Chapter 4

An entire month has passed, yet Olivia couldn't get Jairus out of her mind. She hasn't slept that well either, and it's not just because of Molly and Richard's shenanigans during the nights and sometimes during the day either; since she's been staying with them. No, it was a certain blue-eyed adonis who occupied her dreams as well. Sure, Olivia had dated and had boyfriends before, yet she has never thought about them the way Jairus consumed her mind.

It's even more pathetic that she had revisited the club to enquire about her savior but to no avail, the club’s camera footage was out of range. Olivia did however learn about what happened to the asshole, Nick. He had gotten beaten so badly that night, he needed surgery for both his face and dick. That key piece of information had made her smile like a Cheshire cat, no doubt, it taught the jerk a lesson.

Even so, she found it hard that no one knew of Jairus, it was as if he was a ghost. Olivia just wished her mind and body would both listen to logic, but they had better ideas. For example, during the nights, she had to settle for wearing loose clothes because she woke up too sweaty and breathing hard because of the erotic scenarios played out in dreamland. Whilst her mind kept replaying how cold, distant, and resentful his beautiful blue eyes became at the mention of her last name.

Sure, her father had enemies, or so he'd always claimed. She hasn't spoken to either parent since breakfast weeks ago and oddly she was okay with it, which is just sad honestly. Her mother tried calling, but she left that task on her voicemail. Olivia did feel bad for her best friend, Molly, she's the one Victoria Cohen kept calling afterward. As for her dad, he didn't even call once, which left her both disappointed and hurt.

Disappointed that her own father would put his hands on her, hurt because he never apologized; as if it was okay and normal for striking her. Olivia can still feel the heavy blow of her father's hand each and every time the incident managed to worm its way into her subconscious.

Dave still followed her about though, even if most days she only saw Jimmy, his second in command instead — he was easier to slip away from but she didn't need to use that tactic with him for some time now.

“Olivia, will you hurry up, I'm sure whatever you're dressed in looks amazing!” Molly hollered behind the closed door of her guest bedroom. They were going clubbing, but this time with the escort of Richard.

“Gimme a second!” Olivia hollered back, applying a little mascara to her eyelashes. To be honest, she wasn't up to partying with the happy-go-lucky couple, but they were kind enough to take her in without questions when she turned up at their house in the middle of the night in tears.

Doing a once over in the mirror, Olivia grabbed her cream-camel wool waterfall front coat, shrugging it on tying the strings as it hides the black cami crop with the matching body con skirt, she's wearing underneath it. Fixing her adorable updo hair with fringes and braided headband a little, she finally grabbed her gold-laced stiletto gladiator sandals along with her clutch that has her ID, cell, money, and car keys.

“Alright guys, I'm ready,” Oliva says exiting her room, and locking it.

“Damn Oli, with those shoes, I can only imagine what's under that coat!” Molly exclaimed as Richard wolf whistled making Olivia twirl and bow.

“Come on silly, let's get going,” Molly insists grabbing onto her friend's arm.

The trio has been at club Essence for over an hour now, but the only one who wasn't dancing or even in the mood to drink is Olivia. It's not even because of what happened the last time she was at a club, no, it's about the events that took place afterward. Sitting on one of the posh barstools, something caught Olivia's eyes and she couldn't help herself but follow, turning over the stool in her haste.

**

Jairus didn't know why he let Jackson and Jessica tricked him into clubbing, it has never been his type of scene — a good movie, beer, and pizza has always been more than good enough for him. “Will you take the asshole expression off your face and just give it a try!” Jessica loudly says to her scowling brother, but he didn't answer.

As Jessica and Jackson practically run off to the dance floor, Jairus stalked over to the bar. He barely managed to take a sip of his beer when a small hand taps him on his shoulder and he was certain Jessica came to drag him away, or some desperate horny woman hitting on him. Regardless, he wasn't ready for who greeted him once he turned around.

A Cohen is not what Jairus needed in his life, especially not now when he has been struggling to keep his killer instincts at bay and not seek revenge. Nevertheless, this particular Cohen has managed to get under his skin like no other. Instead of working on engines at his garage, he buried himself in paperwork in order not to think about the girl he saved. But seeing her now, she doesn't look like a girl, but a woman.

“Hi,” Olivia whispered, but Jairus heard her clearly even over the booming music.

“Stay away from me,” Jairus snapped shrugging off Olivia's hand.

“Please, just a minute of your time,” her soft voice and beautiful brown eyes begged.

Sighing, Jairus hope he didn't end up regretting this. “Alright then, let's go somewhere quieter,” he tells the beauty taking her hand into his and guiding the both of them up the stairs of the club; towards the VIP area. The bouncer let them in easy, seeing as the owner is ex-military too, and a loyal friend. “Talk,” Jairus ordered the moment they stepped inside the room, the music now muffled by the closed door.

“Why do you hate me so much?” The petite brunette bluntly asks taking a seat on the leather couch.

With arms crossed his chest, Jairus watched as Olivia squirmed at his glare. “Next question,” he ordered instead of answering.

“Ummm, you know my name, what's yours?” Olivia replied with tinted cheeks much to Jairus's pleasure.

“It's Jairus McQueen,” Jairus answered slightly surprised she didn't already know, being his daughter and all. “Why were you searching for me in the first place?” He asks.

Max, the bartender at club Seduction had informed him of some brunette chick trying to find him, and he had always assumed it was Olivia but wasn't entirely sure. The now obvious blush on her face confirmed his assumption.

“I-I-” Olivia stuttered, trying her very best to come up with a solid reason other than having a crush. “I'm not sure, to thank you for what you did for me, along with why you threw me out like that,” she finally mumbled stumbling over words as she bit her lip at the end.

A nervous tick. Jairus thought to himself; much similar to her elder brother. “Look, I'm sorry about that, in fact, I don't hate you. The same can't be said about your father, which is why I'd prefer you to stay away from me,” Jairus said in warning, taking a seat beside the woman he should hate, but couldn't, even if he tried hard.

“But-” Olivia begins to protest, but her mouth got covered by a paw of a hand.

“Shhh, I can't think straight if you continue looking at me like that,” Jairus murmured, shushing the talkative brunette because the rational part of him was dwindling away along with his self-control to not kiss her perfect lips senseless.

“Really Jairus, it's not so bad you had to hide-” a feminine voice complained, slurring a little as the person opened the door but stop dead in her tracks at the scene before her.

“Jessica, what is it?” Jairus calmly asked his flustered sister, no doubt slightly tipsy already.

“Who's your friend is the better question big brother?” Jessica giggled, hiccuping in the process, she never could hold her liquor.

Perplexed, Jairus retracted his hand from Olivia's mouth, standing to his full length in order to help his sister steady herself, since she wobbled ever so slightly. “Come on, let's get you back into the care of your husband.” He coaxed, hoping Jessica would focus on something else other than what she saw.

“Jairus,” Olivia says grabbing onto the man's forearm.

“Olivia, please, just leave us be. Your family has done enough damage to us,” Jairus responded, scooping up Jessica, and walking away from a puzzled Olivia. But she isn't the only one that's puzzled since Jairus had to force himself mentally to move away from her.

Olivia Cohen might not be her father, but she is his daughter and just as much trouble as her brother. That's something Jairus could never survive again.

**

“Olivia, please, just leave us be. Your family has done enough damage to us.” Jairus's words haunted Olivia for over a week, so she finally decided to do something about it, by calling her mother.

This is why she's been sitting in a booth at the back of the cafe so no one could overhear what she wanted to know. Even though Chance was the one who was more into the socialite lifestyle, the paparazzi didn't care much for her — being too plain and all.

Stepping into the lowly maintained cafe, Victoria Cohen's face twisted in disgust that her daughter would choose to visit such a place much less eat there. She wasn't about to complain though, it was the first time in over a month Olivia answered her call.

“Sweetheart, you look healthy,” Victorica says in greeting causing Olivia to roll her eyes.

“You think so little of me to not take care of myself, mom, how insulting,” Olivia replied in mockery.

“Oh, please, I never said that,” Victoria retorts. “Must you fight me on every little thing that's said?” She asked warily, tired of the misunderstanding between her and Olivia. She didn't condone Thomas's action when he struck Olivia, but it was insensitive of her to say what she did.

“Who is Jairus McQueen and what exactly did this family do to him?” Olivia got straight to the point, the question being so blunt, Victoria choked on her own spit.

Drinking a cup of water that was handed to her, Victoria clears her throat before looking at Olivia. “What in god's name have you gotten yourself into for you to come across that wretched name?” Victoria demanded in a harsh tone.

“So, you do know him!” Olivia accused pointing a finger at her mother. “What did you guys do to his family?” She repeated her earlier question.

"His family ...what about our family!” Her mother yelled, clearly forgetting about the poor condition of the cafe along with its customers, who all had questionable characteristics. “You’re so quick to defend your brother's murderer, honestly, I can't with you!” Victoria declared getting up and storming out of the dim establishment.

It couldn't be, Jairus would never. Olivia begins to think but stops at the realization that all she knew about the man is his name. No! She chastises herself, there's more to what her mother said. Olivia saw the way Jairus tenderly attended to his sister the night at the club, along with the vulnerability in his voice when he told her to stay away.

Something happened between the McQueens and Cohen, and she refuses to be blindsided anymore or get caught in the middle either. On top of it all, Olivia intends to find out the truth about Chance, and she knew who to ask first — Richard.

He owed it to her.

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