Violet's Stand

CALLUM

Garret and I had just settled in at the desk, ready to debrief the team about our European adventure with the high-maintenance princess client. She was our only international client this month, so the rest of the team had been alternating between local clients and home.

Elizabeth, from her corner, pipes up, “I would have cut her loose ages ago.” Her gun rests on the table, safety on, which I appreciate. She smirks at me, fully aware of how much I hated being away from home these past two weeks.

“How did the drop-off go?” I ask Rogan and Josh, who are both on FaceTime on my laptop. They haven’t made the five-hour drive back yet, which doesn’t make sense to me.

“Piece of cake, boss,” Rogan says, both of them grinning like they’re in on a secret. I’ll have to remind them later about not fraternizing with clients in private. Just as I’m about to, three short knocks at the door interrupt us.

I look up from the paperwork in front of me. The team exchanges puzzled looks, but I know exactly who’s at the door. There’s only one person I live with who would knock before entering instead of barging in like they own the place. Even Catherine doesn’t knock.

It’s Violet. I’m sure of it.

“Can someone let Violet in?” I ask, returning to my notes on Miss Conners’s file. The room falls silent, and I notice everyone exchanging worried glances, except for the twins. They’re engrossed in some research Marc has them doing. No one moves, so I make the decision for them.

“Marc, open the damn door,” I order. He’s closest to it, so it only seems fair. With a look of terror on his face, he rises from his seat and walks toward the door. It’s strange to see a man of his size and strength scared to open the door to petite Violet.

A smirk crosses my face as I hear Violet ask to come in, even though she doesn’t need to. She’s always welcome here.

“May I come in?” Her voice is soft and sweet. What’s she up to?

“Uh. I. Sure, Miss Stephenson,” Marc stammers. For a big guy, he sure sounds scared of Violet. What has she done to make our staff act this way?

He steps aside, opening the door wide, making sure to give her space to walk in without brushing past him. Interesting…

“Violet, call me Violet,” she insists in a tone more typical of her. I glance up to see her swallow her anxiety as she looks at the thirteen team members who are, of course, staring at her with interest.

“Ma’am,” Marc says, closing the door behind him.

“Violet,” Violet corrects, walking with the grace of a queen to place a large serving tray with aluminum foil wrapped around it on the table. So Catherine gave in again then!

“Lunch has arrived,” she almost whispers into the silent room. I give our employees a stern look. They’re making her feel unwelcome, and this is a big step for her. She’s never come over here before, only to use the gym, which is always emptied for her use.

“Did Catherine make lunch?” Ryan’s the first to jump up, reaching for the foil wrap and peeling it back with an excited look on his face. It’s only just past ten-thirty, but he grabs two wraps from the dish and walks past Violet, extending one hand while his eyes rove over Violet’s body in a way that I don’t like.

If I didn’t know his background and we hadn’t given his social worker the out he needed, I’d fire him on the spot.

“Name’s Ryan,” his hand lingers between them for a second too long before Violet takes a step back. I almost think she’s going to ignore his outstretched hand, but she surprises me by extending her own.

She swallows harshly as their hands connect, pulling away only a second later, but she did it, and I was here to witness it.

“You can trust them, Violet,” I assure her, and she nods, still backing up a few steps more. Everyone starts to introduce themselves before reaching for wraps, but none of them is brave enough to extend their hands to Violet like Ryan just did.

I need to ask everyone why they’re acting so strange around her.

“It’s not even lunchtime yet,” Dante says, walking over to Violet with that special smile he reserves for her.

“Morning, beautiful.” He holds her chin for a second before hugging her, then takes two wraps for himself, ripping off some foil to wrap them in.

Carson and Carter saunter their way up to Violet, catching her in a hug between them. Everyone watches with shock in their eyes, which makes me damned nervous. Turning my attention to the twins, I almost stand to growl at them. The way they’re touching her with such familiarity pisses me off. But she relaxes, smiling between them, welcoming their touch with a blush on her face.

“It’s nice to see you again,” one of the twins says. I still can’t tell the difference; they’ve only been on the team for a few weeks, and most of that time, I’ve been away.

“How are you, Carson?” It shouldn’t, but it does piss me off that Violet knows the difference between them, and I resolve to figure out the difference between them sooner rather than later… myself.

“Oh, you know, work and play,” Carter answers for him in that weird way they do. At least Rogan and Josh look different. These two are identical in most ways, including answering for each other.

My Violet’s gaze lands on my own at the word ~play~. Of course, they mean ~play~, as in Zach and Tyler’s club. The twins have also been staying here until they find a home nearby. They claim to have never slept apart since the day they were conceived. This leaves the other four rooms available just in case we need them for the others.

The door opens and closes again, and Tyler’s walking in exactly as he always does with Arnold in tow. Both of them have huge grins on their faces. They seem to get along great. I suppose Arnold does spend a lot of time guarding the property because that’s his specialty.

“I heard Catherine spoiled you guys again,” he says, walking over to the table to see Violet crushed between Carter and Carson. He falters, the grin on his face changing to a frown before he steps up to take Violet in his arms.

So I’m not the only one that’s jealous?

I suppose that’s a good thing. For a second there, I thought I was overreacting. But then Carter and Carson are Tyler’s friends, and he knows them far better than I do, which leads me to believe that they were getting too close and personal with my girl.

This jealousy thing is a mind game, one that I don’t willingly accept. I’ve never been here before because a woman was never for keeps… before.

“Hi, baby, what are you doing out here?” I watch with a growing erection as he sweeps her into a hug and kiss, obviously claiming his stake on her.

The twins get the message, stepping away to take their wraps. And they also take some foil with them.

“I brought over lunch,” she says with pink cheeks when he pulls away to see Elizabeth and Louisa, our only female employees, watching the interaction between Tyler and her.

“I see. How are the girls?” he asks, reaching inside the packaging to take a wrap of his own but never taking his eyes off Violet. I love that about him. Always so close and personal when interacting with someone.

“Catherine was putting them down for their first nap.”

Tyler looks up to me with a grin on his face, a knowing look that’s telling me he’s asking for something.

“Want to come to sit with me in the office?” he asks Violet.

Carter and Carson roll their eyes as they walk past me back down to the computers they were previously sitting at. Now I get it. Tyler wants to play with Violet here, the three of us.

I have to adjust my erection now, knowing that it’s a possibility.

“I wanted to put a few rumors to rest. But once I’ve done that, sure. I think I would like that,” Violet stammers.

Instantly I see red. Rumors?

What fucking rumors?

“You don’t need to explain yourself to them,” Tyler soothes her in that way he seems to be able to soothe us all, his thumb stroking the lips he just kissed.

“They’re talking about me,” Violet whispers to him, but I can still hear, even if her voice has dropped to almost silent.

“Let them. They don’t deserve your life story,” Dante comments from beside her.

“I think it’s important to clarify that it’s not us they’re worried about. Some rumors have been circulating about Zach and me,” I say, my gaze shifting to the twins. Maybe they’ve been sharing their preferences. My vision blurs, shifting between normal and a tainted red.

How dare they talk about Violet, or any of us, in such a way?

I rise from my seat, moving toward Violet and Tyler. Dante quickly steps back, sensing my discomfort with the conversation.

“Let’s go,” I tell Violet, guiding her with me. “This meeting isn’t over. I expect everyone to stay put until we return.”

Tyler is quick to agree, attempting to exit the room. But Violet, ever the stubborn one, remains in place.

“I need to do this, Callum,” she insists, turning back to the group at the table.

Their eyes are all on her, their curiosity piqued. It’s then that I realize they’ve been talking amongst themselves. Dante sighs, glancing at Arnold, our second in command. Arnold sighs in return, addressing Violet.

“Violet, we don’t need to pry. We were just concerned that maybe you felt silenced,” he says, avoiding my gaze. The nerve of him.

“It’s not like that,” Violet responds, not noticing how close he is to her.

She recoils from him, causing him to sigh once more. He gives her a knowing look, as if to say ~See~ in response to her reaction.

“The person responsible for my trauma is in prison. Callum, Tyler, and Zach are innocent,” she says.

That gets their attention, except for Carter and Carson. They’re both engrossed in their computers, trying to ignore the unfolding drama.

“Well, that’s reassuring, sweetheart. You have to understand our perspective. It’s our job to notice unusual behavior,” Arnold says.

“That’s enough,” I growl at him, but Violet has other plans.

“My fiancés…they’re not the ones who hurt me. I can assure you of that,” she says. Carter and Carson both spin around, their eyes wide. So they didn’t know the whole truth?

I had assumed she had confided in them. I was jealous at the thought. I guess that was foolish of me. My heart hammers in my chest as I watch Violet turn to face us, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She strides toward us with a determined pace.

“Some of you are tech-savvy. Look up Henry Camber. You’ll find everything you need to know,” she instructs, her voice wavering slightly as she brushes past Tyler and me to leave the room. A tiny whimper slips from her as she exits.

Tyler is quick to follow her, leaving me standing there, wrestling with my fury before it erupts at the team Dante and I have painstakingly built.

“Do as she says. I expect an apology to Violet from each of you by the end of the day,” I command, my voice sharp as I pivot on my heel and slam the door behind me.

Damn it, I should have just been upfront with them from the beginning. If I had, Violet wouldn’t have had to endure such heartache and humiliation.