23. April 2024
23
April 2024
H arrison insisted on driving Willow home after rehearsals. He was worried that Vaughn would show up at her apartment. But Willow wasn’t afraid of him showing up. If she were being completely honest with herself, she was afraid of him never showing up again. As angry and betrayed as she felt, she understood why he did what he did. He was used to getting what he wanted, and that extended to her. Vaughn had kept the information from her because he knew she would have turned the role down if she was aware.
Of course, that didn’t make it okay.
‘You sure you don’t want me to come in?’ Harrison said as they pulled up outside her apartment building. ‘I’m happy to keep you company for a while. We could order dinner.’
She gave him an appreciative smile. ‘Lili’s coming over.’ Not entirely true, but she had planned to invite her over.
‘Okay.’ He reached over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. ‘You call me if you need anything.’
Thanking him, Willow climbed out and waved goodbye before heading inside. As she reached the lift, Lili phoned, as if summoned by the friendship gods.
‘Hey.’ Willow pressed the lift button.
‘Just making sure you got home okay.’
‘I did.’ The lift door opened, and she stepped in. ‘Harrison offered to stay for dinner, but I told him I already have plans with you. Please tell me you’re free.’
‘Oh, I wish. I have to go to that dinner with ?yí, remember?’
Willow had forgotten about that.
‘No idea what time I’ll be home,’ Lili added. ‘Want me to swing by after?’
‘You’ll be too tired,’ Willow told her. ‘Get some sleep.’
‘I’m coming over in the morning, then. I’ll bring coffee and those gluten-free croissants that are probably loaded with sugar?—’
‘And we’re both too afraid to ask the cafe owner because then we’ll feel guilty buying them.’
‘Never, ever ask.’
Willow locked the door and went straight over to say hello to Frank. ‘Enjoy your dinner. I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘Will do. Bye.’
Willow was on her way to the fridge to assess the food situation when her phone rang again. Assuming it was Lili having forgotten to tell her something, she answered on the first ring without looking at her screen.
‘Yeah?’ she said.
‘Is that how you answer the phone with everyone or just me?’
She froze at the sound of Vaughn’s voice. ‘Just you,’ she managed to get out.
He was silent a moment. ‘I’m not calling to hassle you. I just want to make sure you’re all right after our conversation today.’ His tone was all businesslike.
She leaned against the counter. ‘I’m fine. Definitely calmer than earlier.’
‘As long as you’re all right.’
It felt like he was wrapping the call up, and there were things she still needed to say. ‘Listen, I’m glad it all worked out with you and Antonio. I said a lot of things earlier, but I forgot to say that.’
He exhaled into the phone. ‘We should talk properly—face to face. I’ve got some business to take care of tonight at The Black Swan, so let’s speak tomorrow.’
She chewed her lip. ‘Is The Black Swan one of your bars?’
‘It is.’
She switched the phone to her other ear and looked outside at the city lights starting to turn on. ‘Do you want to come by tonight?’
‘I’ll likely be quite late, and I don’t want you tired for your performance tomorrow.’
The fact that he owned a bar called The Black Swan edged her another step towards forgiving him. ‘Okay.’
‘I’ll call you tomorrow,’ he said before ending the call.
Taking a deep breath, Willow looked around her apartment. Whatever appetite she had earlier was gone, so she went to take a shower instead. The hot water was bliss on her aching muscles. Pyjamas were the next logical step from there.
Once dressed, Willow had another attempt at dinner, knowing she would fall apart the next day if she didn’t eat something. She cooked a simple stir-fry with vegetables, cashews, and a splash of sauce, pairing it with cauliflower rice. She ate on the couch, staring at the TV. Once she’d forced down all of the meal, she turned the TV off and stared out the window instead, reliving various moments from the previous few days.
‘I trust you,’ she had told him at his family’s home before his arrest. ‘Please don’t break that trust.’
She could still feel the heat and strength of his arms around her, that invincible feeling she had whenever she was with him. Was she prepared to overlook all the secrets in order to hold on to that feeling?
Getting up, Willow tidied the kitchen and made some chamomile tea, then grabbed a comfort read from the small shelf by her bed. She climbed into bed in preparation of an early night—except her exhaustion didn’t carry her off to sleep like it normally did. The dire state of her relationship kept her mind busy, and she lay there in the dark for an hour. Then another hour.
Rolling over, she looked at the clock: 10:13 p.m.
Okay, so it wasn’t an early night, but it wasn’t technically a late one either.
Reaching for her phone, she looked up The Black Swan on her maps app and saw that it was an eighteen-minute walk. A walk could help her sleep. She could go there, wait for him to finish his meeting, and then they could speak—fix things. That seemed like the only way she would get some sleep that night.
Climbing out of bed, she pulled on jeans, a shirt, and her favourite corduroy jacket, then grabbed her keys on the way out of the apartment.
A cool breeze accompanied Willow on her walk to the bar. She tugged the collar of her jacket up to shield her neck against it. As she neared The Black Swan, she grew nervous about the conversation ahead as well as Vaughn’s reaction to her walking alone in the dark. A lecture on safety was inevitable, but hopefully they could have a constructive conversation after that.
The bar was dimly lit and only mildly busy being midweek. Willow immediately recognised it as one of Vaughn’s, with its elegant interior and drink selection. She wandered between the tables, looking for him.
After a few minutes, it occurred to her that he might have finished already and gone home early. She was considering texting him when Finn walked in. He walked straight past her without seeing her, clearly in a hurry, then disappeared into a room at the far end of the bar.
‘What’s through there?’ she asked the bartender.
He glanced in the direction she was pointing. ‘VIP room,’ he replied before walking away to serve someone.
Of course Vaughn would be in there and not taking business meetings among his patrons.
She wandered over to the door and loitered awkwardly while glancing inside. At the back of the room, she thought she spotted Vaughn through a haze of cigarette smoke. His tall, commanding frame was so familiar to her at that point. She glimpsed a man seated while others stood behind. Finn was among them. It was clear that the business meeting was still underway.
Willow was about to return to the bar and order something tragic like mineral water with a slice of lemon in it when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the men grab hold of the seated man and yank him to his feet. Sucking in a breath, she stepped back out of sight. The music in the main bar was too loud for her to hear anything. She should have walked away at that point, but instead, she peered around the edge of the door and saw the man being dragged across the room and through another door at the back. A cold sensation crawled along Willow’s skin as she watched Vaughn remove his suit jacket before following them, Finn at his heels.
That was Willow’s cue to leave. Leave and pretend she was never there.
But her feet didn’t carry her away like they were supposed to. A sick, insatiable curiosity had her checking her surroundings before slipping into the now-empty room. She looked around the space as she walked slowly through it, unable to appreciate the vibrant prints on the walls or the plush fabric of the armchairs in that moment. She was driven forwards by her need to truly know the man she couldn’t seem to walk away from.
When she reached the door on the other side, she paused, partly hoping someone would appear and tell her she was lost before politely guiding her back to the safe part of the bar—but no one came to stop her. With heat gathering beneath her favourite jacket, she reached for the door handle and held her breath as she turned it, then pushed the door open.
Still, no one came to stop her.
She peered inside, discovering what appeared to be a storeroom of some kind. Her senses were heightened by the dark. The muffled sounds of a struggle drew her inside. Her footsteps quickened the closer she got to the noise. She stopped at the edge of a tall metal storage shelf packed with beer cartons, then peered around it. Her stomach twisted as Vaughn’s fist slammed into a man’s face with a sickening thud. The other men were holding him in place, making it easier for the mafioso to beat him with accuracy.
Willow’s hand flew up to her mouth, holding in a gasp. She took a hurried step back so that the beer cartons were blocking her view once more, then flinched when she heard the same noise again followed by a pain-filled groan. Creeping backwards, her feet landing softly, she tried to exit as quickly and quietly as she could.
The absence of breathing was making her dizzy.
When she was finally through the door, she gently closed it, then drew a greedy breath, followed by several more. She turned to flee and slammed straight into a rock-hard body. When she looked up, she saw a face she didn’t recognise. The man grabbed hold of her arm, and she felt her soul leave her body.
‘Who do we have here?’ he asked as his hand tightened on her. ‘Did you get what you came for?’
She shook her head. ‘I was just looking for someone.’ Her voice was shaking all over the place.
His grip turned bruising. ‘And who might that be?’
Willow wasn’t sure if saying Vaughn’s name would cause more problems, but she didn’t know what else to do. ‘Vaughn Gallo.’
The man drew her close, bringing his face to hers. ‘And why would you be looking for him?’
‘I…’ Fear buzzed through her body. ‘Please let go,’ she managed to get out.
‘First tell me who sent you here,’ he replied.
The door swung open, and Vaughn stepped into the room, wiping his hands on a bloodied towel. He stopped when he saw Willow, and it was the first time she recalled ever seeing him shocked by anything.
Finn stepped around him to see what the hold-up was. ‘Oh shit,’ he muttered.
Every muscle in Vaughn’s body appeared to grow rigid as he took in the sight before him. His eyes glazed over, making them appear black in the smoke-filled room. He looked at the man holding her. ‘Let her go.’
The man immediately released her, and she placed a protective hand over the tender spot where he’d held her. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said quietly, unsure who she was apologising to. Perhaps herself.
Vaughn stepped up to the man and shoved him—hard. Despite his size, he stumbled backwards a few paces, making no attempt to defend himself.
‘If you ever put your hands on her again, I’ll fucking kill you,’ Vaughn said, his tone matching the look in his eyes. ‘Understand?’
The man raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘Easy now. I was just looking out for you.’
‘He didn’t hurt me,’ Willow blurted, feeling the sudden need to protect this person she had never met before.
Vaughn’s gaze returned to her. ‘Everyone out. Finn, bring the car around.’ His voice was ice cold.
Everyone filed out of the room. The man Vaughn had beaten was nowhere to be seen.
‘What are you doing here?’ Vaughn asked the moment they were alone.
There was really no answer she could give that would satisfy him. ‘I couldn’t sleep.’ She sounded so pathetic. ‘I thought I would come here and wait for you to finish.’
‘To finish?’
‘Your’—she swallowed—‘business.’
He slowly closed the distance between them. ‘You came here alone ?’
‘It’s a short walk.’
‘You walked ?’
She nodded, barely.
He sucked his teeth and looked away briefly. ‘Did he hurt you?’
‘No.’
He went to reach for her arm, then changed his mind when he caught sight of the blood on his hand.
‘Why were you hurting that man?’ She tried to bring some volume to her voice when she asked the question, but it still came out weak.
He closed his eyes. ‘Jesus, Willow. You really shouldn’t have come.’
‘Tell me what he did that would make you… do that.’
‘We’re not having that conversation.’
Willow looked around the room, feeling cold suddenly. ‘I knew, but I didn’t… know.’ She smiled awkwardly. ‘I realise how ridiculous that sounds.’
‘Seeing it is different.’ His eyes never left her. ‘Seeing it is real . Sometimes what I do isn’t pretty.’
She looked down at his bloody hands, then shook her head. ‘I can’t…’
‘Can’t what?’
‘I can’t see that. Be around that.’ She was backing away from him as she said it.
His brow furrowed. ‘Of course you can’t. You were never supposed to see it or be around it.’
She stopped walking. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Vaughn pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘I told you from the beginning?—’
‘You did. You really tried to tell me, and I didn’t listen.’ She couldn’t quite draw enough breath. ‘This is my fault.’
His hand fell to his side. ‘Willow?—’
‘It’s true. You were being responsible and considerate and real, and I stupidly thought that with time, I could steal you away from this life.’ She shrugged. ‘There, I said it.’
The coldness in his stare began to melt away. ‘The problem is, you think that me and this life are separate entities, but we’re the same. I’m the life. The life is me.’
She blinked, and a tear escaped. ‘I need to ask you something.’
He waited.
‘Did you and Antonio get released this morning because you were innocent or because you’re part of the Merit Group?’
Vaughn looked up at the ceiling. ‘Why the hell would you ask me that?’
The image of his fist hitting the man’s face at full force flashed in her mind again. ‘I should go.’
His gaze returned to her. ‘Finn’s out front ready to take you home.’ There was no request for her to stay and talk anything out. The conversation was over.
‘Okay.’
Turning away, she fled the room.