Below the Surface (The Witness Series Book 5)

by Heather D'Agostino

  “Fine,” I huffed. “I gotta get ready for work.” I rose from the couch and rushed to my bedroom. I needed to dig out some clean work clothes and work on taming the mess of hair I had from my night with Jeff.

  ooooooooo

  With the holiday season drawing nearer, business had been booming. The concerts in the park ended with the summer, and with it went the slow nights. I’d never really noticed how busy it got until I was working on a night that I’d rather be at home for. I was tired from the lack sleep I’d gotten at Jeff’s, and now that this pseudo date I was going on tonight had my head spinning. It was all happening so fast, and I still wasn’t sure I liked it. I mean, Jeff was what every woman dreamed of. He was sweet and caring, but he an edge to him that made him mysterious and a little scary. I knew he’d never hurt me physically, but the emotional side of things still worried me. What if I let him all the way in, and he broke me?

  “Can I get a Bud?” a voice startled me out of my day dream.

  “Sure. Would you like a frosted mug with that?” I lifted my head and was met with a pair of sparkling green eyes. His lip curled on one side as he leaned in closer like he was going to share a secret.

  “If it’s coming from you, sure,” he chuckled and I felt my face flush. It was obvious he was flirting and in the past I would have flirted right back. It was my job, after all, but tonight it felt odd. I couldn’t explain it, but the idea of giving him the sense that I was interested made my stomach roll.

  “That’ll be two fifty,” I set the beer and mug in front of him.

  “I’ll start a tab,” he handed me a credit card, and I nodded as I moved away and went to help the next customer.

  The night went on with this guy winking and throwing innocent comments my way. As the hours ticked by, I began to relax and flirt back. I wanted a good tip, and he was saying things to everyone. It wasn’t just me. When he signaled me for another beer, I grabbed it and came to a stop in front of him. “If I give you this, what do I get out of it?” I teased as I let the bottle swing from my fingers in front of him.

  “Whatever you want, sweetie,” his eyes darkened as he leaned forward. “When do you get off tonight? I was thinking maybe we could head out to my car and maybe I could warm you up a little.”

  “She’s busy,” a low growl came from beside where I was leaning over, and I stiffened. I knew who it was, but I’d been so wrapped up in what was going on in front of me that I’d missed him coming in. I swallowed as I chanced a glance at him. His eyes were narrowed and the vein in the side of his neck was pulsing. His jaw was tense as his nostrils flared. “We need to talk,” he paused as he swallowed, “now!”

  I jumped back when his hand hit the bar near the stranger. “I’m sorry man,” he held up his hands, palms out, in defense. I didn’t think Jeff would do anything, but I’d never seen him like this.

  “Come with me,” he reached across the bar and grabbed my arm, leading me to the pass through. Once he got me around to the other side, he directed me to the dark hallway near the bathrooms. My heart was racing as fear crept. All those times I was punished for saying or doing something a client didn’t like came rushing through my mind. Running was the only thing my brain could comprehend at the moment. Running as fast and far as I could to get away.

  When Jeff started to slow down in the hallway, I took the chance and rushed toward the exit door at the end of the hall. I didn’t have my coat and it was freezing outside, but I pushed it open anyway. Cold air blasted me in the face as snow rained down on me. I wrapped my bare arms around my middle as I shivered against the frigid air.

  “Jesus!” Jeff bellowed as he rushed out after me. “Would you stop?” I spun from where he was standing there staring at me. A black knit hat was pulled down over his ears and his leather jacket was zipped up, making him look like a cat burglar of sorts. I began backing away, trying to figure out a way to talk him down.

  “I’m sorry,” I begged. “Please don’t be mad.” I shuffled back until I backed into a car. My butt hit the cold metal, and I could feel the snow melting against my jeans.

  “Mad?” he shook his head in confusion. “I’m not mad at you,” his voice softened.

  “Yes, you are,” I shook my head as I tried to inch my way around the car.

  “No,” he rushed forward trapping me in place. “I’m not,” his voice lowered to barely above a whisper.

  “But in there? And you said,” I tried to form words, but they were all scrambled in my head. The freezing weather didn’t help either.

  His eyes closed as he took a deep breath before he opened them to stare at me. “I was mad at him.”

  “The guy at the bar? I don’t even know him,” I was confused. “Are you jealous?” It was a foreign feeling. I’d never had a guy care enough about me to be jealous. Leo was possessive, but never jealous.

  “No,” he muttered. “Fuck! Yes. I was fucking jealous as hell.”

  “It’s work,” I murmured as I shivered against him. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to his chest.

  “I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I don’t date women, ok. I’ve never had one stick around long enough to have anything real. I’m trying here, and you… You make me feel things that I can’t understand. I shouldn’t have acted like that. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he loosened one arm and tipped my chin up. “You have to know I’d never hurt you,” he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine in a soft kiss. I nodded against his lips as I shivered again. “Fuck! You’re fucking freezing. Let’s get you inside before we both turn to ice.” He released me but held tight to my hand as he led me back inside and took his usual spot at the bar. The guy from before was gone, but a large tip was sitting under the bottle where he’d been. I sighed as I picked it up and stuffed it in our tip jar. If Jeff got upset every time a customer flirted, he was going to be mad all the time. I liked my job, and I was good at it.

  Chapter 25

  Jeff

  I don’t know what came over me tonight. When I came through the door and saw him with her, something snapped inside me. The thought of someone else touching her, made me want to rip his fucking hand off. The one thing that brought me back was the look in her eyes, and the way she ran from me. It was fear. I thought we were past that after the night we spent together, but her first instinct is still to run. It was going to be a lot more work than I originally thought to get past that.

  I’ve been stewing in my spot for over an hour as I watch her flit from one end of the bar to the other, talking and joking with customers. A touch here, a smile there, it makes the jealousy simmer just below surface and my need to claim her again is growing. I’ve got to figure out a way to tamp this down if I’m going to keep her from running again. We’re supposed to go tree shopping when she gets off soon, but all I want to do is go back to her place and strip her down.

  “I’ll be able to leave as soon as I stock the cooler,” she stopped in front of where I’m sitting and wiped the bar off. “Like thirty minutes, maybe,” she smiled.

  “Sounds good. Are you working tomorrow?” I spun the beer bottle between my fingertips.

  “Nope,” she grinned. “I’m all yours.” I could see the excitement mixed with nerves. She tried to hide it from me, but reading people was part of my job.

  “Damn right you are,” I winked as I lifted the bottle and finished the last swallow. “Now get busy so we can leave soon,” I waved her off with my fingers.

  ooooooooo

  “What are we doing here?” Lena’s eyes went wide when I pulled into the local Walmart.

  “What do you think we’re doing? Shopping. You can’t put up a tree without decorations,” I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

  “I can’t afford all this,” she mumbled under her breath. I could see her fidgeting and the fact that she thought I was bringing her here and then making her pay, angered me.

  “I can, and I’m paying for this. It was my idea, remember?” I shoved open the door and climbed out as I zipped up my
coat. It was freezing out.

  After helping her out, I grabbed a shopping cart, and together we pushed it inside. Warm air and Christmas music assaulted us as the electronic doors opened. I steered us in the direction of the Christmas decorations and watched as Lena transformed right in front of me. Gone was the woman I’d spent the evening convincing to come here, and in her place was a little girl completely mesmerized by her surroundings.

  “Wow,” she gasped as we stopped by a large Santa display. “I don’t know where to start.” She looked over at me and chewed on her lip.

  “Pick out whatever you want. My treat,” I winked as I motioned to the aisle filled with ornaments. There were all shapes and sizes. Some vintage, some glass, wooden, childlike, and more mature themed. They had it all, and Lena was on Christmas overload.

  “I like these, oh and there, what about these?” she was picking up boxes and shoving them at me as the grin on her face grew wider and wider. She took me back to a time when I was child. My parents always had multiple trees in our house. The only one we were allowed to touch was in the bonus room. It had kid-friendly decorations. The rest were strictly ‘look at only’ trees. I received many lectures over the years about what was ok to touch. After the last Christmas I spent at their house, I vowed that all my Christmas decorations would be allowed to be touched. The holidays were meant to be joyful and fun, not stressful.

  “Get them all,” I shrugged as her eyes went wide.

  “I’m gonna need a big tree then,” she giggled.

  “So we’ll get a big tree,” I grabbed some lights. “White or multi-colored?”

  “Multi-colored,” she rolled her eyes.

  “You need to get stockings for you and Megan,” I motioned to the next aisle. “Wouldn’t want Santa to skip over your place because there’s nothing to stuff.” I smirked at her.

  “Santa’s never been to my place,” she whispered. “Mom always said we were too poor.”

  My heart hurt for her at that moment. Santa always came to my house growing up. I got more than I asked for every year. Piles of toys that sometimes never got played with. The child in me hurt for her. “I think this year might be different,” I hugged her to my side as we pushed the cart up to the checkout.

  After paying for our items, I loaded the car while Lena sat inside staying warm. Each time I placed a bag inside, I promised myself I would do everything I could to make up for all the Christmases she missed. “Ready to go get that tree?” I chuckled as I slipped into the driver’s seat and buckled up.

  “Yep,” she grinned as she nodded vigorously. She seemed to finally be enjoying this, and I couldn’t be happier.

  ooooooooo

  Lena

  We looked pretty comical driving through downtown Chicago with a tree tied to the top of the car. I couldn’t believe Jeff wasn’t worried about the paint or anything. We’d searched several tree lots before we found the perfect one, and now we just had to get it upstairs to my apartment.

  After grabbing as many bags as I could carry from the backseat, I led the way to the stairs. Jeff said it would be easier than trying to cram the tree in the elevator. I thought he was nuts, but most men are. I laughed the entire way to my door as I watched him wrangle the tree up the stairwell. When we reached my door, I set the bags down to get the lock open. The door gave way, and Megan was standing there bouncing on her toes.

  “I could hear you guys all the way down the hall,” she laughed.

  “And you didn’t think to open the door for me?” I scoffed as I shuffled inside, kicking the snow off my boots in the process.

  “Sorry?” she tipped her head to the side. “Oh my god! How much stuff did you buy?” she grabbed a bag and placed it on the couch as she looked inside.

  “The whole store,” Jeff chuckled from behind where we were standing. “Where do you want this bad boy?” he nodded at the tree.

  “Maybe that corner,” I pointed to the far side of the room. “It won’t be in the way, and there’s space to put the furniture around it.”

  He gave a quick jerk of his head as he expertly moved around the room. After setting the tree down, he went to work getting it straight and anchored well. “Hand me some of the lights and I’ll get the top set up for you,” he motioned to the bag Megan was currently rooting around in as he unzipped his jacket and tossed it on the nearby couch. My mouth went dry as I watched him remove his hat and gloves and send them in the same direction.

  He’d kept his coat on at the bar so I really hadn’t gotten a chance to see him, but holy hell. He was dressed in a pair low slung jeans, and a gray long sleeve t-shirt. It clung to his shoulders and chest, accentuating every ridge and dip of muscle he had. My mind flashed back to the day before and how it felt to have all that hardness pressed against me as I stared at him. “Lena,” he broke into my thoughts as his lips curled up on one side. He’d caught me, and he knew it. “The lights,” he motioned to the bag again.

  “Right. Sorry,” I rushed around to where Megan was, grabbed the box, and opened it. After finding the correct end of the strand of lights, I moved over next to him and handed it off. “Here,” I swallowed. My body was heating up, and I couldn’t seem to stop it.

  “You know,” he leaned closer and whispered in my ear, “we’re not going to finish this if you keep looking at me like that. All I want to do right now is say ‘fuck it’ and take you back in the bedroom.” His eye flared with want as I swallowed.

  “Maybe later,” I murmured. The truth being there was no way in hell I was going to have sex with him with my sister in the other room. She’d hear us, and that’s just awkward.

  “You two can screw later,” Megan called out from where she was still perched by the couch. “Let’s hang all these,” she turned to face us with a couple of ornaments in her hands, not even blinking at me with what she said.

  “Megs!” I squeaked.

  “What? I’m nineteen. I know what sex is. I hope to have it someday,” she flipped one hand in the air as she dug into the back for some hooks. “Now, let’s finish this so you two can take care of that,” she waved her finger between us and I blushed as Jeff broke out in laughter.

  “Well ok, then,” he snickered as he continued working on the lights.

  It took us a couple of hours to finish, but when we did it looked beautiful. The colored lights made the room glow in a tie-dyed effect. Multitudes of ornaments covered the branches and the smell of fresh pine permeated the air. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t remember a time like this. The last tree I had was a little tabletop tree my mother had gotten. I think I was maybe ten. We decorated it with paper ornaments and didn’t have any lights. This was magical, and standing here looking at it made me truly realize what kind of man Jeff really was. He’d done this for me without expecting anything in return.

  “Thank you,” I whispered as I stared at the tree. My eyes welled up. As much as I didn’t want to cry over this, I couldn’t help it. No one had cared enough in the past to do this.

  “No thanks needed,” he grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together. “I had fun,” he leaned to the side and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Wait,” he pulled back to stare at me. “Why are you crying?”

  “We’ve never had a tree like this,” Megan murmured from somewhere behind us. I heard her footsteps as they grew farther away. She was leaving us alone, well, as much as she could in my tiny apartment.

  “Come here,” he turned me by the shoulders and wrapped me in his arms. I sighed as I sank into him. My nose burrowed into his chest as I inhaled the scent of his aftershave. My arms banded around his middle, and I clung to him as he slowly swayed us. If the moment wasn’t already doing enough to me, he started humming quietly. His chest vibrated with the soft sounds of Christmas carols, and the tears started all over again.

  “Where did I find you?” I sniffed as he tightened his grip.

  He paused for moment before loosening his arms and tipping my chin so our eyes met. “I ask myself that every
day, Baby,” and he leaned down and sealed his words with a kiss.

  Chapter 26

  Jeff

  It’s been a week since I bought Lena her tree, and we’ve spent practically every night together. I tried giving her some time alone, but the one night we slept apart she showed up in the middle of the night. I didn’t even question it when I opened my door and found her shivering in a pair of PJs. I opened my arms and led her back to my bed.

  I took her shopping one night after work so she could get Megan a gift. She mentioned that Megan was looking at getting her own place, and she wasn’t sure what to buy her. She didn’t have anything, and Lena was being so obvious that she wanted Megan to stay. We ended up not buying anything, but I did accomplish something. I got her to agree to come to the Christmas Ball with me. Every year, the department holds a ball. The proceeds go to a charity of the department’s choosing. This year we’re giving to a local charity that helps battered women. I wasn’t sure when I asked her to come if she would. I thought the fact that she stayed at a shelter for a while might make it awkward, but she said yes.

  The next hurdle I had to jump over was getting her to let me buy her a dress. It was a black-tie affair, and I knew she’d panic when she realized she was going to need a gown. I asked Dev if he could get Sam to take her out after work one day. I handed over my credit card, and pretty much said the sky was the limit. Now, I’m just waiting for the clock to strike six so I can go pick her up.

  I’ve been staring at myself in the mirror for who knows how long. I’ve never been one for a monkey suit, and I’ve pulled at this tie so many times that it keeps going crooked. I shaved the days’ old scruff off my jaw, and actually styled my hair tonight, and as I stare at myself, I’m wondering if she’ll actually like it. Lena’s never seen me all cleaned up. Even for our date I left my face alone.

  Finally giving up, I grab my wool overcoat and keys. I reach into my jacket pocket to remind myself that it’s still there, the box I placed there this morning. Its velvet outside brushes against my fingertips, only speeding up my heart as I slip into my wool coat, and out the door. I decided to take the Mercedes tonight, and it eases out into traffic easily. Lena’s place is such a short drive that I’ve failed to calm down when I reach her building.