I welcomed the cold air when I exited the office onto Madison Avenue.
We’d had this conversation more times than I could count. Sometimes it seemed as if he enjoyed provoking and sparring. He’d assure me that one day I would work for him.
So far, that hadn’t happened.
But today, there was something I couldn’t put my finger on. A different air about him. He was a confident man. Always.
I usually left any encounter with him beyond angry. Blindingly mad.
Now . . . I was unsettled.
Was I just a puppet in his game? Had I been all along?
I didn’t know the rules. Had he given me the illusion of free will, allowing me to believe I had the power over my own life?
That seemed crazy. Ultimately, the only way he could control me was by threatening the people and things I cared about.
Which was how he won today.
He’d held my career over my head all these years, but there was an end game, even if I didn’t know what it was.
What he’d done to Pepper, Miss Adeline, and the dogs was unacceptable. But I firmly believed he’d make good on his promises to shut them down. What I wasn’t sure of was if that held beyond getting me to his office earlier.
Could I go back?
As I climbed into my truck, all I wanted was to see her. Apologize . . . for everything.
I couldn’t risk it. I wouldn’t be responsible for the destruction of her world.
Because my father would do it just to make me suffer.
How he knew about her, how he seemed to know more about my feelings for her than I did, was incomprehensible.
I rested my forehead on the steering wheel.
I needed to crash at my brother’s place. If I went home, I’d be too tempted to see Pepper.
What she didn’t know was the day we met, I’d moved into the building next door.
Chapter Twenty-One
Pepper
“Umm, can I help you?”
I set my pencil down on the legal pad. Two men in dark clothes set down the large box they carried.
“Where would you like the kennels set up?” one of them asked in a thick Brooklyn accent.
“I beg your pardon?”
“The kennels? We’re here to set them up.”
The front door opened and two more men carried another box.
“Yo, Rivera. Move it so we can get in.”
“I’m trying to find out where the lady wants them so I don’t have to pick up this giant ass box more times than I have to,” Brooklyn fired back.
“You need to lift it a lot so I can stop pulling your weight.”
“I’m the one carrying you.”
“Bullshit. The only thing you beat me at is eating all the leftovers.”
“You calling me fat?”
A shrill whistle pierced the air.
Sadie, who’d been peacefully sleeping at my feet, sat up. Thank goodness the other dogs were in the back with Miss Adeline.
“You’re letting all the warm air out,” one of the other men who hadn’t been arguing said. “Move.”
Brooklyn grumbled as he picked up his end of the box.
“Wait.” I stood. “I think you’re at the wrong address. I haven’t ordered any kennels.”
“This is Grey Paws, right?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Then we’re in the right place.” Brooklyn set down the box again once the others had room to get inside.
“I—I don’t understand.”
“We’re here to set these up.” The man looked around as if trying to figure out where they would go.
As he turned, I saw the FDNY logo on the back of his T-shirt.
“Who sent you?” I asked carefully.
They all looked at one another. Suddenly, they were silent.
There were two possibilities. Teague. Or Miss Adeline. While Miss Adeline calling firemen was a good option, my money was on Teague.
It hurt to think about him. About yesterday.
His horrible father.
The way he’d been forced to obey. And that in itself, when I considered Lincoln and Beau—their obvious strength and confidence—I was amazed. I’d thought Lincoln had been cool, unaffected, aloof, but he had nothing on his father. And Beau, gloriously coolheaded and unflappable, had acquiesced just as quickly as Lincoln. Who was that man? And how were they his children?
After a night to process what had happened, it was clear he’d only done as his father demanded because of me. And the dogs.
I was rattled.
Teague had nothing in common with that man beyond looks. I couldn’t imagine him ever threatening to destroy a complete stranger’s livelihood.
But there was no doubt in my mind that his father would do that and more without a second thought.
“Ma’am, we’d love to get started.” The man who hadn’t yet spoken finally did with a gentle voice.
I scratched my head. We’d never set up kennels in the front because of the windows. And we wanted to have a reception area.
But the back was full. There was no choice but here.
I pointed along the wall to my left. “Start there please.”
They immediately bolted into action, opening the boxes and removing the pieces from inside them.
“Would it be okay if we move the desk over there?” Brooklyn asked. “That’ll make more room along this long wall.”
“Sure. Anything you need.” I poked my head in the back room. “Some friends of yours are here.”
Miss Adeline furrowed her brow but wasted no time coming to see what I was talking about.
“Hello, boys. So nice of you to join us.” Had she arranged this? She certainly didn’t seem surprised to see them. “Would you like something cold to drink?”
“No thank you,” they chorused.
“Did you know they were coming?” I whispered.
“Nope. But I’m sure not going to turn them away.” Her eyes were glued to one bent over.
I elbowed her in the side. “Stop ogling.”
“You don’t mind an old lady enjoying the view, right?”
Their faces turned scarlet, and I cringed.
“Stop calling yourself an old lady.”
“I am an old lady.”
“I’m always up for a beautiful woman appreciating my assets,” Brooklyn said with a cheeky grin.
“I just adore Mr. February.”
He winked.
She had the calendar men memorized.
“My real name is Anthony Rivera. That’s Logan Burke. Mason Walsh. And Sean Scavino.”
“We are so glad you’re here and stay as long as you like,” she said.
“Were you always this flirty?” I asked.
Sadie cocked her head as if she wanted to hear the answer too.
“I’m charming. Not flirty.” She placed a hand on her hip . . . and kept staring.
Now I could see they all had some sort of FDNY shirt on. “Are you sure you didn’t know they were coming?”
There was more accusation in my tone than question.
She held up both her hands. “No clue. I swear.”
The woman was the picture of innocence. But I knew when she fibbed. The corner of her mouth moved when she did. It was still.
“I have a pretty good idea who did though.” She tickled my side and I yelped.
All the firemen glanced in our direction but continued working.
She put an arm around my waist. “He’ll be back.”
I wasn’t entirely sure of that, and the thought unsettled me. In a few short days, I’d grown used to him popping up just when I needed him most. I should’ve been stronger than that.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. Did it? Was I lying to myself?
“If you say so.”
“Pizza’s here.”
The bell jangled when Miss Adeline barged through carrying three large boxes from Dino’s.
I moved the tools and papers sitting on the
desk to clear out a space. The guys dropped what they were doing, and I showed them to the sink where they could wash their hands.
They waded through the dogs, who were all out of their kennels, and were good-natured about the jumps, barks, and licks they endured. Brooklyn even threw a couple of balls on his way, which were hastily retrieved.
“You’ve started something you might not have meant to,” I said when Millie happily trotted back to him, ball in mouth.
A tug of war ensued. Brooklyn eventually wrestled the ball away from her and tossed it again.
“They’re really great,” he said as he washed his hands.
I appreciated those words so very much. “They are.”
“I’ll throw it again after I eat,” he said when Millie returned with the ball.
Miss Adeline had the spread arranged on the desk. No one bothered with a plate. We all dove in and I found myself wishing Teague and Beau were with us.
I enjoyed having them around yesterday. The dogs liked it too. They liked having the firemen here. Maybe we should try to get more volunteers to give them one-on-one time.
“Tell us about Teague.”
I nearly choked on my pizza at Miss Adeline’s question.
“Does he date much?”
“I thought you liked me?” Brooklyn sounded affronted.
She tilted her head toward me. He nodded in an I gotcha kind of way.
It appeared to be her life’s mission to embarrass the heck out of me.
“I don’t remember him seeing anyone since I’ve known him. We went through training together.” Logan ripped off a bite of pizza.
“Me neither. We’ve been at the same station for nine years,” Mason added.
“He’s kinda private though. He’s close with his brother and sister, but he’s one of those people who can keep the focus on you, if that makes sense.”
Sean pointed and finished chewing. “Yeah. We work with him every day. He’s our brother. We know him, but it’s like surface stuff.”
“He’s the best cook at the house. That’s all I need to know,” Brooklyn said.
Logan patted his round stomach. “We see that.”
They all laughed. Brooklyn wadded up a napkin and threw it at him.
“Just wait until you’re pushing fifty.”
“I’ve got a long way to go before that,” Logan shot back, then he turned serious. “Teague’s always the first one to volunteer for anything. He never complains. I trust him with my life. I can’t say that about everyone.”
They all hummed their agreement.
“I’m ready for that bastard to get back. It’s bullshit they suspended him.”
Suspended? I thought he was taking time off.
“You didn’t know,” Logan said.
My face must’ve given away my shock. I shook my head.
“He didn’t do anything wrong. Captain has it out for him. Always riding his ass.” Mason snorted in disgust.
Sadie nudged his hand with the pizza in it.
“Sadie. No,” I said. She bumped him again.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” he said.
She was undeterred. She sat on his foot and stared up at him.
It was impossible to get mad when she was so funny.
“Did Teague send you to do this?” I asked, a little afraid of the answer and how it would make me feel.
They looked around at each other just as they had before.
“We’ve been sworn to secrecy,” Brooklyn said. “But we’re not to leave until you’re all set up and happy.”
He’d done it.
He cared enough about these dogs to make sure they were comfortable and safe. The kennels weren’t cages. They were a space for them to make their own.
Everyone liked to have their own room.
That was what he’d given them.
And I wasn’t sure when I’d ever see him again to thank him.
I went to the back and mixed up the clay we used to make paw imprints for people who donated and adopted our dogs.
I coaxed Ash over and pressed her paw into the soft material. She complied without hesitation. I placed it in a box and set it beside Brooklyn.
“Will you make sure he gets this?”
Even if I never had anything to do with him, I wanted him to have a part of Grey Paws. And Ash. And maybe, he’d know that he was getting a part of me too. Something I rarely gave away.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Teague
“Is something wrong with your new place?”
Lincoln leaned on the door frame of the guest room I’d claimed.
“Yeah. But I don’t want to get into it.” I pulled a shirt over my head. “Want to grab a beer?”
“Mind if we do it here? I . . . I’ve had enough of out there for one day.” He motioned toward the windows.
Right on cue, a car horn blared, followed by a second one. I was ready to escape the noise of the outside world too.
“Fine by me.”
I followed him to the living room. He plunked a few ice cubes in two tumblers and poured amber liquid over the top.
“Hope something stronger is okay.” He handed me a glass.
“Better than okay.”
We sat in silence for a minute, sipping our whiskey. Lincoln sank lower in the chair and spread his legs. I rarely saw him completely relax. He was on guard and put together at all times.
He loosened his tie and dropped his head to the back of the chair.
“What’s his deal?”
There was no need to elaborate on who I meant.
He sighed. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t want you and Beau to shield me anymore.” I’d thought of barely anything else all day. It wasn’t fair that I pursued what I wanted while they were stuck as our father’s puppets. The problem was, I didn’t know how to fix it.
He snapped his gaze toward me. “Are you coming to work for Hollingsworth Properties?”
I recoiled. “No. I—” I ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“He’s not going to let this go.”
He’d allowed me to walk out of his office relatively easy, but my brother was right.
“If I . . .” I hesitated over the words I needed to get out. They were harder to speak than I thought. “Take him up, will that make things easier on you?”
My brother closed his eyes. “That’s not how it works and you know it.”
“How does it work?”
“He barks. You dance. He bitches.” Beau joined us and tossed her purse on the floor then grabbed Lincoln’s glass. She downed it in one swallow and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
She kicked off her shoes and brought the bottle of whiskey over. After she topped off both of our glasses, she collapsed on the sofa next to me.
“You forgot he kicks you in the nuts.” Blindly, he brought his glass up to his lips.
“How could I forget that?” Beau snatched my tumbler out of my hand. “Don’t even think about it, Teague. He makes it sound like doing what he wants is easiest, but it’s not.”
“Disobeying is pretty damn hard too.” I slouched and grabbed my glass back.
“I’ve been here two days and I already remember why I live in London.”
“Do you honestly think an ocean deters him?” Lincoln asked.
“A little. Some barrier is better than none at all.” She propped her feet on the coffee table. “What are you going to do about Pepper?”
I’d tried to shove her out of my mind, but it was hard.
“What can I do? You heard him.” There was pure hatred in my voice. I didn’t like that, didn’t want to feel that way.
“I like her.”
That made two of us. Maybe I should be grateful that my father had inserted himself before I got to know her better. It would’ve hurt worse later. What I still didn’t know was how he found out about Grey Paws, and how he knew Pepper meant something to me.
The man had an uncanny g
ift for sensing when I was happy and doing anything to destroy that.
“If you so much as speak her name, he’ll shut that place down.” Lincoln stared at the ceiling, his tone flat.
“I know.”
“I’m sorry.”
I jerked my gaze toward him. He wasn’t unfeeling, but it was so rare to hear those words out of his mouth.
I slumped further and mirrored his position.
“Me too.”
“So what? You just give her up?” In the complete opposite fashion of our brother, Beau’s tone was full of passion.
“I don’t know.” I focused on the glass I held. “I just met her. Why drag her into unnecessary hell?”
“You can’t let him shut them down,” Beau said resolutely.
“Of course I won’t,” I snapped. The only way I knew to do that was to stay away from her. Even that wasn’t a sure-fire method.
“Just because you can’t see her, doesn’t mean you can’t be there.” She reached for the glass.
“How?”
“Like what you did today. Sending the guys to set up the kennels.” She bumped my shoulder like she was proud of me.
“I should’ve been there.”
Fresh bitterness washed over me. I’d wanted to assemble those kennels. He’d taken that away from me.
“You can’t go near her.” Lincoln set his glass on the coffee table.
“How am I going to avoid it when I live next door?”
“What?” Beau sat up straight and twisted to face me. I nodded. “That’s perfect. You can’t help if you ‘run into her’ if she’s your neighbor.”
Her excitement was contagious . . . and dangerous. I didn’t trust myself in close proximity to Grey Paws. It was too tempting.
“Don’t do that to her.” My brother was like a cold bucket of water dumped over my head.
He was right.
“Mind if I stay here while I figure some things out?” I was a coward. Samuel Hollingsworth controlled me even when he wasn’t around.
Every move in my life was done with him in mind.
“You never have to ask.”
I flicked my chin at him in gratitude. What would I do without these two?
“I get to keep my own bathroom.” Beau did a little happy dance. I smacked my knee against hers. She threw a piece of ice at me, which I caught and popped into my mouth. As I crunched, she gripped my thigh, her expression turning serious. “What he said today . . . he was out of line. She wanted all of us to be happy.”
Crash: Crash & Burn Duet Book 1 (Shaken) Page 10