The Deal Maker (Book I)

Chapter Fifteen - Introductions

Chapter Fifteen - Introductions

The drive back to David’s house was longer than I hoped. I spent the entire ride thinking about the deal I made with Matthew and even about the fight I had hours before; just remembering being pinned to the ground with fangs slicing my leg made every muscle in my body tense. I thought back to when I was thrown into the mirror, the glass slicing my arm, and how I remained calm without making a peep. Even though all of that was horrifying and traumatic, I’ve never felt so powerful. It was sick and twisted, but when I rammed the wooden stake into his back, I was a god.

Yes, I know I’m nothing more than an ex-druggie with major issues, but taking down a killer by myself was amazing. I focused only on that because thinking about the deal was too difficult to handle. I was just thrilled to be back home.

Before David was due home I quickly cleaned myself up and dressed in jeans and a long sleeved shirt, something that would indeed draw attention considering it was becoming the hottest part of the year. I had no choice, though, because the stitches would cause more questions than my clothing choice. I was just pulling my damp out of a towel when the sound of the garage door rumbled through the house. I was absolutely shaking with excitement now, and I knew he would be too.

He shuffled into the room with a backwards red baseball cap sitting on his head a bit too tightly. His eyes seemed duller, no longer royal blue, but now it seemed sky blue. The dark lines under his eyes indicated he had a rough night. My news would be perfect. It would make him so happy. I’ve been thinking about how to tell him all day. How can you tell someone that you came up with several thousand to save an old building?

“Hey,” I greeted in a chipper tone.

He looked at me as if I’d grown two heads. “Oh, hey…”

Alright, I had completely forgotten about our awkward relationship we’ve been having since the kiss. Not only was he exhausted, but his attitude towards me was definitely different than it used to be. Now he seemed distant, almost like he was constantly embarrassed. We barely look each other in the eye anymore, and that hurt. “I’ve got some big news to share with you,” I explained.

He gave me an anxious look. I wondered what he thought I was about to say, but didn’t ask. “What?” he questioned lightly.

I waited a few seconds to make things so much more dramatic. Hey, it was my moment. “I found someone to invest in our facility. It’s not going to be closed.”

Several awkward moments passed. We both just stared at each other, waiting for the other to speak. He looked as if he were waiting for me to say “Gotcha!”

“Who?” he finally spoke.

I raised my eyebrow. “What?”

“Who did you get to invest in the building?”

That was a question I had very much hoped he would never asked. Of course David was too smart to just leave it be. He had to know more. I wanted to lie and tell him that I had a friend that wanted to invest. The depressing truth was I had no friends other than him. I couldn’t say it was a family member because they’re all worse off than I was. The job I told him I had really didn’t involve co-workers, especially not ones with enough money. There was nothing to say but the truth. “My boss.”

His eyes widened slightly, but he maintained his cool exterior. “Your boss?”

I nodded. “I told him about the building. I explained how important the place was. He seemed interested in helping.”

“So he’s just going to invest in our building? Just like that?” He was entirely skeptical.

“Just like that.”