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And they’re things I don’t want Kiara to hear being discussed.
Monday at the office feels like it's the day before the end of the school year; outside the weather is warm, the sun is shining, and I'm stuck inside.
My morning meeting with Frank went just as I'd expected. I assigned him to taking care of Kiara’s security detail. Someone to watch her when she’s not with me and to teach the dipshit who’s had free rein to harass Kiara a lesson once and for all. I'd showed him some of the pictures, not the most graphic, and he agreed that the pictures were taken from angles that could not have been from someone outside the building. It was from cameras inside her apartment, I was sure about it. And there was no way I was going to let her go back there, for any reason, until I was sure that no one was watching her. I'd taken her security card from her bag before I left for work this morning. It would give Frank a chance to have a thorough look and see if he could find anything that could tell him where he might be hiding out.
She hadn't told me any details about the guy, just the name, but a cursory look had proven empty. He had stayed in the country illegally and was hiding to not be found.
I’m going to find him, and make sure he never causes Kiara another minute of pain and worry again. Whatever it takes.
The look on her face when she'd told me that she'd felt dirty, violated by him, that everything he'd touched was tainted had torn at my heart like a rusty wire brush.
Overnight, as I'd held her, making sure that even if she had nightmares with me, her reality was safer than it has ever been, I was inundated with thoughts about all the painful, torturous, life ending ways I could deal with this low life.
I'm glad she was asleep because I’m sure that she would've been able to read the thoughts from my face and I’m not proud of any of the scenarios in my head. But that doesn’t mean that if I ever get my hands on him, I’m not going to do each and every thing I’m imagining… and enjoy it.
"Hey. Do you, like, ever work here?" Odette skips into my office after a manager has left, telling me about some problems in the office. "I feel like I haven't seen or talked to you in days."
"That's because we haven't. Everyone deserves a day or two away from you.” I don’t even bother to look up at her. I can tell from her voice that she isn’t in my office to talk about work.
"Aw, absence makes the heart grow fonder, you must, like be pining for me."
"Don't joke about that anymore."
"Huh? Why not? Ohhhh, Ki-ahhhh-ra." She rolls her eyes but stops when she sees the expression on my face "Wow, lighten up."
I stare at her, unblinking. "If you want to have to find a new job, this is the way to do it."
"You're kidding me, right? We've always joked like this. What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that, out of respect for the woman I'm with, let’s not do that anymore. You can understand why she wouldn't take it well."
"Sounds like she doesn’t trust you. That's no way to have a relationship," she sulks.
I try not to sound as pissed as I am at her. Not really sure why she feels qualified to give me relationship advice. "I've given her every reason not to trust me. And with you, I might add. So, let's cool it a bit, okay? It’s not personal"
"It feels fucking personal. This is so stupid, Kylian. This is how we communicate. We've been friends for a fucking decade, and now you get some —"
I put my pen down, humming with anger. "I'd be really fucking careful about what you're about to say. I mean it. I can replace you. I can't replace her."
Her eyes narrow into thin slits and she storms out of my office. Good, give her time to calm down a bit. I'm sorry that she thinks our relationship is changing just because I don't want her making jokes about us having a relationship, but I have one priority. Making Kiara feel safe. And if Odette has a problem, that's going to be her problem and hers alone.
There's static on my intercom. "Mr. Baxter, you have a call from Mr. Gerald Baxter. And... he, er, he sounds quite unhappy."
Fuck. I guess he'd gotten sick of my ignoring his calls and texts. I had meant to call him once I'd gotten to this office in the morning, but I'd forgotten amongst all the issues with Kiara.
"Put him through." There's no reason to put her under fire. He was the CEO... interim CEO but he was known to cause problems for anyone who did anything he didn’t like.
"Uncle," I say, as civilly as I can.
"You fucking idiot! Can’t you do even the simplest thing? I thought you were supposed to be the smartest out of the whole fucking lot of you incompetent dicks but I've yet to see any evidence of that."
The barrage of insults catches me off guard. Uncle Gerald is an asshole of the biggest order, but he is a snake. Everything he did is behind closed doors, going behind people's back and creating toxic allies that he then betrays. This front-on attack is new. Something is monumentally wrong.
"I'm going need you to be a little clearer about why you're calling. If not, maybe you should wait until you've cooled down a bit and can talk in a civilized manner," I hiss through my teeth.
"Fuck you, you little shit. I can talk to you anyway I want, and you better fucking get used to it. Especially if you're going to fuck up deals because you can't be arsed to answer a text message."
"What are you talking about, what deal?"
