by C. C. Snow
Either I gave Carter what he wanted and hoped he’d stop blackmailing me in the future or I let the takeover go through. If the latter happened, I risked losing Troy, my job, my budding relationships with his family, and Gwen would never get a chance to save the family company she loved. If I succumbed to the blackmail, I would betray the man I loved.
I felt like my head was going to explode by the end of the day.
As if my life weren’t shitty enough, fate kept piling it on.
As I wearily closed my apartment door, my phone rang and I frowned at the blocked number.
“Hello?”
“Gabrielle.”
At the sound of his cool, detached voice, my backpack dropped out of my limp hand with a loud thump and I winced, hoping my camera didn’t break.
“Uncle Patrick,” I said, my voice small and deferential out of habit. Even as I resented it, I instantly regressed to my twelve-year-old self, insignificant and unwanted.
Why was my father calling me after all these years? Had Gwen told him about being in touch with me? Had he been keeping tabs on me this whole time?
Despite myself, my heart gave a little jump.
When I was a little girl, I used to fantasize about who my father was.
Graziella never managed to keep her lies straight and I heard multiple versions of my conception. When I was six, she told me he was a musician she met at a concert. They had a night of passion and never saw each other again.
When I was nine, he was an officer in the Marines. They were madly in love, but unfortunately he was killed while he was on active duty. She could never manage to tell me where he was stationed or which war he fought in.
My favorite lie, which ironically was the one that was closest to the truth, was my father was the son of a very wealthy and prominent New York family. The matriarch threatened to disown him if he continued to associate with Graziella and he bowed to familial pressures. Only in reality, it wasn’t his mother, it was his wife.
And there were countless others. Graziella always featured as the suffering heroine. My father—the musician/billionaire/soldier/heroic cop/English earl—either perished in some tragic way or was ignorant about my existence. When I was eleven, I caught on that she was feeding me the plots from her romance novels.
Before I realized she was lying to me, I used to dream that my real father would sweep into my life. He would fold me into his strong arms and cry, telling me how much he loved me and how sorry he was for missing out on so much of my life. How he never knew about me or he would have moved heaven and earth to find his little girl. Of course, in my fantasy world, I forgave him and he took me away to live with him, lavishing me with love and attention.
After I found out who my real father was, the fantasy changed. As I sat alone in my room, I imagined him walking in, his face grey with remorse, and hugging me tightly to him.
“I’m sorry for neglecting you, my beautiful little girl,” he’d say, his voice choked with emotion. “I’ve been trying to protect Evelyn and the girls, but it’s not fair to you. I want the world to know that you’re my daughter and I love you.”
Of course, I knew those were just the delirious dreams of a teenager who was desperate to find love and acceptance. I thought I had consigned those fantasies to the past, but as soon as I heard his voice, I felt that sickening clench in my chest.
Like a dinghy bobbing at sea in a squall, I made my way unsteadily to the sofa and dropped my butt onto the cushion. I placed my free hand on my thigh and realized it was shaking.
“I had an interesting conversation with Carter.”
Stomach lurching, I tightened my grip on the phone, wondering how much Carter had revealed. I shouldn’t be surprised by how low he was willing to stoop. In a moment of weakness, I had confessed my childish longing for approval from my father and my ex was wielding that knowledge like a weapon.
Of course my father was not calling to check on me.
I felt the sting of disappointment travel from my chest to the back of my eyes and I blinked rapidly.
When will you learn, Elle?
“Gabrielle,” he said sharply. “Are you listening to me?”
“Yessir.”
“Good,” he said in a cool voice. “The Westons cannot get their hands on those shares. Smythe Corp has been in Evelyn’s family for generations and one day, I want to see a grandson at the helm. I hope you understand how important this is to me and my family.”
“Yessir.” Because I wasn’t part of his family. Reflexively, I wiggled my toes, but they had no room to move in my leather boots. My feet twitched, feeling trapped.
“Then I’m sure you know what to do.”
My lips moved without any direction from my brain. “Yessir.”
“I’m glad we had this talk, Gabrielle. Once you take care of business, maybe you should come to New York for a visit.”
I closed my eyes, feeling that squeezing in my chest intensify, wringing the blood out of my organ. Wringing the last drops of a girlish hope. I was only welcome if I did as he bid, like an obedient puppy performing tricks for a bone.
But no matter how meek or well-behaved I had been, he had never rewarded me with a word of praise. He never attended any important events in my life, including my college graduation. He never bothered to contact me until he needed me to help him and his “real” family.
I wanted to say, “Go to hell,” but what came out was, “Yessir.”
“Goodbye, Gabrielle.”
Click.
I was already striding toward the door, stopping only to pick up my backpack. I couldn’t stay in the apartment a moment longer. My lungs were burning for air. It didn’t matter that it was already seven at night and the streets were windy and dark, my feet were aching to be on the move.
Run. Run. Run.
But it didn’t matter how far or how fast I ran.
Because as soon as I stepped out of my building, I got a text.
I’ve changed my mind, Gabrielle. You have until Monday at noon to get me what I want. Or your boyfriend’s inbox will be filled with files like this.
Attached was a sound file.
Acid ate at my gut.
With a trembling finger, I tapped on the play button.
“As soon as she walked into the bar, I knew she was looking for a hard fuck. She looked like the type to spread her—”
An unholy, borderline demonic scream of rage tearing from my throat, I flung my phone against the concrete wall, watching in satisfaction as it made impact, cutting off the sound of the slimy, male voice. The phone bounced, landing a few feet away from me. I stared down at the lit screen with the fine web of cracks. With a growl, I kicked it like I was making a goal at the World Cup championships and watched it slam into the wall again. This time the screen went black.
I picked up my phone and dumped it into the first trashcan I found. And I started to walk, not seeing anybody or anything, following where my feet led. My backpack thudded against my back with each step, its weight familiar and comforting.
At night, the only way to differentiate the neighborhoods was by sound. Each zip code had its own accents and cadences, its own rhythms. Parents lecturing their kids. Couples arguing over dinner. People laughing at something on TV. It was easier to concentrate on these inconsequential details than to think about my own pain.
My legs kept moving even when my soles protested.
“Watch where you’re going, lady!”
I looked up to see a biker riding away from me, his middle finger held up in the air. Another honk made me aware of my surroundings and I hastily stepped out of the intersection onto the curb. Dazed, I swiveled around and realized I had wandered into River North, two blocks away from Troy’s building.
Subconsciously, I had been running to him.
I rubbed my eyes with the tips of my fingers, wiping away my tears before they could form. The time to come clean with him had long passed.
Halfway down the street, I saw a sign for an e
lectronic store.
There were people who believed they received signs from above. I never thought I was one of them until I stood on that street, staring at the blue and black logo, my instincts tugging me toward the man I loved.
Eyes glued on my destination, I walked into the store.
A pretty, blonde girl dressed in blue shirt and black slacks greeted me perkily, “Hi, how can I help you?” Her white smile lost some of its wattage as her eyes moved over me.
Catching a glimpse of my reflection in the window, I grimaced. I looked crazed, my long hair disheveled from the wind, my body dragging with weariness, my face tight with stress.
She couldn’t have been older than eighteen or nineteen and I envied how carefree she looked with her shining blue eyes and eager attitude. I didn’t think I had ever looked like that in my life. The biggest hardship she had ever encountered was probably fretting over whether her latest crush returned her affections.
I glanced at her nametag and cringed in sympathy. There was one thing about her I didn’t envy. “Hi, Buffy. I would like to buy a new phone with a new phone number and a flash drive.” Carter would eventually find out my new number, but I was going to make him work for the information.
Chapter 21
“Hi, Kayla.”
Troy’s executive assistant glanced up and smiled warmly at me. Kayla Johnson, an African-American woman in her mid thirties, had been with Troy for years and she was fiercely loyal to him. I had only met her on a few occasions, but she had always been sweet to me.
“Hi, Elle. Troy didn’t tell me you were dropping by.”
I stuffed my clammy hands in my coat pockets. Shaking fingers wrapped around the smooth edge of the plastic flash drive. “Uh…I was going to surprise him. Cora and I finished work early today.”
Glancing at her computer, she picked up the phone with a small frown. “I’ll let him know you’re here, but you didn’t come at a good time. He still has one more meeting before he can call it a day.”
I struggled to keep my face impassive, to keep from betraying that I knew about his meeting. “That’s too bad. I can wait until he’s done.” It felt like every pore on my body was sweating. The wool material of my pullover was sticking to my armpits and the back of my neck was cool and damp. Taking my hands out, I wiped them on the side of my pants.
Seconds later, Troy opened his door, his face alight with pleasure, and held out his hand to me. “Hey, baby. This is a nice surprise.”
Seeing him never failed to make my belly tighten with desire. “Hey.” Painting a smile on my face, I reached for his hand. His skin was hot and dry against my cold fingers. “I got off early and thought I’d surprise you.”
“You can surprise me like this anytime,” he said in a low voice. With a nod of thanks at Kayla, he pulled me into his office.
As soon as the door closed, our lips were locked. I tried not to let my desperation show, but I kissed him a bit too hungrily, a bit too passionately, my hands digging into his shoulder blades too strongly.
Easing away with a low moan, Troy pressed his cheek against mine.
I closed my eyes, reveling in the slightly scratchy texture of his jaw. I wanted to beg him to take me far away from here and live the rest of our lives in blissful isolation.
“Damn. I wish I didn’t have the meeting with my finance team.” He stepped back and glanced at his desk. “I’d have you naked and screaming in two minutes flat.”
I tried to respond as I normally would to his sexy talk, but my brain was too numb to produce a snappy comeback. Instead all I could manage was a wooden smile.
Luckily, he was preoccupied and was looking at his Patek Philippe. “I’d better get to the conference room. I should be back in an hour. Do you want to come back or wait for me here?”
In as a casual tone as I could conjure, I said, “I’ll wait here.” Then I furrowed my brow as if I just remembered something. “Baby, can I use your computer to do some research on where to take Gwen when she comes to visit?” I pulled out my new phone. “This screen is not as big as my old one and my laptop just died.”
I’m so sorry.
I said the words in my head as he assented with a smile and walked over to his computer to enter his password. Then he glanced up and said, “We’ll get you a new laptop on our way to dinner.”
“No.” My response was automatic. I never wanted him to think I was with him for his money. “I’ll get it fixed.”
His brows pulled together over the middle of his nose. “That thing is so old, even if they manage to save it, it won’t last for another few months.”
“I’ll figure something out.”
Frown intensifying, he walked to me and grasped my elbows. “Baby, why won’t you ever let me buy you anything?”
Don’t be nice to me, I screamed on the inside. I plastered a smile on my face and forced a teasing note into my voice. “I let you buy me hot chocolate with little marshmallows.”
He rolled his eyes. “We’ll discuss your pig-headedness later. I’ve got to go to the meeting. I’ll see you in an hour.” He dipped his head to peck my lips before striding out of the office.
My smile vanished as soon as he turned the corner. Feeling like my boots were made of lead, I trudged to the door and quietly closed it. Pivoting around, I stared at the computer on his desk, my back completely soaked with sweat now. I removed the flash drive out of the pocket and took off my coat.
I approached his desk on trembling legs, feeling like I was heading to the guillotine. Tossing my coat onto the leather guest chair, I rounded to the other side and stared at his screen, my throat swelling with regret and guilt.
He trusted me. And I was going to betray him.
I closed my eyes and took a few shallow breaths, reminding myself of everything that was at stake.
Steeling my resolve, I sat down in his chair, placed the drive next to the computer, and studied his desktop.
Troy was an organized man. Every folder was labeled, but all the names might as well be in a secret code. I clicked to open a few files and realized he was using a combination of the date and an abbreviation of the project.
“Shit, this will take forever,” I muttered, glancing nervously at the time. Six minutes had already passed. Troy said his meeting would last for an hour, but there was always a chance it could end early.
As a cover, I pulled up a web browser and typed in a few search words. If he ever looked at the history, there’d at least be proof I visited some sites.
Then I returned to scanning through his files. As the minutes ticked by, my adrenalin level steadily rose, making my heart pound ever harder. I dragged my sleeve over my damp forehead.
“Elle.”
My heart in my mouth, I snapped my head up to see Kayla standing in the doorway. I had assumed she had gone with Troy to his meeting.
“Yes?” My voice came out too sharp and I winced.
Was that suspicion in her dark brown eyes?
“Sorry, Kayla. You startled me,” I said with an anemic smile. Forcing myself to move casually, I shifted my left hand to hide the flash drive. With a couple of clicks, I closed out Troy’s files and reopened the browser.
“I knocked, but you didn’t answer,” she said, her tone rising at the end in question.
“I’m sorry. My friend is coming for a visit over Christmas and I’m doing some research on things to do with her while she’s in the city. She’s only staying for a few days so I want to make the most of her time here. I haven’t seen her for two years and I want everything to go well.” I heard myself babbling like a guilty idiot, but I couldn’t stop myself.
Her expression clearing, Kayla said, “You should definitely take her to the Adler Planetarium. My sister’s family visited over Thanksgiving and they loved that place.”
“That’s a great idea!” I said brightly. “Thanks for the recommendation.” At the corner of my eye, I saw that two more precious minutes had elapsed and my shoulders tensed. “Did you need something
?” I prodded.
“Oh.” She gave a small laugh. “It’s definitely Friday. My brain is already in weekend mode.” She held up a three-ring binder and started to walk toward me. “I wanted to leave this for him to review before I left for the day.”
“Of course,” I said, watching her set the binder next to the computer. My lungs stopped working when I saw the label on one of the tabs: Smythe Corp.
Don’t stare, Elle. Look away, damnit!
I jerked my eyes back to Kayla and felt ill when I saw her gaze fixed on my face.
Like the killer in The Tell-Tale Heart, I was sure my guilt was clearly displayed. Letting out a fake laugh, I touched my chin. “Do I have crumbs on my face or something?”
She shook her head and smiled. “I just wanted to say I’m glad Troy met you.”
My eyes widened at the unexpected comment. “Oh. Thank you.”
“I’ve worked for him ever since he started at the company and I’d never seen him like this. He’s a great boss and I’m glad he’s happy.”
Shit. Moisture filled my eyes and Kayla started to blur. “Thank you. I’m grateful he has people like you in his life,” I choked out, feeling like the worst human being on the face of the earth.
Leaning over, she patted my shoulder. “Before my boss fires me for making his girl cry, I’m going to take off. Have a great weekend, Elle.”
“You too.” I watched her leave the room and close the door behind her.
I sat frozen for long minutes, staring at the binder, struggling with my conscience.
With a low expletive, I put my finger under the tab and flipped it open. It only took a glance for me to know it wasn’t what I was looking for. I skimmed through the rest of the report, keeping an eye on the time, but there was no list. I did find out the objective for the takeover: shipping ports in Asia.
Blowing out a breath of defeat, I was about to slam the binder shut when a code at the bottom of the page caught my eye.
Bingo.
Pulling up the search function, I typed in the code and a list of files appeared.
I checked the time. Shit. Only nine minutes before his meeting was scheduled to end.
