CHAPTER 4
Daisy woke the next morning feeling rested and lighter. She couldn’t be sure whether it was the difference between sleeping in a car for a few days versus the most comfortable bed she’d ever laid in, or the fact that there was a larger-than-life man in the room next door she had no doubt would move mountains to protect her. There was a building full of men just like him too. That didn’t hurt.
Luke hadn’t given her a single reason to trust him, or feel safe with him, but she did. There was something so distant about him, edgy, but it appealed to her. He was easy on the eyes too, in a bearded bad boy way. Bad boy – she was certain he qualified, and that left a flutter in her belly that she didn’t understand. Her life was on the line and she was having swoony thoughts about a man she’d run from if she came up against him in a dark alley.
“Gibson?” Daisy sat up, looking for the dog. She had fallen asleep next to her, as per usual, but wasn’t there now. “Gibson. Come here, girl.”
A note on her bedside table grabbed her attention. That hadn’t been there the night before. It was from Luke.
I have Gibson. She was acting strange – took her for a run. Be back later. Make yourself at home.
Daisy smiled. Short, to the point, and she guessed totally Luke. A chuckle escaped when she tried to envision Gibson out for a run. She didn’t run. She barely walked – nervously paced at best. With a shrug, she decided to shower and start her day. Luke would figure it out on his own. It was odd that she felt as carefree as she did, given what she’d been through and why she was here. There were those butterflies again.
Safe, protected, and something else she couldn’t put her finger on came to mind, like an unfamiliar feeling. That had to be Luke’s doing. As much as it pleased her, it frustrated her that a strange man that seemed to grunt more than speak could make her feel anything in less than twenty-four hours. It was the shock, she decided. She was still in shock and grasping at feeling anything but fear. That had to be it. She wasn’t the type of girl who fell for a stranger.
Taking her time, enjoying the amenities of her private bath, she finally made her way out of the luxurious bathroom that made the most expensive hotel she’d ever stayed in look like a rat trap. Daisy didn’t need extravagance – she’d never had anything more than exactly what she needed – but while she was here, she wouldn’t ignore the enormous soaker tub with its stunning city view.
She stalled at the locked bedroom door. Luke had to have unlocked it to come in, get Gibson, and leave her a note. It was interesting that he relocked it before leaving. That spoke volumes to her. He wanted her to feel safe and sleep well. Thoughtful. He was definitely thoughtful.
Apartment was an understatement for the living quarters she was exploring. Luke’s living space was enormous. She supposed a guy that size needed a lot of space – big living room, big kitchen, big…balcony. An excellent place to meditate and plenty of room to do yoga. She was sure that would be her favorite place while she was there.
It was mid-morning, according to the clock on the wall, and there was still no sign of Luke and Gibson. She wasn’t worried, per se, but she wanted to know where her dog was. And maybe where Luke was. Peeking her head outside the apartment door, she saw the hallway was empty. She recalled the odd labels in the elevator when they came up the night before.
Rather than numbered floors, they were named. Declan, Liam, Luke, Dace, Wylie – those had to be the brothers. One was labeled Eva – a sister maybe? It seemed the cousins had a place to stay and perhaps even the O’Reilly parents. A few were unlabeled, then it said gym, rooftop garden, and lair.
If she were a betting woman, she’d put all her money on that being where he was. She recalled the lair from the night before – he’d called it their war room, the lair, but conference room was the term she recognized. Lair it was. Given how the floor buttons were labeled, she assumed she was going down, but couldn’t help but feel the elevator was going up. Part of the mystery that is Watermark, she supposed.
When the elevator door opened revealing yet another empty hallway, she hesitated to get off. Daisy had no idea where she was or if she was even supposed to be wandering around. Luke had said it was the safest building – a fortress – so it wasn’t fear of running into a less desirable. Justifying her roaming around as being his fault for leaving her this long, she decided to explore.
Once the doors closed behind her and the elevator whooshed away, she immediately regretted that decision. Luck never seemed to be on her side. Down the hall, several doors away, a man stepped out into the hall and looked right at her. He was large and had an expression on his face that was anything but friendly and happy to see her.
Given his size, she assumed it was none other than one of the O’Reilly brothers. He didn’t look like Luke, but that didn’t mean anything. Putting on her best smile, ready to introduce herself, her friendly demeanor quickly shifted to scared shitless as it tended to do often these days.
“Drop it,” the man said.
“Ex-Excuse me?” Daisy said, her smile wavering.
“Drop it, Dick!” he replied, picking up speed.
Daisy gasped. What the hell did he think she had? “I-I don’t know what you’re…what you…I…drop what?”
“Damn it, you asshole! I said drop it! Now,” he yelled, only feet away now. “I swear, you’re going in the cage if you don’t listen. Drop it and sit!”
“O-kay!” Daisy stammered, her hands in the air, panic setting in.
“Not you!” he said, his expression suddenly sympathetic. “You get up.”
Back on her feet, hands still up in surrender, she shook her head and tears started to threaten. “O-Okay. Okay. I’m…sorry.”
“Sit, Dick!”
“Oh my God,” Daisy fired back. “You said to stand.”
With a grin on his face, the man said it again, “I don’t mean you, darlin’”
“I’m so confused. I’m just going to sit. Okay. Just…sitting. Cooperating.” Daisy regretted leaving that balcony now. “Just please don’t hurt me. I’m supposed to be here – well, in the building. I…”
“Down! Don’t you dare! Damn it, Dick, you’re not going to the park today.”
“That’s okay. I don’t want to go to the park. I’ll just go back up to Luke’s…and…”
Once she was on the floor, the man yelled, “No!”, causing her to squeal before something else entirely earned a scream. Flat on her back, she was straddled by a horse who insisted on licking the shit out of her face. And he apparently didn’t understand the word no – or his name. It was either Dick or asshole from what Daisy gathered thus far.
“I am so sorry,” the man said, crouching down beside her. “I was talking to my dog. He was behind you and I thought he was going to jump on or trip you. He has really bad manners.”
Daisy tried to talk, but wasn’t about to French kiss a dog, so all she could do was nod and point to the horse sized dog, that was quite possibly uglier than Gibson.
“Jesus, I’m sorry.” The man yanked on the dog’s collar, and he ran off to the room the man had come out of. But not before the dog swooped up a chew toy that looked like Gibson’s – hence the man yelling “drop it.” He extended a hand and pulled Daisy to her feet. “Declan. Declan O’Reilly. You must be Daisy.”
“Well, I’m not Dick or asshole, so I must be Daisy, and this has got to be the most humiliating experience of my life.” She extended her hand for a proper shake and offered a smile.
“If nothing else, you’re incredibly obedient,” Declan laughed. “Don’t be embarrassed. Dick has been the source of humiliation for just about everybody here.”
“None the less, I was hoping maybe we could…”
Declan snickered. “Keep this between us? Absolutely.”
Daisy’s shoulders relaxed and she let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Hey, I was looking for Luke…and my dog.”
Brows furrowed, Declan took on a look of disappointment. “Luke didn’t tell you he was leaving or where to find him?”
“Oh, he left a note and said he was taking Gibson – that’s my dog – for a run. When they didn’t come back, I thought maybe I’d find them around here.”
“Follow me.” Declan headed back down the hallway. “They’re in the lair.”
When they walked in, it was immediately clear why they called it the lair. Daisy stood in awe as she looked around. Computer-like screens were everywhere, images changing on each every few seconds, and a wall with nothing but black boxes of blinking lights. It looked like something right out one of her movies. Her reaction must’ve been more outwardly expressive than she realized. When the silence of the room distracted her from her curiosity, she noticed all eyes were on her.
Awkward silence loomed, causing Daisy to sway from one foot to the other. She looked to Luke, hoping his promised protection included shielding her from any more humiliation than she had experienced with Dick. When he didn’t say anything, only looked back with a cold stare, she wondered what had changed. As if feeling the tension, Gibson walked over to Daisy and sat at her feet. Following her was Dick. At least the dogs were happy to see her.
Heat filled her face, and she could only imagine the shade of crimson is revealed. Though running out of the room was tempting, she didn’t imagine the behavior would do her any favors. A moment later, that felt much later, a petite blonde with dark-framed glasses and a ponytail stood from the table with a mega-watt smile.
“Hi, Daisy. I’m Felicity, but my friends call me City.” She approached Daisy with a friendly hand extended. “That handsome fella over there is Liam, my soon-to-be husband.”
“The twin!” Daisy shouted, surprising even herself. She closed her eyes, deciding her day couldn’t get any worse and to just roll with the never-ending chain of embarrassment.
City laughed. “Yep, Liam and Luke are the twins. They may look alike…well, under that shaggy beard of Luke’s, but they are not two peas in a pod, if you know what I mean.”
When Liam smiled back and approached to shake her hand as well, the similarities between the brothers ended. Luke didn’t smile, much less offer sincere salutations.
“Nice to meet you. We were actually just talking about you…well, your case. My brother tends to be rude. Just know he doesn’t mean it and if you need anything, we’re all here for you.”
Daisy looked at Luke. His expression was blank. He was neither offended or amused by his brother’s comments. Though Liam chuckled, Luke didn’t, so it was unclear if it was just playful banter or Luke getting a lecture. Yep, polar opposites.
“You’ve already met Declan, it seems,” City said, breaking the awkward stare down between the brothers.
“Yes. And his Dick,” Daisy said in quick response. It wasn’t until the laughter erupted that she realized what she’d said. Her nerves were getting the best of her and that balcony in Luke’s apartment was starting to look like her permanent hangout until it was time to go. She couldn’t face these people. “Oh my God. Dog. His dog, Dick.”
“We knew what you meant, honey. These guys can be intimidating at first glance, but I promise they’re a bunch of softies.”
City went around the room, introducing the remaining two brothers. She also reminded her of the O’Reilly cousins who had just left the building and warned her of the O’Reilly parents. Colleen specifically, because it was only a matter of time before she sniffed out the girl and tried to make her family. By the time City was done, Daisy was up to speed, including learning that Declan had a wife and there were some O’Reilly kids in the building.
It would take a few days, but Daisy looked forward to becoming acquainted with the lot of them. Daisy only had Gran growing up, and there was something about all of these O’Reillys in one place and their closeness that made her crave…belonging? A family of her own? Maybe both.
Just as she was starting to feel comfortable, the tables turned – a pattern that seemed to be her new normal, and it was pissing her off. A woman with long raven black hair, olive skin, and a presence about her that commanded attention walked through a door on the other side of the lair. Daisy lost her breath like she had been kicked in the gut. She knew that woman. She had been at the Senator’s mansion.
“It…it’s…you,” Daisy said breathlessly as she backed her way to the door behind her. “You were there. You…”
Daisy turned and ran for the elevator. She needed out of there – this was a trap and she’d walked right into it. With the sound of her own blood rushing through her ears, she only heard the muffled sounds behind her as everyone in the room called her name. She pounded on the button, calling the elevator, but it didn’t come fast enough. Looking to her left, she saw a utility door marked “stairs,” and decided it was better than waiting or jumping from a who-knew-what-floor window.
“Daisy. Stop,” Luke called out. “Daisy, wait.”
Before she could complete her thought to hit the stairs, large, strong arms wrapped around her from behind. Recalling the self-defense training she had taken, Daisy stomped on his foot and reared her head back, connecting with his jaw. She spun in his stunned arms, knee hiked up and ready to fire right into his groin when Luke pulled her body to his and held her in a tight embrace she couldn’t get out of.
The sound of frantic crying had her attention first, then: “It’s okay. You’re safe. Don’t cry, Daisy. I promise you’re safe.”
The cries were her own – she hadn’t even realized it until that moment. She was sobbing, riddled in fear. “She’s…she’s here. I need to go. Get me out of here. Please. Don’t let her get me.”
“Daisy,” Luke said softly, his demeanor mirroring the previous night. “She’s on our side. She’s not here to hurt you.”
Her voice was a defeated whisper as she cried, “But I saw her. I saw her there.”
“She was with Carter and the others, working the case,” Luke reassured. “I told you that you were safe here. I meant that. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Trust me?”
Daisy searched his eyes. They were lighter, sincere. Her response seemed to matter to him. The cold, uncaring façade he carried only moments before was gone. He’d put it away as quickly as he’d adopted it when he saw her enter the lair. There was something complicated with this man, that was evident, and she was interested in figuring out what it was. With his stare still burning into her, she shifted her stance, relaxed in his arms, and nodded. She did trust him.
He nodded back, and a nearly-there smile threatened before he turned around and led her back to the lair, his hand firmly planted at the small of her back. If she had been embarrassed before, she was thoroughly humiliated now. The entire group was standing outside the lair, watching her break down with the woman she feared front and center. If she was indeed on their side and part of the team, Daisy had just thoroughly insulted her, or so she thought.
“Daisy. I’m Eva Valdez.” The woman smiled, a sultry exotic accent rolling through her words. “You did see me at Senator Martinez’s Mansion, but I was not there for the reasons you suspect.”
Eva stepped forward, grabbed each of Daisy’s hands, and held them in her own. “We were trying to help him. Unfortunately, he didn’t take the help in time. I’m sorry you had to witness his…demise, but I assure you, we will do everything to bring his murderer to justice.”
“I-I’m sorry, Eva. I didn’t know. I am so sorry,” Daisy said, her tears of fear now those of defeat and blushing chagrin.
“It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot these past few days.” Eva’s warm smile allowed Daisy to relax.
Daisy wiped her tears, and awkwardly laughed. “Wow, I’m a mess. I promise I’m not usually so high strung.”
“It’s okay,” Wylie said with a sly smile. “Eva tends to make people cry.”
Without turning to face him, Eva fired back, “Shut up, Wylie. Or you’ll cry next.”
The laughter their banter evoked broke the tension and put Daisy at ease.
“Hey, let’s go grab a coffee at Wired. It’s a great little place on the corner,” City offered. “It’s right outside the building, literally. Eva, let’s see if Lydia wants to join us.”
“I’m in.” Eva grabbed her phone and sent a text.
“Not a good idea,” Luke interrupted. “We just had a meeting and agreed she doesn’t leave the building until we hear from Carter and know what we’re up against.”
“Correction, big guy,” City fired back. “She isn’t going anywhere alone or unprotected until we know more.”
“You’re going to protect her?” Luke chided.
“No,” City smiled, “you are! You’re also buying. Let’s go.”
“Lydia will meet us in the lobby. She’s in,” Eva added.
Eva and City each linked arms with Daisy and walked her to the elevator.
“Oh! Gibson!” Daisy paused.
“If my wife is meeting you in the lobby, that means I’m needed at home for kid duty. Gibson can come with me and Dick,” Declan offered, already summoning the dogs. “We’ll make sure she gets back to you. My guess is they’ll be with someone else before the night’s over and Gibson is back with you. The kids seem to work the same way around here. They’re all over the place.”
That made Daisy smile. They took care of each other and looked out for one another…even the dogs. “Family,” she said, nodding.
“Exactly. It’s what we do best.” Declan smiled. “Even this asshole.” He slapped Luke on the back.
Family, she thought. What she wouldn’t give…