It’d only been a few weeks, but it seemed like a lifetime since I’d stepped foot in the office. I knew Murray was taking care of things, but it just wasn’t the same. The business was important to me. It was my father’s legacy, and from the day I’d taken the reins, I’d been determined to make it a success. To make that happen, I’d always made sure I knew firsthand what was going on—especially when it came to getting in our shipments. The stakes were high, and there was no room for mistakes—period. Like me, the men we dealt with didn’t do excuses. They had people counting on them, and their lives were on the line if they didn’t deliver. It was a risk, a serious risk, but when the delivery was successful and all parties were satisfied, it could be a very profitable business. It was up to me to make sure that everything went as planned and no detail was overlooked.
Staying off the radar was one of most important parts of our business. To ensure our safety, we had several warehouses in the main cargo dock in Port Angeles, along with several others hidden inland. They were tucked away, deep in the mountains for added security when things got heated. The risk of getting caught was growing by the day. It was just part of the game. Over the years, I’d learned a few tricks of the trade, like using the rotation method for storing our goods and frequently changing up delivery locations. By swapping things up from month to month, it made it difficult for the cops to track us, and it kept our competitors from trying to fuck with our cargo. We also had several shell companies—a full-service log yard along with a couple of nightclubs and bars—to help launder the influx of funds arriving each month. I chose the log yard in Port Angeles so we’d have access to the dock and incoming freight. It was a pain in the ass, but logging was fairly profitable, and it gave us an easy way to smuggle in our goods. I knew nothing about logging, but thankfully, I had Bennett to handle things there at the yard. He was young, but he’d grown up in the business and knew everything there was to know about making a logging yard successful. I hadn’t had much contact with him while I was gone, so I decided to stop in and check on him before I went to the office.
When I walked up, Bennett was talking to one of our delivery guys, and it was clear that he was pissed. His shoulders were drawn back and his face was growing redder by the minute. By the time they were done talking, Bennett looked like he was ready to blow. “What the hell was that all about?”
“Stupid motherfucker tried to pawn off a load of second rate timber at the regular charge.”
“And?”
“It’s not gonna fucking happen.” He looked back over to the dock. “I told him if he dropped the price by seventy-five percent we’d consider taking it.”
“You sure that’s a good idea? You gonna be able to unload it?”
“Don’t you worry about that, boss,” he boasted. “You know I can sell a fucking popsicle to an Eskimo. It just helps to have the right price.”
“You got a time on our next shipment?”
“I just talked to Ryder. He said he’d have it here before two.”
Ryder was one of my best. He was a big guy, six-four and built for knocking heads, and he never failed to bring in the shipments on time. Knowing they had it covered, I turned and started walking towards the parking lot. “I’m headed over to the office. Let me know when he gets here.”
“You got it, boss. Good to have you back.”
“Good to be back.”
I got in my SUV and headed over to our main warehouse. Things were relatively quiet when I walked in. Most of the guys didn’t come in until later in the morning, which meant I had about a couple of hours to work without any distractions, or so I thought. I hadn’t been working long when the door flew open and Murray finally came strolling in. With a big, shit-eating grin, he sat down on the edge of my desk and crossed his arms. “Well, well, well. Look who the cat dragged in.”
Completely ignoring his jab at my absence, I asked, “Any word from Dez?”
“Not wasting any time, huh?” he teased. “Talked with him last night. Everything is set for tomorrow night. I told you I would handle it.”
“Good.”
He stood up and walked over to his desk. Once he sat down, he looked over to me with a puzzled look. “You wanna tell me why you put a hold on Cotton’s next shipment?”
“Nope.”
“Is it a temporary thing?”
“Nope.”
“So, we’re done with them?”
“Yep.”
“Mm hm. So, does this break from the club have something to do with your little trip to Arizona?” When I didn’t answer, he kept pushing. “Seriously? You’re not going to say something here?”
“There’s nothing to say.”
“It’s not like you to go running off like that, so I’m guessing it had something to do with a girl.”
“None of that matters.” I gave him a warning glare. “I’m back now.”
“Good. I hope that means you’ve got your head in the game. We have a lot of stock to unload in the next couple of days.”
“Whether I’m here or not, my head is always in the game.”
For the next hour, I was actually able to work in peace. I was finally making progress, but I was interrupted when my burner cell rang. I took it from my back pocket and answered. “Yeah?”
There was a brief hesitation before I heard him say, “Got a problem.”
“I’m gonna need more than that.”
“It’s Ms. Carmichael.” He paused before he continued. “She gave me the slip.”
I stood up and squeezed the phone tightly in my hand. “How the fuck did that happen?”
“She went into the West End bar for her job interview with Tony. She went in the front door, but she went out the back without me knowing it.”
“Fuck!”
“I’ve gotta tell ya, boss… She wasn’t exactly happy that I was driving her. She was pretty fired up. I figure that’s why she bolted.”
“I don’t give a fuck why she bolted! It’s your job to watch over her. Period!” I roared. “Find her!”
“I’m on it.”
“I want to know the minute you find her.” I slammed the phone down on my desk with an aggravated growl. “Dammit!”
Murray shook his head as he muttered under his breath, “Yeah… he’s definitely a man with his head in the game.”
“Fuck off, Murray.”
“I’m glad to know I haven’t lost my touch.” He smiled wide. “I was right about the girl.”
“Don’t you have some work to do?” I growled as I tried to focus on my computer screen. Thankfully, I had plenty of work to keep my mind off Tristen. I thought it would help distract me from the fact that she’d gone AWOL, but it didn’t. I tried making a few calls and sorting through all my messages, but nothing helped. I looked down at my watch and cursed myself when I saw that it’d only been fifteen minutes since I’d gotten off the phone with Max. I was growing impatient. I reached for my phone to send him a message, but he’d beaten me to it.
Max:
Found her.
Me:
Where?
Max:
Tracked her phone. She’s at the college.
Me:
Doing what?
Max:
Don’t know, but I’m about to find out.
Me:
Good.
Max:
You want me to pick her up?
Me:
No
Me:
Make sure she knows you’re there.
Max:
You sure about that?
Me:
Absolutely.
I’d asked Max to watch her for a reason. In our line of business, you could never be too careful. He was there to keep her safe, and he was going to do his job whether she liked it or not. Period. It had only been a few seconds when I got another message from him.
Max:
She’s at the enrollment office.
I remembered her telling me that she wanted to go to college, but I thought she’d meant later, much later. Regardless, I knew she was safe and that was all that mattered. As ordered, Max continued to give me updates every hour or so, letting me know exactly where she was and what she was doing. It might’ve been a little over the top, but it gave me peace of mind to know she was okay.
It was well after dark by the time I got back to the condo, and I was already on edge from a shitty day. Finding Max waiting for me when I got off the elevator didn’t help things. Over the years, he’d more than proven that he was reliable--- it was why I’d hired him—but he’d fucked up, and he knew it. I was in no mood to talk, so I told him, “We’ll discuss it later.”
“Understood.” He started towards the elevator, but he hesitated. “Today was on me, one hundred percent. It won’t happen again.”
He should’ve left it, but the door had been opened and there was no going back. As I took a step towards him, I could feel the muscles in my neck tighten. “You’re damn right it’s on you, Max!”
“I know I screwed up, but I thought she’d accepted the fact that I was there for her. I had no way of knowing she’d run out on me.”
“It’s your fucking job to know.”
“There’s no excuse, boss. I know I screwed up. You have my word it won’t happen again.”
“It had damn well better not, or it will be more than just your job on the line.”
I’d said enough. I was ready for the day to be over, so I started for the door. I was about to go inside when he said, “You do realize she gave me the slip for a reason.”
It wasn’t exactly the smartest thing he could have said when I was already pissed, but he said it nonetheless. I turned and glared at him. “It doesn’t fucking matter.”
“It mattered to her.”
“Fuck off, Max. That’s enough of your bullshit.”
He turned and started to leave. As he got on the elevator, he looked at me with his eyebrow cocked high. “You just hate it when I’m right.”
The doors shut before I had a chance to respond, leaving me even more frustrated than before. I stormed into the condo and found Tristen on the sofa watching TV. I wasn’t greeted with one of her bright smiles or ‘How was your day?’. Hell, she didn’t even turn around. She had a point to make, and she was making damn well sure she made it. I’d met my quota on arguments for the day, so I kept walking, leaving her there to stew in her own anger. I should’ve stopped and talked to her or tried to work out this thing between us, but I just didn’t have it in me.
I walked into my room and slammed the door. Without turning on the lights, l laid down on the bed. I was exhausted. My crappy day had taken its toll, and I just wanted to sleep it off. I closed my eyes, but I soon became restless as all the craziness of the day came crashing through my mind. I was thinking about Joe and that damn load of timber when I finally drifted off. I had no idea how long I’d been asleep when I was awakened by a blood-curdling scream. At first I thought it was just my imagination, that I was having one of my dreams, but then I heard it for the second time. I rushed out of bed and headed down the hall to Tristen’s room. I paused at the door, listening for any kind of struggle, and that was when I realized she was having a nightmare.
“No, no, no… please don’t,” she begged.
I reached for the door knob and was relieved to find it unlocked. I slowly eased it open and found Tristen thrashing around on the bed. Tears were streaming down her face as she mumbled incoherent phrases under her breath. Trying my best not to spook her, I lowered myself onto the bed and gently pulled her into my arms, cradling her close to my chest. Hearing her little whimpers and cries made my chest grow tight, and I wanted nothing more than to make them stop. I lowered my mouth to her ear and whispered, “I’m right here, Angel.”
I repeated it over and over again until she started to settle down. With her head resting on my shoulder, she curled into my side. Just seeing her looking so peaceful, so angelic, made my day from hell all but disappear. There was no denying that I felt something for her. Hell, the pull to her was so strong she could’ve been at the end of the Earth, and I still would’ve felt it. I couldn’t explain it, but I liked it. I’d always hated the feeling that I was missing something, that I’d left something behind. When I was with her, I didn’t feel that. Instead, I felt peace. As much as I liked having her next to me and feeling the warmth of her body next to mine, though, I had to move. Every second I stayed in that spot, it became more and more difficult to stay awake. Knowing she needed her rest, I slowly slid my way over to the edge of the bed and was just about to lower her to the pillows when I caught her looking up at me.
“Please don’t go.” I tried to resist, but it was no use. She was just too beautiful, too fucking tempting, and I knew there was no way in hell I was ever going to be able to tell her no.
I nodded as I eased back into my spot. “I didn’t realize you were awake.”
“I haven’t been for long.” She laid her head back on my shoulder as she released a deep breath. “I thought they were getting better.”
“The nightmares?” She nodded against my chest. “They will in time. For now, just try to get some rest. I’ll stay here until you fall back asleep.”
“Thank you,” she answered in barely a whisper.
When her breathing became slow and deep and her body completely still, I knew she was sleeping soundly. I carefully lowered her onto the pillows and lifted myself out of the bed. I stood over her for several moments to make sure that she hadn’t woken up when I’d moved her. Once I knew for sure that she was okay, I went back to my room and got into the bed. I tried to go back to sleep, but it was impossible to ignore the coldness I felt without her next to me or the faint scent of her perfume on my t-shirt. It’d been a lifetime since I’d had any real reaction to a woman. Sure, I’d had sex with women, lots and lots of sex, but there was never anything more. I’d figured I was broken and incapable of feeling… until her. I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, she’d be the one person that could save me from myself.