Declaration of Independence

 

My feet pounded against the concrete in time to the music blaring through my headphones. Knox was lagging a few steps behind me, most likely annoyed that I was pushing our morning run into an unnecessary sprint. I knew it was illogical, but ever since my dad slipped through our fingers two weeks ago, I felt like I couldn’t run fast enough, work hard enough. I’d even gone so far as to ask Jackson to make my position at Zenith full time. No word yet on whether my request had been approved.

Knowing that neither of us could maintain our current pace for another two miles, I slowed my steps to a more reasonable speed. I kept my gaze focused on the pier in the distance even as Knox drew up beside me. Without looking at him, I was certain that he was watching me with concern. I’d seen the same worried expression in his eyes ever since he and Ethan returned from El Segundo empty-handed.

And I didn’t blame him; I just hadn’t been myself. Despite the fact that I couldn’t justify holding them responsible for the unsuccessful mission, I found myself avoiding all of the guys as much as possible. Deep down, I knew I wasn’t being fair to them, but . . . I needed space. I had a tendency to devote all of my time and energy to the guys, and if I wasn’t careful, I’d end up right back where I was before the gala—going through the motions instead of taking charge of my life.

“Haley . . . Haley,” Knox’s deep voice broke through my thoughts. Wanting to give myself a few extra seconds before facing him, I pushed pause on my phone and then removed my headphones and slung them over my neck.

I slowed my pace and glanced to my left. “Yeah?”

“I was starting to think I’d have to tackle you to get your attention,” he said with a smirk.

Pointing to my headphones, I replied, “Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

“Maybe you need to share your playlist with me. It must be very . . . inspiring.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You weren’t falling behind, were you?”

Ignoring my rhetorical question, Knox said, “That’s the most I’ve heard you speak in at least a week. Do you want to talk about what’s been bothering you?”

For a moment, I considered it. Knox was easy to talk to, and I trusted him to keep anything I said to himself. But, ultimately, I wasn’t ready to go there. What would I say, anyway? Knox, I know you didn’t actually do anything wrong, but I’m frustrated and confused, and I’m taking it out on you and the rest of the guys. Thanks for asking. Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.

“Not particularly.”

If he was disappointed, he didn’t show it, his expression full of understanding. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

“Thanks.”

“So . . . Jax wanted me to tell you that you will officially be a full-time Zenith employee as of Monday.”

“Really?” I felt a rare smile light up my face. “That’s great news.” I knew it was odd to be so enthusiastic about working more hours, but I needed the distraction and enjoyed the relative independence I got while working. Also, the bump in pay was a welcome benefit.

“He said that technically you’ll be promoted to a new position working alongside Melissa, directly under her supervisor. Your work will mostly stay the same, but you’ll have a little more responsibility. And, part of your job will be working with the youth outreach program, coordinating events, I think. Is that okay with you?”

“Are you kidding? That sounds perfect.”

Knox chuckled. “If I didn’t know better, I might think that was sarcasm. I can’t imagine you’re that excited about one of the more boring jobs in the company.” He slowed to a stop, indicating that it was time to turn around. Placing his hand on my forearm, he squeezed lightly and said, “You do know that you can do anything you want, right? You’re intelligent and remarkably capable. You don’t have to keep working at Zenith. We can help you find a different job or put together school records so you can enroll in college courses.”

Looking past Knox to watch a surfer struggling to stay on his board, I replied, “I appreciate that, Knox, I really do. And I’m sure that one of these days I will take you up on it. But, for now, I want to keep working at Zenith while I figure things out. Plus, I actually enjoy my job.” Forcing myself to face him, I continued, “My life has already changed so much in the last couple of months that I sometimes have to pinch myself to prove it’s real. So what may seem like a boring job to you is, for me, more than I hoped for.”

Knox nodded his head. “Okay, I get it. Ready to head back?”

“Sure.”

As I was turning around, I felt a small pinch on my side. “Ouch! What was that for?”

Knox’s eyes crinkled with laughter. “It’s real,” he said, before taking off back toward the loft.

When I caught up to him, I slapped his bicep, my hand stinging from the impact. Note to self: Don’t slap a guy with biceps that can be seen from space. “I might have expected that from Theo or Ethan, but not from you.”

Knox’s gaze remained forward, but I saw his lips tip up in a barely-perceptible grin. “We have a meeting with Jax and Liam after lunch.”

“Nice change of subject. What’s it about?”

“Jax didn’t go into detail, but I assume it has to do with the meetings he’s been having with Douglas.”

“What? Jackson already met with Douglas? More than once?”

Knox looked confused. “Yeah, he didn’t tell you?”

I gritted my teeth. “No, he didn’t mention it.” What the hell, Jackson? Apparently his promise to keep me in the loop on every step of the process in the search for my dad didn’t mean the same thing to him as it did to me.

While Knox and Ethan were still investigating in the El Segundo area, Jackson provided updates several times a day. Unfortunately, there hadn’t been much to report overall. But they did manage to track down a blurry security photo of my dad at a warehouse used by the LAPD for archived evidence.

The information had been weighing on me ever since. Jackson said that my dad had likely broken into the facility. So, what had he been looking for? What could have possibly been worth the chance of getting caught? All this time, I assumed that my dad was in hiding somewhere far away from California. But, clearly there was more going on. And once again, I felt completely in the dark.

The fact that Jackson hadn’t provided any new information about my dad since Ethan and Knox returned over a week and a half ago didn’t concern me . . . until now. I thought I could trust him—at least regarding this—but evidently I was mistaken. What will his excuse be this time? I wondered.

Two hours later, I’d taken a leisurely shower and eaten lunch, but I wasn’t feeling any calmer. I was in my bedroom waiting for Jackson and Liam to arrive and mentally preparing for the confrontation that I knew was about to take place. If Jackson thought I would sit back and let him take advantage of my trust, then he didn’t know me at all.

“Haley,” Knox said from outside my door, “Liam and Jax are here.”

“Okay.” I took a deep breath and headed for the living room to find Jackson and Knox already seated at the dining table and Liam tinkering in the kitchen.

“Haley,” Liam called as he rifled through the pantry. “Where are the homemade cookies?”

“Um . . . what cookies?”

“You know, those amazing chocolate chip cookies you make. Please tell me there’s a batch hiding in here somewhere.”

Sitting down at the table next to Knox, I replied, “Sorry to disappoint, but no.”

Liam placed his hand over his chest dramatically. “You’re breaking my heart.”

Glaring at Jackson, I said, “Yeah, well at least I didn’t break a promise.”

Liam’s smile fell as he joined us at the table. “What are you talking about?”

Keeping my gaze on Jackson, I asked, “Is it true that you’ve already had several meetings with Gerald Douglas?”

His expression didn’t change. “Yes.”

“When did you first meet with him?”

“The day after Knox and Ethan returned.”

“Seriously?” I practically yelled. “You’ve been hiding this from me for the last ten days? What happened to keeping me in the loop?”

Liam interrupted, “Wait. You didn’t tell Haley about the meetings with Douglas? Bloody hell, Jackson. What is your problem?”

“I was waiting until we had a chance to research and confirm what he told us. I don’t see the issue.”

“You’re just trying to control the situation, like always,” Liam retorted.

“So? It’s in my job description.”

“This isn’t about your job . . . this is about you. And Haley. And you breaking your promise to her. How can you not see that?”

Knox, who had been quietly observing the conversation, spoke up. “What promise?” When no one responded, Knox repeated the question, his voice stern. “What promise, Jackson?”

“I wouldn’t call it a promise, exactly,” Jackson began.

I scoffed. “Oh really? What would you call it?”

“More of an acknowledgment of your request to pass on information about your dad. And I have. What do you think we’re doing right now?”

Liam, usually the least serious one in the room, turned downright stormy. “Oh, stop it with the semantics already. You knew she meant immediate updates, not when you bloody well got around to it.”

I attempted to hide the shock I was feeling. Never having seen Liam argue with anyone, much less Jackson, I found his outrage on my behalf rather endearing. If I wasn’t so upset with Jackson, I might have enjoyed the scene.

Jackson raised his hands in mock surrender. “If I agree to provide more prompt updates in the future, can we please move on?”

Three sets of eyes turned to me. “If by ‘prompt’ you mean as soon as humanly possible, then by all means, let’s move on.”

“Excellent.” Jackson’s sarcasm was unmistakable. “Now on to—”

“Not so fast,” Knox interrupted. “Since I wasn’t privy to the original agreement between you and Haley, I want to make sure we’re all clear. This time.”

After Knox restated the agreement and received Jackson’s grudging approval, I felt like I could breathe a little easier. Considering how they both stood up for me, I knew Knox and Liam would hold Jackson to his promise.

“Okay, so here’s what we’ve learned.” Between his stiff posture and controlled expression, Jackson was clearly back in business mode. “As you already know, Douglas was a district attorney in Los Angeles when Taylor worked for the LAPD. What you don’t know is that Douglas spent years of his career trying to take down the criminal organization that Taylor was involved with. When Taylor’s partner was killed and Taylor disappeared, Douglas’s only sources of inside information suddenly dried up. All later attempts to infiltrate the organization were unsuccessful, and Douglas was never able to pull together enough evidence to get to trial. Although Douglas eventually moved up and into politics, he considers this case the one that got away. And, he’s always believed there was a chance Taylor was still alive.”

Jackson paused and looked me straight in the eye. “Now here’s where the story gets interesting. Douglas claims that the day before he hired us to find your dad, he was contacted by a former associate from the DA’s office who saw your dad in Sacramento. Although he had no idea if the information was reliable, he decided it was worth investigating.”

Dad was right, I thought. He was discovered because of his trip to the bank in Sacramento. Almost unconsciously, my eyes lowered to my right hand where my mom’s ring twinkled happily. My gut twisted, a mixture of guilt and anguish swirling around. If only he hadn’t gone to retrieve the ring for my birthday, none of this would have happened.

Realizing Jackson had gone quiet, I lifted my head and nodded for him to continue.

“Since Douglas’s story matches what you told Knox and Chase at the cabin, we are inclined to believe he is being honest with at least that much. As for everything else, we have verified as much of the information as possible and are still working through all leads to make sure we haven’t missed anything.”

“What about his men chasing my dad? Did he explain that?”

“According to Douglas, he sent two men from his personal security team to Coleville to try to convince Taylor to meet with him. Taylor must have figured out that he was being followed, and Douglas’s men bungled the situation from there. Douglas assured me that he means Taylor no harm and merely wants to speak to him about the case. Given that everything he has told us so far—including the El Segundo lead procured from his men—has checked out, we are optimistic that he’s being forthcoming with us.”

He sat back then, clearly finished with his explanation, and the room fell silent. After only receiving trickles of information over the last two months, I was having trouble processing the implications of everything Jackson said. I knew his words would loop in my head for the next few days, likely at the detriment of my ability to sleep.

Although it would take time to deal with the new information, a few lingering questions popped into my head. “What about the break-in at my dad’s office? During Knox’s interrogation, Clive insisted that they had nothing to do with it. If they didn’t, who did? And what about the men who questioned Jess’s mom?”

“After Clive and Rob lost Taylor, they spent several days in the Coleville area interviewing his co-workers and neighbors. According to Douglas, they gleaned very little information from their investigation. As for the break-in, Douglas confirmed that neither he nor his men were involved. It may have just been a coincidence.”

I laughed darkly. “A coincidence? After everything that’s happened, do you really believe that?”

“Yes and no. It is suspicious, but we haven’t found evidence that anyone other than Douglas, his personal security, and Taylor’s former co-worker know that your father is alive.” Jackson pushed back his chair, as if planning to leave. “If there’s nothing else—”

Surprisingly, Liam interjected. “I was thinking that we should give Haley access to Douglas’s file, or at least the applicable parts. That way she can read over everything at her leisure.” He gave me a wink before saying to Jackson with exaggerated deference, “If that’s acceptable to you, of course.”

Refusing to take the bait, Jackson merely nodded. “I’ll have Chase set up a special folder that she can access through one of the secure computers at the loft. Anything else?”

Not wanting to make any more waves but knowing I might as well get it over with, I blurted, “Yes. I wanted to talk to you about my protection schedule.”

Jackson sighed. “Do we have to get into this today?”

All at once, my anger with him resurfaced, and I decided I’d finally had enough. “Actually, no, we don’t have to get into it because there’s nothing to discuss. The constant babysitting has proven to be unnecessary, and I’m done with it.”

Standing up and walking toward my bedroom, I called over my shoulder, “Done.”

Damn, that felt good.

 

*  *  *

 

I was still seething after the meeting with Jackson, even though it had been several days. Thankfully, I had been able to bury myself in my new position, and it was already Wednesday. It was easy enough to avoid Jackson and most of the guys while I was at the office, especially when they were busy with assignments.

Since I was a few minutes early to work, I checked my personal e-mail, hoping for a response from Jessica. Tired of feeling somewhat lost, I had asked for her advice about everything from juggling my new overprotective friends to how to break out of my shell and actually live life now that I was no longer in hiding with my dad. Fortunately, a new e-mail was waiting in my inbox.

 

Elena,

 

OMG. I was blown away by your Halloween costume. You looked incredible. Seriously, girl. Where is my fairy godmother?

As to your concerns . . . I know you’ve gone almost overnight from having one friend to seven (although I sincerely doubt they all want to be just “friends”), but you can never have too many. Open your eyes—there have to be plenty of other interesting, fun, good-looking people where you are (wherever that is).

Yes, you may be stuck in limbo for the moment, but you should make the most of it. You’re young, beautiful, smart, and finally have the chance to experience life! Make some friends, try something new, step out of your comfort zone. Maybe even kiss someone.

 

Love,

Caroline

 

P.S. I expect a full report in your next e-mail!

 

I laughed at Jessica’s e-mail—she never shied away from life; perhaps it was time to take a page from her book. Easier said than done, I thought, but I was determined to make some changes.

The rest of the morning was uneventful as I prepared packets for a meeting, scanned documents into the system, and made copies of materials for the youth outreach program. The transition from my part-time temporary position to full time had been smooth so far. Apart from working more hours and getting assignments directly from my new supervisor, not much had changed.

Heading down the hallway to the break room, I planned to grab my lunch from the fridge when I noticed Tyler was headed in the same direction. His merlot cardigan hugged his broad shoulders, showcasing the muscled physique that lay beneath his button-down shirt. After the drama surrounding the gala, I was relieved that Tyler was still as friendly as ever.

“Haley,” he said with warmth in his voice and a huge smile.

“Hey, Tyler. How are you?”

“Good, just really busy lately. I’d love to catch up sometime.”

What would Jessica do? I thought. Jessica wouldn’t wave goodbye and eat her sack lunch in her cubicle. She would . . . and before I could overthink it, I went for it.

“Me too. Do you want to go to lunch? It’s on me.”

“I certainly can’t pass up an offer like that.”

After selecting and paying for lunch, despite Tyler’s protest, we grabbed a table. The café was full of professionals trying to avoid the cooler weather and drizzle, forcing them to sit inside instead of on the large patio that was normally full. We discussed my new job, some of Tyler’s travels, and sports. We even had a lively debate about the merits of college basketball versus football.

“For now, I agree to disagree, but I’m not done trying to persuade you.” Tyler smirked over his shoulder as he threw his lunch container away and stacked the tray on top of the trash can.

“That’s fine,” I smiled. “Just don’t get your hopes up.”

He held the door open for me. “Have any exciting plans for the weekend?”

I shook my head. “I’ll probably go for a long run, maybe do some baking.”

“What do you like to bake?”

“Anything, really. Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite, but I also like baking cakes, pies, cheesecakes, whatever.” I waved my hand in the air.

“Seriously?” he groaned. “You’re torturing me with all this talk about desserts.”

I shrugged and bit my tongue before I could mention that Ethan also had a sweet tooth. Fortunately, Tyler continued talking. “This is going to sound super nerdy . . .”

“That’s okay, I happen to like super nerdy.”

He flashed me the most brilliant smile, as if my response was the equivalent of winning the lottery. “Well, I recently read an article on a book all about the science of baking. I think you might enjoy it.”

“Sounds interesting. What’s the title?”

“I’ll have to find the article, but I can text it to you later. What’s your number?”

I hesitated. Friends traded numbers, right? It wasn’t a big deal, although I was sure Liam or one of the other guys would goad me about it if they ever found out.

After Tyler finished adding my contact info to his phone, I said, “What about you—any weekend plans?”

“My brother’s flying in from Indiana on Friday. We’re going to a football game this weekend, and he’s staying with me until Thanksgiving.” The way Tyler’s face lit up when he talked about his brother was adorable.

“That sounds nice,” I said as we entered the elevator to return to the office.

He walked me to my cubicle. “Thanks again for lunch,” Tyler said, “I really enjoyed it.”

“Me too.” And I genuinely meant it; time spent with Tyler was pleasant and easy.

Once he was down the hall, Melissa popped her head in. “Have a nice lunch?” she asked with a knowing smile.

“Yep,” I responded, not willing to give her any details.

“Seriously, Haley? That’s all I’m going to get?”

“Mhmm,” I hummed through a grin.

Melissa cocked her head. “Have you switched your alliance from Team Jaguar to Team Falcon?”

“Ugh.” I rolled my eyes and turned to my desk, suddenly eager to get back to work. “My alliance is to Team Haley.”

“Okay, okay,” Melissa said. “In that case, I deem myself honorary captain of the Team Haley Fun Squad.”

I laughed. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. And my first act as captain is to invite you, again, to go clubbing with me and some of my friends.”

I hesitated momentarily while Melissa pleaded with her eyes and then said, “Pretty please?”

Normally I would have said no or found an excuse, but Jessica’s advice rang in my ears. And lunch with Tyler had been fun; maybe clubbing would be too.

“Sure.” Why not?

“Really?!” Melissa bounced on her toes before clapping her hand over her mouth as if to rein in the noise and excitement.

When she spoke again, it was at a more normal volume level. “Oh my gosh, we are going to have so much fun. Bring a change of clothes; we can get ready at my apartment after work on Friday.”

Keeping a smile on my face for Melissa’s benefit, I tried not to flip out. What am I getting myself into?