I nodded. "Thank you for everything, Jeremy. I'll try to call you later, once I get to where I'm going. Let Asher know that I'll call him, too."
"Yeah, sure," Jeremy said. "Have a safe trip."
I waved goodbye and headed to the train platform.
It wasn't much to speak of, to be honest. This wasn't a large train station, not by any means. A short drive outside of the city, but in this case that meant all the difference in the world. It was mostly quiet and quaint, used for longer trips more than anything else. I used to take the train back before I met Asher, because it was a lot cheaper than flying.
My friends and I would get coach tickets and go to quieter, out of the way places, stay overnight, and have a fun time. It was an adventure, in an odd sort of way. Traveling by train was nice, too. We could sit in the dining car and entertain ourselves there, or go back to our seats and just stare at the scenery from the windows. We never splurged and got one of the rooms, because it never seemed worth it.
Asher and I had taken the train to the small town where we got married, also. We got a room that time, but not the biggest one. I honestly wasn't sure why I bothered getting a large bedroom suite for just myself, especially considering I didn't know where I was going yet. I'd just felt so caged up and cramped lately, unable to move or do anything, that the prospect of a large suite on a train seemed really alluring. Or, large in comparison to the other options, at least. I doubted it'd be the most extravagant suite in the world, but it was plenty big enough for me.
I hurried to the boarding platform. A man near one of the doors took my ticket and helped me get my luggage bag up the short steps inside. Before I stepped up to follow him, I looked around one last time.
A news reporter and cameraman stood a little further down, arguing with each other. They hadn't seen me yet. I froze, staring at them, unsure what to do. I could hear them talking from where I was.
"Might have been a gag," the reporter said. "It was a strange tip. Would have been a great exclusive if it was true."
"Yeah," the cameraman said. "The train's still here, though. Maybe—"
They both glanced around. I was still standing there.
The ticket collector offered me a helping hand inside. "Ma'am? We'll be leaving shortly. Just a couple minutes now. You'll need to get to your seat before we head on out."
The news reporter and cameraman saw me. I tried to shrink away from them, but it didn't do me any good; they recognized me immediately.
I took the ticket man's hand and let him help me up and in. The media people rushed after me, calling out my name, but I ignored them. Once I had my luggage, a woman inside offered to help show me to my suite.
"Come on!" the reporter said to the ticket collector. "We don't want to take the train anywhere, we just want to go inside for a second before it leaves."
"No can do," the ticket collector said. "Train's leaving in a minute or two, anyways. I was about to step on board and close the doors before you two rushed up like a pair of bulls."
"We can get tickets?" the cameraman said to the reporter. "It's a stretch, but think of the story?"
"You boys are welcome to try," the collector said. "You've got about a minute. Have at it."
That was all I heard. I rushed down the center aisle, following the woman who had offered to guide me. I didn't make it far before I heard the train door close behind me, though. I looked over my shoulder and saw the man who had helped me in. He smiled and winked at me. I laughed and smiled back.
Whew! That worked out um... well, it worked out. I didn't know what else to make of it, but I was glad they hadn't gotten on board. How terrible would that have been? Maybe it wouldn't have even mattered, though. I had a room to myself, and I wasn't about to let anyone in once I got to it.
The woman showed me to the bedroom suite door, then helped me inside.
"Is it just you?" she asked, one eyebrow slightly raised.
"Yes," I said. "I know it seems like a bit much, but I haven't had time to myself lately, so I thought I'd make the best of it while I could."
She nodded knowingly. After giving me a quick tour, she left me to myself, stepping into the corridor and closing the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, I went to lock it. I felt safe and private enough, but I wanted to make doubly sure.
The bedroom suite was interesting in its own way. It was actually two separate bedrooms, though they were combined by a connecting door in the center. I walked through the door to the second area, and made sure to lock the door leading into the hallway from there, too.
Asher and I had taken a smaller one of these when we made our wedding and brief honeymoon trip, so I knew mostly how it worked. I put my bag and purse off to the side, then folded down the chairs in one of the rooms to turn it into a bed. As soon as it was vertical and ready for laying on, I did just that. Falling backwards, I plopped onto the cushioned seats—now a twin bed—and lay there, staring at the ceiling.
This was nice. Maybe it was nicer than nice. I wished Asher was here, though. I had my cellphone now, tucked away in my purse, so I could call him if I wanted. I wondered what he was doing? Jeremy should be going to pick him up, I supposed. Asher would probably stop by the police station and visit his lawyer without me, too. I felt a little bad about that one, but in all honestly I didn't think we both needed to be there, at least not for the lawyer trip. The police might not be too happy about me skipping out on offering them some information, but... well, I'd already talked to them today, hadn't I? If there was some pressing need for them to interrogate me for whatever reason, I thought Dean would have asked me some questions right then and there.
Maybe that wasn't how it worked. How should I know? I'd act oblivious if it came to it, because I kind of was. I didn't know why they needed to ask Asher and I questions. Neither of us wanted to press charges against Lucent, and neither of us believed Lucent or Elise were guilty of anything in the first place.
Why were the police so adamant about it, then? Officer Thompson made it sound especially strange, which I somewhat understood. It was hard to tell, though. I wanted to believe that the police were there to enforce laws and keep everyone safe, but right now they just weren't doing that. They wanted to arrest Lucent for arson, for whatever reason, and...
I couldn't understand the situation. I didn't know why Lucent and Elise needed to leave, except that they were being framed for a crime they didn't commit and... and there was more, but it got a lot more confusing after that, too. Elise mentioned Lucent being involved in some bad things, but Asher was somewhat involved in them, too. How involved? I wasn't really sure. I knew about the secret passages in the mansion and the hidden saferoom, but I didn't know if there was more. Did the police want to arrest Asher, too?
He said he would tell me, though. Sort of. When we talked last night, Asher said he would tell me everything and that we wouldn't keep secrets from each other. I wanted to believe him, but I knew Asher and how he worked. If he thought he was protecting me... well...
I didn't want to think about any of that right now. I didn't want to think about anything. I closed my eyes. Soon, the train started to move. I listened to the sound of it picking up speed, the soothing rhythm as we traveled faster and faster along the tracks. A gentle humming noise lulled me into a soft sense of security. I had about four hours until we arrived at the first train stop. I had four hours to decide if I'd get off there, or go on to the next stop.
Plenty of time. Plenty of time to rest, or to take a nap, or to...
I drifted off into a light sleep without realizing it. I was tired and stressed, though; sleep was a welcome addition to my life right now.
***
Asher brought the tied up trash bag to a nearby dumpster outside. Just as he reached it and was about to toss it in, a horde of newspeople joined him, crowding out the apartment building door. A lucky few managed to have their cameras turned on and aimed at him to catch this momentous occasion.
He could picture the headlines
now: Asher Landseer, Billionaire CEO of Landseer Enterprises, Takes Out Trash.
Not all that exciting, to be honest. What he had in mind next should prove a little more interesting, or so he hoped.
Some of the reporters attempted to stop him with a question. Or two. Or ten. The more annoying ones stood in his way, trying to force him to acknowledge them. He wouldn't. In fact, he said nothing.
He felt badly for the proprietor of this apartment building, but there wasn't much he could do about it. At the very least, Asher would offer to pay the man something for his trouble. Soon. Later. For now, he had a different sort of plan.
The police were really slacking today, too. He couldn't even begin to understand why they'd sat back and let a group of reporters descend upon this little place. Oh well. It was beyond his control. There was something going on there, and he had no idea how to figure out what it was.
Instead of bothering, instead of doing anything more rational and sane, he walked with strong, purposeful strides towards the sidewalk and the nearby street, then a little further to the pair of police cars parked right by the apartment building's parking lot driveway.
There were four police officers in total, two per car, and all of them stared at him as he approached, dumbfounded. Asher merely smiled and waved. Approaching the driver's side of the nearest car, he waited for the man to roll down the window.
"Hello," Asher said. "Could I ask you a favor?"
This wasn't the police officer from before, the one from Jessika's apartment. Dean Thompson sat in the driver's seat of the other car, equally as confused as the rest of his police friends, though.
"Something the matter, Mr. Landseer?" the man asked. He glanced from Asher to the nearby crowd of reporters, guessing at the issue.
Asher shook his head. "Somewhat, but not quite. I had an appointment scheduled at the precinct today to discuss any details I remembered about the night of the arson at my home. I don't remember the woman's name, but she said to stop by today and she'd make time for me. My driver left with my wife for—" He turned over his shoulder, looking at the people behind him. "—obvious reasons. Would it be possible to get a ride down to the station so I can get my interrogation over with?"
The man in the driver's seat looked towards the officer in the passenger's seat. They shrugged at each other.
"You said your wife left?" the driver asked.
"Yes," Asher said. "Can you blame her?"
The passenger side officer chuckled. "No, probably not."
"Not much to keep an eye out for if that's the case," the driver added.
Because you were doing a great job of it to begin with, Asher thought. He decided not to stoke that particular fire right now, but these people were being beyond ridiculous. Let's stake out in front of this apartment building while searching for the missing Director of Public Relations for Landseer Enterprises, completely ignoring everything else? He'd make sure to voice his displeasure once he arrived at the police station, but for now he thought it best to remain silent.
"I think it's fine," the driving officer said. He stared past Asher towards the cameras pointed at them. "You realize you'll need to ride in the back, though?"
Asher grinned. "Yes. I was counting on it."
That'd give them a show, wouldn't it? Hopefully it'd be enough to get them to leave Jessika alone for awhile, too. She only needed a little more time. He would do anything to give it to her.
***
Knock knock knock.
I jumped up, startling myself awake. What was that? Someone knocking, yes, but where, and why and who would knock? Asher wouldn't knock on our bedroom door, he'd just come in, and if he saw me sleeping he might decide to sneak under the blankets to cuddle with me. Or kiss me, or...
Groggy and disoriented, I opened my eyes. Sleep blurred my vision. I heard something strange, too? Or I felt it, at least. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on or why I felt like this, or what that gentle, rhythmic background noise was, but...
When my vision cleared, I realized where I was: laying in bed on the train. How long had I been sleeping? And who was knocking on the door?
Whomever it was, they knocked again. This time they called out quietly, too. "Mrs. Landseer?" A woman's voice.
I got up from the bed. The woman knocking was at the door in the other room. It seemed so odd to think of myself as having two rooms in a train, but that's what I had, so I supposed I needed to get used to it. It wouldn't be for much longer, anyways.
I stood near the door, staring at it, curious. Before I decided to open it or not, I said, "Who is it?"
"Your husband called a little while ago," she said. "He said you might be hungry. It's not a designated meal time, but he requested I make an exception and bring you something to eat."
My stomach accepted this exception, growling in agreeable hunger.
I clicked the lock on the door to unlock it and pulled it open. A kind, regular looking woman stood in the corridor, tray in hand. She smiled in greeting.
"Sorry if I woke you up," she said.
I furrowed my brow, confused. "How did you know I was sleeping?"
"Your hair," she said. "It's a little messy."
"Oh." Well then...
"It's nothing much," she said, switching her attention to the tray in her hands. "Chicken Caesar salad, with a piece of pita bread, plus some butter if you like. Caesar dressing, but I can get you something else if you want. There's also a small bowl of macaroni and cheese. It was your husband's suggestion; he said you might like it."
I laughed. Asher and I had just talked about that, hadn't we? I told him sometimes I didn't want anything fancy for dinner, I just wanted macaroni and cheese. From a box, even. It didn't matter. And here it was.
I smiled and took the tray from her. "Thank you," I said. "I really am starving. I haven't eaten since last night. I meant to, but..."
Jeremy bought me some food, even. Not a lot, but I should have at least snacked on something. As it was, I was famished. My stomach growled again, begging me to eat.
"You're welcome," the woman said. "I understand. Life is hectic sometimes. That's the nice part about riding a train, though. You can sit down, enjoy your meal, and watch the scenery. We'll be passing through country landscape for about another hour before we ease back into civilization, so there should be plenty for you to enjoy."
I looked over my shoulder and peered out the window there. She was right; it was true. Fields of grass, with a forest of trees far in the background as a backdrop, along with wildflowers mixed with bright sunshine flooded my view. It was quiet and soft, nothing extremely out of the ordinary, but definitely beautiful.
"I'll do that," I said.
"Good," she said with a smile and a nod. "If you need anything else, there's a button to page an attendant right above the seats. Push it and I'll come around shortly."
"Thank you very much," I said.
With that, we parted ways. I slipped the tray of food onto one of the seats near the window. There were two seats, one facing the other, both next to the window. A folded down counter table lay between them. I lifted the table piece and propped it up with a stand hiding beneath the tabletop. For good measure, just in case, I hurried back to the room door and locked it again. Moving my food tray from the seat to the new table, I sat down and set about sating my hunger.
Everything looked delicious! It was plain, as far as food and fare went, but that didn't matter. A fork and knife and napkin lay hidden inside a rolled up piece of pita bread wrapped in plastic foil. I neatly undid everything, setting my utensils to the side and my napkin in my lap. Then I opened the plastic container with my salad, and breathed in deep. It smelled fresh and crisp, with a faint tang of spiced chicken, and a little shimmer of sharp cheese to go along with it.
Besides the food, she'd brought me a bottle of orange juice and another bottle of chilled coffee-flavored milk. I didn't make a point of drinking coffee-flavored milk all that often, but right now it seemed like the per
fect thing. I uncapped it and drank deeply, enjoying the sweet, slightly bitter taste.
This, I thought, was bliss. Just sitting on a train, enjoying a nice, regular meal, with the isolated country passing me by. Nothing fancy, nothing particularly out of the ordinary. Just me. Just this.
Granted, I was sitting in the fanciest accommodations the train provided, but it still seemed mostly regular to me. It was less fancy than a lot of the alternatives like a plane trip, and it was something I could deal with.
I didn't know why I felt this way. Truth be told, I loved going on vacations with Asher. In our one year of marriage so far, or just about, we'd gone on more vacations than I remembered going on in my entire adult life. Many of them were because Asher needed—or wanted, I suspected—to visit every one of his vacation resorts personally to ensure appearances and so he could be open and accessible to the people who worked under his enterprise's name, but we still enjoyed ourselves. It involved some amount of work on his end, with business meetings to attend, meeting the managers of the resorts, talking with some of the other staff, and having people come to him with questions or concerns.
It was a vacation, too, though. While Asher did his business things, I could lay in bed and relax. Or sit by the pool. More often than not there were beaches, too. I could go swimming, or have half-off drinks at the resort restaurant and bar during certain hours of the day. If they knew who I was, they gave me drinks for free, but I tried not to broadcast that fact.
And we didn't go on vacation everywhere all the time. Just when something new happened somewhere that Asher wanted to check up on. There were so many resorts we hadn't been to yet, and I didn't really know how we could ever go to them all. He told me we would eventually, though. He laughed when he said it, but I thought he did that because of the odd cross of excitement and shock on my face.
Asher enjoyed himself. He worked hard, and I knew this, but he enjoyed himself, too. He wanted me to enjoy life with him, and to enjoy myself, as well. And why not?
Vacations were one thing, though. Regular life was another. I didn't mind doing crazy, extravagant things at his resorts, because we'd only be there for a weekend, or maybe a week at the most but not usually. When we were back at home, the extravagance was constant, and...
His Absolute Authority: A Scandalous Billionaire Love Story (Jessika, #3) Page 14
