Vaughn
Briar and I ate in silence for a few more minutes. I caught her looking up at me every several seconds, like she was building the courage to ask me another question.
I usually didn't care if someone wanted to ask me a question, or even talk to me for that matter. I was typically not a man of many words, but I let her ask whatever she needed.
"Do you have something to say?" I asked, and her eyes widened, she knows she's been caught.
She took another drink of her coffee, and I put down my fork, placing all my attention back on her. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, "Speak, little lamb." I demanded.
"This just isn't what I was expecting, y'know?" She admitted, "Like, when I got taken from that bar, I just, I don't know, knew I was going to die." She winced at the words, "And now, I'm sitting at a large table in a million dollar estate, eating breakfast with what I've heard is a very powerful, and brutal man who just told me he will get me vegetarian food, I'm just confused is all." She shrugged, and I leaned back in my seat.
If only she knew I was confused at my actions as well. There was no rhyme or reason for her being alive. I just listened to my gut, and my gut told me not to kill her yet.
"Make no mistake I still have not decided what to do with you," I told her, and her face dropped in response, "I am not a kind man, and it would do you good to never believe I am." She nodded her head, and her I could see she bit her cheek inside her mouth. I noticed it was her nervous tick.
I took a last swig of my coffee, and I heard her soft voice again, "Why don't you know what you're going to do with me?" She asked, and I clenched my jaw.
"Ask me any other question." I told her, and she stayed silent for a moment, then with more confidence she asked, "What did Jordan Anforth do to get murdered?"
"That's your one question?"
She nodded her head, "He claimed he was innocent the night he-" She stopped herself for a second, "He said he didn't do what he was accused of."
"Why do you need to know?"
"Because you ordered the hit, right?" She asked, and I nodded my head once, "So however you answer this question reflects on you. Are you sure he was innocent?"
I let out a scoff, "One hundred percent sure." I told her, and she still looked curious, so I ran a hand over my jaw, "You want to know what Anforth did to get himself killed?"
"Yes." She persisted. Stubborn little lamb.
It made me sick even thinking about Jordan Anforth, nevertheless justifying my actions to a nineteen year old girl, but I did it anyway, "He was a fuckin' pedophile. Tried to rape his thirteen year old step-sister on several different occasions. That satisfy you, lamb?" I sneered out, with an unintended voice raise, and I could see the immediate hurt on her face. I knew I should've calmed down, but I felt so shitty talking about it, almost like I was partially responsible, like I should have found out sooner.
And there was just something about Briar that unsettled me, in both a good and bad way. Part of me wanted to kill her to get it over with, but the other wanted to wrap her up and never let her leave my sight.
It was a very new, and very conflicting feeling.
"I'm sorry." I apologized for what I think was the first time in my life, "I shouldn't of raised my voice."
"It's fine." She told me, tears falling from her eyes.
I never did well with tears, especially the female kind. That's why I made an albeit stupid decision, "If you would like, as a formal apology, I will show you around the estate tonight."
Gia had mentioned that Briar wanted to take a look around, and it was only fitting I took her myself. She wiped her eyes while letting out a small sniffle, "Really? You'd do that?"
I went to respond, but at the same time Rich popped his head in the doorway "Don, a word please?"
Rich saw I was sitting with Briar, and he looked between the both of us with surprise on his face. I stood up from my chair, and looked at Briar, "Go ahead and finish your breakfast, and be ready by five tonight. I'll take you around the grounds, then we will eat dinner." I told her, and she gave me a soft smile with a nod in return. My heart beat faster at her gesture, and I didn't like it. Not a single bit.
Once I turned the corner and was out of earshot of Briar, which wasn't far, Rich filled me in.
"We know who the man from the video is."
I motioned for him to continue.
"His name is Thomas Crenshaw, and he lives here in Boston. But here's the kicker, he currently works under Oliver Mason." He told me, and that didn't surprise me. Oliver was a Don under me, a very annoying and careless Don, but still one nevertheless. So it didn't shock me in the slightest that he had scum working for him, when he was scum himself.
"How close is this Crenshaw fucker with Mason? What's the line of succession?" I asked Rich, "Pretty damn close. He's a consigliere."
For Crenshaw to be Mason's third, that meant he was well trusted and respected. But I didn't give a single fuck about that. Mason worked under me, and if I wanted to skin one of his employees alive, he'd better thank me for it, and fuck right off afterward, "Bring him back here to the basement. He will answer to me." I decided, and Rich let out a sly grin, "Yes sir."
Briar
Just as he promised, Vaughn came and got me around five o'clock that night. He took me through the garden, which I loved with my whole heart. I got to see the very last stages of a few vegetables that were about to be harvested, as well as a few remaining flowers and plants, but most of everything was gone because of the harsh Boston weather.
We then walked by the pools and hot tub, and Vaughn spoke for the first time in a couple minutes, "The hot tub is open year round, but the pools are already closed for the winter, so you won't be able to use it until next summer." He told me, and I let out a little laugh, "That's considering I'll be alive next summer," I gave him a playful look, which he didn't find as funny as I did.
"I also can't swim, so I probably won't use it much." I shrugged, trying to mow over the awkward joke, and we continued on our tour.
We walked past a vast lake, and it was so beautiful that my jaw literally dropped. The wide lake was a deep blue in color, with huge pine trees outlined in the back round. There was a line of sand where the ocean met the land, and even a dock that stretched into the middle of the lake, but it looked slightly outdated. Overall, this lake looked like it belonged in a brochure.
"This is like, the most beautiful lake I think I've ever seen," I told Vaughn with an uncontrollable smile, "I could stay right here forever." He was silent at my words, and when I looked over at him I saw he was already staring at me.
He looked away, and shoved his hands down to his pockets. As we walked down closer toward the shoreline of the lake, I felt a slight breeze, and I let out a shiver, "Cold?" He asked, and I nodded my head, "Yeah, just a little."
Gia had given me a new sweatshirt and shorts to wear, but I was still chilly. He started to take off his suit jacket, and I thought my eyes were going to bug out of my skull. I've never had anyone give me their jacket before. I swallowed down my tears as he helped me thread my arms through the right place, "We'll get you some clothes tomorrow, I'll let you borrow something of mine tonight." He told me, and I was going to argue, but I figured I didn't want to sleep in the same clothes I had been wearing all day, so I just told him, "Thank you, Vaughn."
Neither one of us talked for a few minutes, and Vaughn broke the silence first, "I saw what happened to you at my bar that night. I watched the video and I saw that man with the bun grab your ass."
"Oh yeah," I swallowed thickly, "That was Thomas, my ex-boyfriend, if you could even call him that." I rolled my eyes at the memory of the most flour like human being I ever met.
Vaughn gave me a surprised look, "Just know that I have people looking for him. He won't get away with what he did." He told me in a sincere voice, and I turned toward him, "You don't have to do that for me," I told him sternly, "I'm serious, it's fine."
"Sexually assaulting a woman is not fine, Briar. Men in my culture lose their hands, and sometimes their life over that shit."
Thing is, I knew I should've been upset, maybe even fought him back a little, but no one in my life has ever cared enough to defend me, so I was going to take this small win, "Thank you." I told him with a small smile, which he didn't return.
"I also want you to know, I've read your file."
My stomach dropped down to my vagina as I bit the inside of my cheek, "And?"
"It puts the situation into perspective." I didn't know what that meant, and I figured he wouldn't give me a straight answer anyways, the man was terrible at communication.
Vaughn didn't say anything else, just turned back toward the house, and reached to put his hand on the small of my back to guide me. But before he could take a step, I unconsciously reached out to touch his stomach, "Can I come back out here, like tomorrow?"
He looked deep into my eyes, and nodded his head once, "Sure, just be careful on the dock. It's worn down in some places, but it should be okay."
I couldn't contain the smile if I wanted to.
•••
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