Chapter 11 Meet Cute

• 9. Meet Cute
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• The humongous door opens, and a breathtaking view of the entire city welcomes us. We step inside and see it’s empty. “He is probably in the gym,” Jonas says, pointing at a connected door.
• Wow! A personal gym?
• “You didn’t inform him,” I state, scanning the office. It’s elegant and classy. Dark walls perfectly contrasted with light brown leather furniture. I take a few steps towards the giant glass wall to peep at the river flowing next to the building. Whole freaking city is visible from this height. The cars look like a bunch of ants crawling on floor.
• “No. He would have made up some excuse,” Jonas says while slumping onto a leather sofa placed next to the wall.
• I turn and walk towards him. “Sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you.”
• He sinks his head on the sofa and smiles with his eyes closed.
• “I like you, Riley... That’s the least I could do.”
• I shift in my spot uncomfortably. But do not respond. Jonas is making many comments and little gestures. Small hints here and there. Like touching me by the shoulder, placing his hand on my back. I am confused as fu-k. I think he is being himself and he does this with every other girl.
• His phone pings after a while, and he frowns, looking at it.
• “Oh fu-k,” he mutters.
• “What happened?“
• He gets up and says, ”Wait here. I will be back in five minutes.”
• “What?” I squeak. “What if your uncle comes back?”
• He rushes out of the office without answering me. I have no choice but to wait for him.
• I spend next five minutes nervous and freaking out, imagining how I will explain my presence if Mikolaj Josef comes back before Jonas does. He probably already knows I am here. I try to calm myself down. Maybe his assistant, the redhead, already informed him.
• Jonas told me this office is headquarters for Black Canopy too. And therefore the security is tighter. While entering the floor, we had to pass through the metal detector like one they have in federal buildings.
• Once I feel a little better, I unabashedly look around. The expensive door was just a teaser. This office alone must be worth more than the cost of my dad and granddad’s place altogether. The interior is dark and elegant. There is an expensive painting hung behind the main desk. Along with some extravagant art pieces and books. I want to take a closer look, but I am hesitant.
• While waiting, I tap my foot nervously. I glance at my watch and realize it’s been over 10 minutes. I grab my bag and walk towards the door to leave. Jonas must be somewhere around. We can come back later.
• I pull the door handle, but the door doesn’t bulge. Is it locked? I glance up and realize there is a card reader. It needs an access card to open it even from inside. I sigh and wait inside helplessly.
• Now that I am bored and a little bold. I walk towards the wooden desk to feel the crisp, polished wood. The Inner child in me wants to touch and feel every beautiful texture in this office. The office has an eternally classic look. Mom would have loved this.
• Wall behind the main desk has classic square column facades. Most of all, I love the view of the Detroit river. I walk around the room and look at paintings hung behind the desk. Next to it, there are shelves with books and framed photographs.
• One book in particular catches my attention and I grab it. ‘The Doll’ by Bolesław Prus. The binding is fragile. It’s an old polish book. My mom has one. I open the hard cover to see the publication date and my eyes widen to see it was published in 1890. I gasp and put it back. It’s a freaking antique.
• Then I glance at the surreal huge painting hung in middle. I tilt my head, trying to interpret it. I don’t understand a thing about art. It’s a painting of multiple houses shaped like a… Tree? Houses on the top are flying and fading away like leafs.
• I trail my finger at the corner of the wooden frame, and that’s when I notice something peculiar. I squint my eyes. There is a light blinking just beneath the painting. It’s tiny, and I almost missed it. I tap my finger on blinking light and with a click a drawer appears. It opens up an inch and I step back in astonishment. It’s like those Sci-Fi movies Ira keeps watching. I cannot believe my eyes. The outline was there, but it looked like a rectangular design matching the shelves
• My heart is beating fast. Wrong. This is so so so wrong. Despite my mind screaming, Do not touch a thing, my finger goes towards the gap to pull the drawer open. A secret cabinet. Like a treasure, If we find one, we must take a look. I prod my finger into it and pull it out.
• My jaw goes slack when I see what’s inside. It’s a small gun drawer. There are two handguns and an assault rifle. There are some files too. A small laptop along with two hard disks. A fancy looking flash drive grabs my attention. It’s tiny.
• Do people still use that? I think to myself and pick it up.
• “WHAT THE FU-K ARE YOU DOING?” A voice roars behind me and I flinch.
• ….
• I think I peed a little. I put the pen drive back and shut the drawer close. When I turn, I see an angry man striding towards me. He is in a freaking towel. Where the hell are his clothes?
• He covers the distance in 2 seconds. I yelp and step back in surprise. My back hits the wall.
• “I… I am sorry.. I shouldn’t have…” I tilt my head to look at his raging face.
• My first realization. It’s Mikolaj Josef. He is tall and my head barely reaches his shoulders.
• My second realization. I fucked up bad. Such a terrible first impression.
• Little did I imagine, it was only the start of a worse evening.
• “I shouldn’t have touched that. I am sorry.”
• I try to move away from him. He grabs me by my throat and pushes me back. My head hits the wall hard, and I look at him in shock.
• He keeps his fingers wrapped around my throat and opens the drawer again. I blink. Unable to process what is happening. A very familiar sense of panic rises inside me.
• Breathe. Fuckin breathe, Riley.
• But it's hard to do with his fingers wrapped around my throat tightly.
• “You are suffocating me..” I whisper, trying to pull his hand away. He is way taller and stronger than me. I don’t stand a chance. He can easily crush me. The thought doesn’t make me feel better, and I yank his hand away. He doesn’t bulge but to my relief, he loosens his grip a little.
• Focus on something. Don’t panic, I tell myself. I look at his black messy hair. It’s still wet. Did he come out of the shower? That explains the lack of clothes.
• “How did you manage this?” He growls.
• He notices something and his angry face turns furious.
• “What did you take?”
• “N–nothing.. I took nothing!” I say firmly, but my voice comes out a squeak.
• “Oh really… you little liar.” He brings his face closer to mine. “I will ruin you and burn your family into ground for this little stunt,“ he says, tightening the fingers around my neck again.
• “Oh my God, Miko. What is happening?” A woman comes out of a private gym.
• Her expression is frantic.
• “Leave her. She will faint.”
• Then finally he lets my throat go and I drop to my knees. I cough profusely while I rubbing my neck.
• This man is a psychopath.
• “Canopy’s Intranet drive is missing,” he says, in a thick voice.
• “WHAT?” the women exclaim and looks at me wide eyed. He grabs my bag and throws it towards the woman. “Check it.”
• “I came here with Jonas,” I whisper. “I took nothing,” I add, still trying to catch a breath.
• He pulls me up by the arm and presses my back against the wall. I feel like a little child in front of him.
• He jerks my arm up in T-pose, and I yelp.
• “Wh– what are you doing?”
• I barely have time to understand, but he vets my pockets like a freaking TSA agent.
• “I– I didn’t take anything…” I squeak again.
• “Shut your mouth!” he snarls at me. I flinch and not a word comes out of my mouth. Not even when he feels the outline of my bra. His hands trail around my waist. Then finally my ass cheeks. I try to focus on something else to bear the shame and suppress the panic. He is not wearing anything, and it’s making me feel confused and conflicted.
• I keep my eyes low, hoping for this to get over. My heart is racing. Focus. Don’t think too much. I tell myself again. There is a thin long scar below his ribs. I would love to sink a knife at same spot. He bends to vet my legs and I see his naked back. There is a round scar below his shoulder blade. A bullet wound? I am sure he deserved it. He gets up and gives an irritated sigh.
• He steps back, still keeping his piercing blue gaze at me. “Camilla, did you find anything?” he asks the woman.
• My eyes go towards her and she has spread all my belongings on the table.
• “No.. I am checking her laptop.”
• I look at Mikołaj again. I cannot tear my gaze from his bare chest and tight muscles. My brain is a jumbled mess. How can I be at the verge of a panic attack at a minute and be hot and bothered a minute later?
• He looks at me and orders, ”Remove your clothes.”
• My eyes widen at realization. “Excuse me?”
• “You are not leaving until I find what you stole from here. Get naked right now.”
• A wave of anger rises inside me. Does he think I am his personal slave so he can order me around without asking for my fucking consent? I step closer and slap his face hard.