Page 35 of Tear Me Down
“You know, you should really be nicer like your friend,” the dealer oh so politely suggests and plucks my last nerve. I finally pick up my favorite knife, feeling goosebumps rise along my arms as the blade scrapes the counter.
“Yeah, I really should be,” I tease, then turn, stalking up to him quickly and jamming the knife into his throat.
We're sitting in the conference room, waiting on Alex to get here before we all brainstorm. I can't help but stare at my girl as she sits beside me at the head of the table, looking like the fucking queen she is. I had gotten her fruit ready and met her outside to check on her before we started, wanting to make sure she was up for this. I was right, she's exhausted, but I suppose it's the good kind. Her routine was something she clung to for so long, that the normalcy of it calms her. I suppose with such a chaotic life like ours, a little repetition isn't such a bad thing.
Darnell let Daisy stay with us again after they were done with her daily work, and now her furry head is lying in Ashia's lap. That dog has been attached to her hip whenever she's here at the Attic, and my sweet woman is taking full advantage, spoiling her rotten and making sure she gets all of the affection a dog could crave. She keeps sneaking her little pieces of watermelon and giggling to herself as Daisy chews them up, just to go right back to nuzzling her snout in her lap.
It's surprising how attached she’s gotten to Ashia, but Darnell puts it off because Daisy hasn't been around a lot of other women. I know it's because of what a good heart she has. It's the same reason kids adore her so much. She also loves dogs as much as I do, and I'm not surprised they're just as fond of her. Should I get her a dog? I could train it so it doesn't allow anyone near her but me. Well, and maybe Zeke, but that's only until things die down a little. Though, Daisy is a special case. Most working dogs remain in their on-duty mindset until their normal downtime—but with Ashia? She's always like this. Every day for the past week, once Ashia gets here, this dog turns to putty, and it's one of the most heartwarming sights.
She finally tears her attention away from Daisy and looks over at me again. A small grin creeps onto her face, mouthing ‘what' as she playfully shakes her head. I can't resist the urge to lean over and press a soft kiss to her cheek, needing to feel her in some way.
“I love you,” I murmur in her ear, and she nudges her face against mine in a sweet gesture.
“I love you too,” she whispers back, and I brush a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“So, really, how are you feeling today?”
She pulls back a little to look me right in the eyes, her face softening.
“A little better,” she says truthfully.
“You didn’t get sick?” Thankfully, she shakes her head in response, easing my worry even more. “Good. Do you want to go to the office and lie down? Your blanket should still be in there.” She doesn’t know this yet, but I bought about twenty of those blankets, half for the house and half for here, plus one in my car. I didn't ever want to be unprepared in the event that she needed one.
“No, baby, I'm okay. I want to know what's going on.”
I nod, not wanting to argue and make her feel like I don't want her here. Logically, I realize she knows better than that, but I know the way her anxiety works, and I don’t want her to feel underappreciated. If my woman wants in on what's happening, then she's going to be in it. I promised her that I would never shut her out, and I don't plan on breaking that. She rests her head on my shoulder and my lips move to meet her forehead, kissing her softly and lingering until the door opens after a few seconds.
“Sorry, D. You caught me in the middle of a session,” Alex apologizes confidently, but I know what he really means. He was fucking his wife, Trina, and more power to him. They’ve been trying for a baby for a few years with no luck, so they've been tracking and trying every natural remedy before they turn to treatments. When he confided in me a year ago, I offered to pay for the testing and treatments, happy to help them, but Trina has had a hard time accepting that they might need it. So, I stepped back and waited until they decided what they wanted to do.
“No problem, Alex.”
He waves lightly to Ashia as he sits down, greeting her respectfully and turning his attention to the huge screen on the wall. The large touch display shows our new digital crime map and a collage of the photos my brilliant fiancé captured from the party. I sit back in my chair, lacing my fingers through hers, needing her to ground me so I can think straight.
“Alright, let’s think this through. We’re missing something here.” I stare at Hugo’s photo, the one in the center of the panel. It’s like he’s staring directly back at me, taunting me through the silence like an angry spirit. Maybe that’s why I’m so caught up in this, so far buried beneath the truth that I’m too far down to dig my way out. I want him dead, and I haven’t been very quiet about that—but now, maybe it’s clouding my judgment.
“What if…” my woman begins to speak but then stops, second-guessing herself like always. I give her hand a reassuring squeeze before my other one slides up to meet her chin, grasping it confidently and lifting it to look her in the eyes. If she has an idea? Everyone is going to fucking hear it. A stupid joke? They better laugh anyway. I don’t care if she talks non-stop for twelve hours. She will be heard for every second of it. No one is ever going to silence her again.
“Use your words, little wolf,” I demand, keeping my voice sharp enough to drive my point home. Her eyes soften, and she gives me a cute little half-smile that almost steals my breath.
“What if it’s not about Dranan?” A wave of confusion floods me, but I keep my features solid, not wanting her to stop just because she thinks I don’t understand.
“That would make a lot of sense, D. Anyone who’s as out and in the open as he’s being wouldn’t be behind all of this. He’s too exposed, too susceptible to get caught,” Alex adds, and after a quick nod to the love of my life, I direct my attention to the others.
“Unless he thinks he’s untouchable,” Zeke chimes in. “He could just be really fucking cocky.”
“No, I think Ashia is right,” I interject, backing my woman up. “It would be easier to piece it together if we knew who the other players were, though.”
“Well, it can’t be Avery, can it? We’ve looked into his background extensively, and nothing points to him doing anything even remotely illegal.”
“Yeah, but he’s a Senator,” Ashia chimes in again, making me even more proud of the confidence she’s building. “I can only imagine what he could cover up.”
“We’re missing a link somewhere between Avery and the others, especially between him and Hugo. How could they know each other enough for him to have the support of a Senator, but there’s no trail of them even meeting?”
“I agree,” Carter finally chimes in, “but obviously, we’re not going to find it with just those two and Popov. We need to know who the other two people are.”
I slide my laptop over with my free hand, holding onto Ashia every second I can before pulling up my hacking software on the side while I do some research. Everyone else, except Ashia, stares at the big screen that my laptop is sharing to in concentration. She’s watching the screen of my laptop while I work, and I’m not sure why that gives me the extra drive to find what we need, but it does. She always drives me todobetter andbebetter.
While my programs load in the background, Ashia continues to sneak fruit to the dog with one hand and pet her with the other, although her concentration is on me, watching me closely while I work. I’m sure with all of the numbers, words, and code flying over the screen, she’s starting to feel a little lost, but it warms my heart that she’s trying to keep up.
