by Shay Violet
“I can send someone to get them for you,” he professes as if it’s the simplest task he’s ever been asked to complete.
I take a deep breath. I succumbed to the giddy, bouncing through the clouds, feeling in my psyche. I can’t suppress a grin any longer.
I nod before I say yes, but I’m already there. I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. I can’t live at this poverty-stricken level any longer. I can’t pay the electric bill. I don’t even have a job anymore. Who am I kidding?
I would be a fool to pass up his nanny offer. It’s like receiving a second start with a chance to make things right. I can improve the condition and quality of my life. All I have to do is tell him yes.
“all right,” I say. I hear the excitement layered in my voice. “You don’t have to twist my arm. I’ll do it.”
“You’ll… do it?” His eyes shine with elation. “I would hug you, but I promised to be professional.”
He gives me an adorable chuckle. “How about a handshake?”
I pump his hand. “It’s a deal. If I don’t have to handle the move. I hate packing.”
He laughs. “Consider it done.”
The sexy look in his eyes causes a puddle of arousal to dampen my panties.
We walk back to the car together. Liam gives us a confused glance, but otherwise doesn’t pry.
“Take us back to my house, please,” Jai asks.
Liam gives Jai a diplomatic nod. “Sure thing, boss.”
I climb in first, and then Jai after me. I catch a whiff of his cologne. It enhances my attraction to him. I’m flooded with desire again as he closes the door, sealing us into a confined space together.
I subtly push myself to the center of my seat hoping his knee will rub up against mine again on the ride back. I crave to feel that tickle of arousal surging through my body.
About halfway back to his house, Jai receives a phone call. As soon as he glances at the number, his face collapses.
He gives me an apologetic glance. “I’m sorry, I need to take this call. It’s… business.”
“No problem.” I wave it off dismissively and look out the window.
I can’t give him privacy because I’m sitting right next to him in a moving car, but I pretend not to be wired into his conversation.
As soon as he talks to the mystery person on the other end, I can visibly tell that he’s upset. His energy makes my stomach flutter with nervousness. He keeps exhaling sharply. He shakes his head.
“No,” he states repeatedly. “You have it all wrong.”
Then, out of nowhere, he abruptly hangs up the phone. He stares straight ahead for a few moments, breathing heavier than normal.
He looks at me. “I’m sorry. I have some business to attend to.”
“It’s fine.” I manage a meager smile. “Is something wrong?”
His features soften. For a moment, he looks like he wants to touch me, but he holds back.
I’m not sure how to read his smile. “It's nothing. Just business,” he affirms. “It won’t take me long.”
He raises his gaze to Liam as they make eye contact through the rearview mirror. I can't tell whether Liam knows what that strange phone call was about, but I know it’s not my place to ask.
“Will you drive her back to my house and make sure she gets there safely?” Jai asks, continuing to stare at Liam as if he’s counting on him to approve.
“You’ve got it, boss man.” Liam nods again.
This time, Liam’s eyes wander to me before quickly flickering away. He stares indifferently through the windshield, concentrating on the road in front of him while gripping the steering wheel with a tight fist.
He pulls over on the side of the curb. Jai gives me another apologetic glance. “I’m sorry, again.”
He swiftly opens the car door and hops out.
“Wait,” I cry out to him, stunned and leaning forward in the seat. “You are getting out… here in the road?”
Before he can provide a reply, the car door slams shut and Liam takes off, whisking me away with more questions than answers that pulse through my shocked mind.
7
Jai
I watch the car peel out and race down the street. The guy doesn’t even brake as he merges into the seamless flow of already moving traffic.
Why the hell does Liam have to drive so damn fast? He acts like he’s driving in a video game, not real life. The tires peel out. I roll my eyes and mutter ‘moron,’ under my breath, but I still trust him enough to get Aurora back to my apartment in one piece.
After watching the car take off down the street and making sure that it’s gone from view, I take off down the street on foot, running in the opposite direction from where Liam just left.
At the next intersection, I take a break to catch my breath and my bearings. I glance up and down the street. The light turns green, displaying a splash of vibrant color onto the black asphalt. The cars at the intersection methodically get going again, one by one in a row until everyone has passed through the light.
I pluck my phone from my back pocket, gearing up to make another call, this time to my head of security.
Amani answers on the first ring. He’s my right-hand man. I would trust him with my life. He’s the most reliable human I’ve ever met. We have a history, Amani and me. I brought him all the way with me from the United Arab Emirates to the United States and he’s been loyal every step of the way.
“Yes?” Amani asks curiously into the receiver.
“It’s me,” I whisper, still panting from the sprint. “I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything.” He doesn’t hesitate.
“I just got a call from that weird number,” I confess. “Something wasn’t right about the call this time.”
“What do you mean?” The pitch of his voice raises slightly with concern.
I glance over my shoulder. I feel paranoid. A couple walking a black poodle on a long leash stroll past me. I move aside to let them pass by, giving them a cordial smile as I attempt to remain calm and appear normal under the circumstances.
As soon as they leave, I whisper into the phone. The hairs are standing up on the back of my neck. I feel like I’m being followed, or, at the very least, watched.
“The first time, they threatened me, saying they are coming after me. This time though, they threatened…” I trail off with a pause and then add reluctantly, “Nadia.”
Amani is quiet for several seconds. “Did you recognize the voice?”
I shook my head. “No. It sounds like they were using one of those voice-altering machines when they talked.”
“What do you need me to do?” He asks.
“Will you track the number?” I ask.
“Yes, no problem, just let me know what it is,” he says.
Amani is my go-to man for all things regarding the tech world. He has all the equipment at his disposal as my first ranking security officer to do the job and to track the phone’s location.
I recite the number in a whisper, if someone is listening in to our conversation. A siren wails faintly in the distance.
The light at the intersection switches again, and all the cars stop in response. I take advantage to move across the street at the crosswalk. A moving target is more difficult to hit, I remind myself.
I hang up with Amani and try my best to wait for him to call me back. When he does, it’s only a matter of minutes. I jump, a little startled by the noise of my phone shrilly ringing through the otherwise silent early evening.
Dusk settles over the city. The streetlamps flicker on, casting a yellow glow that floods the sidewalks in front of me.
“Amani?” I breathe out in a hushed whisper.
“It’s me,” he confirms. “It was a burner.”
“The call came through on a burner phone?” I ask.
My confidence shatters and disappointment shears me like a scythe.
Amani inhales sharply. “Unfortunately. It was just a cheap throwaway, just l
ike the last time.”
This isn’t the first time that someone has called me from a burner phone and tried to intimidate me, but I’m equally infuriated, even more so than last time because this time they threatened my daughter.
Is there someone out there watching me? I toss a suspicious glance over my shoulder and pick up the pace, walking briskly toward the center of town.
“Can I ask you something?” Amani asks.
“Yes,” I reply.
He clears his throat with a professional demeanor. “As head security officer, I feel like this is something I should know.”
“Just spit it out then,” I command.
“What did the caller say to you this time?” He asks. “You seem a little more… rattled by this one in particular.”
“I am,” I declare.
I whip down a side street and keep going, head tucked down, taking enormous strides. Every few minutes I scan the area to make sure there’s no one trailing me. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, which perturbs me even more.
“Nadia,” I say abstractly as my thought progress form from fragments. “The caller threatened Nadia.”
“You said that before, boss,” Amani offers gently to keep me pacified. “What did the caller say, exactly? It might drum up some clues.”
“You’re right.” I nod and stop beside a coffee shop, taking a rest because I have a stitch in my side.
I prop myself up against the side of the brick exterior as people walk in and out. I scrutinize them, wondering if anyone’s behavior looks shady. Disappointment settles into my brain after several minutes of watching coffee patrons enter and exit. Nothing sticks out, and it’s frustrating.
“At first, I thought it was another prank caller,” I explain. “The call never lasts long, only a few seconds at most. Never more than a minute or two.”
“Uh-huh,” Amani says as if he’s taking mental notes on the subject.
I heave a sigh and glance up at the sky, lined with scattered pastel colored clouds, painting the atmosphere with an orangish sunset glow.
“In this second call,” I report, “I thought at first it might be a disgruntled employee looking to fuck with my head. Possibly it was a rogue journalist,” I add as an option. “That could still be the case.”
“Do you have any names in mind?” Amani asks.
“I wish.” I feel like I’m hitting a dead end. I need more information. “Whoever this is, they are dangerous.”
Amani lets out an ironic chuckle, but there’s no humor in his voice. “That is saying something, coming from you, boss.”
“I know.” He has a point. Nothing scares me.
As a sheikh living in America, I’m used to being threatened. It just comes with the territory in my job. I’m a man in power, and that often threatens people, thus they spend their time thinking of schemes to make me crash and burn. I’ve had to battle with injustice my entire life. It’s nothing new, and I can deal with it, mostly.
I harbor enough self-assurance to know I can defend myself. This time, however, it’s different. My child is involved, and I won’t turn a blind eye. I’m a Papa Bear, who will stop at nothing to defend his vulnerable cub.
“Threatening my daughter is an unforgivable offense,” I hiss through clenched teeth into the phone.
Amani was quiet for a few moments “Sir?”
“Yeah?” I stare blankly at the street in front of me.
“You still haven’t told me what the caller said to you this time.”
I snap out of my mental fog. “Oh. Right.” I shift my weight and stop leaning against exterior of the coffee shop.
“I could tell that the caller was a man, even with the voice altering device.” I go quiet for a moment, shuddering at the memory of the eerie call. “The man said that he knows who my wife was with when she died.”
The silence on the other end is defeating. There’s too much noise whirling around like a wind tunnel through my head. I desperately need Amani to say something, anything. He could say he’s the caller in question and the break in the silence would be a relief.
I’m still no closer to identifying the caller, and Amani isn’t sprouting out any suggestions either. I feel like I need to punch something. There must be a healthier way to vent the toxic energy building up inside of me.
“Where are you, sir?” Amani asks after an extended pause.
“Why?” My eyes pan the sidewalks. Wariness roars like a freight train in my mind.
“I’ll send a car. I’ll send someone to pick you up,” he explains.
I shake my head. “No. That won’t be necessary.”
“Are you sure?” Amani sounds like he isn’t willing to take no for an answer.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and squeeze my eyes shut, trying to keep the dull throb of a brewing migraine at bay.
“I’m fine,” I assure him. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to be picked up.”
“Okay. Well, let me know you need anything—”
I hang up the phone before he finishes his sentence. I don’t mean to be curt with him, but I know what I need to do now. I race down the street, toward the only place where I know I’ll feel secure and I’m needed.
8
Aurora
I’m standing on the front steps of Jai’s house, which is a mansion. I take a deep breath and try to keep the butterflies pattering around in my stomach at bay. I wait, listening to the fancy chime of the doorbell echoing through the inside of the house.
“You can do this, Aurora,” I remind myself with an ironic chuckle. “Remember, you have nothing to lose.”
It’s not like I have much going for me on the other side of town. I have no job, and my lights are getting ready to be cut off. An eviction notice will inevitably soon follow.
Light footsteps draw nearer. The door swings open. A chubby woman wearing a black uniform opens the door. She has a stout neck, plump fingers, and a bright and welcoming smile.
“You must be Aurora,” she says.
“Yes…” I say and take a guarded step inside. I’m still trying to figure out the boundaries, and the situation is a little daunting.
The woman’s laughter is delicate as she beckons me inside with a wave of her hand. “Come in. Nadia has been talking about you non-stop since you left.”
“She… has?” I smile.
“Absolutely.” The woman’s eyes are warm and friendly. “I’m Claire.”
She extends her hand and I shake it. “It’s so nice to meet you, Claire.”
If I have to guess, I’d say Claire is in her mid-to-late fifties. She has brown hair and chestnut eyes. She glances me up and down approvingly and then tells me to follow her up the gorgeous spiral staircase in the open, two-story foyer that offers spectacular natural light and high ceilings.
“I know this will be good for them,” she casually mentions as we step onto the second-floor landing. “It’s this way.” She points to a hallway on the right.
I follow her and my heart pounds every step of the way. Am I making the right decision here? I’m not sure yet. I’ll keep you posted on that one. All I know is, I need to follow my gut instinct and just let the universe paint a natural course for me. I’m tired of trying so hard to get ahead in life.
It seems like every time I improve my circumstances. I have to take two steps backward first. I don’t want to bitch and moan and make you feel sorry for me. It’s not like that, I promise. I’m not entitled either. I’m just looking for a way to keep a roof over my head and food in my belly, and this seems like the most convenient and quickest way to get there.
Look, I’m exhausted, but can you blame me? I just want a way out. This seems like the best way to take a shortcut to financial freedom, but I will do my best to keep that little girl happy. She’s adorable, and she’s special.
Who knows? Maybe we need each other more than we realize. I just need to go forward with an open mind and an open heart.
We head up another set of stairs that go straight up,
leading to a third floor. At the landing, there is only one door at the end of a tiny hallway.
I wonder if this is an attic, but it just looks like an extension of the rest of the house. Claire swings the door open and steps aside to grant me access inside.
I take an expectant step inside, craning my neck to get a better view of what’s going on in the room.
“Welcome home.”
I turn around and stare at Claire. I know I’m gawking at her, but I can’t help it. I need to figure out a way to pick my jaw up off the floor. I’m so stunned, that my heart pounds and a giddy sensation is tingling in my stomach.
“You can’t be serious.” I laugh. I can’t control how cynical I sound. It’s just an instinctual reaction.
Claire’s face collapses pitifully and tugs on my heartstrings. I swallow hard and instantly try to undo the damage to her ego.
“I mean… it’s just really… exceptional. I’ve never had a room this nice.” I give her the sincerest smile I can offer and assess my surroundings.
The room is a dream. It’s a room fit for a queen. It’s beautifully designed and I don’t feel like I deserve something as spectacular as this.
On the wall in the center of the room is a fantastic canopy bed made of mahogany wood with little engraved details carved into the wood that would suit royalty.
Its white curtains are tucked back but could be drawn out to for a cocoon of privacy.
On the other side of the room is a giant flat-screen television hanging on the wall, adding a modern touch. The walls are a warm shade of rose color. On the wall next to the bed is a gorgeous vanity with a large oval mirror hanging above it.
I drift over to the vanity and pick up a bronze key. It’s heavy and has a few tarnished spots on it, giving it an antique look.
“This is cool.” I hold up the key for Claire to inspect.
She smiles. Her hands are resting by her lap, clasped together.
“Does it unlock a secret door to the castle?” I laugh and a little snort comes out too.
Claire’s face glows with a humored grin. “Unfortunately, I don’t believe that the key has any special purpose, dear.”
