Was he pissed off? Probably. If Tag was annoying him that much, he was probably struggling to keep it together and missing his knives that had to still be in the closet at his apartment, because he wouldn’t have been able to take them on the flight.
She sighed. “I don’t know what you’ll be. I think you’ll be pissed. But I didn’t start a war. If anything, I think it will be easier now that we’re all on the same page.”
“Ok, I’ve got to go phone this guy ‘cause I want to rip him apart already, don’t know if I’ll let him get through the story.”
His anger wasn’t helpful, she needed him calm because he had to keep his head focused so he’d stay safe. “Arch,” she murmured. “Please, baby.”
“Don’t leave your fucking phone anywhere else. I’ll probably be calling you straight back.”
“Don’t. You’re gonna be so pissed that you’re gonna want to shout at me and you’re gonna want to ask a zillion questions.” That she wouldn’t be comfortable answering over the phone. She smiled. “I’m holding that information to ransom until we’re together again.”
“You don’t think I already want to come home to you? I don’t need incentive. This shouldn’t take us more than a week.”
Stunned, she yelped. “A week!” Nya’s heart broke. That was too long, she wanted him home now. “I can’t wait a week, Arch!”
“Great, I’ll grab a cab and meet you at my place later. Time me, I bet my estimate is better than Hex’s.”
Scowling at his sarcasm, she had to put her own selfish needs aside. She had no control. “I guess I have to wait a week if a week is what it will take,” she said. “Do you need a ride from the airport?”
“I have never seen you drive,” he said. “The picture on your license is cute though.”
She laughed again. “How have you seen my driver’s license?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions,” he said and she liked that she could hear him smile too. “I thought you’d be pissed at me, Squirm. I thought you’d be making me grovel for weeks.”
Inhaling, she reflected on how much had happened since she’d last seen her lover. “If you called last night, I would’ve been. I was so embarrassed when I walked into that room and found the three of you together like you were having some sordid affair.”
That seemed ridiculous now. “Yeah, a three-way with your best bud and my friend, slash, enemy’s sister. That’s not a recipe for disaster. After all that action you gave me in the morning, I think we’re good on the sex front for a couple of weeks.”
“Don’t count on it,” she said, feeling sultry and seductive. “I wanted to crawl inside you last night. I’ve never needed someone so much in all my life. Hexam brought me home and I… I needed you, Arch. I needed you so bad.”
Suspicious, he hummed before he spoke. “Because Hex turned you on so much?” he asked and she didn’t blame him for sounding unimpressed.
But that wasn’t what she’d meant. “Not in a sex way,” she said. “And I know how you feel about emotional women. You’d have been in hell. But I just needed to be in your arms.”
“You will be soon. Once I come back, I won’t be going anywhere without you again.”
“I don’t have a valid passport. But you probably already know that.”
“I meant I’ll be sticking with you at home.”
Seeing the opportunity for a tease, she knew it would calm him down if she played with him. “Are you rethinking us living together?”
“No, but I got you a new place.”
Ok, that did surprise her, but in a wonderful way. Impressed and in awe, she licked her lips as she absorbed his fast work. “Who flies all the way to Columbia to complete some dangerous mission, spends all night worrying that his girlfriend’s been carted off to a gruesome death, and manages to rent a new apartment all while blazing through his long-distance minutes?”
“A guy of many talents.”
“You just gave my landlord rent.”
“In your shithole that didn’t add up to much,” he said. “And don’t worry, I’ve already given him your thirty days’ notice and booked your movers.”
Incredible didn’t begin to describe how dedicated and thorough this man was. Even with his flaws, she was amazed that she’d lucked out with him. “Chase,” she said, letting her feet slide onto the floor. “Why do you love me so much?”
This silence wasn’t like the others. It wasn’t charged with judgement or suspicion, and she hoped he had her same depth of need to have his arms around her. “You’re a fucking mess and the most together person I know,” he said. “You’ve never had anyone look after you. I know you think Tag does, but he’s a bare minimum kinda guy.” While Archer was an all-in sort. “I’m gonna show you it can be different. You need someone watching your tail and I plan for that person to be me for a long time.”
It wasn’t a sonnet, but it touched her heart. Except he wasn’t the soppy sort, he had his moments, but didn’t like to focus on mushy for too long. “Ok, so where is this great new place you got me?” she asked. “Do I get to see it?”
“You don’t need to.”
Uh, ok, but she had to know where it was. “I’d like to know what the neighborhood is like and how it’s laid out. What if the neighbors are a nightmare?”
He exhaled a laugh. “The neighbors would kill for you and you know the other two things already.”
“How do I?” she asked.
“Because I rented you the apartment under mine.”
Her smile was slow, but she’d never worn one wider. “You did not!”
“I did. I knew the guy was thinking about moving out, so I leaned on him ‘til he made a decision on a schedule I liked. He called me after I left the apartment yesterday and told me he was moving out right then. The landlord knew I wanted it. Gave him a call, dropped off the deposit, and the first year’s rent. The place is yours to move into this week. Your name’s on the lease.”
A bona fide one-bedroom apartment. Nya hadn’t had one of them since the last boyfriend she’d lived with. She wasn’t going to ask how Archer got her signature onto a legal document. It didn’t matter when he’d done it for love. “When were you going to tell me about this?” she asked.
“I just did. Your landlord is jumping for joy, he gets to double dip for a few months. I told him the movers will be coming to get your shit on Thursday. They’ll pack up the place for you and move everything to your new joint. You don’t have to lift a finger.”
Because with the timing, Archer wouldn’t be around to do any heavy lifting. So it must have meant something to him to make sure she wasn’t stranded with the job on her own. “What made you pick there? Most guys don’t want their girl breathing down their neck if they’re not living together.”
“Easy,” he said. “I know how much you like being under me and now you get to live your life there.”
The cocky bastard was right. She did love to be there. Being in such proximity would mean he’d never have to worry about walking her home after a date because they’d be going to the same place anyway. He’d never have to be apart from her when he had a captive either because he’d be able to monitor the guy from a floor away. He might even be able to spend the night and could pop down for meals. It would be like living together without actually living together.
“What if I was mad?” she asked, kind of messing with him. “I mean you ran away with my friend and another woman. What if I told you to go to hell?”
“Hell is anywhere without you,” he said, ignoring her teasing. “I’m already here. And, you know, you fell in love with me while you were chained to my wall, if I have to go through that again to make you want me bad, I’ll do it. I’ve got plenty of chains and plenty of time.”
Nya wanted him here so she could kiss him, leap into his arms and thank him. It wasn’t that she was unhappy in her current apartment, it was that he cared so much that he wanted her to have a better place and to be near enough to him that she’d always be under hi
s watchful eye.
“You’re in luck. It just so happens, I love the idea. You can keep your chains in the closet.”
“Good, ‘cause the rent’s non-refundable, so you’re stuck there for a year at least. Now I know we’re good, I’ve got to go.”
And her mood dropped through the floor. “Already?” she asked, sinking back into her chair.
“I’ve got to call Hexam, don’t I?”
Yes, he did and he would be angry when he heard the story, she just hoped Archer didn’t blame Hexam for what had happened and cause his own war or walk away from Tag before the job was done. “Just remember to stay cool,” she said. “No one forced me into anything. I know I can’t ask you not to call him because you’ll go insane if you don’t know. So do it, listen to him, and then do what you’re down there to do. Stay focused. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
“Kristof didn’t believe you when you said that either and the guy’s only met you once. What do you think those words say to me?”
But she didn’t need him thinking too hard about her. “I’m fine enough that I can last a week until you get home, Fella. If you don’t keep your head in the game there, you’ll get hurt, and then you’ll never be able to come home and yell at me, will you?”
“You got that manipulation thing down perfect, Squirm. Just promise me you won’t go off with some other guy again. Your place, my place, Sizzle, no place else, understand?”
Casting her eyes up, Nya let him issue his commands. If they had said goodbye properly, he’d have said the same thing yesterday. After Hexam told him what happened last night, Archer would probably want to keep her on a tighter leash. “I understand. You just promise me you’ll stay cool.”
“Always.”
“I love you,” she said because she didn’t care who was listening to that truth. She couldn’t push him to reciprocate because she didn’t know where he was or who was listening at his end and it wouldn’t serve his interests to let possible kingpins think he was soft.
“I love you too, Squirm.” The response made her grin. Either he was alone or didn’t care who was listening. “Do me a favor. Stay at my place tonight.”
“Your mom might—”
“Just stay there. Don’t argue with me.”
If it was going to make him feel better, it was pointless to fight him. “Ok.”
“Be good.”
Those were his final words before the line died. Nya didn’t know why he wanted her at his place or what purpose her location could serve. Maybe it was because he knew Ester was there and there was strength in numbers. Nya would be able to keep an eye on the place for him too, Archer wouldn’t want it turned into a party palace when he was about to have a new neighbor.
Whatever the reason, she didn’t mind spending a night in his bed or even on his couch. It would make her feel closer to him and while he was so far away, she needed something to remind her that he still held her close.
sixteen
“You’re about as organized as I am when I move,” Ester said, picking up her wine glass.
Nya had actually moved apartment yesterday. She was pretty sure Archer had paid over the odds for the movers, or maybe he’d threatened their lives because they were damn efficient. There was no company name on the van they brought, so she didn’t even know if the guys were official.
It didn’t take her long to pack up her belongings because she didn’t own that many things. They got everything out of her place in less than an hour and it was sort of bittersweet to lock the door for the final time. When she returned the key to the landlord, he was grinning ear to ear, happy that he could let the place again and keep the money Archer had already paid him.
Ester had arrived in Archer’s car as the tail end of work was being done. When she registered the burly guys doing the hauling work, she began to flirt it up and told Nya she’d have been here sooner if she’d known there was talent. Nya wasn’t confident that the woman was entirely sober, but she appreciated having a ride to her new place.
The guys put her boxes in the space between the kitchen and the front door and took the time to put all of her furniture where she wanted it. They even went so far as to re-build what had been dismantled for the move. On their final walkthrough, the movers were eager to be told they’d done good work. Yep, that was when she figured out that Archer had put the fear of God into them.
Electing to put the couch in the same position as Archer’s was in the apartment above, Nya didn’t kid herself that she’d had much of a choice in that decision. Archer always grumbled about her crappy nineteen-inch screen, but she hadn’t expected to find a monster of a flat-screen already wall-mounted beside her living room window, just where Archer’s was upstairs. A Post-It was stuck to the top of it which read, “This stays here.”
It wasn’t in Archer’s handwriting, but the message was from him. He was still away on his secret Hexam mission, yet he’d already started putting his stamp on her place. Her lover was a creature of habit and if having this screen would make him feel better, she’d let him keep it. Nya paid it no attention, it was Ester who turned it on and began to explore the channels only to then declare with excitement that she had full cable.
Archer would have some explaining to do.
Between the move and racking up all the hours she could at Sizzle, Nya had fought against her urge to pine for him, but it was getting tougher to ignore his absence as the days went by.
Ester spent most of the week with her and she slept most nights at Archer’s. Ester had taken to hanging out at Sizzle, probably because she got free drinks. Even Kristof had popped into the club twice to check on her, although when he realized Ester was there, he didn’t hang around.
Nya had taken this Friday night off from Sizzle so she could get to work on unpacking her boxes. She’d got through most of the kitchen things, although she hadn’t packed by room, everything was mixed together, so she was working through one box at a time.
While the apartment was laid out exactly the same as Archer’s, she had expected it to need some work, and was surprised to find it pristine clean. Nya had never moved into a clean apartment. She wouldn’t put it past Archer to have had a cleaning crew in here before she arrived.
The carpets were plush, Ester was sure they were new, but couldn’t say whether Archer had bought them or if maybe the landlord had put them in to impress his latest tenant. Archer had wooden floors and rugs, but Nya liked the comfort of carpet.
Right now, Nya sat on the floor under the TV, drinking wine with Ester who was on her couch. Though, as usual, they were drinking at a 1:4 ratio. With a box open beside her, Nya was folding the clothes from it into piles on the coffee table, sorting them into what would need to be put in drawers and what had to be hung in the closet.
Her previous apartment didn’t have a closet with a rail, so she’d nabbed some of Archer’s hangers to hang up her outfits, some of which had never made it out of boxes and bags in her last apartment.
The stack of boxes behind the door needed her attention. It didn’t seem to matter how many she emptied, there was always another one waiting. Most of the important stuff was out, she thought, all that was left were the books, knickknacks, and pictures that she would have to find places for. Her bathroom closet looked kind of empty, though there were still stacks of linen and towels to find, so she was confident it would all fill out eventually.
Ester loved getting involved in helping out. Nya had appreciated having her around. It was funny because the television was on with the subtitles, but neither of the women were actually watching it. Ester had put it on earlier, suggesting that she might miss her son, or be worried about him. Although she hadn’t said anything to Nya, maybe to spare her feelings.
“The guy next door is cute,” Ester said, picking up the wine bottle to fill up both glasses.
Nya had only taken a mouthful from hers, but Ester still took the time to top off the difference. “Which guy?”
Just like Archer’s
apartment upstairs, Nya was at the end of the corridor and there were another three apartments on this floor.
“Next door,” Ester said, waving the bottle towards the kitchen before she put the bottle back on the coffee table. “Georgie-Boy.”
Nya smiled and folded a top. “For you or for me?”
George was nice, probably in his forties, he took care of his physique and had been nice enough to come out and ask the women if they needed help when they were carrying bags up from the car. That must have been when Ester got talking to him because Nya had been alone in the apartment for a while before her pseudo-mother-in-law returned wearing a grin.
“For me!” Ester exclaimed and as outraged as she sounded, she followed it with a wink. “All the single men are mine, you’re off the market. Sorry, daughter!”
Ester had taken to calling Nya “daughter” at every opportunity. What was a surprise at first had actually become a comfort. Having never known her own mother, it was nice that someone wanted to claim her, even if she was just on the right side of thirty and really beyond needing a mother’s nurturing.
“If you make a move on him, it might make things awkward for Arch when he has to kick his ass.”
Ester picked up her glass to take a gulp. “No, he can do for me what he did for you. If Georgie-Boy stops doing it for me, we’ll get him kicked out, and I’ll move in to his place.”
Nya laughed. “You think Archer would like to have his momma next door to his girlfriend?”
“Maybe.”
“It would make paying our bills easier,” Nya said. Every utility company she called told her that her accounts were already in credit. The bastard had got to looking after her already and he wasn’t even in the country.
“We can make this the girl-only floor,” Ester said, sitting back to stretch her legs up onto the couch.
There was a girl in the apartment opposite Nya’s, about the same age as her, Ella was her name. She’d already seen her twice, once yesterday, when she was trying to tip the movers, who, of course, refused her money. And again tonight, when she’d taken out the trash.
Scarred (Branded Book 2) Page 19
