Chapter 19 - Anton

Since I met Joyce, my life has been a whirlwind of situations, feelings, and rash decisions. I knew I couldn’t do this to her anymore. I had to come clean if I wanted to keep her. She won’t thrive being kept at home out of the loop.

Walking the length of my office, I knew I had to make a decision. It was hard to admit that I had to give her some leeway. I had to do what was best for her, even if that meant putting my feelings aside.

Joyce needed to be around people; she wanted to feel useful. Coming to this conclusion, I decided to give it a try. Before heading home to pick her up, I popped into Tasha’s office. I had to ask if she would be okay working with Joyce. Like always, Tasha was thrilled.

We agreed that they would take it slow. Tasha would share only what was needed, and we could see how Joyce coped. Feeling good about my decision, I went to get Joyce. I wandered the halls looking for her. I hadn’t called ahead as I wanted to surprise her.

I found her wandering the halls with a book in her hand. She had been restless since she came here, but I know better. “Joyce,” I said, grinning. I took her around the waist and pulled her into my arms. I could see I frightened her as she spun around, but once she laid eyes on me, she smiled.

“Anton,” she replied, raising her brows. “What are you doing back?”

“I came to pick you up. Tasha said she wants to show you some things, maybe get your opinion?” I knew I was lying to her. But it was a small one, as I wanted her to feel needed. I didn’t want her to think we involved her just to ease her.

Joyce placed her hands on my chest as she thought about it. She smiled, rose to her toes, and kissed my cheek. My body instantly warmed. Her every touch ignited my senses. “I would love that,” she replied.

Taking her hand, I led her to the car and returned to the office. Tasha and Mila had been working to link the players to the buildings we were checking on. I hoped Joyce would be able to assist, seeing that she worked in customs. She may have heard or seen some of these people before.

The drive back was quiet, but I could see she was deep in thought. For a moment, I considered asking her but decided not to. I was sure she would share her thoughts with me if she wanted to. Her whole being appeared to light up as we headed to Tasha’s office.

Her office door was closed, so I knocked and waited. “Come in,” Tasha called through the door. Opening it, I ushered Joyce inside. Mila was also there, standing by the whiteboard in the corner.

Tasha had cleared the space on the desk next to her. “Welcome, Joyce,” Tasha said, getting up.

“I was surprised to hear you were joining us,” Mila added, walking closer. “But we can use someone with your background.”

Moving away, I stood by the window staring out while listening to Tasha and Mila explain to Joyce what they were doing. Tasha had made it clear that I could only observe. I wasn’t allowed to interfere with the mission. I was conflicted. I knew they wouldn’t let anything happen to Joyce, but I wanted to protect her.

Mila was studying a list of names written on the board. She had a couple of printed sheets in her hands. Flipping through the sheets, she wrote numbers next to the names. “I’m trying to link as many of these people to the buildings we know are being used by the three rival Bratva groups,” Mila said.

“Come sit with me,” Tasha said, pulling out a chair.

Joyce beamed at me before taking her place. “I’m going to grab us some coffee while you get Joyce up to speed,” I said, heading for the door. The three women didn’t respond. It was like I was suddenly invisible.

Coming back with four coffees and some snacks, I found the three women before the whiteboard. “Something happened in the short time I was gone?” I asked.

“Joyce may be able to create a link between,” Mila replied excitedly.

I placed their coffee down and stood back, watching Joyce scribbling on the board. “Who is this?” Joyce inquired, tapping on Jason’s name.

“We have had problems with him in the past. He has been quiet since our last confrontation. Yet, we haven’t been able to link him directly to any of the groups.” Tasha explained.

“But we know he is involved,” I added.

The three women turned, glaring at me for interrupting. I lifted my hands, apologizing. “Sorry for interrupting.”

Mila grinned as she reprimanded me. “You are here only because we are allowing it. Please keep quiet so we can work.”

I could see Joyce was enjoying working with them. She listened intently, absorbing every detail that was shared with her. She was calm and appeared unaffected. Once she had taken in all the information, she stepped back and looked intently at the board. She was like a sponge absorbing every word.

“Right now, we are looking more in depth into these four buildings. Jason has been known to frequent them. Yet, we cannot find the links between them and any of the Bratva families. Apparently, they aren’t owned by anyone,” Mila said, holding out the blueprints.

Joyce took them and looked from one to the other. “This one,” she said, holding up a blueprint. “This one has come through my office before.”

Tasha and Mila both looked at her with surprise. Joyce walked to the computer. Glancing back, she spoke to Tasha. “May I?”

“Yes, sure, go for it,” Tasha replied as she and Mila joined her. I was dumbfounded at her quick adaption to all she was exposed to. I had underestimated her ability to adapt. Standing closer, I watched as Joyce opened the name she found and linked the person to the building.

We have been trying for quite some time with no luck. Once she connected the first one, she quickly found the links for the others. I pushed out my chest as pride filled me. She was more than just a beautiful woman; she was a wonder.

“Here,” she exclaimed. “Here is a clear line between each client and this Jason person,” Joyce stated, pushing back from the table. Tasha and Mila stood stunned for a moment as they studied the schematic Joyce had drawn up.

Joyce glanced at me, a satisfied smile on her perfect lips. I wanted to grab her up and hug her so tight that she couldn’t breathe. But I knew the timing wasn’t right. I waited as Tasha and Mila thanked her. “We would never have been able to get this without your help. Thank you so much,” Mila added, hugging Joyce. “How did you put them together?”

“Once you know what each company ships, you can form links via the products,” Joyce replied.

“It is truly remarkable,” Tasha said, smiling at Joyce. “We can surely use you in the business.”

“We’ll think about it,” I said, stepping closer and placing my arm around Joyce’s shoulders. The three laughed as Joyce rolled her eyes at me. “Enough,” I added jokingly. “It’s time we went home.”

“Sure, you keep her safe. We can use her around here. She brightens things, not like you,” Tasha added, laughing as we walked to the door.

Waving over our heads, I held Joyce tight as I led her back out. In the elevator, I noticed she looked down as a frown crossed her brows. I watched her close as we left the building and got into my truck. Something was bothering her.

Getting in on the driver's side, I couldn’t ignore it any longer. “Joyce,” I said softly, turning to face her. “What’s wrong? You seemed to love what you did, yet you now look unhappy. If you’re not ready, you don’t have to. You know that, right?”

Joyce bobbed her head in agreement. Turning to me, I saw tears in her bright eyes. “No, my sweet Joyce, what’s wrong?” I asked, pulling her closer and holding her in my arms.

She sniffled lightly before speaking. “I was enjoying it so much. I loved being able to help and make links. Yet, everything Jax did and how he changed seems to haunt me. It’s stuck in the back of my mind and keeps trying to come out.”

Holding her shoulders, I pushed her back softly as I replied. “Oh, dear Joyce. You are nothing like him.”

Joyce smiled faintly before putting her arms around me. “I know, but…”

“No buts, you will be fine, I promise,” I added, kissing her head. I knew this was a difficult subject for her, everything about our lifestyle was tough and would take time to adjust to.

“You know what?” I asked, smiling at her as I let go and started the truck.

“What?” she replied, wiping her cheeks.

“I think we need to get out. How would you like to go on a date?” I spurted.

Joyce smiled thinly as she nodded.