“Without a man controlling my life?” Julie was struggling to find the thread of logic in the conversation, and coming up short.
“Yes.”
“Because you think I’m not capable of doing or deciding that on my own?”
“It’s not that. Dante’s got money and power, though.”
Dante had a whole lot more than that going for him. Julie would admit without hesitation the power was kind of sexy, the way Dante wielded it. “If I weren’t happy with the arrangement, I would end it.” Except she did end it, and made herself miserable in the process.
“What I did was to make it easier for you to do so,” Luke said.
Julie was getting dizzy from the circular nature of the argument, and she didn’t like that. She had no doubt one scream from her would bring Christopher and Dante running, but she wasn’t a damsel, and her distress was more of the ultra-annoyed variety than actually feeling threatened. Part of her liked the idea of being rescued, but maybe another day. After she’d apologized for pushing them away, without it looking like she was doing so under duress.
Besides, she had more questions. “What else did you do?” She kept her tone even.
“It’s not as if I dipped my fingers in everything.” He smirked. “Get it?”
If it was meant to be a baking reference, it wasn’t funny. She forced a chuckle anyway. “But you did more than release that footage and fuck with Andi’s airbrush.”
“A few things. For as tight as your security guy thinks he keeps his ship, there are a lot of holes. No one pays attention to anything but their immediate tasks when this place is teeming with people. I swapped out that assistant girl’s flight schedule, and snagged the caterer’s phone number. I saw where all the cameras were placed around the perimeter.”
If he’d seen all of them installed, he’d been watching the place for weeks. Ice slid down Julie’s spine. She didn’t want to know the answer to her next question, but she had to. “Did you vandalize the shop?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I know it made more work for you, but you have to get these people out of your business. I’m also sorry I broke your Hobart.”
She was forming a list of things she owned Dante and Elisa an apology for. Right now, that seemed like a low-end priority. The massive gaps in Luke’s logic made Julie’s head ache, and his calm churned with uneasiness in her gut.
*
Dante was up most of the night. At first, it was because he was figuring out what to do about work. He reached a conclusion, and then waited for Christopher, in order to share. He drifted off around three and woke up to a still-empty bed.
He didn’t care for seeing Julie with Luke, first thing in the morning, especially after he was already a wreck from Christopher not coming home last night. When she treated him to her incredible smile, and the clouds lifted from her eyes, it was the calm he needed.
Once Dante talked to Christopher and ensured they were on the same page, they could make it clear to Julie they’d do whatever they could, to make all three of them work. A conversation not piggybacked on an argument or born of stress. Something where Dante could show he was sincere, rather than someone spitting out confessions of love tacked onto a screaming match.
Dante saw Christopher exactly where Julie said, sleeping with his head on the desk, and more of his foul mood lifted.
He traced a finger along Christopher’s jaw, then crouched and kissed him. Christopher groaned, and bleary eyes opened to focus on Dante.
Dante gave him a gentle smile. “We need to talk.”
“Yeah, we do.” Christopher sat straight up in his seat, instantly alert.
“I resigned from the show,” Dante said at the same time Christopher blurted out, “Luke is behind the vandalism.”
“Whoa. Back up.” Dante shot to his feet. “Guy in the kitchen right now with Julie?”
“What? He’s here?”
Concern mingled with fury inside Dante.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, you delusional fucking psychopath?” Julie’s shout rang through the room, bouncing off the walls.
Dante broke into a sprint, his rage and worry amplifying, and Christopher by his side.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Christopher didn’t intend to fall asleep without leaving Julie a warning about Luke. He was tempted to go up to her apartment last night and tell her, but it was nearly 4 a.m. when he figured it out, so he was going to leave her a note, or be here first thing in the morning and speak with her, face to face.
As Dante and Christopher paused in the doorway, Julie was holding her phone to her ear with one hand, and pulling a knife from a butcher block with the other.
Luke held up his hands and kept several feet between him and Julie. He nodded at Dante and Christopher. “You don’t need them here. We can talk about this alone.”
Julie narrowed her eyes. “Yes, he’s dangerous,” she said into the phone. “He blew up my business partner. Her hand, rather. No, not today. She’s fine now. That was a few days ago.”
Wicked amusement flashed through Christopher. If Kane got his hands on this guy, it could be fun to see what happened.
“She’s not hurt that bad. It’s just her hand. And you wouldn’t have called me in, otherwise.” Every word Luke spoke was more damning and infuriating.
Something inside Christopher snapped, like a rubber band stretched beyond its tension point. He wasn’t giving someone else the satisfaction of shutting this asshole up.
“You tried to blow up my best friend.” Julie’s voice rose again. “How the fuck do you stand there and act like that’s okay? As though it’s a forgivable sin?” She frowned. “I’m sorry for shouting.” Her volume returned to normal, as she spoke to who Christopher assumed was police dispatch or 911. “No one’s hurt today.”
Christopher strolled to Julie’s side. With a gentle hand on her wrist, he pushed her knife arm down.
She met his gaze, and her muscles relaxed under his grip.
He stepped past her and draped an arm over Luke’s shoulder. Despite Luke’s hard expression, his frame shook.
“Everyone here—Julie especially, and I know you don’t want to upset her—would be happier if you stopped talking.” Christopher kept his tone calm and even. What Dante called his therapist voice.
Luke growled. “I don’t think—”
Christopher drove a fist into Luke’s gut, aiming for his diaphragm and striking his target below the ribs with satisfactory accuracy.
Luke dropped to his knees with a pained gasp, clenching his middle.
“I didn’t ask what you think,” Christopher said. He turned to see Julie and Dante, but still keep his eye on the target. Julie’s eyes were wide, and the corners of Dante’s mouth twitched with a hidden smile. Christopher returned to Julie and whispered in her ear, “I know you had it under control. That was as much for me as for anyone.”
“Did you hear me complaining? I’m not.” Julie reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers. “Thank you.”
A pounding sounded from the front door. She set her weapon on a far counter and left to answer. When she returned seconds later, she had two police officers with her. She pointed at Luke. “It was him.”
They hauled him to his feet and handcuffed him. He was eerily quiet, and his calm stare chilled Christopher to the core.
“You said on the phone there were explosions involved?” an officer asked.
She nodded. “Vandalism. Theft. He was pretty open with me about it. We probably have it all on security cameras.”
“We have a detective on the way. You’ll need to give statements and provide whatever else you can.”
“I should call my business partner?”
The officer eyed Julie. “The one you told dispatch was blown up?”
“It was her hand, but yes. That one.”
“Please do. We’ll want to talk to her as well.”
When Andi showed up, she gave Julie a tight hug. “I’m glad you’re all right
,” Andi said.
The next several hours were spent talking to the police. As the day wore on, he handed over security footage, and Dante required the detective to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The last bit made Christopher chuckle. Even in the midst of bedlam, some things didn’t change.
It was late afternoon when the officers left. An awkward silence settled over the bakery. It wasn’t the same graveyard feeling Christopher noticed yesterday, but it left the air heavy with unspoken thoughts.
Julie pushed herself up to sit on the front counter. Dante grumbled, but it was too quiet to make out. Yep. Some things would always be the same. Christopher’s stress ebbed.
“Are you sorry yet you invested in us?” Julie sounded tired and looked like she’d rather crawl under the covers than face the world, but there was no anger in the question.
Dante shook his head. “Never for a second. I don’t make mistakes like that.”
“We should all go to dinner, to celebrate the fact that there won’t be any more issues.” Andi’s bright tone was forced, but her smile helped lift the clouds in the room.
“None at all? We don’t have a back-up artist now.” Julie stared at her in disbelief.
Andi tugged Julie from the counter, prompting her to stand. “We’ll figure it out. I’m declaring it so. Not a single ’nother hiccup between now and our grand opening. Positive thinking and all that.”
“I’m all about that.” Julie turned to Dante. “Any recommendations?”
Christopher realized she meant because of Dante’s contract, and the interrupted conversation from earlier rushed back. I resigned. That was what Dante said. A spark of uncertainty and hope bloomed in Christopher.
Dante smirked. “Any place not associated with the network. Beyond that, it’s ladies’ choice.”
“But I thought...” Julie trailed off. “Did you get fired?”
“I appreciate you leaping to the worst possible conclusion.” Dante didn’t look irritated. “It was more of a quit-slash-was-forced-out kind of thing. Nash’s final words were that I shouldn’t bother stepping foot on set again.” Hesitation marred his casual tone.
“I’m going to call the guys. Do you want to do this earlier or later?” Andi asked.
“Soon,” Christopher answered before anyone else could. “I don’t think most of us have eaten today.”
“I’ll be in the other room. Come find me when you’re ready.” Andi pulled out her phone as she left.
Dante turned to Julie. “Could you give us a few minutes?”
Julie’s expression fell. “Sure.
“Thanks.” Christopher wasn’t sure he meant it. He appreciated the lull to figure out what had happened to Dante, but he wished it was the kind of conversation Julie would be there for.
She glanced over her shoulder one last time, before following Andi.
“You quit your job.” Christopher wanted to celebrate right here. Pull Dante in for a huge kiss. Cheer. Scream. He didn’t think that would go over well, considering the shadow on Dante’s face. “Are you okay with it?”
“I wasn’t. I am now. I think I’ll miss it for a while, but mostly out of habit.”
“What was the final straw?” Christopher asked.
“I wasn’t willing to meet their requirements. I can’t tell people that tape from the conference room was a mistake. Julie’s not a mistake. And even if she’s not interested, I can’t lose you over a shitty job.”
Christopher’s relief and joy grew at Dante’s confession. “In that case, we need to find out if she’s interested.”
“I’d like to see it go better than last time,” Dante said. “I was thinking we’d wait to talk to her until it’s not the same day her psycho ex tried to hold her hostage in her kitchen.”
“Really?” Christopher kept his tone playful. “You’re going to lecture me about appropriate times to have certain conversations, after telling her sex was the solution to all her problems on the same day the bakery was vandalized.”
Dante shrugged, but he was smiling. “Since you’re apparently keeping score, you remember how that turned out. Incredible sex as opposed to threatening to cut us out of her life.”
“Point taken. I can hold my tongue until the timing is better. That doesn’t mean I’m going to deny how I feel if she asks.”
“I think that’s fair.”
This was the way things should be—not only the bits about Julie. Everything felt better with Dante than it had in ages. “What are you going to do about work?” Christopher asked.
“I haven’t figured it out yet, but I’ve got time. And I’d rather not make the decision without you. We’re partners.”
This was the best news Christopher had heard in ages. Andi was right—things were turning around for the better. He cupped Dante’s face between his palms and kissed him, searing the joy of the moment into his memory along with the sensation.
*
Julie hovered at the far side of the kitchen, trying not to eavesdrop on Andi’s call or the conversation in the front shop. She couldn’t help watching Andi, though. Even ignoring the words, she saw Andi’s constant smile and the way she bit her lip and tucked her hair behind her ear, and flushed with each passing second of her conversation. Andi was in her own blissful world, and the only other person there was whichever guy was on the other end of the line.
“I love you too. See you soon.” Andi’s voice was sweet and soft. She disconnected and looked at Julie. “They’ll be here in an hour or so.”
Which seemed like an eternity away from the last time Julie ate. “You three really love each other.” That wasn’t what she meant to say.
Andi’s giddy half-smile grew to full-fledged. “What gave us away?”
“I’m a bit slow sometimes.”
“I get that the entire arrangement is atypical, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Besides you, they’re my best friends.”
Her last phrase was like a punch in the gut for Julie, driven by the impact of the things she’d said recently. “I haven’t been much of a friend the last few weeks.”
“You’ve been under a lot of stress...” Andi trailed off when Julie raised her brows. “Okay, yeah. You’ve been a bit of a shit.”
It hurt to hear, but Julie deserved it, and Andi didn’t mean it cruelly. “I’m sorry,” Julie said. “So very much so. You’ve changed since you’ve been with them.” She winced. “Not that I’m making excuses for my behavior.”
“Changed in a bad way?”
“I thought so at first, but that was my insecurity poking through. It’s been a fantastic thing to see.” Julie paused as she tried to make sense of the jumble of thoughts her words summoned. “When I think of someone saying they changed for a relationship, it sounds wrong. As in, shouldn’t someone love you for who you are?” Was that part of why she struggled with what she felt for Christopher and Dante? They wanted to change her? Take away her desire to be in control?
Andi tugged on a loose strand of her hair and furrowed her brow. “That’s not the way I see it. I didn’t change for Kane and Isaiah. They helped me adjust some of my perspectives and showed me the world through a new lens. But in the end, I’m growing because I want and need to, for me. Is this change discussion about me or you?”
That was a good question. More of the latter. “After what happened all those years ago with Luke—”
“I have to stop you there.” Andi held up her bandaged hand. “Whatever happened with Luke probably isn’t a great bar for future relationships.”
“I know. It’s something I have to remind myself of, because it’s become a part of me, but I know.” Julie glanced toward the front shop. Just because Andi made things work didn’t mean Julie could do the same with Dante and Christopher. The gnawing behind her ribs wanted her to try, but too much else told her it was a bad idea.
Andi gave her a sympathetic smile. “Whatever’s going on in your head, I’m here to listen when you have words for it. In the meantime, if something is holding yo
u back—either past experience or that you’re afraid you’re changing for someone besides yourself—don’t do it if it won’t make you happy.”
“How am I supposed to know if things will work out? How did you know?”
“I didn’t. I still don’t. You could be right, and tomorrow it will all fall apart.”
Julie hated the sound of her words being tossed back at her. She’d been so cruel, to say that about someone else’s relationship when she couldn’t make sense of her own. “I’m sorry for that.”
“It’s okay. The thing is, it could happen that way, but I don’t believe it will. I don’t have any physical proof. I can’t put our love for each other in a box; love doesn’t work that way. But I have faith in my guys and trust that we all mean what we say.” Andi made it sound so simple and straightforward.
“You’re lucky you found them.” Julie had said that before, but the words settled deep today. It was the first time she meant it.
“Damn straight, I am.”
A comfortable silence settled between them for a few minutes.
“You probably don’t want to talk about it, but I’m curious,” Andi said. “How did Luke know you were going to call him to fill in after my accident?”
Julie covered most of what Luke said when she talked to the police, and Andi overheard a lot of it. They didn’t touch on that beyond the event, though. Julie still couldn’t wrap her head around Luke’s crazy, or figure out how she’d never seen it before. “I don’t think he did. His goal seemed to be to isolate me from everyone else, so I’d turn to him to pick up the pieces. Me calling him for that purpose was a bonus.”
“Fucking creepy.” Andi shook her head.
They chatted about random things until Christopher and Dante came to find them. Julie was grateful for the chance to just sit and talk to Andi. It felt like it had been forever.
As Andi promised, Kane and Isaiah arrived less than an hour later.
There was a local Russian place Isaiah swore was unique and worth it, and Christopher agreed, so they headed that way.
Control Games (Game for Cookies Book 2) Page 17