The Company of Shadows (The Company #1)

by Olsen, Lisa

  “But you can trust me.”

  His face wrinkled into an exaggerated grimace. “Ooh, see, I never trust anyone who says trust me. Or honestly.”

  “Well… you can trust me, honestly,” she grinned. “I hope you give me a chance to prove that to you.”

  “I shouldn’t. I should’ve made you leave last night.”

  They were close, when had he moved so close? Not that she objected, but she’d started to think he was afraid of getting near her, like he might catch something. “So, why didn’t you?” she asked, hands pressed to the door, trapped behind her waist.

  “I honestly don’t know.”

  She smiled, his choice of words leading her to believe he did know, somewhere deep down inside. Ethan’s hand rose, and she held very still, not wanting to do anything to spook him. His fingers brushed the side of her shoulder in the ghost of a touch, and her fingers pressed against the scarred door in anticipation. Would he try to kiss her? Her lips parted in invitation, giving him the signal that it was all kinds of fine with her, but Ethan pulled back, brows drawing together.

  “You don’t owe me anything, you know,” he said.

  “That’s a matter of opinion, but that’s not why I stayed here with you last night.” Did he think it was?

  “As for me saving your life, it wasn’t about you, it was about stopping him,” he insisted, taking another step backwards, completely breaking the mood. “You just got caught in the middle.”

  “Wow, you sure know how to take the romance out of it, don’t you?” Cady sighed. What was with him? It was like he didn’t want her to like him.

  “This isn’t romantic, this is dangerous. More than you could possibly imagine,” he scowled. “The fact that you could even…”

  “Hey, I know this isn't a movie,” Cady interrupted, not in the mood for a lecture. She’d wind up with one as soon as she got home. “I get that you’ve got dark, dangerous secrets. I get that whatever it is, it didn’t end for you when that guy died in the parking lot. I get it better than you give me credit for. But that doesn’t mean you have to push me away either. I’m not asking you for anything other than the chance to know you better.” Her teeth caught at her bottom lip the instant the words were out of her mouth, bringing back the memory of the fevered plea… I only want to know you.

  “You might not like what you find when you get to know me better.”

  She saw the sadness in his blue eyes, the absolute faith in his belief, but there was something else… something that made her want to leap before looking for once. “Oh, I don’t know, something tells me you might be worth the risk.” The melancholy in his gaze mingled with hope, and she decided they were getting way too heavy. “If you’re worried about disappointing me, then don’t be a tool,” she smirked. “Walk me home.”

  There was a smile on his lips as she turned to open the door. “You live next door.”

  “Then it’ll be a short walk.” It was indeed, just a few steps from his shabby green door to hers. Cady lingered in her doorway, not quite ready to say goodbye. “We should do this again sometime. Only with less blood and passing out, and more popcorn.”

  “You’re not like any girl I’ve ever met before,” he said with a trace of wonder, and she took that as a good sign.

  “You’d better believe it.” Cady waited to see if he would make a move, leaning ever so slightly towards him, but the door jerked open behind her, throwing her off balance as her brother’s imposing form filled the doorway.

  “What the hell is this?” Ian demanded.

  He did look pretty intimidating, towering over both of them, the dark, spiky hair and goatee lending a touch of menace to his already thunderous expression. That was why he was able to make his living as a bouncer at the Sugar Shack with a minimum of confrontation; Ian Garrett cultivated that look to his advantage on a daily basis. Cady was used to it though, and knew his bark was worse than his bite. Luckily, Ethan wasn’t the least bit spooked by her brother’s tone either.

  “This is Ethan, you know, our neighbor,” she smiled sweetly.

  “You’ve been next door this whole time?”

  “Ethan, this is my brother, Captain Obvious,” Cady blithely continued the introductions. “You can call him Ian.”

  “Do you have any idea what time it is?” Ian ignored her attempt at humor and to her chagrin, Ethan jumped on board the overprotective train.

  “You didn’t call and tell him where you were?”

  “I sent a text. It’s not a big deal.”

  “Not a big deal?” Ian glowered. “I spent all afternoon calling around the hospitals. I even called Uncle DeFazio.”

  “That seems a bit premature,” she replied, surprised he’d taken it that far. “Did he give you the spiel about waiting more than twenty four hours?”

  “I asked him to check the morgue.”

  “Aw, Ian… you’re blowing things a little out of proportion, don’t you think?”

  “Damn it, Cady, it’s just inconsiderate!”

  “I have to agree with your brother on this one, you should have called him. I’m sorry if you were worried, man.” Ethan chimed in, and remorse started to creep up on her, staining her cheeks with guilt. She hadn’t thought he’d be that worried. Ian wasn’t mollified by Ethan’s apology though, in fact, it seemed to irk him even more.

  “Was I talking to you?” He jabbed a finger into Ethan’s chest. “No. I’m talking to her.”

  “Hey, I don’t want any trouble.” Ethan took a step backwards, hands coming up, spread wide.

  “Then maybe you shouldn’t have been plugging my sister all day and night.”

  “Ian!” Oh God… could he be more embarrassing?

  “You’ve got it all wrong,” Ethan insisted. “I was just making sure she got home alright.”

  “Yeah, you’re a real gentleman, I can tell.”

  “Ian, that’s enough.” Cady shoved at his chest, pushing him back into the apartment before his temper got the better of him. “So what if I was out all night? I’m an adult.”

  “Barely.”

  “I’ll be inside in a minute.” Giving him a final shove, she shut the door, closing her eyes for a second before she turned to face Ethan, offering an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry about that. He’s not always such an asshat.”

  Ethan didn’t seem to be too bent out of shape about it though. “He’s just worried about you. You should have called him.”

  Cady nodded, suppressing the eye-roll she could feel coming. “Yeah well, I should get inside. He’ll feel much better after he gets it all out. I’ll see you later, okay?” She looked for some sign that her brother hadn’t scared away the already skittish guy, but his response gave her no clue to what he might be thinking.

  “Sure, later.”

  Waiting until he slipped inside his apartment, she took a deep breath before she entered hers, steeling herself for Ian’s inevitable tirade. He didn’t disappoint, but she knew from experience he’d wear himself out after a while. The more she tried to argue her own side, the more he’d dig in, so she let him talk while she nuked a Hot Pocket. The trick was to make it look like she was listening to his every word, even though he’d already started to repeat himself.

  “What is all over your clothes?”

  It took Cady a minute to realize he’d asked her a question and she looked down at the dark stains on her jeans. “Oh, it’s blood. I’m not really sure whose, but it was that kind of a night.” She kept her voice light, the better to disguise the truth.

  “Why can’t you ever be serious? I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you.”

  “Because you’re serious enough for the both of us. My serious contribution to the household is getting ready for work, which I have to do now or I’ll be late.” She wrapped the food in a paper towel and brought it into her room, hoping he wouldn’t follow. No such luck.

  “I thought we talked about you finding a real job?”

  Back to that again… “The money�
�s real enough. I don’t see you complaining about that.”

  “You know I don’t want you working there.” Ian paused at the doorway, not quite invading her space as she pulled out clean clothes.

  “Yeah well, the opportunities aren’t exactly falling at my feet these days, so I take what I can get. You don’t see me complaining about your job.”

  “I’m not the one stripping. I just make sure the scum stays away from them.”

  “I’m not stripping either!” she bristled, wondering if Ethan could hear them through the wall. That was all she needed.

  “Might as well be,” he muttered. “Cady, you could do so much better…”

  “I’m not having this conversation with you again. I’m going to be late.” Indignity fueled her anger, because she knew he had a point. Not that she was ashamed of working at Spanky’s exactly, but it certainly wasn’t what she’d dreamed of doing with her life. Every time Ian talked about something better, it just reminded her of what she’d lost. Grabbing the bundle of clothes in her arms, she pushed past him to the bathroom, half eaten pizza pocket in her teeth.

  Chapter Ten

  She made it to work with two minutes to spare. Kelli was already there behind the cage, smiling and talking to Rolfe, one of their regulars.

  Spanky’s boasted the largest selection of adult videos and DVD’s in the city. Cady wasn’t sure that was entirely true, but no one had ever stepped up to challenge the claim. During daylight hours, they also sold marital aids and curios, even a line of clothing bearing the Spanky’s logo. But at night, employees retreated behind the metal cage where Cady worked, dispensing DVD rentals through a sliding drawer like a bank.

  Customers could step in and browse through giant binders of DVD covers while seventies rock blared from the speakers. In the age of online shopping and on demand movies, the real lure was the employees. Exclusively female and pretty, all wearing low cut t-shirts with Spanky’s emblazoned across their chests, and encouraged to wear little else.

  Kelli’s pink t-shirt strained across her chest, distorting the letters and leaving no doubt that she went bra-less underneath it. Paired with the too tight shirt was an equally brief pair of cut off denim shorts, and high heeled sandals. How Kelli managed to work an entire shift on those heels was beyond Cady’s comprehension. She herself had on a pair of white cotton shorts, revealing an expanse of tanned thigh, but no cheek.

  “You’re killing me, kitten.” Her boss took one look at her and shook his head in disgust.

  “Hello, Dylan, nice to see you too,” she smiled, squeezing past him to get into the cage.

  “Would it kill you to show a little skin?” The man wore a brown leather jacket, shiny and worn around the elbows, over a tan shirt with mushrooms all over it. His hair was long and stringy, his pointy goatee in need of a trim. Too thin, with nicotine stained teeth, he wasn’t repulsive exactly, just unkempt. Too many cigarettes and hard alcohol had taken their toll. Cleaned up he could be Johnny Depp’s brother, but in his current state he was more homeless than hottie.

  “I’m showing plenty,” she looked down at her clothes. “This is shorter than the skirt I wore last week.”

  “Yeah, but not up top where the customers can get the best look at you.” His eyes dipped to her chest and Cady resisted the urge to cover herself. The v-necked t-shirt already showed a healthy expanse of cleavage.

  “Angel, grab a pair of scissors, help Cady out.” He gestured to Kelli, who nodded, grabbing a pair of scissors from the counter.

  “Whoa, you are not cutting this thing any lower.” Cady took a step backwards, hands coming up.

  “We talked about this, honey. You know how it is. You’ve gotta give them something to look at. It’s all in the name. Spanky’s.”

  Ick. “Okay, fine.” Tugging her t-shirt tighter around the middle, she tied the excess fabric into a knot in the back, exposing her tanned midriff and the v-neck pulled wider. “Is this better?”

  “Gorgeous,” Dylan grinned, kissing the tips of his fingers. “Okay girls, bring Daddy the bacon.” He slapped his hand against the counter for emphasis before leaving. He’d be back at two to help close up and pay them. Dylan always paid in cash, it was a strictly under the table arrangement. Officially, the store closed at eight p.m. on the books. Whatever he made from the rentals went exclusively into his pocket, it was a cash only business.

  “Dude, how much fun was last night?” Kelli burst out as soon as the bossman was gone. For the next hour she went on and on about Andre, the guy she’d left Inferno with, stopping to flirt with the unwashed masses that came into the storefront. Cady was friendly, as usual, but Kelli really sold it, leaning over to take their money from the drawer, bending unnecessarily low to pick out the DVD’s from the storage racks behind them.

  Cady kept mum about her own excitement, her promise to keep quiet about it looming large in her mind. A little bored between customers, she started to doodle on the inside of her arm, copying the strange symbols she’d seen on Ethan’s back without realizing she was doing it.

  “What are those?” Kelli asked, grabbing her wrist for a better look.

  “Oh, nothing. Just some designs I saw, tattoos.”

  “Are you thinking about getting another tattoo?”

  Cady glanced down to the tiny blue butterfly on the inside of her wrist that reminded her of her father. “No, not really. I was just messing around.” She put the pen down, but picked it up again less than ten seconds later, finishing the detail on the last symbol.

  “I totally want to get one right here,” Kelli pointed to her right hip, visible above the low slung denim. “But I can’t decide what to get. What are those, Chinese?”

  “No, I don’t think so. I saw them on this guy.”

  “Ooh, what guy?” Kelli’s face lit up. “Here I’ve been going on and on and you’ve been studying intimate tattoos.”

  “They weren’t intimate, just on his back.”

  “But you definitely saw him without his shirt on then? That’s progress.” Her voice rang with pride.

  “Sure I did, but it wasn’t like that.”

  “What do you mean it wasn’t like that? Shirtless plus tattoos equal hotness, right?”

  She couldn’t deny, there was a certain amount of hotness going on when she took off Ethan’s shirt, not to mention the jeans, and Cady felt her cheeks betray her.

  “I knew it!” Kelli jiggled in excitement. “See, your sex drive wasn’t dead, just hibernating.”

  “I never said my sex drive was dead,” Cady protested. “And I’m telling you, it wasn’t like that. He didn’t even kiss me.”

  “Oh, sex without kissing… that can be hot.”

  A customer shuffled up to the counter then, and Kelli got drawn into a conversation with him about sex without kissing. That was the part of the job Cady disliked the most. She knew the men leered, knew they were likely saving up images for their spank bank to be taken out later, with or without the movie rental. But actually talking to them about sex… that felt dirty. It didn’t bother Kelli though, and Cady wondered if she’d ever be that open.

  “What’s his deal then, if it wasn’t like that?” Kelli sauntered over, offering a bag of baby carrots and Cady took one. “Is he gay?”

  “You think everyone that doesn’t pounce is gay.”

  “Only because it’s true.”

  “He’s not gay.” At least she didn’t think he was. “He was feeling under the weather, so I helped him get home.” Not a lie… “I slept on his couch and nothing happened. He was a perfect gentleman.”

  “Too bad,” Kelli sighed, munching on carrots. “Are you going to see him again?”

  “Probably, he’s my next door neighbor.”

  “Wait… that guy? The homeless one?”

  “He’s not homeless, he’s my neighbor,” Cady objected, tossing the rest of the carrot into the garbage. “And I think he’s kinda cute.”

  “You can do so much better, Cady.” Kelli turned to smile at anothe
r customer then, and Cady was reminded of her brother’s words.

  “Yep, that’s me. Full of potential.” Maybe once, but she’d learned not to pin her hopes on the future anymore.

  The rest of the shift dragged. Business was slow and Dylan wasn’t too happy when he took a peek into the drop safe at the end of the night. Cady didn’t bat an eye as he bitched and moaned about the economy, slipping the cash into her pocket as soon as she got paid. She would much rather have taken off while he tallied the night’s receipts, but she stuck around, waiting for Ian to come and pick them up.

  It was their usual routine. Ian arrived about fifteen minutes later, on foot, to escort Kelli home and then walk the rest of the way to their apartment. While they walked, Kelli and Ian chatted easily, her hand frequently resting on his arm. More than once she’d wondered if her brother had ever hooked up with Kelli, but she’d decided it was none of her business.

  Anything that had him joking around had to be a good thing, and that happened more often than not when Kelli was around. His mood sobered after they left Kelli safe in her own studio apartment, and they strolled for a few blocks in silence before he spoke again.

  “Listen, I’ve been thinking about before…”

  “I’m sorry if I worried you,” she cut him off before he started down that path again. “I should have called to let you know I was okay, I wasn’t thinking.”

  “No, not about that. I was thinking about you and school.”

  Not that again… “We already hashed this out, there’s no way we can make that work.”

  “No, I was thinking, if I picked up a few more shifts, and then there’s private gigs. I think we could swing it.”

  “I’m not letting you work yourself into an early grave just so I can go to school. That’s not what Dad would have wanted.”

  “Dad wouldn’t have wanted you working at that shithole either,” he growled.

  Cady caught his elbow, forcing him to look at her. “He wouldn’t have wanted this life for either of us, but here we are. If you want to blame someone about it, blame Mom.”

  “It’s not her fault…”