10. Chapter Ten #2
It didn’t take a professional to see the frustration all over Ben’s face.
This was a situation I had to navigate with a lot of tact and caution.
“Well, with the few details I was given, I can see why Ellen went off like she did. Feelings are running high, and no one is thinking with one hundred percent clarity, not that I’m saying they should.
But, like I’m sure you’re seeing with Lianne, I see Lukas’s daily struggle with his grief.
You and Quinn aren’t the only ones with their hands full. ”
Ben studied me for a moment. “I never thought about it like that.”
I stood and walked to the island counter he leaned against. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think he’s doing it on purpose. Quinn wouldn’t sit by and idly watch him blow off his family.”
He clenched his jaw and pressed his lips, as if forcing himself to keep his mouth shut. After a moment, he relaxed. “I suppose you have a point. I don’t like it, but I get it.”
“I don’t think anyone likes grieving or betrayal.”
“Fair enough.” Ben sighed as he rubbed his hands over his face. “I only knew the man for a little over a year, but it was long enough to know George would have known how to fix this.”
Him being alive would have alleviated a lot of these problems, that was for sure.
After eating breakfast, I headed downstairs and sat in the war room with Dante and Avery, helping where I could with tech and surveillance things, since it was taking longer without Ryan’s genius brain. It wasn’t long before Lukas joined us.
“Everything going okay?”
Avery glanced up and nodded. “As best as it can. I don't know how Ryan ran all these diagnostics and checked all these locations every morning on his own.”
Lukas settled into the chair next to her as he set his laptop on the table.
“Pretty sure he wrote a program to help him expedite the process. All I know is that whatever he uses, it’s on his laptop.
Even if I could log in, I'm not sure I’d be able to get into the program or run it.
I can help you by taking a task or two off the to-do list.”
“I’ll gladly take it. Incoming email.”
Lukas looked relieved to have something to do. Seconds later, there was a soft ding from his laptop, and after a few clicks, he was in the thick of it with us.
I'm not sure how much time passed before someone else walked into the room. When I glanced up, I was a little surprised to see Ryan standing there.
“Hey. How are you feeling?”
He rubbed the back of his neck as a nervous smile appeared on his face. “Better.”
Lukas spun around in his chair and stood up. “You look better.”
Ryan nodded. “Yeah. Getting extra sleep seemed to do the trick.” He glanced around at everyone working. “Can I help with anything?”
Avery smiled and shook her head. “Nope. Lianne told us to kick you out if you came down here today.”
“But I--”
“Need to listen to your boss? Yep.” Avery smirked after cutting him off. “To ease your mind, all properties look as they should, nothing has tripped any of our alarms, systems are operating within parameters, and you are a god among computer operators and programmers.”
A small smile appeared on Ryan’s face. “Well, then. Since you all seem to have a handle on things, I’ll be leaving, per Lianne’s orders.”
Lukas’s mood darkened after Ryan left. He looked fine, but the way he was clenching and releasing his hands told me another story. Not long later, his phone buzzed, and after reading what I assumed was a text, he suddenly started packing up his things.
“Everything okay?” There was a nervous energy to his movements.
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Li needs me for something.”
Dante glanced up at the door and then at me. “You buy any of that?”
I shook my head. “Not for a second.”
Later on that afternoon, I was a little surprised to see Lukas not carrying his luggage to the SUV as I walked out with Quinn. “Change of plans again?”
He glanced up, looked past me, and then locked eyes with me again. “No. We’re all heading out to the airport as soon as the truck is loaded. We have a flight to catch.”
Something was off, but I didn’t push it. Lukas was my boss, and if I truly needed to know something work-related, he would tell me.
We’d barely made it to the end of the street before Lukas started talking. “Peter, I know you have questions.”
I glanced over my shoulder into the back seat where he was holding Quinn’s hand. “I do.”
A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I’m not flying back tonight. Ryan doesn’t know that, though.”
I furrowed my brow. “Why not? And why the secrecy?”
Lukas let out a deep sigh. “Lianne is finalizing a plan and wants my help.”
“Okay?” It answered some of my questions, but not all.
Quinn squeezed his hand and looked at me. “What he’s not saying is that aside from Lianne genuinely needing help from Lukas with some secret project, she and Lukas need each other close by right now, but both of them are too proud to say it.”
Connor let out a snicker. “The twins? Stubborn? I’m shocked by this revelation.”
Lukas rolled his eyes, but there was a ghost of his smile on his face.
Relief washed over me at seeing everyone acting more ‘normally’ than I'd seen in weeks. “So, how much longer are you going to be staying out here?”
“As long as Li needs me.”
That could be a long time. I glanced at Quinn, who shrugged, as if to say, ‘we’ll figure it out.’
Once at the airport, Connor and I jumped out to grab the two carry-ons. He closed the door and then looked at me. “I know Quinn’s putting on a good front, but we both know there’s something brewing under that mask.”
I nodded. We’d seen firsthand how well she hid her true feelings when shit was overwhelming. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on her and will continue to do that. We have a system.”
He tipped his head to the side, intrigued. “Oh?”
“Yeah. If she feels herself wanting to resort to old, bad habits, she calls me. I don’t stop her from doing anything.
If I can, I join her for one drink and then help her find another way to distract her thoughts, be it a show, a game, origami, or just talking.
She’s told me that simply letting me know she’s struggling or having me sit with her helps a lot. ”
His shoulders dropped a little, likely in relief. “Good. I’m glad. Lukas mentioned something about it, but I didn’t know all the details.”
“I already kissed Lukas goodbye. You boys done gossiping yet?”
I chuckled as I turned to see Quinn standing behind me. “Yes, ma’am.”
She rolled her eyes. “Connor, if you could roll through a drive through and feed Lukas, I’d appreciate it. Like a child, he says he’s fine, but we all know that’s not true.”
Connor smirked. “Should I go full smart ass and get him a kid’s meal?”
Quinn chuckled and gave him a quick hug.
“I like the effect Jess is having on you. And you can buy him whatever meal you want, as long as he eats. I won’t be there to put food in front of his face, and as much as I love and respect Ben, I’m not sure he’s up to catering to Lukas’s needs unless ordered to right now. ”
The amusement left Connor’s face as he nodded. “I’ve got him covered. I’ll pull in help if needed. And for what it’s worth, Ben would feed him. He’s been doing it with Lianne this entire time.”
After finishing all our goodbyes, Quinn took hold of her suitcase handle. “Ready?”
“Let’s go.”