“Well, I think maybe you and I should go shopping.” Brad’s cure-all for everything.
I set my mug down, pursing my lips. “Is there another function?” I rack my brain—did I forget? What will I need to buy now?
“No. There is no need for a function to go shopping,” he assures me.
“Let me guess, my clothes are Last Season?” I giggle and get a smile out of him. I really don’t need anything, but maybe Brad knows something I don’t.
“Not yet.” He grimaces a bit. “My taste isn’t quite that bad.”
“Thank you, Brad,” I tell him sincerely. It takes him a moment, and then he throws his arm around my shoulders.
“Anytime, sweetie.” He kisses my cheek.
We are quiet as Shen hands us our plates, and I sniff the aroma, earning a slight jab from Brad. I grin. And then he does the same. Shen smiles at us and leaves us while we eat. We both inhale at the same time and share a smile.
“He’s magnificent.” I shovel the food in.
Manners be damned, this is good. I glance over and put the back of my hand to my mouth, trying to stifle my laugh. Brad is shoveling it in, mouth open, while he chews.
“Can’t be perfect all the time,” he tells me with a wink.
“So, I noticed something,” I begin. The silence stretches for a bit as I wait for him to acknowledge me. When he doesn’t, I say, “You can go out in the sun.”
“And is there some reason you think I can’t?” Brad sets his fork down and turns to me, eyeing me carefully.
I can see he wonders what I’m about to say. “Not anymore. I realized what you are.” I let it hang there.
His eyes narrow, and then he smiles. “Fashion icon? Etiquette teacher extraordinaire?” He throws it out there, hand on hip.
I smile at his evasiveness. “Not like him.” I watch his smile fade, and he presses his lips together.
“How do you know?” He meets my eyes, assessing me differently.
“I just do.”
I turn back to my food. And none of this bothers me one bit. The pieces were there; something I hadn’t thought possible, yet here I am, living it. Plus, Inara and Natalia pretty much spilled the beans in the bathroom. Blake’s lie was to protect me, and I don’t fault him for it. He wants to protect me and keep me safe. But that night with Inara and Natalia comes to me at all hours, snippets, words, visions. I have remembered many things. Natalia at the mirror and Inara whispering in my head without moving her lips. The fuzzy feeling I got from both of them.
Vaguely, I remember Blake coming to my rescue, scooping me up with urgency and gentleness, cradling me against his solid chest and strong arms, protecting me and keeping me safe. I remember him looking down at me, his brows together, pain in his eyes as I tried to shake off whatever those two females had done to me. I remember hearing his voice whisper to me, pushing those other thoughts away. I remember slowly coming back to myself, even as exhaustion took over. I remember Blake’s forehead pressing against mine as he told me to come back to him. I remember him rocking me gently.
“And does he know?” Brad’s voice is low.
His question lingers for a bit, and I meet his eyes. I shake my head and end up shrugging. I think he might suspect, honestly. But I have not talked to him about that. I was more concerned with fixing myself and making sure I was okay. I think, for the first time, I might be taking steps in the right direction. I take another bite and then push my plate away. Shen’s cuisine is the best and rich. Sometimes I get full on the aroma alone.
“And what are you going to do about it?” he asks. He takes one last bite and pushes his plate away. He drains his coffee.
“I don’t know. Change?” I had been thinking on and off about it. Blake has said nothing, of course, but I would think if he wants me with him, he would want this as well.
Brad takes a breath and puts his hand on my knee. “Do not change for anyone except yourself. Blake knew what he was getting into when he chose to marry you.”
I know he doesn’t mean it as a slight. I know he doesn’t mean to hurt me, and he doesn’t. His words don’t hurt me at all. I cover his hand and quirk a smile at him. I don’t know how I would have gotten past this week without Brad here. He grounded me, made me laugh—made me forget my hurts—at least temporarily. He helped distract me and let me tackle my demons on my own time.
“I met him just over a week ago,” I say. “And so much has happened since then.”
“I know, darling. He couldn’t stop talking about you and was lamenting how he needed to leave you there.”
“He told me that. Sort of.” I push my fork onto my plate and side-eye Brad. “Who are Marcellus and Deverell to him?”
Brad sighs and faces me. “Marcellus and Deverell were business partners of his back in the day. Over the years, they have run Blake’s hard-won business ventures into the ground. Then, Blake reinvented himself, shaking them off, and they told him he needed to bring them back into the business. Blake said no, and they worked on the outside to bring him down, almost succeeding.” Brad considers me for a moment.
“Then Blake made a deal with the Council—not his wisest move—but at the time, there really wasn’t an option. The Council approved funds, a loan.” I nod my head, understanding the loan options. “They made a condition that he was to pay them back within a certain amount of years, and certain stipulations were to be met.”
“How long was this loan for?” I furrow my brow and feel Brad’s hand on my knee.
“A hundred years.”
I look away, lips parted. All of this in play since way before I was born. I knew Blake was old, but I had not entirely known just how old.
“He did it,” Brad shrugs. “Blake always does it. I suspect Marcellus and Deverell are behind this, trying to take him down again. But Blake is free and clear of the Council, and those other two never cease to create problems for him. Going into business with them was the most foolhardy thing he’s ever done. Now, he can’t shake them. And they want his shares. Blake’s company is publicly traded, and he holds the majority.”
“He told me he secured funds.”
“He did. So, even if, for some reason, Marcellus and Deverell are able to take over, he will still be okay. He’ll just rebuild. But those two are jealous of Blake and how he just turns silver into gold.”
“A Midas Touch?” I smile a bit.
“You could say that. But this is Blake’s empire, and he has no need for the Council now, nor for those two and their skanky girlfriends who wear Last Season fashion.” I grin, and Brad glances around the kitchen for a bit.
“Sounds like the mob.” I muse. I think of Mr. Fortini, who has been nothing but kind to me.
“Yes, I suppose it does. There are some of us interspersed within the mob,” he confides.
“Some of you? Or some of him?” I ask.
“Both. It can get quite interesting sometimes. But Blake fulfilled the Council's wishes, and this frees him up for more ventures. Although, I would say his best one is you.”
I blush and roll my lips together in a smile. “How do I fit in?”
“The Council has funny ways of working. Marcellus and Deverell manipulated what they could, and Blake finding a mate was part of it. Payback for something he did to them years ago. He supposedly stole a woman from Marcellus many years back, and Marcellus never got over it.”
“Blake had a girlfriend?” I ask.
Brad screws his lips together. “Not exactly. This young woman didn’t know what she was getting into with Marcellus and, by default, Deverell. I’m not clear on all the details, but those two planned to keep the young girl as a, well, more or less as a pet. Blake caught wind of this and warned her away. He then kept her safe from those two. In essence, he hid her away and saved her life, but ‘stole’ from Marcellus and Deverell.” Brad exhales. “Marcellus never seemed to get over it, and so he and Deverell put forth a stipulation to the Council just to further annoy Blake.”
I look down. “S
o why did Blake meet with the Council?”
“Blake normally wouldn’t have gone to them, but in the early nineteen hundreds, everyone was losing everything. Everything was crashing. Marcellus and Deverell were his pain in the ass and trying to destroy the business. Blake, at the time, felt he had no choice. He had worked so hard and knew that the Council had unlimited resources.”
The nineteen hundreds? “Can’t... his kind live without money?”
“Well, sure. But why? Plus, they need places to stay during the day. Living in caves is not all it’s cracked up to be. And can you imagine the stench?” He shudders dramatically.
I shrug in agreement, but I’m still confused. “It still seems like an odd request to me.”
“Yes. I suppose so. But the Council doesn’t want one taking over from another and most likely thought it would be good for him to help those two out. And, before he met you, he’d been alone for about a hundred years. He only had his business ventures as lovers. No one had caught his attention.”
I stay silent at Brad’s words. I had wished for death; death to take me from this world. But now I want to live with Blake. It still seems odd about the Council and what they agreed to, but what do I know about all this? However, it’s clear that Marcellus and Deverell are no good for Blake and I’m glad I got to be a small part of defeating them. Even if I knew nothing about the stipulation.
“Who makes up the Council?”
“Well, I’ve never seen them, of course. But from what I gather, it’s the old ones. The ones who can’t count the years they’ve been here on this earth—the firsts. No one defies the Council—not even Blake. He only showed up on their radar because he asked for a loan. Now, he will disappear once again.”
“And the Council will leave him alone?”
“Yes. Blake used to work for them hundreds of years ago. Under a contract of sorts. Back in the day, the Council acted much like the mob does today. Blake was their right-hand man and saw to it that things were taken care of. But after a few hundred years, he worked his way free. He fulfilled his obligations to them, and he was allowed to leave. He made his own way in the world. He built businesses, trial, and error throughout the years.”
Brad quirks a bit of a smile. “He was successful. He knew Deverell and Marcellus from his time with Council, and they had joined together in many different ventures. Marcellus and Deverell never wanted to put any work into the ventures, only interested in the payout. Blake did all the work, and he grew tired of it. He shook loose of those two until about a hundred years ago.”
“This all seems so strange,” I whisper.
“When the Crash was taking root, Blake knew he needed to do something to protect his assets. He approached the Council once again. Somehow his old business partners found out about it and made up a story that the Council was inclined to believe. Blake felt he had no other option, but with a hundred years to pay off the loan and meet the conditions, he wasn’t worried about it.”
Brad looks out the window for a bit before turning back to me. “The Council is strange. Everyone knows of them, but not everyone deals with them.” Brad sighs. “Then he got into the restaurant business, and like everything he touches, he turned it into a fortune. It was quite the venture and the next popular thing to get into at the time. He made a name for himself and hired Shen.”
“Shen told me he had a restaurant, but he didn’t tell me the name.” I have wondered about this. I’ve only seen Shen here cooking for me and, now, Brad.
Brad nods, smiling. “He does have one. It’s the one where you met Marcellus and Deverell.”
I furrow my brow. “Blake told me it was his.”
“It is. It’s the both of theirs. Shen handles all the inner workings of it, from staff to menus, to how it looks—well, he confers with me on that. And Blake is a silent partner.”
This is what Shen had told me. And then it dawns on me. “Che’Shun.” How I didn’t put together Shen’s first and last name is beyond me.
Brad sends me a wry smile. “Just figuring that out?”
I bump him. “Give me a break. I’ve had a rough week.”
“That you have, darling! Let’s go shopping.” Brad slides off his chair, and I laugh at him.
AS I SHOP WITH BRAD, I find I miss Blake’s company. Is it too soon to fall into love this quickly? I am afraid to find out that it might be because I like the feeling that blooms in my chest when I think of him. Blake has been ever patient and caring, and he didn’t push me, he hasn’t been in my face—and he did not hit me or kill me when I wanted him to. In fact, other than squeezing my hand and then my wrist that night, he had done nothing further to hurt me. And he hadn’t even meant to harm me in the first place. He’s just that strong. So, I don’t blame him for what he did that night, even if it caused me a bruise on my inner wrist.
I had pushed, and I suppose everyone has a limit. He could have easily broken my wrist, and yet he had shown restraint. All night, he had shown restraint. The only real anger I saw was when he threatened to change me in front of the cameras and I was more concerned about being naked in front of him than being on camera.
Brad has brought me to a high-end department store. I flip through some hangers and see nothing interesting. I turn to look for Brad and he is standing at the edge where the men’s clothes meet the women’s clothes. I amble on over and watch him as he makes some selections. I like the faces he makes when he is considering something.
“Am I going to wear that?” I ask, bumping him a bit.
He quirks a smile at me. “No, darling. This is for me. What do you think?”
The shirt is blue, collared, button-down, and... nerdy. I press my lips together and shake my head, telling him my assessment. He puts it back and puts his hands on his hips, his lips in a wry smile.
“Look at that. I’ve just taken fashion advice from you,” he says and then kisses my cheek.
I smile and walk away, or rather sashay away, and his laughter follows me. I find myself over by some casual yet chic clothing and find a few things that would be nice. Truth is, my closet is full—at least until Brad tells me something is Last Season. I really don’t need new clothes, and I think this is why I am not interested in shopping today. As I wander, a red silk blouse catches my attention, and I run my hand under the hem. It shimmers a bit, and I smile. I reach for it and call over my shoulder, asking Brad what he thinks of it.
Silence.
My brow furrows and I pause, my fingers grazing the hanger. It’s not like Brad not to say something. I’m about to turn when I feel something at my back, the barest of a touch. I stiffen and freeze to my spot. The blood seems to drain from my body, and my stomach lurches. I can’t breathe.
“The color of blood,” the voice whispers in my ear.
I shiver, still not moving from my spot and unable to do so. I recognize the voice, and dread fills me. Slowly my blood seems to return, pounding in my ears and running cold through my veins simultaneously. My body takes the breath I deprived it of, and I hear a choked noise coming from the side of me. Slowly, shakily, I turn my head. Deverell is holding Brad by the neck, and Marcellus is behind me, too close for my comfort.
Deverell’s hand is a claw-like, and the sharp nails are pressing into Brad’s neck. His extended fingernails look deadly. A glint on his finger reveals that beautiful dark red stone ring still gracing his middle finger. It’s a stark contrast against Brad’s pale skin. I meet Brad’s eyes, and he’s—afraid. But not for himself. He’s afraid for me.
“What do you want?” I ask Marcellus with more bravery than I feel.
I still haven’t moved from my spot. I’m shaking now and can’t seem to control it. My fear also excites Marcellus, and he grins at me, licking his lips. His eyes light up, and I glance away to look at Brad.
“You, dear.” He leans down, his lips at my ear. “I want you. Now, be a good girl, and come along quietly.” His voice is low and melodic, like Blake’s gets sometimes.
I keep my eyes on
Brad. “Let him go.” I am not in any position to make demands, but I couldn’t bear it if Brad died. He’s wiggled his way into my heart and—I love him too.
“Of course,” Marcellus says easily.
My eyes slide to his in confusion. I still can’t breathe right, and my whole body is shaking. “W-what?” I hope I don’t collapse here on the floor.
I need my strength, and he isn’t here.
“Someone has to go home to Blake and tell him where you are.” Marcellus grins wider, and I know he’s up to something.
“Oh, can I help any of you?” A new voice cuts through to us all.
The chirpy voice belongs to a petite blonde with green eyes and a skip in her step. She’s dressed in a light blue collared shirt with her name tag over her breast. My eyes jerk to the store employee whose nametag reads ‘Terri,’ and she has a cheerful smile plastered on her face. She looks from me to Marcellus, and then her gaze lingers on him. Yes, Marcellus is quite handsome. My eyes slide to Brad, and she follows my gaze.
“Oh! Hello,” her chirpy voice calls out, and her brow furrows a bit at the two of them.
Deverell has moved his hand from Brad’s neck and has his arm around him as if they are a couple. Brad is furious but remains still, unmoving. I see something silver flash as Deverell shifts, and his eyes go to Marcellus. They seem to be speaking, and all I can think is that Brad is about to die despite Marcellus’ words. But Brad stays perfectly still, relaxing his face.
“My dear,” Marcellus’ voice threads through the air.
Chirpy Terri turns, her smile bright, and gets caught by his eyes. He steps forward, and a glint on his finger catches my attention. He’s wearing his ring, and the blue stone catches the overhead light. I watch Marcellus interact with the clerk, who is rooted to her spot, her chirpy smile still on her face. Her eyes don’t blink as Marcellus leans into her.
“We were not here,” Marcellus tells her. In a trance, she echoes his words. I’m relieved he will not kill her, but he is in her space, so close. Their lips are almost touching. “But the gentleman over there, the one who will be on the floor, bleeding, was trying to steal. He cut his leg on the sharp edge of the shelf over there. You will call the police.”
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