“Really good. I’ve got the all-clear.”
May had to hold the phone away from her ear as she heard Robert give a whoop of delight.
“Awesome! I knew you’d beat it!”
“You were the only one who thought so.”
“Because I know you too well.” Robert chuckled. “I’m coming back in a couple of days. I’m taking you out to celebrate.”
“If you would. I need something to cheer me up.”
“Oh?”
May told him everything about Sara Monahan and the incident. She also included the way she had been treated by Detective Richter, which had Robert growling. May had meant to keep it condensed but it just came out. When she finished, she was out of breath.
“Jesus.” Robert whistled. “You don’t do things by half, do you?”
“Sadly not.” May rubbed at her eyes. She was exhausted after all of that. “I just hope the police take things seriously this time.”
“From what you’ve told me of Detective Hernandez, I think he will. Sounds like a good guy.”
“He is. Even Chris was giving him respect and that takes a lot to do that.”
May hadn’t meant to mention Chris beyond him standing up for her to the police but his name just slipped out. And Robert knew his sister; he would be able to guess something was wrong.
“Something else has happened, hasn’t it?”
May winced.
“What makes you say that?”
“I can hear it in your voice.”
“I hate you sometimes.”
“That’s to be expected.” Robert’s voice softened. “What is it, May?”
This wasn’t something she should be confessing to her brother. Robert didn’t need to know about the ins and outs of her personal life. But she did call him for a reason. Robert was a voice of sanity, even if he didn’t want to hear who she went to bed with.
“I…” There was no way to say this gently. “I slept with Chris.”
May heard the silence and wondered if they had been disconnected. Then she heard Robert say ‘oh’. And there was a lot in that one sound. May hurried on.
“I shouldn’t have, I know, but…I slept with him. And now I’m feeling guilty about it.”
Slept was not exactly the word for what she and Chris did. Fucked was more the word, memories of what Chris had done to her body making May’s nipples tighten and heat pool in her belly. That was something she was most definitely not saying to her brother.
“And you think you’ve made things worse.” Robert said solemnly.
“Yes.” May huffed, tugging at her hair. She needed a long shower. “It’s going to be awkward now. I wanted to keep him at arm’s length. That hasn’t worked.”
“I did wonder for a while when it was going to happen.” Now her brother sounded amused. “Now I don’t need to wonder.”
“Excuse me?” May sat up. “You knew I was going to sleep with my boss?”
“Eventually. The chemistry between the two of you is undeniable. Look, May, if you’re uncertain of your future, address it.”
“I have. We remain professional or I leave.” That sounded ridiculous after the fact. “Chris didn’t want me to go so he accepted.”
“That means he wants you and more than just for sex.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Robert’s voice warmed. “Don’t write him off completely. No matter what’s going on, remember there is someone who genuinely cares for you. And I’d like to know someone can look after my little sister when I’m not there.”
At least he wasn’t mad. That was something. May wished there was something she could do to make herself feel better. Words of wisdom from her brother was something but not everything. What she really wanted to do was run away and hide, never to surface again.
But May had been raised not to run away from her problems. Which was what she had done telling Chris they were to remain professional. That had been a mistake.
May wasn’t about to go back and say she was wrong; her pride wouldn’t let her. However, she knew she would have to eat her words if it was addressed again. May would let Chris come to her.
She was shaken out of her thoughts by someone knocking on the door. May sat up.
“Sorry, Bobby. There’s someone at the door.”
“I didn’t hear you buzz anyone in.”
“I didn’t.” May eased off the bed. “It could be a neighbor or the doorman.”
“I’ll let you get it then.” Robert yawned. “I need to get back to sleep. Stay safe, sis.”
“Will do. Love you.”
May hung up but didn’t put her cell phone down as she headed out into the lounge. Nobody had buzzed the intercom and, as far as she knew, her neighbors were out. One couple was on vacation and another was in hospital with their newborn baby.
Who was calling on her?
It could be Chris. He had been known to get in because of the doormen, who knew him on sight. But May had made sure he was the only one. Even Robert and Sammie weren’t allowed in randomly. You didn’t say no to Chris.
As May had found out several times.
She reached the door and stepped to the side. There was no peephole.
“Who is it?”
A woman’s voice reached her ears.
“Miss Lucero, my name is Andrea Robertson. I’m with the child protective services. May I have a word?”
May wasn’t sure she had heard correctly. What was she talking about?
“What about? I don’t understand why you’re here. I don’t have any children. Whoever said I did misinformed you.”
“It concerns about your statement to the police regarding Sara Monahan.”
May snorted. Something was going on and she wasn’t about to open the door. She found Hernandez’s number and brought it up, ready to call.
“I have nothing to say about that situation. And since I didn’t let you into the building I will not let you into my apartment. If you don’t want to be escorted out by security, I suggest you leave.”
As she spoke, May pressed the button on the intercom. It was a silent alarm that alerted the doorman that something was wrong and to come post haste. That was part of the reason May chose the apartment; the security, most days, was solid.
Then she heard another voice, one that was very familiar.
“Why won’t you open the door? Is it because your clients don’t want to be recognized?”
Sara Monahan.
*****
May couldn’t believe what she was hearing. What was Sara Monahan doing here with the CPS worker? Now she was glad she hadn’t opened the door; there was no way she would let that woman come into her apartment. Her fingers flew across her phone pad until she found the recording app. Then she pressed record.
This was going to be fun.
“Why is Mrs. Monahan here, Ms. Robertson?” She asked aloud.
“How much do you charge for being a whore?” Sara responded. “It must be a lot considering this place. The rent must be in four figures.”
May gritted her teeth. She wanted to open the door and smack the woman but that would be giving her what she wanted.
“Ms. Robertson, I ask you again: what is Mrs. Monahan doing here?”
“We wanted to talk to you, Miss Lucero.” Robertson answered.
“I wasn’t going to let you in but now I know Mrs. Monahan is there, you are definitely not coming in.” May pressed the alarm button again. “Get out of here before security come.”
Then she heard giggling. Was Sara giggling?
“Don’t worry, little monkey.” She sneered. “We’re not interested in naming your clients. Unless you’ve got drugs on display. Hey, Andrea, maybe we’d better call the police and let them know about the drug den here.”
May had had enough. She went to her desk by the window and snatched up one of her business cards. Then she marched back to the door and flung it open. Sara was standing in the hallway looking very smug, a woman in her fifties with strawberry blonde
hair that was looking a little frizzy in its bun and glasses perched on her head. She looked like a genuine exhausted CPS worker but May wouldn’t trust her as far as she could throw her.
She jammed her card at Robertson.
“Here is my card, Ms. Robertson. This is clearly not an official visit and if either of you two come back here again, I will report you for abuse of your position as well as trespassing and harassment.” Then May glared at the smug Sara. “I have any contact with you again and Detective Hernandez will hear of it.”
Sara snorted.
“Detective Hernandez? Detective Richter is dealing with it. He saw that I was an innocent victim in all this.”
So, she hadn’t heard about the chance in lead detective. May smirked.
“Detective Richter was put on admin leave for his prejudiced behavior and not giving his job due diligence. Detective Hernandez is in charge now and he’s looking to arrest you.” May saw the smile starting to fade. “Would you like to make it easy for him?”
Sara’s face went white and then red. Robertson started tugging at her friend’s sleeve.
“Come away, Sara. We’d better go.”
As she did, two burly men from the security station on the ground floor appeared. May signaled them and they advanced on the two women. Robertson flinched and shrank back but Sara didn’t. She swung around on May and jabbed a finger in her face.
“I’m going to make you pay for this, you black bitch.” She hissed. “You shouldn’t have stuck your nose in.”
“And you shouldn’t have let your grandson run into the middle of the road.” May shot back. “If you think that’s material for Grandma of the Year, you’re sorely misguided.”
Sara’s eyes widened as she snarled and one of the security guards took her arm. She shook him off.
“I’m going to burn you to the ground.”
May smirked and held up her phone.
“Keep talking. This is being recorded.”
“You can’t do that!” Sara screeched. She looked wildly at Robertson, who was looking like she had been sucked into a deep hole she couldn’t get out of. “She can’t do that, can she?”
“I’m in my own apartment and I’m being verbally threatened so yes, I can.”
May felt some satisfaction seeing Sara being dragged away, still screaming and making threats that became a jumbled mess as she was pulled into the elevator. May shut the door and leant against it, stopping the recording as she slumped to the floor. Just a few moments in that woman’s company and she was completely drained.
Hernandez was going to have a field day with that.
*****
Chris stood in the doorway and stared at May. He had heard her stop her consistent typing a short while ago and started to worry. When he looked into the outer office, May was sitting there staring at the computer screen with a blank look on her face.
She had been out of sorts since she came in first thing. Chris had been expecting a cool, professional woman but still the same person he had known before he got to have a taste. May hadn’t been that at all, looking like she hadn’t had proper sleep and that she was close to either bursting into tears or letting out a snarl of anger.
Chris had no idea which. He wanted to ask but he knew May would push him away. She didn’t want him touching her. It killed him but Chris kept his distance. He didn’t want May to leave now just because he wanted to have one final touch.
May was not someone he wanted to replace at all.
“May?”
May looked up. Her eyes looked glazed over. Then she shook herself and the light came back on behind her eyes.
“Sorry, Chris, did you say something?”
“Are you okay? You’ve been staring into space.”
May flushed and looked away.
“I didn’t know I was becoming a sideshow.”
“You have been off today.” Chris sat on the edge of her desk. “Is there something wrong?”
For a moment, he thought May wasn’t going to say anything. Then May sighed heavily and sat back, rubbing at her eyes.
“Sara Monahan and a friend of hers from CPS came to my door last night. They decided they were going to harass me, Sara calling me a whore and a few other things I dare not say.”
Chris stared. How could she have kept this quiet?
“That woman has got balls.” He murmured. “But how did they get in? I thought you needed to be buzzed in.”
“You don’t need to be buzzed in. The doormen let you in.”
“I’m not a psycho crazy lady.”
May grunted.
“I’ve addressed that and hopefully someone will get back to me with an answer. But I recorded it all and I took it to Hernandez before I came into work.”
“Good girl.”
That was one thing that Chris could certainly call May and that was resourceful. She could keep her cool when she needed to be and last night sounded like a time to keep calm. He was sure if Sara had come to his door calling him names that he wouldn’t be able to control himself. Everything about Sara Monahan sent him into a rage.
“Hernandez also told me that there’s enough to charge Sara with child endangerment and this does come with a bigger penalty than a fine.” May added.
“Let’s hope so.” Chris said grimly. “And I hope John Monahan gets his head out of her backside.”
“I spoke to Melissa about it last night. From the sound of it, she’s on the cusp of leaving her husband. Hernandez is going to bring him into the station to listen to the recording and see the security footage.”
“I thought that was lost.”
May scowled.
“Nope. Richter had tried to make it disappear into another box in the evidence room. Hernandez has already seen it and it clearly shows Sara putting her grandson in danger.”
“That’s something.” Chris was growing more respect for Hernandez every day. “Let’s hope Monahan’s not completely stupid or he’ll lose his kid to his mother as well as his wife.”
“Fingers crossed a bit of time away might help. Melissa said they’re going to stay at her parents’ place in Philly for a few weeks to get away.” May shrugged. “It’s up to John if he goes or not.”
“What about you?”
Chris was glad that Melissa was getting her son away from the problems but he was more concerned about May. She was looking even worse than she had done when she was going through chemo treatment. That was worrying, in Chris’ eyes.
May looked up at him sharply but then she slumped, briefly closing her eyes.
“I’m fine. Robert’s coming back in a few days and he’ll be staying with me until he goes on another trip. I’m locked down at the apartment and Sammie has a unique password to get in.”
Chapter 7
That was something. But Chris knew it wouldn’t be enough for him. He leant over, resisting the urge to touch her shoulder.
“Are you sure I can’t help?”
May stared up at him. They were very close, almost close enough to touch. To kiss. Chris looked at May’s mouth and watched as she bit her lip and then licked the part she had bitten. He heard someone growling and realized it was him. That had May snapping out of her trance and jumping back, her chair sliding almost to the wall before she stood sharply.
“I’d better get going. It’s gone five.”
“Sorry?” Chris looked at the clock and saw it was quarter past. He coughed and slid off the desk. “Oh, right. Goodnight.”
May mumbled a farewell as she snatched her bag out of its drawer and hurried out of the room. Chris wanted to go after her but stopped himself. She wouldn’t appreciate her boss chasing her like a lovesick puppy. It was what she said she didn’t want between them. Besides, Chris didn’t do the chasing. The women had to chase him.
He would sit back and let May call the shots. If she really wanted him, she would have to chase him.
Chris was heading back to his office when he heard May shouting for him. She sounded distress
ed. Fear clutching at his chest, Chris grabbed his gun from behind the filing cabinet and hurried out to the front door. May was standing on the drive, staring at her car.
It was then that Chris saw the damage. May’s car was destroyed. All the windows were smashed, even the headlights. Red paint had been thrown across the car and the word ‘whore’ had been scratched into the driver’s door.
Chris then saw that May was shaking. Her hands were clenched into fists and she had a look of fury on her face. Her car was her baby. She treated her car like her child. She had even told Chris off for dropping litter in it. This was like putting an ice pick through her heart.
He didn’t need to ask who had done it. Chris had a pretty good idea who had destroyed May’s car.
*****
Her car was gone. Her baby. May sat on the front steps miserably and watched as the police put her car onto the back of their recovery vehicle. Hernandez was standing nearby talking to one of the officers who had been taking pictures of the damage. To their credit, the police had arrived quickly, Hernandez in the lead.
Chris stood nearby, also watching the proceedings. May didn’t have to look at him to see that he was fuming. She didn’t blame him. Someone had trespassed on his property, got past all the security measurements he had in place, and had gone to town on her car. How neither of them had heard anything May had no idea. But the person involved had been quick, they had seen that much.
Hernandez turned towards them as the recovery truck made a U-turn in the driveway and went towards the gate.
“Didn’t the cameras pick anything up?” He addressed Chris.
“They did.” Chris’ face was like thunder. “But the person who did that was dressed in black and their face was covered.”
“I saw it, too.” May said woodenly. “It was far too tall for Sara Monahan and looked built like a man.” She swallowed. “But she has called me a whore so she could have put someone up to it.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me.” Hernandez grunted. “The little old lady routine keeps coming out whenever I talk to her. I’m looking forward to seeing her face when she listens to the recording.”
“Is there any way we can get an order of protection for May?” Chris asked.
May wasn’t going to argue with that. An order of protection sounded very tempting right now. Hernandez shook his head grimly.
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