Chapter Twenty Six

Tania was feeling restless, bored. After being inside the house for more than week, she wanted to get out and do something exciting, but, unfortunately, until Raymond was no longer roaming free, there wasn’t much they could do. The man nearly killed them, and she didn’t want a repeat performance. There was always a patrol car in front of their house and, even though it gave her courage, it also made her agitated. When would this nightmare come to an end? When would they be free to do whatever the hell they wanted?

 

On the morning of the ninth day of their confinement, Riley’s cellphone rang. He picked up. “Hello.” His quiet and somber expression told her something was up. She held her breath as she tried to gauge as to what the news was. Who called him? Was it good news or bad? Was it Raymond on the other end, ready to deliver another threat? “Sure, thanks.”

 

“What is it?”

 

He pumped an arm in the air and then enveloped her in a hug. “It was the police. Raymond has been caught while he was trying to escape the city.”

 

“Yay!” She closed her eyes in relief as Riley delivered a kiss on her forehead. “Now, we’re free.”

 

“We are, indeed. The police have removed their patrol car as there isn’t a threat to our lives anymore.”

 

“What about Charlie and the others?”

 

“I doubt they’re in the city, and, even if they are, they are too busy trying to find a good hideout. The police are looking for them, and I bet now that Raymond’s inside, it wouldn’t take Charlie long to cave.”

 

She wanted to know more. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him to go to the police station and get more information as to who was arrested and which members of the Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood were still running in the town, but she thought better of it. Tania didn’t want to be confined to her house again. Now that they could go out, she didn’t want to borrow trouble. If she mentioned her fears to Riley, he would err on the side of caution and force her to remain inside, and if she did so, she was bound to go mad.

 

“So what should we do to celebrate?”

 

“What do you want to do?”

 

“How about we catch a movie and have dinner outside?

 

He kissed her on the lips. “Get dressed, sweetheart. We’re going to paint this town red.”

 

Showered and dressed, they walked outside two hours after they got the news. Tania took a moment to breathe in the cool air. It felt good to be out of the house. She felt positively giddy with excitement. Rather than take the car, they decided to take Riley’s new motorbike that was delivered only a day before. He was still grieving over his old one, but was in love with his new one.

 

It reminded Tania that she intended to buy one of her own. Just because Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood failed as a biker’s club didn’t mean they dropped their love for biking. Soon, they were in a mall. In their haste, they didn’t even check as to which movies were playing, but luckily there were a couple of good ones.

 

“How about that action thriller?”

 

Riley breathed a sigh of relief as he lifted his gaze way from the poster of the romantic saga. “Good choice.”

 

She laughed. “Next time, we’re watching that romantic one.”

 

He grinned. “Sure. I’ll take a sleeping tablet and catch a snooze through it.”

 

She punched him on the arm as they marched inside the cinema hall. It felt good to do something so ordinary. This was life like she wanted it: a good man, an interesting movie, and freedom. What more could a girl want?

 

The movie was thrilling, exhilarating. The high-speed chases and fights reminded her of all that they endured. Sure, it wasn’t as exciting what they went through in real life, but it was certainly as dangerous. She shuddered, reminded of the way she felt when Raymond shot Riley. He could’ve killed them and he would’ve if they had remained passive. It was good that during a crisis neither of them froze. As if sensing her mood, Riley put a hand around her shoulder and she relaxed. That was in their past; they were moving forward and she didn’t want any bad memories to follow them into their new life.

 

The movie finished. Riley held her hand as they strolled out. “Did you like it?”

 

Her ears were still ringing from the loud noises. “Yep! And now I’m hungry as a goat.”

 

“We could go to Clover,” he mentioned the name of a fancy restaurant.

 

“I’m not dressed for that and I don’t want to wait for that long. Why don’t we grab a bite to eat at one of those roadside pizzerias?”

 

He agreed and they sauntered out of the mall. It was nearly dark. The sun was a distant ball of orange light in the far horizon. Fat, white clouds filled the sky. It was going to rain. A brisk wind flipped her hair. She loved the weather, and it felt so good to be outside. “We should start looking for new premises.”

 

During their days of confinement to the house, they had shortlisted a lot of properties they could lease for their new business. One advantage of being in the property business was they didn’t need any outside help to select the place they wanted. All they had to do was consult the various estate agents, see the place, and then dive into the contract. From then on, it would be a lot of hard work and long hours until they established their firm, but Tania was sure they would make a success of it. There was no doubt Riley was savvy when it came to meeting clients, and she had full faith in her own abilities.

 

“We should set up base on the east end of town,” he said.

 

“Of course,” she agreed as they walked into a pizzeria. “That’s the place to be. Initially, we could manage with a small place.”

 

“It should’ve room for two offices and a waiting area.”

 

“Yeah.” She grinned. “That’s what I was thinking. We can expand later into bigger premises when we’ve generated enough cash revenue.”

 

“I give it six months,” he said.

 

“Maximum a year,” she agreed. “Before we’re the top agency.”

 

They slapped their hands together in high five as they moved to a corner booth. The waiter came to take their order and, after he left, Riley turned his attention to her. They chalked out the rest of their plan, which was more or less final at this stage. Their forced stay in the house had given them plenty of opportunity to think about their business plan. Riley prepared the numbers while she added the final touches. Tania had good contacts, and she possessed an excellent reputation in the market. Her company let her go, but she still had the guts to try out on her own. And she would succeed. There was no doubt in her mind about that. With Riley firmly in her corner, there was no way she was giving up without a battle.

 

A man came inside the pizzeria, and Tania jumped. A gasp escaped her lip. “What?” Riley asked , his gaze turning behind him to the guy who was reading the menu. “What?”

 

She shook her head, aware that her face had lost all color. “Sorry. It’s just…he looks a lot like that goon that Raymond brought with him.”

 

Riley touched her hand and patted. “It’s over,” he whispered. “We need to put it behind us or we’ll never be able to move forward.”

 

“You’re right.” She nodded. “It’s just…I’m scared, and I suppose until this case is settled, that feeling of dread would never leave me.”

 

“We need to get busy with our work as soon as possible. The quicker our minds work in another direction, the sooner we can forget all this.”

 

Their food came and they dug in. Tania quite agreed with Riley. Work was important. It would be their salvation. They couldn’t afford to worry about their future all the time, especially when it concerned Raymond and his gang. It was vital that she get busy as soon as possible, and that was the reason why Tania started calling her contacts the next day. Within two days, they finalized a space and began the tedious process of making it into an office they could be proud of. Thanks to Jason, they had enough money to splurge, but neither of them wanted to be extravagant.

 

Three days later, they were ready to start work. Tania touched the cream blinds they put on the window. “If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from this experience, it’s that we need to be more careful.”

 

“And how does that relate to the blinds?”

 

“Hey, I could’ve picked those ice-blue curtains that would’ve cost us a fortune, but, since I’ve a new found resolution to be careful, I decided to go with something less expensive and much more simple.”

 

He grimaced. “You’re right, of course. I’ve selected our laptops. You want to come take a look?”

 

She went over to his phone and checked out the secondhand laptops that he was buying. Tania sighed. “There is careful, and then there is careful. When it comes to my gadgets, I like them to be brand new.”

 

“Work with me, sweetheart, and soon you can buy anything you want.”

 

She stared at his clear, beautiful eyes and felt as if someone was squeezing her heart. The man was too good-looking for his own good, and the best part was that he didn’t have eyes for anyone except for her. She’d gone through hell and back but he was her gift – and she intended to hang on to him. “Sure, okay.”

 

Within two weeks, everything was exactly as they wanted. The office was set, the ads were placed in the paper, and they started to get calls from their clients. As a matter of protocol, Tania called all her old clients and told them that she’d quit the agency and, if they wanted to work with her, they could contact her in her new premises. Much to her delight, three of them visited her within the first two days. She handed one over to Riley who whisked them away to see the houses and, within two days, they signed on the contract. Another client of hers also approved an office space that she showed him – and just like that, their business was off to a running start.

 

It felt good, great even.

 

Of course, two days after that, she got a personal visit from her ex-boss, Brin. He sauntered into her office, took a look at the small space, and wrinkled his nose. “My, my, how the mighty have fallen.”

 

She glanced up from the paperwork that she’d been dutifully filling and leaned back. Tania was surprised to see him. It wasn’t often that Brin ventured out. “To what do I owe this pleasure, Brin? Take a seat.”

 

“I don’t have time to stick around. Just wanted to see what you were up to.”

 

“My usual.” She waved her hand. “As you can see, I’ve set up my own company with a partner.”

 

“Yeah, well, word on the street is that you’ve lost your mind.”

 

Tania considered him. Brin was always a competitive soul. It wasn’t necessary a bad quality. She admired people who could set and adhere to high standards, but the thing with him was that he didn’t really like to work hard himself. He enjoyed pushing his agents, making them sweat, while he was usually seated in his air-conditioned office. The fact that he was here showed her company rattled him more than he was prepared to admit.

 

Tania was perverse enough to admit that she enjoyed seeing him squirm. “I might’ve,” she admitted. Knowing that he was trying to goad her and not giving him the opportunity to do so was gratifying. He was here because he didn’t like her as competition, and Tania was quite aware of that little fact.

 

“You can’t really make this a success.”

 

“I already have, actually. We’ve been in these offices for a little less than three weeks, and we’ve got three sales under our belt already.”

 

He curled his upper lip. “So you’re poaching on my old clients.”

 

She didn’t mind the insult. “That always happens in this business, or in an any other. I just gave my old clients a call, and they walked right over. Some of them decided to stick with you. That’s great and I don’t mind.”

 

“Why should you mind? You would take anyone in as long as they paid you.”

 

“So would you,” she retorted in a calm voice. He was losing his cool. Brin walked here so he could make her squirm, but he was the one who wasn’t having a good laugh now.

 

“You won’t last long in this business.”

 

“Don’t be silly, Brin. I’ve been in this business for years. The only difference is that now I’m working for myself and not taking your shit.”

 

“You bitch! I taught you everything I know, and you’re turning it against me.”

 

She still didn’t rise to the bait. He could call her all the names that he wanted; she didn’t care. He was here because he was sweating in his boots, and she was glad that she could make him do this. “It’s nothing personal, Brin. I’m trying to earn a living, and so are you.”

 

“I’ll sue you for taking my clients.”

 

Now she laughed out loud. He was far more worried than she realized. “Don’t be silly. There isn’t a court in the world that is going to entertain such a crazy lawsuit. I’m free to solicit clients and it doesn't matter which agency they used before me.”

 

“You won’t get away with it.”

 

“I already have,” she replied.

 

He lost it. She saw his color flush as red as a beetroot, and then he walked over and picked up the paperweight that was lying on her desk. For the first time since he walked in, she was scared. A scream rose to her lips and it might’ve burst free as he moved his hand.

 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” drawled a familiar voice. Her gaze traveled to Riley who was leaning against the frame of the door. His face was set as hard as a stone, and there was a fierce glow in his eyes. “If it as much as nicks her, I’m going to bash it on your head but only after I pull your arms and legs out of their sockets. I’ll plead insanity later and probably get off scot free while you’ll spend the rest of your life in a fucking wheelchair.”

 

His voice was so cold that even she felt a tremor of fear run through her spine. This wasn’t the man she’d gotten to know so well. He was an animal who was defending his territory, his woman, and he would do anything to achieve that end. It appeared Brin also got the same impression, because he immediately put the paperweight on her desk. Tania breathed a sigh of relief while he wrung his hands together.

 

“It was just a joke.”

 

“Good for you,” said Riley in that scary, cold voice. He didn’t move a muscle, but Tania could tell he was coiled tightly, and his shoulder muscles were bunched. If Brin made one wrong move, he would be toast. “Now get out.”

 

Brin swallowed. “It was good seeing you, Tania.”

 

She nearly laughed out at the pale color of his skin. He was nearly shitting in his pants. Riley could be scary when he wanted to be. “Sure, Brin. Next time you feel the urge to talk to me, it would be better if you called.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” He spared a glance at Riley who was still at the doorway. There was enough space for Brin to step around but he appeared to be reluctant to get close enough to the man whom he obviously considered to be a threat.

 

Tania took pity on him. “Riley.” Understanding what she wanted, Riley stepped inside the room and Brin took that opportunity to run out. A laugh escaped her lips but she waited until they both heard the front door close. “That was mean.”

 

“He was going to hit you with that thing.”

 

She shook her head. “In all the years, I’ve worked for him, he has never been violent. Aggressive, yes. Mean, yes. Rude, yes. But he never hit anyone or threw things. I think what irked him most is the realization that we’re going to beat him at his own game. He doesn’t like losing, and now that we’re fast becoming a threat, he’s just scared.”

 

Riley ran a hand through his hair. “He should be scared. We bagged another client. I closed the deal an hour ago on the Truman building.”

 

Her eyes widened. Tania stood and walked out from behind the desk. “That’s our biggest contract yet! I thought that old woman would never give way. How did you win her over?”

 

“Sweetheart, you underestimate my charm.”

 

She winkled her brow, walked over, and delivered a kiss on his lips. “That’s very bad of me. What can I do to make it up?”

 

“Hmmm…that’s a tempting offer.” he stole another kiss. “Let me think about it, and I’m sure I can come up with the right punishment for a naughty girl like you. In the meantime, why don’t we go out and celebrate our latest victory?”

 

“Sure. Let’s wrap up and meet in two hours.”

 

After he left, Tania went back to work. Already, she felt a lot more hopeful about their business. With Riley, she’d the perfect partner. He was keen, eager, and worked as hard as her. Together, they would rule this city but first, of course, they had to put in the hours. Tania didn’t have any doubt that they would succeed. No doubt at all.