The Other Marlowe Girl (Marlowe Girls)

by Fred, Beth

  “Thank you.”

  I thought of telling him about Daniel’s most recent text. He was the only person I really could tell, but I decided against it. I was already the flake living with our siblings. I really didn’t want to add to that. One thing was for sure: I had to come up with ten thousand dollars and quick, because Daniel was getting impatient.

  Chapter 7

  The interview at Enrique’s office wasn’t much of an interview. Angie made copies of my driver’s license and social security card and sent me upstairs to report to the attorney I’d be working for. I stopped at the receptionist desk to ask where I might find the attorney, and Luke walked past me. He took two steps past the receptionist before turning around to come back.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Um… working.”

  “Doing what?”

  “I’m Sylvia’s new secretary.”

  “Did Tiffany put you up to this?”

  This guy really hated me. “No, Luke. She didn’t. Look, if you don’t want me to work here, I won’t.”

  He shrugged. “I’m just shocked. Tiffany didn’t mention it, and I would have thought when Angie saw your last name she would have asked one of us if we knew you. She’s been in HR for ten years. I guess if she felt comfortable hiring you, you’re qualified.”

  Thank God because I needed another job and this paid well. But with this income alone, it would take me four months to pay Daniel, and I was willing to bet, he wouldn’t wait that long.

  This was the best job I’d ever had. I had my own cubicle and phone line. I’d never really done this secretary thing before, but it couldn’t be that hard. I talked to my attorney. She didn’t need anything today. Real work would start tomorrow, and one of the other secretaries would help me. I’d only been in my office half an hour when Luke called.

  “I need help.”

  “Don’t we all?”

  It surprised me when he chuckled. “Yeah, but your job is to help me.”

  “I thought my job was to help Sylvia.”

  “Yeah, well, everyone else is busy. I’ve got three boxes here that I need six sets of copies of. Do you know where the copy room is?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, meet me there. There is no way you can carry this. I’ll drop them off for you.”

  He wasn’t exaggerating. He had three bank boxes piled so high the tops wouldn’t go on.

  “Keep everything in order. Make everything look identical to the original, so staples where you see staples, colored paper clips, sticky tab the corresponding copies. Staples, paper clips, and tabs are in the cabinet to your right. Kammy, I need this tomorrow, so don’t screw up.” How stupid did he think I was? How could you screw up a copy?

  I’d been standing at the machine for two hours when Enrique walked in.

  “Hey, so it worked out. You should have come by and said hi.”

  “We’re at work.”

  He smiled. “You’re right. You wanna go to lunch?”

  “I can’t. Luke needs this tomorrow, and I’d really like for your big brother to, at some point, quit hating me.”

  “Well, slave labor is definitely the way to his heart. I can see you tonight, right?”

  I grinned. “Sure.”

  He grabbed a binder from the filing cabinet. “Too bad you didn’t agree to lunch. I should be closing in on the fifth date soon.”

  I’d never been the type to blush, but Enrique was so hot something about that last comment did it. He winked at me and walked out the door. After another four hours non-stop at the copy machine, I finished Luke’s project. Eighteen boxes. I grabbed the three boxes of originals, put them in a roller chair, and pushed them to his office.

  “Come in,” he called after I rapped the door a few times.

  Still pushing the roller chair ahead of me, I walked in. “What’s this?”

  “Your originals. The copies are in the copy room. I need a few more trips.”

  “You finished?”

  “Yep.”

  “Thanks, I didn’t expect them until tomorrow afternoon. That was a lot of work. Kammy, you shouldn’t have picked those boxes up yourself. I would have done it.”

  “Ehh—I can pick up boxes.”

  “Well, if you need help, just ask. I’ll get the others.”

  “I’ll get the boxes. I want something else from you.” The guy hated me so much I didn’t have much to lose. And I was never going to resolve things with my sister until he quit hating me. And at some point, it would cause problems with Enrique, too. Assuming my drug dealer stalker didn’t break that deal first.

  “What?”

  “Quit hating me.”

  He raised his brows, and his eyes grew wide in surprise. “What?”

  “Quit hating me.”

  “I don’t hate you. You hurt my wife. And now you’re playing with Enrique.”

  “I’m not playing with Enrique.”

  “Good to know,” Enrique’s voice came from behind me. “Luke, I don’t know what you’re doing, but if you have to talk about me here, at least shut the door.”

  “I didn’t say anything about you.”

  “Whatever, I just thought you should know a certain frat boy is at mi mamá’s, home from school on fall break.” He put finger quotes around fall.

  “Since when does UT have a fall break?” Luke asked.

  “Your intern who graduated from UT two months ago says they don’t. I had a fall break a time or two, but I’m not sure administration recognized it.” Enrique stepped into the office.

  “When will Papá be back from Cancun?” Luke asked.

  “A couple of weeks. Frat boy has been home for two days. We haven’t seen him because he’s been locked in his room,” Enrique said.

  “Are you having dinner at Mama’s tonight?”

  Enrique grinned. “You know what? You’re everyone’s big brother. You deal with it.”

  Luke glared at him. “While you’re doing what?”

  “None of your business. But if you really don’t want to deal with it, just call Dad. He’s only settling mi abuelo’s will. I’m sure he won’t mind.”

  Enrique turned to leave, and I followed him out.

  I grabbed his arm. “I’m sorry. I—I’m sorry you heard that, but I’m not playing with you.”

  He sighed.

  “Are you upset with me?” I bit my bottom lip.

  “No, I’m upset with my brother for being in my business and for accusing you. We’re fine, but I’m not talking about this here. Okay?”

  “I’m not agreeing to that because I have to tell you something.”

  “What now?”

  “You can’t get mad at Luke for telling you what to do, then tell on Toni. Toni is the frat boy, right?”

  He shook his head. “He should be at school.”

  I nodded, but what I wanted to say was, “and you shouldn’t be dating a loser like me.” I bit my tongue, because I cared about Enrique way more than I should like a guy I’d known less than a week, and I didn’t want to talk him out of dating me.

  Chapter 8

  When Enrique came to pick me up that night, I blew him off. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done, but I told him he needed to go with Luke to take care of his little brother. True. Though I also thought with the guys gone, I could hang out with Tiffany and Lucí. I didn’t realize how much I missed my sister until I started staying in her house. There was a lot about Tiffany to love, and with Luke away, there would be no one here to remind her of all the reasons to hate me.

  “At least have coffee with me later tonight?” he asked when I told him to have dinner with his family instead of me. It was just coffee. No big deal. But that one line was about the sweetest thing I’d ever heard. He was so desperate to see me, and I wouldn’t even let him kiss me. He was interested in me for me, and I didn’t think that had ever happened before.

  It turned out that Tiffany was taking a cooking class that night. So much for a chance to talk. I needed t
en thousand dollars and quick, so I decided to look for a second job. I dropped by a burger place and a convenience store before I saw the black Escalade behind me. When I noticed Daniel following me, the job search was cut short. I texted Enrique that I needed him to find a way out and meet me.

  We agreed to meet at a Starbucks in the same neighborhood as Tiffany’s house. Daniel’s black Escalade tailgated me as I pulled into the parking lot. Enrique was already here, and if not, he would be soon. I was sure of that. So all I had to do was park close enough to the front door that Daniel couldn’t risk whatever he had planned. With outdoor tables on either side of the entrance, there was no way he’d hurt me, and once I found Enrique I’d be safe. But the parking lot was packed. No empty spaces near the door. Hell, no empty spaces near the store. The only thing I could do was park at the bank in the same parking lot and walk. This was bad. Very bad.

  The Escalade was on my tail even as I parked. I decided it was best to stay in the parked car. Enrique wouldn’t be able to park either, so he’d see the car and when he did I’d just text him to follow me and leave, but Daniel got out of the car and pounded his fists against my window. Staring straight ahead, I refused to get flustered. Stay calm. Ignore him. He’ll leave.

  It worked. He got back in his car and pulled out. He sped off across the parking lot, driving like a maniac. He was going to kill someone, but I couldn’t care because he was driving away from me. Until he circled around at the same speed. What is he doing? The Escalade plummeted towards my car—Enrique’s BMW—way too fast. If he didn’t slow down soon, he wouldn’t be able to stop. He’s not planning to stop. Before I’d completed the thought, the sound of metal bending rang through my ears and the seat bounced under me. Stay calm, Kammy. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Pushing the fear out of my mind, I took a second to figure out what happened. From the rearview mirror, I could see he hit me and he was backing up to do it again. We were far enough away from the Starbucks that no one gave us any attention. Just stay in the car. But he surprised me. He didn’t hit me a second time. He got out of his car and walked to my window again, tapping on it. I wasn’t getting out of this car. He bent his arm and swung toward the window.

  I had to get out of this car.

  One way or the other, he was going to get me out of this car. Might as well do it on my terms, before I was showered with glass and had a BMW window to pay for in addition to the tail end. On top of ten thousand dollars.

  I swung the door open and stepped out before his arm connected with the window. Thank God.

  “You think you’re cute, don’t you? Bitch, you got my money?”

  “I just need a little more time.”

  “Time? You’re out of time. The pawn shop won’t even take my shit since that damn diamond stunt you pulled.”

  “I didn’t buy the drugs. Emmett did. Why don’t you take this up with him?”

  His hands came up toward my head. My heart pounded against my rib cage at such a pace I couldn’t breathe. He’s going to crush me. His palms hit the metal of the car frame. I didn’t relax, but I said a little prayer.

  At least I wasn’t dead. Yet.

  His face came barreling toward me.

  “Sweetheart, I hate to break it to you but your husband is a loser. Squeezing him ain’t gonna get me my money. Squeezing you might. And you wrote the check. After that diamond stunt, I should kill you. I want cash now.”

  He reached into his pocket. Gun. That’s the only thing guys like Daniel pull out of their pocket. I had to do something and quick. I curled my foot around his leg and bit my bottom lip. “Maybe, we could work out some other arrangement?” I said as I moved the denim of his pant leg gently up and down with the tip of my sandal.

  His laugh sounded more like a grunt. “After those chunks of plastic? Not if you were the last woman on Earth.”

  Being cute was not going to get me out of this, and there was not much else to me. God, I wish I was smart like Tiffany. Then it hit me. I had one other asset. My eyes flashed down to where our legs were for a millisecond. I pushed my lower body forward a bit, so I’d be in a better position, sure the dumbass would just think I was still flirting with him. “Are you sure?” I asked.

  I had no idea if he would consider it or not, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was distracting him for that fraction of a second gave me time to bring my knee up and pound it into the crotch of his jeans. Daniel folded at the waist, grabbing his crotch with both hands. I slid one foot and then the other slightly to the left to give myself more room. Time to practice my high kick for the first time in years. My stiletto heel caught Daniel’s jaw with enough force to knock him off balance. Daniel slapped the parking lot as a bike pulled up less than a foot from me.

  “Are you okay?”

  I stepped over Daniel’s feet on the ground and jumped on the bike behind Enrique. “We need to get out of here.”

  He took his helmet off and handed it to me. “Wear this.”

  “Just go!”

  “Hang on.”

  I slipped one arm around Enrique and pushed the helmet over my head using my free hand. Then I leaned forward, closing my arms around him. Daniel couldn’t follow us right now thank God, but we needed to get as much distance between us as possible. Wind hit me in the face as we darted in and out of traffic.

  “You’re going to get us killed!” I screamed.

  “You just drop kicked a drug dealer. I think you can handle a bumpy ride.”

  We turned into the parking lot of a gated apartment building. Enrique pulled a card from his pocket and waived it in front of the gate. The iron bars slid apart, and we cruised past them and around the first couple of buildings before parking. The bike stopped and Enrique popped up, but I needed a minute to catch my breath and take in everything that had happened tonight. I blew out a deep breath, and when I looked up, Enrique studied me.

  “You never answered my question. Are you okay?” He extended his hand, and I took it, allowing his strength to pull me from the bike.

  “I’m fine.” Closing my eyes, I pictured Enrique’s beat up BMW in the bank parking lot. “God, I’m sorry about your car. I’ll pay for it.” Somehow. Eventually.

  He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of the car. I’ll tell the insurance I backed into a building. What happened, Kammy?”

  “Can we get inside first?”

  “Sure.” He took my hand and led me to the door.

  “Where are we?”

  “My place. I hope that’s cool. We should talk and I didn’t want to do it at Luke’s.”

  “It’s fine.”

  We stepped into a room with a large gray couch against one wall and a big screen TV and computer table against the other.

  I crossed to the couch and took a seat. Enrique went to the kitchen the living room opened up into, flipping on a light as he walked by.

  “Do you want a glass of wine?”

  “Yes.” After tonight I could use the whole bottle.

  A second light came on in the kitchen, and Enrique sat two wine glasses on the counter separating the rooms and began pouring into them.

  “Chica, what happened tonight?”

  “I went to apply for jobs and I noticed Daniel behind me. He followed me forever, so I texted you to meet me. I thought he would disappear if you were there, the way he backed down in the bar that night. But he followed me to the coffee shop, and when he couldn’t get me out of the car any other way, he rammed it.” I crossed to the counter and picked up my glass. Enrique was around the counter pulling me to him in seconds.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. Mí mama likes to talk, and I couldn’t get out quicker.”

  “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. I’m the one who wrote a hot check to a drug dealer.”

  “And drop kicked him. How did you do that?”

  I grinned. “I told you I was a dance major.”

  “When I saw the car, and him and you, I was so worried, but then you knocked him out. That w
as hot, Kammy.”

  I felt my cheeks warm at that and wondered what was happening to me. I wasn’t the kind of girl to blush, and this man had done it to me more than once.

  “But I’m sure it hurt his pride to have his ass kicked by a girl. The next time he finds you alone, he’s going to—hurt you.” The way his voice dropped on those last two words told me it wasn’t what he wanted to say, because we both knew the truth. The next time he would kill me. “I would give him the money to leave you alone, but I’m not sure he would do it, and I can’t have a paper trail to a drug dealer. My big brother would have a field day with that one.”

  “Hey, I didn’t ask you to pay him, and I don’t want you to.”

  “I know you didn’t ask me to, but I’m not sure what other option you have. You could go to the police, maybe. But you’re probably going to come out of it with some charges, and I can’t have that either.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m not killing time here, and I can’t have criminal connections either. I think that might get me disowned, if not disbarred.”

  The blood raced through my cheeks. I felt the color growing darker. I hated having my emotions so displayed, but I loved the feeling I got from being around Enrique. “Enrique, I told you not to get mixed up with me.”

  He shrugged. “I’m already involved.”

  Then I did something I’d never done before. I was completely honest. “I’m scared.”

  Enrique held me tighter. “I am too, but it’s going to be okay. Trust me.”

  “He knows where they live.”

  “Who knows where who lives?”

  “Daniel. He knows where I’m staying. He knows where Luke and Tiffany live. You were right, I shouldn’t have gone there. Lucí’s there. It makes me sick.”

  “How do you know?” he asked slowly.

  “He texted me a picture of their house.”

  Enrique let go of me and paced across the floor. “This is worse than I thought. I’m just paying him.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  “What choice do I have? He’s after you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, and even if I were that guy, you’re staying with my brother and his one-year-old. I’m getting rid of the drug dealer.”