Garrett (Dark Water Security Book 2)

by Madison Quinn

  “Hope,” Garrett mumbles as he steps into the shower with me.

  I try to wipe away the tears and move further into the shower, but he stops me by wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against him. I only fight him for a second before going to him, because I love the way I feel when he holds me like this. I love that he makes me feel like no one else ever has. Even though all I wanted was to be alone, I love that he didn’t let me do that. I love…

  “What’s wrong?” he whispers just as I come to the realization that somewhere over the last few months I went and fell in love with the man I didn’t think I could ever look at without remembering the worst night of my life.

  “Nothing,” I lie.

  “You’re a horrible liar.” He chuckles and cups my face, forcing me to look up until our eyes meet. “This doesn’t change anything between us.”

  “It changes everything!” I laugh humorlessly. “You’re leaving! Who knows where you’ll go next—”

  “I told Luke I only want local assignments,” he interrupts. “I’m not taking another live-in position.”

  “But—”

  “Leave with me, Hope,” he shocks me by saying.

  “What?”

  “Can you tell me honestly that you want to keep working here? That you want to keep dealing with Mr. Meyer’s weekend visitors that are paraded around here practically naked in front of you? That you enjoy cleaning up after his guests leave?”

  “No, but…” I shake my head knowing he’s right. I don’t mind the actual work, but I hate the way Mr. Meyer treats the women, even if it’s consensual.

  “Leave with me in a month, Hope.”

  “I can’t just leave, Garrett. I don’t have a job, a place to live, or anything yet,” I point out.

  He’s quiet for several minutes and I rest my head on his warm chest. In time I could quit, but I need to get the agency to find me another position. I doubt they’ll have something immediately available; it took a couple of months for this one to open up. Abby wasn’t kicking me out or anything, but I knew it was time for me to be on my own, which meant I needed a position with full-time hours.

  “Move in with me.” He kisses the top of my head.

  “What?”

  “We’ve been living together for months now, Hope. I can’t stand the thought of not falling asleep with you every night, of not seeing you every day, of not having breakfast with you in the mornings, and of not waking up with you in my arms. Move in with me.”

  “I…I don’t know.”

  “Think about it, please.” I look up and gasp when his eyes find mine. It’s as if they’re saying everything he’s not. From that look alone, I realize I’m not the only one who fell in love over the last few months. Suddenly I have my answer, I don’t need to think about it.

  “Yes,” I whisper and lean up and kiss him.

  “Yes?”

  “Yes, I’ll move in with you, Garrett.” The words are barely out of my mouth when his lips are against mine. With his arms tightly wrapped around me, he lifts me up and swings me around to celebrate. I don’t open my eyes until my feet touch the floor again, but when I do he smiles down at me and cups my face.

  “I love you, Hope. I think fate had a hand in bringing us back together, maybe knowing we both needed each other. But I can’t imagine letting you go again.”

  “I love you too.”

  Chapter 27

  Hope

  The next few days fly by and even though I had my doubts at first, I’m starting to look forward to moving in with Garrett. I’ve informed the agency of my decision to terminate my assignment on Monday just as Mr. Meyer’s received his notice from Dark Water Security about Garrett’s assignment. If he didn’t know that Garrett and I were involved with each other before then, I’m sure he does now. But I refuse to let him stand in the way.

  I also informed the agency that I wouldn’t be working with them any longer. It’s going to be a change, but Abby has offered to hire me to help her with her catering business. I’m not worried about us working together because I don’t think it’ll be an issue, but I worry a little about the hours since her business is so new. But I also know that she’s been so busy in the last few months that she’s had to hire staff and according to her the word is spreading and she’s constantly getting new calls. Since I didn’t have to pay rent, I’ve been able to save up quite a bit of money so I think I’ll be okay if hours dip with Abby’s business.

  I’m standing in the main kitchen, preparing breakfast but find myself daydreaming how different things will be in a few short weeks from now. Instead of dealing with disinfecting surfaces because my boss did God knows what in the room, I’ll be cooking and serving next to Abby. Instead of hearing a woman screaming in pain caused by my boss, I’ll be laughing with Abby. And the best part? Every night I’ll be coming home to Garrett.

  “Good Morning, Mr. Meyer,” I greet him as he walks into the kitchen.

  “Morning, Ms. Williams,” he says grumpily.

  “Your breakfast is just about done—” I lift the lid to check on the cheese melting in the omelet.

  “I’m not hungry, I’ll just take my coffee with me,” he mumbles.

  “Oh okay.” I’m surprised as I don’t think he has ever once skipped breakfast. “Can I pack you something for later?”

  “No, it won’t be necessary,” he says. “Foxx!”

  “Mr. Meyer.” Garrett rushes from our apartment.

  “I need to leave.” He walks out the kitchen without letting Garrett respond.

  He looks at me questioning, but I shrug having no idea what has caused him to be in such a bad mood this morning. As I hand Garrett Mr. Meyer’s coffee, our fingers barely graze each other and I have to hold myself back from wanting to kiss him goodbye. We agreed that it would be best to refrain from any displays of affection outside our apartment while we are working.

  “Bye,” he whispers taking the cup from my hand.

  “See you tonight.” I smile as he walks out of the kitchen.

  My day begins like most days when I’m working, I straighten up the kitchen from breakfast and pull out something to defrost for dinner tonight. I then move through the main rooms of the apartment, dusting and vacuuming as I go. Although with only Mr. Meyer living here, the rooms aren’t usually dirty so it doesn’t take long to move between the rooms. I’m upstairs in the master bedroom gathering up the laundry when my phone indicates a text message has come through.

  Garrett: Mr. Meyer needs to leave on an emergency business trip in 2 hours. Can you pack his bag?

  Hope: Sure, I will have it ready.

  Garrett: Will stop by in an hour to pick it up.

  I change my focus, and start to pack Mr. Meyer’s bag as requested. Garrett didn’t say how long they would be gone so I’m not sure how much or how little to pack. I contemplate texting him to ask but decide against it, knowing he is probably busy securing everything they need for this last minute trip. I decide to pack enough for two nights and three days, hoping that everything I pack will be sufficient. I take the overnight and garment bags down to the foyer, placing them next to the coat closet.

  Glancing at my watch, I see I still have about half an hour before Garrett is due to arrive to pick up the bags. I throw together a quick sub as I doubt he has had a chance to have lunch today and I’m not sure if he will be driving to wherever they are going this afternoon. Although it’s not part of my job, I pack Garrett’s overnight bag as well. Entering his room, I realize how infrequent I’ve actually been in here. We always sleep in my room. In fact, it’s never been a question which room we sleep in since we started sleeping together. Our rooms are almost the same size and are generally set up in the same manner, except his has a slightly larger closet whereas mine has the larger bathroom.

  I take out a small travel bag and a matching garment bag that Mr. Meyer had delivered with Garrett’s suits before he started. Packing suits is easy, especially since he has everything coordinated in the closet.
All I need to do is grab a couple ties and place everything into the garment bag. In the overnight bag, I pack a couple short sleeve shirts and sweat pants for him to sleep in along with the toiletries from his bathroom sink.

  “Hope?” I hear Garrett’s voice call from our main living area just as I zip the bag closed.

  “In here.” I grab the two bags and bring them into the hallway.

  “There you are.” He gives me a puzzled look when he sees me walking out of his room carrying bags.

  “I wasn’t really sure what you would need, but I took a stab at packing for you.” I place the bags on the floor next to the couch.

  “You didn’t need to—” he says.

  “I know,” I interrupt not wanting him to think I only did this because I thought it was my job to. “I wanted to…I’m sure you’ve probably been busy figuring out all the travel arrangements for this last minute trip so I thought I would take something off your list.”

  “Thank you.” He wraps his arms around me pulling me flush against him.

  “You’re welcome,” I whisper against his neck as I wrap my arms around him.

  Just before he releases me, I take a deep breath inhaling the scent that is uniquely Garrett. Maybe I imagine it, but I swear I can hear him doing the same thing. Although he has been away overnight with Mr. Meyer for business trips before, this is the first time he has been away since we’ve been together. I know I’m going miss sleeping next to him, having him here with me after work and just spending time with him.

  “I’m going to miss you.” I pull his lips to mine, kissing him deeply.

  “I’ll miss you too,” he whispers against my lips.

  “I made you lunch to take with you,” I say as we pull apart.

  “Thank you. I didn’t think I was going to have a chance to eat before we got on the plane.” He smiles.

  “Where are you going?” I ask.

  “Boston. There’s a company up there that is marketing some new piece of technology and they want Mr. Meyer to invest in their idea.”

  “You don’t agree?” I ask.

  “No,” he admits. “I don’t know all the details of course, but from the little I’ve been able to find out about the company, they don’t have a very strong financial backing for any of their projects. They appear to start several at once and then lose funding or learn that they don’t have enough funding and the project comes to an abrupt end. I even overheard people in finance saying that they were surprised that Mr. Meyer was even going to Boston, let alone considering investing in the company. Apparently they advised against it but he has other plans.”

  “Maybe he knows something they don’t,” I suggest.

  “Maybe,” he says but I can tell he doesn’t agree. “I should get going.”

  “Here’s your lunch.” I hand him an insulated bag with his sub, a bottle of water and a small bag of chips.

  “Thank you, Hope, for packing my stuff and for my lunch, you really didn’t need to do that,” he hugs me tightly one last time.

  “Mr. Meyer’s bags are in the foyer by the door, I’ll help you carry them down to the car—” I offer.

  “No, I can manage,” he interrupts.

  “Drive safe,” I beg.

  “The codes were all changed after Suzanna left and I confirmed with Mr. Meyer this morning that he has not provided anyone else with the new code,” he explains. “Call me if anything comes up, I may not be in Virginia but I can always have Luke send someone over if something happens.”

  “I’m sure everything will be fine,” I assure him.

  “I hope so,” he says more to himself than to me.

  We walk out to the foyer together where Garrett kisses me one final time before heading back to the parking garage. The moment the elevator doors close, the apartment once again feels empty. Mr. Meyer’s main living area is too large for one person in my opinion, but right now it just feels empty despite all the rooms being filled with expensive furniture. I try to shake the feelings from my head as I return to the pantry to start putting away the bags of groceries I bought earlier from the market.

  The remainder of my day drags on; I only hear from Garrett when he texts me to tell me he won’t be available for the next couple of hours because he is boarding the plane. He sends me both Luke and Alec’s contact information and instructs me to call either one of them if something happens and I can’t reach him. I smile at this simple gesture; he knows that other than him and Abby I don’t have anyone that I would call if something did happen. I realize I haven’t seen Abby in a couple of weeks, although we still talk almost daily. We will be going out to dinner this weekend with

  Garrett and Chris, but she doesn’t know that we are joining them for her birthday dinner or where the dinner is. I decide to see if she wants to get together tonight or tomorrow night.

  Hope: Dinner tonight or tomorrow night?

  Abby: Tonight!

  Hope: You pick where.

  Abby: How about that new bistro we were talking about the other night?

  Hope: Sure! Send me the address.

  Abby: Around 7?

  Hope: See you then!

  Even though I know Garrett can’t receive text messages right now, I send him one anyway just letting him know my plans for tonight. Of course he doesn’t respond, but at least I know he should get it when he lands in Boston in a few hours.

  Later, after finishing my chores and getting ready, I make my way to the lobby where the doorman calls a cab for me. I arrive at the bistro Abby suggested just before seven; she hasn’t arrived yet but the server seats me at a table where I wait for her.

  Garrett: Arrived in Boston, heading to hotel now. Got delayed during a layover, so we’re later than originally planned.

  Hope: Waiting for Abby for dinner, talk later?

  Garrett: Call me later if you can, if not we can talk tomorrow. Have fun!

  “Sorry! Traffic was crazy!” Abby plops in the chair across from me.

  “It’s fine, I was just texting Garrett,” I reply.

  “You said he’s away for a couple of days?” We order drinks and an appetizer.

  “He flew to Boston earlier this afternoon,” I explain. “I’m not yet sure how long he will be gone.”

  Abby and I spend the next few hours chatting about the upcoming contracts she has and what areas she needs help with. The more we talk, the more excited I become of working with her and starting something new. I thought I would be okay with doing work like this, but now I realize just how wrong I was. I wasn’t excited about any of the jobs I took with the agency even before I started working for Mr. Meyer. I was happy to be working and paying off some of the bills that built up, but I really wasn’t happy about the job itself.

  A couple of cosmos later, we decide it’s time to finally leave the bistro having spent the last three hours there talking. She invites me back to her apartment to spend the night which I all too quickly accept, not really wanting to spend two nights alone even though I have no doubts that the apartment is safe.

  Returning to her apartment I realize she hasn’t touched my bedroom; it is exactly the way it was the day I accepted the position with Mr. Meyer. I don’t know what I expected, but I’m touched that she didn’t change it into something else. When I took this position, she told me I would always be able to come back here if I decided it was too much for me and her leaving this room intact shows me how serious she was.

  I know she wasn’t concerned about me actually working. I started working part-time shortly after she brought me back with her. Her concern was about me living alone. She was concerned that I would return to the hermit I had become when I moved into my dad’s house and that I would shut everyone out again. Honestly, I was concerned about that as well but it was her constant phone calls and dinners out that kept me grounded.

  I don’t sleep much, thanks to the first nightmare I’ve had in two months. I’m not surprised though. I fully expected to have one since Garrett isn’t here. I don’t know how
simply sleeping next to him can keep the nightmares away, but all that matters is he does keep them away. We texted for a little while last night when Abby and I got back to her apartment. He hopes to be back to Virginia tomorrow evening if there aren’t any issues with the flights again.

  “Let me know if you want to get together again tonight, I can always reschedule dinner with Chris for another night?” Abby offers when she pulls up in front of Mr. Meyer’s apartment building.

  “Don’t be silly, Abby. I’ll be fine! Enjoy your dinner with Chris.”

  “Seriously, Hope, call or text me and I’ll reschedule.”

  “Go, I’m good. Besides Garrett will be back tomorrow night.”

  “I’ll be at an event for the next few hours, but I’ll check my phone when I can. You still have the key to the apartment—”

  “Abs!” I laugh and get out of the car before she can argue with me.

  Since she dropped me off in the front of the building, I take the elevator up to Mr. Meyer’s condo rather than walking through the parking garage to get to the stairs that would take me to the smaller apartment. The elevator ride is short, but I spend it trying to decide what I want to do with the rest of the day. However when the doors open to Mr. Meyer’s foyer, all thoughts leave me.

  Chapter 28

  Hope

  When the elevator doors open, I am stunned, shocked, and in disbelief of what is in front of me. The table that is typically in the middle of the foyer with fresh flowers on it, has been turned over the vase now shattered into hundreds of pieces. All of the paintings are off the wall, many torn in several places with the frames broken. The grandfather clock that was in the corner is knocked over and I can see glass surrounding it. The elevator doors closing in front of me pull me from the mess in front of me, forcing me to focus on the situation. Holding down the door open button, I take out my cell phone and pressing 1 which is the speed dial for Garrett.