by Alisa Mullen
All of a sudden, I feel sick from not breathing, or blinking, and processing a million pieces of information at once.
A sudden knock comes to my door and Leo steps in.
“Okay, so I am heading back to the house to pack. All systems are a go for Miami. I’ll be back by Thursday, so please, take care of yourself this week. I’m worried about you, but I know having a few less people here at the office will let you get some work done. Mitch and Annie cleared our weekly office meetings and you just have a conference call with Mapperz on Wednesday, which is not a big deal. In fact, let me have Mitch take that one. It’s probably their new sales guy asking all the dumb questions anyway.”
He’s talking. I’m listening. I’m nodding. I’m smiling where I need to, but I’m fucking shaking like a goddamn leaf and there isn’t anything he can do about it. It’s official. Lucia’s world came flying into this one and now, I’m getting the royal fuck me up the ass treatment I deserve from a frigging prick who likes to play sick and twisted games.
Leo looks down to a folder underneath his armpit. “Oh right. Here’s the Steel Charter file. Annie got it for me. Apparently, we have a small file drawer that holds the rejected accounts. She mentioned there were only eight or so. That’s good, right?”
“Uh-huh,” I say, not knowing exactly what he is getting at. Leo can talk about sand getting in between your toes just to fill the silence when someone he loves is having a hard time. He does it to try and get your mind off the problem.
Standing up, I walk to him and take the file from his hand. Before walking away from him, I grab onto him and hug as hard as I can. He hurumphs and then softly chuckles at my outgoing affection as he wraps his arms around me, hugging me back.
“You are a great friend.” I softly squeeze him a little harder, before releasing him and backing up.
He looks down at me with sincerity. “Please take care of yourself while we are gone, okay?” he asks in a pleading tone.
I nod and give him one last smile, because that is all I have in me. I can’t appease anyone anymore today. I have to think about Heath and all that he has done since we met. I need to get in touch with Carl and find out what other sorts of extracurricular activities our Mr. Landon has. I must talk to Camden and find out anything he knows about Heath, without talking to the police about him just yet. I need to get to Heath. I need to catch him in the act of leaving another piece of jewelry, ripped up or not, and take this god damn stapler and shove it up his ass. I grab the stapler off my desk and hold it in my hands, a fierce grip around it.
Annie takes Leo’s place in the doorway and I want to hurl the stapler at her self-satisfying smile to find some form of release.
“It looks like you couldn’t make this trip,” she says with a little smirk.
“I know. That is why I told Leo to take you,” I explain to her slowly like she is a toddler that doesn’t understand her words yet.
Her face falls a little. I sigh.
“Listen, I don’t know what I did to piss you off but I figured you needed a little sun and fun for a few nights. So, please, do that. Have a good time. Order room service. Don’t sit inside with your e-reader and don’t clean the hotel room. There are maids for that. I know you. You’re probably experiencing cabin fever a little harder this season, so get out into the sun.”
She smiles wide and bright. “I’ve been such a bitch. I’m sorry. I watch you go away and have fun vacations. You always look so rested and well, last week you came home and you were in such a bad mood all week.” She pauses for a moment, before continuing, “You forgot my birthday on Tuesday and you never forget. You’re the one that reminds everyone around here. I thought I did something and well, I guess you were just having a shitty week because of that ex-boyfriend of yours. I wish I had known before I took it all out on you.”
My head drops down into my hands. I forgot her birthday. Fuck me. I never forget any of my co-workers birthdays. I feel like such a selfish bitch.
“I am so sorry, Annie. Please. Forgive me. I’ll never let that happen again. Go and have a wonderful trip. In fact, I’ll tell Leo to extend your stay through the weekend, so you can really enjoy your birthday in style. Belated style,” I cringe.
She flashes a fantastic smile and I know I’ve made up in a good way. At least I hope I’ve made it up, because right now, I don’t have the time to really think about birthdays or Miami.
Ten minutes later, I can already feel the absence of Leo and Annie and somehow it feels really good. No one is going to be knocking on my door every half an hour to see if I need anything or tell me that someone else needs something from me. It’s heaven. I pull out the pearls from my desk and retrieve my makeup bag from purse. Grabbing a smaller little pouch I hold Tylenol in, I start picking up the pearls that are strewn all over the drawer. It takes a good while to make sure I’ve gotten every single one. The time lets me think.
If Camden wasn’t the one that took the jewelry, there are only two other people who have access to my apartment in case of an emergency. Colin and Annie. Normally, I wouldn’t let Annie anywhere near my personal space, but there was this one time when I was going away on vacation and realized, just as I made it to the airport, that I forgot my carry-on bag which held all my necessary documents. That was a brilliant moment in the life of Lucia Westwood. Seeing as Annie was right near my apartment, I had the security guy let her in. I made sure she was on the list and had a key card to my place, but until that moment, she didn’t have the alarm passcode.
Colin knows all of the passcodes and has access to everything. I trust him because I pay him for his trust. If he does anything to fuck up that trust, he will go to jail and I will sue his car service business for every single dollar they have.
So, who else managed to get their way in? I pick up my phone and call Danny, the security guard at my apartment building.
“Danny, it’s Luca in 11A. I have a question. Is there any way I can watch the security tapes from Friday morning through this morning when I get home from work tonight?” I ask.
“Ms. West, funny you should ask. I’m watching them right now. I see you had a robbery this weekend and it’s building policy for me to look out for any suspicious activity on the tapes. As you know, I watch them all day from my seat here in the security room, but as you also know, I have to eat and sleep, so I want to make sure nothing happened during those times. Our building is secure, Ms. West. We’ve never had a robbery or break in before now. I pride myself on the sensors and alarm systems we currently have. They are all up to date, so I don’t know how this could have happened, unless you walked the person in the apartment yourself,” he goes on and on.
“Shit,” I say. “I know. Well, maybe after you are done watching, I could still take a look?”
“No problem, but remember, there are three full days of tape. You can skip through time periods, but anytime there is activity, you have to stop and watch. I’ve been doing this for three hours and I’m only at Friday afternoon. I’ll be here through tomorrow, I imagine.”
“Thanks so much for doing that, Danny,” I say.
“Don’t really have a choice. Police are going to ask for it soon anyway, I’m sure,” he sounds put off and pissed and I don’t blame him one bit.
“Alright well, I will stop in when I get home and see where you’re at. In the meantime, if you come across anything weird, please call my cell phone,” I say.
“Sure thing,” he answers. Before I can thank him again, he hangs up. That guy is total blue collar. I wonder if he secretly hates my guts, because I live in that elegant apartment building. One of those people who hates other people just because they have money. Those people are the fucking best. I wasn’t always rich or well off. I still remember being poor, living with my parents, so I can relate. Nevertheless, Danny doesn’t know that and I’m not about to give him my life story. Sometimes, it’s better to let people think what they want to about me. I can’t keep up with other people’s opinions anymore. Now that my
secret is out to my partners, I feel somewhat relieved.
Until I think about Camden. Camden, the beautiful man that got on his hands and knees to please the hell out of me. The man who stole my jewelry. If he was the one that took everything then why the fuck are there pearls in my office drawer? When would he have had time to get to my office this morning before being arrested, and if he had been there, someone would have seen him. I think about Annie and how she is on her way to the airport. Maybe she saw something.
FOURTEEN
I pick up the phone and quickly call her, hoping she hasn’t shut off her phone yet. On the third ring, she picks up, practically screaming “hello” over the airport noise.
“Annie, did you see Camden at the office this morning?” I ask without any niceties.
Silence.
“Annie?”
Still nothing.
Just as I am about to take her silence as a confirmation that Camden was, in fact, at my office, she replies, “I wasn’t going to say anything, but Heath came by this morning. He said he left something in your office,” she says in a hurry.
“What?” I shout.
“He said he left his watch in your office. At first I didn’t believe him, but he was adamant, Luca. I am so sorry. I watched him go into your office. He checked your top drawer and I made sure he didn’t take anything. He was out in only a few minutes.”
“Well?” I ask.
“Well, what?”
“Did he find his watch?” I demand.
Silence.
“Annie, I don’t have time for this. You have to tell me everything.”
“No, okay. I know I fucked up by letting him in your office. Whatever happened last week between you two was obviously bad, but he’s kind of a dick face and wouldn’t leave until I let him in.”
So, I was wrong about Camden. Unless, he is working with Heath to fuck me over. And if that’s true, I don’t understand why. Why would Heath barge into my office, abuse me, both physically and verbally, before accusing me of the very same thing the two of them could possibly be doing to me? What do I have that they don’t? What have I done to make all of this happen?
I realize I still have my phone to my ear and Annie is still on the line. “Have a good trip, Annie. Don’t worry about anything. Just get some sun and relax, okay?” I try to sound nice, even though if she were here, I’d strangle every last breath out of her for letting that sick mother fucker in my office.
Right as I hang up my office phone, my cell rings. Not recognizing the phone number, I let it ring twice before I decide to answer.
“This is Luca West,” I answer curtly.
***
The police officer who called thirty minutes ago had much to share with me. Camden Steel passed the polygraph tests and his finger prints were nowhere near the safe in my dressing room. They still had him in a holding cell, but they can’t keep him for much longer without any more evidence that he actually has the jewelry. I asked that they keep him until I can get down there to pick him up.
I admit to the police officer that I believe Heath Landon is the person who took the jewels from my home. I also let him know Heath was in my office this morning. He decides to send a unit out this afternoon to comb my office for fingerprints. He asked me not to touch anymore jewels that are returned to me, no matter where they are.
I feel sick to my stomach. I have absolutely no idea what to say to Camden. A small part of me still believes that he has something to do with my missing jewelry but everything points to Heath being the thief. Did Camden let Heath in this morning? I called Danny right after I hung up with the officer to see if he saw anything yet. I ask him to fast forward to this morning, roughly around seven, when Camden left and I got into the shower. It had to have happened then. I just know it.
My mind bounces out of control with so many questions, most of which make no sense. Why did I automatically think it was Camden this morning? He left and texted me almost right away, wanting to see me again. That’s not something a guilty man does. Why did I immediately blame him when we were so intimate this weekend? Was there something more to me automatically blaming him? Was it because he wants me to leave my life as Lucia? Did I let my fear over take my rational thoughts? Am I scared to be with a man that wants me to change everything about my life just to be with him?
He makes me question everything I am once again. He is the only man that marks me inside and out. I feel sexy, smart, and intensely wanted in his presence. I’ve never experienced that raw intensity with any of the men I escorted. So, why did I impulsively throw him to the wolves? I am such a bitch.
I feel a migraine coming on and the pressure in my chest is killing me. I pick up the file for Steel Charter, the file I couldn’t find a damn thing wrong with, and make my way down to Mitch’s office. He is on the phone, looking out at his view of the snowy city. He is genuinely laughing and I’m jealous. That guy doesn’t have a care in the world. He goes to work, goes home to his family, hits repeat five times, before spending the weekends on family outings. The photos that line his walls prove that he is a social and loving human.
I realize that despite all the social calls I made in my past, I am not social. I am not loving. I’m a stone cold bitch.
He whirls around on his chair and looks at me with a wide smile. We are friends and I feel that even after all that has happened.
“What’s up, little Luca?” he asks, referring to my petite size and well, my naïve nature I had in college. This man knows the right things to say.
“Camden didn’t take anything. He passed the polygraph and there were no fingerprints on the safe matching his.”
Mitch furrows his brow. “Did they find any other fingerprints on it?”
I shrug. “I am supposed to head down there to talk with the police and get Camden. What the hell am I supposed to do? Someone out there took my jewelry while I was in the next room, Mitch. I am freaking out. I don’t want to go back to my apartment. And how do I possibly apologize to Camden after all I’ve accused him off?”
“Woah, woah. Wait a minute, Luca. He’s a guy and he really likes you. He isn’t going to hold this against you. From what you said, he was the only other person there. It was a clear assumption that it was him and I’m frankly surprised it wasn’t. Let him talk and then try to explain what you were thinking and feeling when it all happened. As far as a place, don’t go back there. Camden must be staying in the city, so figure out if you can bunk with him for a few days. If not, stay with me. My door is always open.”
A slow tear makes its way down my cheek and I feel like a lost, little girl. He rises to his feet and comes to pull me into a hug. He sways us back and forth and kisses my forehead.
“Go do what you need to do. Talk to the police. Talk to Camden and then when you find yourself somewhere tonight, check your email. There is a possibility I just landed Runner Run Magazine. I need you on this next account. And do not go anywhere without Colin. I mean it, Luca.” Mitch can be such a goof, but damn he is stern when he is dead serious.
“Yes, sir. Work, work, work.” I smile.
“You got that right, babe,” Mitch flashes a wide grin at me. “We have to beat our quota this year and a little ex-boyfriend and robbery action isn’t bringing Divider down.”
That makes me feel better. No matter what happens, I have a fantastic job with two extremely driven guys. I can’t begin to tell him what it means that he wants my head in the game, even after everything they know about me.
I practically skip back to my office, feeling rejuvenated from my little pep talk with Mitch. I see my voicemail light blinking and I hit the speaker button, retrieving my message.
A scratchy man’s voice comes over the phone, slow and deliberate. “Well, hello, Lucia. You look ravishing in your purple suit today. Were you missing some pearls? I made sure to drop them by this morning.” The voice cuts off and I hear me screaming out Camden’s name. We are fucking. This was recorded over the weekend.
The v
oice comes back over the line and I gasp at his venomous tone. “Fuck him again and you won’t see another piece of your jewelry. Understand me, Luca?” He chuckles until the phone beeps and the automated woman asks if I want to delete it. I press five to save the message. I don’t know what the hell is going on. Who the hell is doing this, or why, but god damn it, I will not let them get to me. I will not become a coward and hide away, letting whoever this is run my life, control my every breath, and every move. That fucker or those fuckers have no idea who the hell they are messing with. I believe it wasn’t Camden. He cares too much for me. I can feel it deep into my bones that I’m the one for him and he is the one for me no matter what. I’ll be letting the police listen to this message when I go pick up Camden.
Ten minutes later, Colin is opening the back door to the car with a shy, scared look. Shit, I was such a wreck this morning. I place my hand on his shoulder.
“You alright, Luca?” he asks. The sincerity is killing me.
“I’m okay. Things are just pretty fucked right now. I have some business with the Chicago PD, so let’s head down to headquarters,” I say as I slide into the back seat.
“You got it, woman.” His smirk makes me breathe out a sigh of relief. I am so fucking glad I have people in my life that let me have my privacy, even in the mist of all of this mess. I think of Lola and the fact that I have to call her. She is probably wondering if I’m still alive. I send her a quick text telling her I am thinking of her and will call as soon as possible.