Enjoying Trouble (Trouble #3) (12 page)

“And you never thought to tell me?” I asked.

“She didn’t want anyone to know,” he said with a shrug. “And if she’s not with you or the boys, at least she is safe with me.”

“Where does she sleep?”

“In the spare bedroom,” he said, motioning over to a closed door.

“For how long?”

“For a while now.”

“So the nights she goes missing, she’s here, with you,” I said, shaking my head. I didn’t know whether I was happy or angry of that fact. I went over to the bedroom door and opened it. A bed in the corner of the room and a bedside table were the only things inside the room. I looked in further to see some photos stuck on the wall near the bed. There was one of us, smiling for the camera, in happier days.

“She asked me to train her,” said Harry at the door. I automatically winced, hating the fact she had asked him when I could have helped her.

“Why?”

“Self defence. She’s strong and has come a long way.”

I put her jumper down on the bed and then let out a sigh.

“Does Zac know?”

Harry shook his head and said, “It was important to her that no-one knew.”

I nodded and said, “Okay, we’ll keep it that way then.”

Harry nodded and walked back over to the kitchen to his dinner.

“How is she…when she’s here?”

“Quiet, determined to train and focus on something other than the demons in her head.”

“You cook for her?”

He nodded. I watched him stir the pot once more, before turning to look at me.

“Is there anything else I need to know?” I asked him.

“She misses you like hell.”

I rubbed my hand over my face, exhausted with Janey’s inconsistencies when it came to me.

“She also gets messages on her phone that upset her.”

“From who?” I asked sharply.

“She doesn’t know I know, but deletes them so I’m not sure who they come from.”

I planned on getting Zac to look into that. I wouldn’t allow anyone to upset her.

“Thanks…for taking care of her.”

Harry nodded and started to serve up his dinner.

Present

Janey

By my third night, I felt like I was starting to get the hang of it all. I relaxed a bit more, flirted a lot more and pocketed more tips. I hadn’t seen Will since the other morning and felt an anxious agitation because of it. I was being good and holding down a job and not getting into trouble.

But I still needed something.

I had obviously sworn off coke since I had come out of rehab and had quite comfortably refused Sebastian’s offer of some during my break. I didn’t miss it because I didn’t like the person I became when on it. Invincible. Gorgeous. Annoying. Reckless. Fucking stupid.

But I needed something else.

I hadn’t had a drink in what felt like forever and after smelling like a brewery each morning when I got home, it was the last thing I wanted to do. What had become of me? I had given up every vice that I had been holding on to for years and I was left flailing about, trying to scratch an itch that I couldn’t reach.

I knew what that something else was.

Sex.

I needed to escape, needed to lose myself in some euphoric release. Will was off-limits. Maybe I could take Sebastian up on his offer? He looked delicious with his dark looks and would undoubtedly scratch my itch. I felt a touch and looked to see him standing next to me, pouring a beer.

“You daydreaming about me?” he shouted over the thumping music.

“I was,” I said taking an order of tequila shots and setting the shot glasses on the bar.

“Was I good in it?” he asked, passing the beer to the customer without taking his eyes off me.

“You were,” I shouted as I finished pouring the tequila and took the money. He passed the change back to his customer.

“Did I give you multiple?”

I took another order and smiled. “Maybe,” I shouted out.

              “Seb, get over it; you can’t fuck her,” Tilly called out with an eye roll. Sebastian looked over to Tilly and they had a silent conversation with their eyes. I had no idea what they were saying to each other but realised these two were closer than I thought. Silent eye conversations took years of practice.

“Keep your dick in your pants if you know what’s good for you, Seb,” shouted Jake, walking past and over to the register. He opened it and started to take the excess notes in it.

“You’re no fucking fun,” said Sebastian.

“Time for you to go on a pick-up,” answered Jake motioning to the small crate they used to pick up the empty glasses around the club. Sebastian rolled his eyes and left the bar with the crate. Jake folded a wad of notes and pocketed them inside his jacket. He turned to me and smiled.

“Everything going okay?”

I nodded and passed change back to a customer. “Loving it.”

“Good. You’re doing well, Janey,” he said with an honest smile. His smile was so familiar for a second that my eyes narrowed as I tried to recognise it.

“Thanks,” I said quickly, realising I was staring at him, while he had been waiting for a response.

“You can take your break now while it’s calmed down a bit,” he said, walking past me and back out to the club. I watched him head over to the security guard and then swipe something at a keypad. The door opened and he disappeared inside.

“Stop perving, or I’ll break your face,” called out Tilly.

“I wasn’t, I promise!” I said, seeing a smile form on her lips.

“I know it’s hard not to,” she said coming closer to me as she wiped down the bar.

“Hey he’s all yours, I’m not interested that way,” I confirmed.

“He’s not mine - never will be,” she said with a resigned look.

“I thought you were together?” I asked.

“Yeah, when he wants to or has the time; he’s usually too busy fulfilling his fiancée’s needs to spend time with little ol’ me.”

“Fiancée?” I asked in surprise.

“Yep, some perfect little socialite who has the same background as him, comes from loads of money.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling disappointed for her.

“It is what it is,” she said with a shrug. “Go on your break before it gets busy again.”

I nodded and made my way to the back, knowing I needed a cigarette and to take in some of the night air.

Will

Essence Bar was not my type of place. It was a bar full of trendies, wanting to try the next new cocktail of the week. I stood out like a sore thumb and was going to give it five more minutes before I was out of there. I had no fucking idea who I was actually meeting, so I had to sit at the bar like a chump and wait, sipping on my imported beer. I hadn’t told the group of my plan to meet whoever I was meeting because I had no idea what this could mean for me. But if someone was fucking with me, I’d hurt them and move on. End of story.

I had no desire to find out about my real father. As far as I was concerned, he hadn’t had the balls to search me out, so he was dead to me, but I would stay for another two minutes to wait and see.

I finished off my beer and checked the time on my phone; time for me to go and forget this even happened. Someone was fucking with me. I moved off the stool as a guy sat down next to me and openly glared at me. My eyes narrowed at him, taking in the guy who was probably in his early twenties and looking pissed. He had a polo top on, his hair was full of product and I just knew he had spent thirty minutes in front of the mirror to get it like that. His skin was clean of tatts and he clearly enjoyed the freshly shaven approach.

“You’re late,” I said.

“We need to talk,” he said.

“We don’t need to do anything,” I responded.

“Sit down, Will. You’ll want to hear what I have to say,” he said motioning to the bar tender. I gritted my teeth and sat back down next to him, waiting for him to order his fucking 30 year-old whiskey. He pointed to my drink and asked the bar tender for another.

“Who the fuck are you?” I asked.

“The name’s Ryan,” he said, handing over his money to the bartender.

“Well, Ryan - I don’t take kindly to orders or sitting in fucking stupid bars waiting on your every word. So, if you have something to tell me, do it now.”

He took his time, sipping his whiskey, moving the ice cubes around in appreciation. I had visions of upending the glass all over the bar.

“Your real father - know anything about him?” he asked.

“I’m not here to talk to you; you brought me here to talk to me. Do it or I’m gone.”

“Your real father is alive and well and misses you.”

“How the fuck could he miss me when he doesn’t even know me?”

“Oh, he knows you. Forces greater than us keep him away from you. They keep the truth buried under a big stinking pile of secrets and threats.”

“You smoking something?” I asked with a frown.

“No, Will. I’m not on drugs. I’m here to finally open your eyes to what’s going on around you.”

I wanted to laugh at him and get the hell out of there.

“Does this bullshit attitude get you laid?” I asked next. He put his glass down hard on the bar and turned to me.

“Let’s get one thing straight; I’m not here because I want to be. The current situation has forced me to be here with you right now. I’d rather you rot away and not know who your father is, but he would wish the opposite and I’m granting his wish.”

“Why now? Why not years ago, like maybe when I was
born
?” I asked angrily.

“Because that almighty powerful family of yours can demand anything they like and always get what they want. He was never allowed to come to you and tell you who he was. Your family like to keep secrets and threaten people with their lives if they don’t comply.”

His words swam around in my head and I took a gulp of beer.

“So what are you to him? Why are you here?” I asked.

“Well, we have more in common than our dislike for each other,” he said taking another sip of his whiskey.

“What, you like kittens and marshmallows too?”

The guy shook his head and took another sip of his whiskey, slowly as if he was savouring the moment. I was close to smacking him in the side of the head if he didn’t start talking.

“Well, I’m apparently your
step
half
-brother,” he said, focusing on me, waiting for my reaction. My eyes narrowed on him, taking in his face.

“If this is a prank, I will hunt you down after this and hurt you.”

“I wish it was. I don’t want you as a part of my life anymore than you do, but this whole secrecy thing is wearing my dad down and I hate seeing him so unhappy.”

“Does he know you’re here?”

“No. I’m breaking a contract by doing this, or a threat more like it,” he said shaking his head. “Your family don’t want anything to do with us and want it all to be kept a secret. I personally wouldn’t mind your family rotting in Hell.”

“They’ve got first class tickets to Hell, so no worries there. Who is he?”

“You need to promise something first.”

“I’m all out of fucking promises.”

“Then you leave here not knowing. His life and business are at stake here if you go opening your mouth to your family. No-one must know that you know.”

I let out a frustrated sigh and focused on my beer.

“Fine, you have my word.”

“Your father is Dean.”

The name smacked me across the face and I choked on my breath. My boss for the last three years was my father.

Janey

I thought of texting Will on my break but then realised he may be deliberately keeping his distance from me. I had nothing to say to that because it was what I had asked of him, but it didn’t mean I had to like it. I inhaled my cigarette and blew it out into the night air. My heart was racing and I still felt agitated. My internal battles with myself would slowly end up killing me if I didn’t stop. I needed to be good. I needed to refrain from my vices; I couldn’t ruin the progress I had already made. This was the new me. Everyone expected me to continue being like this. From the outside looking in, I was doing okay with my life.

Headlights in the laneway blinded me and I leaned back against the wall beside one of the big dumpsters, needing no other distraction then getting my head sorted.

I can do this.

I can.

I can fucking do this.

The headlights passed me and I could see they belonged to a black limousine. I looked around the large bin to see it pull to a stop just near me. I watched the driver get out and press a few buttons on the door further down. It opened and a guard stepped out, waiting at the metal door. The driver then opened the back door of the limo and a businessman stepped out. His hair was speckled with gray and he straightened his suit before stepping inside the door. The driver got back into the limo as the big metal door closed, the guard disappearing inside with the suit. The limo then slowly drove away back out onto the street.

Without another thought, I made my way over to the metal door. There was no sign of even a handle, just a keypad. I looked up and down the building, seeing that it was totally nondescript; just another darkened building. Was it part of Disclosure? Maybe this was the “downstairs” that I wasn’t allowed to talk about?

“Not a good idea,” said Sebastian behind me. I jumped in fright, having not even heard him come outside.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that,” I said angrily, throwing my cigarette down at his shoes. I walked back over to our door and let out an angry sigh.

“You get angry in the sack like that?” he asked, following me back over. I rolled my eyes and then looked at him.

“Why isn’t it a good idea to stand over by that door?”

He shrugged and said, “Just an opinion I have.”

“What’s in there?” I asked.

“Who can tell?” he said stepping closer to me.

“Why are you even out here? One person, per break only.”

“I’m breaking the rules. You should try it. It’s fun.”

I let out a frustrated sigh, if only he knew that “rule breaker” used to be my middle name.

“So tell me, why are you off-limits?” he asked stepping even closer so I was now against the brick wall. He was in my space and smiling at me like he wanted to devour me. I could see his darkness in his eyes. They revealed the real dark part of him that was hidden under the humour and rebellion. He was a kindred spirit and if I had any sense, I would go back inside right now.

“I have no idea about that rule,” I said.

“Must be something special about you,” he stated leaning his body up against me.

I licked my lips and said, “You willing to find out and lose your job?”

He chuckled against me; his hands now either side of me on the wall. “I’m always willing to get into trouble. Something tells me you would be worth it.”

“You’ll never know,” I said, my eyes zeroing in on his lips that were a breath away. I knew this was wrong, I knew he was a bad idea. I knew this could get both of us fired but I never made good decisions and I wasn’t about to start now. I had tried so hard but I could only fight so much temptation before I snapped.