A Beautiful Mess (16 page)

~~~~~~~~~~

“Donovan. Grant here. She’s heading out again.”

“Okay. Follow her. And let me know where you end up.”

He pulled into traffic a few lengths behind Olivia’s car and followed her.
 

Just before nine, Olivia pulled up in front of 28 Degrees, tossing the valet the keys to her Audi. She walked in to see Kiera already sitting at the bar sipping a martini. Olivia joined her, ordering a martini as well.

“To breaking down those fucking walls once and for all,” Kiera said, raising her glass.
 

“I’m working on it,” Olivia smiled at her friend as she took a sip of her drink.

She glanced around the dark bar and noticed a tall man with dark hair and evil eyes, dressed all in black, walk into the trendy nightspot. He found a few empty stools at the bar opposite where Kiera and Olivia were sitting, giggling about something.

“Donovan. Grant again. She’s at a bar called 28 Degrees. I left the car and came in to keep a closer eye on her.”

“Great. Good work. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Grant hung up, keeping his eyes trained on his target and trying to pick up on her conversation.

“Wait a minute! You think Mo is cute? What?” Olivia nearly shouted as she took a sip from her second martini.
These drinks are going down way too easy tonight
, she thought. “I thought you were just flirting with him for fun! I had no idea!”

“Shut up. I mean, we started to get close when you left. We were the Olivia Adler Survivor’s Club.” Kiera winked.

Olivia punched her in the arm. “Stop it. You know I feel bad about that.”

“You should. Bitch.”

Kiera took a sip of her drink, finishing it, and stopped to get the bartenders attention. Suddenly, Olivia felt chills. Turning around, she watched a tall, muscular man with a shaved head walk into the bar, smiling at her as he passed. He walked over to the other side of the bar and joined his friend with the mean eyes.
Why are they both wearing black? Did they coordinate their outfits?
Olivia laughed at the thought.

“What are you laughing at?” Kiera interrupted Olivia’s thoughts.

Olivia took a sip from her martini. “The thought of you and Mo in the sack.”

“Stop it, Libby. And I call him Jack, anyway.”

“That’s right. I forget that’s his real name.”

“Why do you call him Mo?”

“Well, the night I first met him at Scotch, that bar we used to work at, he introduced himself and I didn’t hear the first part of his name. All I heard was the Mo, and I guess it just kind of stuck. And plus, my Dad’s name was Giacomo and he was Jack. I just couldn’t bring myself to call him Jack, too.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that.” Kiera rubbed Olivia’s back, willing her to not freak out. Surprisingly, she remained relatively calm even though she had just spoken about her father. “Wow, Libs. You willingly spoke about your dad and didn’t go storming off. Whatever Alexander is doing, he better keep at it.”

Olivia blushed, wanting Alexander to keep doing the things he did to her earlier that morning. She looked across the bar and noticed the two guys staring at her. They weren’t even trying to hide it.

“That reminds me. Open Mic mañana, chica?” Kiera asked, bringing Olivia’s attention back to her.

“You know it! I’m going to get you up on the stage one of these days, I know it!” Olivia laughed at the look of horror on her friend’s face.

“Oh, absolutely not. You can have the spotlight. But when you get discovered, just remember the little people, okay? I’m talking backstage passes, and you better make sure I get interviewed when you’re on
Behind the Music
. Got it?”

Olivia smiled at her friend as she finished another drink.

The girls spent the next few hours catching up. They hadn’t spent much time together lately, Olivia preferring to stay in most nights to Kiera’s disappointment.

“Those two guys have been staring at us all night,” Kiera slurred into Olivia’s ear several hours later, gesturing with her eyes to the opposite side of the bar where the two guys in black sat, drinking their beverages of choice.

“Care Bear, they’re creepy looking, not to mention probably about twenty years older than you.” Olivia was more than a little drunk, having consumed about five martinis. “Take those fucking beer goggles off already.” Olivia laughed. “Plus, I thought you wanted to bang Mo.”

“Number one, they’re martini goggles. Number two, I do. And I’m still working on that. And you already have Mr. Hottie. I need one, too. I’m going over there.” She got off her barstool, almost toppling over.

“You’re drunk,” Olivia said, poking her arm.

“So are you,” she replied, poking her back and heading across the bar. Olivia kept her eyes on Kiera, making sure she didn’t slip off into a dark corner with either one, or, God forbid, both.

Olivia decided to take that moment to check her cell phone, noticing a few missed text messages from Alexander. Instead of texting him back, she decided to call him, wanting so desperately to hear his voice.

“Olivia,” he answered, his voice sending shivers throughout her body the way he caressed her name. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?” she slurred into the phone, giggling.

“Well, it’s past midnight,” he responded. In all actuality, that had nothing to do with it. He had texted her several times that evening and never heard back from her. He became rather concerned for her safety. When his phone rang seconds beforehand and he saw Olivia’s name pop up, he finally breathed a sigh of relief for the first time all evening.

“Fuck! Is it really? Whoops.”

“Olivia, are you drunk?”

She giggled again. Then hiccupped.

“Well, I think I have my answer.”

“Oh, you think you have all the answers, don’t you Alexander. And why Alexander? Why not Alex?” The booze had made her rather bold.

“We’ll save that for when you’re screaming my name. I guarantee you won’t be able to pronounce my entire name when I’m making you come, Olivia.”

She was silent for a minute, having no idea how to respond to his words.

“Are you still there, Olivia?”

She found her voice and squeaked, “Yes. I’m here.”

“Who are you out with? Do I have competition for my affections, Love?”
 

There it was again. That word.
Love.
So full of hope.

“No. I’m with my friend, Kiera. She’s over talking to two creepy guys sitting at the other end of the bar.”

“Oh really? What makes you think they’re creepy?” She could hear the humor in his voice.

“Well, they’re wearing all black, which I mean, who does that? Are they in some sort of goth phase? Please! That was so ten years ago! Plus, they got to the bar almost immediately after I did and sat across the way from us. They’ve been staring at me this whole time. Kiera’s over there talking to them and they’re still looking at me. So, yeah. Creepy.”

Alexander’s heart dropped. After his discussion with his sister earlier that morning, he knew there was something going on. He didn’t have all the answers, but he did know that the woman he was falling in love with was the girl he failed early on in life. And that his father had lied to him about her death for some reason. He just didn’t know what that reason was yet. Until he figured out what was going on, he wasn’t going to take any chances.

“Olivia, I need you to do something for me.” She could hear the panic in his voice. “I need you to collect your things and very casually walk into the ladies room.”

“Why?” Alexander was starting to scare her. She guessed that he saw everyone as a potential bad guy after all his years in the security business.

“Please, don’t argue with me right now, Love.”

Ah, that word again. All he needed to do was say that and Olivia was putty in his hands. Or his mouth.

“Can you do that for me? I am five minutes away. I will call you when I’m there.” Alexander sounded serious. He was worried. But what could he possibly be worried about?

She got off the phone with Alexander and stood up from her barstool, casually walking to the ladies’ room as if nothing was wrong. She wondered how Alexander even knew what bar she was at. Of course. He could probably track her cell phone.

A few seconds later, Kiera came barreling through the bathroom door.

“Libby! There you are!” She dragged one of the creepy guys in with her. “This is Donovan. He really wanted to get to know you.” She winked at her friend.

Olivia looked at Donovan. It was the guy with the shaved head. He appeared rather intimidating. He was tall and muscular with a mean expression on his face. She glared at Kiera with a shocked look on her face. “Kiera! This is the ladies’ room! Get him out of here!”

Kiera looked around, finally realizing that she dragged a man into the ladies’ room, and giggled, saying, “Whoops! What was I thinking?” She turned to Donovan and, placing both hands on his chest, started to push him out the door. “Out you!”

And then he spoke, making Olivia’s skin crawl. “Okay. But we’ll be waiting.” He glared at Olivia and left. Her cell phone began to ring and she quickly answered it, seeing that it was Alexander.

“Olivia, are you safe?” Her hands were shaking.

“Yes, I’m safe. I’m in the ladies’ room like you asked.” She looked at Kiera who mouthed “What is going on?” Olivia held up one finger, signaling that she would tell her in a minute.

“There are two men dressed in black standing in the corridor. I have taken care of your bar tab. I will be in the hallway in one minute. Count to sixty and come out. Do you follow, Love?”

“Yes.” She hung up before turning to Kiera and, whispering, told her that Alexander was there because he was worried for Olivia’s safety.

Kiera squealed. “Oh! That’s so sweet. You’re like a damsel in distress!”

“No.” Olivia smacked her friend. “I just think he sees trouble in everything. It’s almost like he has this hero complex.” Would he still want to be with Olivia if he no longer thought she needed to be saved? The thought consumed her.

When enough time had elapsed, she told Kiera they were leaving and Alexander would meet them in the hallway to help them make their escape.

“Should I start humming the James Bond theme? Because I totally will!” Kiera laughed.

“Shut up, Kiera,” Olivia responded as she pushed open the door to the ladies room.

Alexander rushed up to embrace his Olivia. She steadied herself in his arms, deeply inhaling his scent, her eyes heavy. “Smell something you like?” he asked with humor in his voice.

She looked at him. “Oh, yes.”

He glanced over Olivia’s shoulder to the two men hovering in the hallway and whispered quietly in her ear, “We need to get you out of here, Love.” He was able to discreetly take cell phone pictures of the two men when he paid the girls’ bar tab. He planned to run the photos through facial recognition later.

Alexander grabbed Olivia’s hand and she, in turn, grabbed Kiera’s hand. Olivia looked at her dumbstruck friend as she mouthed, “Holy shit, he’s gorgeous.”

Didn’t she know it?

~~~~~~~~~~

Olivia gave the valet her ticket and he quickly retrieved her car. Alexander opened both passenger side doors when the car was brought around, allowing Kiera to collapse in the back seat before helping Olivia into the front. He ran around, tipping the valet, and got in the driver’s seat before taking off down the quiet Boston streets. Kiera had walked there because she lived around the block by the community gardens, but she was in no state to be walking anywhere at that moment.

After dropping Kiera off at her house, Alexander picked up his phone. “Burnham here. I want an overnight protection detail for a Ms. Kiera,” he looked at Olivia, wanting her last name.

“Murphy.”

“Kiera Murphy.” He listed off her address and Olivia gazed into the distance. Those two men at the bar really did concern Alexander. She wondered why.

After he hung up the phone, Olivia glared at him. “What the fuck is going on?” she blurted out.

He reached across the console of her car and placed his hand on her leg. He took a deep breath. He thought about telling her. But how would she react? She was clearly intoxicated. Could she be rational? Would the information set her back? Would she never speak to him again? He wasn’t ready for that to happen just yet.

“I’m not sure, Olivia. But I have a feeling. And my gut is usually right,” he responded, his voice soft and sensual, causing Olivia to soften her glare and practically forget about the two men at the bar.

“Well, what is it you’re feeling?” she slurred, trying to sound sexy.

He laughed. “What am I feeling? Well, if you really want to know, I am feeling a whirlwind of emotions right now, Love. I’m feeling that you’re not just some girl I want to fuck and never see again. I care about you. Deeply. Which is a strange emotion for me, to be honest. I feel the need to protect you. To keep you safe. To make you happy.” He smiled at her.
And to tell you that I finally found you after all these years.

“But, you can’t always keep me safe. No one could shoulder that burden.” She hiccupped and he laughed, breaking the tension that was building in the car. She didn’t know that he had made a pledge to protect her all those years ago and now that he found her, he could fulfill that promise.

Alexander pulled up outside of Olivia’s house and parked the car on the side of the road. He walked her to the front door just as two black SUVs pulled in front. She noticed Martin driving the first but didn’t recognize who was driving the second.

“Martin is here to take me home. And Carter will be parked out front keeping an eye on your place. It didn’t look like anyone followed us here, but I need to be sure.”

Olivia looked up at him, not ready to say good-bye just yet. “Stay with me, please.” She didn’t know what had possessed her to say that. She had never wanted anyone to stay over. Ever. Why now all of a sudden? Why that man? She couldn’t believe her own ears. But she really did want him to stay.

He exhaled and pulled her against him. “I want to, but…”

“But what? I just want to fall asleep in your arms,” Olivia said sleepily. “If you really want to make me happy, you’ll stay.”