45. June
45
JUNE
“ I t won’t be that bad,” he swears as we ride the elevator up to his father’s floor. “Think of him like a judge you need to impress who maybe doesn’t like you.”
“Judge, jury, and executioner, you mean.”
“You’re being dramatic.”
I cock a brow at him, and that shuts him up. “Given your father’s illustrious reputation in certain circles, am I really?”
We had agreed not to speak about his father’s illegal underworld dealings inside the building unless Elliot brought it up first. We didn’t know who knew what or what rooms could have been bugged, so it seemed prudent. But when I said what I said, he knew what I meant.
“Well, he did kill your career, so you’re entitled to your opinion.”
“Gee, thanks for your permission.”
Anderson sighs at me. “You know what I mean.”
“And you know what I mean.”
Things had been like this since he suggested we meet with Elliot. I love Anderson with my whole heart and soul. I love him more than myself, truly. So, the painful hold he allows his father to have over him absolutely kills me. It’s beyond unhealthy. It’s straight-up abusive. From what he’s told me, it always has been.
Elliot West is a cold, distant man who treats people like objects instead of human beings. I felt that way before I learned he was some kind of mafia don, and learning that has not improved my opinion of him. I’ve always been the kind of person to give the benefit of the doubt, but when someone fucks me over, I will cling to my grudge until it no longer serves to remind me who they are.
But I am not sure about this particular grudge. Does it serve me any longer?
Yes, he was an absentee father to Anderson and his brother Cole. But, given what he does, maybe that made sense to him. If he had been warm and kind to his sons, his enemies might have used them against him. Or he probably thinks being icy to his sons helps them in some toxic masculinity sort of way.
Should I even try to give the benefit of the doubt to a man who has ordered people to be murdered? Probably not. But, since he is going to be my father-in-law one day, I need to make peace with him. If for no other reason than he is going to be my children’s grandfather, who also happens to be loaded.
College is expensive, and sometimes, we have to do what we have to do.
I almost shake my head at myself for thinking that. Here I am, giving him shit for thinking of people as tools, and I am doing the same thing. But at least I’ve never ordered the murder of another human being. I’m still morally ahead of him for now.
But if he keeps pissing me off, that might change.
Anderson waves his hand in front of my face. “You in there?” The elevators doors are open. I’m not sure how long they’ve been open.
“Yeah,” I tell him, smiling brightly. “Let’s do this.”
He leads me through the floor. It’s not much of a maze, but I’m glad I have a guide. The place is beautiful, with all high-end furniture and flattering lighting on warm wooden surfaces. But I don’t let the beauty fool me. We are here for one reason and one reason only.
Change the mind of an underworld boss.
When I told myself I needed a hobby, this was not what I had in mind.
We stroll hand in hand toward an old woman at a desk. She smiles at Anderson, gives me the once over, and then smiles when she sees our hands joined. “Laddie, you get yourself in some trouble here, eh?”
He grins down at her. “Margaret, this is June Devlin, my fiancée.”
“Oh, blessed be,” she says in her Irish accent. “Your father is the one in trouble, then, for not telling me.”
“He’s a private man when it comes to family. You know that.”
“Aye, but he’s still in trouble. No shortbread for him this week?—"
Anderson gives a teasing gasp, clutching at his chest. “No, not the shortbread!”
She snickers at his acting. “Maybe just one because you’re being kind about it. Go on in, laddie. He’s ready for you.”
“Thank you, Margaret.”
I try to get a word in edgewise. “Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, you too, dear.” During the entire interaction, the woman never stopped typing.
Anderson opens the big dark door behind Margaret’s desk. “After you.”
“Coward.”
He smirks, and I walk past him into a room better suited to hang meat in than to be an office. It’s got an office temperature technically, but the whole room is so cold I worry about frostbite. Everything is hard and gray. The huge view, the furniture, the walls, all of it. Nothing looks comfortable. No warmth anywhere.
Of course, this is where Elliot West works. The man is allergic to humanity.
But that assessment didn’t track with the woman outside. She clearly has a history with Anderson—there is too much affection between them for that to be based on anything but a long-term relationship. Which means she’s worked for Elliot for that time … how could he want to hire someone like her?
The man is an oddity who is staring at me as I enter his office. It’s like being stared at by a snake. There’s nothing behind the eyes. “Hello, June. Anderson. Take a seat.” He gestures to the pair of guest chairs in front of his desk.
Anderson warned me they are terrible to sit on, so when I find my seat worse than he told me, it’s a surprise. Like sitting on pricy cardboard, but without all the support.
“Thank you for meeting with us, Dad?—"
Elliot holds a hand up to silence him. To my surprise, it works. Anderson really must want him to like me. His father says, “I agreed to this meeting because you said you want to enlighten me about some facts I do not have regarding June. Given my last directive to you was to dismiss her from your life, I am curious to see what it is you think you could possibly tell me that would dissuade me from having her accosted by security, seeing as you did not mention she would be in attendance.”
“You didn’t tell him I was coming?”
Anderson smiles. “Thought it would be a nice surprise for him.”
I almost laugh at that. I would if I weren’t also pissed off.
Elliot sighs disdainfully. “My son has a taste for dramatics that he gets from his mother. But since you did not know he was springing you on me, I’ll hold off on calling security. For now.”
“First of all, Dad, you need to know that no matter what comes of this meeting, I am with June. Period. She is my partner, and one day, she will be my wife. I love her. We are together. That is not up for debate or discussion. We aren’t here to ask your permission to be together. We are here to mend fences, if possible. That is the scope of this meeting.”
The elder West sits back regarding his son. “Funny you think to lay down the law in my office when I could easily have security remove you both. Considering the situation, I’d think you’re practically begging me to do so.”
“Why security, Elliot?”
“You know very well why, June. You’re a spy. From the sound of things, you’ve either seduced my son into denial or convinced him to join you?—"
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Anderson says, standing. He passes his father the folder with the documents. “I’m no more a spy than June is. These are from Andre Moeller’s office. We broke in there—sort of—and stole them.”
“Do tell how you sort of break into an office, son.”
“We had the key.”
Elliot grunts at that and peruses the documents. “And I am supposed to see—wait.” He studies one further. “These are in my aliases.”
I nod. “That’s right, sir.”
Anderson says, “She didn’t know. Not about any of it. You put your alias on the documents, and there was no way for June to know any of this was tied to you.”
“I had no idea any of this was going on.” I sigh at myself. “Andre used me. On more than one occasion. The first time, kidnapping me to make you feel weak. Now this, using me to ruin you. A way to rub salt in the wound that someone close to you had been the one to help him.” I can hardly control the tone of my voice, I’m so angry when I speak. “He has been nothing but a thorn in my side from the moment I met him?—"
“Then why did you go to work for him after your kidnapping if it was a true kidnapping?” he rumbles.
I snap, “To piss you off.”
He blinks in surprise. Then he laughs sharply. “Is that right?”
“You hurt me. You hurt Anderson. I wanted a way to hurt you back. But I never dreamed he’d use me like this. It wasn’t even on my radar—I thought just working for him would be enough to piss you off. It’s hard to admit it, but I never saw this coming.”
Elliot takes a deep breath, looking from me to Anderson and then the papers again. “And you two are together, no matter what comes of this, as he said?”
I bob my head as Anderson takes my hand. “You may not like me, Elliot. Hell, you may hate me. That’s up to you. But that doesn’t change how I feel about Anderson. I love him. Always. Come rain or come shine. I cannot wait to be his wife and start that part of our lives together. He’s my person, and I am his.”
The smile on Anderson’s face makes me go all warm and fuzzy inside.
“I see,” Elliot says flatly. “If?—"
“No, I don’t think you do,” I cut him off. “Like I said, you can hate me forever. But I am dedicated to making this right and making some sort of relationship with you work. If that’s pointless, fine. I don’t care. But I want our kids to have a good relationship with you and Kitty.”
He shifts in his seat. I’m pretty sure he is uncomfortable with my honesty, and I kind of love that. “Fine, fine. I’ll consider what you’ve both said. You may go.”