Chapter Twenty-Five
We walked into Garrick’s apartment, and I felt lighter since this morning. Things had gone well with Mom and Dad, which relieved me. I’d seen the light in their eyes when they met Garrick. I promised to have them over for dinner soon.
I talked to Sawyer for a bit on the car ride home with Garrick. I was glad to hear her Mom was stable and responsive. She was expected to go home at the end of the week.
Garrick kissed me on the cheek and asked, “Would you like a drink?”
It was still relatively early in the evening. “A glass of wine would be nice.”
“Coming right up. Security just texted me. Your car is downstairs.”
They’d driven it here so I could ride with Garrick. “Thank you.”
I walked over to the window to look outside, thinking about the visit with my parents. It all still seemed surreal. I’d brought another man to meet Mom and Dad—someone I’d felt an array of emotions for rather quickly. After an afternoon of baring ourselves to each other, I believed Garrick would be long-term in my life.
~ ~ ~
We’d pulled up into the driveway around lunch. Kurt’s car had been there like he’d said it would be. Before we’d made it to the door, Mom had opened it. “Hey, sweetie.”
“Hey, Mom. This is Garrick, my…” I’d swallowed hard and finished, “My boyfriend.”
I’d waited to see her reaction since Dylan had been the only boy I’d ever brought home. He’d been like a son to my parents. Only happiness had bubbled from Mom and I’d been overcome with relief. “Oh, Garrick, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Barb.”
“Likewise. You have a magnificent daughter.”
Mom had beamed. “We think so.”
Dad had come to the door, extending his hand. “Wyatt Knox.”
“Garrick Shaw.”
Dad had nodded, not giving much away. Before he’d turned, he’d given me a wink. He approved.
“Come in. Lunch is almost ready.” Mom had stepped back to let us pass. “For dessert I made cinnamon rolls. They’re some of Knoah’s favorite.”
I hugged Mom. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
From the couch, Kurt had nodded while continuing to study the chessboard, deep in thought. Internally I’d groaned and turned to my father. “Oh no, Dad. Tell me you did not challenge Kurt. You guys will be doing this for hours.”
Dad had patted me on the head. “Don’t be a spoilsport. It’s been forever since someone played me.”
I’d leaned into Garrick, who had seemed at ease. I loved him in jeans. It was casual and sexy. But he still exuded power.
Dad had approached Kurt. “Figured out your next move yet, son?”
“Not yet.”
It had felt like déjà vu, seeing Kurt at the table. I’d playfully whispered, “Word to the wise, never offer to play chess with Dad.”
“I heard that.” Dad had pointed to me and then Garrick. “Any respectable man will bring his wits to the table.”
“I’ll make note of that.”
What does that mean? Before I’d been able to think about it any further, Mom had appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. “Wyatt, stop it. Enchiladas are ready.”
Grabbing Garrick’s hand, I smiled. “You will want to try Mom’s enchiladas. They’re amazing.”
~ ~ ~
“You know I’m going to have to challenge your father to a game of chess.”
I groaned as Garrick handed me a glass of wine, grabbed my free hand, and pulled me toward the couch. “If you do, you’ll be stuck there forever. I may never see you again.”
Once we were seated, I nestled into his side. “Sweetheart, your father threw down the gauntlet. I’m going to have to take the challenge.”
“I promise you don’t.”
To make a point, I grabbed my phone and texted Kurt.
Me: Has a winner been declared?
Kurt: Hell no. But I smell a victory in the near future. Your dad is going to lose.
Me: Good luck.
I showed the phone to Garrick. “See. This will go on all night. Kurt will most likely stay over and it’ll continue tomorrow. Dad’s toying with him. When he’s tired of playing, game over.”
Garrick chuckled, a deep sound that seemed to come from his chest. “Your father said any respectable man would bring his wits to the table. It was a challenge. I have to accept.”
My head fell back against his arm. “Why? Just say you aren’t respectable.”
“That’s not how things work, not as we get more serious. I will want your father’s blessing. You’ll want it, too.”
Of course he was right. More serious—I liked the sound of that. “Okay. Once. Only once.”
“Deal.”
The fruitiness of the wine was refreshing. “Thanks for everything today. I’m glad you know about Dylan.”
“I am, too. Don’t ever feel you can’t talk to me about him or what you had.”
I stared at him for a second; the angular features of his jaw were one of my favorite features beside his eyes. “You’re amazing. I still don’t understand why some woman hadn’t swiped you up.”
“I’m far from perfect. Some of the things I got involved in when I was younger are proof. I made mistakes.”
A ribbon of unease filtered through me. “What did you do?”
“I saw things, heard things, used women to get answers.” I shuddered. “It was a play Hastings liked to do when his father needed something. Women came easily enough. When I walked away, I stopped. I was repulsed by the person I’d become. It’s why I kept women at a distance and was more blunt than necessary when it came to where I stood on relationships.”
The man Garrick described was not the man sitting beside me. “You were never that way with me.”
“Because you’re different. More. So much more. And I can’t explain why.”
“Me, either.”
More. So much more. And tomorrow, everyone would know Garrick was taken when I went as his date to the gala. I was grateful I already had a dress to wear because exhaustion was settling over me, and I was too tired to think. “What time do we need to leave for the event tomorrow?”
“We should get there about thirty minutes early to go through all the details before everyone arrives. If that works for you.”
“That’s fine. I’ll be ready. Do you need to work tonight? Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No, I want to spend the evening with you. Work can wait.” Garrick seemed completely relaxed.
“I understand you need to work a lot. It’s okay. You don’t have to entertain me. I’m not like the other women.” The thought of anyone else having this with him made me uneasy.
“For the first time, I find I’d rather not be working.”
Wow.
Just wow.
I laid my head on his shoulder, and he tightened his arm around me. After the emotionally exhausting day, being in his arms, just like this, was exactly what I needed. I felt cherished. “Do you have any questions about what I told you at the cemetery today?”
Ice clattered in Garrick’s glass. As it was empty, he set it down. “Is marriage on the table for you, one day, if you meet the right man?”
That seemed like a fair question. “Yes, it is.”
“Would you ever consider trying to get pregnant?”
This topic automatically made me nervous, and I sat up, tucking my hair behind my ears. Garrick gave me a little space, but left his hand on my knee, keeping the contact. Is that because I told him his touch calmed me? “If my husband wanted to, then yes. But it’s a risk he would have to be on board with. Losing a baby isn’t something I would wish on anyone. It might break me to go through it again, but I do want children. Do you?”
“Yes, I do. But if it’s not in the cards, it’s not. There are always other options.”
I knew there were, but I wanted to experience feeling a baby inside me—have the indescribable love women talk about. Only time would tell.
“Why do you let Vivian treat you poorly?”
Vivian. The name brought a knot to my stomach after all the cruel things she’d said. “Because she’s hurting. Dylan was her only child. We never got along, but I never stopped him from having a relationship with her. Jealousy ate her alive, and it pushed him away. Part of me felt like I deserved her hate when I lost the baby. Every year, she sends me a birthday card that tells me all this. I didn’t open it this year, which was a huge step for me.” I remembered Garrick was able to stop her with one sentence today. “What did you say to her?”
“I told her with one phone call, I could ruin everything for her. And if she ever contacted you in any way, I would follow through on my threat.”
I sat up straighter. “Garrick, you didn’t.”
“I did. No one is going to harass you. Not Vivian. Not Hastings. Not anyone else. People need to understand this, or they will try to use you as leverage against me. If I let anything slide, it will be a shit storm.”
I was filled with a combination of trepidation mixed with headiness knowing someone wanted to protect me with such ferocity. I was now Garrick’s weakness. Internally, I vowed to be strong enough and listen when something needed to be done. “Do you mean only the Monroes?”
“No. This is the big leagues. I’m worth billions, Knoah. And people will stop at nothing to take a piece of it or manipulate their way to the top. As soon as Vivian realized who I was, she gave me no choice. If I hadn’t, she would have made phone calls, and I’d have a hundred assholes circling by morning, wanting a piece. You would be used against me in business deals and who knows what else. People play dirty when they sense a weakness.”
“Weakness?”
“Yes. You are the one thing I don’t want to live without. People will know this. They’ll sense it. What we have is too palpable.”
Geez. People were ruthless. After Dylan’s death, so many people had wanted a piece of the inheritance. They’d smelled blood in the water. If not for Kurt, I wasn’t sure where I’d be. He’d protected me—and Dylan’s legacy—through it all. “I get it.”
“Good. I don’t want to scare you, but being in a committed relationship is going to cause people to push the boundaries. I will be fiercely protective of you.”
I reached up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
Garrick’s mouth was nearly on mine when the doorbell rang. “If it’s my mom, she’s getting the nickname cockblocker.”
His frustration with the situation made me laugh.
Garrick made his way to the door. “Evening, Joe. Perfect. Thank you for getting these today. I understand. I will. Shit.” I wasn’t able to hear Joe’s side of the conversation. “Nothing else will be needed. That would be great. Thanks.”
Joe was the head of the security team Garrick had in place now.
Moments later, Garrick closed the door and returned to sit beside me. His demeanor had grown tense, which had me stiffening. Something was wrong. “Did Joe have bad news?”
Garrick rubbed the bridge of his nose before taking my hand and pulling me closer. “He brought pictures from the crime scene at Jessica’s apartment. The police refused to divulge any information, regardless of the route I took. So I took matters into my own hands.”
“Why?”
His face became more serious. “Remember when I said I would be fiercely protective?” I nodded. “This is me protecting you. I need to know if you were the target.”
Target? I hated that word.
From the tone of the conversation, my guess was that Garrick knew. “What did Joe tell you?”
“Let me look at it first.”
“I want to know. I need to know. Don’t keep this from me if it’s about me.” I saw the internal struggle in Garrick’s eyes. “Garrick, don’t start with the secret keeping. We’ve come so far. Our relationship will self-destruct if I’m constantly suspicious that you’re hiding something from me.”
Massaging his temples, he appeared to think about it for a moment. “You have to talk to me, too, Knoah. It’s a two-way street. I don’t ever want to wake up to a note again. Ever.”
I scooted into his lap, and he hugged me to him. “I promise.”
Beneath my ear, I felt his chest expand. “Joe believes the hit was a warning meant for you.”
“Hit?” The word sent me into a near panic, my heart nearly beating out of my chest.
“You will be safe, Knoah. The Monroes have a rival mob family named the Navarros. They’ve had a beef with Hastings and his family for years. The Monroes are new money. The Navarros didn’t think they’d earned their territory. That’s all I know.”
My mouth grew dry. The mob was after me. They knew about me. “Why were they warning me?”
“I don’t know. We haven’t gone public with our relationship. When Jessica was killed, we were barely seeing each other. No one knew. Not even Hastings. The black SUV passed through the parking lot before I came over. It doesn’t make any sense. None. I’m not sure what piece I’m missing.” Frustration rolled off Garrick in waves.
“What was in the picture that helped Joe make the connection that Jessica’s death was a warning?” I shifted and focused on Garrick’s touch. Someone was after me and it prickled my nerves. What did this mean for me?
“They left a lily on Jessica’s body. A message was scrawled on the wall in her blood.”
Blood. They used blood to write a message? The thought sickened me. I wasn’t ready to know what the message said. “A lily?”
“It’s Navarro’s signature flower. He leaves it at the scene when he kills someone.”
I gasped. Then remembered the card. I darted off the couch to get my purse.
“What is it, Knoah?”
“I thought… I thought it was someone linking me to Dylan after the concert.” At the bottom of the purse, I found the crumpled card and handed it to Garrick.
I saw a flash of panic across his face. “When did you get this? I need to know everything.”
Dread coursed through me and my hands became clammy. I tried to remember every detail from that morning. “It was when I had coffee spilled on me. Chelsie received the delivery and handed it to me as she left. I opened the card, thinking it was someone wanting to expose my marriage to Dylan. Then I never gave it another thought after I ran into you.”
Garrick turned over the card. “Did you see the number on the back?”
“What number? No, I crumbled it up and threw it in my purse.”
Garrick turned over the card and saw a number scrawled across the back. How could this be happening? To me? I took a steadying breath. I was in the apartment.
“I need to give this to Joe.” He already had his phone out and began relaying what I’d told him. Poor Jessica. She’d been caught in something she didn’t understand—that I didn’t understand. The situation made my heart hurt. Michael was without his soul mate because of something neither one of us understood. I wanted these people to pay.
Joe came to the door and took the card. Then we were alone. “Anything else happen?”
I thought about the times since the concert that I’d felt something dark looming over me. “My feelings of unease were right. I kept feeling weird, like someone was watching me, since the concert.”
Again, his face drew tight and he stiffened. “Did you notice anything? See anyone?”
I shook my head. “I looked around but noticed nothing each time. I thought it was because of the reporters trying to get the scoop on Kurt. I never imagined this. Wait! There was a dark SUV in the parking lot the day I hid in Jessica’s apartment. Do you think it was them?”
He had his phone to his ear. “Pull the feed for any cars coming and going from the apartment complex on Thursday. I want to see how many times they entered before the cameras were disabled.”
This was worse. So much worse than I imagined. “The cameras were disabled?”
Garrick tossed his phone on the table and then wrapped his arms around me. “Yes, around eleven that night.”
I closed my eyes for a second to gather myself. “What did the message in Jessica’s apartment say?”
“Last chance.”
My eyes shot open. “Last chance?” I disentangled myself from Garrick’s hold and began to pace. “Last chance for what?” On my next rotation, I ran into Garrick, who steadied me. “I’ve never met the Navarros. I don’t know them or the Monroes. The first time I ever met Hastings was with you.” I shook my head. Last chance. The words echoed through my head, and I felt the bile rise. “I’m going to be sick.”
My stomach rolled, and I raced to the bathroom to throw up. Acid churned, only making things worse. Of course, Garrick was there, rubbing my back.
“I don’t have all the details, but we’ll figure this out. You’ll be safe. Security will need to be tighter than what we initially planned.”
I sat down on the cool tile. “They’re the mob. They have guns. They killed an innocent girl. They’re dangerous.”
“Yes, and they’ll pay for it. I’m not a saint, Knoah. I can be one mean bastard if I have to. And I will protect you. No matter the cost. Understand?”
“Yes, but Garrick—”
“No buts. They will pay for what they did to Jessica. I just have to outmaneuver them.”
Later, I would have more questions. Now I just wanted to process what I knew. I brushed my teeth as a wave of weariness came over me. Part of me wanted to go back out to the living room, but since I was still nauseous, I decided on bed instead. “Will you lie with me for a bit?”
“Of course. Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” His breath tickled my ear as he scooted in behind me.
“Yes. Please”
He turned off the lamp, and the darkness engulfed us. The heat of his body penetrated mine.
“Garrick?”
“Yeah, Knoah.”
“I don’t want to see the pictures. I don’t think I can stomach seeing Jessica like that. Just tell me if you find anything.”
“I will. I promise. I will keep you safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He nuzzled my neck where my broken-heart birthmark was. “I won’t let them break us. You’ll never have a broken heart again.”
He sounded so sure of himself. Instead of arguing, I snuggled closer, focusing on our connection. Garrick rubbed my arms in a soothing manner that slowly worked the tension out of my muscles.
There was something big we were missing—something I couldn’t put my finger on. So much had happened over the week that it was all a jumbled mess, too much to sort out anything that didn’t belong.