Duped by Declan Rhodes

Author:Declan Rhodes [Rhodes, Declan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-11T16:00:00+00:00

Finn wasn’t kidding when he said he would bring something special. He’d stopped by a gourmet breakfast joint downtown and arrived with neatly packaged omelets, a gargantuan cinnamon roll to share, and the best coffee I’d tasted in a long time.

I offered him a hug. He wrapped his powerful arms around me, and I leaned in close, inhaling the scent of light, citrusy cologne.

I mumbled, “Hang on tight. I might collapse. It’s been a night like that.”

I signaled to Gary. “We’ll be in my office if anyone calls.”

The office wasn’t much larger than a walk-in closet, and it was in more disarray than usual. Bookshelves on two walls were stuffed full, and some of the wood was starting to warp under the weight. I had a poster from Kruger National Park on the third wall. The screen of my computer glowed in a corner of the desk. It rested on a minuscule piece of real estate, the only space not occupied by stacks of paperwork. Fortunately, I had two empty chairs available for Finn and me.

“Can we eat on our laps?”

Finn was generous in his acceptance of the situation. “That’s no problem as long as you can balance it.” He started to unpack the bag of food. “They included plastic cutlery, salt, butter, and, best of all, warm antiseptic wipes.”

To my surprise, the first sensation I could point to as I sat behind a closed door with Finn was one of safety. I felt entirely protected for the first time since Ace started to have trouble breathing.

Inhaling deeply, I stared across the room at Finn, and tears started to flow. Balancing a food container on one knee, I reached up with the other hand and wiped at the corner of my eye. “Oh, fuck.”

Finn set his food on the floor and leaned forward. “What’s wrong?” He tried humor. “I would have gotten sausage in the omelet if I knew ham was a bad idea.”

I started to laugh, and it only made the tears worse. With his mouth wide open and eyes full of worry, Finn joined me, squatted down, and wrapped his arms around my body. His kindness was the last straw that made me completely lose it. I tried to avoid being too loud. The walls of my office were paper-thin, and Gary was only about fifty feet away.

My shoulders began to heave, and tears streamed down both cheeks. The intense stress of the night threatened to drown me. I gripped Finn’s arm and shoulder like I was clinging to the edge of a lifeboat.

“It’s okay, Alex. Go ahead and cry. I want to know what’s going on, but sometimes you need to get the raw emotion out first.”

It didn’t take too long for me to calm myself down. I snuffled and tore one arm away to reach for a box of tissues on my cluttered desk.

Finn exhaled in relief, and he started to back away. I didn’t want that just yet and reached out for his arm to hold him in place.

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