Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
TEDDIE
Teddie
I managed to convince Lyra and my fathers that I didn’t need helping packing and moving.
They’d all given me concerned looks, like they suspected something was up, but I told them I knew one of the guys from college and he offered me a room.
We all agreed I couldn't sleep on Lyra's couch forever.
I'd miss her, but when this was over maybe I'd buy myself a big house and she could move in with me.
How much would a beachfront property cost?
Probably more than I was getting from this deal.
A small cottage a street or two back would be perfect.
One close enough that I could take a quick walk whenever I wanted a swim.
Somewhere close to Loams too. And not too close to the three men.
Right now, as I stood in front of the address they gave me, I was starting to reconsider the whole thing.
The house itself was huge. Two stories, probably a basement, right on the water.
If I counted how many steps it was from the back door to the beach, I’d guess less than a hundred.
The place must have cost a fortune. The only thing that looked worn and tired was my car parked in the driveway.
The poor thing looked as out of place as an elephant in a ball pit.
Or a piece of rusty metal in a crown of diamonds.
Leaving my bags in the car, I started toward the front of the house, my shoes crunching on the tan colored pea gravel driveway.
I half-expected someone to open the door before I got there, but they didn't. Were they watching, waiting for my arrival? I couldn't see anyone, but that didn't mean they weren't.
I stepped up the painted concrete front steps to a huge door, surrounded on either side by seeded glass.
I held my breath and knocked on the door.
I considered the possibility no one lived here, or if they did, they weren't the three masked men.
We had a contract, but it still might be an elaborate prank.
Should I turn around right now, get back in my car and leave?
Where the hell would I go? My fathers deserved their privacy and I wasn't going to screw Lyra around by turning up on her doorstep.
I could—
The door opened slowly, without a creak. A woman I guessed to be in her late sixties stood inside. Her clothes were casual. Her smile suspicious.
"Mr. Egger said you'd be along," she said. She stepped back, gesturing for me to come inside. "You can wait in the library."
If they wanted to win me over, the presence of a library was a good place to start. You can tell a lot about a person by how many books they have, and the condition they keep them in. Dog-eared pages and cracked spines were a sign of chaotic evil, for example.
"First door on the right. I'm Shannon. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."
Before I could respond, she disappeared toward the back of the house, her feet barely making a sound on the hardwood floor.
"Okay then,” I said to myself. "Library, you say?"
I peered into the doorway of the room she'd indicated.
My eyes widened. The room was full with floor-to-ceiling bookcases and, yes, ladders that reached the upper shelves. The shelves were packed with books, everything from thrillers to the latest romance novels.
I squinted at one. Had that officially been released yet? I pulled it out and started reading. When I reached the end of the chapter, I looked around before sinking into an oversized chair under the window. I tucked my legs into me and went on reading.
This might not be so bad after all.
"Enjoying that?" a voice asked.
I recognized the voice as Mr. Middle before I looked up.
My breath caught in my throat. He wasn't only big, he was attractive. Dark, wavy hair matched his olive complexion. A slightly too-large nose sat under dark brown eyes. His full lips were turned up in a faint smile. A dimple in his chin peered out from amongst a fine layer of stubble.
I guessed he was about a decade older than me, maybe in his mid-thirties.
"Mr. Egger, I assume.” I placed the book down on my lap, my finger between the pages to mark my spot.
"Hel," he said.
I blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
He pulled a chair over and perched on the edge of it. "My name. Helmut Egger. Everyone calls me Hel."
"Oh." My face heated. That made a lot more sense than the assumption I was about to jump to. "My fathers passed on their thanks for what you're doing for them. Sort of.”
"But?" He looked at me sideways. He must have seen the apprehension on my face. I doubted I was hiding it very well.
"But they think the money came from crowdfunding and I'm staying here because you offered me a room to rent," I admitted.
“I hated lying to them.” I couldn't remember having done it before.
Having to do it now didn't sit well with me, not even for the good reason I was doing it.
"They'd worry about me if they knew the truth.”
That might be an understatement. If they knew what was really going on, they'd probably drag me home and insist I live with them again. An arrangement that wouldn't work for anyone.
"They don't need to worry," Hel said. "You're a grown woman. You've made your choice. They'd understand that.”
Would they? I wasn't so sure. Living with three total strangers for money? Four, if Shannon lived here too. Some people might suggest I was out of my mind.
"I see you're having second thoughts, but don't," he said. "The decision you made was the right one. The community wouldn't be the same without Loams." There was more, but he left it unsaid for now.
"It really wouldn't," I sighed. "Can you tell that to the asshole that owns the building?
He's the one who keeps putting up the rent. How much money does one person need?” The words came out in a rush, ending as I ran out of breath.
I sucked in an inhale and forced myself to calm.
This wasn't his problem. He was the one here with a solution. I had to remember that.
Hel rubbed his chin. "I have no idea. I'm sure they have their reasons for doing it."
"I suppose so." No doubt he had a mortgage and debts of his own to pay down. Bills that kept rolling in. "Still, I'm grateful. They would have been fucked without your proposal."
Was this where he told me I could show my gratitude with my mouth or my pussy? Maybe with my hand?
He made no move towards me. Not yet. He simply sat and regarded me. His intense expression, curious, like he was trying to learn everything about me with one look.
"Are all of these books yours?" I asked, gesturing around. A change of subject might be a good idea right now.
He blinked as if he'd forgotten there were books in the room with us. "Some of them are," he said. "A lot of them belong to Fade and Oak."
"Those are the other two masked men?" I asked. They might be his children for all I knew. Or his parents.
"That's them," Hel, said. "Oak is the one you were…
acquainted with the other night." He spoke carefully, but it was obvious who he was referring to.
The guy I would have fucked against a car in the parking lot.
The man whose cock went hard under my hand with only the fabric of his jeans between his skin and mine.
"Fade…" Hel frowned, trying to put his thoughts into words.
"He's the one with the attitude problem," I suggested.
Hel laughed softly. "That would be accurate, yes." He didn't say anything in his defense, but I decided not to pursue the issue. I'd find out soon enough.
"Let me give you a tour of the house," he said. He rose and stepped over to a table at the side of the room, picked up a bookmark, and offered it to me.
I nodded my thanks and placed it between the pages before putting the book down. Hopefully, I’d get a chance to come back and finish it later.
His hand brushed against mine as we stepped out of the library, but he made no move to take it or hook his arm through mine. Instead, he walked beside me, gesturing toward a couple of closed doors as we walked past.
"Those are Oak and Fade's rooms," he said. "You're allowed to go anywhere you want in the house, but I recommend getting Oak's permission before you enter his room."
"He likes his privacy," I guessed.
Hel looked surprised before he gave a brief laugh. "Because it's usually a mess. The last time I was in there, I couldn't see the floor for all the crap he had spread everywhere. It's probably a health hazard. It's definitely a tripping hazard."
I couldn't help laughing at that.
"I'll bear that in mind," I said. I suspected if I was waiting for a written invitation from Oak, I'd be waiting until the year was up and then some. Fade too.
Hel led me down to a massive kitchen with picture windows that overlooked the ocean.
From here, the waves looked so close I could almost reach my hand out and touch them.
The kitchen itself had a country cottage vibe, if said country cottage was enormous.
Everything was white, blue or wood. The ruffled, floral curtains on the window over the sink didn't look like Hel's taste, but what did I know? I'd just met the guy.
"It needs a full renovation," Hel said, his gaze scanning the room. "Imagine this with a lot more black."
I tried, but I liked the place as it was. It was cosy. In the middle of winter with the fireplace burning, it would be the true heart of the home.
Figuratively speaking, because this place was not my home. It was the place I was living until the year was up. That was all.
"There's a pantry in here." He gestured.
"The mudroom and laundry over there. You don't need to worry about washing your clothes.
" He looked like he wanted to suggest I don't wear any.
Instead, he said, "Shannon will do your washing for you.
There's a hamper in your bedroom. She also does the cooking and the cleaning. "
"Except for Oak's room?" I asked.
His eyes crinkled as he smiled. "She refuses to step foot inside the place," he said. "She's convinced she'll get tetanus." He didn't seem to be joking.
"I don't mind keeping my own space tidy," I said. After all, my living here was supposed to be repayment for their generosity. Or was it Hel's generosity? I had the impression this was his house. His rules. Either way, I didn't expect to be waited on hand and foot.
"It's her job," was all Hel said. His tone left no room for argument.
It's only for a year, I reminded myself. Partly so I didn't feel bad about wasting her time, and partly because getting used being taken care of wasn’t a good idea. When this was over, I'd have to go back to doing my own cooking, cleaning, and laundry.
Yay for being an adult?
"Over here is our media room.” Hel stepped back into the corridor and opened a door on the opposite side to the two bedrooms. This room was small and cozy, the walls and ceiling all painted black.
On one side of the room was a sectional, covered with dark cushions. On the other was a TV that took up the entire wall from the carpeted floor to the ceiling.
"I had this redecorated," Hel explained.
"You really like to watch your movies," I said. Lyra would love this. We could binge watch a bunch of shows in comfort. Would they let me invite her here? Would I if they did? She'd have lots of questions I wouldn't be able to answer. Not yet anyway. I'd have to wait and see how this panned out.
"I do like to watch when I have time," Hel agreed. "This space is soundproof, so you can really listen to them as well."
I could imagine him sitting on the couch, a glass of wine in one hand, some sort of expensive canapé in the other, watching an action movie. Would he prefer popcorn? He didn't look like a popcorn kind of guy, but he might prove me wrong. I mean, who didn't like popcorn?
"We have every streaming service available," he added, scooping up the remote and turning on the TV to show me a list of them all, including at least three adult entertainment channels.
"If there's anything you want to watch that you can't find on there, let me know. I'll have it organized."
"Anything?" I asked. "Even movies that aren't available anymore?"
"Even those," he said. "Everything has its price."
"I guess it does,” I said.
How much money did this guy have that he could make a promise like that? I thought back, trying to remember what, if anything, I'd heard about him.
Did he have anything to do with Egger Security? They protected the majority of the buildings in Saltgrave Cove. The logo seemed to be everywhere. The stylized bear, and the words 'protected by Egger Security.' That business must be worth a fortune.
"I can't promise I can give you the answer, but if you have any questions, go ahead and ask them," he said.
I was going to ask if it was that obvious, but clearly it was. I must have figurative question marks all over my face.
"Egger Security?" I asked.
He nodded. "Mine. Oak and Fade both work for me. Oak is a guard.” For some reason, Hel didn't seem happy about that. “Fade is my CFO. If you have any questions relating to money or numbers, he's your guy. He can do calculations in his head faster than a computer."
"A math nerd, hmm?" I said.
One of Hel's eyebrows twitched up. "Exactly. He could list every prime number between one and one thousand by the time he was three. He barely started high school and he was studying college-level math."
"And preschool-level behavior," I said with a smile.
Hel chuckled. “I hope the average preschooler behaves better than he does.” He turned the TV off and tossed the remote back on the couch. "I'll show you to your room. I know you'll like it." He seemed very sure of that.
I followed him up the stairs, past what looked like a bite mark in one of the railings, and over to a room with a view of the ocean.
I stopped in the doorway. My breath caught in my throat.
"Why does this look exactly like my bedroom?"