“M-Mr. Holloway, welcome back.” Jennifer blinked at him, a bead of sweat forming on her brow.
“Hmph. I don’t see how getting accounts of you threatening another employee while I was away, witnessing the beautiful wedding of Nathan and Delilah on the beach, as much of a welcome.”
She shook her head desperately. “No, sir, I didn’t do anything like that.”
Jack rocked back on his heels and stared at her. “I don’t much like emails like that while I’m away on vacation. Especially when they are from your supervisor’s supervisor with multiple accounts from different women in the office stating they’d been attacked by you.” Jennifer’s face paled and she sunk back. “Make sure your schedule is clear this afternoon, Miss Watson.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
“Now, I believe you all have work to do.” He smiled at them with an almost eerie calm.
They all slunk back to their cubes, pretending to work—something I still wasn’t convinced they ever accomplished.
Jack turned to us and beamed. “I’m missing that beach about now.” He laughed as he patted my back and walked us down the hall.
“Thanks, Jack. I was about to lose it.”
Jack nodded. “I noticed. You didn’t even hear your wife calling your name and tugging on your arm.”
I looked over to Lila, who nodded. “I was afraid you were going to punch her.”
I sighed and pulled on my neck. “I almost did.” I glanced at Jack. “Was that true?”
Jack smiled and leaned close, looking around to make certain no one overheard. “There have been whispered complaints going on from some of the senior staff for some time. While we were away, Owen took it upon himself to detail their actions. Some of it was on video. He emailed Stanley Wick, stating that her supervisor refused to take action and it was upsetting many of his coworkers.”
Lila was right—Owen could hold his own. I laughed.
“Stanley looked into it. Seems Jennifer has been…coercing good progress reports from her supervisor, Daniel.”
Lila scoffed at the news. “Doesn’t surprise me in the least, especially after watching the way she went after Nate.”
Jack looked around again. “David and I have taken an interest in the matter, especially seeing as a supervisor was involved and in a way that violates many company policies.”
I looked at Jack when he referenced his brother—the other Holloway in the company name. “I thought David retired.”
“He still pokes around from time to time, keeping tabs. Stanley contacted him first, since I was away.” We stopped in front of Lila’s door and Jack held out his hand, shaking mine before taking Lila’s. “Have a good day, you two.” He turned to leave, then looked back. “I’ll keep you apprised of the situation, seeing as you both are involved and have had altercations. We’ll probably need to meet with each of you later.”
I nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” I pulled Lila close as he walked away. She looked up at me as she leaned in, arching into me.
“Ahem.”
We blinked at each other and peeked into the office. Owen was peering over his monitor, staring at us. “If you’re going to make out, can you do it somewhere else?”
“Ha.” I flipped him off and leaned down for one last succulent kiss to get me through the day.
It was hard to let her go, to be separated from her. She pushed away with a reluctant sigh and headed to her desk, a deep frown as she looked over all the files covering the top.
“Hey, thanks, Owen.” I tipped my chin at him.
He looked up at me and smirked. “For what?
I nodded in agreement to his sneaky maneuvers and gave him a thumbs up. “You’re all right, man.” I looked back to Lila and kissed the air at her. “Have a good day, Mrs. Thorne.”
She beamed at me. “You too, Mr. Thorne.”
CHAPTER 10
Later that day, I worked my way through an easier case file, when my email pinged with a new message from Lawrence, the prosecutor in Adam’s case. My eyes scanned over the message, and I cursed. Not news I needed to hear after such a wonderful week in paradise.
My knee bounced as I stared at the screen. The news was fucking up all of our hopes. It seemed that a dark cloud was now crashing down on us. I stood, throwing the door open and walking as fast as I could down the hall. I slammed my hand down on the open door, startling both the occupants of the large office.
Lila stared up at me. “Nate?”
“We need to take a break.”
My agitation must have been obvious, because she nodded and locked her computer. She looked over to Owen as she grabbed her jacket and swung it on. “I’ll be back.”
My fingers tangled with hers as soon as she reached me, and I practically dragged her down the hall. I pressed the call button for the elevator over and over, but she didn’t say a word. One finger slipped inside my wrist, followed by another, caressing the soft skin, and I settled down. It wasn’t enough, but it helped.
By the time we arrived at the main floor lobby, I’d calmed down enough that I was no longer dragging her along behind me. I still kept a brisk pace, one she had a little trouble keeping up with for the few blocks down the street and around the corner to Starbucks.
I shuddered, a sickening feeling overcoming me every time I passed the intersection in front of the store. The memories always bombarded me—her totaled car, her blood, her lifeless body. There was no doubt I would never overcome the images—they were burned in my brain.
The door swung open as we approached, and I caught it, holding it open and guiding her in. We ordered our drinks and waited at the end of the counter.
She never said a word, never asked what was wrong. I looked down and caught her curious gaze. In the depth of her eyes, I swear I could see every question she wouldn’t ask, and they were all laced in fear. I pulled her close and kissed her forehead, the action relaxing her a bit, and she blew out a long breath.
We found a small table and sat down. I didn’t speak, taking a sip instead. As we sat there, the anger and agitation slowly slipped away. The email had gutted me, leaving me feeling helpless, unable to protect her from the devil that haunted her.
“I didn’t know… I just found out, but they don’t charge habitual anymore for anything other than drugs,” I said, finally able to break the bad news.
Her face paled, and she dropped the cup from her lips. “Wha…what do we do now?”
I sighed and rubbed my face. “The prosecutor said he’s going to throw everything he can at him. There are a couple of class D felonies and some lesser offenses.”
“How much time is that?”
“Less than before.” I shook my head. My body felt like it was weighed down by a lead ball on my chest. “Not for the rest of his life, which is not good enough for either of us.” My anger began to boil at the thought of him on the loose, free to find her again. My jaw clenched, teeth grinding together. “It would be safer for him if he was in jail, because if I ever see his face in the world again after the trial, I will kill him.”
Lila placed her hands over my balled up fists for a brief moment before standing. I looked up at her but didn’t find the expression I expected. There was no fear. I’d just told her there was a possibility the man who’d tried to kill her more than once could be out in the world in a few short years, and she was smiling at me with tears in her eyes.
She sat down on my lap and grabbed my hands, wrapping my arms around her.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Her hand cupped my cheek and her fingers caressed my skin, lighting the familiar tingle of warmth I always got from her touch.