Chapter 4
It’s beenthree weeks since I last spoke to Ari. It wasn’t as if we weren’t talking per se, but we didn’t go out of our way to spark up a conversation. I didn’t want to fall out with her, I didn’t want to fall out with Titus and somehow, I have got myself caught in between their feud.
Scrubbing my face, I grab the keys off the side table and slam the door behind me. I have no clue if Ari is at work or whether she is asleep upstairs. Glancing at my watch as I walk down the steps onto the sidewalk, it’s just past eight a.m. Unlocking my car, I slip in and start the engine. Another monotonous day at the office with my three best friends. Work was slow, and after the epic fuck up with Wolfe, we all had targets on our backs. Titus is trying to keep Amora safe, but at the same time be there for us with work. We can’t find him without Titus and until he gets his head fully back in the game we can’t really focus on the job in hand.
Kaleb has decided that he doesn’t want to take on any new clients until this is rectified and honestly, I don’t blame him. We have no idea just what extremes Wolfe will plan to get to Titus and Amora. Hoax jobs, fake clients… the list is endless.
Pulling onto the quiet side road, I drive on autopilot towards the office, but all the time Arizona clouds my mind. I don’t want to fall out with her, but I don’t want to go against Titus because of her. My loyalties lie with him. He wants to make things right and I know deep down he deserves that. I have loved living with her, a little bit too much if I am honest with myself. I don’t love that I can’t bring girls home freely, but it’s a consequence I can get on board with.
She is a ray of light, and she brings a little bit of warmth into my life. I know people may find it weird seeing as she is one of my best friend’s daughters, and yes, I knew her as a baby, but I didn’t get involved in any of that. I made it clear from the get-go that I would be on drop off duties and the occasional ballet class ride as well as her cheerleader for when her dad couldn’t make her dance recitals. That’s as far as my parental duties went. I had a wife at the time, unlike the other three assholes that I call my family.
A lot of my time was taken up by Satan, so I kind of feel like I am living my young, carefree single days now when I am forty-seven.
Kaleb is settled with Connie.
Titus is cozy with Amora.
And then there is me and Nate.
I like to think we are lone wolves and will keep that title, but me and Kaleb think that Nate has a little side gig going on, but you would never know.
That kid keeps things locked down.
Even if you did find out and saw it with your own two eyes, he would still deny it.
Sneaky fucker that one.
I scoff a laugh as I pull into the underground garage, my eyes scanning to the three spaces next to mine.
Kaleb. Nate. Me. No Titus.
Probably running late. Possibly tangled in the sheets with Amora.
Most likely the first one.
Locking the car, I pace towards the elevator and ride to the office in complete silence.
It’s not a long ride, but it’s enough to appreciate the quiet for a moment or two. I like the silence, my mind is busy most of the time.
As soon as my foot slips over the threshold I see Kaleb’s head pop up from my desk, Nate doesn’t lift his eyes from his screen, but he does hold his hand up in a shit attempt at a wave.
“Morning fuckers,” I run my tongue over the front of my teeth and give them a goofy grin, dropping my bag next to Kaleb and wait as patiently as a toddler for him to move.
“Morning,” Kaleb yawns, stretching up and taking far too long for my liking. Leaning closer to him, I give him a quick jab to the ribs which has him folding forward and cursing like a god damn sailor.
I chuckle to myself as he clambers out of my chair then rubs his rib.
“Oh, give over you big pussy,” I roll my eyes in the same exaggerated manner as Kaleb reacting to a playful fist.
“You’re a big dick,” he spits out.
“I have a big what?” I throw a wink at my brother, and he returns my stupid, childish comment with his middle finger.
“What’s new?”
Nate finally looks over his computer screen at me and shrugs a shoulder up.
“Not much,” Nate’s nose scrunches, his messy brown hair wild and he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“You’re a bunch of boring fuckers; how’s the wife Kaleb?”
“Are you that bored Keaton? Seriously, I’m in no mood for your shit.”
I turn slowly to face him.
“What’s eating you? Connie still refusing to peg you?”
And I hear a low chuckle from behind Nate’s screen.
“Don’t,” Kaleb warns, shaking his head from side to side, hands fisted in his pockets.
“It’s all about communication,” I continue, ignoring the burning eyes in the side of my head, “you don’t ask brother, you don’t get.” And that’s when Titus walks through the door, hand scrubbing at his face, rough stubble across his chin and mouth.
“Nice of you to join us big fella.”
“Ignore him, someone put two cents in him and wound the asshole up.”
Titus just stands, fingers wrapped round his bag as his eyes bounce between me and my brother.
“What the fuck have I just walked into?” he groans, shaking his head softly as he pulls his chair out and slumps into it.
“A very happy workplace,” I chime as I wait for my emails to load. “You okay?” I ask, my brows furrowed as I stare at Titus. He looks tired and washed out.
“I will be,” he groans, another hand scrubs over his face.
“Arizona?” I ask, ignoring the way my blood burns when her name slips off my tongue, the way my heart beats a little faster. Should probably just ignore it. Absolutely ignore it.
His silence gives me the answer to my question.
“She will come around.”
“It’s been a while… we’re halfway through Amora’s pregnancy and they still haven’t met.”
“Technically a lie, they did meet.”
“Keaton,” Kaleb warns but I ignore him.
“That’s not what I meant,” Titus stiffens in his seat.
“I know, but she isn’t ready yet,” I shrug my shoulders up.
Silence bubbles between us for a while before Titus speaks.
“Is she okay?”
I roll my lips.
“If she wasn’t I would have told you, my loyalty lies with you. You’re my best friend…”
I hear Kaleb and Nate both clear their throats.
“And you two, for fuck’s sake, but I’m not talking to either of you, am I?” I turn in my seat to look at my brother and I see a tug at the corner of his mouth.
Titus searches for something from me but I don’t know what.
“She is okay; she is busy working, and when she isn’t working, she is studying or sleeping.” I’m annoyed at how easily that lie rolled passed my lips.
Titus gives me a gentle nod and a heavy sigh leaves him.
“Is there anything else?” I wanted to double check; he doesn’t seem his happy go lucky self.
“I’m tired of this Wolfe shit. I should have killed him when I had the chance, but I fucking spared him and I don’t understand why,” he slams his hand down on the desk which causes Nate to jump.
“We will find him,” Kaleb beats me to it, like a wise old owl who only comes into the conversation when relevant.
“I want him gone before our baby is born,” his face tilts down and he runs his index finger over his wedding band.
“Then we better crack on.” I give him a weak smile. None of us know where he is. Xavier—Titus’s father-in-law and the reason we have an issue with Wolfe—has no idea where he is either. Xavier worked in ways that we never understood, but since he was working with the police he can no longer partake in this little investigation how he normally would.
The silence in the room blankets us as we lose ourselves in the files that we have checked numerous times to try and find something we may have missed.
But alas, like always, we have no luck.