by C. J. Thomas
“Just like that? You’ll just walk right in?”
I sighed. “You’re right. He has that doorman . . . Randal, Raymond—”
“Randy.”
“Yes. He could let me in.”
“And he would double check with Liam before letting you in. No good.” Sadie sighed. “Wait. Do you know where my junk drawer is in the kitchen?”
“You mean all your drawers?” I said as I got to my feet and headed down the hall.
“Hilarious. Bottom left. In the corner there’s a key-ring.”
I stepped into the kitchen and hesitated with my fingers on the handle. “Do you have a spare key?”
“You got it. Most of my early shoots with him were beside the pool. He had a thing about wanting to work with reflections.”
I pulled out the ring that had at least a dozen keys on it. “Let me guess, the rest are old boyfriends?”
“Hell no. That’s a whole different ring.”
I chuckled, then immediately refocused. “Okay, so I have a key. That still doesn’t help me to distract Randy from knowing I’m there.”
“It’ll take you about fifteen minutes to get there. Leave that part up to me. As long as you don’t see him at the desk, just sneak by.”
I rubbed my face. “This is definitely out of my territory.”
“Do you love the guy?”
“I don’t see how—” I rubbed my chest. It still ached from the news I’d just received. “Yes. Of course I do.”
“Then you’re about to do some breaking and entering.”
I laughed at the thought. “And I just came back from giving my sister hell for being sent to jail.”
“Easy. Don’t get caught.”
CHAPTER 46
Tessa
One hour ago I’d been planning my conversation with Liam about modeling for him for the next few months. Having enough money to pay my rent and feed my little sister had been my priority.
Until Sadie called and flipped everything sideways.
Now I didn’t know what to make of the meal where I’d planned to talk things through with him. Right about now I was supposed to be at his studio for my modeling session. Kind of hard to make an appointment there when I stood in front of his building, ready to break inside.
But it wasn’t really breaking in if you had a key, right? Not that he gave the key to me. But hey, if I validated everything Sadie told me, I was definitely justified.
Dinner tonight would certainly be an interesting one.
My phone beeped with a text from Sadie telling me to put the hood on and go inside in exactly one minute.
Leaving her place, instead of putting on her red dress as expected, I borrowed one of her hoodies and told her that didn’t count as my choice for full access to her closet tonight. Not that I didn’t owe her big time for telling me all she knew. It wasn’t easy hearing all this, but if Liam wasn’t going to tell me himself, I wanted to know the truth.
I pulled the hood up over my head and leaned against the brick beside the main door just as Randy walked out muttering something about some punk kids spraying up the side of the building. He didn’t even notice me as I caught the door just before it shut all the way and slipped inside.
The service stairs would be faster but I couldn’t risk an alarm going off if I opened the door. I went for the main stairs, completely open to the entry, and hoped I could make it up the two flights before Randy realized there were no kids messing with the building.
Suddenly glad Sadie had convinced me to start going to the spin classes with her, I bounded up the stairs two at a time. Just as my shoes went out of sight, I heard the front door open again. I pressed my hand into the keys, making sure none of them jingled in the front pocket of the hoodie, and made my way toward the entrance to Liam’s loft.
I looked over my shoulder after the third key didn’t work. Though I wasn’t sure Randy could hear me up here, I couldn’t exactly keep the keys silent as I tried the lock. I took slow breaths to keep my heartbeat under control, sure that the pounding in my chest would have been what gave me away.
Finally, one turned. I slipped inside and let out a deep breath. I locked the door behind me, then pressed my back against it.
Where exactly was I supposed to get started? I’d never even thought of doing anything like this before. I tiptoed my way across his living room as though he was asleep in the bedroom.
“Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.” I whispered the words with every step. “This is so very—” I stopped the moment I saw the piles of papers and photos on the table. “It can’t be this easy.”
My eyes were immediately drawn to a photo of me in Liam’s car, then another on his rooftop.
“What the . . .” I said it louder than intended and I covered my mouth. “Why are you taking all these photos, Liam?” I whispered the words, though it wasn’t like he’d answer me.
I placed my finger on his smiling face. Maybe the photos existed to remember these moments? But that really didn’t make any sense.
I quickly shuffled through them to see if there were any from the night he had me completely naked up there and breathed a sigh of relief that there weren’t.
A rustling jarred me from my thoughts and I quickly hid under the table.
The air conditioner hummed as it clicked to life. I sat there for a minute, in between the leather kitchen chairs, watching the front door.
I laughed once I realized that anyone stepping through the front door would have just as clear a view of me as I did of them. The only things around were a few pigeons, but I needed to hurry before Randy did any sort of rounds of the place, especially after the prank call.
I stood again and grabbed the stack of letters. There wasn’t enough light here so I took them and a few of the pictures over to the couch.
The first letter was dated a few weeks ago with the words ‘FINAL NOTICE’ stamped across the top. It definitely seemed that Liam was getting deported.
I scanned through the other documents, trying to understand the timing of all this. The words were becoming more difficult to read and I realized I’d begun to tear up.
“You’ve known.” I really needed to stop talking to myself, but I just kept going, as did the tears. “You’ve known that you’d have to leave. Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
I wiped my eyes, needing to see clearly. I scanned the papers again, looking for the date he’d be deported.
“Four days?” I said it way too loud. I held my breath to listen for Randy in case he’d heard me. I couldn’t hear anyone coming up the stairs, so I figured I was safe in here. I reminded myself that these weren’t exactly cheap apartment walls.
I blew out a breath and jumped when my cell phone rang. Liam’s name displayed across the top and I immediately hit decline. No way in hell I could deal with him right now.
He called again.
The walls suddenly seemed closer than before. Much closer. The cuff around my wrist felt more like a shackle, and I pulled it off.
I had to get out, as in right now. I dropped the papers and cuff on the couch and ran out. I went right for the service stairs and ran down them.
No wonder he was looking for a wife.
My heart pounded from what I’d just learned more than from the exercise. “Four days,” I said as I pushed the fire escape door.
An alarm sounded, warning Randy that I’d just left. I just wished I’d had some sort of warning before falling for Liam.
My phone rang again. I let it go.
I let it all go as I walked into the night—alone again.
CHAPTER 47
Liam
“Pick up, dammit,” I said into the phone as if that would somehow make Tessa answer it. Instead, all it did was ring until her voicemail started up again.
“Hello, I can’t make it to my phone—”
It was good to hear her voice but I wanted to talk to her, not some machine, so I hung up. I figured any more than two messages in ten minutes would be a little much
. She could probably see how many times I’d already called, anyway. Five? Six times? I’d lost count. I told myself that I wasn’t some creepy stalker since we did have an appointment.
I just hoped she saw it the same way.
I looked at the time again. Twenty after. I couldn’t remember her ever being late, and Tessa definitely didn’t seem the type to miss anything she said she’d do.
Trying my best not to look at the clock really wasn’t working. I’d gone back to edit one of Sadie’s pictures and touched up the same spot five times when it didn’t need it in the first place. I tended to do the same sort of thing when I read while tired. After the third pass on a paragraph, without actually reading a single word, I knew I should just put the book down.
I went against my instincts this time and hit the redial button.
I waited for her voicemail to finish. Hearing her upbeat voice this time around, something unpleasant bubbled inside me and I wished she had it set up so I could just hit a button and leave a message without having to hear her go through the spiel again.
When it beeped, my mind froze for a second. I made myself focus. Otherwise, all she’d hear was a message of me breathing into the phone. That would probably move me from the callback list to the avoid-at-all-costs list.
“Hey, Tessa, it’s Liam. Again. I’m calling again because you were scheduled to be at the studio half an hour ago and I just want to know you’re all right. Call me when you get this. Thanks. My number is . . .” Like a damn idiot, I gave her my digits.
As if she didn’t already have them. As if they didn’t show up on her caller ID.
But, apparently, that was what someone does when they have worry eating away at them.
I clicked the end button and figured that was probably the last message I could leave for now.
There were only three possibilities for what was going on. Her phone wasn’t turned off so she either didn’t have it on her, she didn’t want to answer my calls, or something bad had happened.
Either way, she wasn’t coming.
I rubbed my face and needed to know she was okay.
Picking up my phone again, I hesitated. Calling Tessa again right now would get me nowhere. I thumbed through my contacts and found the one I was looking for.
“Pick up. Pick up.”
“Liam.”
“Hey, Sadie—” My brain went blank. “How’s it going?”
“Since I saw you two hours ago?”
“Hah, right.” Worrying and me didn’t mix. Apparently, it shut my brain off.
“Tessa had a shoot with me but she didn’t show up.”
“I see.”
“Have you heard from her?”
“Sure.”
“Is she okay?” I frowned at her answers that weren’t really answers.
“There’s nothing wrong with Tessa.”
A wave of relief flowed over me and my brain finally switched back on. “Good. There are some things I want to talk with her about.”
“I bet. Well, I’ve got this thing. Gotta jet.”
“Oh, sure. Thanks Sa—”
She hung up the phone before I could finish. At least Tessa was okay, but she wasn’t answering my calls. How much had Sadie told her? Sadie knew I’d planned to talk to Tessa tonight.
I checked my watch. We should be heading to the loft anytime now for dinner. She either forgot about our shoot and was at the loft or she went straight there because Sadie had told her something and didn’t want to talk about it over the phone.
Either way, we would sort this out together.
CHAPTER 48
Liam
I nodded to Randy as he held open the main door for me. “Tessa here yet?” Hope rose in me as I could see that he had something to tell me.
“Not yet, Mr. Rising. Should I let her up when she arrives?”
“Yes. Is there something else?”
Randy stepped behind the main desk and shook his head. “A few strange things happened just before you arrived.”
“Go on.”
“I received a call reporting some kids spray painting the building. I completed a search of the perimeter and I witnessed no loitering or vandalism.”
“Sounds like everything’s in order.” Except for Tessa not being here. I turned to head up to the loft.
“There was something else.” Randy glanced at the front door before crossing his arms. “I had the feeling I wasn’t alone so I decided to do a walkthrough of the building. While in the staff kitchen, the alarm sounded.”
“Was someone here?”
“I didn’t get to do a full sweep but the emergency door was partially open.”
“Thought we got that fixed.”
Randy shrugged. “Which is why I wanted to check things over before alerting anyone. You said you didn’t want another false alarm sending the cops here.”
I nodded. That was before the issues with Paisley. “Maybe you didn’t shut it all the way.”
He nodded. “I considered that. I was making my way up the stairs when you alerted me that you were on your way. I came back here before I completed my sweep.”
“You had to hold the front door for me.”
“That’s right,” he said.
None of this sat well with me. After all that Paisley had pulled recently, who knew what she could be after? Every time I saw her, she had a different agenda.
“Thanks for letting me know, Randy.” I waited for him to give me grief of some kind, but he didn’t. He could probably tell that I wasn’t really processing the news he’d just given me.
And how could I? Tessa wasn’t here and I had to know why.
“If anything else happens or if Tessa shows up, let me know.”
Times like this, I wished I’d gone for the elevator instead of forcing myself to climb up the two flights of stairs for an extra round of daily exercise. I told myself that Tessa would be here any minute. She had to be.
I walked down the hallway and frowned. The faint light under my door didn’t look quite right. I realized it was at an angle instead of straight across.
My door wasn’t shut all the way.
Thinking about the alarm made me slow my pace. Randy hadn’t made it up this far. Whoever had been here either left without shutting it or was still inside.
With my hand on the door, my heart rate sped up. There wasn’t much I couldn’t handle, but not knowing what was on the other side made it hard to prepare myself. It could be anything from a burglar clothed head to toe in black, to Paisley wearing nothing at all, wanting to make amends.
I wasn’t sure which was worse.
I counted to three in my head, held my breath, and pushed the door open.
Light from the hallway spilled into my main living room. I stood ready for a naked Paisley to pounce.
When nothing happened, I made my way toward my bedroom, realizing that would be the more likely place for her to be waiting for me.
On my way, something caught my eye—or rather, a lack of something. I stepped up to my dining table and placed my hands on the bare surface.
Why the hell would Paisley come here and take all the photos and ICE paperwork?
A small paper leaned at an angle against the leg of a chair. When I picked it up, I recognized it as one of the photos. Tessa’s genuine smile—the first thing I noticed about her—was as wide as I’d ever seen it. She had her fingers around the cuff I’d just given her. It warmed me to know her well enough that she liked it because it was something I’d given her, rather than because of the price tag attached.
It was only the first of many things I wanted to give her, if she’d only call me back.
A folded paper lay on the floor beside the sofa. As I walked over to it, I saw the rest.
“Dammit, Paisley, what the hell were you looking for?”
I was pretty sure she didn’t know about my immigration issues. At least, she didn’t before tonight.
I froze when I saw the cuff. The only thing I could feel was my h
eart beating. It slammed in my chest so hard I thought it might explode. After her leaving the cuff behind, maybe that would be a good thing.
Tessa had been here. Tessa. Dammit.
I closed my eyes and it all came into focus.
Sadie overheard my conversation with Paisley and called Tessa. Of course Tessa wanted answers. It wasn’t like I’d given her any.
I picked up the cuff. The metal felt cold in my hand.
The woman I had hoped to marry just left behind the only jewelry I’d ever given her. A bad sign.
I looked at the ICE paperwork and the photos of Tessa. I picked up the photo. She mattered most.
Somehow, I would fix this. I didn’t know how. I just knew that it had to be done.
CHAPTER 49
Tessa
I opened the door to the café. The high-pitched jingle of a bell rang overhead, alerting the clerk that Sadie and I were here, but I couldn’t make myself step inside. My toes edged the entrance, like my feet had been super-glued to the sidewalk. My stomach knotted and I braced myself on the doorjamb. “I think . . . I need some air.”
“Oh, no.” Sadie grabbed my elbow and pulled me inside. The white tile shone bright against my brown flip-flops and I nearly tripped as she dragged me to the counter.
“Hello. Can I get you something? Tea? Protein shake with a vitamin boost?” The girl had arms bigger than most guys I knew and I wondered if this was one of those coffee-slash-health-food bars.
“We’re not here to order anything,” I said.
Sadie squinted at one of the five panels displaying the various drink and snack options. “I’ll have a—”
“What are you doing?” I gritted my teeth and glanced around the place. My patience were thin after a sleepless night. “This isn’t why we’re here.”
“Go with me on this,” she said. “We need to look authentic. Besides, haven’t you seen any decent detective shows? They always have coffee.”
Bicep-girl made a sour face. “Sorry, we don’t sell coffee here.”