My Husband Is My Savior (ON HOLD)

Chapter 11 (Beginnings) Part 1

"Sit and eat before it gets cold."

"You're not going to eat?" I ask before taking a sip of my coffee.

"No." He shakes his head. "I'm going back to bed." He stands and places a kiss on top of my head. "Have a good day at work."

"Wait." I grab hold of his arm before he can walk away. "Just because you were sweet and made me breakfast, doesn't mean you're off the hook."

"I know." He shrugs. "It'll take much more than breakfast." He smirks. "Now hurry and eat or you'll be late for work." I release him, and he disappears down the hall.

I know he thinks he can just wait me out, but I'm not giving up so easily this time. I've sat back and let him deal with whatever hardships he's dealing with alone. I want to be in on it this time. I want to help him carry the weight, even if I have to force him.

*Derek*

I wake to my phone vibrating nonstop. I groan as I reach over and grab it from the nightstand. I blink a few times before reading the screen. Five missed texts from Gavin.

Gavin: Are you awake?

Gavin: We need to talk.

Gavin: Derek?

Gavin: Don't ignore me.

Gavin: Meet me in an hour. You know the place. If you don't show, I'm coming to get you myself.

I want to ignore these texts and go back to sleep, but I know he's serious about coming to get me if I don't show. I've had enough of his creeps wandering into my house without permission. I don't want him within a thousand feet of my home.

Derek: Relax. I'll be there soon.

After replying I roll out of bed and get myself together before I have to go. I slip on a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt. I run my fingers through my hair a couple times to reveal its naturally messy look. Since Arabella is at work leaving me without a car, I skip breakfast to save time and leave to catch the bus.

Surprisingly the bus is mostly empty. I take a seat all the way in the back. I lean against the window as I get comfortable. I wonder what Gavin wants. I've already told him I'm not starting until next week. What is so important that he can't wait? He's more persistent than I remember.

I get off the bus at my stop and slip into the nearby alley as I make my way to the hideout. The alleyways turn dark as the tall buildings block out the sun. I try my best to remember the way there.

I turn another dark corner and see a figure ahead. I approach slowly unsure whether it's someone I know or not

"Hey, kid." Gavin's voice comes from the darkness. I stop in front of him. He smokes a cigar as he leans against the wall beside the door to the hideout.

"Stop calling me that." I say. "I'm a grown man now."

"Yeah well, you'll always be a kid to me." He shrugs as he lets out a puff of smoke.

"Why did you call me out here?" I ask wanting to get to the point. The smoke slowly surrounds me, seeping into my clothes. Ari will have a lot of questions when she smells the smoke on my clothes.

"When are you going to stop being so cold towards me? Can't we just talk for a little while? Catch up on everything we've missed?"

"I went to prison for five years and you continued your dirty side business. Stop wasting my time. What do you want?"

He lets out another puff of smoke as his brows furrow. "Let's talk inside." He reaches over and bangs twice on the hideout door. He stands up straight and throws his cigar to the ground before stepping on it. The door opens, and I follow him inside. The door closes behind me and I see an unfamiliar man guarding the door. Where's Slim?

This man is built larger. Muscles appear from beneath his black shirt and his expression looks chiseled from stone.

"Brody, this is Derek." Gavin introduces me as we pass. Brody gives me a slight nod, his expression still hard. I look around the place and notice everything is the same except the men present. None of them are familiar to me. Could the ones left be out earning money?

I follow Gavin into his office which is also the same. He sits behind his desk and I sit in the chair in front.

"Do I want to know where all the old guys went?" I ask, already knowing the answer despite my hopes.

"After Jace, I couldn't trust anybody. So, I had to replace the old with the new."

"You killed all those men just because Jace was a traitor who cared more about money than loyalty? He was the only one working with Frank."

"As far as we knew." He narrows his eyes. "I don't make the same mistakes twice."

"You're a sick bastard, you know that?"

"Business is business. You know that."

I know the outcome to this kind of work. Gavin made sure I knew that the moment he took me in. But to kill all those loyal people because one guy made the wrong choice? Even that seems beyond him. How much has he changed in the past five years? Do I even know him anymore?