My anger was draining away with every second. That’s how exhausted I was. Even though this asshole was playing games that made me want to spit fire and grow talons, I just couldn’t summon more energy.
I was utterly spent.
“I’m glad,” I replied, shifting my gaze to the computer behind him. Some of my hair slithered over my shoulder, swinging to partially cover my face.
I could feel him watching me, but honestly, I just wanted to close my eyes, to sleep and wake to find this was a nervous nightmare before my first day of work.
“Angelica,” he said sharply. “Miss Tetley has had enough for the day.”
Have I ever.
“S-She has? But of course, sir.”
Poor Angie.
“She is to have the rest of the day off,” he ordered. “Have someone drive her home.”
That roused me.
“No,” I objected.
“Yes,” he said coolly.
My hands were on my hips before I knew it. I stepped closer to him, breathing thinly as I tipped my head right back. “I said, no.”
Any person who had ever known me knew not to mess with hands-on-hips Basi. This tiger was a wild one. Angelica resumed her shocked gasping as I silently dared the bastard in front of me to disagree again.
I would end him.
His eyes took on a glittering quality, and his fingers twitched in my direction, but he fell short of actually touching me.
Wise male.
“Can you make it home?” he enquired softly.
Ah nuts, I hadn’t expected kindness.
The fire left my eyes and I averted my gaze again. “Of course I can.”
“Then we’ll see you tomorrow at 12:00 p.m.,” he said in the same quiet voice. On second thought, it wasn’t kindness at all. Kyros was cooing to the monkey in the room to earn its trust.
Motherfucker.
Angelica whispered, “She works 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., sir.”
“12:00 p.m.,” he repeated, green eyes flashing over my head.
Shit, son. Don’t take it out on Angie.
I stepped away from him, my weary heart thudding pathetically. Though his eyes didn’t blaze as much as Angelica’s, he was scarier by far than the woman behind me. He made her look like a field mouse. If my body wasn’t so exhausted, I’d be struggling to cope in his presence.
What the fuck was going on in this place?
“12:00 p.m.,” I echoed wearily, hoisting my pack.
I wouldn’t return to Level 44 of Kyros Sky.
Not for a million dollars and a fucking crown.
7
My head pounded.
No. That isn’t right.
The pounding was outside of my head.
I sent my new duvet flying, scrambling to answer the insistent knocking. I half fell off the bed, weaving on sleep-drunk legs to the door.
“Basi. If you don’t let me in in five seconds, I’m calling the po-po.”
Tommy.
Her voice almost undid me.
I unlocked the door and wrenched with all my might. I had no idea how I’d managed to get inside last night. Arriving home was a blurry memory.
Tommy shoved from the other side and sidled through when we managed to prop the entrance a quarter way open.
Her lips were pressed together. “What the actual fuck, Basi? Where have you been?”
I yawned and beckoned her to the kitchen. “I was exhausted after work yesterday. I crashed.”
“I came around at nine last night. And again at eight this morning. I thought something had happened to you.”
Seeking comfort myself, I padded across the orange lino and hugged her. Her arms wrapped around me.
“What happened?” she asked.
What happened? I had the worst day of my life. And I was trapped really bad. I’d trapped myself. I rushed in to renting this shitty place and buying a heap of stuff, thinking I had normal life all figured out.
But I was a fucking rich moron.
Now, I’d been sucked into an illegal business with criminals who openly intimidated me. Even worse, I couldn’t leave without really becoming homeless.
Except I could barely admit that much to myself.
Whatever I said about not needing anyone’s approval was a big, whopping lie. I needed Tommy’s. She was always so self-assured, possessing the confidence that came when a person knew how to look after themselves. That side of her had always awed me, inspired me.
“Yesterday was hard,” I said hoarsely.
“Hard is an understatement. You must’ve slept twelve hours.”
Twelve hours. “What’s the time?”
She checked her phone. “Just after nine. Lucky I woke you, huh? You can’t be late for your second day of work. Don’t suppose you bought an alarm clock when you got all this stuff?”
Nope. Because that was a practical item that would make sense.
“I don’t have to be at work until 12:00 p.m. today,” I said, swallowing my fury—every bit of it aimed inward. Despite my doomed financial situation, I was still determined not to return. Tommy didn’t need to know that though. Not until I could cope with admitting my failure to her.
She rubbed my back. “Oh good. We can ride the bus together.”
Basi, you idiot.
“We can.” I agreed, my insides twisting.
“Two besties going to work together. This is just what you wanted. Look at you go.” She beamed at me, then sniffed the air. “Before we leave, you need a shower. Big time.” She pulled back. “How about you go do your routine and I’ll head home to dig out my old phone. I don’t want any repeats of what happened last night.”
I nodded obediently, rendered silent by her unwarranted praise.
“I’ll be back in a tick,” she said.
I lingered in the kitchen after Tommy left, my mind shaking with the severity of my situation.
For no other reason than she’d told me to, I traipsed to the shower and turned the nozzle. Pulling off my new pyjamas—something I’d purchased as a reward for securing a job and apartment, what a joke—I tested the water.
Just shy of scalding.
Perfect.
I stepped into the shower bath and let the hot water pour over me. The heat seeped into my soul, soothing the pieces that it could. Maybe it could restore whatever broke inside me yesterday.
I doubted it.
The fear-filled memory of walking into the room crammed with bright-eyed criminals left me gasping. I forced the recollection away, focusing on the streaming water.
My breathing steadied again, and I pushed my wet hair behind my ears.
“You’re not a monkey,” I whispered.
Turning on autopilot, I shaved the areas that required shaving, foamed my body in my lemon myrtle wash, and dried before moisturising.
I wrapped one of my new beige towels around myself and stared at the woman in the cracked mirror. On good days, we got on. Most days, we tolerated each other. Today, we hated each other. Yesterday morning I marvelled at the excitement of setting up my first apartment. Now, each item was a sore reminder of my ignorance. As an heiress, I’d represented a tiny percentage of the human population. The vast majority lived this way each day from birth to death. Normal life wasn’t a cute little Monopoly game. It wasn’t the same as running a multi-billion-dollar estate. There were all sorts of hidden costs and forms and timetables. The rules were different, and I had no idea what they were.
How would I ever understand it all?
Gripping the lip of the vanity, I listened to thuds and bangs coming from the kitchen. Tommy was back. Or I was being robbed. Probably the latter.
I sighed.
Tommy expected me to go to work today. I felt like a coward for omitting the truth, but I couldn’t handle more than the shit-heap currently piled upon my shoulders. That included telling Tommy and witnessing her reaction. My friend wouldn’t judge or criticise me. She wouldn’t even pity me.
Tommy would be 10
0 percent furious on my behalf. She’d go into mumma bear mode. Because she saw me as someone in need of protection. Because I was incapable of caring for myself, despite all my talk that I wasn’t like other rich morons.
Shame. Embarrassment. I couldn’t tell which I felt in greater quantity.
I’d go with Tommy to Kyros Sky today. When she left, I’d head straight to the news agency, buy a paper, and apply for the janitor’s job. I’d come clean about everything once I had a win to share.
Hopefully.
“Quick, your toast is getting cold,” Tommy hollered.
That got me out of the bathroom. My arms shook—and no wonder. I barely ate lunch yesterday and didn’t eat dinner or breakfast.
“Toast?” I sat on the stool, still wrapped in the towel. “I have that?”
“Y S I S. You don’t buy toast. You buy bread and make toast,” she said, snorting. “And no, you didn’t have bread. I made this at home.”
I picked up the floppy peanut-butter-covered toast and polished off it—and its sacrificial twin—in six bites.
Tommy’s eyes widened. “Hungry much?”
“Didn’t have dinner.”
She clicked her tongue. “I need to teach you to cook ASAP.”
Probably shouldn’t bother learning. The rate I was going, I’d be back at the estate before the week was out.
“Turns out, I didn’t need to hand over bank details or tax numbers. Live Right pay in cash,” I said.
“What?” she demanded. “They pay under the table?”
No idea what that was. “I’m a contractor. I still get annual leave and stuff, but they said I have to pay my own tax. Is that normal?”
A deep frown marred my friend’s face. “Not for that type of work. I’d expect a wage and commission or salary and commission. I’m unsure of the exact ins and outs of contracting, but that sounds dodgy as fuck, Basi. Was there anything else weird they said?”
Where do I begin?
A hysterical laugh bubbled up my throat. I clamped my lips together to keep the crazy inside. I wasn’t telling her about the bright eyes or nearly pissing myself in the staff room. That would remain my mortifying secret for all time.
“You know that guy who almost ran me over?” I brushed breadcrumbs off the counter as Tommy extracted two peppermint tea bags from her jeans pocket.
The kettle was already boiling—the one kitchen appliance I’d purchased. My stomach growled. Peppermint tea would be perfect for my aching head. I felt hungover.
“Yeah,” Tommy replied.
“He’s the owner,” I said.
“Owner of?” Her eyes rounded. “Of Live Right? No way!”
The business name made me mentally flinch. “Not just the realty place. The entire building. His name is Kyros.”
She whispered, “Kyros Sky.”
I sighed. “Yup.”
“Spill, bitch. Did he clear the desk with one powerful stroke and have his wicked way with you?”
What? “Jesus. No!”
“Lame,” she muttered, focusing her attention on the front ties of her black top. The garment would look medieval on anyone else. With dark jeans on, she just managed to look sexy with a capital S.
If only she knew the whole story.
I’d throw her a bone. “He came in while I was bending to get under the desk.”
Tommy didn’t ask why I was bent over, just waved me on.
“He came in. Sat down. And then he said,” I lowered my voice, “I’m sitting. What was the other thing? Oh, yes. Sit and rotate.”
Amusement lit her gaze.
I crossed my arms. “He spun in my office chair.”
“No way. That’s hilarious.”
“Hardly,” I scoffed.
Tommy patted the air. “Calm your farm, I’m on your side.”
Damn straight she was. “Then he started rolling up his sleeves.”
Her face screwed up. “Why?”
“Dunno.”
“Nice forearms?”
“You better believe it. Anyway, he’d pissed me off. I grabbed my bag and went to leave.”
Tommy slid my steeped peppermint tea across the bench toward me. “To be clear, you didn’t have sex on the desk?”
I cradled my drink, drawing forth the smirking image of his face. “I can safely promise never to go there. I’ve never met such an arrogant fucker in my life.”
Taking a sip of her drink, Tommy fluttered her lashes above the rim of the mug. “This Kyros is your boss, yes?”
“Correct.”
She cackled in glee. “This is gonna be epic.”
“No, it won’t,” I snapped.
Tommy lowered her drink, chestnut eyes searching my face.
I blew out a breath. “Sorry. Yesterday tuckered me out, and I’m crabby.”
“Forgiven. I remember starting full-time work. I slept and ate for at least a year. It’ll get better, I swear. Your body just gives up at some point and you forget what relaxation feels like. Plus, it’s the weekend in two days. Starting mid-week has some perks.”
Two days was an insurmountable task when it came to Live Right. I was sticking with the plan I formulated in the bathroom.
“Before I forget. Here’s my old phone.” She drew out a piece of junk I knew well. It was the reason I’d gifted her my phone last Christmas. The phone she’d had was an archaic beast.
“But.” She hesitated, pulling out the sleeker model I’d gifted her.
My eyes narrowed. “Don’t you dare say what you’re about to say.”
Wisely, she slid the sleeker model back into her back jeans pocket and picked up the beast again. “The battery lasts an hour. You can only call and text on it. But it’s something at least. You really worried me last night, Basil.”
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled again, taking the phone. The beast felt far more like a bludgeoning weapon than a phone, but I was careful not to make fun of it. Tommy saved for a year to afford this thing.
“What does this part do?” I asked, pointing to the bulky posterior of the phone.
Tommy choked on a laugh. “That’s the battery.”
My lips parted. Oops. “Well, shit.”
I followed her into peals of laughter which, I’m not gonna lie, felt almost therapeutic. I held the beast phone to my forehead in a mock salute. “Thanks, Tom.”
“You’re welcome. Now, go get dressed, you big ol’ grown-up head. I’ll meet you at the bus station in an hour.”
Ugh. That.
I walked her to the front door. She’d left it propped open—couldn’t blame her.
Tommy squeezed halfway out the door and stopped to look back at me, squealing, “I can’t believe we’re going to work together. This is the start of something great, Basi. You’ll see.”
When she left, I pushed and grunted until the door closed, resting my forehead against the cracked paint of the wood.
Fuck.
“Theodore wants to meet up after work today,” Tommy said, peeking at her skinny phone that could take pictures. Unlike some phones.
We’d just walked past Montgomery’s, Tommy holding the ends of her khaki cardigan wide to protect my outlaw butt from the weedy teen.
Every step took me closer to Kyros Sky. My palms were already slick with sweat.
“Who’s Theodore?” I asked. “Wasn’t his name Dean?”
“Dean who? Theodore is the total hottie who came into work yesterday making business enquiries for his dad’s catering company.”
“Tell me everything. Right now.”
Tommy snorted. “That’s all I have. It’s only been a day. Except… I’ve never felt the floor disappear from under me before. And I did when I saw him for the first time.”
Uhm, oh my god. That was an admission and a half from my bestie. “Is this one for keepsies then?” I stole a look at her.
She tucked her phone away and rearranged her cardigan. “Early days, Basil.”
“Hypothetically speaking, if you still liked this guy a lot a
fter a few weeks, would you have the exclusivity discussion with him?” I’d wanted to quiz her on this subject for a while.
Tommy bit her lip. “I don’t know. I like things to be new and exciting—that weightless feeling at the beginning of a fling. I don’t want stuff to get old and boring.”
Tommy’s parents divorced when she was young. Her mother left Bluff City and rarely contacted her. Was that what bothered my friend? She thought once the honeymoon period was done that people no longer cared for each other?
“I see what you mean,” I admitted. “Though relationships change, Tom. The first few months is all infatuation that doesn’t mean much, even though he’s all you can think about at the time. After that, things get deeper, slower, and you really get to know the other person.”
“You’re basing that off your one relationship with Ricky Pikar when you were nineteen?”
I smiled. “Yes. And Fernando’s Eighth Ab.”
“Marjory never stood a chance,” Tommy whispered, licking her lips. “He had eight abs to start. Then there was that twist at the end where he had ten.”
Husky laughter bubbled up my throat. How the hell was I capable of mirth when the high-rise of doom was looming ahead?
“But Serious Street.” I caught her hand and tugged her close. “Don’t look at relationships as permanent. Look at them as an exploration or experiment. If you don’t like it, then maybe relationships aren’t for you right now—or at all. That’s fine too.”
She brushed a strand of short brown hair off her cheek. “Theodore may be a terrible lay. I won’t hold my breath just yet.”
“That’s my girl.”
I eyed the alcove of Kyros Sky, trying to keep my breathing steady.
“How many levels to this obnoxious fucker?” she asked.
My lips twitched. “The man or the building?”
“From what you told me the man only has one. The building.”
“No idea. I’m on Level 44.”
She entered the alcove. “Let’s check the elevator numbers.”
Uh.
This was the part where she left so I could escape.
I hurried after Tommy, watching as she pushed the call button. We stood in silence as the arrow pulsed, the whoosh of the lift akin to the downward rush of a guillotine.
Blood Trial: Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers Book 1) Page 7
