The Sound of Secrets (The Monsters Duet #2)

Chapter 2

Channing

“Are you really going to take over Halliday Inc.?” I popped one of the fancy candies on Alistair’s desk into my mouth and watched him watch me with thinly veiled amusement.

My current employer looked so much like a young Win, I often found it disconcerting. Fortunately, their personalities were opposite, and Alistair was still young and fresh enough that his pretty gray eyes hadn’t hardened into steel the way his older brother’s had.

The dark-haired man flipped a Montblanc between his fingers like it was a regular Bic pen. Alistair was doing well with his design company, and his inheritance from the Halliday estate was nothing to sneeze at. But he wasn’t a man who came from extreme wealth and extraordinary means like his half-siblings. One of the main reasons I went to work for him, aside from driving Colette Halliday mad, was because I appreciated how Alistair saw value in things that weren’t necessarily national treasures or worth a small fortune. It unnerved me that in the short time I’d been gone on his behalf; he seemed to have forgotten his pen was worth more than several of his staff members’ monthly rent

I didn’t want him to turn into a Halliday. Nothing good came from that lofty name.

Seeing my gaze on the expensive item, he set it down on his desk and lifted his palms in a gesture of surrender.

“My expertise isn’t in real estate development. I told Win I have to work under someone he trusts to learn the ropes before even considering a spot on the board of directors. I know he wants to step down and put someone who can stand up to the old guard in his place, but I’m not sure I’m a good fit.” He chuckled. “I’m not a Halliday.”

“Thank God.” I whispered the words, but they sounded loud in the quiet office.

Alistair grinned at me as the pile of candy wrappers in front of me continued to grow. I was anxious and needed something to keep my hands and mouth busy. I felt like I was walking a tightrope from the minute Win’s private jet landed back in the city. We never continued our conversation, and almost as soon as he dropped me and Winnie off at the newly renovated brownstone he bought near Winnie’s school, he turned around and left for another business trip.

There hadn’t been an opportune time to discuss our fake marriage or what would be a very real divorce.

“That’s why he left after he brought you back from Italy. He’s been in talks with one of the company’s most successful branch managers. He’s negotiating to bring her back in order to mentor me. She’s lived abroad for the last five or six years and has been unwilling to leave her current position. Win’s determined to make her an offer she can’t refuse. A face-to-face meeting was his last resort. It’s a great opportunity, but I would have told him yes regardless. I still owe him for saving my sister’s life back when he was supposed to let my family rot and suffer.”

I grumbled under my breath, “He’s in no shape to be traveling. He was in a lot of pain on the return flight from Italy.” There was no hiding the concern in my voice.

“He’s done a lot of things he shouldn’t have done since the fire. He left the hospital before it was advised. He resumed work with barely healed bullet holes in his side and shoulder. He skips physical therapy because he’s too busy.” Alistair sat back in his chair and shook his head. “Funnily enough, he makes sure Winnie sees her new therapist twice a week, and he’s been unrelenting with Archie about his rehabilitation.” His gaze landed on me and a wry grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Then there’s you. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a grown man pine for another person the way Win longed for you. If I didn’t think you were a terrible match, I might’ve felt sorry for him. After everything he went through, who knew that it would be a broken heart that did the most damage.”

I squirmed in my seat at his revelation. It wasn’t like I didn’t know that my leaving would affect him. But I told myself he had to have a heart for me to break, and I wasn’t convinced any full-blooded Halliday was born with one.

“I still can’t believe he’s giving away everything.” It was like being in a life-and-death fight made Win a whole new man .

Alistair leaned forward on the desk and gave me a conspiratorial look. “It’s unbelievable you agreed to stay at his place without putting up a fight. Do you not remember how badly things ended the last time you played house with him?” He snorted and pointed a finger at the end of my nose. “I even offered to set you up with staff lodging. You rejected me faster than I could give you the details.”

I scoffed, but a warm blush crawled up my neck and flooded my face. “I turned you down because no one else on your payroll has employee housing. I don’t wish for any unnecessary favors just because we’re family in a roundabout way. Besides, I want to stay with Winnie, at least until her birthday. I owe it to her. I really screwed up when I decided to take Willow’s ashes and scatter them abroad.” I could handle living with Win for a stint while we mapped out what the future should look like. Especially if he was planning to work like a dog to dispose of his family fortune.

“Her birthday is right around the corner. Where are you planning to go after that?” I could tell Alistair was genuinely concerned, but I was a woman who always managed to keep a roof over my head. Sure, that sometimes meant I moved in with men whom there was absolutely no potential with, but more often than not, I just hustled until I figured out a way to pay rent on a small crappy apartment.

I popped another candy in my mouth and licked around where the soft caramel sucked to my teeth. “I’ll figure it out. The salary you pay me is more than enough for me to be able to fend for myself. And I can always crash with my bestie for as long as needed.” I was determined to start making smarter long-term decisions. I wanted to be a better example for Winnie and start living my life like I had something to lose.

Though, that option might be trickier than it was in the past. I was almost certain my best friend was hooking up with my favorite ex-husband. I called Salome several times while I was overseas to touch base. I forgot about the time difference and called when it was the middle of the night in the city. I recognized the sleepy male voice that answered her phone immediately. I hung up with a laugh and sent a text saying it was a pocket-dial. If she and Roan, my ex, didn’t want to tell me about their relationship, I didn’t want to force the issue. They were two of the best people on the planet. Of course I was happy for them. They absolutely deserved to find happiness together. I told myself I would wait them out and not bring up the subject until I was back home and they were ready to come clean.

“My place is huge. If all else fails, you can crash there until you find your own spot.” As soon as the offer left Alistair’s lips, we both shook our heads and said, “No way.”

It was an unspoken understanding that if I went to Alistair’s, it would touch Win’s bottom line. Neither of us were willing to push the grumpy billionaire past his point of tolerance. The truce between Alistair and his half-siblings was still too new to toy with.

I pushed all the receipts I’d gathered in Europe in a messy pile across his desk. Handing over all the work reimbursements was the reason I stopped by the office today. They should’ve gone to accounting and been scanned into digital form, but I was too lazy to figure all of that out and asked if I could just hand them over directly. Alistair agreed, mostly so he could hound me about my living arrangements and situation with Win. I made a mental note to have Winnie show me how to digitize everything in the future so I could avoid being grilled about my love life.

I took out the black credit card I’d used to fulfill the clients’ orders and added that to the pile. Alistair immediately pushed it back in my direction.

“Keep it. You did an amazing job sourcing stuff the last three months. This won’t be the last buying trip I send you on. That’s a corporate card. Keep it for business-related expenses.” He danced his eyebrows up and down playfully. “Including a down-payment on an apartment if you need.”

I tapped the corner of the card on the desk, then shoved it into the pocket of my jeans. I got to my feet and told the handsome young man, “Honestly, the compliment about doing a good job makes me more excited than the black card.”

Alistair laughed and picked up the discarded Montblanc to continue flipping it through his fingers. “That’s what makes you so special, Channing. Never change.”

I wanted to tell him it was impossible not to be altered after having the Hallidays in your life. However, he already had firsthand experience with the destruction that followed that family around. We each dealt with our battle scars in our own way. Alistair seemed to have decided to wear his as a badge of honor .

I bid a hasty farewell and headed from the midtown office building to the uptown area where Winnie’s school and the new brownstone were located. I used to ride bikes with her to and from her private school on the coast. Now it was within walking distance. The school was no less exclusive and elite, but there was no missing the urban vibe. The kids still got picked up by drivers in luxury cars, and Winnie wasn’t the only student with a security detail. The building and the surrounding area gave major Gossip Girl vibes. Though Winnie was too young to get the correlation. I promised her we could binge watch the show when I got back from my trip. It was my sworn duty to keep her from turning into Blair.

I stopped at a nearby coffee shop to grab a drink. Something enough to fight jet lag for me, and something sweet and syrupy for Winnie. The line was long. By the time I reached the front, a group of kids wearing school uniforms jostled through the doors. They were laughing and carrying on, filling the mellow shop with the sound of carefree youth. It made me smile.

There was never a time when I had the luxury of goofing off and playing around. I was too busy taking care of my mother and keeping my family together to think about having fun. Then, when I was only a few years older than Winnie, I hooked up with a guy who promised to be the answer to all of my problems. I was young, na?ve, and believed every outlandish lie he told me. By the time I realized he isolated me and manipulated me into having him as the only important thing in my life, it was too late to reclaim the youthful years that had slipped through my fingers. My lifelong regret was just one of the major reasons I advocated so hard for Winnie to have something that resembled a normal childhood. Part of the reason I lived so carefree and unattached was because I lost my chance to do so when it was age appropriate.

As I wrangled my wayward musings, a familiar head of red hair flashed by the front windows of the shop. I only caught a fleeting glimpse, but there was no denying the speedy figure was Winnie. She looked too much like my sister for me to ever mistake her as someone else. I frowned and walked out of the store with the outrageously priced drinks in hand. While it wasn’t unheard of that Winnie came out with friends after school, it was unlikely that she was running around without her security. After all that went down at Halliday manor, it was no secret the family was in disorder. If Win actually stepped down as CEO, Winnie was the next Halliday in line to claim the mantle. Which meant she was a key piece of the conglomerate’s future. There was no telling what lengths the competition would go to in order to swing power in their direction. Win would never let her be exposed and vulnerable, especially when he was away for work.

I started to follow Winnie when a black SUV came to a skidding halt in front of the shop. The blacked-out windows rolled down and a familiar bald head turned to look in my direction. Black sunglasses covered Rocco’s stern face, but I could tell Win’s head of security was still on the mend from the injuries he received during the showdown with Colette. He looked much thinner and even more fierce than the last time I laid eyes on him.

“Did you meet up with Winnie?” The question was barked in my direction. “Her primary guard lost sight of her in the crowd of kids exiting the school. They all look the damn same in that uniform. She’s got a tracker on her that led to this location.” He swore under his breath as his head swiveled in search of the teenager. “Win’s going to have my ass. This is the second time she’s slipped security in the last month.”

I gestured with my hands full toward the small park that was up ahead. “She went that way. I saw her run past the window. I was going to the gate to pick her up. I told her to wait for me in front of the school this morning. I have no idea what she’s up to.” More than likely, she was finally free enough to act like any other rebellious teenager and taking full advantage.

Frankly, it was about damn time.

In his typical curt manner, Rocco rolled up the window without a goodbye and the SUV shot off toward the park.

I sipped the hot coffee and followed at a much more leisurely pace. Considering the traffic in the city, I made it to the park before Rocco found a place to park the big SUV. I was scanning all the people gathered in groups, chatting, or playing around. I had to sidestep a kid on a skateboard who barreled right in my direction. He had a hoodie covering most of his face and uttered a rushed apology when sticky liquid spilled all over my hands and wrists. I grumbled a warning to be careful and felt his gaze follow me as I finally located my niece in the crowd.

She was sitting on a bench, staring down at her phone. She never looked up as I approached from one side, and Rocco rushed over from the other. I wanted her to enjoy herself and have a modicum of freedom, but her absolute unawareness of what was happening around her was unacceptable. That was a tradeoff for moving from her quiet seaside school to one in the city.

“What are you doing?” I asked, as she finally looked up. Winnie was clearly startled to see me, and she flashed a guilty look at Rocco when he made his presence known. She climbed to her feet and nervously fiddled with the straps of her backpack. “I told you I would meet you at the entrance of the school. Why are you running around and hanging out in this park without a protection detail? Do you have any idea of the danger you put yourself in?”

Winnie bit her lip and put her phone into her pocket. “I’m sorry. I wanted to meet with a friend who doesn’t go to my school. My security makes him nervous. I thought I could slip away really quick and be back at the gate before you got there, Aunt Channing.” She looked down at the ground and dug the toe of her Prada flat into the dirt. “I know it was wrong.”

Rocco swore and reached for Winnie’s shoulder. “If your friend fears the people that protect you, they don’t have proper intentions. You need to be smarter about who you give your time to, Squirt.” He gave the girl a little shake and started to guide her across the park toward the SUV, leaving me no choice but to follow. “How did you meet someone outside of your school in the first place? You know your uncle wants to monitor all your friends and classmates. You can’t be too careful, Winnie.”

I handed Winnie her drink but didn’t interrupt Rocco’s lecture. His methods were rough, but I agreed with the harsh warning he was giving to my niece. She needed to be more aware of her status and the challenges her last name presented.

“Did you forget what I told you about ditching your security detail? Are you okay with someone losing their job, the way they support their family, just because you wanted to play with a friend in the park? Is that person more important to you than someone whose sole purpose is to keep you safe? I’m going to be honest, Winnie, I’m disappointed in you, and I know your uncle will be as well.”

Winnie frowned and curled her hands tightly around the cup. I saw her eyelashes flutter and watched as she gnawed on her lower lip.

“I met him at one of our school’s soccer games. There’s a charter school a few blocks away. Our teams practice with and play against each other. A couple of guys from another class were giving me a hard time. They were teasing me about my dad. Calling him a zombie, insinuating he’s a monster because of how he looks. I don’t know how they even know he has scars, but it was awful. Ky came out of nowhere and made them stop.” Winnie gulped and turned pleading eyes in my direction. “The first time I slipped away, it was to help him leave the school grounds without getting ganged up on. If I hadn’t, the entire team might’ve jumped him. Those guys in my school look down on everyone.” She sniffed. “Even me.”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I understand wanting to help someone in that situation, but that’s why you have security. Where was Goldie?” I knew Win went out of his way to have his head of security find a female staff member who would be unobtrusive while she protected Winnie during school. “If there’s a fight, you shouldn’t try to handle it on your own. And if the other kids are being mean about things you have no control over, tell me or Uncle Win. We can help you navigate that sort of nonsense.” I sighed and followed her into the backseat of the SUV. I wanted her to have an authentic high school experience, but I conveniently blanked on how awful kids could treat one another for no reason. “None of that explains why you disappeared today, Winnie.”

She flinched at the admonishment but squared her shoulders and defiantly said, “When those guys got rough with him, they tore his clothes. I could tell Ky was depressed when he saw the shape his hoodie was in. I told him I’d get him a new one as a thank you. You’re the one who taught me to respect what others have, even if it seems insignificant to me, Aunt Channing. I was just repaying what I owed. I might’ve gone around it the wrong way, but I was doing the right thing. Please don’t let Uncle Win fire Goldie. It’s my fault. I broke the rules, not her.”

Rocco just grunted and refused to reassure the teenager. I sighed and told her, “You can explain yourself to him. If you don’t want her to lose her job, it’s your responsibility to make him understand why she should keep it. She’s not supposed to let you out of her sight, and I assume this is the first time anyone has heard about friction with your classmates. Part of her responsibility is letting Win know what’s going on with you at school. Someone isn’t being honest.” I allowed the implication to hang in the air as Winnie deflated like an old balloon .

“I’ll talk to him. I want to ask him if I can invite Ky to my birthday party, anyway. That should be fine, don’t you think?”

Rocco snorted again, so I gave him a look in the rearview mirror. “It never hurts to ask.”

But sometimes it did. If the kid was leery of her security and dodging the precautions around her, chances were Win wouldn’t let him anywhere near Winnie, and the budding friendship was already dead on arrival.

I forgot how hard it was to be a teenager. Be it one with the world at their fingertips, or one who had to fight for something as simple as a beloved hoodie.