Liam
The night replays over and over again in my mind as I race towards Ella's house. From the moment I saw her at the club, I knew I was a goner.
Everything was perfect, from endless dancing, to how her body responded to mine, or so I thought... until she left.
But why?
No matter how many times I run it through in my mind, I come up blank.
Pulling into her driveway, my heart sinks. The lights are all off and her mail sits uncollected. She's not here.
I check my phone for the hundredth time, still no calls. My texts sit unread and unanswered.
My hand hovers over the call button, and I frown. If she was going to answer, she would have, but not knowing if she's okay or not is driving me insane. It's worse than not knowing why she left.
Flipping through my contacts, I land on Declan. I know he's with Sophia and is not likely to appreciate the interruption, but I can't sit here any longer.
Time ticks by at a snail's pace as the phone rings endlessly. On the fifth ring before it switches over to voice-mail, he finally picks up.
"You have got to be shitting me," he groans.
"I know, I know, but I wouldn't call if I could help it," I say, hoping he understands.
"Hang on." Muffled shifting takes over for a minute, then he's back, more alert. "What is it?"
"Has Sophia heard from El?" I ask, cutting to the chase.
"El? I thought she was with you?"
Sighing, I palm my forehead. "She was... I don't know what happened, but she took off—"
Sounds of a struggle cut me off. "What do you mean, took off?" Sophia snaps. "El doesn't just take off!"
"I don't know, one minute things were going great, the next she was gone—"
"The fuck do you mean, gone?! What did you do, Liam?" Sophia's tone drops dangerously, making me thankful she's on the other side of the phone.
"I didn't—"
"Talk to your idiot friend! I'm going to find El." Sophia announces.
"Wait, baby, we can go togeth—"
"This was a mistake," she growls, cutting him off. "I should have never left her with him!"
A door slams hard enough to make me flinch. I felt like shit, knowing that somehow I upset Ella, but knowing I've ruined Declan's night and Sophia's birthday leave me feeling like the ultimate piece of shit.
"Jeezus man, what did you do?" Declan says after a moment.
"Apparently ruined everyone's night." Frowning, I struggle to see where it all went wrong. "Don't you need to go after her?"
Declan scoffs. "Not if I want to keep my balls! She is in full momma bear mode and I'm not touching that with a ten-foot pole."
"Sorry, I just started freaking out when I couldn't find her. Believe me, you were my last resort."
"Gee thanks, asshole," he grumbles.
"You know what I mean," I deadpan.
Silence hangs heavy in the air for a moment before he continues. "I have to ask. You didn't, you know?"
"Didn't what?" I snap.
"Go all freaky on her and take her to your sex dungeon," he bites back.
"Jeezus no, what do you take me for?!" Sighing, I slump back in my seat. "I swear, it was just normal sex."
"Like hallmark, make love between satin sheets endlessly or..." he trails off.
"Like a heated ride back, hot kitchen, didn't quite make it to the bed," I clarify. "We were in my bedroom, not my playroom. I swear I left that side of me out of the equation tonight."
"Then what happened?" There's a hesitation in his voice, like he's not sure if he fully believes me.
"Fuck if I know, man. One minute she's falling apart around me, the next she's gone." My explanation is met with silence. He definitely doesn't believe me.
"Well, it's a safe bet that Soph isn't coming back. Why don't you go back home in case she returns? I'll let you know if I hear anything." Declan's tone is resigned, but there's not much else we can do.
"Okay. I'll talk to you later." I hang up and throw the car in drive, heading back to the garage. Aggravating as it is, Sophia knows El better than I do. All I can do is pray she's safe.
My mind tortures me the entire way home. To think mere hours ago I was coming home in a complete high, and now? What the fuck.
I enter, tossing my keys in the bowl by the door. My gaze lingers to the counter, where not long ago, I had her wrapped blissfully around me.
Trying to keep myself busy, I tidy up, then get ready for bed. Just as I go to pull back my blankets, my cell rings.
Without even looking, I answer on the first ring. "El?"
"Na, it's just me," Declan replies, his tone somber. "But she found her."
My mind races, wanting to ask a thousand questions at once. "Is she okay?"
Silence hangs heavily on the line.
"She's not hurt."
"Not hurt? What the fuck does that mean?" I snap.
"All I know is that Sophia called, said she found her, and she's safe with her..."
"What else did she say?" I ask, having heard the unspoken but.
"She told me to tell you not to call, to give her some space."
I sink down on the bed, my shoulders sagging as I try to figure out how this all went to shit. Instead, I focus on the important part. She's safe.
"I will, and thanks. I get the impression Sophia is pissed at me, but can you thank her for letting us know?"
"Will do. Try to get some sleep." He hangs up, no doubt relieved, but also disappointed at how his night ended.
With nothing left to be done, I crawl into bed and try to take his advice. Sleep proves elusive and only sees fit to claim me in the pre-dawn light.
-----
As far as Mondays go, this one takes the cake. Not only am I late for work, thanks to construction and accidents, but I feel like a zombie after my sleepless weekend.
Not wanting to wait in traffic any longer, I slip out of my town car and walk the last couple of blocks. As I round the corner, my mood sours even more.
Russel Renford leans up against the wall, his foot planted casually on the glass behind him as he waits. His tailored suit and brief case help him blend in like anyone else off to work.
"Liam, how good of you to stop by," he sneers.
"I'm late and not in the fucking mood—"
He grabs my arm, and it takes everything in me not to deck him right here and now.
"That makes two of us!" He growls. "You've taken everything from me, not once, but twice now!"
I jerk my arm free and take a threatening step forward. "Watch it," I warn.
"Or what?" There's a dark glint in his eyes that gives me pause.
"For starters, I didn't take anything from you. You ran your company into the ground. Trenton Tech, buying you out, saved you from bankruptcy, you idiot!"
"And my financing just going up in smoke when I'm poised to get it back?" he asks, arching a brow. "I suppose that's just a coincidence."
"Or they looked at the books," I scoff. "Trust me, you don't want me as an enemy. Your buyout package was more than fair and we haven't said shit about the laundered funds... keep pushing me and see what happens."
Russel glares at me, neither of us backing down for what feels like an eternity. Finally he relents, but the knowing look in his eyes leaves me unsettled.
"Remember this moment... you think you're untouchable, but just when you least expect it, I'm going to take what you care about most." Russel backs up, his gaze never leaving mine. "And I'm going to enjoy watching you crash and burn."
"Keep dreaming, asshole," I growl. "If you put half this much effort into keeping your business running, the board would have never put it in a fire sale."
I step towards him, leveling my gaze and towering over him. Business has a habit of turning ugly, particularly when it comes to mergers and buyouts, but it's never good when it gets personal.
"Remember this moment Liam," he parrots. "You won't know when or how, but I promise you that you'll wish you never crossed paths with me when I'm done." With his threat clear, Russel backs into the bustling crowd and is swept away.
Trenton Tech is nearly untouchable, but I'll have to brief Emilio to keep an eye out. Somehow, I'm certain he's not coming for our company. It'll be me.
Sighing, I try to brush his idle threats off and focus on the shit show I'm already dealing with. We're still halfway dealing with Renfords, and before everything went to shit, Ella was supposed to be with me all week.
She could already be in my office, hard at work and waiting for my late ass, or she could not be. The thought has me both anxious to see her but full of dread that she may not be there.
As I make my way through the lobby and upstairs, I feel like I'm in a fog. I thrive on control and yet? I don't feel like I have control over a single thing in my life!
This take over is literally a fly by the seat of our pants situation as we work to integrate HBC into our process. Sure, they're working wonders, but we needed them on board months ago. Then there's El.
What the fuck am I going to do there?
I don't even know what I did in the first place to mess things up. Declan has tried to help, but Sophia isn't having it. His best advice is to wait and give them space.
Not my strong suit...
Opening my office door, I immediately look to my desk, and find my shoulders sagging, seeing no El. I toss my briefcase on the coffee table and kick the door shut. With how distracted I am, part of me wonders if I should even be here.
"Lock it," Sophia orders from behind me. In my distracted state, I missed her seated on the sofa, her formal black outfit blending into the shadows.
She's a veil away from being dressed for a funeral... maybe this is mine?
I lock the door, then walk over to the intercom on my desk, hitting the button. A moment later, Todd answers.
"Hold all my calls, put me on, do not disturb." I release the intercom, knowing he won't ask questions.
Leaning against my desk, I wait for Sophia to make her move. She looks like a lioness as she watches me from the far side of my office.
She lifts herself off the couch and walks over, eyes locked on mine. "You and I"—she motions between us—"are going to have a talk."
I tick my jaw, irritated with how she's challenging me, yet I admire her loyalty. Nodding to the couches, I move over and take a seat.
"I'm all ears."