Collide (43 page)

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright, Em?” Olivia whispered, her voice thick with concern. “I’m supposed to meet Tina in a little while. I could stay home if you need me to.”

Sniffling, she shook her head. “No, you go. Go have a good time. I’ll be okay.”

Olivia stood there for a second, let out a heavy sigh, and then slowly closed the door.

In the pitch dark of her room, Emily curled the blankets tightly around her trembling body, her head trying to absorb the wicked day that’d been cast upon her.

Sleep.

She needed sleep like she needed oxygen, water, and food—yet, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t find any tonight. No. Sleep wouldn’t be her friend this evening.

Instead, loneliness, hurt, confusion, and pain would replace it.

Chapter Eighteen

Swallowed Whole

He called her and left a few messages.

Nothing.

He texted a couple times.

No reply.

Sitting at his desk in the office of Blake Industries, Gavin picked up his phone again for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. Placing it back down, he leaned back in his chair and tented his fingers beneath his chin as he carefully assessed the disturbing feelings that were taking root inside his head. Something was wrong. Even if Emily was still sick, he knew he should’ve heard from her by now. However, the calmer side of his brain told him to relax. There could be several reasons explaining why she hadn’t gotten back to him yet. Considering she had missed a day of work, it was quite possible she was busy trying to catch up on other obligations.

Yes. That’s what he would go with for now.

Nevertheless, as the morning dragged on, blurring into the late afternoon hours, Gavin was sure he was just trying to convince himself that something wasn’t right. Though his physical body was forced into several business meetings, his mind was in no way present during any of them. His thoughts became consumed and sickening scenarios clenched around his heart with every passing minute that he didn’t hear back from her.

After completing a conference call with a potential client, he rose from his seat and moved across his office, wondering what the fuck was going on. Peering down at the chaotic city streets as rush hour crept over Manhattan, he decided to shoot Emily another call. Before he could, his secretary’s voice traveled through the intercom, cutting clear through his troubled thoughts.

“Mr. Blake, you have a Dillon Parker here to see you.”

Turning around, Gavin stared at his office door. Although a steady stream of adrenaline rocked through his system, his demeanor showed nothing but calmness. Before he answered her, he slowly walked over to his desk, and with unhurried movements, he peeled his suit jacket from his body, laying it across his chair. In the same breath, he loosened his tie and casually rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Every male instinct in his mind screamed that his friend knew he and Emily were together, and Gavin had a feeling that his unannounced visit was about to become very…interesting. Gavin was more than aware that a jail cell might very well be his sleeping quarters this evening. Drawing in a slow breath, he stretched his neck, squared his shoulders, and hit the button to the intercom.

“Go ahead and send him in, Natalie. Thank you.”

With his jaw clenched, Gavin watched as Dillon entered his office, both men locking eyes on one another the second the door closed.

After a few moments of thickening tension, Dillon finally broke the silence, his tone low but his expression hard. “What you did is fucked up.”

Crossing his arms, Gavin leaned against his desk as he stared Dillon down from across the room. “Maybe if you treated Emily the way she’s supposed to be treated, I wouldn’t have done it. Ever think of that?” he asked, his voice measured, but his thoughts weren’t even close. Between thinking about the way he’d grabbed Emily and the fact that she had gone against his plea by saying something to Dillon without him being there, Gavin was ready to draw blood.

Dillon remained as still as stone. “I shouldn’t have to think about anything, bro. You had no fucking right doing what you did.”

“I might not have, but what’s done is done,” he stated firmly, reducing the distance between them by half. “Perhaps I need to reiterate it for you. If you’d treated her the way a real man treats his woman, maybe things would be different for you right now.”

“I was drunk. I would’ve never touched her if I wasn’t,” he said, his eyes still glued to Gavin’s. “You fucking sucker punched me. That wasn’t fucking cool, man.”

Gavin rubbed at his chin absently. It was apparent to him that Emily hadn’t said anything yet. “Wow, that’s original. ‘I was drunk,’ so that makes it okay?” He didn’t let Dillon respond as he continued, “So let me get this straight…” He chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re here to talk shit to me because I knocked you out for
manhandling
Emily the way you did?”

“Yeah. Why the fuck else would I be here?”

Gavin decided to skirt over that particular question with one of his own. “What the fuck are you really here for?” he asked, his brows furrowed. “Because let me make myself very clear about the way I roll, Dillon. If I would’ve seen you do that to a dog—let alone Emily—I would’ve still done the same thing. When have you ever known me to sit back and watch a man do that to a woman? Tell me because I’m honestly fucking curious now—and quite amused by the whole fucking thing.”

Dillon’s granite expression softened almost imperceptibly. “Look, I don’t want to argue with you. I’m—”

“Oh, you don’t?” he interrupted. “It sure as fuck seems like you do. If you can’t understand why I did what I did, then there’s no reason for us to continue with this conversation. And if you’re going to use that pussy excuse of you being drunk to dismiss what you did to her, then there’s definitely no reason for us to continue this conversation.” Gavin pointed across the room. “The door’s right there if you’re going to play that card with me.”

Dillon stared at him a moment, his eyes narrowing again. “Like I said, I don’t want to argue with you, Gavin. I’ll admit I messed up, and I told Emily I’m going to make things better.” Gavin cocked his head to the side, wondering exactly when they’d spoken since Emily had told him she wasn’t answering his calls. However, he remained quiet and let Dillon continue. “The problem I’m having here is that you seem to have a bigger fucking problem with what happened than my own fiancée does.”

“Fiancée?” Gavin asked, trying to ignore the cracking in his voice and the sudden spike in his body temperature. “She broke up with you.”

“Yeah, but I talked to her, and the wedding’s back on.”

Dillon continued to speak, and although Gavin was staring straight into his eyes, he didn’t hear him. He couldn’t. Swallowing hard, Gavin’s ears stung from Dillon’s announcement, its insidious whisper settling like acid in his lungs. Searing pain—deep and brutal—pumped through Gavin’s veins, manifesting itself like a deadly cancer.

Lifting his arm, Gavin slowly ran a nervous hand through his hair. “The wedding’s back on?” he asked, his voice low, bleeding with confusion.

“Yeah, man. I just went through the whole thing with you. It’s back on,” he replied, a hint of confusion tainting his tone as well. Dillon let out a breath and shook his head. “Look, I get it, okay? You’re right. I shouldn’t have used the drinking as an excuse. Though I remain firm that you shouldn’t have hit me, I’m willing to forgive you.”

“You think I need
your
fucking forgiveness?” Gavin snapped, still trying to recover from the hurt anchoring itself in his chest. “You have some balls coming to my fucking office, telling me that you’re willing to forgive me. You’re lucky I’m not knocking the shit out of you right here.”

“See, this is what I’m talking about. I’m trying to smooth things out with you, and you’re acting like a fucking lunatic. What the fuck, man?”

Gavin glared at him for a long moment as flashes of Emily flooded his mind. Crossing his arms, he turned and walked over to the window. The sun had long since made its descent below the buildings, and a full moon had taken its place. Inhaling deeply, Gavin nodded. He was in no way being benevolent, and he sure as shit wasn’t forgiving Dillon. His sole purpose was to end the conversation and get to Emily in whatever way he could.

Therefore, he would play the game.

He vaguely remembered her saying that she was covering a dinner shift tonight at Bella Lucina. Just as he did so many months ago, he would pay her an unexpected visit. However, this time he would go to her a very broken and very confused man looking for answers.

He just hoped he would find them.

“You’re correct, Dillon,” he said, his voice devoid of any emotion that it shocked even him. “I am acting like a nut.” He turned and faced him, his facial features smoothing into unreadable impassivity. “If you’re able to forgive me for doing what I did, then, surely, I can get over what you’ve done to Emily.”

Gavin carefully watched as the guard in Dillon’s eyes seemed to evaporate into thin air.

“Okay, so we’re good then?” Dillon asked.

Crossing his arms and without a word spoken, Gavin simply nodded.

“Alright, cool,” he said, looking down to his watch. “I’m going out for a couple of drinks with some buddies from work. I think we both could hammer back a few after this. Why don’t you come along?”

“I have some business to attend to,” he replied, his voice even. “Very important business.”

“Well, if you get done early enough, I’ll be at Ainsworth Prime over in Penn Plaza.”

Gavin nodded, and with that, Dillon walked over to the door to make his way out.

“One more thing,” Gavin said, walking across the room, his voice low.

Dillon turned to face him.

Gavin pinned him with a look, and in that moment, he knew his expression told all. “If you ever touch her again, I’ll fucking kill you with my bare hands.”

Cocking his head to the side, Dillon returned his glare and went to speak but didn’t. He shook his head and walked out the door.

As confusion rolled off his body in waves, Gavin took a few minutes and tried to compose himself. His body shook as he tried to breath. Still in shock at what was happening around him, he moved across his office and sank himself into his chair. With Emily’s words tumbling around in his head, it was no use. Composing himself was unobtainable. His head pounded, and his vision blurred. Emily swallowed him whole, lied about wanting a future with him, and spit him out once Dillon came back. Not capable of waiting any longer, Gavin closed his eyes for a beat, inhaled a breath, and dug his keys from his pocket. He rose from his chair and stalked from his office. Hurt, anger, and pain tightened his chest with every step he took. He knew it would be a few hours before Emily’s shift ended, but when it did, he would be there waiting for her.

“Country,” Antonio said, approaching the table where Emily and Fallon were sitting. “If your side work’s complete, you can get out of here.”

Emily lifted her eyes to him as she screwed the top onto a salt shaker. She nodded. “Thanks, Antonio.”

“What about me?” Fallon asked, tossing a wrapped piece of silverware into a plastic bin.

“You’re out of luck, kid,” he chuckled. “You’re the scheduled closer tonight.”

Fallon pouted her lips. “Come on, Antonio. It’s pouring outside, and I’ve only had two tables in the last three hours. It’s already eight. It’s so dead in here right now; you could handle the place on your own.”

Shaking his head, he mumbled something in Italian and walked away.

Fallon smirked. “I guess I should take that as a no?”

“I’m thinking that’s a safe bet,” Emily quipped, rising from her seat. She gave her neck a stretch and untied the apron from her waist. “Is Trevor picking you up tonight?”

“He sure is. We’re going bowling later,” she replied, beaming a smile.

“That sounds cool. Have a good time.” Emily made her way over to the coffee bar to retrieve her purse. After ducking out from under the counter, she found Fallon standing right beside her, her expression filled with concern.

Emily looked at her suspiciously.