by North,Leslie
“Like someone would actually steal this piece of shit,” she muttered, “I should be so lucky.” She hurried to the building entrance, tried to get in and found it locked. “Of course. They can’t simply let people walk in off the streets.”
She pulled out her phone and called Angie. “I’m here, but I have to be buzzed in.” She glanced around and rolled her eyes. “And if you don’t hurry, someone is probably going to call the police.”
The door buzzed and unlocked. Daisy hauled the door open and hurried inside. Inside the elevator, she began to pace. Part of her didn’t want to believe that Jordan would hurt Gabe, but somehow she knew that it was a possibility, and knew that she would never forgive herself if he had. But she took heart. If Gabe were seriously hurt, he’d be at the hospital. He wouldn’t be at home. That made her feel better, and when the elevator doors opened, she felt a little calmer.
The front door of Gabe’s condo was directly across from the elevator. Daisy checked the address from her phone again and raised her eyebrows. It shouldn’t surprise her that Gabe had the only apartment at the top. His family was worth billions. Obviously, he would have a penthouse. Why would she expect anything different?
“It must be nice not to hear your neighbors screwing all the time,” she muttered under her breath. When she was nervous, she talked to herself. She really needed to get a hold on that.
Tugging at her pink pajama top, she knocked rapidly on the door. Angie opened it and shook her head. “Please tell me that Gabe is wrong,” was the first thing out of her mouth.
“I certainly want to,” Daisy said as she pushed past her. Going through to the kitchen, she found Gabe there, shirtless, as he tried to twist himself round to press some gauze to an open wound on his side. She took one look at his gorgeous body, and then all she could see were the cuts and bruises that had formed. “Gabe,” she breathed, as she raced forward to grab the gauze. “Stop twisting like that. What if your ribs are broken or cracked? Why aren’t you at the hospital?”
“I don’t need a damn hospital,” he growled. She met his gaze and flushed. He was angry. Of course, he was angry. Why wouldn’t he be?
“What happened?”
“I was attacked in your parking lot after I dropped you off. There are other ways to get my attention, Daisy.”
She gasped and stepped back. “You really think I had something to do with this? My apartment complex is not exactly in the nicest or most law-abiding area, Gabe. People get mugged there all the time.”
“Do all the muggers in your apartment complex warn their victims that they won’t stop until people like me listen? And then fail to rob me of anything?”
Daisy stepped towards him and shook her head. “Gabe, I’m sorry. I swear that I didn’t have anything to do with this. I wouldn’t. Surely you can’t really believe…” She took a deep breath. “You should call the police.”
Gabe reached out and tipped her chin with his finger. “You are Restore Eden. If I call the police, you’ll be in the crossfire.”
She was confused. Did he really think that she had a hand in his attack or did he worry about how she would look? “Your safety is more important than Restore Eden’s reputation.”
“Police and reputation aside,” Angie interrupted, “maybe we could talk about what happens next. Daisy, I need to know how far your group is willing to go to get what they want. I will not allow my employees’ lives to be placed in danger.”
“I’ll talk to my people. This will not happen again,” Daisy vowed.
“Fine. Gabe, I would really urge you to call the police, but if you aren’t going to do that, then I need you to figure out our next move. I think maybe we are done with Restore Eden, I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
Gabe gave Angie a steely look. “This was your idea, remember?”
“Sure. When I thought she was here for Nathan and that this was some extravagant, over-the-top gesture of love.”
Daisy turned and stared at her. “I’m sorry, you thought what?”
Angie put up her hands in apology. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to manipulate everyone. I wanted Nathan to be happy. Daisy, you know Restore Eden. I know you want to think that they’re turning over a new leaf, but you have to see the truth. If we don’t call the police and we break our agreement with Restore Eden, they’ll tear us apart in the media. But we can’t continue working with them if people are only going to get hurt. What do we do?”
“I’ll figure something out,” Daisy promised. “There has to be another explanation.”
Staring at her, Angie nodded. “Nathan trusts you, so I’ll trust you.” She glanced at the clock. “I have a shareholder meeting in a few hours, but I’ll talk to you afterward, to try to come up with a plan. Gabe, if you’re not going to the hospital, then you’re going to stay here and heal. Don’t even think of coming to the meeting.” She smiled softly, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Daisy felt her stomach twist into knots as Angie left.
Alone with Gabe, Daisy put her hands on her hips. “Did you agree to let me get involved with Duncan Enterprises because you thought I wanted to win back Nathan?”
“Really? I was beaten by four men, and this is what you want to focus on?” he grumbled.
Daisy fought the urge to smile at his sullen response. Was he really wanting sympathy? “I really didn’t want to focus on that part,” she finally said, tugging on her braid in annoyance. “Hells bells, you are going to have so many bruises. Gabe, you should go to the doctor. Please.”
Gabe rolled his eyes and reached for his shirt. “All a doctor is going to do is offer to give me pain medication, which I won’t take. So let’s talk about our next move. I don’t actually think your plan is going to work. You simply telling Jordan how unhappy you are that he attacked your ex’s brother is not going to do the trick.”
“My ex’s brother? Is that how you see yourself?” she asked angrily as she folded her arms “Are you actually planning on implementing any of the ideas that I’ve had about the company, or are you coddling me until Nathan comes to his senses and decides he’s still madly in love with me? Did you even listen to one word I said all this time?”
“We were talking about your plan.”
“Really? Because I thought that, we were talking about Nathan. That’s what all this seems to be about.”
“Do you want to talk about Nathan?”
“No. I don’t want to talk about Nathan!”
“Then stop,” Gabe said angrily. “Let’s talk instead about what you are planning on doing about Jordan. I imagine that if you offer to sleep with him, he’ll do just about anything that you want.”
She narrowed her eyes and stared at him. “I’m sorry that you were attacked, but there’s no reason to be so brutal to me. I trusted my group, and I will handle this.”
His features softened. “You’re right,” he said tiredly. “You’ll handle it. I’m going to grab a few hours of sleep so I can prepare myself for how shitty I’m going to feel in the morning.”
As he collapsed on the couch, she reached over to pull the blanket off the back and cover him. “I have no doubt that you’re still going to get up at the crack of dawn,” she whispered. He didn’t stir, and she knew that he was already asleep. A bruise stood out along his jawline, and she felt her own jaw clench in sympathy.
She had a few choice words for Jordan.
14
The sun was peeking over the horizon when Daisy left Gabe’s. As the gorgeous orange rays spilled over her crappy car, she folded her arms and glared. She wasn’t in the mood for nature’s glory. She needed to give someone a piece of her mind.
Slamming the car door behind her, she phoned Jordan as she started the car. The motor turned over a few times before it finally roared to life. He didn’t pick up the first time, but that didn’t stop her. After ten minutes of redialing, he finally picked up.
“What the hell have you done?” she growled.
“I haven’t done anything,” he said
calmly, but there wasn’t a trace of sleep in his voice. Daisy knew he hadn’t been sleeping. Most likely, he’d been waiting for her to call, and he purposely left her waiting for kicks.
“Don’t play games with me, Jordan. I am the only reason he didn’t call the police. How the hell do you expect this organization to get anywhere if you use violence and brutality to get what you want?”
Jordan chuckled. “And what exactly do you know about what we want, Daisy? Because the last time I checked, hanging from a millionaire’s arm wasn’t part of the agenda.”
Daisy slammed on the brakes as the traffic light turned red. Her car squealed so loudly she was afraid it would fall apart around her, but she didn’t even care. “We are not circling back around to this. You had guys waiting for him last night, which meant that you were planning this long before you saw the damn picture on social media. You’re only bringing that up to make me feel like this is my fault.”
“What is the point of this phone call, Daisy? You’re only going to continue to accuse me of something that I’m going to continue to deny. I can still get a few hours’ sleep instead,” he said neutrally. “Next time we meet, Daisy, I’m sure you’ll have something more interesting to report.”
“Don’t you dare hang up on me,” she hissed as she pulled up outside her apartment complex. “If you so much as think of pulling another stunt like this, or if you touch a single hair on his head, I will go to the police and get you and all your stoner buddies arrested, and his lawyers will make sure you spend the rest of your lives in a prison cell.”
“Aw, don’t tell me little Daisy is pissed because her handsome boyfriend got his face a little marred,” he said snidely. “You get your shit together, and we get this done. I want Duncan Enterprises massacred.”
“Massacred? For what? Jordan, this is about changing a company for the good of the environment. It’s not about crucifying anyone. Nothing gets changed unless there are changes on both sides, and we’re never going to get anywhere, or get taken seriously if we’re too busy crucifying the Maxfield family.”
“Oh, my dear sweet, Daisy,” Jordan sneered. “We chose you because you’re so naive. I can see that we chose well. Maybe too well. Why don’t you go play with your dollies and let the big boys get to work.”
The line went dead, and Daisy was left staring at her phone. What the hell was Jordan talking about? He made it sound like environmental change wasn’t even his priority.
Daisy walked on shaking legs to her apartment. At this early hour, everyone was asleep, but she couldn’t even enjoy the peace. Fear unfurled in her belly as she thought over Jordan’s words. He didn’t sound like the pot-smoking environment-loving man that she’d always taken him for. He sounded cold and calculating. He’d obviously been planning this for a long time. But why?
Her phone beeped, and she glanced down. Someone else from the organization had emailed her. As she clicked through, she realized that the attachment was a grainy picture showing Duncan Enterprises trucks at Greenman’s Corporation. “Oh, no. Gabe, please tell me that this isn’t true,” she whispered. Greenman’s Corporation was a huge company that had touted environmentally friendly construction until reports were made public that the corporation was actually dumping waste illegally, and even in some cases, using flimsy and cheap materials. Their public image was only skin-deep. When the media started digging deeper, they ripped Greenman’s apart. The company paid millions out in lawsuits and eventually went under. If Restore Eden could prove that Duncan Enterprises was in bed with Greenman’s, Duncan Enterprises would stand to lose everything.
But if it was true, then the public needed to know. Daisy sank into the cushions and stared at the picture. Her passion, her mission in life was to take down businesses like Greenman’s, and it was looking very much as if Duncan Enterprises would have to answer some tough questions.
With shaking hands, she set the phone down and slumped back on her couch. Maybe Jordan was right. Maybe her vision was clouded by her personal attachments to the company. Her first and unwarranted attack on Duncan Enterprises had been to get Nathan’s attention. And now that she had the attention of Duncan Enterprises, she was being held back by her feelings for Gabe. She didn’t want to do anything to hurt him.
Feelings? She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Feelings seemed like too strong a word. It wasn’t like she had a deep affection for the man. She just…sort of…liked him.
Right?
Confused and upset, she finally drifted off to sleep on her couch. It seemed like only a few minutes had passed before her phone started to ring again. “Hello?” she said sleepily. She peered at the clock. Several hours had passed.
“Daisy? Please tell me that you have Gabe there.”
Nathan’s voice was panicked, and Daisy sat up straight, immediately wide-awake. “Nathan?” she said as she rubbed her eyes.
“Yes. For the love of God, tell me that Gabe is with you. Maybe you two went to talk to your organization together?”
Nathan sounded upset and impatient. “Gabe isn’t here. When I left his apartment earlier this morning, he was asleep on the couch.”
“You were here last night?” he asked.
God, was he jealous now? “Angie called me,” Daisy explained. “Gabe was attacked outside my building after he dropped me off.”
“She called you and not me. That’s awesome,” Nathan said. “Angie told me what happened, and I came over to check on him, but he’s not here.”
Daisy clutched the phone and closed her eyes. She sent up a silent prayer that this wasn’t what Jordan was talking about. “Maybe he went to the hospital,” she said weakly.
“I called the hospital. He’s not there. Daisy, this place looks like a crime scene. The table is smashed, and there is blood on the floor. I swear to God if you had something to do with this…I trusted you. I convinced Gabe not to have you arrested, and you pull shit like this? Where the fuck is he?”
“What exactly are you insinuating?”
“This is exactly the kind of stunt that Restore Eden would pull. You and I both know that they’re not above breaking the law to get what they want. They’ve kidnapped Gabe, and they’re going to hurt him to get what they want.”
“I had nothing to do with any of this. How could you even think that?” Daisy snapped. “I’ve pulled some stupid and illegal stunts before, but I would never intentionally hurt anyone. If you think he was kidnapped, you should be calling the damn cops.” Nathan was silent, and Daisy narrowed her eyes. “Nathan, if you think Gabe is in trouble, you need to call the police,” she insisted.
“If I call the police, they’re going to assume he’s being held for money. They’ll process the apartment as a crime scene and wait for a ransom call, but this isn’t about money. This is about him doing what they want, and we both know how stubborn Gabe is. I have a bad feeling this isn’t going to end well for anyone. We need to find him now.”
Daisy blew out the breath she had been holding. “I can get close to Jordan, but I don’t think he’s going to give up Gabe. He thinks I’ve gone soft and that I care more about Duncan Enterprises than I do about the cause.”
“We both know that’s not true,” Nathan said softly. Daisy felt her heart break a little.
“Is that really what you think? Nathan, I’ve always cared for you. Even when we both knew things weren’t working out, I tried to hold on. To give you what you wanted. It turned out to be a complete disaster, but I always put you first.”
“Yes, but they didn’t kidnap me, did they? They kidnapped Gabe. So I guess what I’m concerned about now is whether you’re willing to put his safety first.”
Daisy didn’t know what to say because she didn’t know what Nathan was asking. Deep down, she knew that Nathan understood that she’d never do anything to hurt anyone. If he was asking this, he wasn’t questioning her integrity; he was questioning her feelings for Gabe.
“I’ll find him. I don’t know how yet, but I will,” she said fina
lly.
She heard Nathan inhale sharply. She hadn’t answered the question he was asking, and they both knew it. “Go find Jordan, and keep your phone with you. When you find Gabe, text me. I’ll have security track your phone.”
“What? You can do that?”
“Yes, Daisy. We have billions of dollars and quite a few secrets to protect. We can track your damn phone,” he said tersely before disconnecting.
Secrets to protect? Like the secret that they were, at one time, in bed with a huge scandal? She tried to push the thought from her mind. Her first priority was Gabe’s safety. Even as she thought of him being hurt because of something she’d done, she felt as if a fist squeezed around her chest. Once he was safe, then, and only then, she would have to choose.
15
She thought about phoning Jordan, but he’d be expecting that. Instead, she would find him and confront him in person. The truth was that Jordan was weak. He allowed others to do his dirty work while he blustered and shouted. When it came down to it, he would cut and run rather than risk jail time. If she played her cards right, she’d be able to wrap him around her little finger.
Changing out of her pajamas, she chose a pair of tight jeans and a spaghetti-strap top that showed off some of her midriff. Brushing out her hair, she rebraided it leaving a few tendrils hanging around her face. She knew Jordan’s type, and she knew he would be a little distracted when he saw her.
The thought made her skin crawl.
Musing, she looked around her kitchen. If she was going in, she couldn’t go empty-handed. She’d need a weapon and she knew just the thing.
Opening and closing cabinets, she pulled out the necessary ingredients. Mixing quickly, she fished through her freezer for the organic strawberries she had frozen. Blending everything, she poured the contents of her blender into two thermoses. It had been a while since she had tried anything like this and she hoped she got the mix right, as there would be no second chances.