Chapter Twenty
-One
Poe
I’m seated at a table with a few curious looks from the other customers. The place is packed with people. I can see the double doors that the hostess leads Addie to and keep an eye on it.
When I’m handed the menu, I set Racer in one of the seats, prop its arms so it looks like it’s holding it, and snap a few pictures.
People watch me like I’m part of some show. I ignore them despite the tension their focus causes.
This is for Addie. Something to warm her up after that family freezes her out. Just in case.
I’m not an overly optimistic person. I believe in being prepared for things to go badly. I’m trying not to let that kind of thinking drag my siren under with me. She needs a tiny piece of happiness to get back on her feet. I’m proud that I’m one of them.
The waiter stops and stares before sputtering out a request for my drink choice.
I order a bottle of red wine and every dessert on the menu. After raising his eyebrows, he returns with my choice.
When he pours a glass, I set it in front of Racer’s plate.
“Sir? Are you sure?” He looks at the display in dismay.
“Yes.” I snap a picture.
Once he’s gone, I fold up the menu to set aside and reposition the bottle and wine glass. Curling Racer’s paw around the stem. I sit on the other side to take more pictures as if we’re a couple on a date.
“Sir? May I charge you in advance for the wine? The bottle is rather expensive.”
I glance up at the new waiter, more like a manager with his fancier dress. They think I’m an oddity who’s about to dine and dash. He looks as if he’s ready to fight about it.
I pull out my wallet and hand him the card to spare myself the drama.
“Thank you, sir,” he gives me a smarmy smile and paces away.
A few minutes later, I catch the manager rushing to a table where a strawberry blonde sits with several other people. He whispers in her ear, and her eyes move to me.
I’ve never been removed from a restaurant before. I wonder if I can struggle enough to make the photos more dramatic for Addie. She would love it. I can also kick over one of the trash cans outside in victory.
The deserts appear before I’m ready for them. I tell the waiter not to move as I finish up. He starts visibly sweating as his hands shake.
“Will that be all, Mr. Richards?”
“I’d like my card back.” I reposition the dishes. A spoon in the chocolate mousse. A fork in the cake as a victory flag. A few cuts in the strawberries. I have to prop the stuffed animal on the edge of the table for the desperately hungry effect I’m trying for. I move the short floral centerpiece out of the way to snap more photos.
A throat clears behind me as I look through the pictures to see why the lighting seems off. I barely glance at whoever wants my attention.
The strawberry blonde in a tight yet tasteful dress holds out my credit card. A man in a suit with long black hair held back in a tail stands at her side. Behind them are what appear to be a massive bodyguard and a man dressed in scuffed boots with an unshaven chin.
“You’re really Poe Richards?” The woman asks with wide eyes.
“Yes,” I say, taking the card and putting it away. Why would the manager hand it over to a stranger?
“The photographer ?” She leans forward with a hopeful smile. She points a finger at one of the walls, and my eyes follow. A cluster of some of my earlier landscape photos is on display. It’s a nice addition to the quiet ambiance the restaurant is striving for.
I look down at my phone, then at Racer’s obvious setup, back to her, and deadpan, “Yes.”
She gives the solemn man beside her a smug grin. “ Told you. Five hundred bucks, Gabe.”
“Mr. Richards. I’ve been trying to reach you,” he ignores his sibling as he eyes Racer, enjoying its food. His confusion takes a lot of the almost-there threat out of his words.
I nod, lost in the pictures again. This lighting. Which angle is throwing it off?
I circle the table, taking pictures from every angle to see if I can find it.
“What is this for?” The woman asks with a light laugh.
“My wife,” I scroll through the photos again. I look up and find the culprit. I doubt asking for the light to be turned off in a busy restaurant will get me anywhere. I shift the table two inches to the right, rebalance Racer, and try again.
“You’re taking photos of a stuffed animal in a restaurant for your wife?” She asks with a happy sigh. “That’s sweet.”
“Wouldn’t it be sweeter if she were here with you?” The man asks in a cold tone.
“She’s busy,” I tell him grimly. I look at the doors to see that nothing has changed. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad sign.
“Is there a problem?” The woman asks with a sharp glance. My change in tone should have been glossed over. She latches on with suspicion. The way her eyes dart to the closed doors and back to me is oddly protective.
“No.”
“If there’s someone here who’s bothering your wife, I’d like to know,” she eyes me with a stubborn frown.
“She’s dealing with them. I’m back up only.” It makes me want to hurl things across the room. She needs this more than I need to vent my rage on them. She’s strong; she just needs to own it. I’ll be right here waiting, even if she folds. But I’m silently begging her to tag me in. There won’t be a single blonde hair left by the time I’m done with them.
Her eyes narrow on me, flicking from the door Addie disappeared through and back to me again. “Are they in that room?”
Why all the interest? She sounds invested in what’s going on in there. It raises my hackles immediately.
“Is there something you need from me?” I straighten; expression blank as I take them in again.
The big man is looking confused at the table. The rough-cut man seems amused in a mocking way. The woman starts to look nervous as the colder man in the suit takes a subtle step forward. A move to gain my attention. I stare at him instead.
“I’ve been trying to find a way to get in touch with someone from your organization, but information is scarce,” he tells me with narrowed eyes and a haughty demeanor. “I didn’t want to miss this opportunity.”
If he can’t find information, he’s talking about SoT.
“It’s that way for a reason,” I tell him baldly.
He nods, his expression easing into thoughtfulness. He takes me in as if he’s seeing me in new lighting. Something about my response has made him relax with me. Usually, I have the opposite effect on people.
“Would you be willing to discuss a merger of sorts?”
I raise a mocking brow. “A merger?”
What’s this guy thinking? SoT isn’t some business enterprise that a company can join. There’s no money to be gained from it. No marketing. Unless they want to claim a tax write-off for helping people they consider victims, there would be no point.
“Would you like to join us?” He sidesteps to gesture to the table where several people are watching us as if we’re the entertainment for the night.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the door open, and Addie comes out. Her pace is leisurely, but her face is flushed. I can already see a few tears trailing down her cheeks. My stomach drops at the sight.
“No,” I tell him firmly and pick up Racer to meet her halfway. Her hasty attempt to wipe away the proof of her sorrow has my eyes narrowing. I don’t like it when she hides.
The smile that comes when she sees my determined stride makes my heart clench hard. It isn’t the mask smile. This one is a little shaky and relieved.
“Hey, siren.” It’s the only thing I can think to say when we reach each other, and her arms slide around my waist. An open welcome I cherish.
“Hey, yappy,” her smile gets warmer, steadier. “I’m ready to bail out. Did you two have fun?”
“No,” I nod, in a daze over her presence in my life. It’s always this way with her. Every second I’m in her sphere of influence is a balm to my soul. It still shocks me. I hope that feeling lasts forever.
A delicate throat gets cleared behind me. Addie leans to see who it is. She raises a brow, her smile getting what I’ve started to call chaotic. It’s a mixture of I’m up to no good and let’s see what happens . I’m relieved to see it, even if it’s obvious she’s been crying.
“Someone has some explaining to do,” she bats her lashes at me in false innocence. “Why do you have a lovely lady following you, husband ?”
I can’t stop the grin that takes over my lips.
“She’s a fan.”
“Of that ass? I agree, but it doesn’t seem right,” she pouts. “Are you into groups now?”
“This interest is not sexual,” the cold man protests darkly. His tone makes my smile disappear.
I’m ready to turn and snap at him, but Addie is quick with her rebuttal.
“Calm down, ami . I love teasing him like this,” she gives him her happy grin, making me jealous. “It’s good fun, and he can’t get away because we’re married. I meant no harm with it. In fact, that’s an awesome dress!”
“Thanks,” the strawberry blonde grins at her, relaxing out of her defensive stance.
Addie wins people over so easily. Her enthusiasm and compliments are genuine. From the color of the dress, which makes her hair pop, to her light makeup application, which makes her glow, she has the woman soothed in under five seconds.
“So, what’s the interest?” Addie asks after the woman stands tall and proud again.
“Survivors of Tragedy,” he says baldly as if it’s a test.
Addie’s eyes narrow, her protective nature kicking in. “In a public place? Everything hanging out in the wind? For shame, sir.”
Her arms slide from around me, making me frown. I turn to the man responsible with a scowl. His two friends perk up at the darkness of my expression.
Addie sidesteps me to face him head-on.
“Why don’t you hand over whatever fancy card you’ve got, and I’ll make sure he gives you a call?” Her eyebrow goes up as her arms cross over her chest. “No need for a show and tell.”
His eyes move to me. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with someone with no success. It’s unheard of for me. What guarantee do I have that he’ll speak with me later?”
“My love of nagging my husband is your guarantee,” she tells him with a lot of attitude. “And if that isn’t enough, nothing ever will be.”
The unshaven man leans over and whispers something. The cold guy nods and digs out a card. He tries to hand it to me, but Addie takes it from him with a smile.
“No handling the merchandise, sir,” she tells him primly. “He’s delicate.”
“Siren,” I warn her. I try to sound stern, but it comes across as pleased and a little resigned.
“Takin’ you at your word,” the unshaven guy gives her a nod with a crooked smile.
“You got it,” she returns in surprise. An instant friendship made from two different accents forms in front of me.
Addie’s brows start to furrow as she looks between them. “Is this an emergency situation? Like right now , right now?”
What did she see to make her think that? I assumed he was the same overbearing businessman type I’ve dealt with most of my life. My brows furrow as I look at them again, my scowl fading to contemplation.
“Not yet,” the cold guy replies. “I’d like to catch it before that.”
Addie nods, giving me a concerned look over her shoulder.
“You call Mr. Matthias first thing tomorrow, yappy dog.”
She’s the only one who can issue that kind of demand and get a positive response.
The man winces and mutters, “Call me Gabriel. I’ve changed my last name to Jefferson, but the cards haven’t come in yet.”
He sounds as if he hates his previous last name and can’t wait to finish getting away from it. I felt the same once.
I legally changed my name as soon as I got money. Anything to distance myself from everything in my life felt good. I wonder if he feels that way. If so, I hope it gives him more relief than it gave me. Changing my name didn’t stop the media from hounding me, or my life from intruding on my peace.
That one fact about this man evokes an odd kind of kinship that sells me on his determination.
I take the card Addie is holding out for me and give him a nod.
“Tomorrow morning. Eight,” I say, curious despite myself.
His shoulders relax the slightest amount before he nods and goes back to his table.
With one problem down, I’m ready to get her out of here. She’s busy looking at the rest of the people seated there with avid curiosity.
A waiter appears in front of her with a bag and a smile.
“Your desserts, miss.”
She takes the bag with a wide smile. “Why, thank you! I’m in need of some sweets.”
“Who is this, Adelaide?”
The stern voice behind me has my shoulders tensing. I slowly turn to see a blonde man with gray at the temples. His skin is tanned from the sun, and his body is strong. It’s apparent that he exercises, and he knows how to use it in a fight. His expression is confused and a little hurt. This can’t be her brother; he’s too old.
“It’s nobody’s business but mine, Joseph,” Addie replies in a stern tone.
This is the stepfather who never talks to her. I expected more anger and distance from him than this. He looks a little afraid to speak to her. What did she say in there to put that look on his face?
“I can understand that,” he replies slowly, feeling his way through what he wants to say. “You’re independent to a fault. But I’d like to know. I’m interested.”
“Why?” She gives him a blank look that I don’t like. “Why now? You never cared before.”
The way his brown eyes widen in shock, his mouth falling open, surprises me. It tells me so much. Addie has gone unnoticed for so long that he never realized he’s been neglecting her.
“I always cared,” he protests, his tone getting sterner. “I could never get you to open up to me like the rest of the kids did. I thought you wanted to be left alone to process my addition to your lives. When your attitude toward me didn’t change, I figured I’d always be the bad guy and let it rest. You were always a good kid. Never a bad grade or attitude problem. I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you lose your temper like this, no matter what Valerie has said.”
Addie blinks in a slow way that betrays her disbelief without changing her blank expression.
“Well, since you’re curious now, I’ll let you in on it. Ask Valerie. Ask her why I can’t call you Pa or have anything to do with you. She’s the one who wanted it that way, so she should have your answers.”
Her shoulders slump as if the weight of everything that happened behind those closed doors has finally hit her. She looks exhausted without any warning.
“Time to go home, siren,” I tell her with a frown. “You’ve stood on your own enough for one night.”
Her eyes turn up to me, and a faint smile touches her lips.
“Aye, aye, husband.”
She says it without a single hesitation. Only I see how wide Joseph’s eyes get. All the blood drains out of his face. His teeth start gritting, his shoulders getting tense. For a second, I think I’m going to have to get between the two of them. He’s angry, and it seems to be building up inside him, ready to blow.
“You got married?” He asks in a low tone. As if he’s trying to hide the building rage. My unease rises as my brows lower.
“I did. With everything in me and then some.”
The simple way she says it, paired with her doting smile aimed right at me, almost takes my knees out from under me. A promise and a comfort while taking my soul out of me so she can hold it in her palms.
My distraction lasts until I notice Joseph’s body tensing more. My first thought is that he’s about to strike her. It might always be my first thought. Something that’s a familiar pattern I can’t escape from. A man is trying to take away the one person I want to be safe in this world.
I step in his way with a scowl. There’s no way I will let any of her family look at her like that. Just when I’m about to act, he spins on his heel and marches back into the room, slamming the door behind him.
I wrap an arm around her waist, leaving her furious family behind with more speed than I intended. She doesn’t say a word about it, still looking at me as if I’m her world.