Two steps from my vehicle, a hand lay on my shoulder.
I screamed.
My boss dodged a strike aimed at his throat.
“Caleb!” I stabbed his chest with my finger. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“I was calling for you.” He wore a cheesy grin that made him look ten years younger.
“Shit. Sorry. The wind.” I realized I was still yelling, pulled a chunk of hair out of my lipstick, and asked, “What’s up?”
A hearty gust knocked me sideways. Caleb grabbed my arm to hold me steady.
Hair tangled in my glasses, and I pushed them on top of my head to help tame the strands.
He leaned closer, his grin smug. “We got the meeting.”
“What?”
“First thing tomorrow. Carlos Rossi was impressed.”
“Oh, my God. That’s great!” Inside, I squealed like a little girl. Outside I was… Oh, who was I kidding? I clapped my hands together and hopped on my toes. “This is great, right?”
“This is better than great, King. We land Rossi Enterprises, we quadruple our numbers for the year.” Hands to my shoulders, he laughed. “You’ll be head of your own division in no time.”
I could’ve floated away with the winter storm. Unable to contain my joy, I threw my arms around my boss and gave him a celebratory squeeze.
His reciprocation was quick and innocent, and before letting me go, he whispered in my ear, “Now go home and rest up. Big things happening tomorrow. Big things.”
His hands slid to my waist, brief and more fatherly than affectionate, blue eyes beaming. “Glad you’re on our team, King.”
He reached around me, opened my door, and waited for me to settle in the seat.
“See ya’ tomorrow,” I yelled, watching him retreat.
God, I’d never sleep. The Rossi account was huge. I couldn’t wait to tell Cole.
I fired up the engine and cranked the heat. Movement caught my eye, and I glanced at the rearview. A blurry figure passed behind my car, but a head of blond hair was unmistakable.
I turned in my seat and righted my glasses to get a better look, but whomever I’d seen was gone.
Halfway home, my phone chimed with incoming texts.
Not until I was safely locked in my condo did I check my messages.
The first was a pic of Caleb and me mid-embrace.
Then another of Caleb looking down at me, his hands on my hips.
To any outsider, we could’ve been mistaken for lovers.
Gotcha, whore
Oh, God. Somebody had been at the bank. Watching. Taking photos. Close. Too close.
My doorbell chimed, announcing a visitor. I dashed to the small screen. A hooded figure stood outside, their back to the camera.
My heart thundered, my chest constricting. I was safe. Four stories up. My caller was outside with no way in unless I wanted them in, but I’d never felt more exposed. I pressed a trembling finger to the speaker button. “Who is it?”
The dark visitor didn’t move.
“Hey. Hi. You buzzed?”
Silence.
I waited, gaze glued to the small screen.
The person moved out of sight, but not before a wind gust blew a lock of blond hair over the top of the hood.
My cell chimed in my hand. I jumped. Screamed. Dropped the phone. The cursed thing taunted me from the floor.
New toy?
Not for long
The room spun. She was dead. Someone was playing a cruel joke. Oh, God. They never found her body. Had she even been in the car?
Victoria was dead.
She had to be dead.
Curled in a ball, phone to my ear, I waited, every ring a reminder of the distance, every second ticking another chink in my armor.
Four painfully long rings before he answered.
“Gorgeous. You’re early.” Heavy breaths blew through the speaker, traffic noise in the background.
“I couldn’t wait,” I said, my voice not my own and inaudible through the heavy rap in my chest.
“I know the feeling.” He laughed. “Been a crazy day, and I can’t stop thinking about seeing you next weekend.”
“Cole?” My voice quivered, and I forced a deep and slow inhale, exhale.
“Natalie. What’s wrong?”
“I…um.” I considered spilling my guts. But at what cost? Those texts couldn’t have come from Victoria. She was dead, right? God, what if I was wrong? I refused to drag Cole through that hell. Not without knowing for sure. He’d suffered her cruelty too much already.
No denying, though, I was shaken. My heart and head were a bloody mess of warring emotions. Cole would come to the rescue, I had no doubt. My white knight. My dimpled hero. A simple, “I need you,” and he’d come running.
But girl power and all that jazz. “Nothing. I’m fine. Just feels good to hear your voice.”
“You sound upset.”
“You sound busy.” I shouldn’t have called.
“On my way to a meeting.”
“I won’t keep you. Call me tonight. Our scheduled time.”
A door slammed, and the street noise disappeared. “Talk to me.”
“Really, I’m a thousand times better now that I’ve heard your voice.”
A huff. “This won’t work if we aren’t honest with each other.”
“I possibly landed a stellar account today,” I blurted, hoping to divert the conversation. “We’re meeting with the clients tomorrow. If they like my proposal, it would be a game changer for our division.”
“That’s great, sunshine. I’m proud of you. But you didn’t answer my question.”
“Really, I’m fine. I don’t want to make you late for—”
“Goddamn, Natalie!” A hard slam. “Don’t do that.” Weighted silence. A deep inhale, loud exhale. “Fuck. I’m sorry I yelled. But I’m going out of my fucking mind here, okay? It’s hard enough trusting someone again. I need transparency. All the time. I can’t do this if… I can’t live like…” The phone crackled like he was changing hands. “You’re far away, and I need to know you’re okay.”
He wasn’t asking too much. Honestly, I loved that he worried. Worry meant he cared, right? Or maybe it wasn’t worry for my wellbeing but for his own piece of mind. We were hundreds of miles apart, and I could betray him in countless ways if I were so inclined.
Victoria’s infidelity had done a number,
