“Can I sit with you?” I asked, respectful of her choice to be on her own if that was what she preferred.
Wide eyes stared up at me, and I thought for sure she would say no, but she surprised me when she said yes.
“How’s your day been?” I asked, trying to break the ice.
“Good. I helped Layla for a few hours in the bar this afternoon, so I think she’s happy with me.”
Fuck.
“Annie, Layla loves you and is always happy with you. Helping her in the bar doesn’t make her happier with you. She just wants you to be happy.”
“I’m happy when she’s happy.”
Jesus, we’ve got a lot of work to do here.
“So, tell me, what kinds of things do you like to do in your spare time?”
She thought about it, and after a couple of moments of silence, I thought she had nothing, but then she said, “I used to like ice skating, and Layla and I used to do it all the time until Julian hurt her.”
Annie had my full attention now. “Who is Julian?”
“He was Layla’s boyfriend. The one she met while we still lived on the streets. He was the one who saved us.”
“When did you live on the streets?”
Her face became a mask and she shut down. “I shouldn’t be telling you this stuff,” she said, and turned away from me. The way she huddled into herself told me I’d really hit a nerve with this conversation.
“I’m sorry, Annie. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She didn’t respond and we sat in silence for a while. Eventually, I got up and made my way into Layla’s bedroom. I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes for a minute. A quick rest before Layla came up wouldn’t hurt.
***
“Donovan.”
A hand touched my shoulder and gently rocked me, waking me up. I cracked an eye open to find Layla staring down at me.
I opened both eyes. “Shit, sorry,” I muttered as I got my bearings. “How long have I been asleep?”
“A couple of hours. I came up and you wouldn’t stir so I left you to sleep, but your phone’s been ringing nonstop so I thought I should wake you in case it’s important.”
Fuck, Ben and Merrick were waiting for me.
I sat up and took my phone off her. “Thanks, I’ve gotta check this.”
“No worries.” She smiled at me as I left the bed and exited the room.
I headed downstairs and outside to make the call to Merrick.
“Where the fuck have you been, Blade?”
“I fucking fell asleep.”
“Ben’s got Phil. They’re at his house.”
“Okay, I’m heading over now.”
I hung up and jogged upstairs to say goodbye to Layla. She was waiting for me on her bed. Naked.
“Jesus,” I muttered as my eyes feasted on her beauty.
She smiled up at me as I walked to the edge of the bed, but as the realisation I wasn’t staying dawned on her, the smile slid off her face. “You’re leaving?”
Nodding, I said, “Sorry, baby, I’ve got something I have to take care of right away. It can’t wait.”
Fuck, I hated to do this to her.
I ran my hand along her jaw before I let it drop to her collarbone where I traced a line down to her breast. Her hand met mine, and she grasped my wrist and pulled my hand away from her body.
Angry eyes glared at me. “Don’t fucking start something you’re not going to finish.”
“I am going to finish it, just not now. I’ll be back in a couple of hours for that.”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll be asleep. Don’t come back tonight.”
Annoyance shot through me. “Don’t do this, Layla. I have to take care of this but trust me when I say I’d rather stay here with you.”
Her glare challenged me. “Well, stay. It’s your choice, Donovan.”
“No, it’s not.”
We stared silently at each other, neither willing to back down.
Eventually, I said, “I have to go. I’ll call you when I’m done.”
She didn’t say anything and I left. I had to. I couldn’t put it off any longer.
But I couldn’t put her glare and her silence out of my mind.
And it fucked with my concentration.
***
As I entered Phil’s home a little while later, my demons roared to life at the sight of him tied to a chair with dried blood painted on his face. The wild look on his face as he watched me approach also pleased me.
“Thanks for fitting us in to your busy schedule, Deacon,” I said.
Ben had gagged him, so he couldn’t form a reply but he grunted his displeasure.
I pulled up a chair and sat next to him. “It seems we have a problem that only you can help us solve.” I paused and then continued, “As you know, we had a couple of hundred men walk offsite today due to some fucked up union representative’s encouragement. And now we need you to fix that.”
He grunted, and I decided I’d had enough of his silence. I pulled my knife out and cut the gag from his mouth. The fear in his eyes at the sight of my knife encouraged me. I stood and grabbed his hair. Shoving my face closer to his, I pushed his head back to expose his neck. I ran my blade across it, light enough not to draw blood, but heavy enough to induce more fear.
“What do you say, Deacon? You gonna fix that shit for us?”