You Distract Me - Chapter 48: Chapter 48

Shayne
The guy with the tattooed neck.
As I sped down the highway, on my way home, I searched my memory for anyone I knew with that description.
Of course there were several people I knew with tattooed necks, including me. But no one with long blonde hair, a crooked nose, light green eyes, biceps the size of canons and a faint Irish accent. The kid had described Olivia's stalker in detail.
Well, at least that was what he had told us, that he wasn't the only stalker Olivia had. He wasn't even ashamed to mention the places he'd followed Olivia that Blondie had been.
It didn't matter as long as I got what I wanted.
We'd let the kid go, leaving blunt threats that assured him that keeping our little visit to himself was best for everyone.
I would still be keeping an eye on him, but he didn't cross me as the bombing-a-whole-fucking-building-down type of guy. My interests were on Olivia's second stalker, this one I wasn't so sure was following her around with a lovesick heart.
Freya and Laura had already started a search to find any leads on Blondie.
But at this moment, all I wanted to do was take my girlfriend in my arms, land a soul-sucking kiss on those plump lips, press her back into my bed and feast.
Again, the word had slipped out. Girlfriend. It had sounded so natural in my head I hadn't even registered it's heaviness.
I was suddenly nervous, wondering what labeled our relationship. It was evident we felt the same way about each other, but I wanted it to be official. So I made a spontaneous decision right then.
I turned onto the road that led to the mall.
🍀
"She'll love it. You've made a great decision."
I smiled tightly at the grinning woman behind the till as she handed me the black gift bag. "Sure, thanks."
She gave me an encouraging smile as I turned to leave the store, feeling insanely nervous.
I never did this. I never made rush decisions just to see a smile on someone's face. But this wasn't just someone, it was Olivia and her smile was probably something I'd kill for.
What if she doesn't like it? I ignored the thoughts raging through my mind, refusing to be perturbed. It was either she liked the gift or she didn't. Neither of us was going to die either way.
But why was I occasionally glimpsing at the velvety burgundy box in the little black bag?
"Fuck," I cursed as I approached my car in the parking lot, brushing my fingers through my hair.
"Shayne?" I heard a familiar gentle voice say, and to my utter shock, my eyes burned with the threat of oncoming tears. I brutally fought them back as I turned to see  Joanne, Christina's mom.
She was holding a sleeping Abigail to her as the girl wrapped her legs around her mother's waist, while also trying to push a shopping cart full of groceries to her car.
Immediately, I felt a pang of guilt from having distanced myself the moment I found out about gran's cancer. I seemed to have forgotten that she wasn't the only family I had.
"Aunt Joanne, h-how are you?" I said, a little flustered with the way she was staring at me with open emotion in her warm brown eyes. Disappointment. Hurt. Excitement. Adoration.
"Shayne Alexandria West, you'd better give me a good reason why this is the first time I'm seeing you in nearly five months," she scolded. I winced at the use of the middle name that nobody really ever used except her and my parents before they'd died. The way she called out my full name showed me just how upset she was.
"I know you're upset, but..."
"Upset?" She chuckled humorlessly. "Upset doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling—" Abigail stirred in her mother's arms and Joanne cooed her for a few seconds before the girl went slack again. "Hold on a minute."
When she pushed the shopping cart to the rear of the white SUV, I immediately strode to her. "Let me get her for you," I said as I took a sleeping Abigail from a still glaring Joanne.
The car beeped as I went around to open the passenger door, gently placing Abigail in her booster seat and strapping her in.
I closed the door and helped Joanne pack the groceries into the boot of the car.
The moment the rear door shut closed she turned to me with a piercing look that caused a cold sweat to trickle down my back. But then the look gradually softened and before I knew it, she was pulling me in for a hug.
I froze for a second before melting into the embrace. It had been so long since I'd had a hug like this, a hug that didn't involve my unstable hormones raging on within me.
I couldn't even hold back the tears that escaped my eyes. "I'm sorry," I said into her shoulder.
"It wasn't very kind of you, but I understand. Your company was growing and you didn't have time—"
I pulled away from her, stopping her short when she saw my wet eyes. "That shouldn't be an excuse and I'm sorry I made you feel that way. The thing is..."
I told her everything that had been happening to gran and how it had depressed me into closing myself off.
I only didn't have the heart to tell her that I'd buried my superwoman over a month ago. It didn't feel right telling her—right there in the parking lot—that her aunt had died, especially after her own mother had died not long before.
She finally gave me a painfully gentle smile, having been quiet the entire time that I had been talking. She grabbed my hand and held it in both of hers. "People have different ways of dealing with grief and that's completely okay unless it doesn't kill you in the end. Silvia will be fine, you just have to believe it, sweetie."
I nodded, clenching my jaw as I looked down at her.
A pained look crossed her features, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Did you hear about what happened to Olivia?"
My heart started racing against its usual rhythm as I pulled my hand away from hers. "Yeah I did. A very unfortunate end. How's Christina doing?"
"Not good. She feels horrible that her and Olivia weren't on speaking terms before it happened. She wished she had done things differently."
"I'm sorry to hear that, please send her my condolences." I suddenly felt anxious to leave the cloud of lies suffocating me. "I'm sorry, Aunt Joanne, but there was an emergency at the office and I have to attend to it."
"Of course, sweetie, I wouldn't want to keep you waiting. Just make sure to call, please. We haven't been able to get in touch with you over the months, so I'm hoping now will be different?" she said softly, hope in her eyes.
"Definitely." I gave her a tight hug before letting her walk away.
She stopped before opening the car door. "Try not to stress too much. I'm sure whoever she is, she is gonna love it." She gestured to the black gift bag I still had in my hand.
I chuckled nervously, again being reminded of what I was keeping from her. Without question, I had to protect what was mine by all means but it didn't mean it didn't make me weary lying to Joanne right in her face.
I was so fucked.
When she drove off, I looked at the bag in my hand and prayed to the heavens that Olivia would not throw it in my face when presented to her. My imagination had probably gone way off but the anxiety I was feeling made me predict the future with extreme prejudice.
I sighed and got into the car and just as I was about to get in, my phone rang.
"Sasha, what—"
"Listen, you're in trouble. They came to the office to pick you up when they didn't find you at your apartment." She was talking too fast, the background noise not helping either.
"Right now the whole office is streaming with them. But you're still being looked for. Its a fucking manhunt, Shayne. They're probably recording this call and are tracing it right now."
"What the fuck are you talking about? Who came to pick me up?" I was getting stressed out and angry just listening to her panicked voice, wondering if she was okay.
"The feds, Shayne! The fucking feds!" As if on cue, the faint sound of sirens blared furiously in the distance.
Fuck me, I really wanted to shoot Jason Long in the face several more times. But the fucker was gone, which meant shit was getting real and we had to set things in motion before all hell broke loose. "I see. Are you okay?"
"Shayne, are you crazy?! I just told you that you're being hunted and you're asking me if I'm okay?"
Though it was the most inappropriate time to grin, Sasha made me do just that. Her loyalty to our friendship was ridiculous and so adorable.
"Now you're laughing! You'd better be on some spaceship to Venus if you're not scared shitless the way I am for you right now. Shayne, where are you?" she asked, a little more concern in her voice.
"I'm good, Sasha." The sirens were getting louder. "Just get Lucille and he'll know what to do from there."
Lucille Crawford was the baddest lawyer I'd ever known, all wins under his belt. He owed me a big fat one, and so in return, he was going to be one of my recruits to bring down Oran Demir. He hadn't even hesitated to accept when I'd brought it up, even though we both knew Demir was a tough motherfucker to nail.
"I already called him. He's on his way to LAPD right now."
"Good." I could now see the red and blue lights approaching, fast. "And do me a favor, Sasha.'
"Anything."
I looked at the bag beside me, clenching my jaw. "She means everything to me. If things go south, make sure she's safe, please." I felt my heart squeeze at the thought that I might not be there to take care of her myself, to feel her warm skin...
In a determined voice, she said, "You have my word, Shayne. But things won't go south—"
"Come out with your hands up!" The booming voice seemed to come right out a megaphone.
I hung up just as I heard Sasha let out a sob.
Here we fucking go.
Slowly I stepped out of the car with my hands raised in the air.
Before me was what looked like the entire fucking police force. A chopper whooped over our heads, it's insanely bright lights spotting my position.
There was a news van among the wailing police cars, its reporter already blasting the latest juiciest news into his mic, staring straight into the camera in front of him.
Several people had gathered around, keeping a safe distance away from the spectacle, making use of their phones' cameras.
Damn, I was going to be late for dessert.