by Alex Grayson
“Sam, thanks for coming by.” Tony shakes his hand and stands aside for him to enter.
They both turn toward me and Liv.
“You remember Liv,” he says, motioning to her.
Liv steps forward and gives the man a kiss on the cheek. “It’s nice to see you again, Sam.”
“And you, Liv. I hear congratulations are in order,” he remarks, smiling down at her.
“They are, and thank you,” she says, her smile forced.
“And this is Poppy Lexington.” I step forward and take Sam’s hand. “Poppy, this is Sam, a friend of mine.”
“Nice to meet you, Poppy,” he says kindly.
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you as well.”
“So,” Sam says, turning back to Tony. “What’s going on here?”
“Let’s move to the kitchen. There’s something I need to show you and we can talk in there.”
Tony leads the way, and me and Liv follow, Sam bringing up the rear.
“Would you like coffee, water, or something else to drink?” Liv asks Sam.
“No, but thanks.”
My eyes land on the flowers sitting on the table. I steer clear of them as we walk over to the bar.
“Why don’t you tell Sam everything that’s happened so far, Pop?” Tony advises, his eyes soft on mine.
I turn to Sam and see him watching me expectantly, his kind eyes assessing me. I lick my lips and start talking. I tell him about my suspicions of the guy being in my house, the text I got the other day, and the phone call earlier. Sam’s face stays neutral, but I can see an underlying anger deep in his eyes. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle when I tell him I got the feeling of being watched while I was on the phone with the unknown man. The package at the door proves that the feeling was real and wasn’t my imagination.
“She called Liv in a panic,” Tony continues my story. “She locked herself in her bathroom until we got there. Before we left to come back here, Liv found these.” He stops and walks to the table to grab the flowers and sets them down on the bar in front of Sam. “They were lying right outside her back door. I kept the stems wrapped in paper so my prints wouldn’t get on them. The bastard left her a note.”
Tony walks to the sink and rummages until he pulls out a pair of gloves and hands them to Sam, who puts them on before grabbing the card. He reads it and flips it over to look at the back, then places it back on top of the roses. I dig my hands into fists as he walks around and inspects them.
He stops and lifts his eyes to mine. “Do you have any idea who sent you these, or who could possibly be harassing you?”
I shake my head and say no, just as Tony and Liv say, “Maybe.”
He looks between the three of us, before settling his eyes on Tony. “Explain.”
“Tony, I swear it’s not him,” I assure, my voice pleading for him to believe me.
He talks over me, bringing on my irritation. “She’s been getting the same kind of flowers every week from a guy she calls Sterling. It’s not his real name, just one she gave him because he won’t reveal his name to her. Granted, the flowers she gets from him are alive. She’s been getting them for months.”
Liv picks up where Tony leaves off. “She knows nothing about this guy. Not even what he looks like. He just started texting her out of the blue a few weeks ago.
I glare at her. Sam turns his questioning eyes to me.
“I’m telling you Sterling isn’t the guy we’re looking for,” I stress, not hiding my mounting anger. I know they’re trying to help, but they’re going to make it worse. I won’t let Asher get in trouble for this when I know he didn’t do it.
“Poppy, there’s no way you can know for sure. Just let Sam try to look into him,” Liv says, coming to stand beside me and grabbing my hand.
I pull my hand away and take a step back. “No.”
“Miss Lexington, why do you believe this man isn’t the one that’s harassing you?”
Enough is enough. I won’t allow this to continue.
I look at Liv when I say, “Because Sterling is Mr. Knight…our boss.”
Chapter Nineteen
Asher
I slam my laptop closed, not caring if I crack the screen. I lean back in my chair and scrub my hands down my face. There’s no fucking way I can concentrate on work right now. I’ve got too much on my mind at the moment. Namely, the woman that’s had me tied in knots for the past year. Since the moment I saw her, I haven’t gone this long without seeing her. I knew it would be hard, but fuck, this is so much worse. My hands shake and my head pounds. My heart hasn’t beat properly since I left her at her house two days ago. I feel like I’m going through fucking withdrawals. Can you go through withdrawals from not seeing the one person that gives your life meaning? I have no damn clue, but if I don’t see her soon, I’m going to go mad and rip my fucking hair out. That may make me sound like a pussy, but I’d be the happiest fucking pussy in the world. If I could ever get Poppy back, that is.
Rex called me yesterday to inform me that Olivia and her fiancé, Tony, came by Poppy’s house. They were inside for about thirty minutes before all three left with Tony carrying a bag in one arm and what looked like flowers in the other. Poppy looked upset. The guys he had on Poppy stayed behind to watch over her house while she was gone, waiting on her to come back, but she never did. After getting Olivia’s address from the company database, Rex had another guy ride by and sure enough, Poppy was holed up there. Although it makes me feel better knowing that she isn’t alone, I still hate being left in the dark. Rex’s man is currently at Olivia’s house now, still keeping an eye on Poppy.
I get up from my chair and walk over to the tall windows facing the city. I stuff my hands in my pocket and stare out at the early morning traffic. I kept my promise to myself and didn’t watch the live feed of Poppy once I dropped her off. I didn’t come by her place to watch her through her window. I wanted to, fuck if I wasn’t tempted to, but by sheer force of will, I didn’t. The moment I got off the phone with Wyatt with instructions to remove and the locations of the cameras in Poppy’s house and the tracking device, my hand reached for my phone to pull up the feed one last time, but I didn’t look. My need to prove to Poppy that she can trust me is the only thing that stopped me from calling Wyatt back and telling him to leave just one camera. Poppy would never forgive me for that. Instead, I drank myself stupid. Before I got too drunk, I texted Poppy, telling her I missed her. No truer words have ever been spoken, or in this case, typed.
There’s a knock on my door and I bark, “Go away.” I’m being an asshole, but I don’t give one goddamn fuck at the moment. The person on the other side of that door is lucky I don’t rip it open and shred them for bothering me.
I hear the click of the door opening, but then silence. Pissed at the audacity that someone thinks they can just walk into my office without my say, I turn around to ream their ass, but my anger dissolves when I see Olivia standing there. From the look in her eyes, Poppy’s told her about me. She looks curious, weary, and angry all at once. I wonder which emotion is more dominant.
I walk around my desk and lean against the edge, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Olivia, what can I do for you?” I question, trying to keep my voice neutral. Olivia’s been acting as my assistant the past few days since Poppy hasn’t been here.
“You’re eleven o’clock just arrived,” she says, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“I told you to cancel the rest of my appointments for today.”
“No, sir, you did not.”
“I assure you…” I trail off when I remember the email I was going to send out to Olivia to cancel my appointments is still sitting in my draft folder.
Fuck!
I was drafting it when my mind wandered for the thousandth time to Poppy. I never sent it. I need to pull my head out of my ass and get my mind back to work. No, what I need is to get Poppy back. She’s the only thing that will pull me out of this funk.
I
incline my head. “I apologize. I got sidetracked when I was drafting the email with my request. Please inform Mr. Ballard that I need to reschedule.”
She gives me a short nod, but doesn’t move from her spot. She just stands there and watches me. I hold her gaze, not about to back down. She may be Poppy’s best friend, and with that has my respect, but I won’t allow her to try to intimidate me.
“Why?” she asks, tipping her head to the side inquisitively.
I know what she’s referring to, but I still ask, “Why what?”
“You know damn well what?”
I lift the corner of mouth in a smirk and her eyes narrow further. I drop the ruse and drop my arms from my chest and grip the sides of my desk.
“I won’t discuss that with you, Olivia. Poppy deserves to be the first to hear it.”
She nods, a hint of respect replacing some of the irritation. “I can understand that.”
She still makes no move to leave. I can see the questions swirling in her eyes, so I wait her out. I’ll answer the questions I can to alleviate her worry for her friend, but that’s it. I don’t owe her anything, but I know if I can earn back some trust from Olivia, it will help my case with Poppy.
“Do you love her?” she asks quietly, her eyes intently watching for even the minimalist of reactions from me.
My answer comes immediately, and without hesitation.
“With every beat of my heart and every breath I take,” I tell her with conviction.
Her eyes widen in surprise and she sucks in a breath before smiling.
“Good.” She turns and grabs the door handle, but doesn’t twist it. “You should know, the person that broke into her house made another appearance yesterday.”
My body goes rigid, my hands automatically balling into fists, and my jaw goes tight. My blood pumps furiously through my veins.
“What?” I hiss between clenched teeth.
Olivia clears her throat and takes another step back, her hand still on the handle, gripping it tight. Yeah, I’m sure my current expression has her wanting to run. I know my eyes have to be blazing hot at the moment.
“He, uh… he called and threatened her, told her he was coming for her. He also left some dead flowers at her door. The same kind you’ve been sending.”
Rage has my body locking up. This fucker is going to wish he was dead by the time I get done with him. How in the fuck did he get past Rex’s men? I know they are competent enough because Rex wouldn’t hire guys that didn’t know what they were doing. I’ll be finding out as soon as Olivia leaves.
“That why she went to your place yesterday?” I ask, barely able to form the words through the pounding in my head.
“Yes,” Olivia answers, not surprised I know where Poppy is. I can see her own anger reflected in her eyes. “She called me yesterday on the verge of freaking out. She locked herself in her bathroom until Tony and I made it to her.”
Son of a bitch!
Had the cameras still been in her place I would have seen her fear. I could have been there for her. I could have possibly seen the asshole tormenting her.
I grab my phone from my desk before walking toward the door that Olivia is still standing in front of.
“Move,” I growl.
She doesn’t. Instead, she holds her place, her head tipped back as she looks up at me. “Why? Where are you going?”
I want to physically move her, but I figure Poppy wouldn’t like me manhandling her friend.
I release a frustrated breath and glare at her, but she still doesn’t fucking move.
“I’m going to her. Now move, before I do it for you.”
She straightens her spine, worry for her friend pushing back her fear of me. My respect for her grows, but respect or not, I reach out to move her out of my way. No one, and I mean no one, not even Poppy’s closest friend will get in my way of reaching her.
“Wait,” she yells, holding her hands up to ward me off. My gaze turns glacial as I wait for her to say what she needs to say. She has five seconds before this conversation is over.
“She’s safe where she is. Sam, a friend of mine and Tony’s, is an ex-detective. He has connections. We have someone watching the house.” She stops for a minute and flicks her eyes over my shoulder, before bringing them back to me. “We also know you have a man on her.”
I hide my surprise at her knowing about Rex’s men. They know to be inconspicuous. There’s no way he would have been spotted. I also don’t tell her I know who this Sam guy is. I had Rex do a check on him when he pulled up ten minutes after the others did yesterday at Olivia’s place. He found out he was a family friend and is a retired detective. We just didn’t think that had anything to do with his visit. He posed no threat and we thought it was just a friendly visit.
“Explain,” I grunt.
“Sam saw them when he left yesterday,” she reveals. “He was very good at his job.”
Something else I need to have a word with Rex about.
“I’m still going to her.”
“She doesn’t want to see you,” she says quietly, looking at me with sympathy.
I fucking hate sympathy. It’s a waste of time.
“She has no choice. I promised her I wouldn’t let him get to her again and he did. I don’t take my promises lightly and mine was broken. I need her to know this will be taken care of.”
She shakes her head, not backing down. I feel like my teeth are cracking from clenching them so hard.
“Give her time, Mr. Knight.” She lays her hand on my chest and I look down at it. Her touch is in no way meant as sexual, but I still don’t like it. No woman’s hands touch me unless they belong to Poppy. She notices my dislike and drops her hand with a muttered, “Sorry.”
I’m done with this conversation. My need to see Poppy has grown to unstoppable proportions. It’s a need that can’t be ignored, not if I want to keep my sanity. I need to see her for myself, and make sure that she’s okay.
I reach out and pick Olivia up from underneath her arms. She squeals and slaps at my hands as I swing around and set her down behind me. My hand is on the door, yanking it open when her hands grab my shirt from behind.
“Damn it, Asher.” I ignore her tugging and the use of my first name. “You’re going to make her hate you even more than she does right now.”
I stop in my tracks at her words. I raise my hands, entwine my fingers on top of my head and tip my head back. The pain of what she said has my chest expanding, feeling like it’s going to explode.
You’re going to make her hate you more than she already does.
I close my eyes and take several deep breaths. I feel, rather than see Olivia come around until she’s standing in front of me.
“She’ll come around. She loves you.” I drop my hands and look down at her. Her expression has softened. “She’s hurting right now. You betrayed her and took away her independence. She doesn’t trust you, but if you give her time, she’ll realize she’s the happiest when she’s with you. If you push to soon, you’ll lose her forever. Please, just leave her be for right now. Between the man you have watching her, the man Sam has on her, and me and Tony, she’s safe. Tony’s working from home right now so she’s not in the house alone.”
I know she’s right. I need to keep my distance, even if it kills me. I can’t lose Poppy, and if that means forcing myself to stay away, then so be it. The struggle will be worth it in the end. My muscles twitch with the need to keep moving toward her, but I restrain myself.
I squeeze my eyes shut and shove my hands into my pockets. My hand meets my phone and I grip it tight. I feel the flimsy plastic flex.
I give Olivia a short nod. “I’ll give her a few more days, but that’s all I can do.” I pin her with my eyes. “If something else happens, all bets are off. I’m trusting you to keep me informed. If she receives any more phone calls, I expect you to call me right away.”
“I will,” she agrees.
I look around the room and notice several pair
s of eyes watching the exchange between me and Olivia. I glare at each of them and bark, “Get back to work. And keep your damn mouths shut.” The last thing I need is to have hushed rumors behind my back. I want Poppy back here at work. She doesn’t need to come back with speculative eyes watching her when she does. I’ll fire the lot of them the first time I hear someone talking shit.
They all divert their eyes away and scurry about, leaving the pissed off man behind.
I walk closer to Olivia and bend so we’re on the same level. I let the hurt of not having Poppy show on my face. “Please tell her I love her. I need her to know that.”
She gives me a sad smile. “I will, but I think she already knows,” she whispers. “She just needs time to get past the hurt.”
“Why are you helping me? I would think you would hate me for hurting her.”
“I’ve only known Pop since she started working here. When she first came, she always had sad eyes, but the last few weeks there’s been a light that wasn’t there before. You do that for her, and I want her happy.” She smirks, then shocks me when she says, “And I’ve known for a while you care for her. You think you hide it, but I see how you watch her. You look at her like she gives you life. What you told me earlier when I asked if you loved her, that’s exactly what I see when I watch you looking at her. She’s the air you breathe and what makes your heart pump. I know she’ll be safe, loved, and cherished with you.”
I look down at my shoes, holding in my pain at hearing Olivia talk. All I want is to love Poppy the way she deserves. I want to hold her at night, protect her from any pain, comfort her when I can’t, laugh with her, watch our babies grow in her belly, shop for furniture, bicker back and forth about stupid things, make up after arguments, and most of all, shower her with so much love she feels smothered.
“Thank you, Olivia.”
“But,” she says, poking me in my chest. I glare down at the finger, feeling that unpleasant feeling again being touched by someone other than Poppy. This time, Olivia ignores my dark look. “You hurt her again, I’ll come after you with everything I have. I’m a small woman, but I know people who aren’t that would do unspeakable things to you.”