And what you did, the voice in my head reminded me.
“What do you need?” The timbre of my voice had changed, hardening, reminding me of the girl I used to be and had long since buried.
“That’s better. You never know. You might even enjoy it. Make you get a taste for it again. You were too good to just walk away from it all. I see that now. I’ve never found anyone as good to replace you.”
“What do you need?” I asked again, ignoring every word out of his treacherous mouth.
“I’ve heard rumours that an old friend of ours has been talking. I need you to make sure our work is watertight. I won’t say anymore over the phone, but tomorrow morning. I’ll send someone to pick you up and leave details with them. Do the job, he’ll bring you home, and that’s it.”
“And the stuff you have on me… when do I get that back?”
“I’ll make sure you get it once I’m sure the past can’t come back to haunt me. Honestly, Hana, by this time tomorrow, I’ll just be a memory, and you can go back to ‘normal’ life.” I could hear the sarcasm in those final words.
“Fine. But you’re not picking me up from my house. I’ll text you where, and you can let me know what time and who to look out for.”
A noise that sounded like him clapping his hands together echoed down the line. “Excellent. I look forward to working with you again.” And with that, he hung up, leaving the room spinning and my world upending, my past crashing into my present with a force I couldn’t withstand. Once upon a time, my life nearly broke me, and I fought so hard to walk away. Still, it waited until I thought I was free, until I took that breath of relief, and then it grabbed my ankle and dragged me back. Only I wasn’t sure if I should just submit and go quietly or whether it would have to take me, kicking and screaming.
20
ROMAN
Jarridand I stepped out of Lanton House, the sun already setting. I rolled my neck left and right, clicking out the tension that came from sitting, staring at a screen for hours. I was used to it after all these years, but working for Thomas and Sean seemed to cause me way more stress than I was used to. I needed to blow off some steam, one way or another, and I knew just how I’d like to do it.
Hana.
My balls literally throbbed at the thought of her.
We began walking back through town, but instead of turning to where my car was parked, I headed in the direction of the diner.
“You have a hankering for waffles or something?” Jarrid joked as he pushed his hands into his coat pockets.
“Just want a coffee,” I muttered.
“Then why not go to the coffee shop?”
I flicked him my middle finger. “Fuck off.”
“Tell Hana I said hi.”
I recoiled. “Will I fuck.”
He laughed. “Best go get that coffee and show it a really good time before someone fitter and hotter snatches her away.”
Dread settled over me like ice hardening, but I ignored it. Hana was inside the diner, where she’d been since the early hours of this morning, yet I couldn’t shake the dread that had come from being away from her today.
Having her so close had taken my need to have eyes on her almost off the scale, and now I felt like a junkie chasing his next fix.
“Go,” Jarrid instructed as if he could read my panicked thoughts, and I left him standing there, striding the short distance to the diner.
Inside, it was busy: tables full, and staff hurrying around the place. I took a seat at the counter, looking to the waitress whose name I didn’t know.
“Is Hana about?” I asked when her eyes met mine and widened as a blush spread up her neck. She leaned forwards, resting her elbows on the counter, giving me a look at her large breasts. I wasn’t interested. There was only one woman I wanted to see.
“Hana… your boss. Now, please.”
She toyed with the gold cross around her neck. “She’s not here. Went home sick hours ago.”
I pushed up from the stool so fast spots appeared in front of my eyes as the blood took time to redirect to my brain. “What? No, she’s here.” I stopped myself before I let slip about the tracking software on her phone. The woman held up her phone. “She left this here, but she’s long gone.”
