Mr. Brockwell

CHAPTER TWENTY

*Adrian*

There was a lot of tension at the dinner table, while everyone ate in silence. Walter, Ida, Calista, and myself all seated around the table with nothing much to say. I know why Walter and I are quiet, but I'm not sure what's going on between Ida and Calista. There isn't tension between them, but more like a silent understanding of each other's troubles, a bond that wasn't there before is there now.

Once I'm finished with dinner, I excuse myself and leave for my office. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Calista appeared disappointed. I want to spend more time with her, but first I have to ensure her safety. Walter and I had returned to Ivan's house earlier, which was empty, other than the three bodies. Ivan had run off somewhere, and I could only guess it was to tell his stepdad the news. We cleaned up the bodies, mopped the floors and disposed of the evidence. We did this about an hour before dinner, so like I said, it explains both of our quietness at the table. Though, it's not something either woman is aware of, so they're none the wiser.

It's eight o'clock, two more hours until I meet up with Coop. I lit up a cigarette, taking a few drags, before I heard a frail knock on the door. I knew it wasn't Ida or Walter, and that only left one other person, Calista. Sighing to myself, I took another long drag of the cigarette before hollering for her to come inside.

"I didn't know you smoked..." She said, entering the room with a shy smile.

"Only on rare occasions," I admitted, putting the cigarette out, "How are you feeling?"

"Better..." she briefly smiled, "My room is beautiful. I wanted to say thank you, again, so much for what you've done to help me."

"I'm glad you like it," I grinned until I noticed her smile fall flat, "So what's got you upset?"

"I'm not upset..." Calista mumbled and folded her arms across her chest, "I... I wanted to ask you the same thing."

"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"You just seemed... distant, or something... so did Walter, and that's very unlike him." She noted, intuitive little thing.

I didn't respond right away, instead I found myself admiring her character and realizing how quickly I was falling for this girl. She barely knows me and is already catching on to things that I'm trying to conceal. This should be fun.

I release a small sigh, watching as her eyes are searching desperately for an answer. I've been told before, I'm a hard person to read, and that makes people afraid to get too close... but Calista doesn't appear to be afraid at all. In fact, she looks like she's determined.

"Walter had to assist me with some heavy lifting. Unfortunately, there was no one else who could help." I responded with a partial lie, or just withholding the truth.

"I see," Calista responded with a pout of disbelief, "So, then, why are you so distant?"

"I don't mean to be," I said and leaned forward on my forearms against the desk, "What would you like to do tonight?"

"That doesn't mean you're stuck hanging out with me..." Calista scoffed, glancing away.

"I know that," I chuckled and waited for her attention before continuing, "I usually don't do things I don't want to do, Calista. I enjoy our time together, trust me."

"You do?" She asked with a hopeful grin, one that ate straight through to my heart.

"Very much so." I smirked, reeling myself back and reclining against my chair.

"Me too." She grinned from ear to ear, standing up from the chair that sat opposite of me.

"I'll meet you in the living room in ten minutes." I said, as she walked out the door and shut it behind her.

I felt my lips pull up into a large grin, one that consumed my entire face. My heart was thumping rapidly against my chest and my palms were sweaty. What did this girl do to me? She makes me feel nervous... no one has ever had that effect on me before, no one! I'm baffled by it, especially because she does it so effortlessly. I relight my halfway smoked cigarette and finished it, before meeting up with Calista. I sprayed myself with some cologne first, because I remember the stench of stale cigarettes isn't the finest fragrance.

I leave the office and find Calista sitting on the couch, reading the last few pages of Romeo and Juliet. I watched her beautiful green eyes scan the last few words on the page, and when she looked at me her eyes appeared glossy. Is she crying?

I feel my eyebrows knit together, concerned about why she could be crying and who brought on these tears. I sat beside her on the couch, staring deeply into those glistening green eyes. Just the sight of pain in her eyes is enough to make me want to raise hell, whoever causes her anguish can pretty much kiss their lives goodbye. Though, I don't know why I'm going cutthroat, so fast... My feelings for Calista run deep, deeper than I care to admit.

"The ending gets me every time," Calista chuckles with a sniffle, "even though I've read it a million times."

"It makes you cry every time you read the ending?" I repeated, perplexed.

"Yeah." She shrugged with an adorable giggle, one that made me smile uncontrollably.

"Why read it, if it's going to make you cry?" I asked, still not understanding.

"Because it's such an incredible love story, tragic, but beautiful." She shrugged again, sheepishly smirking.

"I never read the book, just watched the movie." I admitted.

"The book is always better." She responded with the most confidence I've seen in her, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"You take reading very seriously?" I asked, stifling my laughter.

"I guess?" She giggled and shook her head, as her cheeks blushed light pink.

We both chuckled for a minute and her eyes found mine. There was this undeniable connection between us, it was something I didn't want to fight. Everything about Calista is inviting; her sweet nature, small adorable stature, and timid voice. She's this innocent beacon of light in my life, one that I never want to lose. One that shines so bright, she'll scare off all of my inner demons without even trying.

"So, are you going to work tomorrow?" She asked, her voice small and light.

"Yes..." I answered in an equally soft tone, "I have a few things being delivered tomorrow. I want to be there when they arrive. Other than that, I'll be home earlier than usual."

"Would you mind if Quinn came over to visit me tomorrow?" Calista meekly asked.

"You live here now too, Calista. You can invite whoever you want," I chuckled and thought for a second, "Except for Ivan, of course."

"Of course," She giggled, and her eyes lit up with excitement, "Thanks, Adrian."

"Do you want to watch a movie?" I asked, holding out my hand to lead her downstairs to the movie room.

"Sounds good!" Calista eagerly jumped off the couch and grabbed my hand, as I guided her downstairs.

I decided to pick an action movie, Lucky Number Sleven, a good revenge movie. Calista was already curled up under a blanket in one of the black recliners, and I sat beside her with a warm heart. She smiled and tossed part of the blanket on my lap, shifting a little closer to me, making it easier to share. Instinctively, I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to my side. She didn't seem to mind, as she nuzzled her head in the crook of my neck.

Throughout the movie she was trying to piece it together, as she'd never seen it before, and she was right on the money. Clever little thing, but I wasn't going to tell her if she was right. About thirty minutes before the movie ended, Calista fell asleep. Her small body is completely limp against me and I can hear light little snores escape her lips. I smirked and scooped her into my arms like a princess, carrying her back upstairs.

Resting her in her bed, I covered her with the pure white blankets and placed a light kiss against her forehead. To which, she smiled faintly and turned over. I smirked, staring at the little beauty for a moment, before finally leaving her room. With a heavy sigh, I walked back downstairs and found Walter in the kitchen. He was making tea, when he heard me approaching from behind. He turned and smiled, nodding, sipping his tea.

"I have to go out for a while, please keep an eye on Calista for me?" I asked, keeping it brief.

"Of course, sir." Walter nodded, refraining from asking any more questions.

"And, Walter, take the next couple of days off. Have some time to yourself." I smiled, leaving the kitchen.

I know he's torn up about the three dead bodies, but I haven't yet explained myself. Walter knows me just as well as Ida. Hell, they both practically raised me! I'm not a bad guy, but I've definitely done bad things and know bad people. It's always been like this, my life that is. Surrounded by evil at every turn, dodging it for the most part, but every once in a while, something comes along and hits like a f*****g freight train.

I leave the house and start the engine of my car, leaving to meet up with Cooper. It's late and I have an early morning, so I want to make this quick. My goal is to establish a small team of protection, because I get the feeling that Ivan isn't going to give up so easily. He's willing to fight.

I arrived at the diner and found a seat in the back. Cooper isn't here yet, so I ordered a coffee. The waitress poured some hot coffee in my cup and put some creamers on the table. She smiled, before walking over to the next table. I watched the front entrance until the door opened, and it revealed who I'd been waiting for, Cooper Freling.

Coop was a beefy guy, average height, with light blond hair and bright blue eyes. The ladies loved him, especially because of his easy-go-lucky attitude. Something I truly envied. I waved him over, and he sat across from me at the booth with a broad grin that took up half his face.

"Adrian Brockwell," Coop said, shaking his head, "Still insane to see you sometimes, man. That memory is burnt into my brain, I can still see you-"

"Yeah, crazy... How have you been, Coop?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I've been good, just keeping a low profile and living a boring life. What about you? I heard you inherited a s**t ton of money and a company from your parents?" Cooper said enthusiastically.

"You heard right," I chuckled and shrugged, "It's not all it's cracked up to be, but it takes my mind off of other things..."

"I get that. We need to get little Jackie outta there, before he walks away with the same scars as us." Coop grunted, gritting his teeth.

"I'm trying, trust me." I replied and took a deep breath because of what I was about to say next, "Look, Coop, I didn't come here to shoot the s**t. As much as I wish that were the only reason for this meeting."

"I know." Cooper winked and sighed as well, both of us reluctant but bound.

I explained the whole situation to Cooper, everything about Calista and Ivan. I even confessed my feelings towards her, which I haven't done out loud yet. I'll admit, it felt great. I informed him of my earlier actions, killing three guards, afraid I'd just started a war.

Ivan's stepdad is a rich and powerful man, but to what extent? What about his biological father? I have a lot of questions and I want my old crew to be the ones to help. They're the only people I can trust... Aside from Walter and Ida, of course.

Cooper happily agreed to help, and is rounding up the rest of the team for me. We agreed to meet up again at the same diner in three days, once he gathered the rest of the crew. I was relieved to hear that, because with my team by my side, we're basically unstoppable. Each person brings something valuable to the table, with their own special skills. Now, I don't know that things will necessarily go that far, but if they do, then we're at least prepared.