The Boss(hole) by Penelope Bloom
Adrian
The apartment felt wrong without Jules. Noah, Travis, and Jordan were gathered around the couch with drinks in their hands. We’d all had a few by now.
“Man,” Travis said. “I can’t believe that bastard out-smarted us.”
“He wasn’t trying to catch saboteurs,” I said. “He got lucky. He was just being a creep and trying to vet the guy he thought he might want to set his daughter up with. But we need to figure out if he’s already locking us out of his computer systems. Now that he knows what we’re trying to do, he could shut us out, right?”
“Not quickly” Noah said. “I won’t bore you with the technicalities. To put it simply, I opened digital doors. If he knew what doors I’d opened, he would have closed them. But…” he pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times, waiting. “They’re still open. I expect we have at least a few days before he can get someone to trace my work and start undoing it.”
“That’s good, right?” Jordan asked.
“If Jules gets us the laptop, yes,” Noah said. “Without the laptop, I still only have half of what I need. If she doesn’t get that, there’s nothing we can do.”
“I can’t believe you asked her to stay there,” Jordan said, shaking her head at me.
“Jules knows what she’s doing. Besides, I didn’t say anything. I just gave her a subtle signal and she made her own choice. And I know her. She wants the chance to help us do this. I know she does. And,” I added, “If she takes longer than twenty-four hours, I’m going in after her.”
“How are you going to do that, Rambo?” Travis asked.
“However I have to. I’m not letting her stay there a day longer than that. One day.”
“And what happens if she doesn’t get the laptop?” Noah asked.
“Then I failed all of you. Russ Coleton gets to keep on being who he is and doing what he does.”
Travis nodded. Noah looked solemn, and Jordan took another swig of her drink. This was the most personal for Jordan and I, but Travis and Noah had sacrificed just as much as all of us. We’d all sunk years of our effort and millions of our dollars into this mission. Nobody wanted to watch Russ Coleton get away unscathed, and I hated knowing I was very likely the one who brought this all about. If I hadn’t been willing to risk everything for Jules, we’d probably still be in the clear.
And yet I couldn’t make myself regret it. No matter how many ways I looked at it, I would’ve selfishly done it again if I could go back. I wouldn’t trade her. Not even for this. Not even to destroy Russ Coleton.
Jules was worth more than that. Revenge wouldn’t keep me warm at night. It wouldn’t help pull me back from the brink when I was at risk of losing myself. It wouldn’t make me smile or make me feel the way Jules did. If we failed, it’d be on me to find a way to make it up to the others.
“How are you holding up with all of this?” Travis asked. “We know how much this meant to you.”
“I’m more concerned about screwing this up for all of you, to be completely honest,” I said.
“Seriously?” Travis asked. He blew a raspberry. “I don’t know about Noah, but I’ve just been doing all this to help you out. You brought me into Terranova Holdings and made me filthy rich, man. Feel free to bring me along for another impossible mission and then fuck it up at the last minute if you want. We’d still be good.”
I grinned.
Noah shrugged. “I’ve been retired for ten years, Adrian. I’m thirty-two. If I had anything better to be doing with my time, I’d be doing it. I think Russ deserved to be brought down, but we did a lot of good along the way, even if we don’t wind up getting the final prize.”
“Thanks, guys.”
“I don’t blame you,” Jordan said. “And I’m glad you found Jules in all this. I really am. But I know I’m still not going to rest until Russ Coleton has to feel at least some regret for what he did. I have no idea how I’ll make that happen if this falls through, but I’ll figure out a way.”
“If Jules can’t get the laptop,” I said. “I’ll help you. As long as it takes, Jordan.”
“Shit,” Travis said. “Count me in, then.”
Noah nodded. “Still retired. Might as well.”
I sat back in my chair, feeling relief wash over me. The real truth I’d been afraid to fully confront was that my own thirst for revenge had cooled. I spent ten years thinking about only one thing. Ten years letting revenge be the only emotion that got me out of bed in the morning. My future was nothing except a big ass target with Russ Coleton’s face in the center. I’d had no damn clue what I’d do once I struck the bullseye.
Then Juliette came along. She gave me something else to care about. Little by little, my feelings for her filled the hole I’d been shoving my desire for revenge inside. In a matter of days or maybe weeks she’d become the only thing I really cared about protecting. Now that I knew my team was okay with how things had turned out, I felt like I could finally accept the way I felt.
I just wanted Jules back. If she got the laptop, great. If she didn’t, also great.
“Look at this asshole smiling,” Travis said. He shook his head. “What’s so funny?”
I smirked. “Honestly? I was just thinking about how kicking my knee through two of Russ Coleton’s paintings was almost as satisfying as I imagined the whole demolition job would be. Getting to see the look on his fucking face,” I said, laughing. I was surprised with how much the memory made me laugh. The others joined in, chuckling at the idea of it.
Once my amusement faded, my thoughts went straight back to Juliette. It took all my willpower not to get off my ass and drive to her house right at that moment. I wanted to storm through the gates and take her away from that place—to tell her it wasn’t worth the risk. But I knew that was selfishness talking. Juliette didn’t only care about bringing her father down for me and the team. This was personal for her, too. I had to give her a chance.
Twenty-four hours. That was all I could stand to give.