AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Staring down at the note in my hands, I read through it for the fourth time. Flipping it over to look at the back, it’s blank. Again and again I look at the note, hoping that I’m missing something. Defeat courses through me. Standing from my bed, I walk into Finn’s room without knocking.
“Where did she go?” I demand, striding up to him angrily.
“I don’t know,” his reply is almost instant, and I raise an eyebrow.
“Really?” I shove him the note. “Why does it say not to be mean to you?”
“Because I drove her to the airport,” he replies honestly. His nonchalant answer stokes the flames in my fire.
“Why the hell would you do that?” I roar.
He doesn’t flinch at my sudden outburst. In fact, he looks calm. “Because she asked me to, Declan.” He stands so that we are eye level. “She said it herself. She’s coming home. There's just some things she needs to work through.On her own.” He stresses.
“I don’t understand why she keeps running from me, Finn,” I sit on the edge of his bed, putting my head in my hands. I’m beyond frustrated, my heart hurts so much when she’s gone that it hurts to breathe. The air tries its hardest to fill my lungs, but the constricting in my chest makes it almost impossible.
“Declan.” He sits beside me, and I can feel his eyes on me. “You have to realize that the way she grew up she was taught that showing emotion was bad. Yes, you and Dmitri tried to save her from feeling like that was true, but there’s only so much you can do. She has to work through these on her own. She was taught to do it alone, she’s employing that. You have to understand that, for her own sake,” he sighs. “You like to be around the people you love when you’re hurting, but Natalia doesn’t. She doesn’t want people to think she’s weak. She doesn’t want people to believe that she is soft inside. She doesn’t work like us, Declan,” he adds.
As I listen to the words coming from his mouth, I know that he’s telling the truth. She’s expressed this many times to me, but I can’t seem to not take it personal every single time she closes herself off. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with myself. Of all people, he knows how hard this has been on me.
“So, I’m just supposed to go home? Leave her here and pretend I never tried to save her? Pretend that yesterday never happened?” My voice is barely more than a whisper, my heart shattering into a million pieces.
“I’ll have her location, and she promised she would check in once a week. Although she requested that I was the one she spoke to, at least we will know she’s okay.” He pats my shoulder gently. I want to shrug off his hand, but I know he’s just trying to be a good friend.
“It’s better than nothing,” I concede, standing from the bed. “Let’s go home. I’ve kept you away from your girls long enough.”
He gives me a thankful glance before practically running to grab his bag. I make a mental note to give him the week off with a nice bonus when we get back home. I know I’ve been completely unreasonable with keeping him gone all the time. He’s always talking about them, whether it’s both or just one. They’re his pride and joy, I just wish my pride and joy would stop running away from me.
Checking out of the hotel, we quickly make our way to the airport and board the plane. The flight home is relatively quiet. Finn fidgets in his seat, excited to see his wife and daughter, no doubt. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous, but then again, Finn and Skylar definitely had their own challenges. Again, my chest constricts. At least they’re still together at the end of their tribulations.
When we land, Finn grabs his bag and tells me a fast goodbye before peeling out of the parking lot.
My departure from the airport isn’t as quick. Knowing that I’m going home to a still empty house fills me with dread, the painful reminder that I can’t have the love of my life with me. Another prompt that I was the one to drive her away from here. Nevertheless, I climb in the car and slowly make my way home. Well, not home. Home is where Natalia is. I’m headed to the house that used to be home, now it’s just the empty reminder.
Pulling into the garage I let out a long string of curses. The fancy car in the garage is an immediate sign. This is not the time for my father to show up. If I wasn’t saving his death for Natalia, I would have killed him with my bare hands by now. She is due her revenge when she is ready to exact it, but the thought itself is tempting.
Exiting the car, I begrudgingly make my way inside.
After checking the living room, dining hall and kitchen, I clench my jaw. Surely he doesn’t have the audacity to break into my office.It’s my fucking father, though.Storming down the hall, I stop in front of my open office door, glaring inside the room.
“What thefuckdo you think you’re doing?” I say in a clipped tone. His head whips up, a smirk playing across his lips.
“Hello, son. Where have you been galavanting off to?” He asks, his tone cheery and sarcastic. He’s sitting behind my desk, thumbing through my paperwork with his feet propped up like he owns the place. I swear smoke is billowing out of my ears.
“That’s none of your business,” I reply, going over and knocking his feet off my desk while ripping the papers out of his grip. “Get the fuck away from my shit. This ismyoffice.Mybusiness.Mypaperwork. This is mine!”
“I just came by to see how things were going. Judging by those numbers, you’ve been losing product with almost every shipment,” he admonishes. He clicks his tongue, shaking his head in mock disapproval. “You should really get a handle on that.” He stands from the chair and straightens his suit, buttoning the one piece
“Get out of my house!” I roar, pointing to the door. My fists clench at my sides, ready to grab the gun from my hip and send a bullet through his temple.
“Alright.” Raising his hands in mock surrender, he steps around me and exits the room.
My blood is boiling as I pace the room. How the fuck does he keep showing up at the worst times? Where the fuck are my men to stop him? I thought this was the whole reason they’re roaming around here.
Fuming, I pull out my phone and dial my head of security. After telling him to come to my office pronto, I take off my suit jacket and toss it onto the couch to the left of me. I place myself in my chair, reclining back with a sigh. Remembering that I was giving Finn the week off, I open up his contact.
Take the rest of the week off. Liam will drop off a gift from me for you and Skylar.
No sooner do I send the text, his bubble pops up.
