by Krista Lakes
I pulled out a bottle of wine from my fridge. It was white and from the five dollar bin, so just my kind of wine.
“If it isn’t Chateau d’Yquem, I’m not interested,” Audrey replied. She took off her sunglasses, carefully putting them in her bag. I noticed that her eyes looked different than usual. Tired. Frightened.
I wondered what could do that to her. She usually looked like the epitome of class. Today, she looked haggard.
I poured my wine into a regular drinking class. I had wine glasses, but I knew that putting it in the wrong glass would annoy her.
“I don’t have anything for you today,” I told her, wiping the back of my hand across my mouth.
“That is a shame,” Audrey replied. Her eyes narrowed. “Especially since I know you’ve come into information I requested.”
I thought of my deleted photo, but kept my face smooth. “Then your reports are wrong.”
Fire flashed through Audrey’s green eyes, but then quickly disappeared. “I’m sure you’ve heard about Congressman Smith by now,” she said, changing the direction of the conversation. “It’s a terrible thing.”
I nodded apprehensively. “He was caught selling secrets.”
She smiled, but it was cold and cruel.
“No. I was selling secrets. He’s taking the fall.”
I took a step back, surprised. “What?”
She waved her hand through the air. “I’m not telling you this to brag, dear. I’m telling you to make a point,” she explained. “Smith crossed me. He was supposed to give me the information and I was to be the broker. He decided to cut me out.”
I couldn’t believe she was telling me all of this. Hope sprang up in my chest. My phone was recording all her confession. I had her. I just had to keep looking surprised.
“You told the authorities he did it,” I whispered. “You told them and they arrested him.”
“You are smarter than you look,” she sneered. Her usual elegance was missing tonight. Tonight there was an edge of madness. She was desperate and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know why.
“I don’t have anything for you,” I repeated. “I need more time.”
“That is a shame.” She shook her head. “You see, I have bills to pay. Smith’s info was going to pay them. Only now, I’m out an informant.” Her eyes went to me and I squirmed.
“I can’t give you what I don’t have,” I repeated. My mind raced. “I mean, I do have the research for Anastasia.”
She waved her hand through the air, dismissing my words. “You think I care about that? I need those documents, Aria. And I need them now. My customers are not patient people.”
“I need more time. I got put on another project,” I lied. “I’ve been double tasked, triple if you count the research. I am trying, though.”
“Too busy to take photos like this?” She held up her phone, showing me the document I’d taken a picture of earlier. I stared in disbelief. There was no way she could have that. I had deleted it. I knew I had deleted it.
“And that recording you have going right now,” she motioned to my phone sitting out on the counter. “You’ll find it stopped working.”
“How did you... how?” I stumbled over the question, unable to even form it properly.
Audrey shrugged. “I’d have been disappointed if you hadn’t at least tried. I am a little amazed at how pathetic an attempt it was. I have no idea how you’re going to make it as a senator, darling.”
My heart sunk. She had the document. I had no idea how she had it, other than she had hacked my phone. Which made sense if she knew about the recording.
Audrey’s voice was low and dangerous as she lowered her eyes to mine. “You have until the end of next week. That should be more than enough time.”
“I’ll get you something,” I promised. My knees were shaking behind the kitchen counter. I’d never seen Audrey like this. She was dangerous. I didn’t know what was safe anymore.
“No, you’ll get me everything,” she said softly. “You’ll give me every damn scrap of paper in that entire worthless building.”
I gasped.
“And since you’re making me wait, I’m going to release something on your father.” A cruel grin spread across her face. “Just to show you that I’m not kidding around. You’re swimming with the sharks now, Aria.”
“Please, I promise to get what you want,” I stammered. My father’s face flashed in front of my eyes. “Please. Don’t release anything.”
“No. You need a lesson.” She looked around the room and scoffed. “And don’t worry. It won’t be too damaging. It’s just a reminder that I own you.”
“Please, Audrey. I’ll get you what you want.” I had no idea how I was going to do that. The last thing in the entire world I wanted to do was give her any information.
“Yes, you will.” Her face hardened and I trembled as she looked at me. “Because if you don’t, you’ll end up just like Smith. Imagine how easy it would be for them to find paperwork from your office at my home. If anyone goes down for this, it’s not going to be me. It will always be you. I’ve made sure of it.”
Her threat made, she turned and sashayed out of my apartment.
“Don’t forget, dear. Next Monday. All of it,” she called out as she went to the elevator. I thought she was gone when she suddenly reappeared. “I will need that research.”
“Right.” I moved like a zombie to my purse and pulled out a thumb drive. I nearly dropped it handing it to her.
“Thank you, dear,” she said. The evil cruelty was gone. The perfect, poised woman was back. “Have a wonderful rest of your evening.”
She smiled and waltzed out of my home, leaving me shaking like a leaf.
I stood in my kitchen, my knees shaking and my skin clammy. The door was open and I heard the elevator bell chime. I waited until I was sure she was gone before venturing out of the safety of the kitchen. It took a big swig of wine to do so, though.
I peeked through the open door to make sure she was really gone before closing and locking my door. I crumpled to the floor, shaking in terror.
She was going to destroy me no matter what I did. If I didn’t give her the information she wanted, she would frame me. If I did, I had no doubt that she would hold it over my head for the rest of my life. I held no illusions about that now.
She wanted to destroy me. I had thought I might be able to find a way out of this, but now I didn’t have any ideas. I was trapped with no escape from my evil stepmother.
Chapter 15
I didn’t take a shower.
Instead, I pulled up my phone contact information, wrote them all down on a piece of paper along with any other information that I thought was important in my phone. Then I checked my recording app. It hadn’t taken a thing. All that remained was two recordings of static. If I had given this to the authorities, they would have laughed me out of the room.
I had been used. Hacked. Tricked.
I thought about just throwing my phone in the garbage. I thought about smashing it with a brick or throwing it in the bathtub or possibly the garbage disposal. Although, I just bought a new garbage disposal and I didn’t want to wreck it.
Besides, if I did that, my stepmother would have more power over me. She would ask for my new number so she could contact me. She would be able to find access to me. I shivered at the thought.
Better I keep this phone with nothing important on it. It was better to know my weak points and defend them than just make more. So, I put a piece of tape over the camera and duct taped the microphone. I would have to look up what else to do on the internet to make it so that it couldn’t record anything.
I logged out of every app on my phone. Then, I went to my computer and changed every password to something with numbers, letters, special characters, and made them all ridiculously long. I knew I would regret it later when I wouldn’t be able to remember any of them, but it made me feel like I was doing something now.
I wasn’t going to take thi
s cursed thing out of my purse anyway. I put it in a plastic baggie full of cotton balls and then stuffed it all the way to the bottom of my purse. It still felt like I had a pit viper in the bottom of my bag, but at least I knew where it was and that it was safe.
I grabbed my wallet, leaving the purse and the cursed phone in my apartment, and went down to the supermarket next to my apartment building. I didn’t buy panko crumbs. I bought a cheap phone and a new number. With cash.
When I came back upstairs and put the phone numbers in the new phone, the first person I texted was Henry.
* * *
Hi Henry. It’s Aria. This is a new number. My old phone broke. Please call me.
* * *
I would tell Jaqui my new number in the morning at work. I wanted to keep it quiet that I had a new phone number, just in case anyone accidentally told my stepmother. No one knew just how evil she was. I didn’t even believe it myself until tonight.
I sat in my dark apartment with nothing to do. Now that I had a new phone and had wrapped the old one up, I was at a loss. My stepmother had a photo of a document that only I had access to. She owned me.
And she was going to destroy me. I didn’t know what to do, but my brain couldn’t seem to slow down long enough to come up with a solution. All I could do was sit in the dark and try not to panic.
The burner phone began to ring. I nearly jumped out of my skin. It was a loud jangling sound that was terrible, but still better than my stepmother being able to track me.
“Aria?” Henry’s voice came over the phone and I nearly collapsed with relief. Just hearing his voice made me feel so much better.
“Henry. Thanks for calling.” My voice cracked saying his name. I sat down hard on the couch.
“Are you okay? What happened to your phone?” His voice held so much concern I felt like crying. Someone cared.
“It’s a long story,” I replied, not wanting to infect him with my stepmother’s poison. “I just needed to hear your voice. It’s been a really long day.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “Have you eaten?”
I shook my head even though he couldn’t see it. “No. I just got home. To be honest, I just want to take a shower and go to bed. It’s been a rough day.”
“I’m in the neighborhood,” he said. “Let me take care of you.”
The kindness in his voice nearly broke me. He wanted to take care of me.
I needed that right now. I felt so lost in the dark. I’d been betrayed by my stepmother and I had no one to turn to.
If all he did was bring me food and hug me, I would at least feel better. I would be able to think of a solution if I could calm down.
“Okay,” I whispered. I knew I shouldn’t let him get close to me. He had an international job and being with a seller of secrets couldn’t be good for his business. But I was selfish and the idea of someone caring about me was too much to pass up.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” he promised.
I sat in the dark on my couch for seven minutes before I heard him knock on my door.
“Aria?” he called out.
I scrambled to my feet and threw open the door. The bright hallway lights nearly blinded me after the darkness of my apartment.
Henry stood there, my knight in shining armor. He had a brown paper bag that smelled amazing, a bottle of wine, and a smile.
I wanted the smile most of all.
I kissed him, and he shuffled into the my apartment to set the food and wine on my table so he could properly kiss me back.
I melted into him, losing myself to his kisses and gentle caresses. His fingers splayed out on my back, strong and steadying. Everything else in my world felt out of control, but he was solid. He was safe.
I pressed my head into his shoulder, letting him hold me.
“You’re shaking like a leaf,” he murmured, pulling back. “And you’ve been crying. What happened?”
He smoothed the hair away from my face and I leaned my cheek into his palm. “It’s been a crappy day since you left.”
“Then I guess I won’t leave you this time,” he replied. My heart fluttered and I looked up. His blue eyes were warm and dark. They reminded me of the ocean on a calm summer night.
“My stepmother is a horrible person,” I blurted out. “She’s vindictive and is going to ruin everything.”
“Is she why you are upset?” he asked. There was a protective growl in his voice.
I nodded.
“You want to talk about it?” he asked. “No judgment.”
I wanted to. I wanted to tell him everything. But then, he would be caught up in all this nonsense. I couldn’t do that to him. I shook my head no.
“She’s just a terrible person. I don’t really want to talk about it. It’s nothing I can’t figure out,” I told him. “I just want it to go away. I’m just panicking a little right now.”
He nodded and smoothed my hair. “Well, can you do anything about it right this minute?”
I frowned and looked up at him. “Not really.”
“Then, it’s not something you can fix right now,” he said gently. “What you can fix is that you haven’t eaten and you need a shower. You stink.”
He made a face that made me laugh. It felt good to laugh.
“How’d you get so smart?” I asked him as he hugged me close again.
“My dad,” he said softly. “Whenever I would get overwhelmed with things, he would ask me what I could fix right this minute. If it couldn’t be fixed right now, then he said I had enough time to calm down and figure it out.”
“I like that. It’s doable.” My stomach grumbled loud enough that both of us looked down at it.
“It’s easier to calm down when you aren’t hungry,” he said with a smile. With one more squeeze, he let me go and went over to the table and began pulling the food out of the bag.
“That smells wonderful.” I took a deep breath in and sat down at the small table as he smiled at me.
“Mashed potatoes, meatloaf, green beans with bacon, rolls, and of course, some chocolate cake,” he explained, spreading out the feast. The food completely covered my small table as he handed me a plastic fork. “And no plates.”
I chuckled and opened up the container of mashed potatoes. “Thank you, Henry.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he replied, picking up a fork of his own.
Chapter 16
Henry was absolutely right. I did feel better with some food in my stomach. Things looked a little less bleak when I wasn’t hungry. I began to feel like there might be a chance I could figure something out. It wasn’t the end of the world.
Henry kept the conversation light. He told me about his travels to different parts of the world. He made me laugh with funny stories about his military days and the trouble they would get into because there was nothing else to do on base. He kept me laughing and smiling as we ate, my thoughts far from my own troubles.
When I was done with dinner, he said, “You start the water for your shower. I’ll take care of the dishes.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I told him, already pulling the empty containers together.
“Why do you think I said that we weren’t using plates?” he replied with a smile. “Easiest dishes ever, remember?”
I chuckled and let him take the empty containers away from me. He quickly collected them and swept them into the trash bin before I had a chance to do much more than watch.
“Now, shower,” he said, motioning his head toward my bathroom.
“I know, I stink,” I replied with a grin. I loved the way he grinned back at me.
I stood up, feeling far calmer than I had all day, and looked over at him. He was carefully boxing up the last of our leftovers, his eyes focusing on his work. He was so damn handsome in that moment. He wore tan slacks and a button up blue dress shirt, yet he looked comfortable. He turned, his hair catching the light, and he raised his eyebrows.
“What is it?” he asked, straighten
ing from the table.
“You want to join me?” I bit my lip, hoping that he would say yes. I wanted to see his beautiful body and a shower seemed like a good excuse. I wasn’t sure how long he was staying tonight. He was obviously dressed for work and I didn’t want to interfere with his business.
But I did want him to take my mind off of things in other ways than just food.
A slow, cocky smile crossed his face as he sauntered around the table. “You want me to join you for a shower?” he asked. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as his bright eyes looked me over. One arm wrapped around my waist, drawing me into him.
I nodded, my lip still caught between my teeth.
He glanced in the direction of my tiny bathroom. “You think it will fit both of us?”
I grinned, knowing that was as good as a yes. “It’ll be tight, but I think you’ll fit.”
His eyes darkened as they came back to me. “You know I like tight.”
Sexual energy fluttered up from between my legs and wrapped around my core. I loved the way his hips pressed against mine. I could already feel his heat calling to me.
I went up on my tiptoes and pressed my mouth to his. He hummed with pleasure, opening his mouth and tasting me.
“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he whispered.
Taking my hand, he led me to the bathroom. I followed behind him, happy to let him take charge. He turned on the tap, checking it with the back of his hand to make sure it was the correct temperature before turning to face me.
His smile was kind but his eyes shone with desire. He reached for my front, his fingers finding the buttons to my shirt. Carefully, he undid each one, his attention focused solely on the buttons. He slid the fabric from my shoulders and my shirt fell to the floor.
His eyes dilated as he looked at me. One finger traced the curve of my shoulder before coming to my bra strap.
“You’re better at this part,” he said, his voice gruff with desire. I reached behind me and undid the clasp, holding the bra cups to my chest for a moment before letting the flesh-colored garment hit the floor.