“Jesus Christ, babby.” The familiar tone, alive with irritation and scolding frustration bellowed from above me in a hushed whisper. “What are you doing out here?”
“I…” I couldn’t. Julian’s head lowered, examining the features of my frozen face for evidence of something. Maybe he is just trying to rate his potential responses by level of anger based on how I appear. Or maybe he actually cares. Ha. Well, he cares a lot more than this other prick over here. Julian never stole my money. He just kidnapped me and keeps me in his home. Oh, wait.
“You…” Julian muttered, his blue eyes deepening while he frantically searched my face. “What? Are you hurt? Are you okay?”
“Yes. No. Yes. No,” I whispered, my eyes finally contacting his. I trembled beneath his burning stare, his incensed expression filling me with fear and relief. Julian’s hands slid around my shoulders, pulling me into him. Thank Buddha. I was overcome with my reprieve, securely in his hold, in his possession and care. I almost forgot that the gesture was most likely because we were standing on the open streets of Boston, plenty of press and pedestrians available to capture Julian’s every movement. His lips pressed against the top of my head, sending waves of warm reassurance into my calm mind.
“Ah,” Elliott quietly sighed when he caught up to me.
“Good morning, Mr. Daly.” Julian’s voice rumbled through his chest, my ear burning with delight at the reaffirming sound of my safety. Two weeks ago, this sound was my death and now it was my life. Just keep still. Keep listening.
The way Julian’s chest vibrated with each word calmed my mind, my ears keen on every pulse of his speech. Julian’s hold was stabilizing, reminding my soul that I could move. What the hell is happening to my mind right now? I’m supposed to hate this guy. I do…in the total opposite way. Shit. I lifted my head from Julian’s chest, instantly missing the warmth his coat provided against the crisp air. I noticed Elliott’s fingers violently shiver, trembling with more force. I didn’t know if it was in response to Julian, his own nerves about being a stupid excuse for a friend, his truth, or…he can’t know about Julian…could he? My eyes blurred while I pondered the likelihood that my theory of who Julian Molloy really was could be true, and even more shattering, Elliott knew and wasn’t smart enough to back away. Smart enough? I’m still standing here, in Julian’s arms. What does that say about me? That I’m smart enough. I’m a fucking genius.
“Mr. Molloy.” Elliott stepped back, pulling my focus from the blurry sidewalk. “It’s great to see you again.” I wanted to laugh at that. If Elliott knew what I did, seeing Julian would signal a finality not desired by anyone. I’m losing it.
“Is it?” Julian questioned, his voice rigid and deep, frightening me with its mysterious scoff. The echo of his words was already spinning through my mind before he spoke them. I glanced at Julian apprehensively, hoping to catch his forceful glare against Elliott’s disgusting face. If looks could kill. But he does it beautifully. I would let Julian destroy me with those eyes.
“We should go,” I whispered, swallowing the fear of appearing entirely submissive and weak beneath Julian’s consuming hold. But it feels so nice. I didn’t want to move away from him, and that wasn’t my goal. Instead, I was naïvely hoping to prevent bloodshed on the sidewalk at my expense. Julian’s shoulders softened with my words. His eyes fell from Elliott, melting as they met mine, shifting entirely from arrogant to an expression of something more sincere…fondness? Affection? Losing it. His left hand reached for mine, intertwining our icy fingers. Before Julian could say anything, Elliott’s voice disturbed the fantasy that Julian might actually be looking at me instead of simply observing his actress on her stage.
“Wow,” Elliott exclaimed, his voice eerily calm. “Emma was right. You do have a boyfriend. Interesting.”
“What are you getting at?” Julian probed, his hold tightening against my warming skin. I slowly leaned against his protection, reaching for our intertwined fingers with my other hand. I was holding him, holding onto him, and securing myself at his side along the snowy sidewalk. The devil and I were staring down a demon, engaged in a silent battle for the truth. The truth. Whatever the hell that is!
“It’s kind of a big thing to keep secret, don’t you think?” Elliott inquired. “I mean…we had a contract and everything, yet you didn’t disclose any of this.” I felt Julian’s skin tremble with warmth, although he remained entirely collected and still.
“A big thing to keep secret, Mr. Daly, is one of the infinite ways you planned the demise of your closest friend. I’d say that’s probably a much greater issue than the fact Aideen and I are together.” Together. Wait, clear my mind, please…did he just come out and accuse Elliott of hurting me?
“What are you talking about?” Elliott demanded, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment. I was sure he couldn’t believe I told Julian anything because friends didn’t gossip. Friends. Or maybe he’s afraid Julian really knows…
“Stealing her money,” Julian continued, his tone calm and direct. It was too casual for him to develop arguments, to sustain an accusatory conversation. He will make a terrifying father. What? Oh, Jesus.
“We don’t need to do this now,” I mumbled, squeezing Julian’s hand, only for him to ignore my hushed suggestion and continue threatening Elliott.
“Allowing yourself to fall further into debt by having me secure what you stole from Aideen is an offensive definition of friendship, Mr. Daly.” Julian’s words began gracefully placing nails along the walls of Elliott’s coffin. “Had I known the money you needed was at her expense, I wouldn’t have signed my name on that contract.”
My eyes, dry from the cold, flickered between the devil and demon, tentatively expecting one to crumble beneath the other’s fiery demeanor. Do it, Molloy. Take him out! Uh…Aideen? The longer I allowed myself to look at Elliott, despite the comforting protection of my savior’s cologne swirling around me while it danced with the blustery wind, and the warmth of his hand against mine, I wanted to throw up. I could have, had I eaten my lunch. Stupid Liam. I think I hate him the most now. Those fries looked amazing.
“I’m sorry,” Elliott groaned, his cracked lips dropping to a pout. “I’ve tried telling you how terrible I feel, Aid. You have to believe me.”
“No. I don’t.”
“She doesn’t,” Julian repeated my words, releasing my hands from his and placing a strong arm around my shoulders. I melted even deeper into his side, feeling absolutely nothing within me except for the terrifying sense of safety, of promise. I stole a glance, observing Julian’s expression stiffly placed upon mine. He wasn’t smiling; his eyes weren’t sparkling. He’s pissed. Now this is not a Julian I would like to be around later. Liam? Come back. Bring the fries! I could keep up the act a little longer, hoping it would secure my life for a few more hours before Julian forced me back to his house and killed me through overexposure to fairytale movies or, finally, his gun.
“Aid,” Elliott repeated my name, the sound burning my frayed nerves. He reached for me again, despite my pleasant restraint at Julian’s side. I thought Liam had the most gall, but now Elliott paid no mind to Julian’s existence and attempted to touch my hand. Big mistake, pal.
“Take your hands off of her,” Julian growled, his tone snarling and malicious. That shit is fucking hot. I barely felt the frozen air wrapping its deadly fingers around me while Julian’s voice continued its calm assault on Elliott.
“Mr. Daly, believe me when I tell you that it’s in your best interest to remove your hands immediately.”
“Elliott, just let go.” I pushed his hand from mine, amazed at how rigid his fingers felt in response to Julian’s words. He can’t know my perceived truth. Can he? Elliott slumped back two steps, his arms crossing along his thin chest. I watched him briefly, a small pang of guilt trickling into my heart. Nope. That’s just indigestion from not eating. Screw this guy. Elliott slowly nodded, accepting that I was off limits or that Julian could do much more than engage in their epic staring contest.
“Someday, Aid,” he muttered beneath his shaking breath, his eyes vastly empty, “you’ll talk to me. We’ll figure this out.”
It was impossible to forget the impact Elliott had on my life. He was my best friend for a decade. We saw and did it all together, but all of it was an act. It was a performance of deception only to cause me harm. Act. Performance of deception. I’m quite the actress as of late.
Elliott slowly retreated, his shadow growing lost in the blowing flakes while he walked the length of Beacon Street. I thought I would be overwhelmed with relief once Elliott left Julian and me, but my mind went numb. I thought about Elliott’s threat, the notion I would even let him speak to me in the future filled my stomach with twisting nerves. Their conversation spun around, repeating the echoes of their communication like a film on repeat. Julian already told me what I needed to know.
“You knew.” My mouth gaped as I watched him gaze down at me, his eyes steely and cold.
“I did.”
“You knew he took everything from me before you signed that contract.”
Julian released me, and his warmth was violently replaced by winter’s chilly breath. Julian adjusted the collar of his coat, covering his ears from the blustering flakes, while he spun around. I flew to meet his avoidance, twisting around his stoic form on the sidewalk.
“You kept that from me.”
“An omission.” His eyes lifted toward the building across the intersection, avoiding me.
“You knew all of this. You wouldn’t take a risk this huge unless there was something in it for you. You told Elliott you wouldn’t have signed your name to the contract, but you are too smart for that. You did your research. You knew.”
“David,” Julian called as the man finally returned, overdue for my ride home. “Explain to me why Miss Leary was left entirely alone on the sidewalk.” Oh, lovely. He was ignoring my probing, pretending I hadn’t begun to slowly assemble his truth.
“Sir,” David apologized as he approached, “I was on my way back to her, but your brother had me run an errand. It won’t happen again.”
“You’re correct in that notion,” Julian snarled, glaring at David. “Take her home immediately. I need to go kill my brother.”
David nodded, stepping toward me. Without another word, not even an acknowledgement of my existence, Julian’s quick strides increased the distance between us. I don’t think so, you gorgeous ass.
“Hey!” I screamed across the sidewalk, pleased when Julian stopped and spun around, but not as happy when I noticed the stunning impassivity plastered across his chiseled face. “We’re not done here!”
Julian swiftly returned to me, clearing his throat to inform David to step aside. “We aren’t going to speak like this to one another on the sidewalk, blocks from the State House, in the middle of a damn Senate hearing.”
“It’s always about your reputation and your name. Your family.”
“It’s about you too, Aideen, but you need to understand that there are boundaries, and you and your lunch date broke several,” he grumbled, his voice still breathtaking. “I’ll see you at six.”
“That’s it?” I stomped my foot like a pathetic child having a tantrum. He barely responded, his body rigid and distant.
“For now.”
I reached for the lapel of his coat, causing him to stumble as he almost fell into me. “Not for now. Right now, Mr. Molloy.”
“You’re making a scene,” he sighed, his breath pained. “I’m going back to the hearing and you’re going home.”
“Home?” I felt the eagerness within my words as I imagined he would let me return to my home, but then I remembered almost dying the last time I was there. My fist tightened around his coat as I looked up with unsteady eyes at Julian’s face.
“Six,” he growled at me, forcefully kissing my forehead for passersby, and returned to his mission. Had there not been a crowd of people passing along the sidewalk, I would have surely given him as many middle fingers as I could. What a bastard! Yet even with his mercurial temper at that moment, I desired to follow him. Instead, I turned to a waiting David and trailed him to the black Mercedes warming along the curb.
All I thought of during the quiet ride back to Julian’s, and the lonely ride in the elevator, was how absolutely twisted my morning was. Trinity knots, coffee, lunch dates, backstabbers, pissed off Julian Molloy. I filled with dread as I thought of six o’clock. I was restless, unable to find comfort on his couch, on my bed, and lacking all desire to eat any of his food. My feet mindlessly carried me back to the bedroom to which I grew attached, falling limply on the mattress. I wasn’t comfortable, but I refused to play with my restless soul and closed my eyes. Waiting is going to be the end of me.