Behind the Door

“Call your boss before I can step out of this place?” she repeated, her face twisting into a frown.

The men nodded, and Lila scoffed.

“I don’t have his phone number,” she said through clenched teeth, her nose flaring.

“Then that’s it, ma’am. I’m coming with you. Let me go get the car keys,” Graves replied and jogged into the house.

Lila seethed. Her hands curled so tightly her nails nearly pierced her palms, but she didn’t even realize the pain.

Thorne watched her, then let out a quiet huff.

“I’ll come with you too,” he said as soon as Graves returned with the keys.

“What do you mean? The boss assigned me to follow her around, not you,” Graves shot back.

“There’s nothing wrong with both of us going, Graves. Or do you have any ulterior motives?” Thorne asked, his voice low and tense, anger flickering in his eyes.

Without warning, Graves sent a punch to Thorne’s jaw. “I’m not like you, asshole,” he gritted out. 

Thorne slowly ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek and gave Graves a slow, mocking smirk.

Lila looked between her so-called bodyguards and muttered a curse under her breath. Saying nothing, she turned and headed for the garage, forcing them to follow after her in silence.

About fifteen minutes later, the car came to a halt in front of the café. Just as Lila reached for the handle, Thorne jumped out of the passenger seat and opened the door for her.

She shot him a cold glare, her lower lip trembling slightly as Graves joined him. Both men stood aside, waiting for her to step out but Lila’s eyes burned with quiet fury, remembering how they had made the short drive miserable, constantly hurling insults at each other.

“The way you two kept cursing each other back there, I swear my ears were almost bleeding. Whatever bad blood you’ve got going on, sort it out away from me. I’m not here to babysit grown men with bruised egos.” Her voice was quiet… too quiet but every word landed like a slap.

Then she stepped out of the car without waiting for a response and walked straight into the café.

Once she was gone, the men exchanged sharp glares, muttering a fresh string of curses under their breath before finally moving forward to take their places at the entrance.

Asher stood up from the middle table the moment he saw Lila walk in. His navy sweatshirt, patterned with subtle white lines, gave him a relaxed, effortless charm, and his tousled blonde hair only added to it.

His gaze softened as it landed on her. The pale yellow sundress fit her perfectly, swaying gently with each step, and her hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders like sunlight spilling through curtains.

“Lila,” Asher called, waving at her with a sweet smile.

She waved back and made her way to his table, where he quickly pulled out a chair for her.

“Thanks for honoring my invitation, Lila. Thanks for making me happy,” he said sincerely.

Lila simply smiled. He looked so cute and he didn’t even realize it.

“So, muffin, cinnamon roll, or cake?” Asher asked with a soft grin.

“Muffin. Blueberry,” Lila replied.

Asher nodded eagerly and sprang to his feet to place the order.

Lila pulled out her phone to text her friend, but a soft gasp from nearby customers made her pause.

“He’s so huge.”

“What a body…”

She tilted her head slightly and spotted Graves striding toward her. Panic bloomed in her chest as she quickly looked away and pretended not to know him.

“The boss is on his way to the villa, ma’am. And since he’s not aware you left, it wouldn’t be wise for him to return and not find you there,” Graves said, his voice firm.

Lila didn’t flinch and kept her eyes on her phone, pretending he hadn’t spoken to her at all.

Murmurs rippled through the café as more heads turned in her direction, but she remained still, feigning focus on her screen as if unaware of the attention.

Graves caught on to her tactic, and his expression hardened.

“I’m giving you ten minutes,” he said, his tone dropping. “If you’re not outside by then, I’ll come in and drag you out myself. Got that?”

This time, Lila looked up at him sharply, her eyes burning.

“Are you threatening me now?”

Graves didn’t answer. He simply turned and walked out, leaving her fuming in her seat.

Asher returned with Lila’s order and immediately noticed the man who had just walked away from her. The same man responsible for the silent murmurs still rippling through the café.

His smile faded as he set the tray down and slid back into his seat.

Lila noticed the shift in his expression but said nothing. She simply picked up the milkshake and took a slow sip.

“Who was that guy, Lila?” Asher asked at last.

Lila exhaled softly and reached across the table to gently take his hand.

“I’ve agreed to be your girlfriend, Asher. I’ll try to love you as much as you say you love me,” she said, offering a quiet smile that gradually brought his own back.

“But there are some things I’d like to keep to myself for now. Things like who that man was… and how I ended up here in Hemlock Lane. I hope you can understand.”

Their gazes locked for a moment before Asher finally gave a small nod of understanding.

“Thanks, Asher,” Lila said with a beam as she began gathering her things.

“You’re leaving? So soon?” Asher asked, surprised.

“I’m sorry. We’ll talk on the phone,” she said quickly, already moving toward the exit.

From where he sat, Asher watched as one of the men opened the SUV door for Lila. The one who had entered the café earlier walked around and got behind the wheel, while the other climbed into the passenger seat.

A crease formed between Asher’s brows. He stared after them, looking troubled, then muttered under his breath, “What’s going on?”

**********

Almost thirty minutes after Lila and her bodyguards returned to the house and Lila had stormed off to her room, Graves and Thorne stepped outside to welcome their boss, whose repeated honking echoed from down the street. That sound was always a clear sign; Damien Wolfe was in a good mood.

As usual, Damien didn’t bother with the garage. He drove his sleek sports car straight to the front entrance.

“Yo, boys! Everything good on this side?” Damien called out playfully as he stepped out, pushing up the sunglasses into his blue-black hair.

Blade followed from the passenger seat, carrying a briefcase.

Thorne and Graves bowed slightly. “Welcome back, Boss.”

Damien just swatted Thorne’s shoulder in passing, grinning as he walked into the villa. He dropped into the nearest recliner, kicked his feet up, and let out a satisfied sigh.

“Blade, get Rex to reach Vladislav,” he said, eyes still closed. “Tell him his powder’s ready. I want my money on the table.”

Blade nodded and bowed before heading upstairs with the briefcase.

“Rest in peace, Gary,” Thorne said with a short laugh.

Damien chuckled, then opened his eyes.

“No, Thorne. That fucker’s very much alive. Made a deal with him though,” he replied with a smirk.

The men exchanged silent nods.

“So, how is she?” Damien asked, shifting the tone. “Has she come out at all today?”

Thorne and Graves glanced at each other.

“Yes, boss”

“No, boss”

Damien’s brow furrowed as his eyes narrowed on them, the light mood quickly fading.

“Has she stepped out of her room today?” he asked again, this time in a cold tone, all signs of playfulness leaving his face.  

“Yes, boss,” Thorne said quickly. “We followed her to a nearby café. She went to meet her boyfriend.”

“And what makes you think that was her boyfriend, you fucker?” Graves cut in.

“Then what else could he be if he’s not her boyfriend, asshole?” Thorne’s voice sharpened.

Meanwhile, Damien’s expression darkened, his face coated with heavy frown lines.

“Boyfriend?” he repeated, the word falling flat as the tension thickened.

The two men, suddenly remembering who they were speaking to, straightened and nodded quickly.

“And it didn’t occur to either of you to inform me before letting her go anywhere?” Damien asked, rising slowly to his feet.

They both swallowed hard and instinctively took a step back.

“Where is she now?”

“In her room,” they answered in unison.

Damien didn’t say another word. He turned and marched toward the hall.

But as he reached her door which was slightly ajar, he froze.

Through the gap, he saw something that made the blood drain from his face. His throat tightened and breathing suddenly felt like a difficult thing to do.