Olivia and Bec share a look. Bec may have not been abused by Donovan like Olivia was, but he wanted her too. Even if it was for a very different purpose. She leans into Connor. He wraps his arm around her shoulders and kisses the side of her head. Arden walks into the room and all eyes turn to him.
“Arden, I’m so glad to see you,” Olivia greets him.
He gives her a sad smile. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he tells her.
Lane walks in behind him. Olivia looks from him up to me. She was there when Lane revealed himself. He surprised me too. I wasn’t expecting him, but I’m sure we’ll find out about everything in a few moments. Olivia glances back at the door like she’s looking for someone else, and I know exactly who it is.
“Where’s Leo?”
Chapter seventy-eight
Olivia
Memories begin to flood back. Leo got shot. Maybe he’s at the hospital getting taken care of. Victor turns to me, so I focus my attention on him. That’s when I see it. My gut tightens and I hold my breath.
“Olivia.” He swallows and takes a deep breath. “Leo didn’t make it.”
Tears form in his eyes, and he rubs a hand over his chest. The breath I was holding whooshes out. Mia stirs in my arms. I turn to Caroline, who’s sitting next to me, and hand her back. Placing my elbows on the table, I put my head in my hands.
Victor wraps his arm around me and lays his forehead on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Olivia.”
His voice is gruff, like he’s trying to hold it together. I don’t even know how long Leo worked for Victor. As much as I grew to love him, I’m sure this is even harder for him. Tears fall downmy face as I turn to Victor and climb into his lap. He pushes his chair back and wraps his arms around me as I curl into him.
“He was like the brother I never had,” I whisper. My words are meant for Victor. He runs his hand down my hair.
“I know. He wanted me to tell you that you were the best little sister.” His voice shakes slightly. I clutch at his shirt, my tears soaking it.
“Victor,” I whisper. “I’m sorry. You’re going to miss him as much as I am.” I’m trying to not sob, but everyone is giving us a moment. They can all hear us because it’s so quiet in here.
“I am,” Victor says as he holds me tightly.
I take a few deep breaths, trying to bring my emotions back under control. Later, when everyone is gone, I’ll cry for him. I sit up and wipe my face. A tissue shows up in front of me and I look up to see Caroline extending it toward me. Giving her a grateful smile, I take it.
I move to get in my chair, but Victor holds me tighter, making it clear he’s not ready for me to move. So, I adjust myself, grimacing slightly at the sting in my arm. Once I’m positioned so I can see everyone, I swallow and sigh.
“What happened today and what’s going to happen next?” I ask.
“Lane, let’s start with you,” Victor says.
He glances around the room and runs his hand through his black hair. “The first day that flowers were delivered to Olivia, I swear I saw someone get out of the back of the van when the guy got the flowers out. I got out of my car and leaned against it watching the entrance and the van, but when the delivery guy came back, he nodded in greeting to me, got in his van, and drove off.” Lane shakes his head slightly and puts his hands in his pockets.
“That’s why I followed him, because something was off. He got out of the van and went inside. When he came back out, hehad some more flowers that he put in the back. He and another person made a few trips then took off to deliver those. I followed him and he delivered all of them.” Lane shrugs.
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” Victor asks. “Or Leo and Arden?”
Lane’s face flushes slightly as he looks around the room. “Looking back now, I realize I should have, but I felt so guilty when I realized the flowers came from Donovan. I should have been there instead. When I came back, I did sneak into the parking garage trying to find something, but didn’t find anything. Then we had our meeting, and I knew I had really fucked up, so I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to upset you more than I already had.” He takes his hands out of his pockets and folds his arms over his chest. “If I had spoken up, maybe Leo would still be alive.”
“Don’t do that,” Arden tells him. “That kind of thinking will mess you up.”
Lane gives him a nod, but I’m not sure if he’s listening. “Well, after you told me to be a bouncer at the nightclub, I decided during the day I would snoop around. I followed Donovan around and noticed you had Leo tailing him too. Leo confronted me one day about it.” Victor stiffens under me. “I told him the delivery of the flowers didn’t sit well with me and I couldn’t let it go. He told me to be careful and let him know if I found out anything.”
Victor huffs and looks at Arden. “Leo never told me that. Did he tell you?” Arden shakes his head.
“He probably didn’t want to worry you, but I never found anything until last week. The guy delivered the flowers and when he came back out with the flowers still in his hands, he called Donovan. Told him the flowers were rejected and asked what he should do with them. Of course I didn’t hear, but when he hung up, he walked around to the parking garage, found the sameplace I had been using to sneak in and out, dropped the vase of flowers, then left.”
I squint at him, wondering why the delivery man would do that. “I snuck into the garage and searched through the small mess and found what looked like some kind of chip or bugging device. So I took it and threw it in the Mississippi River. The reason I was there today is because I had planned on searching as much as I was able to before talking to Leo and you. But I never got the chance to do that. I heard the bomb and came to help however I could. I saw Donovan and his guys drop into the garage where the gate had been damaged, so I followed them and you know what happened after that.”
Lane exhales hard. Everyone remains quiet for what feels like minutes, but it may only be seconds.
