Page 85 of Vain
“She? Huh, I didn’t see that coming. What’s she like?”
“She’s fine.”
“She’s fine? I’m gonna need more than that.”
“I’m in love with Matilda. I don’t really notice other women anymore.”
He chokes on the other end of the phone, making me hang up. Asshole. He pretends that he’s immune to the opposite sex, but he’s not. He just has his own complicated history to deal with.
The coffee shop is empty, so I walk right up to the counter. I order coffees and a hot chocolate. There are a couple of subs left, so I have the barista bag those up before paying. She hands me the bag of food first. I throw a few paper napkins inside,along with some sugar packets and a couple of stirrers, before grabbing the drinks from the counter.
“Here, let me get the door for you,” the woman offers with a tired smile.
“Thanks.” I wait for her to pass me and grab the door before heading back out into the night.
My mind skips over everything Banner told me. I can’t help but feel guilty that I wasn’t there yet again when shit hit the fan. But then I think of everything that went down today. I picture Tilly’s ashen face as I pulled her from the wreckage and know I wouldn’t have left even if I could have.
I’m so lost in thought that I’m surprised I make it back to the hospital in one piece, not paying attention when crossing the road. “Get your shit together man,” I mutter. I walk through the busy waiting room and head up to Tilly’s room.
I tap the door with my foot and wait for Reese to open it, which she does with a scowl. It melts from her face when she sees the coffee. “Oh, thank god. The poison they serve here is not fit for human consumption.”
I hand her the tray of drinks as I close the door behind me. I take in Tilly, who is fast asleep with a slight frown on her face. “Milk and sugar are in the bag.” I lower it to the table.
“How is she?” I ask as Reese doctors her coffee with a shit-ton of sugar.
“She was worried about you and her friends. She drifted off about ten minutes ago, but she’s been pretty restless. She doesn’t think she can trust her instincts now that Daniel’s been taken in for questioning.”
I look at her sharply but she just shrugs. “She was just venting. You know how it goes. Don’t worry, I put her straight. I’ve gotta say, though, the police got lucky with this one. This guy clearly isn’t the sharpest tool in the box if he’s dumb enoughto lead such an obvious trail back to himself, which is slightly concerning when he runs a successful company.”
“I can feel a headache coming on.” I rub my temples before reaching for the bag in Reese’s lap. I grab one of the sandwiches, unwrap it, and take a bite. “There’s plenty in there. Help yourself,” I tell her around a mouthful of food before I sit next to the bed.
“Thanks.” She looks through the bag and pulls out a sub. “Why do you look like you’ve sucked a lemon?”
I sigh, not wanting to go into everything that’s gone down back home. “Long day. And I’ll admit, I’m pissed that I’m not out there kicking the fuck out of that prick.”
“As much as it sucks to hear, your job isn’t to avenge your girl. It’s to protect her from assholes like Daniel and all the other crazies out there. Now that he’s on the cop’s radar, you can’t go in with your fists flying like you want to. Gotta give them a chance to hang themselves before you start poking holes in their investigation. Cops don’t take kindly to being made to look like idiots. If they mess it up, you’ll get your turn. But you gotta have patience. You are no good to Tilly if Daniel is free and you’re the one behind bars.”
“You know an awful lot about this kind of shit. What is it you do exactly? Because somehow I think it’s far more just a bodyguard. This is not the part where you tell me you are, in fact, a cop, right?”
She laughs around a mouthful of food. “Fuck no. I like to think I’m a good guy, but I’m not sure the police would think the same way. I work for a company that specializes in bringing down the worst of the worst. The kind that always manages to slip through the cracks thanks to who they know and the size of their bank account.”
I lean back and nod. I might try to stay on the right side of the tracks for the most part, but I’m aware enough to know thatpeople like Reese are needed to keep the balance in check. Good guys, cops in particular, have to color inside the lines. But people like Reese don’t have those same limitations.
“I freak you out yet?”
I shake my head. “I was just thinking. Yeah, I might try to play within the confines of the law, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate what you guys do. It’s naive to think that the good guys always prevail.”
“They do if I can help it.” She pulls out a business card. It’s plain white, withThe Candy Shopembossed on the back and a cell phone number.
“You give that to your girl when she wakes up and tell her if she ever finds herself in need because the cop’s hands are tied to give me a call.”
“Not me, though? Just my girl?” I tease.
“Something tells me you have all the backup you need.” Her eyes soften as they rest on Tilly. “Plus, us women need to stick together. Nothing is more empowering than women banding together to save themselves rather than having men rushing in and playing the hero. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, I’m saying it’s not always the right thing.”
I bite my tongue, but I’m unsure how to respond. I’m not the kind of guy who will ever sit around and watch my woman struggle if I can help, even if I do understand what she’s saying.
As if sensing I’m not quite getting what she’s putting down, she chuckles. “Put it this way, wouldn’t you much rather have Matilda be with you because she chooses you over all others instead of being with you because she feels like she can’t survive without you?”
