She pressed her lips together, smiling thankfully. I could see that my investigation meant something to her. I wished she would tell me the whole story.
“Maybe one day soon, you’ll let me know why you have such a vendetta against the Christmases,” I said.
Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Maybe. But I don’t want to think about it right now. I just want results.”
Chapter Twenty
Kylie was hesitant about leaving me alone, but I assured her I would be okay. I planned to lock the double bolts on the door. She told me to call her the first moment I felt afraid and she would be at my door in a matter of minutes. She was also going up to security to check and see if they had any images of Valentine and “Jer” entering and leaving the building.
I finished eating then called Branson back. He said he found my girl then sent me the PayPal invoice to receive the information. As soon as I paid it, he texted me the name Eve Bradley along with her work address, home address, and brand-new phone number.
“But I couldn’t find any verifiable information on her place and date of birth,” he said. “When that happens, I get a red flag.”
“She’s hiding something,” I said.
“Bingo.”
Branson and I left it at that. I hadn’t changed my mind about going home the next day. I waited and waited for Jasper to call and explain himself, but as the minutes ticked by, it soon became abundantly clear that he would remain a no-show. My heart ached too much for me to feel it.
I decided to take a quick shower and go directly to bed. Once I crawled under the covers, I tossed and turned, fighting insomnia, until my phone rang. I scrambled to answer it, hoping to see that it was Jasper. It wasn’t.
“How did you sleep?” Kylie asked.
“I didn’t sleep.”
She sighed. “Sorry to hear that. Lie low today, and let’s touch base later this afternoon.”
I couldn’t tell her that as soon as my head was on straight, I would book a flight home. Nor could I reveal that I had my fish back on the hook and her name was Eve Bradley. Not yet, at least. Perhaps Kylie was right, though. I hadn’t slept a wink. Another day without the pressures of dealing with the airport might do some good.
“Okay. I’ll lie low,” I said. “Talk to you later.” I could tell she was happy I hadn’t resisted her suggestion.
Instead of getting out of bed, I pulled the covers over my head and tried to sleep. Memories of kissing Jasper wouldn’t go away. My anger about his betrayal wouldn’t subside. I thought about Kylie’s spite. Perhaps I needed to borrow a little of hers. Maybe cooking the Christmases’ goose would make me feel better.
I sat up against the headboard, fighting the urge to call Jasper. The ball was in his court, though. I’d left tons of crazy messages for him already. Just thinking about them made me feel embarrassed. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand anyway and read the info Branson had sent me. I squeezed my eyes tight to ease my headache then rolled out of bed.
I fished my notebook out of my computer bag along with a pencil, sat at the desk in the living room, and copied the information Branson had sent me word for word. Once I double-checked whether I’d copied everything correctly, I deleted the text and got dressed, making sure to bundle up. I knew there were eyes on me. I wasn’t sure if Jasper’s tail was still watching, but I was positive Valentine’s was. Once I left my room, I took the stairs down as far as I could. When I encountered a locked door, I would walk back up a flight of stairs, enter a new floor, search for any sort of elevator, preferably a service one, and take it down to the next floor that I had access to. I did that until I reached the fifth floor, where a maid had used a cart to hold the door to a service room open. I entered, hoping to find a new way out, and thank goodness I did. I took the elevator down to the basement floor. The doors slid open, and I walked out into a cement-floor hallway. I walked down the corridor until I saw an exit.
I was now in a tight alley. My entire body was sweating, so I took a moment to relish the cold air. Soon, I was on the move again. I entered the back floor of another building and ended up exiting the lobby of a bank. I walked a few more blocks up the busy street. It had snowed pretty good last night, but now the elements had taken a break. Once I reached the YMCA, I ordered a Lyft to take me to a grocery store in Hempstead, which was in Long Island. I waited ten minutes for the driver to arrive, and now we were on our way.
I had no idea what Eve looked like. Branson had said it would take a few more days to get her driver’s license or passport. I only knew she was a cashier. I didn’t even know if she was working that day. But I had a plan that genuinely worked when I needed someone to identify another person to me without causing alarm.
I looked out the window without really seeing anything at all. I was already too exhausted by my expedition to escape the hotel without being seen. I also couldn’t get Jasper out of my mind. He had really hurt me bad. Since he was good at infiltrating my life in order to neutralize me as a threat, I didn’t feel like a fool. He’d played the game and won. I was the loser.
Traffic sucked, and nearly an hour later, we exited the expressway. Soon we were securely in the suburbs. I wondered if Eve was married and had children. Maybe she wanted me to keep my distance because my presence was the embodiment of bad memories. She and Alexia were still friends, though. Apparently, they used to get high in the woods. So she must not have wanted to get that far away from her bad childhood or tumultuous teens.
I had to take a deep, steadying breath when the car pulled into the grocery store’s parking lot. It was showtime.
“We’re here,” the driver announced.
I undid my seat belt. “Would you mind waiting?”
He sighed. “No problem.” I figured his sigh was more about being a New Yorker who had to sit still for a while.
“You want anything while I’m in there?” I asked.
He smiled slightly. “I’m fine.”
I nodded briskly and got out of the back seat. Once I was out, I scanned the half-empty parking lot. A light layer of snow covered the ground. The snow in Manhattan hadn’t reached Long Island yet, but I could smell it coming in the air. I could always smell the snow. I hated the snow. My next move, which would be sooner rather than later, would be to somewhere warm, somewhere more laid back too. All of a sudden, everything I’d loved about the East Coast had turned into everything I hated about it. I knew Jasper was the catalyst for my new feelings.
As soon as I walked into the store, warm air felt good on my face. It felt good. Soft music played in the background. Shoppers were intensely focused on what they were doing. Heck, nobody wanted to be out shopping. I secured a grocery basket, grabbed the first few items I saw, and put them in my cart. My next step was to walk up to the friendliest-looking checkout clerk and ask about Eve. I planned to tell the nice person that I wanted to thank Eve for being such a help the other day when I came into the store then ask, “Is she here?”
The first register was manned by a woman who looked to be in her early forties. She didn’t look happy to be working, so I skipped her line. The next register was being worked by a man. He looked nice enough, but he was doing a price check for a customer who was reading from a mailer. I couldn’t see the face of the third checker, only the back of her head. She was blond and had shoulder-length loose curls. For some reason, I was eager to see her face. So I stood still and waited with bated breath.
Finally, the woman angled her face more in my direction, and I got a good view of her profile. She must’ve felt my eyes on her because she turned to glance at me.
As soon as I saw her face, I gasped and put my hand over my mouth. It took me a moment to get over my shock. “Bryn?”
“Holly,” a familiar voice said behind me.
I quickly turned. It was Jasper, and his attention was split between me and the cashier.
Don’t miss the final book in the Dark Christmases Trilogy, Claimed
Also never miss a steamy romance release by me, Z
.L. Arkadie. Sign up for my mailing list now.
Also by Z. L. Arkadie
*Contemporary Romance Series*
EROTIC/STEAMY ROMANCE
The Dark Christmases Trilogy
Intrigued
Desire
Claimed
LOVE in the USA (The Lords)
Find Her, Keep Her - A Martha’s Vineyard Love Story, Book 1
There’s Something About Her, A Manhattan Love Story, Book 2
Say You Love Her, An LA Love Story, Book 3
Know Her, Love Her (Daisy & Belmont, #1), Book 4
Still In Love With Her (Maggie & Vince, #1), Book 5
Explore Her, More of Her (Daisy & Belmont, #2), Book 6
Made To Like Her (Maggie & Vince, #2), Book 7
He’s So Bad: A San Francisco Love Story, Book 8
Made To Love Her (Maggie & Vince, #3) Book 9
He’s So Good (Robert & Carter) Book 10
Say You Love Me (Charlie & Angel) Book 11
Adore Her, More of Her (Daisy & Belmont, #3) Book 12
General Contemporary Romance
LOVE in the USA (The Hesters)
Once Friends & Now Lovers, A Hollywood Love Story Duet (Sonja & Jay)
Taming The Shrewd (Another Hollywood Love Story) Elaine & Zach
Waiting on You (A Brooklyn Love Story) Robin & Dexter
Her Perfect Man
Authors Z.L. Arkadie & T.R. Bertrand
The Boss’ Desire
The Artist’s Love
The Professor’s Heart
The Chef’s Passion
Romantic Suspense Series
The Sterlings
Secrets and Lies, Book 1
Secrets That Hide, Book 2
Secrets That See The Light, Book 3
The Secret Keeper, Book 4
*Paranormal Romance Series*
Parched
Parched Book 1
The Seventh Sister
Quenched Book 2
The Fifth Sister
Ignite (Includes “Light Speed”) Book 3
Vanquish, Book 4
Steal With A Kiss, Book 5
Forget Me Never (Pt. I) Book 6
Forget Me Never (Pt. 2) Book 7
About the Author
Z.L. Arkadie has been an author since July 2011, debuting with her Parched series. She has been a best-selling author in the iBooks store, holding the top spot for two weeks with her LOVE in the USA, series, which is still her most popular series to date. Currently she has written 34 novels and counting, which span 5 series, and is now working on her 6th romance series. She enjoys merging steamy and erotic romance with a solid mystery. Her favorite characters to write are sexy, strong and brooding men who find love with beautiful, independent and smart women.
* * *
When she’s not writing, she loves to cook and read good books, which have the power to take her somewhere she’s never been.
For more information:
zlarkadiebooks.com
[email protected]
Desire: The Dark Christmases Page 14