“Addison, hold up!” Erica’s voice floated to her, just as her mittened hand touched the back door. So close to freedom!
If she had the ability to see, Addison would have simply waved at Erica like she hadn’t heard her properly, slipped out the door and run for the subway. Unfortunately, taking off with finesse wasn’t an option. Erica would be able to catch up. With a sigh, Addison turned and waited for the other woman to approach. Which she did, with the enthusiasm of a speeding train, catching Addison’s shoulder in a firm grip.
“Phew! What a session we had today,” she announced loudly, her high pitched voice carrying all down the hall and turning heads. Addison tried not be be annoyed at the way Erica made it sound like she was part of the orchestra though she wasn’t a musician. “Maestro Charles was sure cranky with you. I didn’t think it was fair of him at all to say those things to you in front of everyone. He could’ve at least taken you aside and said them in private.”
What a friend! Addison thought, very supportive.
“Oh well, you’ll take his advice to heart next time, I’m sure,” Erica encouraged. “Hey, do you need a ride home? We could grab a coffee or something.”
Addison tried to conceal any possible look of horror that might’ve sprung up on her face at the suggestion. Instead she said, truthfully, “I have an appointment, actually.”
“Oh, well… I can give you a ride then!” Erica tried to take Addison’s arm and guide her out the door, but Addison stood firm.
“No, thank you,” Addison said, not even bothering to add a note of cheer into her tones. She was done pretending for the day. “I prefer to go alone. I’ll see you tomorrow, Erica.”
Addison pulled her arm out of Erica’s grip, turned away and pushed her way out the back door. She tried to feel the usual twinge of regret that Erica had no friends and she was the closest thing Erica could claim as friendship, but after the verbal beating Maestro had subjected her to, Addison didn’t have enough regret to spare for Erica. She made her way down to the subway and took the line down to Jane’s office. She felt the gradual change in city quality as she drew closer to the crime-riddled end of downtown. It didn’t bother her to be there, except that she was carrying an extremely expensive instrument. She used to live not too far away from the stop where she eventually got off.
Addison couldn’t quite get the requisite steps and had to stop in at a local grocer to ask for directions. He was more than willing to help her reach her destination and, despite her protests, sent his stock girl to accompany Addison around the block to Jane’s office. She tried to tell him she would be fine, but he insisted. She suspected he was worried about a well dressed, visually impaired woman’s safety in that area. She almost wanted to tell him that she’d been attacked many more times in her own extremely “secure” apartment building in an upscale neighbourhood than she ever was in the so called dangerous area of downtown. Instead, she gratefully accepted his stock girl’s arm and listened to her bright chatter as she led Addison around the block.
“Do you collect admirers everywhere you go?” Jane drawled cynically, as Addison pushed the door to Jane’s office open and said good-bye to the girl. “Do I need to add that little brat to my list of suspects?”
Jane pulled a chair out for Addison and waited while Addison set her cello down with a grateful sigh, glad to be rid of the heavy burden. She unbuttoned her long coat, hung it up on the coat rack she remembered stood by the door, set her walking stick in the corner and sat in the proffered chair. After a moment, she allowed her body to sink into the chair with another long sigh and stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing them at the ankles comfortably.
“Long day?” Jane asked.
Addison nodded, stretching her arms in front of her to relieve some of the tension behind her neck and shoulders. “The longest,” she murmured. “I think I’m on my way to getting fired. Do you need an assistant by any chance?”
Jane laughed. “Sure, you can take surveillance photos of walls and sidewalks. We’ll put those evil bastards behind bars where they belong.”
“I knew they were out to get me!” Addison said, laughing. “They trip me all the time and jump out and run into me. It’s practically assault when you think about it.”
“Assault with a deadly sidewalk. Hmm, I really think you have a case,” Jane agreed.
“Speaking of cases…” Addison leaned forward, eager to discuss any leads Jane might’ve come up with on her stalker.
“Yes,” Jane shuffled some papers on her desk. “Alright, I’ve compiled a list of suspects from your list of acquaintances in the order of most likely to least likely given opportunity and pathology. I’ve already crossed a few of them off the list after a little investigation, but we’ll go over them so we can set your mind at ease.”
“Thank you, that sounds good to me,” Addison said with a smile, leaning closer to Jane’s desk.
“Don’t thank me yet. Victims get notoriously upset once an investigator starts pointing fingers at their friends and family,” Jane said matter-of-factly.
Addison bit her lip and nodded. “I understand. I’ll try to be professional as possible.”
“First, your parents,” Jane said bluntly.
“But I said…” Addison immediately tried to argue, sitting up straight.
“I know what you said, Addison,” Jane cut her off, “but you paid me to be thorough, which means looking into absolutely everyone. You have abuse and trauma in your past. I would be negligent if I overlooked your parents in my search for your stalker. As it turns out, you were correct, it can’t be them or anyone else in your family. I’ve eliminated all of them as suspects.”
“You have?” Addison said quietly.
“Your parents were both on a cruise the day you were attacked in that alley. All of the calls you’ve received have come from a burner cell, which can be used by anyone, but the calls all originated within this city. I confirmed that your parents were 300 miles away during the majority of the calls. I’m comfortable in saying that neither of them can be your stalker.”
Addison nodded. She’d been positive neither June or Richard Sterling was stalking her, but somehow the confirmation brought up some feelings she didn’t really know how to sort out. She sensed Jane wanted to tell her something else, but was hesitating. “What is it?” she asked.
“It doesn’t really pertain to the case. Just some information I stumbled across while investigating your parents. It’s up to you if you want to hear.”
Addison thought about it for a moment. She hadn’t spent much time thinking about her parents. She cut ties with them in her early twenties, after realizing that nothing she could do was ever going to be good enough for them. She nodded. “Go ahead.”
“I’m not sure if you know, or have given it any real thought, but as their only child you are still in their will. They never changed it to disinherit you, despite your current estrangement. And your parents are quite wealthy,” Jane said quietly.
Honestly, Addison hadn’t really thought about it. As a young woman she hadn’t cared about much beyond wanting her freedom. She thought about it for a moment. Nope, she still didn't care. She shrugged and asked, “Anything else?”
“Yes, this part less savoury,” Jane said, her voice hardening. “They have you investigated periodically. An investigator looks into your bank and credit accounts, your living situation, your romantic situation, your job, basically everything in your life.”
Addison gasped and frowned. “How often?”
“Once a year,” she answered.
Anger flooded Addison, then fear as a thought occurred to her. “Could this investigator be stalking me?”
“No,” Jane said definitively. “Once I uncovered him, I had a conversation with him. He’s actually not a bad guy. A retired cop. Apparently he got pretty attached to you over the years and enjoyed watching you succeed despite your asshole parents. Took some pleasure in watching you go from nothing to First Chair in one of America
’s leading orchestras. He has every one of your performance recordings in his office. Which I admit, at first, made me look at him real hard as your stalker, but after our chat I realized he was more along the lines of a proud papa. Trust me, he has your best interests at heart, he gives your parents only the bare bones of what they need to know and keeps everything else to himself.”
Addison didn’t know how to feel. Her parents refused to acknowledge her existence, other than to have a total stranger check up on her once a year to make sure she wasn’t tarnishing the Sterling name. Yet that total stranger listened to her music fondly and watched over her. Like a guardian angel or something. She really didn't know how to take that.
“Maybe… I should meet him some day,” Addison said.
“Maybe,” Jane agreed. “He’d probably like that. Okay, moving along. Graham Weston.”
“Ouch,” Addison said with a laugh. “Messy break up. You think he could be my stalker?”
“He was near the top of my list. You stomped the shit out of that dude’s heart fourteen months ago,” Jane said, flipping through a file. “Wow, he was hot. How do you manage to find guys that fine when you can’t even see? Totally not fair.”
Addison shrugged and grinned wickedly. “I have friend’s that can see. Yeah, he was pretty clingy and though he might’ve been pretty for others to look at, he did nothing for me. He was pretty mediocre in bed and he kept insisting on singing to me.”
Jane made a very unprofessional gagging sound.
Addison continued, “He definitely didn’t take that break-up well. He followed me around for about two months, singing love ballads and begging me to take him back. It was really embarrassing and it did border on harassment. In fact, he was part of the reason I ended up purchasing a condo in King Tower. I wanted to be in a secure building. You think he’s the stalker?”
“No, it’s not him, he joined the military and was posted overseas seven months ago,” Jane assured her. “Which is too bad because he was my favourite candidate.”
They went through a few more ex-lovers, discussing probabilities and taking some of them off the list. Finally, Jane said, “Which brings me to your two most likely candidates.”
“Who do you think?” Addison asked eagerly, getting into the game of detective.
“Charles Batton.”
“No,” Addison denied immediately.
Jane didn’t say anything while she waited for the possibility to sink in.
“No,” Addison said more firmly, shaking her head. “It’s not him. Maestro wouldn’t do that to me. He’s difficult, artistic and brilliant. Yes, he’s strange, but so are all artists. He’s a freaking genius and he recognizes my talent! He cares about me a great deal, but not like this, not obsessively. He simply wouldn’t do this to me!”
Addison’s voice rose by the time she finished speaking. Her fingers pleated into her long jersey skirt while her mind frantically went over the calls and letters and tried to match them to the Maestro. She shook her head, her long curls swinging forward and covering her face. It couldn’t be him!
“He has plenty of opportunity. He’s around you more often than a boyfriend or lover. Your stalker has proven that they have access to your practice sessions by describing them in detail. They showed up outside of the symphony hall and scared you. He was there that day and the first person to reach you on the street,” Jane said quietly.
“Anyone can access the symphony during practice sessions, the front door is usually unlocked so staff can come and go,” Addison said defensively.
Jane sighed heavily. “I know when we start suspecting actual friends it gets harder, Addison. I’m sorry to do this to you. I need you to just think about it, okay?”
Addison swallowed and then nodded. “I don’t like it, but I guess I understand. Who was the other person?” she asked, but she already knew. Jane was proving herself to be a good investigator. She would have found out who Addison’s most recent lover was.
“Daniel Mercer,” Jane confirmed.
“It’s not him.”
“He’s my number one suspect,” Jane argued.
Addison smiled grimly. “Do you know him? Have you met him yet?”
“Yes!” Jane said with gusto. “And no offence to your choice of boyfriend, lady, but he’s one mean son-of-a-bitch. He helped me out a few weeks ago when my husband was in trouble. Though I find his brand of help painful, infuriating and revenge-inducing.”
“No offence taken,” Addison said with a tight smile. “Sounds like you’ve got a surprisingly good handle on who he is. But if you know him, then you know he’s definitely not my stalker. If Daniel wants something, he goes after it. There’s nothing subtle about that man, no guessing games, no finesse. He is not the type to whisper into phones and write psychotic poetry to musicians.”
“Dammit,” Jane sighed. “I was really hoping it was him. You have no idea how badly I want to arrest that guy. Regardless, I need to show you something… uh… get you to feel something.” She corrected herself.
Jane came around the side of her desk and leaned a hip against it near where Addison sat. She reached down and picked up Addison’s hand where it lay in her lap. She placed three small, long things in Addison’s palm. With her other hand, Addison ran her fingertips down each one, touching them from end to end. They were completely unfamiliar to her. They felt like wires, but with a thicker end. She frowned at Jane questioningly.
“Listening devices. Bugs,” Jane supplied. “I found them yesterday while you were at work, after you gave me permission to check out your condo. I don’t know how long they’ve been there, but judging from the way the dust had settled in each area they’ve been there for at least a month each.”
“Someone’s been listening to me?” Addison whispered, dazed.
“Yes,” Jane confirmed. “And I know exactly who. My occasional partner-in-crime-apprehension, Mack Hudson, knows every piece of security technology in the business and he says this is extremely high end. In fact, this is so high end, it was apparently designed specifically for one person.”
Fury and embarrassment rushed through Addison, brightening her cheeks. “King security,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Mercer has all of his equipment specially designed and patented. It’s top of the line and unmistakeable,” Jane supplied.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Addison stood gracefully and made her way toward the door of the office where she picked up her coat, walking cane and cello. After she buttoned her coat, she tilted her head at Jane and said, “He’s still not my stalker.”
“I know, but it doesn’t make him a good guy,” she said. “If you want help giving him hell, I’d be happy to tie him to a tree and give you my gun. You can just keep shooting until you hit something vital. I know people who can dispose of unnecessary things.”
Sadly, Addison was pretty sure Jane was telling her the truth, and at the moment she was tempted to take her up on the offer. Her lips quirked in a smile and she said, “I think I can handle this conversation on my own.”
Jane sighed in disappointment. “I just really want someone to shoot that guy if it can't be me. Ah well, you take care Addison, I’ll keep looking for your other bad guy.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
"Dammit," Addison mumbled, running her hand along the wall. She wondered for the hundredth time why Daniel couldn't be a normal person and have a normal apartment on one of the other floors. She could practically feel the eyes of his security team on her as she made her way along the corridor toward his tiny apartment. Which wasn't really an apartment.
She wouldn't even be on the damn security floor if she wasn't so furious. It had been six weeks since she'd seen Daniel. She hadn't even sensed his presence. True to his word, he had disappeared from her life, retreating into his professional shell like their time together had never existed. Only once had she begged Claudia for details, and Claudia had told her Daniel seemed pretty much the same. Surprisingly, it had been Laney that had t
old her any different.
The younger woman had pulled Addison aside after Claudia had gone back up to the penthouse and told her bluntly that her "boss" was not as unaffected by their breakup as he wanted everyone to think.
"He's far more brutal than before," she’d said. "And that's saying something, considering we didn't think he could get much worse. His training regime makes Genghis Khan look like a pussy cat. Some of the guys wanted me to ask if you could just make nice with him."
Addison opened her mouth to tell Laney what she thought of that suggestion, but Laney interrupted her.
"I saw what he did to you, the way you were after he..." Laney's voice trailed off. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, you need to stay away from him. He's a skilled mercenary and that's about all he's good for. If he gets his hands on you, he could eventually kill you. I don't think a man like that can control himself around someone who fucks with his head the way you do. He’s not worth your life.”
Addison hadn't known what to say. Not that it mattered. Laney had turned around and strode away, leaving a bemused Addison standing in the doorway. She wondered about Laney. The young woman was incredibly private, though she had kindness in her. Laney worked hard to make sure Claudia was never vulnerable and she watched over Addison as much as she could, though it wasn’t her job. Addison sensed she was deeply damaged. Though a silent woman, her spirit was never at rest. It worried Addison.
Addison felt Daniel’s door under her fingertips. Taking a deep breath and gathering her courage, she balled her hand into a fist and banged loudly on his door. She waited for a minute, but there was no answer. She desperately wanted to turn tail and run away, but it had taken too much courage to come up here in the first place. She banged louder. Finally, after another minute, the door jerked open.
The first thing she felt was heat, followed by his surprise at seeing her on his doorstep. His scent was stronger than usual and the damp warmth coming from him suggested he had just gotten out of the shower. Once more, Addison deeply resented the feeling she got in Daniel's presence, of wishing she wasn't blind. Daniel was the only person that could make her wish she could see. She hated feeling so vulnerable around him.
Fear in Her Eyes (Fire & Vice Book 5) Page 18