Dream Of Me

Shower 🔥

When I got to the office, I noticed Quinn's red hair hunched behind the front desk. I walked over and set my briefcase down on the marble top.

"Good morning, Quinn."

She scrambled to hide her phone from my view and her cheeks turned as red as her hair.

"I don't think texting is in your job description."

"No, sir. I'm sorry, Mr. Bishop. There's something important going on. It can wait until after work, I'm sorry."

I raised my eyebrow at her and asked, "Important? Are you okay?"

She nodded furiously.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine! It's just," she let out an exasperated sigh before continuing.

"Remember Darcy Miller? Matthew Barrett's accountant?"

I nodded hesitantly before responding. "Yes, I remember."

"Well, when she got back to her apartment it had been torn apart and there was someone in there waiting for her. She's okay, a little shaken up though. She doesn't have anywhere else to go so she's coming to stay with me for a bit until things get sorted back in Philadelphia."

I clenched my jaw as I listened to Quinn speak. I had no doubt in my mind that it was one of Barrett's men looking for her. After all, she was one of the last people to see him alive.

"When will she get here?"

"Her flight is supposed to land in an hour. Then she'll go straight to my place."

I nodded as I typed a message to Tony.

Darcy is coming back to Seattle. Barrett's men were after her in Philly. She'll be at Quinn's place in about an hour. When she gets there, I want you to go check on her.

He responded almost immediately.

Aye, aye, captain!

An annoyed grunt left my throat before locking my phone.

"Thanks, Quinn. Let me know if there's anything I can do to assist."

"I will. Thank you, Mr. Bishop."

I walked over towards the elevator and headed up towards my office. I don't know why I felt the need to protect her. I didn't know anything about her other than what I knew from my dreams. But I must be having those dreams for a reason, right?

I pulled out my phone again and shot a text over to Luca.

Meeting in my office. Now.

*****

Darcy

I landed in Seattle about fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. I loaded up my luggage into my rental car and typed the address Quinn had given me into the GPS. She lived in a smaller suburb about twenty minutes outside of Seattle. Her house was tucked away in a little cookie cutter neighborhood.

I pulled up to the cute two-story brick house and smiled. It was similar to my mom's house in Texas. I got out of the car and punched in the code to the garage before pulling my rental car inside and shutting the garage door behind me.

I entered her house from the side door in the garage. It was a cute home and smelled like cinnamon. It had a lived-in look, which I really liked. Not everything was white and sterile. She had splashes of color everywhere.

As I walked through the kitchen, I ran my hand over the butcher block countertop. I could feel the dents and nicks in the wood from where Quinn had spent time cooking.

I carried my suitcase up the stairs and turned left down the hallway towards where Quinn had told me the guest bedroom was. I opened the door to a cute little room. A queen bed sat against the far wall in between two windows. A colorful handmade quilt covered the bed and an antique stained-glass lamp sat on the wooden side table. I turned towards the dresser. It needed to be refinished as some of the stain had worn away exposing the raw wood. I opened my suitcase and began putting clothes away when I heard a knock on the front door.

I froze, my feet glued to the spot. I checked the time on my phone. Quinn wasn't supposed to be home for another two hours.

I walked silently down the stairs and over to the front door. I looked through the peephole and saw a man with dark hair and dark eyes investigating a package containing something that Quinn must have ordered.

I searched the entry table for something that can be used for a weapon before settling on the lamp. I picked it up and swung the door open with the lamp held above my head.

The man looked at me, then realized I was coming after him with a lamp. A look of surprise came over his face.

"Holy shit, lady! Put that fucking thing down!"

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"My name is Tony!" He yelled while dodging a blow from the lamp. "I'm a friend of Colton and Quinn! They wanted me to check on you when you got here! I wouldn't have come if I knew I was going to be killed with a lamp!"

I took a step back, still keeping a death grip on the lamp in case he was lying.

"Why didn't Quinn mention this to me?"

"I dunno," Tony said while holding his hands up. "I'm not here to hurt you. Can I come in? It's raining and it's freezing out here."

"Lift up your shirt and show me your waistband." I ordered. Tony obliged and lifted his shirt, showing me he wasn't armed.

I stepped to the side and jerked my head to the front door. Tony scrambled by me and into Quinn's home.

I followed in behind him as he made his way through the kitchen. He grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the island and took a bite before making a face.

"That apple was fucking fake." He said, embarrassed, while spitting the red colored foam into the sink. I rolled my eyes then hesitantly sat opposite of him at the island.

"Did Bishop tell you about Barrett?" I questioned Tony.

He nodded.

"Yeah, I was actually there that night. I cleaned up Colton's mess." He said while inspecting another apple.

"You know, our plan was to kill Barrett anyway. He just gave us a reason to do it sooner."

"Why?" I asked.

Tony took a deep breath before replying.

"I'm assuming you probably weren't aware, but Barrett had been working hand in hand with some other gangs on the east coast. We had reason to suspect he was getting involved with human trafficking."

I could feel all the blood drain from my face. My stomach heaved and I ran to the trash can before throwing up.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tony stand up. I held a finger up and said, "Do not touch me."

Tony sat back down and fiddled with his hands. I grabbed a paper towel and wiped my mouth before joining him back at the island. I put my head in my hands while a tear fell down my face.

"Oh my God. I worked for that sick son of a bitch. I fucking helped him."

I started to hyperventilate again and Tony tried to walk towards me.

"Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me." I spit out.

"You didn't know. None of this is your fault. Since he signed the merger before his death Colton now owns his company. We closed another trafficking gateway."

I got up and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. I chugged it in an attempt to wash down the vile taste in my mouth. My attempt was unsuccessful, so I grabbed another one. Once I joined Tony back at the island he continued to talk.

"We think the man in your apartment was probably one of Barrett's partners. You were one of the last people to see him alive and because of that they probably have a warrant on your head."

"Will they find me?" I asked.

"Probably. I think you need to have a conversation with Colt."