Page 20 of Hartley

The reason I had him come in this way was to see how he would do. Would he buckle under the pressure of being surrounded by them, or would he simply be nervous at their presence? If he buckled, this was no place for him. The shit the guards would tell could be downright traumatizing. I didn’t need them to be comfortable talking to someone, only for him to bolt when it got too difficult.

They wouldn’t dive in with the hard stuff right away. Those scheduled to see him were ones who didn’t mind talking to him about their personal lives. I didn’t want them pouring out everything about the business side of shit from the get-go. I had to make sure he was to be trusted. He already was, to an extent. Having the guards spill business secrets was another level of that trust.

We took the elevator to the third floor, where I had an ample space set up for him. He said he didn’t require much, but the need to make the people who worked for me comfortable was strong. Arden had given me a list of what would make his job easier. I may have gone overboard.

Softening. Even more. Fuck’s sake.

Reghan opened the door for us. Arden walked in first, with me behind him. The room was an open concept with anattached bathroom and a small kitchenette area with drinks and coffee.

Arden stopped once we were in the room, his feet halting on the dark brown tile I had installed that looked like wood. It was easier to clean. Straight ahead were floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the street and the buildings across from us. The room was painted a soft almond, and the furniture leaned more beige than brown. A large couch sat along the wall to the left with a serene landscape painting of a rolling countryside mounted behind it. On the right were two chairs for Arden to choose from with a round side table in between. One chair was bigger than the other. He told me all he needed were two chairs, a small table, and a room with a door. Well, he got way more than that.

He turned slowly until his eyes met mine. “This is all for me?”

“To use, yes.” It was still mine. He owned nothing here except what he brought with him.

“That’s what I meant. I wasn’t trying to lay claim to your belongings.” Before I could tell him I didn’t care what he meant, he kept speaking, “This is too much. You didn’t need to do this. It’s very nice though. Thank you.”

“The people who work for me are important. I want them to feel comfortable in here. That means where they park their ass when speaking with you.”

He nodded. “I understand. Thank you for sending over a schedule of who I’ll be meeting with today.” Barry did that. Not me. I really needed to give him another raise. He did far more than he should.

“I didn’t want to throw you into the deep end, though that’s debatable given your first client.” Was that the right word? Patient seemed too clinical.

“Sheldon Copeland, correct?”

“Yes, he’s one of the guards who protects me and my loved ones. He’s also very trusted within my organization. I won’t go into his past or anything he might not want. It’s up to him what he tells you.”

“I wouldn’t want you to break their trust. It’s important they feel they can talk to me. You don’t know me well, but I hope you learn I’m here to help. I don’t want to do any harm. I take my job seriously. It’s been a passion of mine to help others.” I hadn’t spoken to him about his past, but a thorough background check revealed a lot.

“You don’t need to sell me on yourself. I’ve already hired you.”

“My past made me who I am though. It drove me to this profession. I spent years in therapy to deal with what I went through. My dad… I was only five when I found him. A child of that age shouldn’t see what I did. And so you don’t think I’m afraid of the guns your men have, it’s more that I don’t like them. I won’t berate you for feeling like you have to protect yourself and those in your building, but I don’t like guns.”

Arden found his father dead, gun in hand. He ended his life in the bathroom of their home. I didn’t know the more intimate details of what happened. I’d read enough and closed the file. What he’d witnessed would change anyone.

Then again, I killed my wife in front of my son when he was only three. Yet I was in a life of crime, not helping people.

“Is this where I’m going to be told I should be heavily medicated?” Sheldon asked from behind me.

“You can’t do your job if you’re so drugged up you don’t know where to aim,” I told him.

“Actually,” Arden cut in. “There are plenty of medicationsthat don’t make you feel that way. It’s a matter of finding the right one for you and the correct dosage. But I don’t write prescriptions, just so we’re clear. I’m here for you to talk to. A safe space where I’ll listen and help where I can.”

“If you say so.” Sheldon walked around me and did a slow lap until he stood by the window and peered down at the street. He spun and walked briskly our way. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back.” He didn’t say it in anger, but his usual tone had the tiniest bit of bite to it.

“Where are you going?”

“Forest is outside, and he looks like shit.”

I was about to follow him, but one look from Sheldon and I stopped. Which… What the fuck was happening? When did I default to Sheldon when it came to Hartley’s brother?

Turning on my heel, I followed Sheldon out the door and into the elevator, using my foot to block the doors from closing so I could slip inside. “Reghan, stay with Arden.”

“Yes, sir.”

When the doors closed, I faced forward. “Did you just try to get me to stay in place while you confronted Hartley’s brother?”

“No.”

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