by Lannah Smith
“I can take his anger.”
“He’s got connections, Skull. And it’s not just connections to drugs but also to guns.”
Christopher clenched his jaw, trying for control. “Like I said, I can take him.”
More silence.
Then in an angry voice, Leon said, “I can’t believe this.”
“Believe what?”
“I refused to believe it,” he hissed, sounding even angrier. “fuck, fuck. I refused to believe it. Because it can’t be. Not you.”
Christopher’s guard went up.
So he finally found out.
“Come home, Skull.”
“No,” Christopher answered quietly.
“Come home,” Leon urged in a firm tone. “Let’s talk about this. Don’t be reckless and just think of yourself.”
Leon was clearly not thinking at all.
He was determined to get himself involved in this situation. All his friends were. And Christopher’s thoughts and worries seemed trivial to them. He tried everything but physical force to get them to be reasonable but he might as well be talking to the wind. They wouldn’t be even the least bit swayed.
Was this all for fucking nothing?
“Don’t do this on your own. We can help you.”
Christopher laughed humorlessly. “For fuck’s sake, Leon. I don’t want any of your help. You know this shit will spill out to all of you. You think I want that kind of guilt on my shoulders? Do you seriously think I’m going to let you meddle and get you all killed in the fucking process?”
“Skull—.”
“I’m not going to let your baby lose her father!” he shouted, finally losing his control. “I lived a life without my parents. You lost your mother too. I don’t want your child to experience such life because we both know it’s fucking shitty. We both know how that feels. So you of all people should understand my reasons for not letting you interfere!”
Leon turned silent on the line and didn’t answer.
Seething, his shoulders heaving with anger, Christopher watched Alec silently remove the vases from the tables in the hall.
“I’m not going to take you away from a life that you’ve always wanted,” he continued in a quieter tone, trying for control again. “I’m not going to take you away from a life that you’ve always dreamed of, Leon. I’m not going to make John sacrifice everything for me. I’m not going to involve Rohan in my problems when he had just solved his. This is me… This is me thinking of you.”
“Leon?”
Christopher heard Sophia’s worried voice faintly over the line.
“Leon, is everything alright?”
“Everything’s alright, Sophia,” Leon answered her, his voice sounding distant. “Why are you awake?”
“You weren’t in bed. Who are you talking to?”
“Someone from the office. I’ll come back to bed soon after this call, sweetheart. Get back to bed, alright? It’s cold.”
A moment’s silence, then Sophia said, “Okay.”
“Hang up, Leon,” Christopher murmured. “Go back to your wife. Go back to your life.”
He heard Leon suck in breath. “God damn it, Skull.”
“If you can’t do it for me, do it for Sophia. Do it for your child.”
Because Christopher didn’t want his friend’s fate to turn out like Daniel Grant’s too.
Then without waiting for Leon’s response, Christopher disconnected the call.
“Will we have any problems from him?” Alec asked, taking the phone.
Christopher shook his head. “No. And you tell everyone just that. No one touches him or they’ll answer to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then Alec disappeared into the room opposite Christopher’s.
Chapter 30
"So," Christopher began when he entered my bedroom, "what do you want to do today?"
I turned my head and gave him a glower. "Have you heard of knocking, Christopher?"
"I knocked twice."
"But you didn't wait for me to tell you to go away."
He put his hands on his hips and chuckled with a shake of his head. I turned my gaze back to the novel I was reading.
"What do you want to do today, April?" I heard him ask again.
"With you? Nothing."
"We can watch a movie," he went on to say like I hadn't spoken, "or play video games. Bake a cake. Or go piss off Alec."
"How about you start a hobby or something if you have nothing else to do?" I suggested. "Rather than wasting your time on me? Because your attention is getting quite annoying."
He seemed to find my words amusing because I heard him chuckle again.
"Well, if you can't think of anything suggest, I do have something I want to do with you today.”
"Please leave me out of it," I mumbled, flipping the page.
"The snow has stopped falling. We can go out for a walk."
I paused. The offer was tempting. A chance to check how far I was from the nearest civilization again? How could I pass it up?
Still, I said, "No."
"Really?” he asked dubiously. “Aren't you interested in the snow? We can ride a snowmobile."
Now that gave me even more pause. Because I have never taken a ride on a snowmobile.
Damn it.
Damn this curiosity.
Now I was pretty sure that the downfall of humanity could be completely attributed to their curiosity because it was for me. It happened with Christopher. Then with Emmy. And with a lot of other people.
I sighed and glanced out of the window.
People thought that I liked gaining information for blackmailing. It wasn't because of that. I just liked knowing things. It was a bit like an itch you need to scratch, the need to know. Still, I managed to hold onto my curiosity when I repeated my no. What was the point of staying away if I went on a stupid snowmobile trip with him?
Christopher heard the regret in my tone. Even I heard the regret in my tone. And thinking that he'd make fun of me because of that, I turned to glare at him. He wasn't looking at me however. He was now sitting at the table, holding a pack of cards. Lifting a brow when he met my gaze, he said, "Want to play?"
"No."
"Jesus, don't you know any other words in the fucking dictionary aside from no?"
"Don't curse."
Throwing his head back, he let out a laugh, the sound filling the room and bouncing off the walls. I stared at him in irritation. He was in quite a good mood this morning, wasn’t he? But oddly, as I watched him, this happy expression of his looked a little too forced. My irritation faded and a worrying feeling moved inside my chest. Beneath his veil of happy was a faint hint of melancholy, flickering about his face.
I didn’t want to care so I started to turn away but then I paused. Briefly, last night's conversation played in my mind.
"Did your father's men struck you too?" he asked just as I was about to climb the stairs. Although his eyes seemed pleasant enough, his voice was low and frightfully menacing.
My hand on the handrail, I stared at him, startled at the question that came out of nowhere. "What if they did?"
"They'd lose their lives."
My fingers curled into fists by my side when chills went up my spine. Christopher said it has only just begun. I didn't understand what he meant. I did have an idea. But I didn't want to understand, didn't want to know exactly what he meant by his words.
"Come on," Christopher cajoled and reluctantly, I looked at him again. "You've never ridden on a snowmobile before, right?"
"No," I admitted with a slow exhale.
"Well, today's your lucky day."
"I don't even know if I want to ride on a snowmobile."
He could tell I was lying and grinned. I grimaced.
"Just playing cards is a little boring, how about we make a bet?" he suggested.
I blinked. "A bet?"
"Yeah." Shuffling the cards expertly, he jerked his head to the other seat across him. "Loser
grants the winner a wish. How about that?"
Interested but wary, I stared at him for a few seconds.
"Any wish?"
"Any wish," he confirmed.
"Including setting me free?" I challenged.
"If that's what you want, yes."
I still didn't trust him. "Then that would cancel the other bet, would it?"
He smirked, like he had expected me to say that. "It would. Are you going to play?"
I thought about it some more. "Well, what wish do you want from me if you win?" My eyes narrowed on him.
"Just to accompany me for a walk outside," he replied good-humoredly.
My brows flew up. "That's it?"
He nodded. "That's it. And if you want to try the snowmobile than we can get on one too."
Now this was a bet I was willing to take.
"You aren't going to cheat right?" I asked once I sat down in front of him.
"I won't," he promised.
"What are we playing?" I looked down at the cards he was still shuffling.
"What do you want to play?"
"Double solitaire?"
Once again, I was treated to a full-blown laughter from him.
"What?" I asked in angry bewilderment.
"Seriously?" he grinned. "Double solitaire?"
I shrugged. It was the only card game I know. I played with Dan sometimes whenever he visited me at the cabin.
Thinking about Dan made my chest burn. For a short moment, I struggled against the pain that wracked my body. It slashed at my pride that Christopher kept having to see me at my weakest and I hated that he was keeping on seeing me like that.
"Fine. We'll play double solitaire." Christopher's gentle voice came to me through my tortured thoughts and I focused on him. "You have the advantage, honey. I haven't played it since fucking forever."
"I said don't curse," I muttered, drawing in a deep breath. When his words penetrated, I felt myself cheering up. If what he said was true, then I was going to win.
"Do you want to deal?"
I said yes and he gave me the cards. Since he had shuffled it more than I could count, I placed four cards on the table between us and dealt out the remainder one by one until all were doled out.
A grin was playing on his lips when I let him chose which stack he would like. Picking the stack closest to him, I picked up the other one and the game was on.
The wind was biting but I was in winter wonderland. Tucking my hands deep into the pockets of my thick winter coat, I moved through the freshly fallen snow, thrilled at the pleasant sound of crunching under my boots.
It was almost blinding. The snow was so beautifully white. And the view was lovely. On my right was the sea. Up ahead was just a lot of barren trees with their branches coated with white and others that were still quite green but with the snow clinging to them.
No matter how many times I'd seen this, I could never get enough of it. Even when I tried escaping, I'd instead get distracted by enjoying the landscape. And admittedly, Christopher was right. I'd get lost if I tried to make my way down this cliff on my own. Especially in the snow. There were no signs of a path or a walkway. Only snow.
I glanced at the house. Christopher was watching me from the porch with Alec. I had made him stay there for a moment so he won't disturb the snow before I could and surprisingly, he agreed. Even when I was thoroughly annoyed at the outcome of our little bet earlier, a slight note of excitement pulled at me. And though my mind refused to be troubled with thoughts of Christopher looking so glum, my mind refused to stay still.
I was truly an idiot, I sighed.
When our eyes met, Christopher thought it was time to join me in the snow and I paused, watching him come over. He bent down to scoop some snow in his hands as he did, forming a snowball. I took a deep breath and raised indignant eyes to him.
"Don't you dare," I warned him.
The stupid grin on his face told me that he would.
"I'm warning you—." I shrieked and ducked when the snowball flew past my head.
I stared at him openmouthed. The grin on his face spoke for itself. The childish bastard. How dare he throw a snowball at me?
"Are you insane?" I called out then screamed again when the second wad of snow flew past me. "Jackman! Get your crazy boss to stop!"
But Alec had already gone back inside the house.
I felt a snowball hit my shoulder before I heard Christopher call out, "I thought you liked snow, honey."
Glaring at him, I shouted back, "I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you, you childish - don't!" I dodged the next snowball he threw and bristled when I heard him laugh.
Determined to get even, I shook off my glove and bent to gather a big scoop of snow, packing it firmly. I gasped out when I felt something hit my back.
"Oh, you asshole," I growled, straightening up and letting it fly in his direction. I laughed when it splattered on his face and quickly ducked behind the tree next to me when he launched his next missile.
"Stop it!" I shouted, catching my breath. "I thought we were going to take a ride on your snowmobile!"
"We are!" I heard him say.
"Then what are you doing?" I shrieked almost hysterically.
I heard him start toward me. Quickly, I scooped up more snow, deciding a hit-and-run approach might be better, and ran, lobbing it quickly at him.
Christopher got a mouthful of snow and he sputtered. Almost slipping, I laughed and took a moment to scoop another ball. But when I glanced up, Christopher had narrowed the space between us and I ran off before I could launch the snowball. But then my boot hit something in the snow and I went flying. Hitting the snow, I slid across the ground a few feet.
"Are you alright?"
I wasn't hurt. I was more shocked by how I fell. Turning around on the snow-covered ground, I glared up at Christopher, who was kneeling beside me, looking like he wasn't sure where to touch me.
"How dare you be worried for me when you throw those snowballs at me?" I hissed.
He grinned. "Guess, you're alright. Let's get you up, darling."
He pressed his lips together as he helped me up, as if quelling laughter.
"Are you laughing at me?"
"No." He shook his head. "I'm just smiling."
"Why?" I demanded.
"Because you look so adorable," he answered, pulling my missing gloves back on my hands for me.
There was some snow sticking to the front of my coat and I brushed them off.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
My eyes went to Christopher's worried ones.
"Why do you keep asking that?" I asked, disgruntled.
"Your heart."
I wasn't surprise he knew.
"My heart's fine." The surgery that I had undergone when I was seventeen, unfortunately, had been a success. "So stop asking."
"I just want to be sure." He got closer and I would have stepped back but his hand came up to tuck a strand of my hair over my ear before staying behind my head. Though his hand was ungloved and had been touching the snow, his palm was warm. It felt good, the gesture nice enough to root me to the spot. "Because I don't want you hurting."
"You should have thought of that before you threw those snowballs at me," I deadpanned.
He chuckled.
Then he dipped his face closer to mine and kissed me.
I gasped. But his lips were gone before I fathom what he was doing, along with his warmth. I immediately squelched the butterflies in my stomach before they could fly. And tried not to ask for one more kiss.
Turning around, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the house. "You're not in any kind of pain, right?" he asked in a mild tone.
"No.” I took in a breath and let it out. “But you are."
"I'm what?"
"A massive pain in the ass."
He let out a huge grin.
"And if you dare steal a kiss from me again, I'll castrate you," I told him frostily.
"I'm just checking if you're
as sweet as I remember," he said, glancing over to me.
