My eyes narrowed on Calloway. “What’s this about?”
He didn’t give any kind of look of apology. “I don’t want you taking the subway anymore.”
“What’s wrong with the subway?” I’d been riding the rail for years. I usually got a seat next to someone relatively normal, and when I read my paper and minded my own business, it was just fine.
“Nothing. I just don’t want you on it.”
I felt awkward having this conversation in front of a stranger. “Excuse us for a second.” I shut the door in his face even though it made me look rude as hell. “Calloway, what the hell is this about?”
“I don’t want you riding the subway.” He kept his tone the same, but his eyes darkened. “He’ll drive you to work and pick you up. If there’s somewhere else you need to go, he’ll take you.”
“Calloway, I don’t need a butler.”
“He’s not a butler. He’s a driver.”
“Whatever.” I was losing my temper and losing it fast. “I don’t need that either. I’ve been taking the subway since I’ve lived here, and I like it. I’m more likely to take a cab than a private chauffeur if you really want to press your argument.”
“You aren’t taking a cab either.” In his suit and tie, he looked absolutely terrifying. He had all the power and control, and he wasn’t afraid to use both. Like a wall, he loomed over me and threatened me with his silence.
“I’m doing whatever the hell I want. You aren’t the boss of me.”
“Wrong.”
My hands immediately balled into fists. “Excuse me? We just had a pretty incredible weekend, and you’re going to ruin it with this bullshit?”
“It’s not bullshit.” He stepped forward and cornered me into the wall, his palms locking me in place as they created barriers on either side of me. “The subway isn’t safe for a beautiful woman like you. Neither is a cab. You’re going to get into that car whether you walk your ass inside or I put you in there. What’s it gonna be?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, threatening him with my own fire. “The subway is perfectly fine. I’ve been riding it for years.”
“Those days are long gone.”
“Calloway, no.”
This time, he grabbed both of my arms and pinned them over my head. I wasn’t fighting him, but he restrained me anyway. “This is a fight you can’t win. This is a fight you’ll never win. I’m taking care of you. I’m protecting you. This is my job, so just accept it and be grateful.”
“Be grateful that I’m being controlled?”
“Not controlled. Just taken care of. Frankly, if I had it my way, you wouldn’t even have a job.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So I would sit at home all day and wait for you?”
“Exactly.”
“What the hell has gotten into you?”
His eyes shifted back and forth as he stared into my gaze. His thoughts were unreadable, but his mood was unmistakable. “I don’t know, Vanilla. But I know I’m not letting you take the subway or a cab. That’s final.”
20
Calloway
“Thanks for calling me back.” Jackson was in my face the second I walked inside Ruin. “Oh wait, that’s right. You never did.” He trailed behind me as I made my way to the back office.
“What did you need?” I didn’t fall prey to his whining. I used to when we were kids, but I learned at a young age it was better just to ignore him.
“Business stuff that I already took care of.”
“Looks like you didn’t need me after all, then.”
“You’re right.” He continued to follow me, his voice chasing me. “Which makes me wonder why you’re in charge around here anymore. You haven’t been here for a week.”
“You know Rome is staying with me.”
“How long does it take to find an apartment?”
“Pretty damn long in the city.” And I didn’t really care if she found another place or not. In fact, I hoped she didn’t. I got the door unlocked then walked inside. The lights automatically came on to a low level. I walked to the desk and immediately searched through the drawers.
“What are you looking for?” Jackson watched me, his arms across his chest.
“Don’t worry about it.” I rifled through the pens and notepads, searching for the black box I’d tossed inside nearly a lifetime ago.
“Did you fuck her yet?”
Talking about my personal endeavors with Rome suddenly made me uncomfortable. I didn’t want to mention them to anyone, especially my perverted brother. “Instead of being obsessed with my sex life, you should concentrate on yours.”
“My sex life is all over the place. Yours is the one that’s pathetic.”
It didn’t feel pathetic this weekend.
“I still think she’s a virgin.” He stared at me and asked the question without actually asking it.
I refused to answer. “I guess you’ll never know.” I opened the last drawer and finally found what I was looking for. I popped the lid and saw the two rings inside. One was thick and made of solid black obsidian. The other was slimmer with a black diamond in the center. I grabbed the thicker one and placed it on my right ring finger.