The Damaged, page 15
Camille blanched as she lifted her chin up. “I came in for assistance, with a friend of mine.”
“Fuck whoever you came to assist. Get out of this club. You were banned long ago.”
Chester drawled, “I’d leave. You’ve done pieces on all of us.”
Tony’s face was glacial ice, as was his tone. “Or stay. Have a drink. Let’s get to know one another.” His eyes were mean, and Camille paled all over again.
A man was coming up the aisle toward the table. He paused, his gaze sweeping, and that’s when Kash moved.
He set me aside and moved around me, his hand lingering on my stomach. He waited, not stepping away, and I looked up.
His gaze was on me. He said one word. “Stay.”
I nodded.
He turned toward Camille and Hoda, his hand leaving my stomach.
At Kash’s movement, everyone paused. All eyes went to him.
Camille looked like she was watching a dragon rise up over her in real time. Hoda’s gaze was on him too, her head cocked to the side, and she was back to biting her lip.
Kash motioned for the man, who was wearing a business suit. He was older thirties, dark hair swept to the side. Lawyer. His entire walk and how he was taking everything in, no-nonsense and brisk. Nothing fazed him.
Kash raised his head up. “You have it?”
The man climbed up the stairs to where everyone was. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a stack of papers. He looked between Hoda and Camille and asked, “Which one?”
“The blonde.” From Kash.
The man nodded. “Yes.” He handed the papers to her. As soon as Camille’s hand closed on them, he said, “You’ve been served.”
Hoda gasped.
Camille couldn’t pale any more, but her hand started shaking.
The lawyer guy didn’t care. He released the papers and stepped back. “You are being sued. See you in court, Ms. Story.” He nodded to Kash and left.
Simple as that.
Matt started laughing. “Couldn’t figure out why you were waiting. Now I get it.”
Chester and Tony gave Kash appreciative looks.
Guy laughed. “Savage.”
Kash’s glare ripped into Camille Story. “You and Miss Mansour will leave the premises. Now.”
That was it, too. No other words. No chiding or threats or anything. He didn’t explain what was in those papers. Nothing. Just “You need to leave,” and the dismissal was almost as humiliating as her getting served in front of everyone. Either way, she’d been stupid to come here and she knew it.
Her face changed so it was beet red. She was steaming.
Since she didn’t move right away, Kash motioned to Connor. “I want them out. Now.”
The guards descended.
“Hey. Wait a minute…” Liam was frowning. He made a move to help them, but Kash severed him with a look.
“Miss Mansour and Miss Story have both been notified that they were banned from these premises. Both broke that order.”
“But they came because Melissa sent out a nine one one call. They were trying to help—”
Kash cut him off. “You came. Your friend came.” His eyes moved to Dax and included Shyam. “And a third showed. That was enough.”
The girls hadn’t moved. The guards hadn’t pushed it.
Kash clipped out, “Remove yourself or my guards will remove you.”
Hoda’s eyes sought mine. They were seething, and, her mouth tightening, she stormed out. Camille hesitated, her eyes sweeping over Matt, and a flicker of emotion was there. Brief. Then gone. Matt saw it, and his eyes went cold.
Some of the red had left her face. More of it left again at that flicker. Without saying a word, she followed behind Hoda. The guards moved with them, following behind until the crowd swallowed them.
Then it was just Liam, who was standing close to Melissa, and Dax and Shyam.
Suddenly, no one cared that they were there.
Matt still eyed Melissa, but he yawned and turned to me. He flashed me a grin. “I’m hanging out with you more.”
I muttered, “Great.”
He motioned to the dance floor. “Gotta go do something. Be back when it’s done.”
Guy barked out a laugh, hitting Matt’s shoulder as he passed by, heading for the stairs.
Tony, Chester, and Guy all slid back into the booth.
Guy snagged Torie’s hand, pulling her with him.
Chester motioned for Tamara to join their side of the booth.
Dax and Shyam moved in closer, both eyeing Kash warily. Liam was watching, too.
Kash didn’t care. He moved back into me, pulling me to his chest. Ignoring everyone, he dropped his head to mine and said in my ear, “You want to hang with your friends a bit?”
I didn’t. I wanted him, and I pressed against him to let him know.
He chuckled. “Right.”
Taking my hand, he said to Torie, “I’m taking her.”
Torie nodded and turned back to Guy. That was the end of it.
Kash stepped aside. It was my turn now, and I moved toward Melissa, still holding Kash’s hand.
I asked her, “You okay?”
She nodded, her eyes lowered. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I really meant to hit a four and not a nine. I was just excited to be here, you know?”
“It’s fine. It worked out anyways.” I looked to Liam. “Can you get her home?”
His nod was short, and he was still eyeing the guys behind us in the booth. “I got her.”
Melissa gave him a small grin before saying to me, “I really am sorry.”
“It’s all fine.”
As dramatic as the night in Naveah had started, it was ending on an almost disappointing note. No big scene happened. Melissa, Liam, Dax, and Shyam left shortly after. Melissa went to say ’bye to the girls. As soon as they left, Kash didn’t waste time.
He slung an arm around my shoulders, and we left through that back door. He didn’t wait like Torie had. It opened immediately for him and we were through. He took me home and did as he had promised.
It was a good Friday night.
TWENTY-FIVE
Kash
I was leaving Phoenix Tech for lunch with Victoria when I heard my name being called.
I saw her on the sidewalk, and she was alone.
“Chrissy.”
Skimming, I also saw there were no guards with her. That wasn’t good.
“Where are your guards?”
She was giving me a stone face, then snorted at my question. “Where are yours?”
She was right. Some days I didn’t travel with them, and most days I preferred driving myself, but I had security measures in place. She did not.
“You should have guards with you.”
She jerked up a shoulder. “I wasn’t a target before. Don’t know why I would be now.”
“Who Peter spends time with in bed is always considered a target.”
She flinched. It was brief and barely there, but it was there. Her eyelids fluttered a second before she got herself under control.
Bailey’s mom was tough and hard-core and sometimes a pain in the ass. But she was Bailey’s mom. I knew only part of her story, why she was who she was, why she’d instilled in Bailey the idea that Hayes women don’t cry, but I knew there were still secrets to be unraveled. Just wasn’t my place.
Yet.
“Tell me your reason for finding me.”
Her head moved back slightly. “Right.” The lines around her mouth tightened. “You’re Mr. Badass now. Don’t got time for civilities with the mom of the girl you’re bedding.”
I almost blinked. “I would, if you gave an indication you gave a fuck about that. And Bailey’s a woman, not a girl. She’s not a girl I’m ‘bedding.’”
“Right. Business.” She put her hands in her pockets, faced her shoulders more square against me, and raised her chin. “My girl’s not been taking my calls.”
I hadn’t known that. “You want me to talk to her? See the reason?”
She studied me. “You’d tell me if you found out the reason?”
“Only if she was okay with that.”
Her mouth flattened. “Then why’d I stand out here an hour to wait for you?”
I shrugged. “Felt like wasting an hour of your life.”
She went still, her eyes glued to me, and then she burst out laughing. “Shit. You are the enforcer for the family, aren’t you? Peter’s talked about you, but I didn’t see it till just now. You’re the husband and Peter’s the wife. You’re taking care of business so he can dink around and do what he likes.”
I scowled. “If that’s your analogy for a marriage, I can see why you never married.” I didn’t let her feel the burn from that. I pushed forward. “Peter was given room to do what he does best. He’s an inventor in the cyber world. His family has the money it has because of him, and he continues to grow Phoenix Tech every year.”
“Right.” She continued to stare at me steadily. “And you’re not making money?”
“I’m maintaining right now. It’s what one does in war.”
A slow blink from her.
I saw it then. A flash in her gaze.
“That’s the real reason you’re here,” I said. She was worried about her daughter. I eased back a bit. “Bailey is safe. I’ve doubled the guards on her and I have secondary security measures for her, ones she doesn’t even know about.”
“Spent the last week reading up on your grandfather. He’s a scary guy.”
“Yes. He is.” She got no reaction from me. It was knowledge that I’d grown up knowing. I didn’t quake to my bones anymore. He’d get that reaction from me only if he got his hands on Bailey, and that was never going to fucking happen. “You got another reason for finding me?”
Her head had lowered during the conversation. It rose again. “You told my daughter Peter and I are sleeping together.”
“Yes.”
Her eyes cooled. “Why?”
“Because I knew. Because I love your daughter. Because the reason for her to know came up, so I shared.” Okay. I wasn’t going to play this game, and I wasn’t sure if Chrissy was there to start a game or not, but I really wasn’t going to let it start. I moved in a step, lowered my head, and spoke softly enough to show respect but hard enough so she didn’t think I was babying her. “I have three priorities in life right now, and these are not in order: Protecting the Francis family. Destroying my grandfather. And loving your daughter.”
She jerked back a step.
I kept on, not taking the time to wonder which got to her. “If you want to know my thoughts on your daughter, I’ll give you the ones you’re entitled to. I’m worried about her. She doesn’t talk about almost being kidnapped. She’s trying to bury herself in schoolwork and she’s not pushing to see you guys as much as she should, as much as Bailey before the last kidnapping attempt would. Have I shared these concerns with her? No. I’m giving her time, because she seems to need it for some reason. But am I always there, always worried about her? Fuck yes.” It was my turn to raise my chin. “That settle you at all?”
“You two seem to be getting serious, quick.”
I felt that one in my gut. “Seems like, yes.”
“Bailey doesn’t handle things moving too fast. Never has. She needs to be eased into things.”
That was another hit to my gut. “You warning me?”
“Yes.” No blink. No reaction. She wasn’t lying. “She’s going to freak at some point, but hold on.”
Right. Hold on, because the storm I knew was coming wasn’t the only storm coming.
I nodded. “I will.”
She nodded too, and began to back away, her hands still in her pockets. “Take care of my girl. If she keeps avoiding me, I’ll have to come around. I’ll be able to get in if I do?”
I grinned. “I’m thinking yes. Would be an idiot who’d bar the mother of the woman he loved when that mom was coming around to check on her.”
She grinned back but didn’t reply. Her head ducked as she turned away, and she moved to an SUV that I knew Peter had either given to her or was letting her drive. Maybe there was something more permanent about their sleeping arrangements than I’d originally thought.
Then I stopped considering it, because I had a lunch to get to, a lunch I knew I’d have no appetite for.
TWENTY-SIX
Bailey
Rolling over in bed, I picked up my phone and saw my mom was calling.
I hit Decline, like I had been since Kash told me she and Peter were sleeping together. I didn’t know how I felt about that. I didn’t know if I could feel a certain way, so I was avoiding. Chrissy would be able to spot me being fake in two seconds, so avoiding was the better option.
And rolling the rest of the way out of bed, I didn’t have long.
Three days ago, Kash had lunch with Victoria, so I was also avoiding her and her minions.
I was avoiding Matt, too. Or I was avoiding Naveah.
I stayed in the apartment all weekend and I hacked. I studied. I did coding. I was in computer heaven.
Melissa called on Saturday night to invite me over to Liam’s for pizza and the latest gamer console that had come out. Dax and the guys were in their own heaven, but I didn’t go. I didn’t want to ask if Hoda was attending and I didn’t want to put them in the situation where they felt they had to choose one over the other. So, again, I was avoiding.
The only person I wasn’t avoiding was Kash, and that was because he came home after lunch. He had a dark and intense look in his gaze as he made his way through the apartment. He picked me up, took me to bed, and he laid claim to me for the rest of the day. The way he was doing it was as if he needed to either brand me into his skin or brand himself into mine. I wasn’t altogether complaining, since he made me see stars three times that day.
This life we had was working out just fine by me.
He was a workaholic. So was I. So he’d go and work. I could do the same.
He’d come back in the middle of the night, wake me with his mouth between my legs, and I was purring within the hour.
But it was Monday now and I checked my phone right before hopping into the shower. Melissa.
Today is Peter Francis day! Are you excited?
A second buzz.
I mean, you probably aren’t since he’s your dad and all, but we’re excited. I can already feel the group buzzing. That’s how it always is whenever someone from Phoenix Tech comes in. Oh hey. You want me to grab you coffee? I was going to stop at Bucks since it’s a treat day for us.
Today was Peter Francis Day.
Jesus. Shit.
I raked a hand over my face.
I wasn’t ready for this day, but I typed back.
Me: Whatever that has the most espresso. I don’t care. Just load it up.
Melissa: On it! I know exactly what to get you. See you at school!
The!! All the!! So many!!
I was already hoping this day was done and I hadn’t gotten into the shower yet.
* * *
When I got to school, I got a surprise. I was invisible.
I loved it.
People did not give one crap about me.
Melissa hadn’t exaggerated, which was also a nice surprise.
They were buzzing. There was extra energy in almost everyone, professors, even Busich and Goa, as I spotted both in the hallways. Like everyone else, they didn’t blink an eye at me. Not once. There was extra security in the hallways. I recognized some from the Chesapeake Estate, but a few had on Hawking University apparel, so I was assuming the university had kicked in with its own security, too.
When I walked into the computer lab, Melissa shrieked. She almost flew across the room to me, my coffee in hand. “Here,” she breathed, pushing the cup to me. “Have you seen him yet?”
My phone had buzzed a few more times this morning.
Kash checking in, like he usually did.
Another call from my mom.
There were two texts from Peter.
I’m going to your class today. Did you want to ride together?
And
I’d like to speak with you before your class. Wait for me outside.
That’d been it.
I hadn’t replied to the first one because I didn’t get it until I was halfway to the university. And the other … I murmured something to Melissa. I didn’t know what it was, but it appeased her and she went back to her computer.
I sought out our instructor, told him Peter’s request, and he nodded. “Yes. Yes, indeed. Go and wait. We’re going over a few items before he comes in, but I’m sure you’ve already read them, so you won’t miss a thing.”
Like my advisor, my instructors were quick to realize I was ahead in the class. I knew word got around among the professors about my photographic memory, and after the first week of watching, making sure I didn’t take that gift for granted and that I read ahead, and read ahead a lot, all of them eased up on me. Not that I’d been worried. But there was a stereotype of gifted people purposefully pissing away their talent.
I wasn’t going to do that. Ever.
I’d lived on the other side, with a single mom who worked double shifts four out of seven nights a week. She worked. She suffered. She sacrificed.
Setting my things down at my normal computer, I took my coffee and phone and went to the hallway to wait.
Hoda was coming in as I was leaving.
We both stopped.
“Oh.” Hoda’s surprise closed down, her eyelids shuttering. “Sorry.” Liam was coming in right after her.
He stopped, stared at me, a slow blink. “Sorry about being an ass Friday night.”
“You weren’t an ass to me.”
“It was your man’s place. Your brother I was mouthing off to.” He crossed his arms over his chest and gazed down to the floor. His jaw clenched. “I’d be massively stupid to piss off the Francis family. A guy like me, I don’t look like a computer person. I look like a jock. I was a jock. I was supposed to go pro, until I blew my knee out in a basketball injury. Thank fuck it happened early in my undergrad so I was able to process and get smart. Computers are the only other thing I’m good at, so I don’t want to fuck up my future a second time.” That tic again from his jawline. “I’m sorry. Can you relay that to your man and your brother?”
