Chapter 06

—Lena—

Me and Kate finally arrive home and I'm still in shock Killian is really here in New York. And the nerve of him trying to apologize after all these years, after everything that's happened.

Kate places her hand on my shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

I turn around and smile reassuringly at her. "Yea I am, just a little shaken up. He took me by surprise."

"Should we tell Jeremy?" Kate asks.

"No, I don't want this causing problems between the two packs. Now that he knows I'm with Jeremy he'll leave me alone."

Kate looks at me with doubt in her eyes. "Fine if he doesn't leave me alone I'll tell Jeremy. But right now I just want to focus on the charity dinner next week."

—Killian—

I sit at the table trying to concentrate on the business meeting.

It’s impossible. I need to take care of things, and my mind has questions that require answering. How the fuck did this happen? Out of all the places in the world, she’s here, in New York City, eating Japanese with her, whatever the fuck he is. I have to wrap up the meeting. I need answers now.

“Mr. Klein, the numbers you have shown meet our profit expectations. Have your business plan ready for me before I leave on Monday.”

“Of course, Mr. Kelly. It was a pleasure doing business with you again,” Klein responds.

We all stand, shaking each other’s hands. I sign the check and grab my phone, immediately dialing Nikki’s number, asking her to meet me at the hotel.

I hail a cab, not being bothered to call my driver to come pick me up. The cab pulls into the traffic, only to be met with red lights as soon as we turn the corner. Pulling out my phone, I scroll through my contacts until I find his number. Bryce Callahan was recommended by a close business associate and came at a high price. I never asked questions about his background, knowing that his line of work wasn’t exactly legal.

“Bryce, it’s Kelly. I need you to look into someone for me.”

“Yes, Mr. Kelly.”

"Lena Olivia Hayes. She resides here in Manhattan, I assume,” I tell him, only realizing this mission could be a needle in a haystack. She could reside in Brooklyn, Long Island, and the possibilities are endless with a state this large.

Bryce asks a few more questions, including her date of birth. I answer everything I can, desperate for anything on her.

“I need this information today. Anything you can get,” I demand, not willing to waste any time.

“Yes, Mr. Kelly. I’ll call you as soon as I find something.”

It’s just after two when I arrive back at the Waldorf. The cab ride didn’t take as long as I expected. Nikki’s already in the suite typing away on her laptop. As soon as I walk in, she stands to greet me. “Good afternoon, sir.”

“Nikki, nice of you to be early,” I sarcastically respond, considering I’m the one who’s actually late. So, I sound like a prick, but I’m fucking going crazy.

This isn’t like me. I’m always in control.

What has she done to me?

And all this by just seeing and talking to her.Removing my jacket, I throw it onto the couch and pour myself a bourbon. I don’t normally drink during work, but today is different. I could easy down the whole bottle in one gulp if Nikki wasn’t standing there.

“What’s the schedule for next week?” I ask, praying I can stay here.

“Tomorrow night is the charity ball. Your sister will be meeting you here at five o’clock sharp with your tux, and apparently your… um… date, Brooke.”

She clears her throat, continuing, “On Sunday morning you have another meeting with Mr. Klein to go over your expansion of After Dark. Two o’clock will be another inspection of the new office. Then on Monday morning we catch a red-eye back to London.”

My phone starts to buzz—it’s Bryce—so I make my way into the bedroom and close the door behind me.

“Bryce.”

“Mr. Kelly, I have some information regarding Miss Hayes.”

“Go on...”

“Her current employment is at Hayea & Romano where she’s a partner in the firm.”

“Firm?”

“Yes. She’s a lawyer here in Manhattan. The boutique firm is located on Madison Avenue…” he advises, pausing while I listen quietly. “She graduated with honors from Yale.”

So, she was in New Haven all that time? Her mother gave me no inkling of that when I went to look for her. I try not to focus on the regret starting to creep in at not finding her.

“Her status is showing single. Never registered as being married.”

For now. Anger is boiling inside of me at the thought. Images of the ring flashing before me, my grip on my phone tightens as I try to remain calm to process anything else he has on her.

“She currently owns an apartment in the Upper East Side as well as a home in Connecticut.”

“What’s the connection in Connecticut?”

“I haven’t been able to get a connection yet.”

“Thank you, Bryce. Please update me as soon as you find anything else.”

I hang up the phone, a little more at ease now because I know more about her. Yale, wow. I always knew she was smart, but she never mentioned anything about wanting to be a lawyer.

I leave the office and head downstairs to the parking lot and i get into my Aston Martin and head home.

I climb into bed, trying to shut down my mind, but I can’t. I grab my phone off the nightstand and succumb to what I have put off doing for the last nine years—I type her name into a search engine.

There are random photographs of other girls, but no one who looks like her. I scroll through, desperate to find anything. It must be around the sixth page where I find a small picture. I click on the thumbnail linked to a Yale class website.

There’s a picture of Lena with a guy, Finn. I recognize him immediately. She’s smiling, she looks happy.

Were they together after she left?

I can feel the anger brewing again, but I know I have no right to feel this way.Knowing I have made the situation even worse for myself, I switch off my phone. Why the fuck can’t I just let this go?

There’s too much history between us, but i need her so that i can be able to shift again. For three years, I’ve buried what we had and drowned myself in my work.

Yes, it paid off, but is it worth it in the end?