18. Clay
Chapter 18
Clay
“What aren’t you telling me?” Fiona asks.
I would laugh if I wasn’t using all of my restraint to keep from speeding Fiona to safety.
“ Careful ,” Specter warns in my ear, and I tap my temple to turn off the implant. I don’t need him buzzing around in my brain for this.
“Let me bandage you up and we’ll talk,” I say, doing my best to temper my tone.
She nods and I finish cleaning her wound. The mere sight of her injury has me teetering on the edge of control. She can sense it too, so with massive effort, I force my energy into the ground.
She stares at nothing while I work. It’s a faraway look I recognize. I’ve never seen this side of her, but it’s like I’m looking into a mirror at my younger self. She hasn’t had years of therapy to process the abuse. It’s still fresh. Whoever hurt her is going to pay tenfold.
I take her hand, and she follows me to the couch. “We’re investigating Edgar and his ties to The Church of the Infinitum. We think that’s where the money is going.”
Her eyes widen. “You have to stop,” she says.
I put my hand over hers and squeeze when they tremble. “I can’t.”
“Clay, please. You don’t know what you’re getting into. The church is dangerous.” Her voice wobbles and there’s obvious terror in her patterns.
I can’t stand it, so I do what I do best. I smirk at her. “Worried about me, Flowers?”
She yanks her hand from mine and the Fiona I know reappears. “Just because you’re an arrogant asshole liar douche bag doesn’t mean I want you to get hurt.”
I flatten my lips. “Tell me how you really feel.”
Her voice pitches higher as the panic sets in. “You’re already on his radar. Raf is smart. It might already be too late. Do you have somewhere you can hide out?”
“Who is Raf? Is that who did this to you?”
“I have to warn Rosa.” She whips out her phone, but I take it from her and grab her arms so she’s forced to look at me.
“Deep breath, Flowers. I’m well aware of Infinitum and how dangerous they are.”
She searches my face. “Then why are you still here?”
“Because I’m dangerous too.”
She rolls her eyes and I can’t help but chuckle.
“I’m glad you agree.”
She deflates and sinks into the couch. “Rafael is my father’s enforcer. He’ll be back. My father wants me to come home.”
I log the name away, burning it into my memory with a promise of vengeance. But first, I need to get her somewhere safe.
“Do excommunicated members typically get a second chance?”
She shakes her head. “Not that I’m aware of.”
I curse under my breath and tap on my implant when it vibrates, indicating Specter wants to talk.
“ We’ve found the vehicle that was just at Fiona’s house. They’re heading south . I’m going to follow them and see what I see . Get Fiona to Emilia’s estate asap, ” he says.
“Can you do me a huge favor?” I ask.
She purses her lips. “You’re not in any position to be asking favors.”
“I can go sit in my car if you don’t want me here. But I’m not leaving you alone.”
She hesitates and heaves a sigh. “What favor?”
“You’re not safe here.”
She crosses her arms.
“If you’ll allow it, I’d like to take you somewhere safe.”
She chews her inner lip. “The church was my entire life. When my father excommunicated me….” she swallows hard and closes her eyes.
“Your entire world imploded and everything you thought you knew was a lie. You couldn’t trust anything.”
She opens her eyes and a few tears fall down her face. She swipes them away. “Yes.”
“That must have been terrifying.”
“It was the worst and best day of my life. It freed me from ignorance, and now my father wants me to return to that control. I can’t go back, Clay. I won’t survive this time around.”
“I’ll never let that happen.”
She regards me for a long moment. “You weren’t pretending, were you?”
I shake my head. “Even when I thought you were working for Edgar, I still wanted you. It was super annoying.”
She smirks. “And now?”
“I’m still annoyed.”
She chuckles. “Sorry to be such a bother.”
“No, you’re not.”
She grins and shrugs. “Alright. I’ll go with you.”
“Does this mean I’m forgiven?”
She narrows her gaze. “Don’t push it. I’ll go pack a bag.”
I watch her disappear down the hall and heave a sigh. That went better than I expected. Turns out telling the truth can get you pretty far.
A few minutes later, she calls Rosalee and tells her the abbreviated version of what just happened, unaware that I can hear both ends of the conversation.
“Just be careful Rosa. Raf said my dad granted him permission to marry me.”
My hackles rise and a pit forms in my stomach.
“What the hell? That makes no sense,” Rosa says.
“Nothing ever does.”
“Take the cash and the burner phone out of the safe in my closet and go to a hotel a few hours away.”
I like her cousin already.
“Um, well. Clay is here. He’s taking me somewhere safe.”
A few beats of silence pass. “And you’re okay with that?”
“For now. He knows about the church.”
“Do you trust him, Fiona?”
Silence for a few seconds, and then, “I trust him to keep me safe.”
“Alright, call me when you’re settled, and I expect every single detail of what the hell happened over the past hour.”
She appears with a duffle bag wearing yoga pants and a baggy t-shirt, which is apparently my weakness, because all I can do is stare at her pretty face.
She shifts under my attention and clears her throat. “I’m ready.”
I take her bag from her, and she slings her purse over her shoulder before she grabs my apology flowers. The entire time I’ve known her, I’ve been struggling with the idea of her deserving my trust. I never imagined earning hers would be equally important.
Fiona is contemplative on the drive to Emilia’s house, but when we pull past the gate, she perks up. “Does Emilia know about the church?”
“No, and we’d like to keep it that way for her safety,” I say and Fiona nods.
“Is she aware I’m staying here?”
“Yes. We told her a pipe burst at your house and you need a place to stay.”
I pull up to the house and Paul jogs down the steps to greet us. He pulls Fiona in for a bear hug and she leans into him. “I’m sorry about earlier,” he says.
“Me too.”
They smile at each other, and all is forgiven. Must be nice .
“I hope you’re hungry. We’re almost done with dinner. Chicken Parmigiana,” he says.
“Sounds great.”
“I’ll show you to your room,” I say as I join them with her bag.
Our footsteps echo down the long tiled hallway, and I stop in the doorway of the only open room. She peeks inside, then takes her bag.
“Where is your room?”
I hook a thumb behind me at the room across from hers. “Hey neighbor. I keep the door unlocked. Sneak in whenever you want.”
She chuckles. “You wish.”
I spread my hands. “Every day, Flowers. Every day.”
She grins and slams the door in my face. I chuckle and shake my head.
“I’ll meet you in the dining room. It’s on the other side of the house. Just follow the scent of breaded chicken.”
“Okay. I’ll change and be right there,” she says through the door.
“What you’re wearing is fine. I’m changing into sweats, too.”
I head into my room for a quick change. When she still hasn’t emerged, I go to the kitchen and find Paul pulling out a pan of steaming chicken wearing oven mitts that are a bit too small for him.
He sees my expression and rolls his eyes as he smirks. “Is she settling in okay?” Emilia asks, looking up from her mixing bowl.
“I think so. She’ll be here soon.”
Xander enters from the patio outside, tucking his phone into his pocket. “Smells amazing, Paul.”
Emilia smirks at him. “He’s better than any five star chef you’ve hired.”
Paul chuckles. “You’re too kind.”
“She’s just buttering you up. Emilia is the biggest foodie. If you’d have met her years ago, I’d be worried she’d choose you over me.”
Emilia scoffs. “Never,” she whispers. He smiles and kisses her temple and for the first time, being front row center to someone else’s PDA doesn’t aggravate me. Fiona hovers in the doorway and her patterns are less chaotic.
“Fiona! You are in for a treat. Prepare for an orgasm in your mouth,” Emilia says.
Fiona blushes as she enters the kitchen. “That sounds…fun.”
Everyone laughs as Dylan appears. “You okay?” he says to Fiona and she nods.
“How’s the house doing? Were they able to stop the flood?” Emilia asks.
Fiona glances at me. “They hadn’t when I left. I’m glad I could salvage a few things. Thank you so much for taking me in.”
“Of course. You’re welcome to stay as long as you need. This house is too big for the two of us, anyway.” Emilia returns to her salad making.
“Fiona, can I get you a beer or a glass of wine?” Xander asks, making his way to the fridge.
“Just water is fine, thanks.”
He pulls out a glass and a pitcher of ice water from the fridge. She takes the offered glass with a smile.
“Emilia speaks highly of you. Is it true you almost bested James’ GPA record?”
She blushes. “Missed it by .04.”
“Impressive. And LAPD uses a program you created?”
She nods. “SDPD adopted it last year, and San Francisco is in talks.”
“Do you see any of that profit?” he asks.
She shrugs. “No. I get credit for the invention, but the technology belongs to UCLA. The money goes back into the school funding, so it’s not a total waste.”
He smiles. “Something to be proud of, indeed.”
“Thank you.”
“So what’s your goal at Reilly Tech?”
“Xan, let’s not give her the third degree,” Emilia says.
He scoffs. “She has to have a plan.”
Fiona beams. “Do you want the five, ten, or twenty-year plan?”
“Give me the twenty.”
“COO of Reilly Tech.”
Xander’s eyebrows rise and he speaks to his wife. “Better watch out. She’ll be after your job.”
Emilia smiles. “In twenty years, it’s all yours.”
“Can I get that in writing?” Fiona asks and they both chuckle. I can’t help but smile, charmed by her cutthroat ambition. Raven will adore her. Assuming her father doesn’t snatch her back to Infinitum and I can prove to the team that she belongs with us. No pressure.
“Let’s eat,” Paul declares, and we take seats around the table. The conversation flows, and I try to hide my jealousy at how easily Fiona opens up for Xander as they continue to chat. Her patterns seem lighter, and color returns to her cheeks. I sit quietly, imagining a world where Infinitum doesn’t exist, and Fiona and I are together, having dinner with friends. It’s a beautiful fantasy, so it’s only a matter of time before it implodes.