Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
TEDDIE
"You're just in time," Shannon said.
If they knew about today's rule, Hel and Oak gave me no sign as I slipped into the kitchen in search of breakfast. They didn't insist I join them, but since Shannon was preparing it, it seemed like the right thing to do.
Also, while I could get my own cereal or toast, the pancakes looked irresistible.
Between those and freshly made coffee, the kitchen smelled like heaven.
She gave me a wink as I headed over to the corner to pour myself a cup from the machine.
"Looks like everyone slept well," she remarked, flipping the pancake in the pan.
"Like a baby," Fade said slowly, sitting back in his chair to give me a sly smile, his eyelids half-closed.
I rolled my eyes and added an extra spoon of sugar before stepping over to sit next to Oak, as far away from Fade as I could, while sitting at the same table.
"Morning," I said to Oak and Hel.
Oak grunted.
Hel glanced up from his phone and nodded. "Morning." He looked back at his screen.
Wasn’t it nice to have a cheerful greeting first thing on a Monday?
I smirked to myself and blew on my coffee before taking a sip. Careful, in case Fade decided to say something inappropriate at exactly the wrong time. I didn't want to start the day by choking, or spitting out my drink in front of everyone.
Fade didn't say anything. He seemed content to sit and watch me, like a spider observing a fly.
I decided continuing to ignore him would be the best way to go. With any luck, he wouldn't speak to me for the rest of the year.
"You have college this morning?" Hel asked, putting his phone on the table beside him, the screen down.
"Not till after lunch," I said. "I have a study period first."
"Would you like to take a tour of Egger Security instead?" he offered.
Everyone in the room looked at him in surprise, but I doubted anyone was more surprised than I was.
"You want to show me around your office?"
"Why not? I thought you might be curious." He pushed up his suit sleeve and adjusted his watch. It looked expensive. The suit and the watch. A hint of ink peered out from under the face.
"I am," I admitted.
I'd thought about popping in for a look at some point, but suspected he wouldn't want me there. After all, it was his place of work, that might be a line he didn't appreciate me stepping over.
Shannon's comments about how they weren't as bad as they seemed, had stuck in my mind. This might be my chance to find out for myself.
"I'd like that," I said finally.
"Good." Hel nodded his thanks to Shannon as she placed a pile of pancakes in the center of the table. Beside those, she added a bowl of fresh fruit.
I half-expected Fade to leap forward and grab as much as he could so I couldn't get anything.
Like an almost civilized human being, he dug his fork into the top couple and pulled them over to his plate, leaving plenty for me and Hel.
Oak went on eating his breakfast, oats with a sprinkling of fruit. He was washing it down with a cup of water.
I remembered yesterday's rule; eating healthy food. If Oak wanted to screw with me the way Fade had, he would have asked Shannon to make pancakes and bacon for breakfast yesterday. Either he was marginally nicer, or he hadn't thought of it.
Maybe he wasn't as cunning as Fade. It was also possible he wasn't as much of an asshole, but the jury was still out on that one.
"I heard you and Fade watched a couple of movies last night," Hel said, carefully placing strawberries and raspberries onto the top of his pancake.
I glanced at Fade. His eyes were on me as he forked food into his mouth, expression somewhere between expectant and amused.
"That's right," I said, returning my gaze to Hel. "You should have joined us. I'm sure Fade wouldn't have minded."
"Hel doesn't like the kind of movies we do," Fade said meaningfully.
"Shame," I said with a shrug. "I always find a good romcom entertaining. What kind of movies do you like?"
"Hel doesn't like movies," Fade said. "He likes true crime and nature documentaries."
Hel glanced at him, then back at me. "I prefer non-fiction to fiction. Reality is fascinating."
"I suppose it is," I said. "I don't mind a bit of true crime myself. Watching it, not doing it."
Which brought me back to the mystery of the basement. I was tempted to ask about it, but I didn't think they'd be forthcoming. I mean, who hides the door to a basement only to tell a houseguest exactly where to find it? No, that was something I was going to have to figure out on my own.
"Next time I'm watching a documentary, I'll invite you to watch it with me," Hel said. "These two idiots talk the whole time."
"Because it's obvious who did it right from the start," Fade scoffed. "It's always the ex. Doesn't matter if it's ex-husband, ex-boyfriend, or ex-wife. As soon as they mention the ex, you know they're guilty."
"Or the babysitter," Oak said softly.
Fade's, derisive smirk faded somewhat. "Or them," he added.
I glanced over to Oak. Why had he said that? His expression was harder than a brick wall. Completely closed off. His gaze was back on his almost-finished breakfast.
The whole vibe of breakfast went from congenial to somber. Darker. What did I know about Oak Bennett? Not enough, apparently.
He glanced up at me. A flash of anger crossed his face, as if he was annoyed at me for hearing what he'd said. Or annoyed at himself for saying it.
I offered him a smile, but he looked away again. His whole body rigid with tension.
If a kindergarten teacher was good at something, it was diffusing a situation. Turning everyone's attention in a more productive direction. These weren't children, most of the time, but the theory was the same. Not to mention, it worked well on drunk customers too.
"I hear Scarlet Felony is playing at Vertical next weekend," I said. "I might see if Lyra will go with me." The change of subject seemed to help. The mood softened a little, the air easier to breathe.
"I'll make sure we're on the guest list," Hel said, as if that settled the matter. We were all going.
How did I feel about them coming too? I had brought it up, but only to lighten the vibe in here.
I guess it could be construed as an open invitation for them to make plans to go to the nightclub as well.
Whatever, as long as I got to spend some time with Lyra and fit in a dance or three, maybe a couple of drinks.
Their presence might be almost tolerable. Ish.
The question was best left in a 'take each moment as it comes' basket for now.
"I might pay a visit to Horizontal while we're in the area," Fade remarked. "It's been a long time since I had a decent fuck."
If I wasn't looking at Hel, I would have missed the flash of annoyance on his face.
Did he disapprove of Fade paying for prostitutes, or was there more to it than that?
Fade mentioned being into men as well. Did he and Hel have something going on?
If they did, apparently it wasn't exclusive.
At least not as far as Fade was concerned.
"You'd have to get it up first," Oak muttered.
Fade stopped toying with his lip ring and said, "Fuck off. I can get it up just fine."
"If you say so," Oak said, letting his spoon drop into his bowl with a clatter.
"Do you want me to prove it right here?" Fade asked, placing his hands on the table to the sides of his plate, as if he was about to push himself to his feet.
"Don't you dare," Shannon said, flipping the last of the pancakes onto a plate for herself. "I don't want to see your dick."
Fade sat back and grinned. "Sure you don't."
"If I wanted to see a microscopic organism, I'd look under a microscope." Shannon picked up a bottle of maple syrup and spread it around her pancake.
"Microscopic, my ass," Fade said with a snort. "She's scared because she's never seen one as big."
"I have many different emotions when it comes to you." She picked up a fork and waved it in his direction. "I can assure you, scared isn't one of them. Neither is impressed."
I put a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. The woman didn't take an inch of shit from them, and she gave back everything she got. With interest.
She said I might be good for them, but so was she. I doubted there was anything they could do that she wouldn't call them out on. Employee or no employee.
"She's jealous because she hasn't gotten any dick in years," Fade said.
"Not that you know of," Shannon retorted. "Then again, I don't tell you about my exploits when I'm not here."
"When are you not here?" Oak asked. He seemed genuinely confused.
"I know it seems like I'm always here." She smirked. "Believe it or not, I do leave once in a while. For example, someone has to go shopping and buy all the food you assholes eat. Did you think it was teleported in? Or created by magic, maybe?" She rolled her eyes.
"Right," Oak said, scrunching down in his seat.
"We appreciate everything you do," Hel said firmly, giving Fade and Oak both a look.
"Of course you do," she said. "If you didn't, I would have walked a long time ago. Lucky for you I haven't, because we both know no one else would put up with the three of you."
"At last we agree on something," Fade said cheerfully. "Although narrow that down to two, no one would put up with Hel or Oak."
Oak flipped him off, which, if you ask me, was totally fair.
He had some strange idea that I was his, but he seemed marginally more harmless than Fade.
Which was a very good reason why I should be wary of him.
Appearances could be deceiving. He could be waiting for me to let his guard down before he struck.
After last night I was aware these men were capable of almost anything.
Of the three of them, Hel was the most difficult one to figure out. He didn't seem offended or amused. He was reserved, always in control. Quietly generous, and yet there was an underlying air of danger there. Suppressed violence.
He sat behind the desk of Egger Security, but I suspected he could take on a bad guy as well as Oak or any of the other security guards he employed. He was the kind of guy who wouldn't ask someone to do something he wasn't willing to do himself.
To be honest, that made me even more curious about the basement. What was down there someone like him would want to hide? Did the other two know?
Hell, it could be a storage room for all their childhood plushies. Yeah, I doubted it too.
These men had a secret and I wanted to uncover it, whatever it was.