Page 36 of Dubious Match
“Nonsense,” Malcom scoffs. “He’ll just make the soup gluten free. It’s not too difficult, and you need to get some food into you. Don’t argue, I’ll just start to growl. Go work on fixing your head.”
Weakly smiling, I say the only thing that I can. “Thank you.”
Going back inside, I close the door behind me and lock it. Passing by the kitchen, I pop a couple of chocolate covered espresso beans into my mouth and crunch on them in an effort to equalize my body. Then, I heat up some water in a kettle and pour it into a bucket before sitting down to ease my feet inside of it.
I’m not going to lie, it’s very hot, but after a few minutes, I sigh with relief. Closing my eyes, I thank anything I can think of. Chronic pain is not for the weak, and I’m not made for it.
Waiting until the water cools, I pull down a kitchen towel and dry my feet off before standing. Making sure the water is dumped and the towel goes into the hamper, I crawl back into bed and pass out.
Today sucked, I’ll try again tomorrow. I need a redo.
Eight
FELIX
Gazing out the window, I watch as our tenant drives through the gate in her van. It no longer makes the noises it used to thanks to Malcolm, and I have to say that I’m relieved. He also insisted on buying her four new tires that’ll be able to properly weather the snowy months that are coming.
I can tell that she’s used to barely getting by, and that we’re sticking our noses where they don’t belong, but it’s impossible not to want to help.
We don’t know very much about her, but the interactions we have had show how passionate she is about her work. I respect that, and know how difficult it can be to be a small business.
“Felix, stop glaring from behind the blinds like a grumpy old man,” my brother hisses. Rolling my eyes I drop said blinds and turn toward him.
“I wasn’t glaring, merely appreciating that Nova doesn’t have to drive a vehicle that announces her presence before she gets there.”
“Very funny,” he sighs.
“Don’t tell her, but I also did a lot more to her van than she knows,” Malcolm grunts. His father is a mechanic and taught him all about cars. He was a little unhappy that his son didn’t follow in his footsteps, but he’s proud of him in his own way.
Did I mention that going home for any reason is a little stressful for the four of us? Everyone has opinions about our lives.
“Is that why the van is running so quietly?” I ask, amused.
“Fuck yes. My heart bangs in my chest every time I hear her drive by. I did it for my own fragile mental health,” he says jokingly.
We haven’t heard from Hollis at all since Brice took her home. It’s Friday now, and to say even I am getting worried is an understatement. I’m freaking the fuck out.
“She’d definitely notice if I put some type of tracker on her phone, right?” I ask.
“Based on the fact that she takes assignments off the fucking dark web tells me that she would,” Brice grunts. “There’s so much we don’t know about her, but I can imagine plenty.”
“Isn’t it dangerous to fuck around there?” Hollis isn’t going to be good for my blood pressure. I am still experiencing immense guilt for the way I treated her, and watching the way Remy rubs his chest tells me he’s feeling the same.
“It is, but it kind of looks like she’s used to skirting the wrong side of the law,” Brice says. “I could feel the gun she had on her thigh when I picked her up, and we know she carries a knife between her breasts. Hollis also took a very urgent call while I drove her home and he sounded like a scary fucker. We may be in over our heads here.”
“We have to get to work,” Remy mutters. “Let’s go so we can continue this conversation on the way.”
The four of us grab our shit and walk out the door, eager to make sure projects are wrapped up. I need to make a trip to the warehouse today to make sure certain orders will continue to roll out properly. While we don’t typically have any issues, I still go by there weekly to check in with the shipping manager.
Settling into the back seat, I wait until everyone is inside the car before we continue the conversation.
“In all honesty, if we find out she’s some kind of mafia princess or a serial killer, would that be a deal breaker for us?” I ask.
The amount of weapons that she wears on her person feels excessive for a day at the office.
“I’m pretty sure that Aisling kills people and she’s the sweetest person we know,” Malcolm says with a shrug. “Looking around at Omega’s Haven and seeing how quickly it’s grown, also suggests some sort of illegal money.”
“If it gets shit done, I don’t care,” Remy admits. “Aisling and Wren have made huge strides for the community. I also went searching for more content about and made by Emilia Richardson, and it’s all directly in line with what we were told at Hollis’ office.”
