CHAPTER 6
The days passed quickly, and they fell into a routine as roommates with plenty of highs, but more lows. Daisy talked, Luke grunted. Daisy got frustrated, Luke grunted. Luke cooked dinner, Daisy was in awe. Daisy sang, Luke was in awe. Daisy wanted to go for a walk, Luke said no, Daisy grunted. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t hard either, and it just became who they were.
Luke had taken Gibson for a mid-day run to help the anxiety he saw brewing in her – she was licking off patches of fur again. When they returned, and the dog was still having a hard time, Luke was concerned. The run hadn’t helped, and Daisy wasn’t home. She was off visiting one of the ladies in the building, inevitably contributing to the wedding planning.
He liked that the women had all bonded and she at least had that little bit of freedom. It wasn’t leaving the building, but it was something other than being locked up. It also meant she had someone else to talk to because she. Liked. To. Talk. He did not.
As much as Luke hated to interrupt whatever she was up to, Gibson was pacing, whining, and licking. He didn’t know what to do for her. When Gibson was especially worked up, only two things seemed to calm her back down: laying on Luke’s bed…all night, on his pillow, wrapped around his head, and Daisy’s singing.
He texted each of the ladies, but none of them were with her, nor had they seen her. Luke began to search the building after checking in with his brothers. None of them had taken her to Wired or the pub. A search ensued, and he had everyone involved. She wasn’t in the gym, or on the rooftop – she was gone.
“Who doesn’t own a cellphone this day and age?” Luke questioned when he met his brothers in the lair.
“If she had one, we would’ve taken it, bro. Moot point,” Liam added as he hunted through video feeds, looking for her.
“Where would she have gone?” Luke paced the floor, his nerves getting the best of him. “She doesn’t know her way around Portland. She’s only been to the Pub and coffee place.”
“I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. She knows better than to leave without anyone,” Dace chimed in. “We probably just missed each other when we were searching. It’s a big building.”
“We haven’t heard anything else from Carter,” Luke started again, his worry evident. “What if someone found her?”
“Dude, first of all, I think you have a little crush and you’re missing your girl,” Wylie teased.
“Fuck off, Wylie,” Luke fired back in typical fashion.
“Second,” Wylie emphasized, “you forget we are in the most secure building anywhere. It’s easier to breach the White House than this place. Nobody got to her.”
“Maybe,” Luke conceded. He knew better than to think Watermark was accessible, but what he didn’t know was what to think about the crush comment.
Sure, he was concerned, and was right to be, but was he overly concerned? He couldn’t recall a time where a client managed to create such a knot of helplessness in his gut. He was worried, and Luke O’Reilly didn’t worry…ever. He defined confident and wasn’t capable of worry. Until Daisy, apparently.
“I got her,” Liam said, drawing attention to multiple screens on the wall. “Looks like she’s been gone an hour or so.”
“After I went for a run.”
“Yep. Got her passing through the lobby. Hold on. I’ll get the outside feed up.” Liam nodded to yet another screen. “There. Got her. Oh shit.”
“Who is she talking to?” Luke squinted, as if that would help him identify the stranger.
“Not sure, bro. Can you get facial to match him, Liam?” Declan asked, referring to the facial recognition software they often used in their line of work.
“That could take a while – especially if he’s a nobody,” Liam answered, his fingers flying over his keyboard. “I have the security algorithm set to pick up facials of known threats. If he were a big fish, I would have found him before he got within a mile of us.”
“So, this guy is a nobody.” Luke let out a sigh as the threat level where Daisy was concerned seemed to lessen.
“We don’t know who all the bad guys are, brother. Just the big ones,” Dace corrected. “This guy could be a local creep and not on our radar.”
Dace was right. Their enemies were bigger and badder than any local thug. They went after the big stuff and left local petty crime to the Portland Police.
“I lost them on the cams. City must be down or updating. They were on the corner headed west,” Liam said, pushing back from his desk.
“Okay. There’s a series of shops, restaurants…” Wylie began.
“So, what, she’s just out on an adventure?” Luke interjected, fury filling him. “What the hell?”
“We won’t know until we find her,” Declan said, grabbing weapons from the nearby gun cage. “Who knows what we’re walking into. Prepare for everything, boys. Let’s go find Daisy.”
The men moved swiftly through the area where she was last seen. She had just over an hour on them, and that was plenty of time to get through a handful of shops and restaurants or get the hell out of the city. One by one, they cleared each shop – no sign of Daisy. At the end of shop row, with only two remaining buildings to clear, Luke began to worry something had happened and they wouldn’t have a clue to stand on.
“Son of a bitch.” Dace laughed, grabbing his brother’s attention. “Found your girl, Luke.”
As the brothers began to chuckle, Luke began to fume. Daisy was just up the block, walking out of a thrift shop with a bag in her hand and a smile on her face – a smile that faded the minute she saw a herd of oversized O’Reillys headed her way. Luke was front and center, clearly pissed to high heaven.
“What the fuck are you doing, Daisy?” Luke was angrier now that she was safe and had just been shopping. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, by any means, but her reckless behavior had him on edge – and maybe the fact that he was so worried to begin with.
“Buying clothes. I’ve been wearing the same three things since I left Nashville. Your cousins weren’t really particular about what they threw in the bag either. I’m a stone’s throw away from looking homeless. I barely match and border circus attire here,” she joked, realizing only after she spoke it was not the right thing to say.
“What? You used a credit card? If they figured out you exist, I guarantee they know exactly who you are and where you are now!” He grabbed her arm and guided her down street, his brothers surrounding them, watching for any potential threats.
“I don’t have a credit card. I only have cash, and not much because I didn’t get my last check since there was this whole murder thing and I was captured by oversized goons and rushed across the country.”
“Keep your voice down. You’re causing a scene,” Luke warned. “Goons. Cute, Daisy. Those goons saved your life, and these goons are keeping you alive. Besides, you don’t need money, so forget about that check. It isn’t coming.”
“By goons, I was referring to you – not your brothers. They actually treat me like a person,” she fired back, her temper hot. “And I’m pretty sure it isn’t my volume that’s drawing attention, but the gang of giants surrounding lil’ol me. I bet they’re trying to decide if they should call the police. Let me just smile and wave so they don’t get suspicious.”
Smile and wave she did, causing the brothers contained snickers to escape as laughter. “And of course I need money. I don’t need much, but there are certain things I will need from time to time, like toothpaste and shampoo.”
Shaking his head, Luke looked to the sky as if searching for patience. She was driving him crazy. “No, you don’t. You need something, just tell me.”
“Tampons, Luke. You want to go pick up some tampons for me? Grab some deodorant while you’re at it. I like the tropical smelling one.” Daisy was on fire. Weeks of being cooped up was unraveling in a moment of pure rage, and she wasn’t even done yet. “I think this is where you climb a really tall building with me in one hand and bat your other hand at airplanes.”
Luke paused, a confused look plastered across his face. Given the laughter surrounding him, the brothers already caught the punchline and he was a step behind. “What? Oh, King Kong? You think I’m acting like King Kong? Mature. Really.”
Daisy’s rage faded to a pleased nonchalant shrug. “If the giant ape shoe fits, just beat your chest and we can be done here.”
“Beat my chest…” Luke shook his head, forcing a long pause before he replied in anger. “You don’t get it. This is literally life or death and you’re gambling right now. Don’t leave the damn building again, especially without asking one of us. Not saying it again, Daisy. You’re going to get yourself or one of my brothers killed.”
Soft and sweet, she responded in a light, questioning tone, “Should I call you dad or father?”
“Are you kidding me right now?”
“Not at all, Dad…” The brothers laughing at the shot she took emboldened her. They weren’t getting involved for a reason. Though she saw now that she was wrong to leave, Luke was a pain in the ass and she was taking the opportunity to dish out some shit. The boys knew it, and if she hadn’t known any better, she would have thought they were enjoying Luke’s worked up manner as much as she was.
“This is for your own good, Daisy.”
She looked at him, making eye contact so she knew he heard her loud and clear. “I made it to twenty-nine all on my own. I think I have this life thing down.”
Luke guffawed, shocked she could be so naïve, even after what she’d witnessed. “Really? So, you know what to do when faced with a stone-cold hitman who would love nothing more than to put a bullet in your head after they do God knows what to you? How many times in you twenty-nine years have you faced that one?” He paused for an answer, and when she didn’t give him one, he knew he was getting through. “Oh. Never. Okay. Maybe I do know what I’m talking about then. And you have no fucking clue.”
“Luke…” Dace cut in, but didn’t finish his thought when Luke shot him a daring look. Though he understood the point his brother was trying to make, the look on Daisy’s face said she got it now.
Daisy began to stutter, but not an audible word escaped her. He won – she understood and was scared shitless. Mission accomplished. For some reason, winning didn’t feel as good as it usually did, though.
“No? Not a good idea? Sounds a little scary now, doesn’t it? Don’t leave the building again.” Luke pulled a smart watch from his pocket and slapped it on her wrist. “Now we can find you and communicate with you. Don’t take it off.”
“Or?” she whispered.
“Or you’ll really feel like a prisoner.” Luke walked off, letting out a signature grunt, no longer holding her arm. She stayed at his side, watching her surroundings. “You’re probably going to be here for a while, so you better get used to it and save us all a headache, got it?”
The thought of what he just said – the idea of someone so brutally attacking her – left him sick. His intention wasn’t to hurt her or wish harm on her, it was to get her to understand just how fragile this case was and how much bigger than her it was. Truth be told, he didn’t just need her to comply for her own good, but for his too. If something happened to her, it meant something was indeed going to happen to him by way of emotions he’d rather tuck away than face.
He broke the silence as they approached their street, his tone softer, but lacking any kind of emotion. “You don’t have to shop at the thrift store. I’ll get you what you need.”
“I like thrift shopping. I love vintage things. It’s a fraction of the cost and has more character. That thrift shop has designer duds for bargain basement prices. Besides, there are better things to spend money on than clothes. These are just fine.”
He mulled that over for a moment. Despite how complicated she made things, he loved how uncomplicated she was by nature. She was carefree and her own person. She beat to the sound of her own drum, and he liked the rhythm. Luke caught himself thinking of her that way again, and changed his train of thought. He didn’t like going there, pondering who she was and what he liked about her, because this was all temporary. And even if it wasn’t, he couldn’t have her.
“Do you like bacon?” he asked her.
“Yes?”
“I’ll make a late breakfast when we get home.” Then he grunted.
His brothers each exchanged looks and shoulder shrugs, all surprised by the gesture given what had just gone down. It seemed their consistently boring brother who didn’t have opinions or feelings about anything might have been coming around. A welcome surprise.
Daisy smiled, because he’d said home.
Luke was congested and sneezing in a not-so-subtle way while working in the lair on a government contract.
“You sick, man?” Dace asked, sliding his chair away.
“No. Daisy’s dog has been sleeping on my bed every night,” he answered. “She likes to sleep around my head. It’s the only thing that calms her down. Weird ass dog.”
“At least the dog likes you. That’s something. Nobody usually likes you,” Wylie joked.
“It follows me everywhere. When I leave her in the apartment, she whines. I hear her all the way to the elevator until Daisy starts singing to her.” Luke shrugged. “Weird.”
“How is Daisy?” Dace asked. “Any better after the other day?”
“She’s managing. Feels cooped up, but she’s getting by.”
“Lydia really likes her, talks about her all the time,” Declan offered, his head still in his laptop, working.
“City too. Daisy has been a big help with the wedding stuff. For some reason, they all want to make the decorations, like glittering Champagne bottles and shit. I guess Daisy has great ideas. They love her,” Liam added.
“Yeah, she talks about them too. They’ve helped her get through the long days. And there’s glitter all over my apartment for your wedding. Keep that shit at your place, will ya?” Luke’s tone was harsh, because he was Luke, but he did enjoy hearing how much they all liked her. It pleased him, even though he shouldn’t have cared.
After the thrift store blow up, they had come to some sort of silent understanding. She still talked a lot and he mostly just listened, but he tried to offer conversation, even though that really wasn’t his thing. The more she was around him, the more she brought out of him. He wasn’t so sure that was a good thing, because when she was gone, he’d have no one to talk to.
“Carter said they’re serving arrest warrants left and right. They’re bringing this thing down, piece by piece. Each arrest gets them closer to the top. They’re closing in on the big fish behind the murder. He isn’t looking for Daisy, he’s running from Carter,” Liam reasoned. “Why don’t you let Daisy go out? Just one day with the girls. One of us can go with them. She’ll be okay.”
“No. Until they know all the players, it’s not safe for her. I won’t lose her — I mean, we can’t lose her,” Luke corrected. “Not on my watch. I…uh, don’t want to be stuck with that neurotic dog.”
“Holy shit,” Dace chimed in. “You like her!”
“Like her? She’s a pain in the ass, always trying to take me to task. She talks…a lot, then snaps at me for not talking. How can I talk when she’s doing all the talking? She’s so damn complicated. So, no, I don’t like her.”
“Do you try to talk?” Liam laughed. “I mean, it’s really not your strong suit.”
“No. Like you said, it’s not my strong suit,” Luke replied. “She does enough for both of us.”
Dace laughed. “So you basically ignore her.”
“Hey, that’s what she said!”
“You’re making her feel like she’s talking to herself, man!” Dace continued, a sudden expert on the topic.
“She said that too.”
Dace shook his head before planting his face firmly in his palms. “She’s in a strange city, surrounded by strangers, and locked up in a building. You gotta at least talk to her.”
“Liam, have you been hacking my TV again or something? That’s almost word for word what she said,” Luke accused.
Liam threw his hands up, denying guilt. “I haven’t tapped your place since you gave me that black eye last time.”
“Women need to talk – and they want you to talk to. It makes them feel…something,” Declan continued.
“Yeah,” Liam jumped in. “It always comes back to feelings somehow. Something about getting to know you and feeling connected? Something like that. I forget what City said.”
“They like to feel important,” Wylie said, pulling up a seat. “Like you care about what they’re talking about even if you don’t.”
“Yeah! Lydia says I can scratch and watch football all day and be satisfied, but she can’t. She doesn’t scratch, and she doesn’t like football. Even if she did, she said she just wants my time. Wants to be noticed or whatever.”
“Woman like that shit.” Liam nodded in agreement. “Notice her, man. You need to notice her and tell her something about you. Like your favorite color. She’ll feel like you just trusted her with something.”
“Chicks are weird.” Dace shook his head. “It’s like they’re kind of needy, but don’t need you, ya know? I say give her whatever she wants. That ‘happy wife happy life’ thing can’t just be a married thing, right?”
They all nodded in agreement, mumbling, “Right.”
Luke looked around the room at the lot of them and shook his head. “Jesus, what is this? You guys been reading Dear Abby or something? I didn’t ask for female advice. She’s not my problem, her feelings are not my problem – she’s just a job.”
Luke didn’t really mean that and immediately felt bad for referring to her as such. She was more than that to him. No matter how hard he tried not to, he liked her. He didn’t talk back because he could listen to her all day. He couldn’t help but be genuinely interested in everything she said, because she was interesting, and smart, and beautiful.
But none of those things mattered when, at the end of the day, this would all be a distant memory. She would leave. He wasn’t good for her anyway – she deserved so much more than he could offer. His brothers didn’t need to know how he felt. It wouldn’t help her, or him, when she left.
He tuned them out as they each took turns accosting him for sounding like such an asshole. Mission accomplished. They knew exactly what he wanted them to know now. While they rambled on like a house full of hens, he let his mind drift…to Daisy.
After a long lunch full of wedding planning at City and Liam’s with the ladies, Daisy wandered down to the lair, looking for Luke. He had Gibson with him, since Luke was the dog’s new preferred master, and she wanted to see how they were doing. Gibson had been especially anxious lately and Daisy thought maybe a quick trip to the dog park next door would help.
Along with the coffee shop and pub, Luke had added the dog park to her list of safe places, but she wasn’t to go with anyone but him. After their blowup over the thrift shop outing, things had settled and they’d come to an understanding. He was complicated, but she knew he meant well, and his hard-nosed rules were for her protection. He might even care a little.
Luke wasn’t the social type, extremely introverted, but he didn’t miss a beat. He paid attention to what she said because she would notice little things later that suggested such. When Daisy mentioned how lovely the fall flowers were on the rooftop, she found a vase of fall flowers on the dining room table the next day. A cooking show had featured a local Portland restaurant, and Luke picked up take out from there the next day after she’d mentioned it.
When she discussed Gibson’s anxiety getting worse, and all the potential reasons why, he came home with a dog bed – even though she still slept on his pillow – her own blanket, some toys, special food, and a lavender calming collar. He acted like he didn’t care about anything, much less her dog, but his actions suggested otherwise.
Luke cared about Gibson, and he clearly cared about Daisy on some level or he wouldn’t react to her every word the way he did. He wanted them to feel comfortable in his home, taken care of, protected. The fact that she was still in his apartment when there was an empty one just next door spoke volumes too. He might have grunted a lot, but he liked having them around. She could feel it.
They didn’t have long conversations into the night, but he was starting to listen more, and grunt less. His single word responses were now full sentences, albeit few and far between, but they were on the verge of real conversation. And Luke rarely smiled, but when she told him City not only invited her to the wedding, but asked her to sing…well, he smiled.
He was wearing on her in a good way, and since she wasn’t going anywhere, she wanted to make the best of things, and decided to get to know him as much as he would let her and accept him for all his quirks. Luke O’Reilly – as is.
If Luke didn’t care, he wouldn’t cook every meal for her, or stay behind when the team went on whatever it was they went out on. He stayed because of her, to protect her, and make sure she felt safe. He fiercely loved his family and protected them – it warmed her heart and made her crave what they all had.
An idea sprung to life – one he may not have gone for – but it was worth a shot. The women had discussed the local Farmer’s Market just one block behind them on the other side of the dog park. Maybe it was her turn to make dinner. If he was up for the park with Gibson, maybe he’d be up for a walk through the Farmer’s Market so she could throw together a meal for him…like a farm fresh salad. She couldn’t burn salad.
Pleased with her idea and content with their situation, she stepped off the elevator with a smile on her face and her fingers crossed. Just outside the lair doors, though, she paused and listened, not wanting to interrupt a client meeting or something serious before barging in.
“Jesus, what is this? You guys been reading Dear Abby or something? I didn’t ask for female advice. She’s not my problem, her feelings are not my problem – she’s just a job.”
Though she was glad she heard what he had to say, and where she stood with him, she wished she’d just gone back to the apartment because the pinch in her chest he created was overwhelming. How could he? She backed away from the lair and made her way back to the elevator. His words made her want to cry as much as they made her want to toss glitter all over his apartment because she knew glitter pissed him off more than anything.
She entered their apartment –his apartment, and stormed to her room. Pacing back and forth, she let his words wash over her. Just a job. Not a person, a job. And here she thought there was a bit of a friendship growing between them. Well, the joke was on her because he was just working. It wasn’t real – just the remedial tasks of being someone’s oversized bodyguard.
Tossing the small wardrobe she had across her bed, she pulled together an outfit. If he didn’t want her around, she’d leave. She didn’t want to be there anymore than he wanted her there. She didn’t wear makeup, but a little lip-gloss didn’t hurt nobody, so she slapped some on, ran her fingers through her unruly hair, and headed for the door.
When she reached the lobby, she heard the door unlock to open as she approached, reminding her of how that was done. Her smartwatch – it was how she was able to get in and out of all the locked doors. She propped the door open, held it with her foot, and stared at the watch for a moment. Taking it off, she tossed it on a nearby chair and left Watermark.
“Screw you, Luke O’Reilly,” she said, making her way down the front steps, headed toward downtown. “You’re off duty tonight.”
The words he shed stung, hurt her even. But the words that didn’t hear after she stormed off would frighten her.