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My knees shake, and I lower myself to the floor, reaching out as I flatten my palms on the carpet. I know Andrew was responsible for killing Kimberly and her family; I know he has killed in the past and continues to kill in the present, yet the world loves him. I know his father is the man who pulls all the strings, cutting some of those he deems lesser than, yet the world loves him.
A door opens, a foot takes a step, pauses, and then rushes forward. Hands grasp me.
"Poppy. Poppy, what's wrong?" Julian says, the worry in his voice making my tears fall faster.
“It doesn’t matter what we do or what we find,” I try to look at him, but my vision is too blurry,“Andrew and his father are always going to be seen as the heroes.”
Julian grasps me tighter, then picks me up, cradling me in his arms as he carries me to his office and shuts the door.“His father stepped down, and everyone thinks it's to be with his son as he grieves,” I snort.“No matter the evidence we find, fingers are going to point at us. They will make us the villains.”
Julian cups my face with his free hand,“Poppy, I don't care what the world makes us. We know the truth. You can’t win over everyone, Pumpkin, and I don’t need to. All I care about is you.”
"But you have your family business to worry about. What if it reflects poorly, and you start to lose contracts? What then?"
Julian situates me on his desk with the same care and precision a librarian employs when placing a rare, delicate manuscript back into its rightful place among the archives, ensuring not a single page is bent or harmed.“I need you to listen to me, Pumpkin, listen good. I need you to trust me and know that when this is all said and done, nothing is going to be left of them; they will have nothing. They messed with too many people, Poppy; it's not just you and I after them but a group much more deadly.”
My breath hitches at the untold secrets Julian has been hiding. I part my lips, wanting to know, but no words come out. Sometimes, seeing all the light, knowing all the truth, is too blinding. I curl into his chest, needing some darkness to cover my eyes.
"Do you trust me to protect you, Pumpkin?" Julian asks me.
I pull back to look at him, but something over his shoulder catches my eye; it's a framed American flag on the wall. Julian was a soldier; he was used to running head first and fighting monsters. He's my soldier. I look at his shoulder, which took a bullet just a few months ago. Soldiers might be heroes, but even heroes can get hurt. I don't want him to hurt or suffer. I want to protect him; I want to be my own hero, but I have no idea how to.
I nod and cradle my face against his chest again. The steady beat of his heart helps to slow my tears.
He's always been honest with me from the very first moment we met in the hallway and then shared a filter-free conversation in his apartment. That's a fact I can settle into like a safety boat.
Chapter 27
Poppy
I break down and cry. I laugh and smile. I stop thinking when we make love.I'm a cluster of emotions, and if I wake up, get dressed, and manage to keep down my breakfast, I consider it a success.
It’s been two weeks since Oliver Sinclair stepped down. Fourteen days of interviewers mourning his decision. Two weeks of seeing the country look up to Oliver and Andrew as if they are heroes while I'm down here in my own personal hell, looking up at villains wearing masks.
Harper has been eerily silent, rarely calling me, and when she does, her sexual jokes are half-hearted. Her mind is elsewhere, and it's bugging me that she's not telling me what's going on.
Julian has tried to convince me to take time off work, assuring me he can cover for me or find a replacement. I keep denying him because if I don’t get dressed and have a purpose that isn’t thinking about my future and my own fears, then I literally will combust.
The phone on my desk rings, startling me. I grasp it.“Hello, Mr. Sterling's office, this is Poppy,” I say, my rehearsed line. Only HR usually calls here, that or planned calls for meetings that I patch through to Julian’s phone.
Julian is with Theo on the engineering level, going over an issue about needing more time to test the drone update.
“Hi Poppy, this is Edwin from Security,” he grumbles, a hint of annoyance threading his voice.“Got an Andrew here to see you. Claims it's all planned, but he’s not on your list. And he’s about as clear as mud on why. Even if he were on the list, without a proper background check, I can’t let him up to the boss's office.”
My heart shudders.“Who?” I ask, sounding like a frog is sitting in my throat.
Edwin sighs. My legs shake.“Andrew. Apparently, he’s Madonna because he won’t give me a last name.”
I shake my head; it can’t be. Andrew wouldn’t dare come here.
“Where is he?”
“He’s waiting inside the lobby. Want me to turn him away?”
My heart feels like a caged lion, ready to pounce, but only to realize when it lunges that its legs have given way.
What do I do?
I fumble for my phone in my bag. I need to call Julian. My fingers start to touch the screen, but I hesitate. I start to see shades of red; my ears feel like the spout of a tea kettle at full boil.
