Bloodthirsty Bastard: A Hero Club Novel

by T. L. Christianson

  My boss’s brow furrowed as some emotion flitted across his face.

  “Is there something I’m not doing? Let me know if I’m not doing a job that I’m supposed to do.” I bit my lip.

  “Nothing comes to mind,” he told me briskly before plugging some kind of drive into his computer.

  Awkwardly, I realized that I’d been dismissed.

  The hospital was a lot farther away then I’d expected and took nearly two hours in LA traffic. By the time I’d made my way up to the maternity ward and into Ashley’s room, half the day was gone.

  “Hello? Ashley? It’s Caroline Blakely…” I called while knocking on her door.

  “Come in!” Came a slightly breathless answer from inside.

  I felt self-conscious like I should’ve brought flowers or something to this poor woman. She sat in bed with the television on across the room.

  Ashley was not what I had expected from the video chat. With her tan skin and silky auburn hair and perfect features, I’d thought her to be around my age—mid-twenties. However, in person, I realized from the telltale signs of aging that she was closer to my mom’s age than my own.

  “Hi, so nice to meet you!” I handed her the card. “This is from Ethan.”

  “I see you lookin’ at me. That’s all right, I know I’m a bit older to be a momma—forty two. Sometimes life brings you surprises.” She said in her twanging southern accent. “So, how’s it been at Dumont?”

  I bit my lip and shrugged. “It’s great.”

  “So what do I owe the pleasure of a visit?” She asked as I stood uncomfortably by her hospital bed.

  “Ethan sent me here to deliver that envelope. Also, he wanted you to go over all your duties with me—I thought I had them down pat…but….” I trailed off.

  The pregnant woman laughed and smiled warmly at me. “Yeah, that sounds like Ethan. He lives in his own world. I’m glad you came out though, I can fill you in on everything I do just in case you’re missing something. I have a bunch of things for you to take back to the office for me. Everything is in that bag over there. Go ahead and pull out my calendar—the paper one.”

  After doing what she asked, she joined me on a narrow hospital couch against the window. She began going over the schedule, her duties, and what she did on a daily basis. I knew most of this already from Mel but nodded anyway.

  After a long silence, she took my hand into her own. “I have a few pieces of advice for you.”

  I nodded, “Sure.”

  She began to tick them on her manicured fingers. “Never stay at Dumont past working hours. Always leave for lunch or stay with other employees, and whatever you do, do not get involved romantically with anyone at the company. Mel told me that Ethan likes you a bit more than he should. For your sake, I sincerely hope that it’s just professional.”

  “Huh?” My face must have been a mask of confusion because Ashley patted my hand.

  “Well, bless your heart. You seem like a sweet girl, I’m just trying to protect you.”

  I examined her large cornflower blue eyes. “How long have you been working there?”

  “Almost twenty years.” She narrowed her eyes at me significantly.

  “Oh?” Wow, I thought. She’d been at Dumont longer than Ethan.

  She pursed her lips. “Ethan Dumont is not what he seems.”

  I let out a laugh on my breath. “What? He’s not some Silicon Valley cocky bastard?”

  Ashley hesitated before smiling back, “Well, yes, he definitely is that.”

  “Then what?” I leaned forward, hoping she’d open up.

  Instead, the woman pulled away. “Nothin’ honey. I’m just bein’ silly.”

  I stared at Ashley, but she refused to meet my gaze.

  When I returned to Dumont, Ethan’s door was closed. I opened the schedule Ashley had given me. There was a daily appointment I’d not had in my own digital calendar. Every day from noon to 12:30pm, the initials MBS had been entered.

  A lightbulb came on in my head. MBS wasn’t only the sleepy woman on Ethan’s couch that first day, but all the other women who wandered in and out of this office.

  Yep—MBS must be a group of high-end call girls.

  A click signaled me to Ethan’s door opening. Checking my phone, I saw that it was 12:32. And as my eyes lifted to my boss’s door, it opened. To my surprise, the call girl was a man today, young and handsome but with the same disoriented appearance as the women.

  Perched on the edge of my chair, I watched him make his way through the quiet and empty space like a zombie. Jumping up, I followed and sped into the foyer. The MBS zombie man got into a black town car, and the vehicle was gone.

  “Just minding our own business, are we?” Came Mel’s sarcastic voice from behind me.

  I snorted. “I’m going outside to vape. I get a break, don’t I?”

  “You usually use the courtyard. It looked like you were following one of Ethan’s friends.”

  Damn, I was terrible at spying.

  “People are eating lunch in the courtyard, so I figured I’d go out front. It’s called manners.” Turning around, I pursed my lips and lifted one brow. I found this expression useful when dealing with disobedient teenagers or haughty peers. Although, in this case, the recipient wasn’t entirely as predictable.

  The office manager smiled meanly and let out a breathy laugh. “Be careful little girl, there are some things you can’t unsee. Some things you can’t unlearn.”

  With my back to her, I rolled my eyes and pulled open the heavy door just enough to slide through.

  Sitting down on the bench, I examined Ethan’s motorcycle. It was yet again parked on the entryway under the overhang of the roof. I sucked on my vape, feeling agitated.

  My boss’ words played in the back of my mind, “That’s a nasty habit.”

  I knew it was, but when I’d taught a semester in Dublin, all my fellow teachers had smoked, and I’d thought vaping was an easy way to join them.

  Now, I was addicted to nicotine.

  Sighing, I stood and leaned against the building where the sun had warmed it this morning.

  Dumont Tech was a strange place to work, and I definitely felt my master’s degree in education was going to waste.

  I would miss being around Ethan when Ashley came back.

  I shook my head, disgusted at myself. What was I—fourteen with a crush?

  I was a grown woman.

  Ethan was way out of my league. For god’s sake, I’d heard rumors that Ethan was the actual creator of bit-coin—which is definitely ridiculous…or is it? Tech god, Ethan Dumont, creating bit-coin? Hmmm…

  I should quit this job before I did something stupid—or something embarrassing.

  I coughed—I should also quit vaping.

  Poking my cheek, I watched the white rings of smoke float up and away from me.

  I knew I wouldn’t do either—at least not right away. I was too addicted to both vaping and that cocky bastard, knowing full well that both were bad for me.

  Inside, the day went on as usual. I lost myself in Ashley’s notes and schedule until the sun made long shadows on the ground, and everyone began filtering out to go home.

  Getting up, I stretched and took the few steps toward my boss’s closed door.

  Knock, knock, knock, I tapped with my knuckle on the smooth wood.

  After no response, I decided to leave.

  “Caroline, come in,” came a smooth voice from the other side.

  Sliding inside, I settled in one of the chairs opposite Ethan’s desk.

  The surface of his large workspace had been tilted at a slant like an architect’s drawing board.

  My boss was engrossed in a detailed technical drawing. I wanted to peek over the top, but I stayed rooted in my spot instead.

  “I just wanted to see if you still needed me or if I could head home.” My voice came out breathless. It always came out breathless around this man.

  His pale eyes met mine for a brief moment. “You�
��re fine. You can go. I’ll be working into the night.”

  “Do you need anything before I leave?” I picked up his water bottle to refill it.

  “No. I’m fine.”

  A little disappointed, I scurried off to the kitchen, where I refilled his bottle before returning it to his desk.

  He made no movement nor glance to tell me he’d seen me when I returned it.

  I needed to stop acting so weird.

  Just because I felt chemistry didn’t mean that he did too.

  Ethan probably just had this effect on women.

  Loud grinding was coming from the back shed as I walked up and unlocked the house door with my key. As I entered, Pixy meandered up to me, and I began to scratch beneath the chin with one hand while my other stroked his back. “That’s a good boy. How are you, sweetheart?”

  My cat, Lucy, strode along the top of the couch, pretending not to notice me.

  I did a double-take. There had been a dramatic increase in throw blankets on the leather sofa. Today they covered the entire piece of furniture.

  “What the…?” Two steps took me within arm’s length of the couch. Lucy lay on the back of it, grooming herself with long slow strokes.

  Bending, I lifted up one of the blankets and gasped. Deep scratches marred the surface of the buff-colored leather. Some cuts were so deep that the white stuffing spilled out.

  When I moved another blanket from the arm, it revealed more long scrapes against the leather.

  “Lucy!” I exclaimed as a wave of nausea swept over me.

  I didn’t want to look under the other three blankets but knew I had to see the full extent of the damage.

  Pulling the feline from her perch in the sun, I quickly tugged at the remaining throws.

  A shout startled me from the back door. “Put those back on! Are you crazy? If Aubrey sees this, she’ll have a complete fit!”

  Chance stood filling the door frame. He wore a leather apron, and a welding helmet with the visor lifted.

  This was a murder scene.

  Aubrey’s lovely couch had been completely and utterly ruined.

  “This is really bad.” I sank to the destroyed couch. “How did Lucy get out? I’ve been locking her in my bedroom every day.”

  He pulled on his neck with one hand. “Yeah, about that. I’ve been letting her roam the house while you’re gone. She scratches at the door—why keep the poor beast locked up? Right? At first, it was just a couple of scratches, and I thought she’d get bored with the couch.”

  Turning to my cat, hands on hips, I berated the feline, “Lucy!”

  “More like Lucifer…” Chance offered, showing me angry red scratches down his arm.

  I squeezed my eyes closed for a moment, knowing this wasn’t Chance’s fault but my own. Lucy was my cat, after all.

  “Well, we can’t just cover this up with blankets. Maybe I can pay to have the couch recovered.” I said, biting my lower lip while I assessed the damage.

  “Yeah, but she’ll notice if the couch is gone. Just cover it back up. It’ll be fine.” Chance turned to go back outside.

  Shaking my head, I blew out a breath and called him back, “Chance? We’re going to have to tell her,” I said on an exhale.

  Chance turned back to meet my eye. “I know. I’ll do it. I let the beast out.”

  “No, I’ll do it. Lucy’s my cat.” I picked up one of the blankets and began recovering the sofa.

  “Here.” Chance handed me another blanket. “Let’s not spring it on her as she comes through the door. I’m going to pick up some takeout, and after dinner, we’ll break it to her gently when she’s all fed and loved up.”

  Setting his welding helmet on the counter, he pulled the apron off and grabbed the keys to his truck.

  “I’m leaving a little of the good part showing, so it’s not as obvious,” I said, draping the fabric.

  He gave me a skeptical expression before slipping out the door.

  Not five whole minutes after Chance left, Aubrey strode inside, a whirl of diligent energy.

  Her gaze landed on me in the chair reading. “You have saved me so much grief. Thank you so much for agreeing to work for Ethan.”

  Then her face fell as she caught sight of the sofa. Her shrewd eyes assessing the situation before she turned on her heel.

  With a shake of her head and sigh, she led me to her bedroom. “A clothing designer I’ve been working for brought me samples of her new line.”

  She pulled out a pale blue fitted blouse and navy skirt. “Here, try this on.”

  “Wait, why do you want me to wear them?”

  She groaned, “Because one, I don’t need them, and two, they won’t fit.”

  I bit the side of my cheek, examining my friend. She did look a bit thick around the middle, but I’d never say it aloud. Maybe it was just married life? Perhaps it was reasonable to put on a few pounds if you were happy.

  I slid out of my long sleeve blouse and wool pants before donning the fancy clothes. After buttoning the skirt, I folded the ruffled low cut collar to cover my exposed chest.

  “Ohhh…no. I can’t wear this. My bra is showing!” I turned to look at myself in the mirror.

  “Wear a different bra.” Aubrey tucked the shirt into my waistband. “You look so good.”

  I melted to the bed. “I don’t know. This is too sexy for me.”

  She pulled my hands away from my burning cheeks. “Caro, you look amazing in this. You need to stop doubting yourself. This outfit is fire on you!”

  Stepping back, she examined her handiwork, and I twirled slowly. “You look amazing! Step out of your comfort zone for once. Anyhow, how do you like Dumont Tech? You haven’t said much about the job.”

  I hedged, blowing out a breath. “It’s okay…Ethan’s intense. I don’t know…maybe I’m too flaky for office work.”

  “You are a little flaky, but you’re anal and organized because of it. Look, Ethan doesn’t trust a lot of people, but he trusts you. You’re perfect for this job right now, and he needs someone like you. He is super intense, but you’re a good balance for him—calm and eccentric.”

  “Aubrey, you know I love you, but in this case, I think you’re full of shit. Let’s be honest. We’re between Los Angeles and San Diego. Any number of people could do this job.”

  “No. There are tons of people who want that job—people who could steal secrets or code. I know for a fact that you aren’t one of them.” She smoothed the ruffles out on the shirt, exposing the pale swath of skin between my breasts.

  “Huh…” I gazed at my reflection again. “Did you write all those non-disclosure documents?”

  Aubrey turned her back to me as she looked through her closet, the dry-clean bags rustling against one another. “No, I only do copyright and patent law.”

  “Why don’t you ask the designer for these clothes in your size?”

  When she sucked in a breath, I groaned.

  “Because I don’t need them. But you could use some spicing up…”

  “Really?” I began unbuttoning the blouse.

  “Well…I know you dressed nicely at Windham Prep, but this is different. LA is…I don’t know, more stylish, and De Luz is very fashionable if a bit stuck up.”

  I groaned. “I thought I came out here to avoid all that.”

  She furrowed her eyebrows. “No, De Luz is great. It’s in the trees with avocado orchards, and that sort of thing—hey—stop sighing,” she told me as she held another silky blouse up to me.

  I shook my head. “No way. I’m not wearing red. I thought you didn’t wear red, either?”

  The corner of her lips turned up. “You look good in red. Look in the mirror.”

  We both gazed at my reflection. She was right about the color. The red brought out the faint blush in my pale skin and made my hazel eyes pop.

  Taking my hands, she frowned. “I’ve missed you, I’m so glad you’re here with me.”

  “Awe…Aubrey. You seem so happy.”

 
“I am. I have a wonderful husband, and I guess I’m selfish, but I want you here also. I want you to get married and have kids. We’ll meet for coffee and complain about our husbands.”

  I pursed my lips together before smiling, “I love that idea, and I’ll be here for you, but I’m not sure it’ll ever happen to me—the marriage and kids thing.”

  She let out a silent laugh on her breath. “Oh, Caro…”

  True to his word, Chance returned with Vietnamese takeout. Sitting around the kitchen table, I watched the pair and couldn’t help smiling. I’d never seen Aubrey more playful or relaxed. Chance did this for her. He brought out this easygoing side that I hadn’t seen for ages—or at least since she started law school.

  No one spoke much until our plates were nearly clean.

  Clearing her throat, Aubrey’s gaze flicked between her husband and I. “All right, you two, what happened to the couch?”

  “I let Lucifer out of the guest room,” Chance said. Bless him for trying to take the blame.

  “Aubrey, I’ll buy you a new sofa,” I told her.

  She rolled her eyes. “Well, I wasn’t in love with that couch, but you don’t need to buy a new one. It can’t be that bad. I don’t know, just get a new cover for it.”

  “I am so sorry…and I’m so sorry about last week in the kitchen.” I whispered the last part.

  “All right. Cat’s out of the bag,” Chance said, his Australian accent thick.

  Aubrey grimaced.

  Chance continued, “Caroline, it was the first night, and I completely forgot you were here.”

  I sank into my chair. Why had I brought this up? Me and my big mouth!

  “I didn’t see anything. I promise.”

  The Australian’s chest shook with laughter. “Mutton keeled over when you threw your glasses at him.”

  “I didn’t throw them, they got knocked off my face…out of…out of…being startled. It’s a miracle I didn’t faint,” I exclaimed.