by Claire Adams
I practiced my appeal on the way down in the elevator, and when I got to the lobby, I saw my landlord standing behind the front desk. I took a deep breath and approached with a smile.
"Good morning, Mr. Deaver," I said.
"Well, good morning, Miss Pierce!" he said with a big smile. It confused me for a second, but I recovered quickly and continued smiling.
"Mr. Deaver, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be a little late with my rent, and I recognize that I'll probably owe you some late fees," I began. The words tumbled out of my mouth in a fast and furious attempt to get it all out before he stopped me.
"I'm sorry?" he said, looking very confused.
"The rent? I'm going to be late," I repeated, feeling a little confused by the question.
"You don't owe me any rent, Miss Pierce," he said, frowning a little. "You're paid up through the end of the term."
"But I haven't given you any money," I said, furrowing my eyebrows as I tried to understand what he was telling me. "I need to give you the rent money, but I haven't gotten my financial aid check yet."
"There's no money owed," he repeated as if he were speaking to a small child. "Your boyfriend gave me a check for the whole balance a few days ago, so we're good."
"My...wait, what?" I asked, unsure that I'd heard him correctly.
"Your bae, isn't that what you kids call them these days?" He laughed. "The young man came to my office and gave me a check, so you're good until the end of the term."
It suddenly dawned on me what had happened. Fortunately, I had the good sense to keep myself focused on what was happening in front of me.
"Oh, great! I guess he forgot to tell me he'd done that," I said with a forced smile. "Thanks, Mr. Deaver. Oh, and could you get one of the guys to fix the sink in the kitchen? It's leaking underneath."
"I'll send someone up to take care of it this morning, Miss Pierce," he said with a smile. I was immediately suspicious as to what else Cam Connor had done since Mr. Deaver had never before agreed to take care of any maintenance issue that quickly.
"Have a great day, Mr. Deaver!" I called as I headed out the door. I stomped two blocks before I was able to do anything but swear at Cam under my breath.
He'd paid my rent. He hadn't even discussed it with me. And how in the hell did he know about my financial situation before last night? I hadn't said a word to him about it prior to that.
Liz. She must have mentioned what was going on when Cam was with her in the hospital room. Dammit. I could forgive Liz for trying to help, but I was mad as hell at Cam for butting into my business without saying a word to me. He'd treated me as if I was a child who couldn't take care of herself.
My entire litany of complaints and grudges about money and the people who had it came flooding back into my brain as I walked toward class. There was no way in hell I was going to let Cam Connor pay my bills and treat me like some helpless damsel in distress. He'd gone behind my back and not said a word about it.
That made me even madder when I thought about the fact that we'd spent the entire day together and he had had numerous opportunities to tell me what he'd done. He should have discussed it with me! I could feel my anger building with every step, and by the time I reached the classroom, I was in full rage mode. I picked up my phone and started punching keys on the screen as I typed out a message to Cam.
"Ms. Pierce, could you come up here, please?" Professor Jackson asked quietly. I set my phone down and went to the front of the room.
"Yes, ma’am?" I said when I reached her podium.
"Ms. Pierce, until the issue with the cheating is resolved, you are not allowed to take any of the exams in this class," she said, keeping her voice low and her back turned to the classroom.
"Why not?" I asked, shocked that I'd be barred from taking tests when I was innocent.
"It's school policy," she said, giving me an apologetic look. "I can't let you take this exam today. Your case will come before the review board on Wednesday, and if it's determined that you did nothing wrong, then I'll schedule a make-up test for you."
"I see," I said, looking down at the floor as the shame burned on my cheeks. "I'll get my things and go."
"That's probably best." She nodded as she reached out and patted my shoulder. "I really am sorry about this."
"I know you are." I nodded. "I am, too."
I went back to my desk and gathered my things knowing that everyone else in the class was watching me. I could feel Violet's stare even though my back was to her.
"I heard they don't let cheaters take exams," she said a little too loudly to Jessica and Lydia. "It's an old rule, but one that they stand by."
"Ms. Metzler, please refrain from any and all commentary," Professor Jackson said sternly. "I don't want to hear another word."
"Yes, ma’am," she said sweetly, but I could hear her and her buddies whispering behind my back as I threw my bag over my shoulder and walked out of the room.
I decided to head over to student accounts and see what I could do about delaying my tuition payment for a couple of days until the decision had been made about my case.
"Miss Pierce?" the cashier asked as she looked from my student ID to the screen in front of her.
"Yes, that's me," I said impatiently.
"You don't have a balance to pay, Miss Pierce," she said with a big smile. "All good!"
"Wait, what?" I did a double take. "When was that balance paid?"
"It looks like, um, this morning," she said. "A few hours ago."
"Very well, thank you," I said, taking my ID and stuffing it in my bag. Cam Connor strikes again. Now I was furious. I was angry with him for paying these bills without consulting me, and I was mad that it made me angry.
I pulled out my phone, erased the message I'd been typing and simply tapped out the message, "Call me. Now," before hitting send. Since I had no idea how long it was going to take him to get back to me, I decided to head over to the diner for breakfast and a cup of strong coffee.
I might be angry, but that didn't mean I was going to punish myself by going hungry.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Cam
After I paid Alex's and Liz’s tuition bill, I headed over to the station to tell Chief Riley that I needed to take a couple of days off. I had vacation time coming, and I couldn't think of a better reason to use it than to help Alex find Liz. I also needed to talk with Leo and be at the press conference for Richard Metzler later in the week, but first thing's first.
"Connor, what's up? Isn't this your day off?" Chief asked as he looked up from his paperwork.
"It is, but I need a favor," I said as I stood in front of his desk. "I need some time off, Chief."
"Is that so?" he said, leaning back in his chair. "And what brought this on? I hope it's not something that's going to interfere with your duties here at the station."
"No, sir," I said, shaking my head vigorously. "I just need a few days to straighten out a few things and tie up some loose ends."
"Well, this is rather inconvenient, Connor," he said as he studied me. "Given that Vangel has called out sick for the week."
"Oh? That's weird; I didn't know he was ill," I said in a sarcastic voice.
"He's not, but I'm not his daddy, so I'm not going to go digging around in his business," Chief said as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. "I'm going to assume that this is something important."
"It is, sir, or I wouldn't be asking." I nodded. "I've got some things that need to be taken care of and they are urgent."
"All right, I guess we can transfer a guy over from one of the other stations for a few days," Chief said as he picked up the schedule and drew a line through my name on it. "This had better be good, Connor."
"It is, sir," I said as I turned and headed for the door. "It's of vital importance."
As I left the station, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket, and when I pulled it out and saw the message from Alex, I knew she knew. She was mad, and prob
ably rightfully so, and I was going to have to answer for my actions. It wasn't going to be an easy conversation, but first I needed to talk to Leo.
I drove to the office, but Leo was out, so I left a note on his desk telling him to let me know when and where I needed to be for Metzler's announcement and that I'd be there.
After I'd taken care of the first three things on my list, I knew it was time to call Alex. This was going to be a difficult discussion and I knew it was possible she wouldn't understand my reasoning behind paying her bills, but I crossed my fingers and hoped that, at the very least, she'd hear me out before she dumped me.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Alex
A hot breakfast of eggs, home fried potatoes, and bacon with sourdough toast went a long way to making me feel less angry at Cam. I was still annoyed, but by the time I'd finished my meal, I'd decided that it was possible for me to listen to his side of the story before I decided whether I was going to dump him or not.
I kept my phone next to my plate as I ate, waiting for a text or a call, but nothing came. By the time I'd paid my bill, I was starting to get irritated again. If we were going to discuss this, he needed to respond, and soon.
On the way to the library, my phone rang. I smiled as I pulled it out, but when I looked at the screen I was shocked to find that it was Liz calling me, not Cam.
"Liz! Liz! Where are you?" I yelled into the phone.
"Alex, I need help," said the voice on the other end. It was Liz, but she sounded weak and scared.
"Where are you, Liz?" I asked. "Tell me and I'll come get you."
"I'm not feeling so good, Alex," she groaned before she started crying. "I'm in trouble. I need help."
"Tell me where you are, Liz," I repeated. I knew that I needed to find a way to figure out where she was, but she didn't seem to want to tell me. "Liz, tell me where you are."
"North Side, I think," she said. "I'm looking out the window and I can see the street signs."
"What do the signs say?" I prompted her. "Liz? Tell me what the signs say."
"Um, one says Jarvis and one says...um..." she faded away.
"Liz! What does the other one say?" I yelled into the phone. If she was high, I needed her to tell me where she was before she passed out again. "LIZ!"
"Um, the other one says...um...Jarvis," she slurred. "I need help, Alex. I don't like him."
"Liz, one sign says Jarvis. What does the other one say, sweetie?” I said, dropping my voice to a comforting tone. "Tell me what the other sign says."
"It says Pauline." She sighed as her voice faded. "Pauline is such a nice name, isn't it?"
"Paulina?" I asked as I looked up the cross streets on my phone. "You're at Jarvis and Paulina? Who took you there, Liz? Who is the guy you're with?"
"Dunno, he's some guy," she slurred. "He had good stuff. He's handsome."
"Who is he, Liz?" I asked. "Have you met him before?"
"No, nice guy, I saw him hanging around campus a few times," she said sounding a little more cheerful. "He gave me flowers once."
"Do I know him?" I asked, wondering if I'd met this guy before and if I could identify him to the police.
"Nah, uh, don't think so," she said, fading out again. All of a sudden, I heard a loud noise in the background and Liz shrieked in my ear.
"What are you doing, bitch?" a male voice demanded. "I thought you took her damn phone, you idiot!"
"No! NO!" Liz screamed. There was a loud bang before the phone went dead.
"Oh God, no," I whispered in horror as I stared at my phone. I quickly dialed the number again, but it went right to voicemail. Seconds later, my phone rang again. The number was unlisted, but I answered it.
"Look, I've got your friend and she's a massive pain in my ass," a male voice on the other end said. "Come get her and get her the hell out of my house."
"Who are you?" I asked. "Why did you take Liz?"
"I didn't take her, lady," the man said. "She came with me and now I want her out of my house. Come get her or I'll dump her ass in an alley and let her figure out her way home herself. I'm sick of her whining."
"Where are you?" I asked, thinking his voice sounded vaguely familiar. "I'll come get her right now, please don't hurt her."
"Lady, I'm not into hurting chicks." He laughed. "It's the apartment building on the Northwest corner of Jarvis and Paulina. Ring apartment 3A. Just get her quick, would ya? She's really getting on my nerves."
"I'm on my way," I said before I hung up. I needed to get up to the North Side of town and fast. I hailed a cab, gave the driver the intersection, and told him to step on it. He gave me a funny look before shrugging and heading north. The whole ride, I tried to figure out what would have possessed Liz to go anywhere with someone she didn't know that well, and all I could come up with was drugs. It had to be drugs.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up in front of a rundown apartment building. The driver looked at it then back at me skeptically before asking, "You want me to wait?"
"No, this might take some time," I said as I ran my card through and paid the fare. "But thank you."
"No problem," he said as I got out of the cab and headed to the front door. The neighborhood was shabby, but not completely rundown, and as I rang the buzzer and waited for someone to answer, I saw two young women pushing a stroller covered by a heavy blanket and wondered where they were headed.
"What?" a voice said over the speaker.
"I'm here to pick up my friend," I said, adding, "I talked to you a little while ago?"
"Come up. Third floor," the voice said before buzzing me into the building. I walked into the lobby and was surprised to see an intricate tile mosaic depicting a mermaid deep under the sea on the floor. The walls were painted in a light lavender giving the space a light airy feel. I marveled at the creativity as I waited for the elevator and wondered who'd put such time and effort into the project in such an odd place.
I found the apartment, knocked on the door and was surprised when someone I recognized opened the door.
"Victor, what are you doing here?" I asked. Without saying a word, he reached out, grabbed my arm and pulled me into the apartment, slamming the door behind me.
"Shut up," he said as he squeezed my arm and dragged me down the hallway to a back room.
"What are you doing?" I shouted as I struggled to pull away. Victor clamped down harder on my arm and then wrapped his other arm around my waist and lifted me off the floor. I screamed, "Stop it! Stop it! You're hurting me!"
"Not even close, sweetheart," he sneered as he marched down the hall. "But if you don't shut the hell up, I will."
"Why are you doing this? Where's Liz?" I asked, trying to will myself to stay calm. The tone of his voice told me that he wouldn't hesitate to hurt me if he needed to, but I couldn't figure out why.
"In here," he said as he pushed the door open and threw me inside before slamming it shut again. I heard a lock click and assumed that he'd made sure we couldn't escape.
I looked around the room and saw Liz lying on a dirty mattress in a far corner. There was a bathroom attached to the room, and that gave me a sense of relief that I wouldn't have to beg to be allowed to use a toilet.
"Liz! Liz!" I said as I sunk to the mattress and gently shook her limp body. "Liz, wake up. It's Alex. I'm here to take you home. Liz!"
"Alex?" she mumbled with her eyes closed. I could see that she'd been drugged with something to keep her pliant and quiet, but what I couldn't figure out was whether she'd taken the drugs willingly or not. "Alex, is that you?"
"It's me, Liz," I said as I rubbed her arm trying to bring her back to consciousness. "Wake up and talk to me, Liz!"
"I don't feel so good," she moaned as she rolled over on her side and dry heaved a little. "My stomach hurts."
"I know, I know," I said, smoothing the hair back from her forehead. "We'll get you out of here and to a hospital."
As I said this, I realized that I needed to call for help before they realize
d I had a phone and took it away. My phone rang as I was pulling it out of my pocket. It was Cam.
"Cam! I'm with Liz at Jarvis and Paulina, call the cops and come get us!" I shouted into the phone. "Apartment 3A! Come find us now! Jarvis and Paulina! 3A! Mermaid in the purple lobby! It's Vic--"
The door to the room burst open, and Victor stormed across the room grabbing the phone out of my hand before I could say anything else. He took the phone and threw it against the wall.
"NO! You can't do that!" I screamed as he backhanded me and grabbed me by the throat.
"You shut the hell up, you stupid bitch," he growled as he looked right into my eyes. "You're going to do what I say, and if you fuck up again, I'm going to kill you and your friend. And I won't lose a wink of sleep over it."
"We didn't do anything!" I sobbed. I felt the air being forced from my lungs as he punched me in the gut and dropped me to the ground.
"Shut the hell up, and don't make me come in here again," he warned before grabbing my phone off the floor, slamming the door shut, and turning the lock.
"Liz, what's going on here?" I cried as I crawled over to the dirty mattress and curled up next to her holding my stomach. "What happened?"
"Don't know," she said in a thick voice. "He took me from the hospital. Said Cam told him to pick me up and take me home. He stuck a needle in my arm. Then I was here."
"This is screwed up," I said as I grabbed Liz's hand and held on tightly. "I hope Cam heard me and comes to find us."
"He will," Liz said before she fell back into her haze.
I hoped that she was right, because from my vantage point, I wasn't sure he'd be able to find us.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Cam
When I heard Alex's frantic scream on the other end of the line, I immediately went into action mode and began driving north to the intersection she'd told me to find. With the exception of the address, none of the rest of what she'd said had made sense, and I wasn't sure how I would be able to find her, but I trusted that once I got there, I would be able to figure it out. I was tempted to call in back up, but the last thing I needed was publicity like this before Leo and I made our first public appearance with Richard Metzler.
