Page 7 of Hard as Steel

Krystof stood. “No. My flight isn’t until tomorrow morning. I meant my heart can’t take…” Krystof cleared his throat and started again. “There’s still too much for me to do before tomorrow.”

Why did this hurt? His mind kept screaming that question over and over to the point Steel couldn’t believe the words didn’t explode from his mouth. Steel heard himself saying something about having a safe trip and wishing him the best. Meanwhile, not a single thought matched his well-wishes.

Krystof dipped his chin and walked away, closing the door behind him.

Steel stared at the wood that had stolen his sight of Krystof. He wanted to jump up and run after him. Steel wanted to yell his name. Just as the last time Krystof had walked away from him, Steel was frozen. Buttercup scratched at the door as if she had the balls if he didn’t. That broke the horror that kept him in place. Steel shot to his feet and opened the door. Krystof was nowhere to be seen. Steel raced to the front door. He was gone.

Buttercup whined.

Steel stroked her head. “I know, baby girl. He took my heart with him too.” The way he always did.

The nausea and shaking nearly brought him to his knees. Krystof should have hired a car to take him to Steel’s office. He had no business driving. That was why he pulled into the first restaurant he saw. Even though he doubted he could keep anything down, Krystof needed to try.

Being a party of one made it easy to get a table. He ordered coffee and stared into space. After a few days of deep reflection, Krystof knew he had made the right decision. The knowledge didn’t make reality hurt any less.

Damn, Ana. Why did you leave me behind all alone with this bullshit?

He knew he was a little mad for still having silent and out loud conversations with Anastasia. He missed her listening ear. They had been best friends his entire life. He still didn’t know how to live without her. Krystof was too old to make friends, and he didn’t care to try.

“Hey, didn’t I meet you at Diesel’s wedding?”

Krystof’s attention snapped to the man hovering over his table. He was a big guy with thighs like tree trunks. “Probably. You do look familiar.”

The guy stuck out his beefy hand. “It’s Timber.”

If that wasn’t the most fitting name ever, Krystof didn’t know what was. He had an oddly gentle handshake. “Krystof. I’m Kuba’s father.”

Timber snapped his fingers. “That’s right.” He grabbed the second chair at the table and sat down without invitation. “That was one hell of a wedding.”

Krystof dipped his chin. “Kuba loves Diesel more than anything. He likely would’ve put together a carnival if that’s what Kuba wanted.”

Timber smiled. It was a bright smile with sparkling white teeth. His dark hair was cropped short. A day or two’s worth of growth peppered his skin. “I actually went to a wedding like that once. Had a blast.”

A server appeared with a drink. “Would you like to order here or at the other table?”

“Here is fine. We need a couple of minutes.”

Krystof bit back a laugh. It was obvious Timber never questioned whether his company was wanted.

Timber focused on him again. “I didn’t realize you lived here.”

“I don’t. Not any longer. I’m simply tying up some loose ends today before returning to Seattle. What about you? Do you work for this security branch?”

Timber’s expression blanked. “How do you know where I work?”

Krystof scrambled for a way to fix his obvious faux pas. “Apologies. I just assumed your presence at the wedding and now you’re here in—”

Timber cut him off. “I’m just fucking with you. Steel keeps me hopping between branches. I’ve been with him a long time. He knows he can count on me to be wherever he needs.”

Krystof was officially interested. “Branches? How many does he have?”

For a moment, Timber appeared to do math in his head. “Ten. No. Eleven. I forgot we have a new Atlanta branch.”

“Wow.” Pride filled Krystof. “He really did it. I knew he could.”

A line appeared between Timber’s eyebrows. “You're friends with Steel?”

Krystof dipped his chin. “Many years ago, when we were both much younger. He worked as my guard.” There. Steel didn’t have to worry Krystof would tell his business. No matter how long it had been.