The Boy Who Has No Faith (Soulless 5)

His dark eyes shifted back to me, like my straightforward statement was offensive, like he wasn’t used to someone demanding things like that. But his eyes lost their hostility and the anger dimmed. “Alright.”

Fifteen

Emerson

I waited in the back seat for Derek to step out of the lobby.

I had a coffee for Ronnie, as well as for Derek and me. I’d also put some snacks in my purse because I wasn’t sure if there would be an opportunity to eat. I had absolutely no idea how this day would go. Derek didn’t talk about the details of his life, so there was no way to predict what would happen. I might sit there bored all day, or I might have more work than I could handle.

I was a little nervous because I hoped I could do this.

His work was out of my sphere of knowledge, so most of it would just be big words and decimal places. After I told him I was smart and educated, I had to rise to the occasion, so I couldn’t lose my confidence.

But yeah, I was a little worried about it.

The doors opened and he emerged.

I didn’t wait at the curb and open the door for him. Neither did Ronnie. Derek was so no-nonsense he probably wouldn’t want to take the time to do all of that. He just wanted to get in the vehicle and go.

He placed his satchel on the center console as he got into the back seat. The door was shut and the seat belt was clicked into place before he grabbed the bag again.

“Good morning, Mr. Hamilton.”

“Good morning,” he said in return.

Ronnie pulled onto the street.

“The coffee is for you.” I nodded to the tall cup sitting in the cupholder close to him.

He stared at it for a few seconds before he took a drink. “Thank you.” He put it back down. “I don’t want to waste the resources by getting three cups every single day. So, this is the last time.”

“I can get reusable ones. How about that?”

He nodded as he pulled out paperwork from his bag.

“Do you eat breakfast?”

“No.”

“Would you like breakfast?”

“No.”

“Do you—”

“This is how this is going to work.” He turned to me, giving me his cold stare. “I’ve got a lot of shit to do today. Don’t pester me with questions. I need to be focused today. You understand?”

Who knew a man so beautiful could be such a dick? I kept a detached stare like his asshole response didn’t affect me. “Got it.”

He turned back to his paperwork.

I looked in the rearview mirror.

Ronnie gave me a look that said. “Wow, what a jerk.”

I smiled in return then looked out the window.

We arrived at the facility in New Jersey. It looked like an old airport with compounds spaced out. There was a lot of acreage around it, no other businesses or homes nearby. There were planes on the runway, but not commercial jets. They looked more like rockets with wings. A main building was in the front near the gate, so that was where we were dropped off.

“I’ll be here at one,” Ronnie said. “But if you need an earlier pickup, send me a text.”

“Thanks.” Derek got out and took his satchel with him.

I joined him.

On foot, Derek walked quickly, like he had somewhere to be.

I kept up, even though it was a little difficult in heels. I preferred not to wear them, especially on a day like this, but Cleo insisted it was professional and essential, so I sucked it up.

It was a big lobby, and there were a couple women behind the counter.

“Good morning, Dr. Hamilton.”

“Morning, Terri. Morning, Francine.” He moved past the desk and through the building, heading to the rear. There was a golf cart parked there, and he got behind the wheel.

I got into the passenger seat, unsure what was happening. “Is your corporate office in this building?”

He turned the key and got the cart working. “Yes.” He drove onto the tarmac and headed to one of the compounds, where a few golf carts were already parked. He pulled up, turned the key, and then after we got out, typed the pin on the keypad so the double doors unlocked and he could get inside.

The interior was enormous, big enough to fit a few 757s. Inside were a couple engines and flying apparatuses, looking like the bottom half of rockets. Long tables were placed everywhere, and a couple guys worked at their laptops and devices, dressed similarly to Derek in jeans and tees. They also seemed to be close in age, more on the young side rather than the old.

It kinda reminded me of walking into an Apple store.

There was one room off to the side, and that must be his office.

He typed in the code, so the door unlocked.

I watched and memorized it, not to be intrusive, just so I wouldn’t have to ask later.