by Tia Siren
I knew I’d disappointed her, but I didn’t care. My mind was solely on Claire, and all I could see was her over every woman that crossed my path. She had taken up occupancy in every part of my mind and soul that had been empty and dark, and no matter what I did, I just couldn’t shake her from my body.
“One iced coffee with room for cream and sugar and a dirty hot chai.”
I took my time getting into the office with the coffees because I knew the moment I touched down, Obi would be in my ear with something about the case, and I just wasn’t feeling it today. I was excited for my date tomorrow with Claire, and I didn’t want anything said to me that could possibly ruin what was going to happen. I wanted us to have a good time and get our minds off the fuckery happening around us, but as soon as I stepped out of my car, Obi was waiting outside for me.
“We gotta talk,” he said.
“Don’t tell me we’re breaking up. I just put a down payment on the house!”
“Seriously, Leo. Come on. We gotta go to your office.”
We started up the elevator, and already, the tension radiating from Obi was palpable. He was clenching his cup a bit too hard, and his face was a bit too rock solid for my liking. I was relieved when the elevator finally got to the top because his demeanor was stifling, and I unlocked my office and let us in before Obi let loose on my greatest fear.
“Someone’s leaked the news of Patrick’s death.”
“Shut the damn door, Obi,” I said.
He slammed the door shut, and I tossed my briefcase onto my desk. I knew the longer this case went on, the greater risk we ran that someone would open their face about something, but I didn’t think we’d only get a week or so into it before someone caved.
“Everyone in the company is demanding their implants be removed. There are still some people I’ve talked to who aren’t panicking, but they also don’t really act like they know. Someone spilled the beans on Patrick being found with his implant outside of his body, and they’re all freaking out about the implant exploding or some shit.”
“Seriously?” I asked. “Who the fuck opened their mouth!?”
“Leo, we gotta get a lid on this. If this leaks to people who have approved our prototype, we’re done.”
“I know, I know. Just give me a second to think.”
I chugged my coffee to try and jumpstart my brain. My office still smelled like her, and even though I’d stacked everything back onto my desk, a slight imprint of her beautiful little ass was sitting right on the edge of my desk.
“God,” I whispered.
“Leo, I need to know what you want me to do.”
“Just shut up a second, would you?” I asked. “Can you get the detective on the phone? If he’s got proof this was foul play, then we can take the heat off our implant.”
“You want me to spread that Patrick was murdered so we can save our study,” Obi said.
“No. I want you to confirm it first. I don’t want you saying anything to anyone until it’s confirmed.”
“Well, as of last night, it wasn’t.”
“Then call him and try again.”
Obi took out his phone, and it gave my brain a second to jump into gear. Someone was spreading rumors about Patrick Danes and that wasn’t all right with me. They weren’t only jeopardizing my company, they were jeopardizing the family’s privacy and mental well-being, and I wasn’t going to have that in my company.
“Detective says he still doesn’t have concrete proof it was foul play.”
“Shit.”
Before I could tell Obi what to do, my desk phone rang. I looked at him with a wary stare before I picked up the phone, and my worst nightmare finally materialized when I realized who was on the other end.
It was one of the hospitals calling me to tell me they were backing out of the program.
“No, everything's fine. The implant isn’t responsible for the death of my employee. No, that’s not an official quote. All of this is off the record and unofficial until the police can do their work.”
Obi was staring intently at me while I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“No. I won’t allow you to spread rumors about him or his family until we have confirmation from the detective. All I—yes. Yes, I know. If you just—there’s no reason to be so hasty about this.”
“Shit,” Obi murmured.
“No. You’re not licensed to remove those chips. If someone comes into your hospital, you treat them and you leave. I’ve got doctors on the premises that will remove the chips if they prove to be a threat. If I find out you have removed them in your hospital, or in any hospital in this state, I will serve you with papers.”
“Damn it!” Obi exclaimed. I slammed my phone down onto its receiver, but before I could get a word out, it rang again.
“Leonard Wallace, how can I—No. No, the implant is not responsible for his death, and no, that’s not an official comment. The police will make a statement when they—”
“Give me that,” Obi said.
I handed the phone to him before I flopped down into my chair. His voice faded into the background as he fielded phone call after phone call of people backing out of testing our prototype, and all I could do was stare out over the city. Everything was falling apart, and the money I was now going to lose out on, I’d never be able to recuperate. Paying back the investors alone would bankrupt the company, and I suddenly felt incredibly ill.
I got up out of my chair and grabbed my suitcase, and just as I reached the door, Obi put down the phone.
“Heading out for the day?” he asked.
“I just… need to fucking think,” I said.
“Don’t worry. I got you on this front,” he said.
“Thanks.”
I needed to get out of the office and clear my head. I needed to think, I needed to reevaluate, and I needed to pay that damn detective a visit. I needed him to either clear this chip or make it the cause of this man’s death, because hanging in limbo was doing nobody any good. It was tanking my company, ruining my plans, and causing his family God knows what kind of undue stress.
I couldn’t bring this man back, but I sure as hell could light a fire under someone’s ass.
14
Claire
I needed to give this journal back to Leo. I sat on my couch and held the book between my fingers. If I was going to go on a bona fide date with him without any weight on my shoulders, I needed to get it back where it belonged. I knew he’d be in the office today, but I figured he would probably go out for lunch, so I could slip into his office and stick it in his bag or desk without anyone noticing me.
Because if they did, I’d be in for a bunch of questions I didn’t really want to answer.
I grabbed my purse and shoved the journal in there, and then started for my car. I was anxious to see Leo anyway, even though our date was tomorrow night. I couldn't get him off my mind, and I missed talking with him. Even though we were brought together by terrible circumstances, I was glad I’d met him. Every man I came across paled in comparison to him, and I found myself comparing them to him—both in looks and in personality. Leo was this beautiful soul and kind spirit held within the physique of a rock-solid man. It didn’t hurt his case that I shivered every time I thought of last night and how he manipulated my body expertly underneath his thrusts.
I raced across town and parked in a space just outside his building, but when I walked in, many sets of eyes fixed on me. Some people were pointing and others were flat out gossiping within ear’s reach. I’d known this would happen at some point in time. The longer something like this stayed open and debated about, the easier it would be for someone to be brought into the loop and tempted to talk with someone about it.
I knew they recognized me as Patrick’s sister, and suddenly, I felt incredibly uncomfortable in a building I had walked into feeling confident the night before.
Had any of them told Leo who I was?
I raced into the elevator and took it up to the top flo
or. Thankfully, Leo wasn’t sitting at his desk. I walked into his office, placed his journal in one of the compartments of his desk, and walked over to look at the books on his shelf. While the shelf wasn’t covered from wall to wall in books, the few books he did have were impressive, and I took one off the shelf just as a familiar voice boomed behind me.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” Obi asked.
“Hey there,” I said, trying to smile. “Is Leo gonna be in anytime soon?”
“He left for the day.”
“Oh. I was hoping to take him out to lunch.”
“He’s pretty busy, I’m sure he wouldn’t be able to do that anyway,” he said.
“But he’s not so busy as to take the day off?” I asked.
“You shouldn’t be here, Miss Danes,” Obi said hotly.
I felt myself rooted to my place. Oh, God, this massive hulk of walking granite knew who I was, and he didn’t look happy. Leo had to know then, too. Before a panic attack could settle in, Obi answered my question before I could back myself out of the situation.
“No. Leo doesn’t know. But, I sort of think he should,” Obi said.
“And why’s that?” I asked. Obi’s body was strong and looming, and as before, his fists clenched and unclenched at his side. He was pissed I was here, and I wanted to know why. I wanted to know why a man of his size and his stature and his rank was infuriated by a woman half his size.
“Because this is a place of business, and I’m well aware of what you’re doing whenever you’re in it. Leo thinks he’s masking it just fine, but your ass print is still on his desk. And, I think he should know that Patrick’s sister is screwing his boss to get information.”
I glanced over at his desk, and he was right, but part of me couldn’t help but smirk. It pissed him off that someone else was allowed into this man’s office besides him.
“Does any of that somehow threaten you?” I asked.
“You’ve got no business being up here and interrupting Mr. Wallace’s workday like this. Get out.”
“I figured I’d just wait here for him to get back,” I said.
“He’s gone for the day. Can’t you listen?”
“I have absolutely no reason to believe you when you tell me he’s gone for the day. Maybe I’ll simply wait out his lunch break to see if he comes back.”
“Claire—”
“Miss Danes,” I said, interrupting him.
“Miss Danes,” he drew out, “get out and stay out.”
“It’s not your office, and you don’t run this company. If I want to come by and see Leo, I will.”
“Is it really a smart idea to be sucking off the owner of the company the police are investigating for the death of your brother? What, you think you can solve it all on your own and be the hero of the day?”
His words slapped me against my cheek.
“You’ve got no business talking about my brother,” I said hotly.
“Actually, I do. His murder is fucking with our prototype, and if everything gets botched, this all goes to hell. Everything Leo and I have worked for is done.”
I blinked at him and tried to keep my shock at bay. I hadn’t said anything about my brother being murdered, and I had called the detective myself for an update. While the detective was leaning closer and closer to murder, he still hadn’t confirmed it. Yet, Obi looked so confident that’s what it was.
He looked confident in the fact that my brother was murdered.
My blood was like ice as Obi slowly approached me, and I backed up into the window Leo had just pressed me against the night before. His face was stoic and his body loomed like a shadow over mine, and suddenly my legs felt weak. I had no way to defend myself against someone of his height and bulk, and the fear must have been evident in my eyes.
Because eventually, he backed off.
“Get out and stay out. Shit’s circulating about your brother, and if you keep coming here, you’re not only gonna distract Leo from saving his company, but you’re gonna get bombarded with people asking questions in the process.”
Was it really getting that bad? Was Leo’s company struggling that much because of what was happening? I slid out from underneath Obi’s looming body and quickly grabbed my purse. My hands were shaking, and my breath was coming in short spurts, and when I got into the elevator, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Obi was capable of hurting someone.
Obi should be a suspect in my brother’s murder that he seemed so dead set on, and my mind raced while the elevator made its way down. I bolted out of the elevator and ran all the way back to my car, and when I slid into my seat, I leaned my forehead against my steering wheel and cried.
My brother had been murdered, and Leo’s company was failing.
What the hell was I going to do?
I cranked my car and flew out of the parking space and rode around town. I had a date with Leo tomorrow night, but after today’s events, maybe I should cancel. I passed by the police station multiple times. Should I go in or not? After sweating it for what felt forever, I figured I’d caused enough drama for one day. I did think the detective needed to know about the encounter I had with Obi, however, so I pulled into a drive-through eatery and called him on my phone.
“Detective Cane speaking.”
“Detective, it’s Claire,” I said.
“I’m sorry, I swear I don’t—”
“No, I actually wanted to tell you to look into someone,” I said.
“Claire, are you all right? What’s going on?” the detective asked.
I explained to him the encounter I had with Obi and told him how he’d loomed over me. I told him that Obi suggested my brother had been murdered without batting an eye, and I told him how I felt about the encounter.
“You have every right to be scared, but I promise I’m on it. I’ve been looking into Obi for the past couple of days, so my advice to you is to actually take his.”
“What?” I asked.
“Just stay out of Leo’s office. I don’t know what the two of you are doing outside of those building walls, and it’s honestly none of my business.”
“Detective, I—”
“But,” he interrupted, “stay out of his office. If Obi made you feel threatened like that, then he’s bound to do it again. I’m not saying stay away from Leo, I’m just saying stay away from the building that houses Obi.”
“I can do that,” I said.
“And another thing. Word is starting to circulate about your brother and the implant having something to do with it. I’m doing damage control on my end with the media, so I can try to preserve whatever the fuck it is Mr. Wallace is doing, but don’t believe the rumors. I’m pretty much convinced that the implant had nothing to do with it, I just have to tie up a loose end before I declare it.”
“You mean my brother was murdered?”
“This statement is unofficial and not confirmed by me yet, but yes. I believe your brother was murdered.”
I pulled out of the drive-through food line and into a parking space. My heart was racing, and I couldn’t see straight, and all I did was hang up on the detective before my phone slipped from my fingers.
My beautiful, wonderful, thriving big brother was murdered by someone.
And all I could do was put my face in my hands and sob.
15
Leo
I stepped out of my house to get Claire for our dinner and noticed a car sitting on my street. I didn’t think anything of it at first because I was ready for my date with Claire and all it would bring for my evening, but as I got closer, I knew exactly whose car it was.
Mandy’s.
I stopped and looked at her through the window. I didn’t know what the fuck she was doing at my house, but she wasn’t welcome, and she shouldn’t be here. I was two ticks away from taking out a restraining order on her. After the encounter in the coffee shop, I’d had to block her on my phone, and now she was sitting in front of my house like some sort of stalker.
I decided to go ahead and address the issue myself before I took it to the police.
“Hey! Mandy!”
I called out and began to jog toward her car, but when she realized I’d spotted her, she peeled out and raced away. She flew around the corner, and I made a mental note to talk to someone in the morning, but right now I had more important things to attend to.
I got into my car and headed to Claire’s house, but I couldn’t shake the incident with Mandy at my house. Why the hell was this woman still so hung up? She was the one that cheated, for crying out loud. What the fuck kind of bone did she have to pick with me? There was a part of me that wondered if she had anything to do with what was happening, but I shook the thought from my head. There was no way she knew Patrick, and I didn’t have any sort of motive as to why she would want to sabotage my company, so I just tossed it to the side and forgot about it.
I picked Claire up from her house, and she was a dream. She wore this cream and orange dress that played up her hair and her eyes, and the jewelry that dangled around her neck and from her ears made her look radiant.
“You look incredible,” I said with a smile.
“Really? Thanks. It’s a new dress. I didn’t have another one besides the one I’d already worn to our first date.”
“Well, maybe I can change that,” I said.
I opened her car door for her, and then we drove to the restaurant. We crossed town and took in the sights, and she made mention of a dessert bar she saw that she wanted to try out.
“We can do dessert there instead, if you’d like.”
“As opposed to your house?” she asked.
“Oh, you naughty girl,” I said with a smirk.
“You can’t tell me you haven’t been thinking about our little office tryst.”
“Oh, trust me. I have.”
My God, this woman wasn’t afraid of anything. I had absolutely no idea why she was still single, but if things went my way tonight, she wasn’t going to be on the market much longer. I didn’t want anything coming between us, especially since it seemed like things were winding down with this investigation.