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Luke
“Areyousureyou’llhandle yourself with me gone? Fox won’t give a shit if you drink every night, but I’ll kick your fucking ass if you go off the rails again,” Mark says from the chair in front of me. We’re in my office in downtown LA. He’s wearing a blue suit and I’m in my black one. It’s the suit I was wearing when I picked Liv up in the helicopter for the gala. It was her favorite, so I wear it often. I sip my water as I regard him. I’ve spent as much time as I can up in LA. I’m giving Liv some space, but it’s for me too. The second I see her, my resolve will slip.
“I won’t check out again.” Alcohol was never my go to when shit went sideways in the past. I dealt with the grief through physical activity or talking it out with Susan or the guys. But leaving Liv? I felt like I was drowning. Nothing was working, so I numbed it. I work hard every day to keep my head above water.
Mark eyes me with suspicion.I’ve tested the bonds of our professional and familial relationship over the past couple of months. He needs to go home to San Diego. He deserves a break.
“You miss her. She wants you there for her birthday,” I say.
He frowns at me. “Of course I do, but she has help. You just have me.”
“And I’ll have Fox when you leave.”
He sighs. “Alright. Just please be careful. Liv’s safety depends on it,” he says, knowing where to hit where it hurts. I frown, but nod.
My phone rings and I answer it.
“Mr. Reilly, the board meeting starts in ten minutes.”
“Thanks.”
I stand and stretch and crack my neck as we make our way down the hall. Movement at the end has me stopping and staring. There’s a woman with red hair walking up ahead.
“It’s not her,” Mark says from behind me, and I close my eyes for a second, then keep walking. I see Liv everywhere. She haunts me, and I soak up every second. When I take my seat, I pull out my phone and stare at the photo of us on my lock screen. Emilia begins the meeting and I sigh and tuck my phone away.
It’s not healthy, but I don’t care. I didn’t think it was possible to miss a person so much. She’s a part of me, intertwined with my soul. Whoever is after me has gone dark. The hacker has disappeared, but this is far from over.
I do my best to pay attention, but I’m relieved when the meeting ends. After I say goodbye to Emilia, we head back to my office so I can change in my private restroom for the gym. Mark takes his turn, then we both head downstairs.
I pop in my headphones and sink into my workout. I work to near exhaustion, because it’s the only thing that dims the ache in my heart.
Fox arrives the next morning and Mark fills him in on his duties.
I smile at Mark before giving him a hug. “Thanks for putting up with me.”
He smirks. “Yea, yea.” He claps me on the back and grabs his duffel. He heads out the door and I turn to Fox, who stands with his hands in his pockets.
“So, strip club?” he asks, and I laugh and shake my head. He grins, but he’s only half joking. We order room service for dinner, and he heads to bed early to deal with his jet lag.
I decide to crash too and dream of Liv and the life we could have had.
Brody pushes the cushioned stool towards me and I sit next to him at the bar of the upscale restaurant. He slides a beer to me, and I take a sip. Fox settles into an empty seat a few stools over.
Brody nods at him, then turns to me. “You piss Mark off enough to leave you?”
I smirk. “No, he’s with Liv. Her birthday is in a couple days.”
He nods and sips his beer. “How are you doing?”
I shrug. “Surviving.” He doesn’t know why I left Liv, and it isn’t safe to tell him the details. But that won’t stop him from prying.
“What happened, man? You were both so happy.”
“It just didn’t work out.”
“Bullshit. You two are perfect for each other. Took me about thirty seconds to figure that out.”
I sigh but say nothing.
