Chapter Eleven #2
I sign the form and swipe my Amex, shoot her a wink, and head back to the office to do some hand-holding.
◆◆◆
After a long day, where I have to explain myself to my employees more times than I would fucking like, I slip out of the car and head up the pathway. It’s late, and it’s too dark now, past 11 p.m. I wonder if Olivia might be in bed .
I twist the door handle, and the door swings open. She should really be locking her door. Anyone could walk in.
She gasps and is clutching her arms around her chest.
She’s been waiting for me it seems.
“Hey, Killer. I’m beat. Do you mind if I go straight to bed?” I ask, sliding my shoes off by the door.
“Listen.” I can see on her face how scared she is. “I...I don’t think it’s a good idea that you’re here. We need a clean break. Pretend this never happened, okay?”
“You’ve got a bruise.” I rub my thumb along her thigh.
“Yeah, you fucking tasered me.”
My mouth pulls before I can stop it. There’s my girl.
“I have to work again tomorrow, but we’re going out in the evening. Is seven good for you?”
“Wha—” She frowns. “No seven is not good for me.”
“Okay.” I shrug. “Eight is fine.”
I head toward the basement and turn, “Goodnight, Olivia.”
Her mouth agape, her stance has changed, so she’s standing, leg cocked, fists clenched on her hips. God, she’s a sight. With all the strength I have, I descend to the basement and leave her to go to bed alone, praying that Dr. Alfie’s advice to take it slow works.
◆◆◆
After hours of meetings, welcome-backs, and a birthday cake for Hannah (yeah, a fucking birthday cake ), the team is settled. Luca and I are sitting in my office, sipping on a warm amber whiskey from Kentucky.
I lean back in the leather-bound armchair.
Yeah, it’s old-school. But if my father did one thing right, it was decking his office out so it looked like an old British smoking room.
He even had a smoking jacket made for himself, monogram and all.
Despite being a little eccentric, I haven’t gone that far.
Dark greens and mahogany perfectly blend with the wainscot walls.
I’ve taken inspiration from my father’s style, but I like to think that mine is more comforting, whereas his is dark and not a place you want to linger.
I’ve collected a few books, of which I’ll be adding my most recent reads to the shelf.
My whiskey collection is world-class, too, something that seems to impress Luca more than me.
My vice is purposely putting myself in dangerous situations with unpredictable women. Well...one woman.
“Explain it to me,” Luca snips.
I sigh. If anyone else talked to me like this, their tongue would be nailed to the desk, but Luca is my oldest friend. The shit we pulled when we were younger, it’s a miracle we’re both still alive and kicking.
“She’s the one.”
“The one?” he asks dumbly.
“Yep,” I pop the “p” the way Olivia does and take another sip of my whiskey.
He says nothing and just stares, one eyebrow arching mockingly.
“I know this is hard for you to understand. This isn’t our usual style, but did you really not see this coming?”
“No...I’m just surprised you finally worked it out. I thought you never would.” He downs the remainder of his drink and gets up to pour another.
“Bastard.” I hold out my glass for him to top me up.
“Hey, you were the one watching her from afar for two years. And I’m guessing you found out she’s Danny’s brother by now?”
“You knew?”
“Yeah, because I’m not a fucking simp like you. I do my research.”
“Fuck off.”
“With pleasure. I have a date as it happens. I might take a leaf out of your book and become a one-woman man.” He winks.
That’s as likely to happen as it is for Olivia to be ready to go on our date without a fight tonight.
I look at my watch; it’s six thirty. I should start heading over to Olivia’s to finish the argument we’re bound to have before she finally agrees and make our reservation for eight.
“Meeting booked for tomorrow?” I ask.
“Yeah. Danny’s ready.”
“Good. You gave him the research points?”
“It’s all sorted, boss,” he snips. Luca’s been doing this for as long as I have, so I’m not sure why I still nag him on the details. But he lets it go quickly.
“Good. Enjoy your date. I’m heading out too.”
“Well, if you don’t make it in by tomorrow, I’ll know where to look first.”
I grin back at my oldest friend. “If I don’t come in by tomorrow, don’t come looking for a few days.”
We clink glasses and down the remainder of our drinks. The burn of the amber liquid sears down my throat, and I grab my jacket.
It has been a busy day. After nearly a week off, there is a lot to catch up on, but also plans to make.
My time in the basement has been thought-provoking.
But most of all, my conversations with Olivia have made me reassess a few things.
I’ve been coasting on my father’s coattails for too long.
I want to step away from his shadow and build on something fresh and new.
Something completely unrelated to his shady business dealings.
We’ve worked hard over the last few years to build The Unseen to where it is now.
We’ve used technology that my father’s business had harnessed over the years to grow marijuana plants underground and repurposed it for something legal.
Which I understand, is not usually how scientific breakthroughs go.
Usually, people start with good intentions, but my father ran out of those in the 1970s, so it’s my turn to make up for it.
Luca moved over from my father’s business with me and has remained under my protection, a novelty my father has permitted up until now.
We haven’t had any trouble. Danny also came over, as we needed his tech skills to get up and running.
He’s a practical kid. Knows his way around a computer, and he’s started to automate our growing system, too.
We started out in a basement, and now we’re working on three underground levels of growing capacity, hence the name “The Unseen.”
Since then, Hannah has started as our social media and marketing campaign manager, and Jack is a sales rep.
Hannah is quiet, unassuming, but strategizes like a fucking tiger stalking its prey.
She’s sharp, witty when she wants to be, and has Jack completely wrapped around her finger.
Jack is suave and smooth, a typical car salesman type with slicked-back hair, a sharp jawline, and a shark-like smile.
We tolerate his cheesy one-liners and too-white teeth because he’s doubled our customers in six months since he started, so he’s worth his weight in gold.
Despite being separate from my father’s company in every legal sense, the general rumor mill assumes I am still under The Organization’s umbrella.
It is time for that to change. The business has to move on, or we’ll be going the same way as my father’s business will in five years—six feet under.
At least I have the foresight to see it coming and make changes.
Dad is still operating under smash-and-grab warfare.
Jimmy, my driver, pulls up to Olivia’s house.
The red brick pathway is bordered by flower beds full of bright, tall flowers.
Blooms of oranges, pinks, and yellows guide me to her fire-engine red front door.
The place could do with a little maintenance.
The grass is overgrown, and the flowers are descending onto the pathway in a bid to take over.
Let’s face it. I’m not sure when Olivia could fit in household maintenance on top of her extra-curricular activities.
I smile, shoulders relaxing for the first time since I left this morning and let myself straight in. Yeah, I’m not fucking knocking.
“Olivia?” I call out .
I walk into the living room and see her pacing. She’s holding her chest again, eyes wide, biting her thumbnail.
She looks up at me and steps back.
“What happened?”
I reach out to her, and she flinches.
“Olivia. I need you to tell me what happened. Now.”
The closer I get, the angrier I feel. Her eyes are red from crying; her cheeks are sunken and sallow. Her usual fight has left her eyes.
“Is this about us?”
Please say yes, because I can deal with that. I know how to deal with that.
She nods. “Please don’t hurt me.”
“Hurt you? Olivia, I’ve been thinking about taking you out all day.”
Her eyes pop open, and her lip quivers.
“Oh god, I meant to take you out on a date...not, you know, take you out, take you out.” I chuckle nervously.
I cautiously place my hands on her arms and rub them up and down. God, she’s freezing.
“Come here, Killer.” I pull her into my chest, and she lets out a small sob.
“I thought you’d come to your senses once you left.
That you’d come back to take care of the problem.
But then you just went down to the basement, and I.
..I mean, who does that? And then you’re back again, and I just can’t stop thinking about that guy saying you were playing with your food.
And that’s what it feels like. It feels like you’re playing this game, and I don’t understand the rules.
I’m just waiting for it to be over. Because I can’t live like this.
I’d rather you just get on with it and kill me because I can’t stand the waiting. ”
Jesus. This girl.
“One, no one is dying. Except maybe Luca for referring to you as food. Two, you’ve been so scared all day. Why did you stay? Why didn’t you run?”
“I figured you’d be able to find me. ”
That’s fucking true.
“You’re not wrong, baby. There’s nowhere you could go that I wouldn’t be able to find you.
But, Olivia. I need you to know that I’m not going to hurt you.
” I stroke her hair, and her breathing begins to even out.
“I meant what I said yesterday. And this is not what I meant when I told you to think about what I’ve said.
Don’t doubt me, Olivia. I need you to trust that I’m telling you the truth. ”