by C. L. Stone
“Nothing is ever so simple, is it?” he said.
I studied him, his broad nose and the way his eyes seemed to pick up every little detail about me. He was no one to me an hour ago, and here I was spilling my guts to him.
I folded my arms around my stomach, holding tightly to myself. The stress of the day, the pain of the sunburn, and my agitation with Ace was getting to me. The cuts of wind that managed to get around Oliver seemed to bite into my face, at my eyes. I blinked rapidly, but the well of emotion in my chest was overflowing. “My life used to be simple.” I heaved a sigh, and when I inhaled, my lips trembled.
Oliver clicked the roof of his mouth with his tongue. “Don’t do that,” he said.
I shook my head, pressing my lips together, unable to help my eyes tearing further. It had been a long day. I was alone. I was lost and out of my element. Who could I really trust?
Why me?
He sighed and then reached out to me carefully. He took me gently by the elbow, drawing me in.
My head nestled easily against his shoulder, and I pressed my eyes to his body as if I could block tears from escaping.
Oliver kept a hand at the back of my head, rubbing his fingers at my scalp. His other hand held firmly at the middle of my back. Oddly, the sensation was soothing, when I’d expected it to sting. For the moment, it wasn’t bad and I gave in to the comforting touch.
After a few moments, he spoke. “Maybe you need Ace. You need him like I need Loïc right now. We could both be wrong about them. They have to protect themselves as much as we do. Nothing is ever black and white. I don’t blame you for thinking you should stay. Getting out from under those lies is as good a reason as any. We’re both looking for a clean slate. Seems they can help.”
“Do you think that’s why they targeted us?” I asked, the edge of my lips tracing the material of his sweater. “They use people who have a bit of a shady past so they can get what they want?”
“That’s the thing, I’m not sure what the point of any of this is,” he said. He smoothed his hands over me until he was holding me by my biceps and he could look at my face. “And I’m too curious for my own good, I think. I want to find out. Plus, the benefits are phenomenal.” He looked down at my dress and then back up at my face. “I think you’re doing pretty good for a wanted girl on the run. A nice night out in a pretty dress with a wealthy boyfriend.”
“I can’t tell if this is worth it. I think I’ve had three heart attacks just this evening.”
“Is it better than eating jail food in Atlanta?”
I shrugged. I couldn’t disagree with him. “Maybe we should...I don’t know...stick together a little?”
He laughed, rich and deep and shook his head. He smoothed his palms over my outer arms, tingling the sunburn a little but he was gentle enough that it didn’t hurt. “Team up? To do what?”
“Maybe we can make sure our names get cleared. Once we’re free, we don’t have to stay unless we want to, right?”
He nodded slowly. “You want me to check up on you? I may be able to make a few phone calls and see what the police really want. See if Ace is actually doing anything to make it better.”
“Can you do that?”
“It’s only a phone call.”
Hope finally lifted a smile out of me. “And I could make a few phone calls, maybe? I don’t know how I can help you.”
He smirked. “Have a cell phone?”
I started to nod absently when I stopped and shook my head. “No. After I left, the battery died and I don’t want to turn it back on. I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t. Can’t the police trace it somehow?”
“You’re right.” He pulled out a cell phone from his pocket, a small one, a model I hadn’t seen before. “This is a burner,” he said. He pushed a few buttons on it and then after a moment, he passed it to me. “I paid with cash, and it can’t really be traced back to anyone. You really shouldn’t be without a phone. Anyone you need to call in Atlanta, I recommend a pay phone, but around here, you should probably always have a phone. And never use any house phone in Ace’s house for anything. Got it?”
I took the phone from him, our hands brushing against each other as he passed it to me.
The touch caused me to look up.
Our eyes locked, and the intensity in his face softened to something with more concern.
“I don’t know what will happen now,” he said. “But once I send my number, call me any time. If you want out, don’t worry about them. I’ll come get you. I’ll drive you to Atlanta myself if you need. I can even help you find a place to stay until a trial. I wouldn’t mind getting to see Atlanta.”
Maybe it was an offer I should have taken him up on.
Except, like him, I was curious, too, and hopeful that Ace, despite the strangeness, could clear my name. There was no way he could have kept my identity a secret forever, and revealing he had been housing me would get him into trouble with the law as well.
So what was the truth about Ace and Loïc?
There had to be an answer. I wanted to figure it out.
Evade
(Ace)
Ace and Loïc were stuck in the bathroom through several patrons coming in to use the facilities. Forced to remain silent in the stall, Ace’s legs ached from squatting for so long over the toilet.
Loïc rolled his eyes repeatedly every time someone came in, clearly annoyed by the delay as two men leaving the same stall would have appeared awkward. It might cause a scene with the wrong person, drawing attention to them.
They’d waited for Evelyn to escape initially.
The only problem now was what to do with the two idiots waiting to pounce. There was no way to know if they were in the dining room by now.
Once the bathroom quieted after the last person left, Loïc burst out of the stall. He touched up his tie, combing fingers through his hair. “Right,” he said. “I’ll take care of the girls. You escape out the back.”
“You’re kidding,” Ace said. “That’s your plan?”
“You can pay me back later.”
His overly calm demeanor was starting to get to Ace. “You started this. Why should I owe you?”
“I didn’t lock her in a bathroom naked and humiliate her. That started her on this rampage. Do you think twenty thousand should make them back off?”
“She said she’s not interested in your money. And weren’t you wanting to make her humble? Isn’t that why you put her on my trail in the first place?”
“Everyone has a price.” Loïc turned to the door. “We’re a bit busy right now. I’ll admit to my bad timing. A few dollars should get Zoey distracted until we can deal with her properly. But just in case, you should find a back way out.”
Great.
They exited the bathroom at the same time. Loïc headed back toward the dining room and disappeared beyond the door that was the waiting area. Ace turned to the right, following the hallway toward the sound of clanging metal and scraping ceramic.
He turned the corner and almost ended up with a face full of salad in the hands of the waiter.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Ace said. “Look, my date left already, but my ex-girlfriend just sat down with her new boyfriend, and I...well...is there a rear exit?”
The waiter flashed a knowing smile. “Cut through the kitchen. The back door says there’s an alarm if opened, but it doesn’t work.”
Ace shared the same story with another waiter still in the kitchen along his way, and then crashed through the door and found himself outside under a glowing yellow light. He circled the building until he met the sidewalk and started down the road on foot.
He walked a half a block down a quiet street, taking him out of view of the mansion. He fished his phone out with the idea to text Soma to pick him up when a call came through.
“You busy, amigo?” Diego asked.
Ace scanned the street, noting the house he was standing in front of, front porch light off, the windows d
im. The rest of the street had similar downtown homes, varying from sleepy to TVs glowing behind drawn shades. No one of note. He seemed safe for the moment. “Not really,” he said.
“Eva’s boyfriend keeps changing his story, but he’s throwing the blame all on Eva. I don’t think Atlanta PD really believes him, but his attorney is eager to point out it was Eva’s clothing and the children of Eva’s clients.”
“No way to get him to tell the truth?”
“I don’t see Eva getting away with not coming down here to at least to state her side of the story.”
Ace sighed and rolled his head back. He knew that was the last thing she’d want to do. “She shows up, she’ll be forced to stay in town until a trial.”
“What if she does? Give her up, Ace. This is more trouble than she’s worth.”
Ace smirked. “She may be worth more. Do you think the boyfriend is bribable?”
“I know you’re not asking me that.”
“Right, pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Ace hung up and held on to his phone, debating the next step. The vloggers were in town, looking for him. Eva was in town, trying to stay under the radar.
The only reason Eva needed to stay out of view, and the only reason for Ace to avoid the vloggers, was her situation in Atlanta. Resolve it, and the vloggers couldn’t do much damage. They couldn’t ruin her reputation any more, and Ace didn’t care. They were just annoying. The only threat was the police learning Eva was here early enough that they’d come get her before he could resolve things for her.
There had to be a way. Something was missing. Diego could only do so much and stay on the right side of the law. Some things Ace could get away with more than he could.
Ace backtracked to the mansion on the corner, found Loïc’s plain black Tesla parked nearby. He opened his cell phone and accessed Loïc’s cell phone to borrow the right app. He entered Loïc’s password, tapped Unlock and then Start Engine.
The Tesla came to life, the lights turning on and the engine quiet but just noticeable.
Ace got in, and pulled onto the road. He set the car’s destination and let it pick the path. He buckled in and then called Soma on his way toward I-26.
Soma answered on the first ring. “I’m outside.”
“Good. Wait for Loïc. He’s going to need a ride home.”
Pause. “Why?”
“The two vloggers showed up at the restaurant. I had to get out of there. By the way, I’m on the way to Atlanta. I borrowed his Tesla.”
Soma groaned. “You know he hates it when you do that.”
“I’ll bring it back tomorrow morning.”
“Where’s Eva?”
“She got a ride with his new security guy. He’ll take her home when Loïc’s sure those other girls are paid off and gone. When she shows up, keep her there. Report anything weird back to me, but you may want to keep in touch with Loïc if there’s an emergency.”
“She’ll ask questions.”
“Answer her. Just don’t tell her about me going to Atlanta. I don’t want her disappointed if I can’t do anything about this.”
“Really? You want her to know everything?”
“I don’t want Loïc to be the one to tell her.” Ace merged into traffic heading out of downtown. “And don’t leave her. I don’t want her to run off after. I don’t care if you have to sleep in the same room. Don’t let her run off and do something idiotic like turn herself in. Sounds like it’s a nightmare out there. And whatever you do, keep those vloggers away. Take her to New York if you have to.”
“Should I tell her about what’s going on in Atlanta? Is it bad?”
“Don’t scare her unless you have to in order to get her to stay put.”
He hung up, tossing his cell phone into the passenger seat. He settled back, gazing out the windshield, readying himself for a confrontation with Atlanta PD. He considered his options for a lawyer to figure out who had inside information that could lead to Eva being excused from a trial.
It was sounding like what he thought would be simple to resolve wasn’t going to be. Not unless he could talk to this guy or find some evidence to send to the police that would lock down her ex for what happened. Even then, she may need to show up for a trial, but it’d be a year from now. If she could be free until then...
He just hoped this would be handled quietly.
Doubt
(Eva)
It didn’t take long for Loïc to get back into contact. He sent a text to Oliver’s phone that he was to drop me off at Ace’s house. Nothing further.
We headed back to the car, and we were quickly on our way.
“Ignore anything you get on that phone from this point,” he said. “I’ll let Loïc know I got a new number tomorrow.”
“How did you know you’d need this?” I asked. “A burner phone?”
“After my last employer, I learned I needed to do it with everyone.” He smirked. “Trust no one.”
“You’re trusting me with this.”
His thick lips smirked and the SUV pulled up to the curb of Ace’s home. He turned to me and the smile returned. “You didn’t know me for more than an hour before you were spilling your guts about something I could have turned you in for, and since I work in security, I should.”
I froze, realizing I hadn’t considered that. “Oh.”
He snapped his fingers, and pointed in my direction. “You see? That tells me you were telling the truth. And anyone willing to spill their guts like that, maybe I trust her a little more.”
“You can trust me.”
“I’m betting on it. Risking myself here. Don’t disappoint, okay?”
I left him on that note.
On the short walk from the SUV to the front door, I slowed my pace, considering my options.
Oliver could have been right. I could have run off, escaped back to the mess I left behind in Atlanta. I didn’t have to let anyone hold anything over my head.
But no one was. No one was making me stay. Ace wasn’t keeping me hostage. He was making an offer.
I heard about the games wealthy people play with each other. One always hears rumors about conspiracies and betrayals, of slander and scams among the elite. Most go on quietly behind closed doors, but some secrets escape, whispered among anyone interested in gossip. They are all too happy to share stories, whether real or not.
They never know the whole truth of course. They only ever catch pieces.
If my ex had never gotten caught, if I had succeeded in having even a portion of what Ace or Loïc has, would I have become what they are? Bored and looking for things to do and taking in strangers off the side of the road?
And what were they, exactly? Ace and Loïc were trying to close their doors on a secret they didn’t want exposed. I wanted to know the truth.
Oliver didn’t drive off until the door started to open at Ace’s. I’d considered returning to him just to ask him to take me to Atlanta. I wasn’t sure Ace would tell me the truth. He avoided it so far. I didn’t blame him. He probably wanted to be careful.
I held onto his phone, tucking it in the waistband of my underwear to keep it hidden. If I wasn’t happy with Ace’s responses to my questions about tonight, I intended to use it.
Soma greeted me shortly after I rang the bell. He didn’t seem surprised to see me, and looked behind me to acknowledge the SUV driving away from the house. “Are you okay?” he asked, concern heavy on his face.
I blinked rapidly, unable to mask my concern and unhappiness. “Where’s Ace?”
Soma scanned me head to toe and frowned. “He’s fine. What happened?” He backed up, holding the door wide open.
I stepped inside so he could close the door. I scanned the hallway. “Is he here?”
“He hasn’t come back.”
“You didn’t pick him up?”
“He had me get back here. I was supposed to wait for you and be ready in case those vloggers showed up here.”
I raised an eyebrow. �
��Are they going to?”
He shook his head. “No. Not that I know of. But it was a precaution. I think that’s what he’s doing, distracting them to get them away from us.”
I sighed. Whatever I thought I was going to ask Ace, it was going to have to wait. I waddled on one foot, slipping my heel off and then took off the other.
Soma reached for them, collecting my shoes and the handbag. He carried them all in one hand and then offered me an arm. “It’s been a long day. I’ll start a bath if you like.”
“I’ll need a shower, I think,” I said. “I’ll need to get this makeup off.”
Soma walked beside me, his palm at the small of my back the entire time. I dismissed it at first. I imagined I looked tired and he was ready to catch me if I stumbled.
His lips twitched more often, like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how.
I noticed it again once we were in the guest room’s bathroom when he started the shower water while I waited.
“What is it?” I asked.
The side of his mouth split, an attempt at a grin but conflicted. “My job is to make you happy. You torture me with that bloody frowning lip.”
My eyes darted around the bathroom, to the tub and then the mirror. “It has been a long day.”
“You’re angry.”
“I don’t know what I am.” I motioned to my face. “I’m Emily, someone else I don’t know. And Ace is someone I don’t know doing things I don’t understand.”
Soma turned away from the shower, leaving it running. He came to me, standing in front of me with a sorrowful look. “I want to hear about what happened inside the restaurant. And then I’ll tell you what you want to know. But you should know, you’re not in any danger.”
“I’m not worried about you physically hurting me.”
Soma’s face hardened, his eyes darkening. “Not physical or anything else. If there was any secrecy, it was to protect you, not to harm you.” He motioned to the shower. “Let me leave you to this. I’ll be back shortly with something to cheer you up. Ask me anything. I’ll happily answer.”
