by Allen, Sara
Marco sat down in his plush, Italian leather chair. He sank down in the cushiony seat and started going through his emails. The first email that he noticed was the message that was obviously sent from a dummy account.
Marco smirked. These idiots think it’s untraceable, as if all you have to do is just make up and send information from a fake email address.
Marco shook his head and opened the email.
Sydney Hamilton
Age: 28
Employment: Hamilton, Thompson, and Durr law firm
Address: 2223 Canton Ave. Apt 24B Dallas TX 75201
Phone: 469-555-3469
Parents: Sandra and Stanley Hamilton
Marco read over the information and started a search on Sydney Hamilton. He couldn’t understand why the client wanted Ms. Hamilton followed if he had so much information on her. Most people came to him with just a name and the rest was up to him. Something wasn’t right about this client, but he would figure that out upon meeting him.
***
Three hours later, Marco was called into the conference room where his client was waiting.
Bradford Murray was an average looking man, but he had an air of entitlement about him that made you notice him. He was around 5’10” with reddish blonde hair that was cut short. He had dark blue eyes that were set deep in his slender face. He had a long nose and a sharp jaw line. Bradford was dressed in a dark blue tailored suit with a matching blue tie and expensive leather shoes. He wore a gold watch with a matching tie clip and cuff links. He obviously had money, and he wanted everyone to know it.
Bradford stood when Marco entered the room. Marco knew that Bradford was sizing him up, but he wasn’t at all intimidated. This was his office, and he ran shit. Plus, this little entitled bastard had nothing on Marco. He entered the room, standing at his full 6’4” height. His hazel eyes stood out against his olive skin. His dark, black hair was slicked back away from his face. It was longer than what was deemed professional, but Marco didn’t give a damn. He wore a tailor made black suit and a crisp white shirt with no tie and the top two buttons undone. Marco liked to feel relaxed in his office, so he rarely wore a tie to work. Marco was also wearing a gold watch and matching cuff links, which Bradford noticed while extending his hand to shake.
“Mr. Bellomi, glad you could meet with me,” Bradford stated.
“Sure. I received your email, as well as your payment. I understand the parameters of the job. What I don’t understand is why you needed a meeting,” Marco bluntly replied.
“I just wanted to make sure that you understand the urgency of this particular job. This isn’t just some woman that I need followed. This is my future wife. Well, that’s if she is on the up and up. I need to make sure she’s the right woman to have by my side for my political career.”
Marco nodded his head in understanding. This wasn’t the first time he had to follow a woman to make sure she was who she said she was, especially with these rich types. There were always gold diggers, drug abusers, and downright evil bitches trying to get money. He decided that he would take the job for the time being, but upon meeting Bradford Murray, Marco knew there was something more to the story than what he was being told.
***
Marco sat in his black, 1970 Ford Mustang. A few years ago, the car would have stood out like a sore thumb, but now, with the revamp of the muscle car, his “Sally” fit right in. He inconspicuously had been watching Ms. Sydney Hamilton for the last two weeks. As far as he could tell, she didn’t warrant anything that would cause any type of suspicion. She worked extremely long hours, going into her office at 6am, usually working through her lunch, and leaving around 7pm, only then to go to another job at Haley’s House for an additional three to four hours. Normally, she would go home to her downtown condo, where she would stay until it was time to get up and do it all again.
Marco would have been bored to tears if he weren’t completely mesmerized by Sydney’s beauty. Marco had been around plenty of beautiful women before, but it was something about this woman that had him captivated from the very first time he laid eyes on her. Sydney stood at a petite 5’3” with a body of an athlete. Her calves and thighs were defined and muscular. They were both accentuated by the sky high heels she wore; those shoes had to be at least five to six inches. He began to wonder how those heels would look thrown over his shoulders or wrapped around his waist. The more he watched her, the more his imagination got away from him.
Sydney wore her ebony tresses pulled back from her face in a ponytail or a bun. However, Marco had gotten a glimpse of her wearing her hair down, falling around her shoulders in bountiful waves that framed her heart shaped face. Her chocolate complexion was smooth and blemish free. If Marco didn’t already know she was almost thirty, he would’ve sworn she was fresh out of college. And although he had never spoken with her, he could tell that she had a heart of gold because Sydney had a kind smile and a warm conversation for almost everyone she came in contact with. He wanted to be the man she smiled at, and gave longing looks to.
Marco realized quickly that maybe Sydney should be his client; after all, she was the person that volunteered her time, went out of her way to help others, and seemed to be a genuine person, so the person he should be watching was Bradford Murray.
Chapter 2
Marco couldn’t let go of the idea that something was up with Bradford Murray. So, the next morning, instead of him personally following Sydney, he sent one of his guys to keep an eye on her instead, and he went into his office to do a little digging on Bradford Murray.
“Hey, Mel, could you get me all the contact info that Bradford Murray left, please?” Marco asked his assistant as he walked into his spacious office.
Mel raised an eyebrow. “Sure thing, boss, and is there any particular reason why we are researching the person paying us to do the research?”
Marco chuckled. He knew it wouldn’t take Mel long to question him, especially since he was in the office when he was supposed to be handling a job.
“Something doesn’t feel right, and my gut is telling me there is something off about Mr. Murray.”
“Well, I’m glad you said it because he seemed like a real slime ball when he was in here; real shifty with beady, squinty eyes. And he was an arrogant asshole…excuse my French,” Mel said with a smirk.
Marco chuckled again. “No getting anything past you, Mel.”
Mel just shrugged. “That’s why I work here. You know better than anyone that I’m not just a pretty face. There’s a big brain under all this fabulousness.”
Marco full on laughed as he told her, “Just get the information, Mel.”
Mel laughed as well. “Coming right up!”
After Mel brought the contact information for Bradford to Marco, he did a reverse search and found his IP address for his computer. These people thought they were so smart making up phony email addresses, but they would use their own computers to do so. That’s how they always got caught; they never covered their tracks as well as they thought they did. He also gave his real name, so it wasn’t hard to track almost everything about him. The bastard was definitely smug, but not very intelligent. Maybe he thought Marco wouldn’t look into him because he was writing the checks, but he should’ve asked around more about Marco because he was very thorough in his jobs, especially when the supposed perp, in this case Sydney, was squeaky clean.
***
Marco knew Bradford was a bastard, but he just couldn’t have fathomed just how much of a bastard he really was. Marco followed Mr. Murray himself, while one of Marco’s guys, Frank, kept an eye on Sydney. It didn’t take much time to see that Bradford was definitely the person with things to hide. He fancied himself a gentleman, a real good ole boy with connections from businessmen, politicians, and right down to law enforcement. His sense of self-worth knew no bounds. He thought he could do what he wanted whenever he wanted. That included hanging out at one of the premier strip clubs in the Dallas area. This didn’t make him a bastard,
however. What made him a bastard was the fact that he went home with a different dancer almost every time he left the place after shelling out thousands of dollars while he was dating one of the most beautiful women Marco had ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on; that made Bradford not only a bastard but a fool. It pissed Marco off that a guy like Bradford had a woman like Sydney at home, and he would treat her with such disrespect. Marco could’ve beaten his ass at the thought, but Sydney wasn’t Marco’s woman, so beating the shit out of Bradford wouldn’t do him any good.
Following Bradford on yet another night, Marco noticed that he seemed to have a particular type of woman, a type that his current girlfriend didn’t at all match. Every woman that Marco saw Bradford with was blonde, big boobed, stick thin and very, very white. It was okay to have a preference. Everyone found different things attractive, but he didn’t understand why Bradford was with Sydney at all if these were the kinds of women he wanted. So Marco decided he would do a little more research into the real reason why Bradford was dating Sydney.
Days later, after further digging into Bradford and a couple of interviews, Marco found the reason as to why Bradford “the playboy” suddenly wanted to date a seemingly good girl like Sydney Hamilton. Although it was common knowledge that Bradford was running for Mayor and his family was a big political powerhouse, but it was known to very few that Bradford was the family’s blacksheep. When he was younger, he was always screwing up and getting into trouble, and he didn’t fit the persona that the family had erected for his brother. That’s why at thirty-seven, he was late to the game of politics. He also had a nasty incident in college where his fraternity was involved in what was deemed a racist party, where all of the white students that attended came in what they considered to be “hood” or “ghetto” attire. Some even came in blackface. The incident was quickly buried, and Bradford switched to another college, midterm, never publicly affiliating with the fraternity again. Although the incident wasn’t vastly known about, there were whisperings about the Murray family being closeted bigots. In their inner circle, it didn’t matter, but for a politician that needed the minority vote, those whispers could equal disaster. Marco learned that after years of cleaning up Bradford’s image, the Murray patriarch, Braxton, decided it was time for Bradford to enter the family business of politics. The whispers of Bradford’s college episode had died down somewhat, but they needed a complete shutdown of the rumor mill. So, the Murray’s put out almost a statewide search for someone that fit their profile for being the future Mrs. Bradford Murray, and the number one criteria was that she had to be a minority.
Enter the lovely, but oblivious, Ms. Sydney Hamilton.
***
Sydney was exhausted after a long week of work. She was extremely busy this week with the new case her law firm was handling, and she was particularly busy with all the new intakes to Haley’s House. When the weather started to get warmer, it never failed that the incidents of domestic violence went up. She just hoped that there would be enough beds and space for everyone because the rooms were quickly being filled.
Sydney breathed a long sigh as her phone chimed with another missed call from her boyfriend, Bradford. He was acting really peculiar as of late. Normally, it would be Sydney calling Brad, trying to make time to spend with him. He had previously always been too busy, saying that his campaign was taking up his time. Now, Bradford was incessantly calling and texting. Sydney couldn’t understand his all of a sudden change.
Sydney and Bradford had been dating for almost seven months, and they looked like the perfect couple; well, on paper, at least. In person, they couldn’t be more different. Where Sydney had smooth, chocolate skin and dark brown eyes, Brad had pale skin with traces of red and dark blue eyes. But it wasn’t just their appearances that made them different; it was their outlook on almost everything. Sydney was a nurturer. She loved helping people just for the sake of helping, but Brad always had an agenda. The only reason he would help someone was if it served him in some way. He was a true politician. He wasn’t always like that, though. When they first met in college, Bradford had been an outgoing carefree guy with a sense of humor and a quick wit. In college, they were just friends seeing each other socially, but years later, when they saw each other at a charity gala, he came on to her, and they began dating. Sydney was a little hesitant at first because they had only ever been friends while in college. She had also never known him to date a black woman before, but he seemed genuinely interested in her, so she decided that she would take a chance and date him. However, Bradford was not the same carefree guy he had been back in college. He had turned into a ruthless business man, and now he was running for mayor. Although it had only been seven months since they had started dating, Sydney was starting to see who Bradford really was, and she was beginning to pull away.
The thought of Brad, his elitist attitude, and his smug self-righteousness made Sydney cringe. She was going to have to end things with him soon, no matter what the consequences might be from her parents. Her parents believed that she needed to be married with babies already. If she didn’t even have a man in her life, her mother would began setting her up on dates again and hounding her on a daily basis, but she’d be damn if she would marry Brad even if she had to put up with her mother.
Chapter 3
It was 7pm on a weekday, and Sydney was heading out to Haley’s House. She loved the volunteer work she did there with the families. Sydney taught a success class two nights a week to the women trying to get back into the workforce, and a fun fashion class for the women to learn how to dress for a new job on a small budget. Most of these women were starting from scratch and had been out of the workforce for years, and some didn’t have any previous job experience at all. Not only did they not have any skills, not even for entry level positions, but they also didn’t know what was expected as far as work attire. Sydney would help them with makeup, hair, and putting together appropriate clothing. She would also help them with interview questions, typing, and computer skills. It took a lot of time, but Sydney wouldn’t want to spend her time doing anything else.
The problem with Sydney spending so much time at Haley’s House was that Bradford started asking her to cut back on her hours there in order to help him with his campaign that was coming up in the fall. Sydney didn’t feel it was necessary for her to be by his side every waking moment or even to campaign because they were not a married couple. In fact, they weren’t even engaged. Being with Bradford was harder than anything should be, especially if you were supposed to care about that person. They were just different people.
The buzzing of her cell phone brought Sydney out of her musings. She looked at the Caller ID, and saw that it was Bradford…again.
I guess I better answer it, so he can stop calling, Sydney thought to herself.
She had just arrived at Haley’s House, so she decided that she would find an empty office for some privacy.
“Hello?” Sydney answered with an exasperated sigh.
“It’s about damn time! Where the hell have you been?” Bradford huffed into the phone. “I have called you several times today, Sydney, and not only did you not answer the phone, you didn’t call me back immediately. This is unacceptable behavior that is unbecoming to someone in your position.” Bradford was tired of dealing with Sydney’s sudden avoidance. He could have any woman that he wanted and she needed to get with the program.
“Bradford, what the hell are you talking about? Unbecoming to someone in my position; what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Sydney asked Bradford annoyed; her voice becoming louder with each question.
Bradford sputtered into the phone, shocked by Sydney’s display of annoyance toward him. She had never stood up to him before; she just simply nodded and went along with what he said. However, as of late, something had changed. That’s why he and his family decided to have her followed. He needed to get to the bottom of her erratic behavior before Election Day. He needed to be seen as a stable wholesome man with a lovi
ng relationship.
“Why are you acting so crazy? You know this erratic behavior is not something I can take lightly…What’s gotten into you?”
Both Bradford and his family had decided that Sydney Hamilton and her family fit the prestige and diversity needed for his easy acceptance for the beginning of his political career. Sydney was attractive enough for Bradford; she just wasn’t his type per se. He could, however, keep her in the forefront for the good of his image; he would just keep a little something on the side for his actual needs. But Sydney was not following protocol, and she was starting to mess with not only his plans but his career. He was only going along with being with her because of his father’s wishes, but her attitude as of late was starting to wear him thin.
“I’m not acting crazy…you are calling me like a fucking psycho…and you’re starting to really piss me off!” Sydney had had enough of playing it cool. She was going to tell Bradford exactly where to go and how to get there.
“Sydney, you will not speak to me in that manner. What’s gotten into you?” Bradford responded in a sharp tone appalled at the language she had used.
“Nothing has gotten into me, Brad. You’re the one calling me and screaming in the damn phone like some lunatic,” Sydney replied through clenched teeth, she was no longer trying to reign in her temper. “I am a successful attorney, I volunteer my time, and I have a life. What makes you think I have time to pick up your three thousand calls throughout the day? It couldn’t have been urgent or an emergency because not one of those times did you leave a message.”
“That’s the problem, Sydney; you spend too much time at that damn center or whatever,” Bradford said in a snide tone. “It’s fine to volunteer every once in a while, but you are there more than you are with me. It’s unacceptable, and I won’t put up with it any longer! If we are going to be together, you need to stop with your foolishness and get with the program. It’s important for me to win this election, and you need to be part of the process.”