Insolent (Crimson Elite 4)

“You have to, you have no choice. We have video conference meetings, and I can’t do them all myself,” he groans.

“I have Charles.”

He shakes his head. “He’s a baby. He sleeps. Bring him and hurry the fuck up.” He disconnects the call.

Charles makes a sound that almost resembles laughter, and I smile at him, kissing the top of his head while I get his diaper bag ready for the car. He’s the best little man, his hair is almost the same color as mine, though his is a little lighter to my darker blond. His eyes, they’re all Cleo. She’s someone I haven’t thought about, or more accurately tried not to think about. What am I meant to tell him when he gets bigger? How? That’s the better question. I wouldn’t know where to begin. I didn’t know Cleo long enough or well enough for me to tell him what she was like. She had a baby with a stranger because that’s all she ever wanted even if it cost her her life. Who does that?

Shutting the door behind me, I take Charles into work. I groan when I see Olympia’s car parked out the front as I pull Charles out from his seat, ready to go into work. He starts fussing because it’s his bottle time, and I try to calm him by rocking him, but none of it works. He screams the whole way until I’m inside and walking to the office doors. A flash of blue steps in front of me and reaches for Charles, lifting him from my arms. Then she begins to sing, and Charles instantly calms down in her arms.

It makes me angry. Angry that he doesn’t do that for me, and not even for Ma. But in her arms, his eyes are wide as he stares up at Olympia and her beautiful voice. Yes, beautiful. Why she works here with a voice like that I will never know.

She pauses and looks to me. “Now’s the time to escape for the bottle,” she says then checks Charles and resumes singing. I don’t even know what it is she’s singing, but I love it, really love it. It’s deep, and I want to play it on repeat while listening to her voice. Walking away, I leave him in her arms as I step behind the bar and heat up his bottle, my eyes on them the whole time. I’m not moving, not wanting to move, it’s hypnotizing and I don’t like it. I don’t like that she has him in her arms, and I don’t like that I let her take him from me. He. Is. Mine. Who the fuck does she think she is?

Grabbing the heated bottle, I walk back to her and snatch my son from her arms. She stops singing, and then Charles starts screaming as I walk away with the bottle and a screaming baby up the stairs and straight into my office. I give him the bottle, and he goes quiet instantly.

My door is pushed open with a loud bang as it hits back against the wall. “You’re late,” Echo complains, shaking his head. He hands me the work phone then sits opposite me. “Why are you scowling?”

I look down to where I know Olympia will be. I keep forgetting she arrives early, all the fucking time.

“You crushing on the bartender, too?”

“Too?” My head whips to him, and he chuckles.

“I was referring to how Creed did with El.”

“She’s temporary,” I say.

Echo nods. “Sure she is.”

Just then, a small knock comes on the door. Olympia peeks in at Charles in my arms having his bottle.

“Olympia, come in.”

Her hands are bunched together at her front as she steps into the office. “I wanted to thank you for last night,” she grits out through her teeth.

“Well...” Echo laughs in his seat, already knowing what happened. He would have seen it all through the cameras since that’s his department.

Her head snaps to Echo, and she scowls before looking back to me. “I can care for the baby if you want.” This time it’s me who scowls. She notices and shakes her head. “It was only an offer. No harm, no foul.” She turns to leave.

“Wait,” Echo says.

I look to Echo, ready to pummel him.

“We do need you. Maybe just for five minutes.” He stands and walks to Charles and me. “I’ll put her in my office, and you can turn that nanny-cam thing on and watch her.” He reaches for the nanny-cam too, but I hold Charles closer to me.

“You know how to look after a baby?”

Olympia nods her head with a small smile touching her lips. I stand as Echo hands her the nanny-cam, and as I kiss Charles’s head as I hand him to her. “You don’t need me to warn you, do you?”