Chapter 11
I desperately wantedto know what she was thinking while she studied my face. I’d felt the heat of her gaze and couldn’t resist looking at her to find out. She was good at hiding her emotions. But there was one thing I was certain of: she was attracted to me. Perhaps not to the same extent as my attraction to her. But it was there, like a whisper surrounding both of us.
After hearing their brief conversation, there was no way I’d let Vivian meet Calvin without my presence. It wasn’t just jealousy warring inside me. Curiosity piqued when he asked to meet her right away. What was so important?
After a thorough research, I knew who Calvin Wong was. He dwelled in a violent and dark world. The Triad wasn’t a place for someone like Vivian. She could get hurt. I didn’t like her hanging out with him. But what could I do? Somehow, they were friends.
I opened the door to Over the Moon Café and accompanied Vivian inside. Two lines of people filled the space. One line had people waiting at the counter for Chinese pastries. The second line was to order pancakes, sausages, eggs, and other regular breakfast items.
I spotted Calvin sitting at a table in the back corner. “He’s over there.”
When he saw me approach with Vivian, surprise and disappointment splashed on his face.
That’s right, fucker. She’s with me.
I pulled out a chair for Vivian and took the seat beside her. “Good morning, Calvin.”
“Morning.” Calvin glanced between Vivian and me. Questions sparked in his eyes, but he didn’t ask them. Instead, a casual question emerged. “Do you guys want anything to eat or drink? They have excellent coffee here.” He lifted his cup.
Vivian turned to me. “You should get something.”
I was hungry, but I didn’t want to wait in line and miss their conversation. “I can wait.”
“Your stomach’s going to growl again.”
I smiled. “Do you want anything?”
“A latte with oat milk, please.” She beamed.
I got up, glanced at the line, and sighed. At this rate, Vivian and Calvin would finish their conversation by the time I got the order and returned. I got to the front of the line. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have an emergency, and I’d like to request a favor from you. I’ll pay for all your orders and buy you a gift card to come back here if I can place my order right now. You cool with that?”
“Fine with me, sweetheart,” said the old lady, who was next in line to order. “Come here.”
“I’m fine with that!” shouted the group of college kids.
Everyone smiled and agreed. I paid five thousand dollars upfront and told the cashier to ring up everyone’s order to include a hundred-dollar gift card. She could keep the rest or put it toward the pay-it-forward fund, which was in a container on the counter.
“Thank you!” cheered everyone in line.
I returned to the table with Vivian’s latte, my coffee, and three muffins.
“Here you go.” I placed the latte down for Vivian.
“Wow. That was fast. Thank you.”
I took my seat, offered Calvin a blueberry muffin, and smiled.
He glanced at the long line and arched an eyebrow. “I’m not a muffin kind of guy, but thank you.”
“You really don’t have any updates for me?” Vivian asked.
“Sorry, no,” Calvin replied.
“But you said you had something for me.”
“I asked if we could meet. You just assumed.” He leaned back in his chair and smirked. “I just wanted to see you.”
Vivian blinked, and I kept my gaze on Calvin.
Was he testing my feelings for Vivian? He was holding back information because of my presence.
“When do you think you’ll have something for me? I don’t have time for games, Calvin.”
“I just wanted to see if you remember our deal.”
“What deal?” I interjected.
Vivian’s lips twisted as he looked down at the table and back up at Calvin. “You have my word. Get me all the information on Aimee, and I’ll fulfill my end of the bargain.”
“Are you blackmailing her?” I eyed Calvin as the need to protect her coursed through me.
“She needs my help. There’s a price for everything.” Calvin offered me a sly smile.“You should know this, Arrow.”
He neither admitted nor declined.
“No, he’s not,” Vivian said. From under the table, she placed a hand on my thigh to stop my inquiry or to calm my anger.
I placed my hand over hers, keeping it where I liked it.
She tried to yank it away, but my grip was stronger.
Something was going on between Vivian and Calvin, and I had to find out. Anything to do with Calvin wouldn’t be good for Vivian. Was Calvin helping her as a friend or member of The Triad? Either way, danger was lurking around her.
I didn’t like the way he looked at her. The possessiveness in me surged. “Any man who blackmails a woman deserves severe punishment.”
“Is that a threat?” he asked, showing no fear.
A man who was used to violence should be accustomed to placing fear on others. Having served in the Navy and traveling to remote areas of the world, I’d seen my share of monsters. My rough childhood, along with those worldly experiences, had created a monster in me. Sometimes, you have to be the most terrifying monster to deal with the worst of humanity.
“It’s a promise.” I held his eyes. “And I’m a man who keeps his promises.”
Laughing, Calvin leaned on the table. “It’s best if you focus on your bamboo wine so another employee doesn’t sabotage it.”
How the fuck did he knowabout that? This was confidential information. I made sure no one outside of Holt Enterprises knew that a former employee had stolenan order of my wine prototype and sabotaged the warehouse.
James Chin had been missing for months. But I’d find him and make him pay. The fucker had cost me millions of dollars in damages. What had he done with the three cases of wine? I’d searched the black market for any resale, but nothing had shown up.
Could James have been working for The Triad and stolen my goods for them? The Tai Lok wine from The Taipans triad was a successful brand long before my Bambooze Series came about. It didn’t make sense, but there could be another agenda I wasn’t aware of.
My jaw tightened. “Do you have anything to do with my stolen wine or damaged warehouse?”
“No.”
“But you know who does?”
Something flickered in his eyes. He didn’t need to reply. His eyes already told me what I needed to know.
“Where is James Chin?”
“I don’t know,” he said as his phone rang. “If you find him, let me know.” He glanced at his phone, his brows furrowed, and tucked it away.
Had James screwed with him too?
“I’d appreciate the same gesture.”
Calvin offered me a nod and turned to Vivian, who had been keenly listening to our conversation. She had stopped trying to free her hand from mine. If she wanted more information about what Calvin and I discussed, she could tell me about her deal with Calvin.
“I’ve got to go.” Calvin rose from his seat just as his phone rang again. “I’ll let you know what I find on the girl,” he said to Vivian.
After he left, I clasped Vivian’s hand more tightly and brought it up to the table. “I like holding your hand.” Her small hand was soft but also firm. I loved how it fit into my wide palm like a puzzle piece finally falling into its perfect place.
“Why?” she asked, but didn’t take her hand away.
“Because it revitalizes me. Gives me energy like a charging station, a battery, a blazing sun.” Her lips curved, and I continued. “Like a rare crystal with magical powers. An antidote for my foul mood.”
Her eyes flickered with amusement. “You didn’t look angry when you were creeping behind me at the park.”
I cleared my throat. “First, I wasn’t creeping. You were lost in thought, and I didn’t want to frighten you. I gave you time to yourself while I followed behind. Then you started jogging, so I caught up to say hello. But you turned around and slammed into me.”
As she searched my face for the truth, her irises turned a dark brown. I wanted her to trust me. She had no reason not to.
“I had the park to myself until you came along.”
“You like taking walks in the early winter mornings?”
“Not really. I needed fresh air to clear my head.”
“Something bothering you?” I caressed my thumb over her hand.
“Just need to figure out a few things. Why are you up early on Sunday morning?”
“Working.”
“Maybe you wouldn”t have foul moods if you stopped being a workaholic.”
“Just to clarify, I wasn’t in a foul mood when I saw you at the park. But that changed when you went to see Calvin. He likes you.”
“No, he doesn’t.” She made a disbelieving face. “He has information I need.”
“He said he wanted to see you.”
“He’s lying.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re here.” She leaned in, her face inches from mine. “Why are you really here? You could’ve just dropped me off and headed back to work.”
I lifted her hand to my lips and caressed it. Branded it with my lips. “Because I wanted him to believe that you were with me.”
“But we’re not together.”
“But we should be.” I smiled at her. “What information are you waiting for? What girl is missing? Maybe I can help you.”
A woman wearing a long coat burst into the café, looking frantic. “Please call the police! There’s a body of a little girl around the corner!”
Vivian gasped as the color drained from her face. She darted out of her seat, rushing over to the lady. Her voice trembled. “Where’s the body?”