Chapter 2
Two
Kayden
Danielle stands there, probably in shock, as her eyes stare straight into mine.
I know she must recognize me as her mouth just barely hangs open and her eyes widen as she looks me over.
She has stunning black hair and forest-green eyes that are piercing into me.
She’s short compared to my six-foot-three-inch frame, standing at a mere five foot six.
“Yes, please.”
Danielle shakes herself from her thoughts. “What?”
“I said, yes, I would like some coffee, please.”
“Oh, right, sorry!”
As she proceeds to pour the steaming coffee into the white mug that’s sitting on the table, her sleeve pulls up just barely, revealing scars crisscrossing against her tanned skin.
She glances at me while she pours, losing her concentration and spilling a bit over the edge that splashes onto the table.
“Shit, sorry! Sorry! Did not mean to swear, sorry…”
“Danielle. It’s fine, just a little spill. I’ll get it.” I grab napkins from the dispenser on the table, cleaning up the spill easily and chuckling under my breath at her nervousness.
“How do you know my name?” she asks, taking a step back and slightly narrowing her eyes.
“Well, it’s on your name tag for one,” I reply, pointing at her chest where her shiny silver name tag lies. She looks down as though she’s seeing the name tag for the first time.
“For two, I know a lot about you, Dani.”
Her eyes widen and she looks around as though desperate for anyone to come to her aid.
“Danielle. Eyes on me.”
Her eyes immediately snap to mine as her entire body goes taut with apprehension. I know I can be an intimidating man, but I had hoped not to spook her too much.
“Why don’t you have a seat? We can talk a little bit.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, I have customers to see.”
Knowing she will continue to refuse, I turn and shout over my shoulder at Dani’s manager, “Elaine, can you give Dani here a few minutes to chat?”
“Absolutely, hon, you got it.” Elaine doesn’t even glance in my direction—she knows who I’m related to.
“Take a seat, Dani.”
“OK, sure,” she replies, taking a seat, a slight tremble in her movements. A normal person may not have caught it, but with my years of training it’s easy to spot.
“I just want to talk to you, that’s all.”
“What about? I don’t even know you, let alone your name.”
“Well… I think you and I know that’s a lie. The name is Kayden.”
Her eyes widen a fraction. “Kayden. I never thought I’d see you again. At least now I know your name.”
“Ah, so you do remember my face. Good.”
She holds my stare, showing a small amount of defiance that I almost find admirable.
“I came here to discuss the state of your current affairs. I follow up on all the women we save, ensuring they are not only surviving but thriving.”
I pause, letting her absorb my words. “But you, Dani, don’t seem to be thriving at all. You barely use the money given to you, and you don’t go to therapy anymore. Why is that?”
“You’ve been following me?”
“Like I said, I keep tabs on all the women we rescue.”
She looks down at her hands sheepishly, clearly struggling to find the right words.
Every six months, Franklin follows up with the women and children who have been rescued, making sure everyone is thriving.
A week ago he notified me that one woman in particular was no longer going to therapy and barely making ends meet.
It worried me. We do all we can to ensure each survivor has a good, stable life, and for one not to be doing well feels like a failure on my end.
I was surprised to find out it was my spitfire.
I have purposely stayed away from her, but now there is no holding it off.
I can no longer stay away from her, only checking in on her twice a year.
It won’t be enough anymore. The only reason I stayed away was to avoid diminishing her light by dragging her into my dark depths.
But once I heard she wasn’t doing good, I said fuck it.
Obviously staying away didn’t do her any good, so now we do it my way.
I’ve been following her, learning her routine every day, ever since.
“Look, I just want to find out if I can convince you to return to therapy. Maybe rely on the money we gave you a little more, get a better paying job.”
“I like my job, though. It’s close to home and…”
“And what? This job was meant to be a stepping stone, not a permanent position. I hear the hours suck and you’re limping.”
A blush creeps along her cheeks and I can tell she’s flustered. In the days I’ve been following her, I’ve caught her limping.
“How…? Never mind, that’s beside the point. I’m happy where I am.”
“You’re not happy. You’re medicated.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not happy. This day and age, we don’t shame people for their mental illnesses.”
“I’m not shaming you, just making you aware of the obvious. You go through life on autopilot, barely ever straying from your strict routine. That’s not happiness.”
“It’s called living. I’m living with what I have.”
“Living and existing are two very different things, Dani. Living is choosing happiness. Existing is just whatever it is you’re doing now.”
She lets out a huff, crossing her arms as though to protect herself from my words. She can deny me all she wants, but we both know that the life she’s living is just existing—she isn’t happy.
“At least think about it. Therapy has done a lot of these women some good in their lives. You shouldn’t have to just exist, Dani. You should be living life and experiencing all it has to offer.”
I lay my business card on the table when she stays silent, pondering my words.
“Call me if you change your mind and decide to take the help I’m offering. Think about what I said though, OK?”
Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out my billfold and lay a twenty on the table, more than covering the cost of the coffee I didn’t touch.
After leaving the diner, I go to Dani’s apartment to learn everything I can about her.
I happen to own the building, so gaining entry into her place is no trouble at all.
And the security cameras she has throughout her apartment?
Piece of cake for Franklin to hack into and splice the recordings, ensuring there’s no evidence of me ever being here.
It’s a nifty trick, one that I’ll make sure he teaches me how to do myself as I don’t plan on this being my only visit.
Her cat hisses as I enter the apartment before running off to hide under the couch.
The black furry thing looks like it was the runt of the litter—short, stout, little body with a tail that apparently doesn’t work and just flops around as it runs.
If I was here under better circumstances, I might have laughed at it.
Moving further into her apartment, I stride into the kitchen and pull open the refrigerator door, cursing when I see its interior.
A few bottles of water, some mayo and ketchup in the door, and a half-used carton of eggs.
That’s it. This woman is aggravating the hell out of me.
She has all that money and doesn’t even use it to feed herself.
Checking her cupboards, they’re just as bare other than a few staple items. The thought of Dani feeling even the slightest hunger pangs sets my teeth on edge as I clench my fists, my aggravation getting the better of me.
Shaking my head, I move further into the apartment to her bathroom.
Her medicine cabinet holds her anxiety and depression medications along with a medication for sleep, and upon closer inspection at the dates on the bottles, it doesn’t seem like she’s taking them consistently like she should.
That could definitely be a contributing problem to the state she’s in.
.. Her drawers hold feminine products and hair tools, nothing that really interests me.
So far, my understanding of Dani is spot on. Anxious, depressed, and not taking care of herself or her mental health like she should. It would explain her strict tendencies in her routine and not feeding herself properly.
Moving down the hall to her bedroom, I search her nightstand.
A picture frame holds a photo of her with another man.
I know she doesn’t have a boyfriend right now—her dating profile told me that much.
This is the ex-boyfriend that Franklin pulled up in her summary report.
They didn’t end things amicably, that I know for certain, but regardless, a burning sensation envelops my chest. I’m a jealous bastard, that much I can admit.
However, Franklin didn’t find any recent communications between them so the man is lucky to still have his life.
Inside the drawer are a pack of condoms and a hot-pink feminine toy.
The thought of her needing those condoms makes my jaw flutter, but I shrug it off.
She’ll eventually see that she’s mine. I imagine her using the toy on herself and find myself growing hard at the thought.
Palming myself through my pants, I hold back the urge to stroke myself right here in her bedroom.
Get a hold of yourself. Now is not the time for that.
Fuck, this woman sets me on edge. Her addicting scent envelops me as I move throughout the apartment, a pleasant mix of sandalwood and amber.
Seeing all I need to see, I leave her apartment, turning off the lights as I go.
Time to go shopping for my stubborn girl.