The Big Boss

I smile and start to walk her back toward the car. “Maybe we can get them together.”

“Rose would love that. One of her friends recently passed away and she could use some new ones.”

We’re quiet as we walk back through the field, and I feel more at peace than I have in a long time. Being here with Justine feels absolutely right.

“Now I know all your secrets,” Justine says.

“Not quite.”

Her eyebrows rise in surprise. “Oh?”

“You don’t know my biggest one,” I say, stopping to face her. Even totally alone it doesn’t feel right saying it at full volume. Instead I press a kiss to her cheek before whispering in her ear. “I’m already falling in love with you.”

The way she kisses me tells me that she is too.

14

Justine

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect weekend. I’m sore from the sheer amount of sex and I feel like I’m glowing from being so close to Keenan. Getting to know him better and hearing his confession, I can’t stop smiling.

It’s still early, and I have clients this afternoon, but right now I feel like I’m bathing in perfect bliss, and I stretch out on my bed to take a glorious nap. There wasn’t much sleep to be had last night.

I feel like I’ve barely closed my eyes when my phone starts to ring and I wake with a start, realizing that a couple of hours have passed. It’s Morgan, but I’m not late yet. Probably something about the next protest. She was over the moon when she got the news that the plans to demolish the building were reversed.

“Hey Morgan,” I say, answering. “What’s up?”

“I need you at the Aster building right now. They’re about to tear it down and we need bodies.”

It feels like a bucket of ice water has been dumped over my head. “What? That’s impossible. That was cancelled.”

“I know that’s what was said, but the bulldozers are here and they’re going to start with the park if we don’t hold them off.”

“Fuck. I’m on my way.”

What the hell is happening? Keenan told me that he pulled the permits. It has to be a mistake. It has to be. This can’t be happening again. Not again. There’s probably still people in that building. But if they start with the park, the building won’t be far behind. Not if they think they have the right to turn it down.

I throw on my shoes and grab what I need as quickly as I can before sprinting to my car. The drive isn’t far, but every second counts. As soon as the car is on, I’m dialing Keenan. He has to know what’s happening. But the phone goes straight to voicemail.

He went home, but I don’t know if he fell asleep too or went to the office. It rolls over to voicemail and I don’t bother to hide exactly how frantic I feel. “Keenan. They’re demolishing. I don’t know what happened but they’re trying to take the park first. I’m going there now. Call me back.”

I hang up and call him again immediately. Again, voicemail. Shit. If he doesn’t know what’s happening, he won’t be able to stop it. But it has to be a mistake. They can’t bulldoze without permits, right?

If they were bribed, they might not care. Dread sinks through my skin. Anyone can be bought. That’s what I know. Anyone. For enough money you can be convinced not to care about people. People have problems, money solves those problems. That makes us all vulnerable.

Skidding around the corner, I nearly run my car onto the sidewalk. Morgan is right. The bulldozers are here and running, only being stopped by the thin line of people standing in front of them. They’re blocking the patch of woods in the park.

A crowd is starting to gather, watching what’s about to happen. I fling myself from the car, barely remembering to lock it before I’m tearing across the field toward the man in the suit who’s clearly the one in charge. “What the hell are you doing? You have to stop. This is illegal!”

Every eye is on me now as I scream everything at the top of my lungs while I’m running. But that’s good. If their eyes are on me, they’re not on my friends.

I skid to a stop in front of the man. He’s tall. Taller than Keenan and built thickly. Blond. And his mouth is twisted into a cruel smile. I’ve never met him before but that smile brings back memories all the same. That’s the smile that does terrible things.

“And who, exactly, are you?” he asks, crossing his arms.

“It doesn’t matter who I am. This demolition has no permits. It was cancelled and it’s illegal. You need to take your machines off this property now.”

He scoffs. “I own this property, and I can do as I damn well please.”