“Done. I’m gonna need to know a bit more about her though. The things she likes and dislikes. Mental health issues? There’s some information in her files, but it's not a clear enough indication of who she is. My contacts can help, but I need to know I’m not going to put her into a situation that’s going to cause her more harm.”
When I started working this kind of job, I knew connections would be everything. I needed people I could rely on when the moment called for it. So, whenever I wasn’t buried in textbooks, I was digging into names, figuring out who I could sway with a favor… or pressure with blackmail.
I didn’t say I was perfect.
“I’ll get you a file of all the information you need, but I need this done ASAP. The senator is looking at getting her back into school to finish her studies, but it needs to be somewhere she isn’t going to be recognized and have questions asked.”
I nod, a plan formulating in my mind about who and where. I just need to fine-tune the minor details. “Done.”
Frank stands up, straightening his jacket. “Keep this up, Theo, and you’ll be promoted in no time.”
The smile I give doesn’t reach my eyes as I watch him walk out and close the door behind him. Feeling like everything’s becoming too much, I decide taking a walk might be a good idea to rid myself of this anxious energy that’s swirling around.
Unfortunately, I find the bane of my existence with her nose in a book the moment I enter the library. Her hair’s pulled off her face in a severe ponytail that only enhances the curve of her neck where it meets her collarbone, one I’ve had the displeasure of running my tongue over.
My hands clench at my sides, and my jaw ticks as I watch the woman who single-handedly broke me. It was my own fault for trusting her, for falling in love with her, only to find out she’s a manipulative bitch who loves to lie.
Paybacks coming, firefly. I’m going to destroy you and everything around you.
Pushing away from the door, I walk over to her. She must not hear me approach, so I bend down to her ear and shout, “Boo.”
Blake screams as she jumps in her chair and clutches at her chest.
I laugh. Tears stream down my face, and my sides hurt. Her face is priceless, and I really need to do this more often.
“What iswrongwith you?” she exclaims, her chest heaving up and down, probably from the shock of her life.
“A lot of things, firefly,” I reply, my tone laced with venom. “All of which isyourdoing.”
Blake rolls her eyes. “Give it a rest, Theo. It wasn’t all my doing. You were fucked up before I met you.”
“God, I hate the sound of your voice,” I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose.
She huffs out a laugh. “Yet here you still are. Following me around.” She stands up, grabs the book, and returns it to the shelf. After selecting another one, she walks back to her seat and opens the pages without a care in the world.
“Have you found anything yet?” I bark, not wanting to delve into how right her words are. WhydoI keep seeking her out? “We’re on a tight time frame.”
Looking up from her book, Blake gives me a scathing look. “Oh, so now you want to share notes?”
“I’m your superior; you’re to share everything with me,” I growl, my patience wearing thin. I was supposed to go on a nice little walk to clear my head, but then this little witch comes along and winds me the fuck up.
“Tell you what, big guy, you share with me, I’ll share with you. Until then”—she tilts her head toward the door—“fuck off.”
Breathe, Theo. In, hold, out. In, hold, out.
“I don’t remember you ever having a mouth on you like this,” I muse, a little turned on and a lot pissed off.
“That’s because you met the me that hadn’t been massively fucked over yet,” she answers, her tone low.
“You got fucked over? I think it’s the other way round, firefly,” I snarl.
“Jesus Christ, Theo,” she exclaims, whirling around. “Give it a rest. It’s like a broken record keeps spinning every time you open your mouth.”
My feet move of their own accord, and before I know it, I’m close to her, so close I can smell her perfume—the one that always used to make my dick hard the second I smelled it. I get hit with a wave of nostalgia, one so hard it nearly knocks me off my feet, but I squash it deep down to the depths of nowhere.
Blake is nothing. Less than nothing.
“Come on, Theo. I need you. Please.”Whispers of the past hit me, and my brain goes into meltdown.
