Page 62 of Once Upon a Beast

“Why would they look any further when they already found their criminal? No one cared, no one would listen. Not until Garrett. I want to give you his number so you can talk to him. Have it checked out on your own. If I’m wrong you can come here, tell me I told you so, and never talk to me again.”

“But if you’re right? What do you want? Do you expect me to get you out of jail? Work with the system to get you out and have some sort of parade in your honor?”

“No, son. You don’t get it. This has nothing to do with me. My life is over, it was the minute the door closed on me here. I’m doing this for you, for Layla. I want you to make sure that you two have the life that you want. I want you to be able to be with the woman you love. This man ruined my life. I don’t want him to have the chance to ruin yours. If he did this once, there’s nothing to stop him from doing it again. And I think he’s going to do it to you.”

“James loves Layla, he loves me. He has been like a father to me.” I didn’t add since my father got locked up but the words hung in the air.

“Look at all your dealings, really look at him. Was he helping you or was he just pushing you to do what he wanted. He has worked with politicians all his life, he knows the art of the deal, how to manipulate people. I never thought I would be duped but I was. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.

“Don’t answer me, but answer these questions. Has he been a bit more secretive? Has he been a bit more pushy about closing a deal? Has he been a bit more forceful about doing something that you didn’t agree with?”

“That is none of your business,” I said but hairs were standing on the back of my neck. There was a new deal he really wanted us to do and I wasn’t so keen on it. Even if I did, it didn’t mean what my father said was factual. “That’s ridiculous,” I said.

“I can see why you wouldn’t believe me. If he is going to do the same thing to you, he’s going to do it soon. He has your trust and he can use it against you. I’m only doing this to protect you. Look into it. Not for my sake, or even yours, but Layla’s. If you do and you find I’m wrong, I promise to never contact you again.”

“You said that.”

“It bears repeating. You need to do this. This is Garrett’s number.” my father said and slid a piece of paper towards me. “Call him.”

Chapter 32

Layla

“And that was when the caterer told us she wished us the best of luck but she couldn’t help us,” Ella said with a laugh.

“Why did the woman even agree to meet with you if she couldn’t accommodate your guest size?” Ara asked.

Ara, Ella, and Dax had all come out to enjoy happy hour at Henry’s, a local wine bar near my work. I had felt like I had been neglecting them since I moved in with Nic. When Nic had texted me he was going to be working late, I thought it was the perfect excuse to see my friends.

Nic had made the move seem so effortless. He made sure I had space to put my stuff and I got the impression he had Steve clean out a few closets and other spots so I could. He would check with me about what I wanted to do for dinner or when I would be home. He was always there when I got there. At first, I thought it was because he didn’t want me in his space if he wasn’t there. It took me a few days to realize it was because he wanted to be there when I got home.

We had fallen into an easy routine and I thought things were going well. I had texted him a few times during the day but hadn’t gotten any response until the one stated he was going to be late. I figured something was going on with the project but I had talked briefly to my father and he hadn’t given any indication that something was wrong.

The silence told me something was off but I didn't know what it was. I wanted to believe that Nic was just busy with whatever crisis he was dealing with. He had other projects he was working on that didn’t involve my father. It could be any number of things, but my gut told me something was off. I hoped it wasn’t about us, I thought things were going well but what if Nic didn’t? What if he needed some time away from me because I had become too much for him? I tried to push the uneasy feelings I was having down but it wasn’t working. I hoped spending time with my friends would help.

“So, when is your next appointment with a caterer?” I asked.

Ella and Dax had been trying to find a caterer for their wedding for months. Numerous times they had thought they found one only to have them fall through for some reason. It had become a weekly story to hear about the latest disaster. They were being good sports about it but I could tell Ella was getting worried they weren’t going to find someone soon. I didn’t like hearing that they were having issues still but the story was funny and it helped to keep my mind off Nic.

“Enough about us and our bad luck. How is it living with your boyfriend?” Ella asked.

“Good. We’re still adjusting. I think it is going well.” I took a sip of my wine

“Are you sure?” Ara asked, concerned.

I put my drink down and smiled brightly at my friends. “Yeah. Yeah. He’s just been busy today and I haven’t heard from him much.”

“Men can be like that. We forget to check in. I think Ella likes that she has access to my schedule so she knows where I am at all hours of the day,” Dax said and ran his hand affectionately along Ella’s arm.

“Access? What are you talking about? I’m the one who creates your schedule. It was how I made sure you were free to do this tonight.”

“Oh, yeah. I thought I had a meeting this evening,” he said and we all laughed.

“You did, but I changed it. I wanted some time with my friends and for you to come along.”

“Are you saying you wanted to show me off?” he teased.

“You do look good standing next to me,” Ella teased.