Chapter 30
Adler
The last several days at home have been spent in painful silence. My home has no warmth, no joy, and no life in it.
I started working in the office again the day after I drove Violet home and now every night when I step foot into my house it just feels wrong.
I hate being home just as much as I hate going to bed and waking up alone.
I never minded being alone before. I liked the peace and quiet, but now it feels wrong. It feels sickening to always be alone and have nobody to talk to about it.
Obviously, I have my unit who are also my colleagues, but it’s not enough. It’s not who I want. I don’t want to complain about my crappy day to Nico, Brice, Jasper, or any of the rest of my guys.
It’s not the same.
I’m in my office today, working on a few cases. Ms. Haddler, apparently Brice's new sworn enemy, is stressed out about her husband again. While we've never been able to find any proof that he actually watches her or visits her in two years of surveillance, I understand her fear.
Simon Haddler, her ex-husband, is a real piece of shit. Not only did he financially abuse her their entire marriage despite their fortune being hers, but he also tried to kill her when she asked for a divorce.
I give her a quick call, having her run through whatever event she thinks happened. She claims that he sent men to her house to threaten her and that they tried to take her.
Either she's imagining things, or my men aren't doing their job. She's had at least one man from my company watching her at all times since hiring us, she's never truly alone.
I checked the schedule, seeing the day she's claiming was actually when one of my unit was watching her. Dane Roth was with her during the time of this incident. “Ms. Haddler, where was Dane while this was going on?” I ask calmly.
Ms. Haddler almost chokes out a broken little sob and I hear one of our guards comforting her over the phone.
She paid for double security after this incident happened a few days ago, so she has two of my guards in her home at all times.
“I don't know! I couldn't find him, I yelled for him and he ignored me.” She almost whines.
That's so unlike Dane…
My assistant walks into my office while I'm on the phone with Ms. Haddler. She has a folder in her hand but says nothing as she approaches me. She knows better than to interrupt my phone calls.
“I will find Dane and get back to you, stay with Ryan and the guard.” I encourage Ms. Haddler.
It's not typical that I send my unit to watch people, we're on the corporate side of things now, but Ms. Haddler seemed shaken up enough that I sent one of us.
She may not know what we are, and she never will, but she's safer with someone who can shift and overpower quite literally anyone or anything.
Once I’m off the phone with Ms. Haddler, I focus on my assistant standing in front of my desk. She has a few too many buttons undone on her blouse and her arms pressing her chest together in an attempt to highlight her cleavage to me.
It's a desperate attempt to get me to mate with her, one she's been trying for years. She had let herself into my home to drop off some files during a shifting party. She saw what we all are and that forced an explanation out of us.
That's when she became obsessed with being mated.
Jemma, my assistant, is definitely a narcissist. She's obsessed with her beauty, her success, and the way people view her. She'll do anything to be the center of attention and to get her way. I've just never fired her because she's not actually bad at her job, she's just annoying.
Ever since she found out what we are and how old we are, she wanted in. She noticed a few of my guys had mates and that the women they'd mated age very slowly, just like us. She wants that.
Jemma has been terrified of growing older for a while now, she's only 36 but she's convinced that she looks too old. She'll take days off to get injections in her face, piles on the makeup, wears clothes that she thinks make her look younger, and even asked for time off to get a facelift.
I'd never deny someone time off if they needed or wanted it, but this woman does not need a facelift. She needs to accept what gracefully aging looks like and stop trying to fuck every man in my unit.
I look up, seeing Jemma still standing there. She has leaned over my desk, pressing her chest into the wood while she stares at me.
“Track down Dane and have him call me, he abandoned Ms. Haddler and she's terrified.” I say flatly while flipping through the folder she had handed me.
“Anything you say, Mr. Lewis.” She almost purrs. I hate how desperate she sounds and I hate even more that she hasn't left my office yet.
I look up from the folder and at her, ignoring her chest pressing into my desk, and focusing on her face. “Do I have any calls?” I ask.
Jemma lets out a little huff, straightening her posture before shifting her weight onto her other hip. “Nothing that you haven't already addressed.” She answers.
“Why would she call you? Asshole.” My alien says in my head. I sigh, rolling my eyes at how rude the other half of me is. “We’re supposed to be a team, you're not supposed to be against me.” I think back to him.
He huffs at my response. “Only when you're not a dumbass.” He replies.
He's not wrong, but it stings that Violet hasn’t called me once in the days since I took her home. I know this is what she needed, she needed a clean break, but I didn't want that.
I just hope she’s doing okay. She confided in me in the tub that she didn’t want to be an escort anymore, that she wanted to do something that matters and be somebody that helps others.
She told me she had planned to leave Hollow Trails altogether when our month was over, starting over in a new town that never knew her as an escort.
It shouldn’t bother me that she's leaving, I shouldn't care that I'll never accidentally run into her or smell her scent in the wind, but it does.
While I may not be worthy of giving her what she needs, I'm still selfish enough to wish I could still see her.
I wish I could be minding my own business at a festival or walking down the street and the wind blows, filling my nose with the scent of raspberries and knowing that it's her.
I'm still selfish enough to wish that we could bump into each other in public somewhere and catch up like old friends.
I'm still selfish enough to wish that she was still here with me.
I push those thoughts aside, forcing myself to forget Violet Chambers at least long enough to get through my workday. I still have an entire company to run, I can't afford to sit around and pout.
When I finally start to read the folder that Jemma had handed me, I see that it's from Sebastian. He has successfully arranged for Mr. Morse and The Better Inc to take someone we're going to claim is a problematic person for us.
I don't know who we're supposed to pretend to get rid of, but we'll find someone. It has to be someone that isn't in our inner circle, someone if they looked into my guys it wouldn't show that they matter too much to us.
Jemma clears her throat, making me look up at her and wait for whatever she may have to say. “May I suggest that whore you dragged around? She's close enough to us to make sense but not important enough to raise suspicion.” She says with a shrug.
Is it possible to have an aneurysm with an alien parasite keeping me alive? That's how my brain feels right now, either that or both he and I are fighting the urge to throw this woman out of my office window and watch her fall 15 stories down.
“You may not. You're a more suitable choice than her, she matters to my unit, and you're not even one of us. You're the one that fetches my coffee and picks up my dry cleaning.” I say sternly.
Jemma visibly pales, gulping harshly before her usual stoic look is spread across her face. “I am a part of this group, I matter. She's just some hooker that you passed around to our guys.” She snaps.
I stand up, slowly rounding the desk and stalking my way toward Jemma.
“Let's eat her from her feet up, so she feels it all.” My alien suggests.
I have to grind my teeth in an effort to ignore his suggestion.
“You'd want to eat all that silicone?” I think back to him, earning a throaty and gravely laugh in return.
When I make my way to Jemma, I very calmly pluck her name badge from her shirt. “Firstly, Violet is not some hooker that I passed around, she is more than that. She is everything. Secondly, you are not, nor will you ever be one of us. Lastly, clear out your desk.” I say as calmly as I can manage.
Nobody talks poorly about my little kitten and gets away with it. This is just the most humane thing I can think to do.
Jemma huffs loudly, crossing her arms across her ample chest. “That's not fair.” She snaps.
I glare down at her, partially shifting and grabbing her firmly by the arms with my sharp claws. I dig my nails in until tears form in her eyes. “Fair would be to let him devour you whole, this is mercy.” I promise her.
Jemma darts out of my office as soon as I retract my claws from her arms, licking the blood from each nail before letting myself shift fully back into myself. “I still say we should have killed her.” My alien remarks.
I huff out a laugh, shaking my head. “You always think killing is the answer.” I argue.
“You've got me there, but she talked about my mate like trash. I don't like that.” He argues.
Am I really having an argument with myself right now?
“She's not our mate, she deserves better than this life.” I say firmly. I'm tired of having this argument with the other half of me.
He snarls, making me wish we were face to face and could fight this out. “She might not be yours because you fucked that up, but she's all I want. You're just too stupid to realize what you've done.” He snaps.
I know he's right, I also hate that he's right. This isn't the life for Violet. I don't know what is or what should be, but this shouldn't be it. It's not enough, I'm not enough.
“Oh, would you shut up? You're the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company, you don't think she deserves riches and luxuries? That life isn't good enough for her?” My alien argues.
I huff loudly, sitting at the edge of my desk and tightly gripping the wood under my palms. “Of course it is, it's me…us that isn't enough. Why would she want to sign up to mate with both of us forever?” I argue.
“Maybe you, I'm a delight and she adores me.” He says with a casual laugh, one that makes me want to punch him.
“She likes having sex with you, I'm who she loves.” I snap back. She's hardly met the other side of me, he's just arrogant.
My alien side lets out an overly obnoxious laugh, making my ears ring with the volume. “Agree to disagree, on the love part. She loves us both, you're just fucking stupid.” He snaps back.
“Is there any way to make you mute? Maybe a pause button?” I ask sarcastically. This other half of me has been in my head since fucking 1946, annoying me to no end!
“You'd miss me too much. Now can we go get my mate, please? I won't talk for the rest of the day if we do!” He begs.
I had already debated calling her, begging her to come home, but my other half shutting up is an offer I can't refuse. I rush out of my office before I even have the chance to debate if this is a good idea.
I’m not even sure how quickly I drive, but I make it to the bad side of town in record time. I know I ran at least three red lights, but I honestly don’t even care. I couldn’t if I tried.
When I pull up to Violet’s apartment complex, I pull into a loading zone, again I don’t care. I rush out of my car, sprinting up the steps until I finally get to the fifth floor and violently bang on the door.
It takes far too long for someone to answer, my nerves and my body almost shaking the longer I’m left standing out here. “Violet, open up!” I demand, pounding my fist harder on the cold metal door.
When someone finally answers it’s another woman that I don’t recognize. A shorter woman with short brown hair and the same type of clothes that my Violet used to wear.
“Jesus, pal. I was sleeping.” She barks out.
I sigh heavily, pushing past her and looking into the small and cramped apartment.
Violet isn’t home but the place does look a little emptier than it did when I was last here to drop her off.
The only difference now is there's a nice-sized pile of drugs on the kitchen table. “Where’s Violet?” I ask nervously.
This woman, who I never bothered to ask her name, sighs heavily.
She moves around me and sits on the ratty old couch against the wall.
“She left this morning, saying she needs a new start. She talked about maybe going to college but definitely getting out of this town. Why? Who are you, her pimp?” She asks with a chuckle.
I huff with frustration, running my hand through my hair while I stare this woman down. “No, I am not her pimp. I’m Adler. Where did she go?” I insist.
Now this woman just smiles up at me like an idiot. “You’re Adler? Well then, thanks for the money.” She says with an overly enthusiastic smile.
I glare at her, putting my hands on my hips while I stare down at this woman who is clearly high. “What money? Why did Violet give you money?” I ask sternly.
This woman shrugs, sitting back on the couch while also practically eye fucking me. “She didn't want to leave me empty-handed and without a roommate, so she gave me a couple of month's rent.” She admits.
I scoff, rolling my eyes at this woman. “And you spent it on crack? Alright then.” I say. “Where is she?” I ask again, frankly, I'm sick of going in circles with this druggie.
She huffs out a laugh, rolling her eyes at me. “You’re the reason she’s gone, you know? She took the ferry, it should be leaving soon, maybe an hour.” She answers with a small shrug.
I roll my eyes again but rush out of her crappy apartment. I knew Violet was going to leave, I just didn’t expect it to be so soon. I didn’t expect her to practically run from this town like it was burning to ash all around her.
Although that's not entirely fair. I basically put a target on her back.
If The Better Inc finds out that she was with me, they may think she's my mate and want to experiment on her. That or they'd want to see what she knows about us, torturing it out of her just to kill her when they realize what she knows isn't that valuable.
Not just to The Better Inc, I made her a target for my men.
Out of respect for me, I doubt anyone in my unit would go after her and try to claim her, but it's still a risk.
All the single guys in my unit fucked her, they all know how fantastic she is and how excellent she feels, and how incredible she is.