SWNOVELS Chapter 26
(Quinn)
After leaving Annora’s office, I headed back to G&C Enterprises. There is nothing else scheduled today, so that will give me time to figure out my next move with Dionne. The woman has no qualms about violating a restraining order against her. No respect for herself either. Not after showing up at the hospital to confront Annora.
The thought of Dionne’s smirking face as she tried to drive a wedge between Annora and me, makes me see red in anger. What will it take to get this woman out of my life? Walking away from her and moving across the country didn’t seem to get the point across to her.
As I pull into my parking spot at our building, my phone rings. Irritation has me ignoring it as I get out of my car. Without looking at the number, I send it straight to voicemail while I walk to the doors. However, it rings again right as I pull the glass doors open,
This time, seeing that whoever is calling will just keep calling, I glance down at the screen. It is an unknown number, and my gut tells me I know who is calling. Dionne.
“How do you keep getting my phone number?”
“With the help of a fantastic investment in a private investigator.”
Her
voice is grating in my ears as she tries to sound s**y. What the **k did I ever see in this woman other than the very energetic sex Dionne is very limber.
“I have a restraining order against you and a cease-and-desist order for you to stop calling me. Shall I report this call too?”
“Why do you have to be like that?”
“Like what?”
“Pretending that you don’t miss me by acting all tough.”
“Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t miss you. I never did.”
With that, I hang up the phone and call my lawyer. This is the last time I deal with this b**h and her games. I am still on the phone with my lawyer
en I reach the floor where G&C Enterprises is located. 1 greet our temporary receptionist with a cordial nod of my head, then I head straight to Aaron’s office.
Aaron holds up his index finger to silence me as I enter, since he is on the phone. From the tone of his voice and posture, I can only assume that he is talking to his mother. Even as an adult, he still gives his mother his full attention when she is speaking
I haven’t seen his mother, Tori, since right after I left New York. That was right after I left Dionne. Aaron’s mother was there to pick up my shattered heart. It is time I go see her. There is so much to tell her. Tori will be thrilled when I tell her shout Grace.
“Ok, mom, we will see you then.”
The sentence gets my attention as I sit down in a chair. When he hang up the phone, Aaron smiles at me. The way he is smiling lets me know what is happening. “They are coming to California?”
“They will be here on Friday and plan to stay for the weekend before they head home. I asked them to stay with me while they are here, but my father doesn’t want to interfere with my bachelor lifestyle.”
“Why not have them stay in your penthouse? Now that you are living permanently at your new house, the penthouse is empty.
Aaron nods his head. “That is a good idea, I will call my mom back later to let her know ”
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Chapter 26
“I will give their info to the guideds in the garage so that they are cleared to enter the building”
I head to my office to make reservations at Clovanni’s for Friday night, forl loves lalian food just as much as I do. Then I make a call to a car service to arrange for transportation while they are here. With all my bases covered, I return to Aaron’s office.
“I made arrangements for your parents to have transportation while they are here. Then called Giovanni’s for a table for three on Friday night.”
“Why not a table for six? I figured you would want to introduce Grace to my mother.”
“I will save that for Saturday.”
“Are you nervous about telling her you have a daughter?”
Tori has been the closest thing to a mother that I have had since my mother died. She was there for all my childhood difficulties. The summer I met Annora, Tori was there to guide me in the ways to treat woman. How will she react to the news that Annie and I have a child together?
“Honestly? I am terrified. I think she will be as angry as I was with how everything went down, but once she meets Grace that will all fade
away.”
Aaron gets up from his chair, gathers his phone, keys, and briefcase, then walks to me. “Mom will love Grace. She may give Annora a lecture, but she will come around to loving her too. Eventually. Now, let’s get out of here and go have a drink. We have a few details to go over for this new property we are going to put an offer on tomorrow.”
“Oh.
you
made an appointment?”
“We are the only ones interested in the place as of today.”
“Let’s just hope it stays that way.”
An hour later, we are sitting at the bar at an exclusive gentlemen’s club It feels odd to be in a place like this after all I have seen in my life. The walls of the room are a deep rich wood with pictures of renown businessmen from all the United States. Some old, some young. and some long since dead.
There are hushed conversations, men sitting alone looking over papers, or those like Aaron and I that are sitting at the bar watching the sports channel at low volume, I would feel more comfortable at a sports bar than I do here.
However, since we are both now very prominent businessmen, Aaron says a membership here will do good things for our public image. All the influential men we can rub elbows with. I asked him who he was and what did he do with my best friend. The man who rarely gave a damn about what others think of him.
“I have another motive for being here,” Aaron says as he sips his scotch
Now, that is my best friend.
.
tel.”
Instead of saying anything. Aaron subtly looks to the end of the bar. The man sitting on the last stool has broad shoulders, thick brown hair and is wearing a black business suit. His powerful jaw is set in angry lines as he stares at an open file in front of him on the bar.
“Why are you pointing him out? Who is he?”
“That, my friend, is Eyan McAllister. The other half of McAllister Industries. He is Ethan’s twin brother.”
My brows rise as I look back at Aaron “How do you know he comes here?”
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“I saw both their names on the members’ roster when we joined.”
*What are you planning. Aaron?”
“Nothing at all. I just want to observe the man. Whatever he is reading doesn’t seem to be making him happy. So, let’s just go grab a table, get lunch, and watch our adversary.”
Reluctantly, I agree with Aaron for now, I have to admit that I am curious about both McAllister brothers. Does Evan have something against us like his brother does? Maybe I am reading more into Ethan’s hugh than there is or maybe my Instincts are correct.
“I still think we should let Mac investigate this issue.”
We take a table along the wall that allows us to still have a sile profile of Evan McAllister. When the waiter came over to hand us menus, I ordered another bourbon, then glanced at the menu. I draw my attention back to the bar when Evan slams his fist down on the surface and swears profusely.
Evan pulls his phone out to call someone. Anger pumping off him in waves. It makes me feel sorry for whoever is on the phone with him. Is it eavesdropping when the conversation on our end is so loud that everyone in the room can hear it?
“You promised it would stop, Ethan. They have done nothing to us that warrants this.” Evan listens to his brother. “This vendetta you have against them is not right. If you don’t put a stop to this b**it now, I will pull the plug on all of it, then I will walk away just like I promised.” Evan hangs up the phone, gathers his files, then storms out of the room.
“That conversation was interesting. I am more suspicious of Ethan McAllister now than I was before, but this proves nothing.” I tell
Aaron
“Indeed. I am very interested in what Mac will uncover now.”
After leaving the club, I drop Aaron off at his car, then head to my penthouse. Mac sent one of his men over to take up the post on the elevator. When I arrive, there is a big burly man standing next to the elevator. I smile because I know and trust the man who waits patiently while I park my car.
David Hale was one of the few men in my first unit that I trusted completely. His piercing grey always saw more than people thought they did. He was our spotter and did his job very well. The day he left the Army was a good day for him, but a sad day for our team.
They medically discharged him after a combat mission went south. He was one of three injured that day. I was one of the other two men Injured, but unlike my injuries, David’s career in the Army ended that day. I have only seen him twice since then.
“I didn’t know you worked for Mac.”
“Off and on when he needs me, or I need the work.”
“This should be an undemanding job then.”
am to keep a crazy woman from reaching your floor. How crazy is she?”
I had to think about that question for a moment. Until recently, I had never thought about thonne as the crazy ex-fiance that I would have to take these precautions against. Sady, now I have to, but is she the kind of crazy that would hurt someone to get to me? I seriously hope not.
“She is crazy enough to violate a restraining order. I don’t think she is violent. The reason I want a guard down here is for my daughter’s protection.”
David’s brows rise in surprise at the mention of my daughter. A smile blooms on his face and little wrinkles crinkle the comer of his eyes. He reaches into his backpack and pulls out his wallet, After flipping it open, he hands it to me to show me a picture of his family.
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“That is my daughter, Sabrina, She is ten. Her brother, Jacob, is seven.”
I mimic his movements, then hand him the photo of Grace that I have in my wallet. “That is Grace. She is eleven. I have her on the weekends and sometimes during the week. So, I want to make sure that while she is here with me, there will be no issues.”
David nods.
“There is a security room right over there,” I tell him. I point to the door a few feet from the elevator. There is a bulletproof glass window that looks out into the garage. “Everything you will need is in there. Press one on the phone to call directly up to my penthouse.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to work with you again.”
די
I pay
y better than
the Army ever did.”
David laughs, then heads to t
the security office. He gives me a wave once he is in, then I walk to the elevator. However, a car pulls into the garage, making me spin around to see who it is. David is out of the office as the headlights bounce off the walls. His eyes have gone hard and flat as he accesses the situation.
When I see whose car it is, I hold my hand up for him to stand down. I can see Annora’s face in the driver’s seat with Grace next to her. What are they doing here on a Monday night?
Grace hops out of the car after Annora parks and comes racing to me. Her face is full of joy as she hugs my waist. When Anhora gets out of the car, she opens the trunk. Curiosity has me leading Grace back to the car.
“As much as I love the idea of spending more time with Grace, what are you two doing here? It is a so
school night.”
“My plumbing is going to be worked on this week. I forgot all about the work being done in the upstairs bathroom until the contractor called a few hours ago. I would go to my parents’ place, but I had a better idea instead.”
The look in her eyes makes me smile. However, I can tell she is up to something. “What are you planning, Annie?”
“Momma had something she wants to tell me. She said it was important, so we had to come here.”
“Well, then I suggest we get these suitcases upstairs so she can tell us both what she wants to say.”
I reach in to grab their suitcases, then after Annora closes the trunk, we all walk to the elevator where David is waiting. He is looking at Annora in surprise. He knows who she is from the faded photo I kept in my footlocker. David is the man who painted the cherry blossoms picture in my living room.
“David, I would like to introduce you to the two most important women in my life. This lovely young lady here is Grace,” I say. I motion to her as I say her name, then with a smile, I look at Annie. “This is her, David, my Annie.”
“I am happy to finally meet Quinn’s guardian angel. He kept that picture of the two of you with him throughout our first deployment.”
Annora shakes his hand, then surprises him by pulling him in for a hug. After a few minutes of the two of them getting acquainted, David leaves us to head back to the security room. The three of us get on the elevator.
Jean in to whisper in Annie’s ear to ask her what she is planning to tell Grace. With a smile on her face, she turns my head so she can whisper in my car.
“I am going to tell her we are a together as a couple. Let’s make our daughter deliriously happy, Quinn, by giving her the family she has always dreamed of having.”