Page 109 of Daniil
I can’t remember the last time I cried but there’s no denying the tears leaking from my eyes.Or the pain that’s so intense I can barely take a breath.
“I love you,” I whisper in the darkness.“And I always will.”
“I love you too.”
And her tears soak into my chest as mine drip onto the pillow.
Chapter44
Courtney
The housein Vegas feels cold and lifeless.Like its very soul was sucked out and there’s nothing left but a shell of wood, cement, and drywall.Nothing has changed, not really.There’s still the same sunflower welcome mat on the front porch, the same crimson throw pillows on the couch, the same toys and picture frames adorning almost every surface.
What’s different is me.
I feel like I left a piece of myself in Limaj, and despite knowing I’m doing the right thing, it doesn’t feel any less awful.Leaving the palace, and Daniil, was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.And even though Micah and I have been home a week, I’m still not sleeping well.Not eating.Not really living.It’s all just routine and getting through each day.
Adele is here today to watch Micah so I can go in for an all-hands meeting at Westfield & Carruthers.I’m not sure what’s going on, but it sounded important so I somehow managed to get myself dressed and out the door looking somewhat presentable.
Landon and Elliott are in town for the meeting even though they’re based in L.A.and they’re going to crash in my guest room and on my couch for the night.It’ll be nice to have company, someone to cook for and have adult conversation with.Not only am I dealing with a broken heart, I don’t have a single person to talk to.
The boys are great, and I could talk to Landon if I really wanted to, but he has nothing to add to the current situation so there’s no point in it.The one person I want to talk to is Lennox, but she made her feelings clear just before I left: she thinks I’m an idiot.
So I’m essentially on my own.
For real.
It’s a small crowd that gathers at the Westfield & Carruthers office, and I sink into the chair next to my brother.
“Any idea what’s going on?”I ask him.
He shakes his head.“Nope.Chains has been pretty tight-lipped about everything.”
“Hey, everyone.Thanks for coming.”Chains walks in and sits down at the head of the table.“I know you’re all curious about why you’re here, so I’ll get to it.When I bought the company, I didn’t have a ton of cash, so I gave Joe Westfield a down payment, and he’s been taking half of my agreed-upon salary until it was paid off.And now it is.”He pauses.“But the thing is, we’ve grown too big for what I’m doing.My family and Club Inferno, those are my priorities, and we have too much business for me to keep burning the candle at both ends.”
“What does that mean, boss?”Landon calls out.
“It means I’m considering selling.”
The room is deadly silent as we all look around.
“Selling like…we’re all out of jobs?”Elliott asks, a tinge of annoyance in his voice.
“Yes, but no.”Chains looks around.“I won’t do anything until we come to an agreement.Maybe one or more of you would like to buy in, be my partners.Then no one loses their job, no clients have to be moved around, and we can even expand because, frankly, I turn down work every day.”He looks around.“Any takers?”
The room is quiet.
I want to jump in, because the amount of money Daniil put into trust for us is staggering.Tens of millions of dollars.I can literally do anything I want now.But I don’t know if I have the bandwidth to run a security company and raise my son on my own.
“Can I think about it?”I ask after a moment.
Chains and Landon both look surprised, but Chains immediately nods.“Of course.Take your time.I’m not in a hurry to make this happen, but after this last trip to Limaj—which was important and I would do it again in a heartbeat—I realized how far I’m stretched.I missed my daughter’s dance recital—” He looks at me.“—again, this was personal, and I would do it a hundred times over for you.But I was already in Alaska because Gage Caldwell needed me.I’m out of town more than I’m home, and my wife is tired of it.We all are.”
“I need a couple of months,” I say quietly.“Meet with a financial planner, maybe interview some nannies…is that okay?”
“Absolutely.It’s only August.I wasn’t planning to do anything until January anyway.But I wanted you all to have the opportunity to buy the business or become partners with me before I looked to strangers.”
The guys ask a few more questions but I’m lost in thought.
