"I do miss home. It's hard to believe I'll ever feel safe there again, but maybe I will."
"All you can do is take it one step at a time."
Megan gave her a sad smile. "That's what Paul always tells me, only he says one day at a time."
A knock came at the door, followed by the sound of Griffin's voice. "Annie, Megan? Can we come in?"
"Yes," Megan answered.
Annie stood up as Griffin and Paul walked into the small bedroom together.
Paul gave Megan a supportive smile. "We need to move, Megan."
"I figured. I already packed my bag," Megan said as she got to her feet. She turned back to Annie. "Thanks for being a friend."
"You're more than welcome," she said, giving Megan a hug. "Be safe."
"I'm going to try." Megan gave Griffin a sad, tired smile. "Thanks for letting me stay here and work at the bar."
"That reminds me," he said, digging into his pocket and pulling out a wad of bills. "Here's your pay for the week."
"It wasn't a week; it was just a few days, and I told you that you didn't have to pay me."
"Take it. It's always nice to have cash in your pocket. Just don't use it to run away from Paul." Griffin paused. "He's your best ally in getting through this, Megan. Don't ever forget that."
She nodded and grabbed her bag off the chair. "I'm ready."
They filed out of the bedroom.
When they reached the living room, Griffin put a hand on her arm, holding her back as Paul and Megan left the apartment.
As the door closed behind them, she was suddenly very aware that she was alone with Griffin, and it was only a short time ago that she'd been fighting a very strong desire to kiss him. She turned to face him, feeling unsettled and uncertain. She was both relieved and disappointed when he let go of her arm.
"What—what's next?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself, feeling suddenly cold. "Should I go home? Should I talk to the police? Should we at least get out of this room?"
He stared back at her and she could see the same indecision in his eyes. Then he nodded and said, "Let's go downstairs. Let me buy you dinner. See if we can get this day back on an even keel."
"It would have to be some dinner to do that. I feel very off my game at the moment."
"Vinnie can work magic," he said lightly. "And just so you know—how you've handled everything has been fairly amazing."
She liked that he thought she was amazing even though she wasn't sure she was handling anything very well. "I don't think it's all set in."
"No, probably not. But you have other things to think about."
"Like…"
"Like the designs you owe me."
"Right—work. Work is good. Art is good. And dinner is good."
"You do like to work through your emotions out loud, don't you?"
"Bad habit," she admitted, as she followed him to the door. "Everyone always knows what I'm thinking, whereas most other people, especially you, don't give away a thing."
He didn't answer, and she wasn't surprised. He might have told her a little about Megan and his arrangement with the witness protection program, but she had a feeling there was a whole lot he hadn't told her. Maybe she'd find out more over dinner.
* * *
Annie might think he was giving away nothing, but Griffin felt like she was slowly but surely tugging away at all his hidden secrets, and if he wasn't careful, he was going to end up spilling his guts to her, and that would be bad—very bad. But for now, he was going to buy her dinner, get her mind off Megan and everything that had happened and hopefully set things right again.
He still had an itchy feeling at the back of his neck about the attack on Megan and Annie. They thought they'd been lucky to get out of the way, but had it been luck? Had the attack been orchestrated to hurt or kill someone, or had it been a warning?
If it was a warning, would there be another one? Would anyone know that Megan was gone? She'd left, but had the danger gone with her?
He needed to be careful, and he needed to keep an eye on Annie. She'd looked straight at the driver of the car and while she couldn't identify the person, the driver might not know that.
"It's packed," Annie said, as they walked into the bar.
"It's dinner time." The weekday nights had been getting busier since the local businesses had discovered Vinnie's food and their happy hour priced drinks to be a good after-work watering hole. "There's a table," he added, heading toward a small table for two next to the stage. As Annie sat down, he said, "Do you want a menu or do you trust Vinnie to send out something good?"
"So far Vinnie has not disappointed me. I'll take whatever he cooks."
"I'll let him know. What about a drink?"
"A Chardonnay would be great."
"I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."
"Don't worry. I'm very happy to sit and catch my breath."
He made his way into the kitchen, which was also busy, with Vinnie working at the grill, his assistant, Jose, making salads, and his other assistant, Paula, plating the orders.
Vinnie looked up and motioned for Jose to take over at the grill. Then they left the kitchen and walked down the hall to the office.
"I saw Paul leave with Megan," Vinnie said, a grim note in his voice.
"Yeah. They're gone." He moved around the desk to look at the security feed. Vinnie came up behind him as they ran the feed several times, looking for any small clue, but there was nothing. "No license plate, no visual ID. The car comes very close to Megan and Annie. Another few feet, and the outcome would have been different."
Vinnie's lips drew into a hard line. "I never should have told Megan to take out the trash."
"You had no idea."
"I put her in danger."
"Maybe it's a good thing. You flushed out the danger. Megan is safer now."
Vinnie didn't appear entirely convinced. "He must have been watching the bar, waiting for an opportunity."
"I think so. Paul obviously underestimated what kind of danger she was in. He was very surprised. He said he'd had no inkling that her name or whereabouts had been discovered."
"If we're going to keep doing this, we need to make some changes. We talked about it before, but we didn't do it."
"I agree. We need more security, better cameras." He paused. "Or we could stop. I know you were interested in doing that before Megan showed up. We had agreed to take a break. I'm the one who said yes to Megan."
"Well, Paul didn't give you much of a choice. Honestly, I'm torn. We've had two problems now, which is two problems too many. But…Megan blossomed in the few days she was here. We did that. We gave her a sense of security, a place to belong, and we've done that for other people. We just need to make sure we can keep them safe and that we can keep everyone here safe."
"I agree. We'll take a break for a few weeks and figure things out."
"That's a good plan. What are you going to do about your other problem?" Vinnie asked.
"My other problem?"
"You know—the very pretty redhead with the curious green eyes, the big, wide smile, and the chatty personality."
"Hell if I know," he muttered. "But I owe her at least dinner for everything she went through today. What's your special tonight?"
"Spaghetti and meatballs. My mother's recipe. It's incredible."
"Sounds good. We'll take two."
"And after that?"
He shrugged. "What do you want me to say?"
"You need to think about what you're doing with her, Griffin."
"I know. But Justin bailed on the art for the flyers and shirts, and Annie has stepped in. I need to get that order in by Thursday. If she's still willing to do the designs, I need her to do them."
A gleam entered Vinnie's eyes. "Are you sure you don't need her for something else? She's a looker."
"Who asks a lot of questions."
"So, don't talk. I'm sure you can think of other things to do with her."
"Too many," he
admitted. "And they're probably all bad ideas. But at the moment I'm more concerned about her safety. She was with Megan when that car came into the lot. She's a witness and that bothers me. I need to make sure Annie is safe before I cut her loose."
"I doubt she's in danger. They probably didn't even get a good look at her."
"I'd like to believe that, but I need to make sure," he said, as they left the office and headed down the hall.
As Vinnie returned to the kitchen, he moved into the bar. Danielle gave him a distracted nod as she filled orders. Not wanting to bother her, he grabbed an open bottle of white wine and two glasses and took them over to the table.
Annie was scribbling on a notepad, and she was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn't even look up at him. It wasn't until he set the bottle and glasses down that she jerked her head up.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."
"Still a little jumpy."
He sat down across from her. "Vinnie is making us spaghetti and meatballs. He claims it's his mother's recipe and out of this world."
"I love spaghetti and meatballs."
He had a feeling Annie loved a lot of things. She was certainly open to life—probably too open.
He poured the wine and pushed her glass across the table. "Are you working on a design?"
"Yes." She covered the drawing with her hand. "But it's too early to show you."
"Not even a peek?"
She picked the notebook up and put it in her purse. "Nope. I don't like to show my work until it's ready. Right now, it's just a stream of consciousness, and the first ideas that come out of my brain can be downright ugly."
He smiled at her candor. "You're very honest."
"I try to be ruthless with my art, keep my standards high, but it's not always easy. Sometimes I really like the ugly ideas and I keep trying to make them pretty for far longer than I should."
"Because you don't like to give up. I've seen your determination show itself quite a bit the past few days."
"Persistence is a Callaway trait," she said lightly.
"You're quite proud of your family, aren't you?"
"I am. They frustrate me at times, but they're great. They're some of the best people you could ever meet."
He couldn't imagine what it would be like to grow up in a family as large as hers or as tight-knit. "You're lucky."
"I did draw a good card at birth," she admitted. "Not like some of the kids we saw at Hamilton House. They didn't ask to be born into such difficult situations. I'm glad you're going to let me help you with the art. I've been a little…blocked, kind of drifting for a few weeks, and it's nice to work on something positive, something that can help someone."
"Why have you been blocked?"
"I think it was the result of a number of things. It started about six months ago. I was working for a production company and we had some movie ideas we were working on, and the competition is fierce in Hollywood. I made the mistake of showing one of my friends, one of my coworkers, a design, and she took it for her own."
"And you let her?"
"I didn't let her. I went after her, but we'd been working as a collaborative team, and it was difficult for anyone besides the two of us to know who had done what. Unfortunately, she had better relationships with our bosses than I did. We were put on different teams, and I don't know…after that, I kind of lost my mojo. It wasn't just that she stole my design; it was that I trusted her, and I lost a friend that day. I still remember walking into the conference room and seeing her pitch my character idea. I wasn't supposed to be in until later that day; she'd gone behind my back to set up the meeting while I was out."
Something clicked with her words, and he remembered what she'd said earlier. "That was the time you walked in on someone."
She nodded. "Yep. And I didn't say anything until later. I just sat down in shock and watched her do it." Shaking her head, she added, "Not my proudest moment."
"What happened after that? Did you quit? Is that why you're unemployed now?"
"No, I stuck it out. But there were actually a lot more problems at the company than the theft of my design. We weren't doing well. Our pitches were getting shot down, and eventually the owners of the company decided to dissolve their partnership, and I was laid off. Since then I've been trying to find a new job."
"What about the teaching job?"
"That's temporary. I'm just filling in for the teacher who had to go on maternity leave early. It's been nice to have that to do, but I still have too many empty hours. I come from a blue-collar family, raised with a sense of responsibility. I have been feeling way too idle and lax, and it hasn't helped that I haven't been able to use the free time to come up with something brilliant. But I feel like I'm on the edge of a breakthrough."
"I hope it comes by Thursday morning."
"Don't worry. I'll come up with something. I already have some ideas. And working on them is keeping my mind off other things. Although, I have a feeling I'll be seeing that car racing at me in my dreams tonight."
"I hope that won't happen…"
"But it probably will." She cleared her throat. "Let's not talk about it right now."
"Fine with me."
"Let's talk about you."
He groaned. "You know that's my least favorite subject."
She smiled. "Easy questions, I promise."
"We'll see."
"Have you always worked in a bar? Did you grow up with a dream to open your own bar?"
He cleared his throat, thinking he should have anticipated that question and had a good answer ready to go, but when he was with Annie, the blood that usually fueled his brain headed to other parts of his body.
Thankfully, Vinnie interrupted them with two large bowls of spaghetti and meatballs.
"Oh, wow, this is huge," Annie said. "It smells delicious. Thanks, Vinnie."
"You're welcome, Annie. I hope you enjoy it."
"I'm sure I will. You're a fantastic cook. I was just asking Griffin how he got into the bar business, and I'm kind of curious about you, too."
"Well, you can start with Griffin. I have to get back to the kitchen." Vinnie shot him an amused look and then walked away.
Despite Annie's proclaimed interest in his life, she now seemed a bit more captivated by the food in front of her, twirling the strands of pasta around her fork with great enthusiasm. She certainly brought energy to everything she did.
He liked that—it made him wonder what she'd be like in bed—probably very creative, very enthusiastic, very hot… Damn! He needed to send his brain down another direction, but the kiss they'd shared in the apartment had whetted his appetite for her, and he wanted more.
It had definitely been a mistake to kiss her. He didn't know what had come over him. He usually had absolute and total control over his emotions and more importantly his actions, but Annie continually put him off-balance.
He dragged his gaze away from her and concentrated on his own food. He had a feeling the respite from questions would be brief, and after dinner he was going to have to figure out what to do with her.
Could he really let her go home alone? What if Megan's danger followed her?
But if he went home with her, that could create another set of problems.
He'd known she was going to be trouble the first night she'd walked into the bar; he'd been right.
Nine
She'd told Griffin after dinner that he didn't have to follow her home, but he'd insisted, and as Annie glanced into her rearview mirror, she had to admit she was happy to have him behind her. Maybe she'd feel better tomorrow, when the sun was up, when there weren't any scary, dark shadows, when the memories of what had happened earlier got pushed to the back of her mind. But now, she was still spooked, still nervous, and still not sure what she'd gotten herself involved in. She also wasn't sure about Griffin.
He seemed to be a good guy, a hero, a protector…but then why all the secrets? Why couldn't he talk about his past? Why did he change
the subject whenever she asked him a personal question? She still didn't know how or when he'd decided to become a bar owner, although, that was partly her fault. Vinnie's spaghetti and meatballs had completely derailed her from the conversation. She'd enjoyed the comfort food far too much and the wine and the meal had taken away some of her drive to get to the bottom of Griffin Hale.
But there might be time now…if she invited him into her apartment.
She really shouldn't do that—should she?
They hadn't talked about the smoking-hot make-out session they'd had back at the apartment, but she didn't think either of them had forgotten. She knew she hadn't.
She looked in her rearview mirror one last time, and then pulled into the garage under her building. There was no space for Griffin's car in the garage, so hopefully he could find street parking. Or maybe he'd just double-park until she got inside.
As she moved out of the garage, a gate came down behind her, and she walked out to the street. The lights of Griffin's car went out as he found a spot down the block. She waited as he got out of his car and made his way back to her.
"You didn't have to park," she said.
"It's been a crazy day. I'm going to walk you inside, make sure everything is good here."
"I can't imagine that it wouldn't be." Actually, her fertile imagination had already come up with some terrifying scenarios related to Megan, but the logical part of her brain told her she was taking things too far. Megan was in trouble. She was the one in danger, not her.
After inserting her key in the building lock, they walked up the stairs to her apartment.
Once inside, she quickly scanned the room, happy to see nothing was out of order.
She was also glad she'd taken all of her sketches into the bedroom the night before instead of leaving them spread out on the dining room table. She didn't want Griffin to see her depiction of him as a superhero when he was already so uncomfortable with the idea that she saw him as any hero at all.
"This is a nice place," Griffin said, wandering over to the windows. "Great view."
"I know. I'm feeling very spoiled, but it's a sublet. A friend of mine is on location for a TV series for the several months. He wanted a house-sitter, and I wanted cheap rent."
Cant Let Go GO PL Page 9
