My nostrils flared, that chuckle really got my back up. I hit the pad again, this time a little harder.
“That’s it,” he said and started to move in a circle. “Now with your left hand.”
I hit the pad again. Each time I hit it, I felt a little better, more confident.
“Woo! That one had some power behind it.” I smiled and hit the pad again. And again. And again.
I never knew I could feel this way. This strong.
“Okay, Okay!” He backed away, hands held up in the air. “I think that’s enough for today.” He smirked.
I looked down, my knuckles red from where I had punched the pads. Evan moved closer as he pulled the pads off.
“We’ll get you some gloves,” he said. “They’ll protect your knuckles.”
“Oh, I don’t need gloves.” I shook my head.
“Why?”
“Because I won’t be doing that again.”
“Kaylee,” he said on a breath. “You’ll be doing that regularly.” He walked away, not giving me a chance to correct him.
I didn’t want to learn how to throw a punch. But I couldn’t deny the way I felt when I did.
*~*~*
I got to the gates Thursday morning and clicked the button that Tyson had given me yesterday. I hadn’t wanted to have responsibility over the security of the compound but he had insisted.
“Just in case,” he had said. I didn’t know what he meant by ‘just in case’, but I took it anyway. It was a small fob that could be put on my keys. But I decided to hide it in the car instead. I couldn’t risk Max seeing it, I’d never be able to explain what it was.
Max had been a different person this last week. He hadn’t gone out for a drink after work every day, instead he came home and spent time with me and Eli. He may have just sat on the couch watching TV, but the fact that he was there and not out with his friends was a good thing.
I could feel things changing for the better. My job was going great and things at home were better than they had been in a long time. I was sure that if things carried on then I’d be able to tell Max about the job, and that he’d be okay with it. Maybe he would be proud that I was doing something with my extra time and appreciate the extra money.
I parked in my usual spot and walked to the metal door. I pulled on it but it wouldn’t budge. I knocked on it for several minutes but no one answered. Looking around, I couldn’t see anyone but all the cars were here so that meant that they had to be here somewhere.
Then I realized that they had all been on a surveillance mission. They probably didn’t come back until late.
I looked left, then right, trying to decide what to do. Tyson had given me the key fob to open the gates but nothing to open the warehouse door. I decided I’d head towards the other side of the compound where the houses were to see if I could find anyone.
I walked across the gravel, getting closer to the buildings that sat at the back of the compound. The first day I could only see two, but now that I ventured closer I saw more. Two more to be exact.
The first was a wooden cabin, next to it was an average sized house covered in blue gray siding. A little way back was a small cottage, flowers climbed up the outside with pots lining a small walkway up to the front door.
I swung my head at the sound of a door closing. The last house was the biggest, Tyson jogged down the steps and stopped when he saw me. I flicked my eyes to him then looked back at the house. A swing sat on the wrap around porch, the siding white with dark blue trim around the windows.
It was the kind of house that you only dreamed of, the kind that you wanted to make a home, bake cakes and sit on the porch to watch the sun go down or even the sunrise early in the morning with a cup of coffee and a pastry.
“There was no one in the warehouse,” I said when he approached me.
“Yeah, didn’t get back until four this morning.” He walked toward the warehouse.
“How did it go last night?” I had to jog to keep up with him.
“Good,” he said and unlocked the door.
I ducked under his arm and went straight to the kitchen to start the coffee machine. I heard his boots stop outside the kitchen briefly then carried on into the office.
I handed him a coffee when I walked into the office, he was on the couch so I made my way to the desk and switched the computer on.
“Come sit.” I looked at him, unsure. He patted the seat and nodded to it.
“Over there?”
“Yeah.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m not gonna bite.”
I shuffled over to him and sat on the other side of the couch, a seat separated us but it was nowhere near enough space. Something about Tyson drew me to him. He exuded danger but at the same time screamed safe. He was a potent mix of both and it called to me in a way that I had never felt before.
“Let’s talk.”
“About what?” I raised a brow and turned to him.
“Tell me about yourself.” He drummed his fingers on his knees, I watched them as they tapped the same beat that he did every day. The way his long fingers tapped on his knee mesmerized me.
“What do you want to know?” I whispered unsure.
“Anything.” I looked up into his eyes, the chocolate brown depths held me captive.
“Well.” I rubbed my hands down my legs. “I have a son.”
“Yeah, you told me that already.”
“Right.” I cleared my throat and took a sip of my coffee “His names Eli.”
“You with his dad?”
“Excuse me?” My back stiffened. “Of course I’m with his dad.”
“Whoa!” He held his hands out in front of him. “Just asking.”
“Sorry.” I dipped my head down.
“Hey.” The couch dipped next to me, his aftershave wafting around me. “You don’t need to apologize.”
My cheeks heated from his stare.
“You heard from Corey lately?” I was thankful for the change of subject.
“A couple of Saturdays ago.” I looked at him from under my lashes. “Don’t know when I will again.”
“I know.” He sat back, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “Can be a long time between phone calls.”
I forgot that he had done the same, that he had spent months at a time without talking to his family. I suddenly saw him in a new light. I’d only seen him as a boss, but now I could see him as Corey’s friend. It made me feel that much closer to Corey.
“Can you tell me about him.” Tyson raised his brows “Corey…what he was like over there.”
“You miss him,” he said it as a statement.
“He’s my only family. Apart from Eli.”
Ty opened his mouth, closed it and shook his head.
“Please Ty.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I haven’t seen him for so many years.”
“I like that.”
“Like what?”
“You calling me Ty.”
“I did?”
“Yeah.” He smiled at me, I hadn’t meant to call him that but if felt so natural. The rest of the guys called him Boss but that didn’t feel right coming out of my mouth.
He went on to tell me all of the pranks that Corey used to pull on people, how he was one of his best men as well as one of his best friends. I listened intently and at some point I leaned back and watched Ty talk. His lips moved in time with his hands, every few sentences he would chuckle at something then tell me what had made him laugh.
Then I started to tell him what Corey was like as a child, he laughed at some of the things we used to get up to. He especially liked it when I told him how we came up with a secret code. He leaned his head on the back of the couch, turned to face me and watched me the way I had with him.
It felt easy to talk to him.
I left out all the bad parts. Like when my mom died, which in turn caused my dad to change. He left us, much preferred to sit with a bottle of whatever alcohol he could get his hands on. Even though he was there
physically, he had left in every other way. Corey wasn’t just my brother, he became my father, mother and most of all my best friend.
It wasn’t until I heard the soft snores that I realized Ty had fallen asleep. I watched him for a couple of minutes, the way his full lips would move with each exhale. I followed the line of his nose, the slight crook in the middle where it must have been broken at some point.
Careful not to disturb him, I lifted up off the couch. I couldn’t find anything to cover him with so I pulled my cardigan off. It flowed down to my knees so would work well as a small blanket. At least small for him. I caught sight of the bruises on my arms as I went to cover him, I didn’t want anyone to see those. There’d be no disputing what they were so I shrugged my cardigan back on and looked around for something else to cover him with. Not seeing anything I could use I walked over to the desk.
I sat at the computer determined to do something but my attempts were futile. There was no meeting and no files to type up so I spent much of the next few hours watching Ty sleep.
Chapter Seven
It was Friday, the last day of my first week and I felt fantastic. The job was amazing; I’d never knew how much just having a job could change my outlook on everything that I did.
I came into work with a massive smile on my face. My morning had been great. Max had left me a note to say that he was taking me out tonight and Eli was looking forward to preschool. They were doing some sort of art project. I didn’t know exactly what but I’d be able to see it when I picked him up from school.
I hummed the tune that I’d been listening to in the car on my way inside, my shoulders moving up and down.
I hung my coat on the hook and dropped my bag off at my desk. Pen and pad in hand, I continued to do a weird bopping dance combination and switched the coffee pot on when I got into the kitchen. I saw Evan come in out the corner of my eye, he grinned and moved his shoulders up and down.
“What are we dancing to?”
“I don’t know.” I grinned.
He moved closer, his legs doing something different to his arms, I laughed at how silly he looked. He grabbed my hands, moved us around in circles and then out the door into the main part of the warehouse. All the while, I laughed uncontrollably.
He pulled me closer, his hand resting on the small of my back while his other held my hand.
“You dance ballroom?” I asked in amazement.
“Yep,” he replied popping the P.
He sang as he led me across the floor, his voice deep and melodic.
We both had smiles stretched on our faces as he turned me in a circle again. This time my foot caught on the edge of the mat, I clutched onto Evans arm but it was of no use. I was falling. I screamed, Evans eyes popped wide and all too fast he spun us around and took the brunt of the fall.
“Ooof.” I landed on his chest. Evan groaned as my face smacked off it.
There was two seconds of silence before we both burst out laughing. I pushed up on my hands and held myself over the top of him. I couldn’t get myself under control, I was giggling like a school girl.
“What. The. Fuck.”
We both stopped laughing and stared at each other with wide eyes. Evan tried to scramble up and in the process knocked me over. I flailed around landing on my shoulder awkwardly.
“Ugh.”
“Evan!” Kitty shouted.
I couldn’t face looking at all of them, I could feel their stares so I hid my face in the mat on the floor.
“It was all her fault!” Evan shouted back to Kitty.
“Was not!” I shouted back but it came out muffled thanks to the mat.
A large hand gripped my arm and pulled me up with one swift movement. My hands landed on a hard chest and I looked up into Ty’s eyes, they danced with amusement.
“Kaylee,” Ty said in an amused tone.
“Sorry,” I automatically replied.
“What were you doing?”
Evan pointed. “She was dancing and you know I can’t resist dancing.”
“Evan,” I warned.
“What?” he scoffed. “I’m the best dancer.” He pointed his thumbs at his chest, his lip lifting into a smug grin.
Ty’s hand was still on my arm burning through the sleeve of my shirt.
“Come on,” he said and moved back. He frowned down at his hand, shook his head then walked away.
Evan winked as I walked past him. “Grass,” I whispered to him.
He gasped, his hand flying to his chest. I shook my head at him but couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
I grabbed my pad and pen from the kitchen and sat down at the meeting table. This was the first time I had been at a meeting with Evan.
I cut my eyes to him when he pulled out the chair next to me. He was going to be trouble.
They started to talk about the surveillance from the other night.
“Charlie said he’s gonna take it from here.”
“Who’s Charlie?” I asked
“My brother,” Ty answered but didn’t look at me. It was then that I noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the tense set of his shoulders.
“He’s a detective with the local PD,” Kitty supplied.
“Oh.” Ty hadn’t mentioned that he had a brother. He’d asked about me but I’d never asked him. Not that I thought he would have told me, he gave the impression that if he wanted you to know something then he would tell you.
I was given two files to type up. One from Kitty and one from Luke.
“Make sure you do it right,” Luke said with pinched lips.
“I will.” I nodded. He didn’t look impressed at all; he hadn’t spoken two words to me since I started. I didn’t know whether I had done something to offend him or whether he was like this all the time.
“Okay, guys. Get to work,” Ty said, his head dropping into his hands.
I hesitated when they all moved, I couldn’t leave him here without making sure that he was alright.
“You okay, Ty? You look tired.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “I need a word.”
“Okay.”
He looked around probably to see who could hear.
“I need you to take one of the company cars.”
There was no way that I would be able to get away with having one of those cars. Max would find out for sure and it wasn’t the right time to tell Max. I was just starting to feel like myself again. The old self. I couldn’t have it taken away from me. Not now.
How the hell was I going to get out of this?
“I can’t take one of those cars, Ty.”
“You will,” he warned.
“No really, Ty, I can’t.” I tried to keep my walls up but when it was just me and him something always happened. I didn’t know what it was, but I found it so hard to keep those walls up.
He watched me with narrowed eyes. The secrets kept piling up. I honestly didn’t know how much longer I would be able to not say anything. I swallowed, my throat dry.
“Fine.” He huffed. “But I’m putting a tracker on your car.” I opened my mouth to protest.
“No argument.” He stood and walked away.
I sat there for several minutes. Would Max notice that there was a tracker on my car? And why did I need to have one in the first place?
“Why do I need one, Ty?” I asked as I walked into the office.
“Upcoming case,” is all he said and laid down on the couch.
He looked so tired. I’d drop it for now, but I wouldn’t let it go. I had to know what was going on.
“Why don’t you go to sleep for a while?”
“Can’t, need to work.”
I huffed, walked to the desk and sat down. “You’ll be asleep soon anyway”
When he didn’t answer, I looked over at him, his mouth hung opened slightly with soft snores sounding in the room. I rolled my eyes, a smile lifting the corner of my lips.
I picked up the file that Luke had given me and got to work.
*
~*~*
Everyone was in and out of the warehouse for the rest of the day, I didn’t get a chance to see Ty on his own before I left. I said bye to Kitty and Evan then I left to pick Eli up. He stood waiting for me and as soon as I walked in he took my hand and dragged me to his project.
“Wow, that’s really nice, Eli.” I hadn’t got a clue what it was.
I moved my head from side to side. There was paint all over the place, the more I moved my head the more confused I was at what it was.
“You like it, mama?” he asked unsure.
I looked down at him and smiled. Bending down next to him, I pulled him in for a hug.
“It’s fantastic!”
“Really?”
“Yeah!” I nodded enthusiastically.
“It’s me and you.” I looked back at it, now that he said that I could kind of see it.
“It’s for your office,” he said when he pulled back and moved toward the painting.
“It’s great isn’t it,” a soft voice said from behind me, I spun around. Miss Cooper stood behind us with her hands behind her back and paint splashed up the front of her apron.
“It is.” I agreed.
She was a curvy woman with a soft blond bob and she rocked the paint that was splashed up her apron. Her kind face broke out into a dazzling smile as she spoke to Eli.
“You can take it home on Monday after it’s had time to dry.” She ruffled Eli’s hair.
“Okay,” he said, his cheeks red.
“Have a nice weekend,” she chirped to the two of us.
“You too,” I said and led Eli out the doors.
Eli talked none stop on the way home. He told me everything that he had done with Miss Cooper, I think he may even have a little crush on her. It was cute.
It wasn’t until we got in the apartment that I remembered that Max was taking me out tonight. He wouldn’t know that I’d been wearing this all day so there was no need to change.
I cooked Eli’s dinner and sat with him on the couch while we watched cartoons and that’s how he fell to sleep, tucked against my side. I’d been so busy this week and with Max being home every night, we hadn’t had the time together like we normally did.
The door slammed shut and loud footsteps sounded into the kitchen. I shuffled forward and picked Eli up.
Fractured Lies: Book 1 MAC Security Series Page 6