Fuck, I’d pissed her off even more, but my mind was closing in on me with worry over her safety, and I struggled to control my emotions. “Yes, I do,” I dictated.
As Layla and I stood locked in a battle over her actions, Merrick muttered something under his breath and left my office. I waited for her reply, not confident she would back down. I’d wanted a strong, independent woman, but, fuck, in situations like this, I wished my preferences lay with women who didn’t have that streak in them.
Eventually, she huffed out a breath and said, “I’m coming with you when you go to see him.”
I raked my hand through my hair. “Fuck, Layla, you don’t understand what’s going on here. Phil’s not a man to underestimate, and I won’t have you anywhere near him.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You won’t? What makes you think you can control me?”
“I don’t want to control you. I just want to keep you safe, and the only way to do that is to keep you away from him.”
Her phone rang, cutting through the tension between us. I watched her answer it and frown. She turned and walked away from me, speaking in a hushed tone. I left her to go to find Merrick. He was in his office on the phone. Looking up, he motioned for me to come in, and as he ended the call, he said, “Ben’s finding Phil, and then you and I are going to fix this fucking situation up.”
“Yeah, we are. Once and for fucking all.”
“Thank fuck,” he murmured, relief clear in his voice. He stood and made to say something, but his eyes shifted to something behind me. “Layla,” he called out.
I spun around to find her walking towards the stairs to leave. She didn’t respond to Merrick, so I stalked after her and called out, “Layla!”
She stopped and looked at us. Fuck, anger still painted her face. “What?” she snapped.
“Where are you going?” I asked, catching up to her.
“I’ve got stuff to do at work.”
There was a divide between us, slight, but there. I didn’t like it, but neither of us had the time to discuss it at the moment, so I let her go. Once she’d disappeared from my sight, I pulled my phone out and dialled Ben.
“What’s up?” he asked when he answered.
“Put some eyes on Layla until we deal with Phil.”
“Already organised.”
“Good.”
Thank fuck.
***
Eight hours later, I parked my car outside Layla’s bar. The afternoon had been futile in our search for Phil. He’d disappeared, and no one on the street was talking. I hadn’t managed to catch Layla on the phone, so I had to wonder if she was avoiding me on purpose. Exiting the car, I searched the street for my boys and found them parked a little down the road. The relief I felt at their presence was immense. The thought of something happening to Layla almost paralysed me with fear.
I entered the bar, scanning for her as I walked. Unable to see her, I headed toward Jess who was just finishing up serving. Her gaze shifted to me as her customer walked away. “Hi Donovan,” she greeted me.
“Layla in?”
“She’s upstairs.”
I lifted my chin at her. “Thanks.”
Without waiting for her to say anything else, I made my way upstairs. I found Annie in the lounge room watching television, and she smiled at me. “Layla’s in the shower.”
“Thanks,” I said, and headed towards the bathroom in Layla’s bedroom. Annie was still guarded with me, and while I’d usually take some time to talk with her, tonight I just needed to find out what was running through Layla’s mind.
I couldn’t hear the water running, so I figured she must be finished in the shower. The door to her bathroom was open, and I stood in the doorway and watched as she dried herself. Her side was to me, and when she sensed my presence, she turned her head to look at me.
“Have you been here long?” she asked, as she wrapped the towel around her and turned to face me completely.
“No, just arrived.”
She didn’t say anything, just nodded and then turned back to face her mirror again, beginning to brush her teeth.
Fuck.
What the hell was going on?
I walked to where she was and stood behind her. We watched each other in the mirror, and I took in the closed-off look on her face. “Why have you shut down on me?” I asked softly.
She stared at me for a few moments before spitting out her toothpaste and rinsing her mouth. Finally, she lifted her head, and, still watching me in the mirror, she said, “I’m annoyed at you for trying to boss me around today.”
I nodded. “I know that, but that’s not why you’ve shut down.”
“You pissed me off, Donovan. I won’t ever be the type of woman you can control like that, so if that’s what you’re looking for, it’s best to walk away now.”
What the fuck?