“I’m fine, thank you.” I took one last look around and slipped into the car. The inside was leather and comfortable. The door closed behind me, and I jumped. A little giggle broke through my growing anxiety. Had a car door closing really almost made me wet my pants? The car was empty, and there was nothing to worry about. A small fridge had been built into the side. I opened it and grabbed a bottle of water. I knew I probably shouldn’t drink anything that was offered to me, but I had made my choice. For better or worse, I was committed to this course of action.
The glass partition rolled down. “We will be at the Fairmount in fifteen minutes. There is an envelope in the back with the all of the details inside.”
The glass rolled back up before I could ask any questions, so I turned in my seat looking for the envelope the driver had indicated. It took me a moment to find it. The black paper envelope matched the dark interior pretty well. I opened the package, and a gold key card fell out along with a small note.
The penthouse has been reserved for you. This key will unlock the elevator access to the room. Please feel free to shower and dress in any of the clothes that await you. If you are hungry or need anything before the meeting, just speak with my personal assistant May.
It wasn’t signed, but it had been handwritten, probably by the lawyer or one of his assistants. I took a few sips from the bottle of water to calm my stomach and then leaned back into the seat. It felt good not being cuffed or stuck in that hard metal chair. I swear the police had kept me there just to see how long it was going to take me to wet my pants. I won that battle but not by much.
All of this just seemed too damn odd. Why me? Because of what I had seen in that alley, or because that psycho killer was interested in me? Neither one of those options filled me with a lot of confidence. Outside of that, I was just a struggling student like so many others. Nothing too special about me except working at that diner had kept me out of debt. So if you needed a debt free almost a pilot, then I was your gal, but all of this just seemed like a little much.
The car pulled to a stop. It couldn’t have been fifteen minutes already, could it? I’d been so lost in my head that the time had just flown by. The driver hadn’t mentioned any other stops so we must have been at our destination. The door to the car opened, and the scent of fresh rain on the asphalt tickled my nose.
I could see the rain falling outside, but the doorway was clear. Sliding across the seats, I stepped out of the car and inhaled. Something about the smell made me feel free. It was like the city itself was getting cleansed and everyone had a chance to be reborn. I loved the rain, we didn’t get more than six or seven storms a year, but when we did get them they lasted for days.
The driver smiled at me as he held the high tech shield above my head. It was the fanciest umbrella I had ever seen. I looked up surprised to see that it was completely clear. I could see all the way to the top of the Fairmount through it. I wasn’t even sure how much something like that would have cost. Something my dad used to say popped into my mind and another nervous giggle almost slipped from my mouth. But I could see him sitting on the couch. His glasses nestled down by the end of his nose. One eyebrow went up, and he said it in all seriousness, but I distinctly remember laughing afterward. “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.” It was practical wisdom from a man that lived by maintaining a pretty strict budget.
The driver drew my attention away from the sky and back towards him. “Right this way, ma’am.”
As we walked under the awning, he hit a button on the device in his hand. The shield that had been cast above us disappeared, and he slid the small contraption back into his pocket. Yep, definitely couldn’t afford that. It sure was cool, though. He opened the door to the lobby for me and then stepped aside.
“I trust you can find your own way from here, ma’am?”
It seemed oddly formal. It was like I had slipped out of the world where I went to school and waited tables and became the daughter of some rich oil baron. Everything that was happening now was just surreal. The least I could do is play the part. “Of course. Thank you for all of your help.”
The driver nodded and let the door close as I walked into the lobby of the hotel. A few of the guests and more than one of the staff looked at me as if I was in the wrong place. I sure felt like I was. The plain white shoes and orange scrubs didn’t exactly fit in with the rich carpets and marble floor of the lobby.
Screw em, if they’d never seen someone not dressed to their standards before. All I wanted to do was get this over with, and to not get sucked into whatever game was happening now. I made it all the way to the elevators and even managed to push the button before a little man scurried around from behind the desk and rushed forward.
“Excuse me miss, is there something I can help you with?”
It was probably a really good question to have asked just about anyone else, but I just wasn’t in the mood for it. Funnily enough, it wasn’t the question itself that got me all riled up, it was the tone in which he asked it. As if something was wrong and there was no way in hell my little white police issued sneakers should be in his lobby.
“No, I’m fine thank you.” I turned back towards the elevator doors dismissing him without a thought. Then I got to watch in the reflection of the doors as his face scrunched up. He tentatively reached out a hand and then I spun to face him. “Don’t touch me.” The man took a step back, and his hand went down to his side. It might have come out harsher than it needed to be, but I’d spent the whole day being poked and prodded. It wasn’t going to happen again.
“I’m sorry miss, it’s just the upper levels are reserved for guests.”
I fished the golden card out of my pocket and showed it to him. His posture changed almost instantly from wary and angry to fawning. It was almost comical to watch. I never knew how much being rich, or even just the perception of being rich, changed the way people treated you. The man straightened the lapels of his jacket and forced a smile onto his face.
“I’m sorry if I delayed you. It’s just with your current ensemble.” He paused realizing that he might have crossed a line. “Well, one can just never be too safe.“ He mumbled out, maybe realizing what he had said now wasn’t much better than before. Finally, he seemed to remember what he was trying to say. “The suite is ready for you now, and I’ll have someone drop by with a gift basket of chocolate for any inconvenience you may have experienced.”
The doors to the elevator dinged, and I stepped inside before turning to face the man. “That will be satisfactory.” The doors slowly closed, and I watched his face stiffen. My guess was upsetting people that could afford to rent the penthouse wasn’t good for the longevity of his career. Lucky for him I had no control over it, and if I had been in the same position, I might have asked the same questions.
The keycard slid into the base of the panel, and I hit the button for the penthouse. The elevator rocketed towards the top of the building. I’d hated to ride in these as a kid, they always made me sick. After flight school, the elevator felt like I almost wasn’t even moving. We passed two hundred and forty floors before reaching the penthouse. The doors opened, and I stepped into the most opulent room I had ever seen.
The elevator didn’t open into the room as I had expected. Instead, it opened into a separate lobby. The floor was white marble. I couldn’t see a single seam, making me wonder if it was one solid slab. A platinum and crystal chandelier hung from the center of the room with a small table underneath it. To the right there was a small desk also made out of white stone. A young lady walked around it as I entered the room.
“Miss Ripley, I’m so glad you made it. If you follow me, I’ll show you to your room.”
I didn’t know what to do so I just nodded. She walked towards the massive double doors that were trimmed in gold, and I realized I hadn’t even asked her name. Maybe it was just the fact that she already knew who I was that threw me off, or it could have been the grandeur of this place. Selling just the furnishing
s in this room probably would have paid for a year of my schooling, maybe more.
She pulled one of the massive doors open and led the way into the suite. I walked into the room behind her and managed to ask, “What’s your name?” before my breath was taken away.
“You can call me, May. If you need anything, just pick up the phone and dial zero zero.”
“Thank you, May.” I stood in the center of the massive room. A small koi pond was under our feet. Glass tiles led the way across it, and if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a waterfall coming down the wall behind me. Turning towards the sound, I couldn’t help but smile. This place was amazing. The waterfall moved down the wall hiding the stairs leading to the second level. Behind it lights were set into the wall, right now they were set to a dark blue matching the turbulent sky outside.
Turning back towards the windows didn’t stop my jaw from dropping. Being two hundred and forty stories up gave you an amazing view of the rest of the city. The lights of the city looked particularly grand against the rainy sky and rolling clouds. May held out an arm indicating the direction we were going to go, and I somehow found a way to move my gaze from the windows and back into the suite. We moved down a wide hallway, and she opened the door to what must be my room.
It was big, with a seating area and a separate bedroom and bathroom. May moved confidently across the sitting room and moved the curtains back from the floor to ceiling windows so I could enjoy the view. Then she turned and motioned for me to follow her into the bedroom. She didn’t stop there but turned on the lights and headed into the bathroom and huge walk in closet.
“I think you will find everything in here is in your size, including the shoes. If you can’t find something that you want, just give me a buzz, and I’ll have it to you within the hour.”
“I’m sure I’ll be able to find something satisfactory.” All of this seemed like it was overkill. Why would someone go through so much trouble just for one quick meeting?
“My employer is flying in but won’t be here until the early morning. Can I order you something from the kitchen?”
“Oh, I thought he would be meeting me shortly.”
“Unfortunately he had business out of the city that couldn’t be delayed.”
“I understand.” I didn’t really understand. This meeting had been his idea, and now he couldn’t be bothered to show up. That meant I was stuck here for the foreseeable future and that rubbed me the wrong way. It wouldn’t do me any good to get angry at May though, she was just doing her job.
It was hard to stop looking at all the clothes in the closet, but somehow I found a way. “I’m actually starving.” May just stood at attention waiting for an answer. “How about some kind of pasta and a drink to go with it?”
“I’ll have it set up in your sitting room, within the hour.”
“The hotel manager also mentioned that they might be delivering a basket of chocolates.”
She made a face, obviously wondering when I had run into the manager. “I’ll bring that in with your dinner.”
The woman was completely unflappable. It made me wonder just how many odd meetings she had set up for her employer in the past. “Thank you, May.” She nodded and walked out of the room closing the door behind her.
Now that I was alone, I could get a better look at these clothes without wondering what she thought about me. It felt weird to feel self-conscious, it didn’t happen to me often, but today I was firmly out of my realm. A lingering feeling of disappointment settled over me, knowing that this mysterious employer had been delayed. I had hoped to be back home by tonight, but if I had to stay here overnight so be it.
I had to remind myself if it weren't for this mystery man, I’d be stuck in jail still. Feeling indebted to someone was a new feeling and one that I didn’t particularly care for. I’d made my own way most of my life, and that wasn’t going to change now. I’d give this guy whatever he wanted, within reason, and then get back to my life. I didn’t like feeling this out of control, I desperately needed something to pull me out of this tailspin. One more step and I would have been too far away from the alley to hear anything, it just didn’t seem real.
One thing I could say about the clothes was this guy didn’t cheap out when it came to what he bought for me to wear. Walking further into the closet I ran my fingers against the fine material of evening gowns. The gowns faded into soft blouses and skirts. Still nothing quite my style yet, but the clothes in here must have cost a fortune. It must have been nice to have the kind of money that could have bought them on a whim. Finally, in the back of the closet, I came across a collection of jeans and t-shirts, along with a leather jacket.
This was exactly what I needed. As soon as I got home, I’d find a way to send these clothes back. I knew I could justify keeping them, but I liked it better when things were simple. No one was going to hold free clothes over my head. I grabbed the clothes I was interested in and moved to a bench at the back of the closet.
Two double doors opened at my approach and revealed hundreds of pairs of shoes. The lighting in the space almost seemed to highlight each pair of shoes individually. Again it took me time to find something sensible to wear. I wouldn’t look quite as tough wearing designer jeans, a leather jacket, and some glitzy heels. In the bottom right corner of the display were a set of sneakers and a pair of sturdy looking hiking boots. I grabbed the boots and started to head out of the closet.
In a small chest of drawers built into the opposite wall, I found a variety of underclothes. I grabbed something sensible and headed towards the bathroom. It was going to feel so good to get the smell of that police station off of me. I eyed the tub for a moment thinking how nice it would be to just slip into some steamy water and relax, but this wasn’t a vacation, I needed to stay alert. Turning I headed back to the double bathroom doors and pulled them closed. Once they were locked, I started the shower.
The water heated almost instantly, just seeing it pour from the showerhead took some of my stress away. I stripped quickly, not being able to get the clothes the jail had provided off fast enough. Kicking the clothes into the corner of the room felt freeing. It still mystified me that they thought I could do something like that. I mean how did you go from walking home, to a serial killer so quickly? The worst part about this was I knew the cops would be talking to everyone that I knew, and I’d never live his down.
Going back to class was going to be a nightmare, but like everything else in my life, I’d embrace the scars and wear them like a badge of honor. Maybe I’d make my call sign stone cold killer. Let them come at me now, they wouldn’t stand a chance. I had a future, I was getting off this rock.
I felt the tears coming and let them. This would be my one moment of weakness. Here in the shower where no one else could see it. Then I’d bury this so deep no one could scratch the surface of this memory again. My body shook with the emotion of the day, and the loss of a friend.
I let the warm water and steam do its work. The morning would be here soon enough, and I’d need to get a little sleep to deal with whatever this mysterious employer was going to throw at me. Whatever it was, I could handle it, just like always.
Chapter 12
Samantha Ripley
The persistent beeping roused me from what had been a fitful night of sleep. Every time I heard a noise, I almost jumped out of bed and started running. The thought of that monster telling me he was coming for me with his lips covered in blood, kept rolling through my head. In the worst of my dreams instead of leaving, he grabbed me and pulled me behind the dumpster instead. I’d never seen anyone killed before, and the fact that the killer was still out there and coming for me, had me worried.
Maybe it was a good thing that I hadn’t gone home last night. He could be there now, waiting for me to come back so he could finish the job. I just kept flashing back to seeing the blood on her neck, and the blood dripping from his mouth. Who in the fuck kills someone like that? You’d have to be sick, twisted in the head.
> Kicking my feet out from the covers I realized it was the phone that was beeping and not the alarm. I tentatively reached out for the receiver. What was wrong with me? It wasn’t as if the phone was going to bite.
I picked it up and managed almost to sound like myself when I answered. “Hello.”
May’s crisp and professional voice came through the line. “Good morning, Samantha. I just wanted to let you know that my employer will be here in forty-five minutes. I’m arranging breakfast in the main living area, do try and be on time.”
“Ah, ok.”
The phone line went dead. Obviously, May had more important things to do than spend time on the phone with me. In forty-five minutes I’d have my answers, or at least I’d have some of them. Everything in the room was exactly how I left it last night, moving into the bathroom it brought me a sense of relief to see that the clothes I kicked under the cabinets were still waded up there. As far as I could tell, no one had entered my suite last night.
Not that they would have found it easy to do with me jumping up every thirty minutes at some creak in the building. Stepping into the shower, I let the steamy water wash away the worries of last night. There was enough to worry about going forward. All I could do now was focus on the future, and how I could extricate myself from this mess. This momentary event wouldn’t become something that defined my life.
I dried off and dressed in the clothes I had selected the night before, and then I sat down on the edge of the bed. There was no way to know what was going to happen next. Everyone had pretty much left me in the dark on who this employer was. And while the thought of not knowing who he was had me worried, it couldn’t really be that bad, could it? Finally, the clock ticked over to five minutes before the meeting. My legs shook slightly as I stood. Whatever was waiting for me out there, I could handle it. I had too.
May was waiting just outside of my door as I exited the room. “This way please.”
Forced Compliance (The Galactic Outlaws Book 1) Page 9