Page 27 of The Placeholder
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he demands.
Henry glances between us, then grabs his keys from ahook by the door. “I just remembered I have somewhere to be.”
"Henry, don’t—” Jared starts, but Henry slips past me with a muttered “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”
I step inside without waiting for an invitation, closing the door behind me.
“You’ve got some fucking nerve showing up here,” Jared says, crossing his arms. “Did Della send you to collect her money? Because she can come get it herself.”
I look pointedly around the messy apartment. “I don’t see anything here that you could possibly pawn to pay her all the money you owe. Except maybe the watch on your wrist, but she probably paid for that, too.”
His face flushes. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
"Actually, I do.” I take a step closer, satisfaction curling through me when he backs up. “I know exactly what kind of man you are, Jared. The kind who takes and takes, giving nothing back. The kind who cheats on a woman who’s working herself to exhaustion to support him."
“Our relationship is none of your business,” he spits.
“You’re right. Your relationship with Della is over, which makes it irrelevant.” I keep my voice even, controlled. “What is my business is the fact that you won’t stop calling her. Won’t stop texting her. Won’t accept that she’s moved on.”
He snorts. “Moved on? With you? Please. Della and I have history. You’re just the rebound guy.”
I smile, and it’s not a nice smile. “Let me be clear. I have connections throughout this city that you can’t even imagine. One word from me, and your career—such as it is—would be over in minutes. No company will hire you, no client will return your calls.”
His face pales slightly, but he tries to maintain his bravado. “You’re bluffing."
“Try me.” I step closer again. “But that’s just business. On a personal level, if you contact Della again—if you so much as breathe in her direction—I will tear your heart out and shove it so far up your ass you’ll taste it.”
He swallows hard. “You can’t threaten me.”
“It’s not a threat. It’s a promise.” I lower my voice. “Della is with me now. And unlike you, I know exactly how rare and valuable a woman like her is. I won’t make the mistake of taking her for granted.”
Something flickers in his eyes—recognition, maybe, of what he’s lost. “She’ll come back to me. She always does."
“Not this time.” I turn to leave, then pause at the door. “One more thing. I intend to be the kind of man Della deserves—in every way. The kind who supports her dreams instead of leeching off them. The kind who’s faithful and honest and puts her first. The kind who might, someday, be worthy of being her husband and the father of her children.”
The look of shock on his face is almost worth the trouble of coming here.
“Stay away from her,” I say, opening the door. “This is your only warning. If I need to return, you will regret it.”
I drive straight to Della’s office afterward, the confrontation having left me with an urgent need to see her. When her assistant waves me in, Della looks up from her computer with surprise that quickly melts into pleasure.
“Axel! I didn’t expect to see you until tonight.” She stands, coming around her desk to kiss me.
I pull her close, breathing in her scent, feeling the rightness of her in my arms. “I missed you,” I say simply.
She laughs against my chest. “It’s only been eight hours."
“Too long.” I kiss the top of her head, then step back to look at her. “How about an early dinner? That new place on Riverside you’ve been wanting to try?”
Her eyes light up. “I’d love that. Let me just finish this email.”
As she returns to her desk, I watch her—the graceful efficiency of her movements, the little furrow between her brows as she concentrates. I think about Jared, about all the ways he failed to appreciate what he had. I think about the future I want to build with this woman, the life we could have together.
I won’t tell her about my visit to Jared. Not yet, anyway. Tonight is about us moving forward, not looking back.
“Ready,” she announces, grabbing her purse. She links her arm through mine as we walk out. “So, what brought on this spontaneous dinner invitation?”
I smile down at her. “Just wanted to remind you how special you are.”
