Blackbourne Investigations 02 - Consequences

Chapter 30 - Delicious

The Usual.  Sorry. It's late. It's full  of errors.  I chopped it in half.  I'm sorry.  I wish I didn't keep on doing this to you all.  More to come within the week. 

I worked quickly, trying to keep my mind off what was happening in Kota's office. Luke had disappeared inside with Kota a few minutes ago after retrieving the package from the stairwell. I didn't want to know what it was, as far as I was concerned it was nothing and I didn't need to know. What I didn't like was that it was yet another thing they had to take care of for me. Another situation they had to look into and sort out. I didn't understand it at all. If it was John Brenten it didn't make sense. He only met me briefly when he came enquiring about Jacqueline. Silas seemed to think it was his reaction to me that had prompted it. Was that all it took for him to do this? While he knew my name when he entered the reception area, I hadn't felt like he was attracted to me. I paused in my typing and stared at the glowing screen in front of me, lost in thought. Did I know the signs if someone was attracted to me?

I recommenced typing, transferring the information Nathan had scribbled onto his report into the invoicing program. He had been working an average of 12 hours a day on this job for a little while. How did he manage to pull these hours and still make time to help me learn self defence? It was just another thing he had to do in his already busy week. From the look of his hours, tonight would be the first night he had off since he had come back from chasing a skip and he had booked Silas, Gabriel and I into going bowling with him. Was that really how he wanted to spend his first free night?

I glanced over at the phone, my eyes lingering on the button that was Nathan's speed dial. Should I give him a call and offer him an out?

Luke stepping out of Kota's office stopped my nervous over thinking. I studied his face trying to get a reading on what had transpired in the office. He met my gaze and strode towards me, circling the desk so he could face me. He planted both palms onto the desk and leaned forward slightly, a strand of his streaky blond hair falling forward over his eyes.

"It was from Brenten, a trinket. Do you wish to see it or keep it?"

I started to shake my head no before even thinking it through. In another time and place I would have contemplated it, purely to take to the nearest pawn shop, adding the precious cash to my stash. But there was something so repugnant about him, what I knew he had done to Jacqueline, that wouldn't even countenance the thought of going near it. I didn't want to know what it was, as far as I concerned, it didn't happen. There was also the element that I was getting paid more money than I had seen in a long time. I had been hoarding my weekly pay checks religiously, buying the bare essentials. I knew I needed to go and buy some more pieces for my work wardrobe, but after years of pinching the pennies and living on a prayer, it wasn't coming easily to me.

Luke gave a chin lift in acknowledgement, his eyes tracing slowly over my face. I wish I knew what he was thinking when he looked at me like that.

"I'm going Sang."

His abrupt words made me blink, he was going? Going where? I resisted the urge to spin in my chair and check his calendar on my computer to see what he had booked in.

"I've got something I need to do. But I'll be back. Back as soon as I can." He leaned forward slightly as if he wanted to say something quietly, intimately. I closed the gap, turning my head slightly in response to hear what he had to say.

"Look after yourself," he murmured in my ear, his lips brushing against me as he spoke, "I'll be back soon so we can get back onto fixing up your life together."