Perfect Chaos (Chasing Chaos Duet #2)

Gavin

Chapter One

I’m not thrilled my best friend didn’t trust me enough to tell me about Maizyn sooner.

He is like a brother to me. I thought I knew everything about the man, yet I had no idea he had a girl in his life.

Not just any girl, based on his reactions.

He fell in love for the first time and didn't even mention her to me. But I guess I can't blame him for not telling me everything. We all keep at least one card close to our chest, even me. I don’t think I will ever admit to anyone how lonely I actually feel. Sure, I have several women I could call right now who would invite me over, but it all feels empty. I’ve perfected the ruse though, always smile, overplay the charm, be the life of the party, even when the fake laughing leaves a bitter taste behind.

Random hook-ups and different women every night used to excite me, but not anymore.

As pathetic as it might sound, all of my free time was spent with Atlas and even he is not around. I thought moving here would change things. I was confident that we would be here for a while before going back home. I even ended the lease on my house, which is an entirely different problem.

I moved into the main house when Atlas went back to Allendale.

After everything that happened with Maizyn the other day, it’s best for both of them to stay away from here.

I don’t know the full story of what happened, but I know it was bad enough for me and Ramos to cover up a dead body.

I didn’t ask questions. It didn’t feel like the right time.

I just hope Atlas trusts me enough to tell me one day, or maybe even Maizyn, since it seems to be her story to tell.

She seems different than most people. For her to capture Atlas’ attention, she probably has to be.

I still haven't officially met Maizyn. It's not like I didn't want to, but someone had to stay behind to get the security office here in Willowhook situated first. If it were up to me, I would have just closed this office and pretended like it didn’t exist. Unfortunately, Atlas and Ramos both said it would have been a waste of our time and money if we didn’t keep it running.

Leaving me with the annoying task of finding someone competent to run this place in our absence.

I posted a hiring ad online, hoping to make this process faster, but most of the applications coming through are not qualified enough to do the job correctly.

They would probably do perfectly fine in a normal security company but I have higher standards for Torres Security.

I want the best of the best. Atlas and I worked hard to get this far and I refuse to let someone else destroy what we created.

I also run extensive background checks. If there is anything to uncover, I want to know about it and anything seeming remotely suspicious to me, gets forwarded to Ramos to double check. It’s thorough but time consuming.

My stomach growls as I check the time on my phone.

Shit. It's already six in the evening and I don’t remember eating anything today.

Atlas was always good about making sure we both ate regularly.

His meticulous need for controlling everything meant he ate around the same time every day and usually forced me to eat alongside him.

Most days, I would probably forget to eat altogether.

I log off my computer and collect my things.

Even though I want to finish this as fast as possible so I can leave already, I am not dumb enough to think I can withstand working crazy hours without eating.

I can finish shuffling through the applications and check for any new job inquiries after I eat something.

Grabbing my phone and keys off the desk, I lock up the office and walk down the street to the diner close by.

I know I should probably head home and finish all the work tomorrow but I've never been a patient person.

Maybe it would have been better if I had Ramos come here to do this.

Not knowing anyone here has felt very isolating.

It's been a battle against my own mind to not let it get to me.

The waitress greets me as I walk in. The smell of comfort food and coffee assaults my nose as I plop down into the first available booth.

This place has character. It's outdated with multicolored benches and barstools.

There is a giant display case near the counter showing off all the amazing desserts made in-house every morning.

Pictures of famous people envelop the walls.

An antique jukebox is nestled in the corner.

For the first time since everything went down with Atlas and Maizyn, the tension in my shoulders loosens just a fraction.

The waitress comes to take my order. I order a cup of coffee and tell her to bring me the best dish on the menu. Thirteen minutes, two cups of coffee, and a Reuben sandwich later, I pay my tab and head back to the office.

Three weeks and two hundred and forty-six applications.

That's what it took. Three weeks of being on my own, fighting with my mind, but I finally managed to find someone to run this branch of Torres Security as well as five employees to cover the workload.

I have two days left stuck in this isolation while I make sure training goes well.

If everything goes correctly, I will be back in time to start up our Saturday night at Elixirs tradition all over again.