chair. After I sat, he retook his.
“Hello, Rhodes, I’m glad you said yes to lunch. You’re looking good. I’ve missed you,” I told him.
“I’ll always say yes to you, Electra, you know that. I miss you, too. I have to say, you always look good, but something is bothering you. I can feel it.”
I sighed. Maybe having lunch with him was a bad idea. He was the one person I never got away with lying to. He knew me inside and out, the same way I knew him. Our bond had been solidified in fire years ago.
“It’s nothing major, just a minor irritation. Seeing you will put me back in good spirits. I want to hear what you’ve been up to.”
Rhodes studied me. I hoped he wouldn’t tell me I had to answer his questions first before he would answer mine. If he did, I’d have no choice but to do it. He had authority in our case.
I was lucky. We spent the first ten minutes giving our drink orders to the waitress, perusing the menu to decide what to eat, and exchanging insignificant details about what we’d been up to personally. As our waitress walked away with our meal order, I knew my reprieve was seconds from expiring.
Rhodes leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and studied me.
I had to work not to squirm under his gaze.
Even though he was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt, it couldn’t disguise the arm cannons he had.
Everything about Rhodes was hard, strong, and handsome.
I caught the glances he was getting. He pretended to be oblivious.
“Alright, I’ve waited long enough. I want you to tell me what made you take an outside lunch break. What upset you? You never deviate from your routine.”
I cringed on the inside. I’d rather take a beating than confess what occurred yesterday, especially because I hadn’t called and told him about it. I also hated the idea of confessing that I was lusting after my coworker/pseudo-boss/peer. Rhodes wouldn’t be happy with me.
“Electra, you’re stalling and trying to think of a lie or to omit shit. I can feel it. Don’t. I have to know. You’re putting me in a hard spot here. I promised not to interfere per your request. You knew the rules for me to remain hands off,” he warned.
I sighed wearily and hung my head in defeat.
He was the only one I permitted to see me as less than confident.
He knew my secrets and sins, just as I knew his.
Rhodes captured my hand and held it. A gentle squeeze caused me to lift my head.
He kissed the back of my hand as he leaned across toward me.
“Tell me,” he demanded softly.
I went first with the confrontation with Orlando McKee yesterday, and the outcome. He was unhappy that I didn’t call him right away and that I exposed myself. I chose to do that, hoping he’d run out of steam about it and would be too tired or out of time to talk about the other one.
Our food arrived as he finished chewing me out for not calling him. I made it appear that I was eager for the food, but my stomach was playing tricks on me. I forced a few bites down. I should’ve been prepared for him to go for the kill unexpectedly.
“Now, tell me the real reason you called to have lunch. You could have told me all this about that cretin McKee over the phone. Tell me, Ellie.”
He was pulling out the big guns if he was calling me Ellie. He was the only one who called me that anymore. I hit him with, “Okay, hold on, Rho.” His eyes crinkled up at his nickname.
“I thought that the office had been broken into this morning. No cars or bikes were in the lot, and the door was ajar—one day, after that asshole visited us. I reacted as you would expect, and I drew my gun and went inside to clear it or get my hands on whoever was in there. The women and kids who live in the apartments behind the office are too vulnerable to let someone loose where they might get hurt. I was about to clear the final room when Micro, the Horsemen’s computer expert and treasurer, came out of the back.
“He asked why I was armed. While we were debating the pros and cons, Swerve arrived and asked what was up. We told him. He lectured me on safety, as if I needed him to tell me that, and then Swerve brought up a topic I didn’t appreciate. I knew I shouldn’t argue more, so I didn’t.”
When I paused, Rhodes shook his head. There was a rueful look on his face. “Ellie, you spent the morning behind closed doors, avoiding him, didn’t you?”
See, he knew me as no other did. I reluctantly nodded.
“You’re right. You shouldn’t have engaged in the conversation in the first place. And while you’re more than capable of protecting yourself, the right move would’ve been to go back to your car and call for help,” he lectured, though lightly.
With Rhodes, I knew I didn’t have to hold my tongue, so I launched into my defense and reasoning.
Our conversation continued as we ate our meal.
By the time we were ready for the check, I was stuffed and feeling better from just seeing him.
Rhodes hadn’t agreed with everything I did, and he cautioned me not to do it again, but I took it in the spirit it was meant.
He wasn’t questioning my abilities. He wanted me safe and not to blow this.
I was able to return the favor when we talked over his work.
I needed to do this more often. A standing date was in order.
???
After lunch and saying goodbye to Rhodes, for now, I headed back to Wrath’s Recovery.
I was loath to return and face Swerve about this morning, but I had to do it.
I rehearsed what I planned to say the entire way there.
Upon arriving, I parked my car in the open spot closest to the building.
I didn’t bother to look around at the rest of the vehicles.
Some belonged to us, and the rest to the businesses on either side of us.