This Is Where I Sleep

by Tiffany Patterson

  “Yes,” she nodded. “But can we call Daddy?”

  “We sure can,” I told her pulling out my phone. I pressed Li’s number and after a few rings, it went to voicemail. I quickly explained what happened and assured him that Laura was okay. Then I gave her the phone so she could leave a voicemail.

  “Hi Daddy! Nana and Papa had to go take care of Uncle Mike. I’m home with Ms. Coral. I’ll be really good. I promise! Bye.” Laura handed me back the phone and I said bye before hanging up.

  “Alright, how about you play a game of hide-and-seek with Uncle Brian, while I go and get dressed and then maybe we can go to the community center?” I suggested, looking between Laura and Brian.

  When they both nodded, and Brian covered his eyes and started counting, I began backing out of the room. The last sight I saw was Laura frantically searching for a good hiding space in the huge living room. I covered my mouth to stifle my laughter at the jovial sound. As I rushed through my shower and changed into a pair of skinny jeans and an off the shoulder, long-sleeve t-shirt, all my previous plans I had for this day fell by the wayside.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Liam

  “Show me what you’ve got so far,” I told Randy as we met in some seedy, dive bar in the outskirts of Austin. I’d told Ron and my other security I needed them to meet with my father’s security team to go over any security issues. The truth was, I needed this time alone to meet with Randy. He worked as my father’s chief of staff, but in actuality, he had been keeping tabs on my father’s dealings for me over the years. My father slept with Randy’s first wife some years ago to steal secrets about his company, and he didn’t realize Randy knew about it. Randy had been looking for a way to pay him back, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time.

  “I had my PI take these,” Randy said pulling out a folder and opening it.

  Inside the folder was picture after picture of my father plain as day fucking some younger woman. I was willing to bet good money this woman was hired specifically to fuck my father. My lips turned down in disgust at the images. I wasn’t shocked. I had known my father had a penchant for prostitutes for years now. My mother had known as well. Hell, half the politicians and high-level businessmen in this country did, and while the general public probably wouldn’t take too kindly to the governor of a major state paying for sex, it wasn’t enough to destroy my father. With this evidence, he’d probably finish out his tenure as governor and return as chairman of the board of Bennett Industries. I wouldn’t have that. I knew he was into deeper shit than fucking a few prostitutes.

  “This isn’t enough, Ran. Have you checked the donors like I told you?”

  Randy’s balding head bobbed up and down as he nodded. “Yeah, but it’s a dead end. All the donors appear to be on the up and up,” he let out a long breath, clearly frustrated.

  “Send me the list of donors and all their contributions. I have someone in mind who can trace money,” I told him. “I’m going to keep these for insurance as well,” I said picking up the folder and placing it in my briefcase. “We need more,” I said, looking sternly into Randy’s face as I stood. I’d been gone for nearly an hour, and I needed to make it back downtown for the second leg of this trip.

  “You never told me why you want this so bad.” Randy’s eyebrows raised as he stood as well. “I know what I have against your father. But what about you? He’s your father, albeit he probably wasn’t all that great, but why do you want to take him down so badly?”

  In all of our years working together, Randy had never asked this question. I guessed it was because now I was the most adamant I had ever been on taking down my father. “Same reason as you. He tried to take the most important thing in my life from me. He’s a controlling, manipulative son of a bitch who thinks he has the power and influence to outmaneuver everyone.”

  I’d never told anyone besides Jeremy the whole story of how my father manipulated me into taking over Bennett Industries and marrying a woman I wasn’t in love with so that he could run for governor. The memory of it still made me blind with fury, and it was why I’d spent the last five years trying to dig up every little secret on my father to take him down. I hadn’t gathered the ammo I needed to rightfully dethrone him just yet, but I was close. I could feel it. I had a gut feeling this issue with Larry’s murder and Bennett Industries’ shady financial dealings from the past would lead right back to my father. Regrettably, that moment would have to wait a little while longer as I had another pressing issue I needed to handle.

  I checked my watch, shook hands with Randy, and caught a cab back to the downtown office where I left Ron and my security. I alerted Ron there’d been a change of plans as we packed to head to the hotel. Instead of staying overnight in Austin, I called my pilot and scheduled a quick trip to our lovely nation’s capital.

  “D.C?” Ron’s face was a picture of surprise and dismay.

  “Yeah, DC? Is that a problem? You had other plans?” I asked, defensively.

  He quickly changed his tone. “No, no it’s just I wasn’t expecting this. To better serve you, it’s important that I, as head of your security, know what is happening.”

  I tilted my head to the side, and squinted, looking intensely at Ron. “So, me changing my schedule is a problem for you? Is that what you’re saying? Because if it is—”

  “No, no. I didn’t mean anything like that.”

  “Good. Because I would hate to have to find another head of security. Someone who is more capable of keeping up with my changing plans.” I lifted an eyebrow in warning. I didn’t kid around when it came to security. “Let’s make this the last time we ever have to have this type of conversation.” And with that, I strolled off to towards the town car waiting to deliver us to our flight.

  ****

  “Do you have an appointment?” the middle-aged, grey-haired woman asked, looking up from her appointment book.

  I gave her my warmest smile. “No, but I’m sure Senator Roberts will see me,” I stated, confidently. “Just tell him an old friend is here to see him.” That’s right; I went to see the punk who kept sniffing around what belonged to me. United States Senator or not, I wasn’t about to let him think he had some type of chance that he never actually did.

  “And your name? Mr.?”

  “Bennett. CEO of Bennett Industries.” I was not above throwing my name and title around to get what I wanted. There were some traits I learned from my father that I managed to hold onto. Luckily, I wasn’t a bastard like he was. At least, I’d like to think not.

  “Oh, Mr. Bennett. Of course. One second.” Her whole demeanor changed hearing my name. You couldn’t run a huge company like I did and not have your name well known in D.C. circles.

  I nodded, took a few steps back, and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I saw I had a few voicemails, missed calls and text messages. I checked voicemails first and heard that Laura’s grandparents had to end their weekend with her early because Mike had been in a car accident. I smiled absentmindedly as I heard the message from my little girl and Coral, assuring me that she was okay. Next, I opened my text messages and laughed out loud at the funny-faced pictures Coral had sent me of the two of them. Apparently, they had spent the day at the community center with Brian and Mitch, and then Coral took them for a spa day. I frowned at the pictures she sent me of Laura’s little-painted nails and toes.

  You let my baby get red nail polish? I texted Coral.

  But I was only teasing. I was extremely relieved to see the two of them having so much fun together. Within seconds, my phone was chimed with a response.

  Relax, daddy. It’ll come off in a few days, and we’re waiting a few weeks until we get the tattoos and tongue piercing.

  I laughed out loud causing everyone, including Ron, to stop and stare at me. I didn’t have time to respond before Nathaniel’s pompous ass appeared at his door. My frown immediately returned. I took one last look at the pictures, reassuring myself that it was my home Coral was at and not his
.

  “Liam, well isn’t this an…unexpected surprise,” he said as he stepped fully out of his office, extending his hand for a handshake.

  We shook hands and for a few seconds, sized each other up. “I bet it is,” I returned. He was only an inch shorter than my six-foot-three frame, and about as muscular as I was.

  “Why don’t we take this in my office?” He stepped back and allowed me to pass through to his office. When Ron attempted to follow me in, I held up my hand. “I’ll be fine, Ron. You can wait out here.”

  I heard the door close behind me as I looked around Nate’s office. It was the typical office of any Junior Senator. Pictures with the President and other important dignitaries lined the shelves, books, and papers stacked on his huge desk. From the window, one could make out the Lincoln Memorial in the distance. In all honesty, Nate was a pretty good Senator. His ideals were progressive enough, and he had really done some good things for the people of his state. Still, fuck him. He’d set his sights on something that belonged to me.

  “I can’t say I’m all that surprised to see you. I was wondering when you’d make an appearance. Considering…”

  Considering I was fucking your soulmate. I knew that’s what he wanted to say, and my hands instantly curled into fists.

  “Considering…you want something that doesn’t belong to you.”

  I took a step towards him but stopped myself. Nate didn’t appear all that flustered by my appearance at his office. He planted his feet and stuck his hands in the pockets of his Armani suit pants, giving the image of someone who was relaxed, but I knew better. We had the same type of training.

  “Belong?” he raised a questioning brow.

  “You heard me.”

  “I doubt that’s how Coral would see it.”

  “I doubt you understand most things when it comes to Coral.”

  “Care to enlighten me, Liam?”

  I smiled at this pompous motherfucker. If this were any other circumstance, Nate was probably someone you’d want on your team. But I never liked him for the very reason I was standing here right now.

  “How about this for enlightenment: Stop calling her. Stop texting her. Don’t even think about her. Consider Coral a distant, fond memory you’ll never get the opportunity to make new memories with.”

  By the time I’d finished talking, I realized my heart rate had sped up and the rising and falling of my chest as it expanded with each inhale. My body was on high alert. I couldn’t stand this asshole and I knew it was because he’d seen Coral naked. I didn’t care to imagine how many times they’d been together, where, or what other parts of herself she’d shared with him. It wasn’t even so much the thought of what they shared physically, it was the very thought that Coral and Nate could have had a very real connection. Images of her lying in his arms as she shared parts of her life that she’d only told me was what truly pissed me off. Sex could be intimate, but letting down those walls and letting someone know the heart, your fears, and what kept you up at night was real intimacy. That was type of intimacy I’d only shared with Coral and I shuddered to think she’d had that with someone else.

  He pointed a finger at himself. “Are you giving me an order, Liam?” he asked, as his chest rose and fell as rapidly as mine.

  “Not an order, Senator. We’re no longer in the military. Just think of it as some friendly advice from one vet to another.” I smiled, but there was no hint of kindness in it. I stepped closer. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. Hell, I don’t even blame you. One can’t help but fall in love with Coral. She’s smart as a whip, able to kick the ass of most men twice her size which also makes her sexy as hell. Not to mention that she handles a glock almost as well as I do. She’s the total package. My total package. It’s time for you to find your own.” With that, I stepped around Nate to head towards the door. I’d made my point.

  “You keep talking about her like she’s some prized possession of yours. If you knew anything about Coral you’d know she wouldn’t appreciate anyone thinking they have some sort of ownership over her.” His voice had a haughty intonation to it that frazzled my damn nerves.

  “If I knew anything about her,” This shithead thinks he just one upped me. I slammed the door to his office, and within a few long strides I was directly in his face. We were chest to chest, glaring at one another. “You think you fucking know her because you’ve seen her naked a few times?” I seethed in his face. “You think you know her because, what? You know where she went to college or you shared a few drinks after engaging in gunfire, once upon a time years ago halfway around the world?” I was now poking his chest with my finger, trying to refrain from using my hands to do some real damage in his office. “You only know what she let you know. You have no idea how far she has gone to protect the people she loves. I do. You have no idea that Whitney Houston is her favorite singer because it’s who her mother adored until her dying day. You weren’t the person she called at three am crying afraid she’d failed her sister when her ballet career ended. That was me!” I slapped my chest with my hand for emphasis. “You have no fucking clue what a bastard her father was to her and that it made her who she is today. You. don’t. know. shit. about. her.” I poked his chest with each word. “And most importantly, you’re not whose name she was calling out last night. Or the man who she will spend the rest of her life with. That’s me. And I don’t care whose head I have to take off to make that happen. I’ve already plotted on my own blood. I have no problem making you next. Don’t fuck with me.”

  I finally stepped back, my fists clenched with anger at my sides. It was time for me to go. I turned to leave without another word. My last image was Nate standing stone silent, half-stunned, half-angered as the truth of my words sunk in. What I said in there went for him, my father, and anyone else who had notions of getting in the way of Coral and I. Hell, that included Coral’s stubborn ass too.

  ****

  Coral

  “Hey kid, how about we clean up and then watch a movie?” I suggested to Laura as she sat across the table from me. We were finishing up our dinner of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It’s not the best dinner, but I hated cooking and it was quick and easy.

  “Can we watch the Little Mermaid?” she asked in wide-eyed excitement.

  And for some reason I couldn’t say no to this little person even if I wanted to. “Yup, but you have to help with the dishes first, okay?”

  “Kay!” she clapped her hands, dancing in her chair at the prospect of watching her favorite movie.

  We finished our dinner and I poured some milk for Laura to go with the chocolate chip cookies that we bought from a bakery, and then headed into the family room. I pulled up the Little Mermaid as Laura sat at her little table and ate her cookies and milk. She delightfully sang along to all the songs she’d committed to memory. We were about three-quarters of the way through the movie when Laura came over and sat on the leather couch next me. Before I knew it, she had made her way into my lap and had fallen fast asleep just as the ending credits began to roll. It was a feeling of contentment I hadn’t had in a long time and emotion began to rise up from the pit of my stomach.

  Instead of getting up and immediately taking Laura to her room, I decided to call Tasha. It had been a few days since we last talked.

  “Hey,” she answered.

  “Hey, you busy?”

  “No, what’s up?”

  “Why does something have to be up?”

  “I can hear it in your voice. You sound...I don’t know contemplative or something.”

  “Since when the hell did I become so easy to read?” I started to question my reputation for not being able to be read by others. I was the one who picked up on body language and tone. Not others.

  “You’re not. It’s just sometimes you let your guard down around certain people. Me…Liam.”

  I sighed, wanting to refute her words but I couldn’t. It was why I called in the first place.

  “Speaking of which, how is Lia
m?” Tasha asked.

  “Out of town. But Laura’s here with me,” I said, looking down at the peacefully sleeping toddler in my lap. I hadn’t even noticed my hand stroking her hair until just then.

  “He left her there with you?” Tasha’s voice rose a few levels in surprise.

  “Not intentionally.”

  “So, when are you going to admit it?”

  My head jerked back in surprise at the sudden question. “Admit what?” I asked although I had an idea of what she was going to say.

  “Oh okay, we’re playing this game?”

  “Tasha,” I warned.

  “When are you going to admit you’re still in love with that man and that you’ve even fallen for his daughter? Why haven’t you asked him what happened all those years ago and why he left and for God’s sake when are you going to let him make an honest woman out of you so you can stop running all over the world fighting God knows who for God knows what?”

  I opened and closed my mouth a few times attempting to make a biting comeback, but the smart retort didn’t come. They were simple questions really, but ones I had been avoiding. I’d been focusing so hard on finding Ghost and figuring out who was behind the death of Li’s employee, in part because espionage and death threats didn’t scare me. That came easy. It was emotions like love and heartbreak that scared the shit out of me. Also, I was a firm believer in not asking questions if I didn’t want to hear the truthful answers. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear the real reason why Li left.

  “Tasha,” I said in a whisper, both to not disturb Laura, and because I was still trying to formulate some type of answer.

  “Why?” she asked again.

  “I’m not ready for the answers yet,” I admitted. “You of all people know what that feels like.” It might’ve been a little bit of a low blow, but I decided to go there. I wasn’t the only one who’s holding back on uncomfortable truths.

  “I was wondering when you’d go there,” she said, her voice flat. “I just don’t know.” She sighed, obviously frustrated.