by Roxy Wilson
Cole put a hand on his forehead and rubbed. Lexi was going insane. The last time he saw his ex-fiancée was a day before the wedding at the rehearsal dinner. He never set eyes on her again. Frankly, he didn’t trust himself to do so. He would have throttled her if he’d tried. All her stuff was packed and sent to her apartment. And she sent some of those things back but…
The thought froze in his head.
Damn it!
“Why did you go to my apartment?”
Lexi sniffed. “I just wanted to say hello. That was so stupid of me.”
“You saw her get out of my place and lock the door?”
“Yes!” She stomped her foot, the first time he saw her behave in such a wild manner. He could understand her ire, but his blood was boiling for other reasons. “How many times do I need to tell you that I know the truth so you can drop the pretense?”
“Truth?” His ears were buzzing. He couldn’t believe how stupid he was. “You’re not even close to the truth.”
And without wasting a moment, Cole turned and left her place. There was something he needed to do first, and later, he would deal with Lexi.
Chapter Seven
Lexi entered the apartment and closed the door behind her. Her head was hurting. She’d spent the day organizing an anniversary party that sapped her of energy. All she wanted was a hot bath before hitting the bed. It was more than twenty-four hours since she’d last heard from Cole. Shocked as she was that he ran off without an explanation, it was probably for the best.
There was nothing left to say. He cheated on her, and when she uncovered the truth, he didn’t have any reason to stick around. He was probably back with his fiancée, planning their wedding all over again.
The bastard!
If she ever saw him again, she didn’t know what she would do. She trusted him, and he betrayed her in the worst possible manner. Like a fool, she thought he was different and that he actually cared, but it was obvious he didn’t have any regard for her feelings. And here she had been thinking of love and commitment.
I’m off men forever.
A pang ached in her heart. She missed him already. With no other man did she feel so much at ease and yet so full of excitement. He brought out the best in her. And yet, he didn’t want her in his life anymore. One way or another, she had to accept that fact and move on. As she toed her shoes, Lexi heard her phone ring. Who could it be? If it was Cole, she was going to hang up without a word.
“Hello.”
“Ms. Riley? Alexandria Riley?”
“Yes?” She didn’t recognize the voice. “Who is this?”
“I’m calling from Trinity Hospital. We’ve got a woman here, Janay Riley, who has been in an accident.”
“What?” Her hand shook as she pressed the phone closer to her ears. Janay had an accident? “Is she all right?”
“She has suffered some cuts and bruises. Would you be able to come in right now?”
“Yes, I’ll be right there.” Lexi shoved her feet into her shoes again, grabbed her handbag, and rushed out of the apartment. Rather than call Brielle, she ran to get her, and together they grabbed a cab. Both sisters prayed on their way to the hospital.
“Wasn’t she supposed to join her friends for a few drinks?” asked Brielle.
“Yeah. She said she would get a cab.”
Tears pooled in Brielle’s eyes. She was always the most emotional of them all. “I hope she’s okay.”
“They said it’s just cuts and bruises.” Lexi prayed that it was so. If something happened to her baby sister…the thought was too horrible to contemplate. When they reached the hospital, they rushed into the emergency department and asked for Janay. They were directed to a bed that was curtained off.
“Oh, thank God!” said Lexi when she saw Janay. There was a bandage on her temple, a cut on her arm, and a black bruise on her cheek but she was alive. Brielle simply hugged her. Walking over, Lexi deposited a kiss on her head. “What happened?”
“The idiot cab driver was drunk or sleepy. He banged into a pole.”
Luckily for Janay, her injuries were not serious. After reassuring herself that Janay was indeed doing well, Lexi went to talk to her doctor. “She has suffered a head injury and we generally like to keep such patients overnight to make sure that they don’t have a concussion.”
“Can we stay with her?”
“I’m afraid not. But we do have a waiting area.”
Lexi came back to deliver the news. “The whole night?” Janay wailed. “I’m fine.”
“It’s just in case, sweetie,” Brielle reassured her. “And we would feel much better if we were here.”
“We’ll make camp in the waiting area. I already checked it out,” said Lexi as she patted her sister’s hand. Janay never did like visits to doctors and hospital. Every vaccine injection was a major trauma event. “We can all leave tomorrow morning.”
“Certainly not!” said Janay in an emphatic voice. “I’m not going to allow you guys to waste your time here. We’ve got work tomorrow.”
Brielle smoothed Janay’s hair as she suppressed a smile. “No, we don’t.”
“Oh well, I don’t care. You’re both going home, and if you don’t do as I say, I’ll leave.”
Lexi and Brielle exchanged a look. It was obvious that she was distressed at the idea of inconveniencing them when she was doing quite all right. “Okay. We’ll talk to the doctor and come back in the morning when it’s time for you to be discharged.” Lexi kissed her sister. “I’m glad it wasn’t that bad.”
“Same here,” she grinned.
Brielle and Lexi left the hospital. Lexi hated to leave Janay alone, but there was nothing else they could do, and if all they were going to do was wait, then it was better to do so at home. They made their way back home, relieved that it wasn’t as bad as they’d feared. Once they reached the building, Lexi paid for the cab.
“Want to come in for coffee?” She didn’t want to be alone just now. Janay’s accident shook her more than she realized. It would be nice to have company for a while.
“Not if I plan to sleep, but I wouldn’t mind sharing a room with you tonight. I don’t think I could rest after the fright I got.”
“Same here.” Lexi was glad that she didn’t have to be alone. Digging into her purse, she took out the key and went to open the door. “It’s unlocked.”
“Did you leave it open?”
Lexi couldn’t recall her exact moves. Maybe she did leave it unlocked in her rush to get out. “I’m not sure.” As she stepped inside, Lexi got her second shock of the day. Someone had spray painted on one of her living room walls. “Merry Christmas, Bitch!” she read out loud as if that would help her make sense of the situation. Her white couch was a mess. It was marked with a liberal dose of spray paint. The cushions were thrown about. A vase that sat on one coffee table was smashed. Glass littered the floor. “What the hell happened here?”
“We need to call the police,” Brielle’s voice shook as she put a hand on Lexi’s arm. “Now.”
While Brielle made the call, Lexi surveyed the damage. The intruder also spray painted on her bed and cabinets. Her clothes were flung out. But the cash and jewelry she kept in one drawer was untouched. Whoever it was didn’t come to look for valuables.
Who would do such a horrible thing?”
Brielle came inside. “Let’s wait in the kitchen. They told me not to touch anything. You want some coffee? I don’t think we’re going to get much sleep anyway.”
“Sure.” Lexi walked behind her sister. She felt numb. Nothing like that ever happened to her before. Why would someone come into her house with the express purpose of destroying her property? It was an act of violence, aggression, and hatred. And she was shaken to realize that she invoked such strong, negative responses in someone. “This is a nightmare.”
Brielle made coffee as they waited for the police. Two policemen came in fairly quickly. They saw the place, took pictures, and then began their questioning.
Lexi rested her trembling hands on the kitchen counter. “Less than two hours.”
“An hour and a half maximum. We couldn’t sit with Janay, so there wasn’t much point in sticking around at the hospital,” said Brielle.
“Have you noticed anything missing?”
“I don’t keep much jewelry at home. But the few pieces, and laptop, digital camera, and cash are all there. The drawer was locked. It looked as if no one even tried to tamper with it. The person who came in wasn’t looking for things to steal.”
“Sometimes junkies do it,” said one of the officers. “But in your case, I would have to agree with you. It looks as if someone wanted to express his or her anger at you. In such cases, more often than not, we look at the ex-husband and old boyfriends.”
Lexi rubbed her temple. She couldn’t believe Cole was capable of such an act. Of course, she didn’t even think he would cheat on her, but he did do that. So what made her think that he wouldn’t do this to get back at her? But try as she might, she couldn’t pin the blame on him. “I have never been married. And yes, I did break up with a guy…but he couldn’t have…I believe that he wouldn’t do such a heinous crime.”
The two policemen exchanged glances. “We’ll see what we come up with. There’s a doorman at the building opposite yours. We can ask him if he saw someone go in and check with neighbors. Sometimes people are up at odd hours and notice things. We might come up with a lead. But if we don’t…we might have to take a look at your last boyfriend.”
Brielle walked them to the door and returned to sit beside Lexi. “You can sleep with me tonight.”
“Yeah.” Lexi couldn't bear the thought of staying in her own place when it looked like this. “Why would someone do this?”
“I don’t know, honey. But I hope they find that person.” Brielle gripped her hand. “Are you sure it couldn’t be Cole? The way you described your last confrontation, you said he looked angry.”
Lexi squeezed her sister’s fingers. Cole was indeed enraged, but for some strange reason, she felt sure that his wrath wasn’t directed at her. After careful deliberation, she’d come to the conclusion that she missed something important in their dialogue. He didn’t say much, but given the way he reacted to her accusations, something was off.
And whatever else she believed about him, she could never convince herself that he was behind this nefarious act. He would never do such a horrible thing. Cole might be a cheater, but he was certainly not a lowlife who got off on spoiling other people’s peace of mind. He was a calm and collected individual.
“He didn’t do it,” she assured her sister. “I’m a hundred percent sure of it. But don’t worry, the police will find the person who did.”
“Are you all right?”
“I’ll be fine. It’s not the worst thing that has happened to me.”
All Lexi hoped was that she got a chance to move on with her life without any more drama. She just wanted that normal pace back.
Chapter Eight
Cole rang the bell at Lexi’s apartment. It was two days since he’d last seen her, but now that he’d cleared the demons from his past, he was willing to face her again. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to leave without explaining himself, but how could he have said anything when he didn’t understand half of it himself?
Now, he was ready.
When Lexi opened the door, an unexpected coldness hit his gut. He’d never seen her look so disheveled. She was wearing blue jeans and a short sleeveless shirt. Tendrils of her hair escaped from the bun tied behind her head and there was a black mark on her cheek. Behind her, he could see Brielle with a dirty rag in her hand.
“What’s going on?”
Her eyes narrowed. “It’s none of your business.”
She would have slammed the door in his face if he didn’t catch it. “Don’t!” His gaze took in the graffiti on the wall that the two sisters were cleaning. “Who did this?”
Sighing, she opened the door. “If you must know, I had a break-in last night.”
“Were you hurt?”
“I wasn’t here.” She told him about Janay’s accident and the fact that she and Brielle weren’t in the building. “Nothing was stolen, so it wasn’t so bad.” Her cell phone rang. She walked over and picked it up. After listening for a second, she put a hand on it. “It’s a client. Excuse me!”
He watched her walk into the bedroom. Cole closed the door behind him. It might not be as bad as she said, but it was certainly terrible enough. The person who did this intended to cause pain and had succeeded. “Any leads as to who broke in?” he asked Brielle who began cleaning the wall.
“The police don’t have a clue, and neither do we. Nothing like that has ever happened before. Lexi might have left the door open but this is a private building and we’ve never had intruders.”
“You should hire a doorman.”
“That’s what we are thinking about now or perhaps a better security system.” Brielle sighed, stepped back, observed the wall that was still splattered with paint, and began to clean it. “We’ll have to repaint this section.”
“I could help.”
She cast a glance back at him. “Thanks, Cole. But I think you’ve got bigger issues.”
He rubbed a hand on his face. “Yeah, you’re right, but I can talk and work. Here, give me a rag.”
Brielle picked up another from a bucket in the corner and passed it on. “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to tell you this, but the police wanted to question you.”
He began to wipe the wall. “Do they think I did it? Looks more like kids.”
“Yeah, that is what I thought, but the police claim that the graffiti sprayed on the wall clearly indicates a person who was pissed off with Lexi.”
“And that points directly to me because…”
“You guys did break up not so long ago.”
Fear lanced his heart. Had Lexi decided their fate already? No! He wouldn’t allow her to do that. “We’re still together.”
“But…” Brielle paused to stare at him.
“We’re still together,” he repeated in a firm voice while he continued to rub the rag on the wall.
Clearly flustered, Brielle went back to the task at hand. She didn’t say anything and they both continued to wash and wipe for the next fifteen minutes. By the time, Lexi came out, the wall was clean. “You don’t have to do it.”
“I want to.” He threw the rag back in the bucket, washed his hands, and turned. “We need to talk.”
Looking a little unsure, she tilted her head to the side. “I’ve got a lot of work to finish.”
“So do I.” Without giving her a chance to respond, he grabbed her elbow and marched her to the relative privacy of the bedroom.
She shrugged out of his grasp when he closed the door behind them. “I don’t like being manhandled.”
His nostrils flared as he glared at her. “Do you think I did it?”
Her hair was now tied in a high ponytail and it swung behind as she shook her head. “If you must know…No, I don’t think you did it. That’s what I told the police.”
Relief flooded through him. At least, she didn’t suspect him. If she’d done so, he would have walked out right there and then, because love couldn’t blossom without a foundation of trust. “Thank you for that.”
“Yeah, well…” She raised a hand in dismissal. “I’ve got work, so if we’re done here…”
“We’re not done,” he said in a voice that brooked no argument. “Do the police know anything?”
She appeared a little surprised by his persistent questioning, but he needed something more before he could give her some answers. “Well, the only solid lead is that an elderly lady in the building opposite claims she saw a woman go into the building ten minutes after Brielle and I walked out. But she can’t be right. We don’t know any woman who would want to do it.”
“Did she describe the woman she saw?”
Lexi squished her eyebrows together. “Why? What’s wrong?”
Cole wiped his hand across his face. “I believe…or rather I think I know who is behind this.”
She scratched her cheek in an absentminded gesture, clearly not sure if he was joking or if he knew something important. “Who?”
“It’s my ex-fiancée, Arianna.”
Her mouth gaped. “Arianna? Why? I mean…what? Why would she…?”
“Yeah. Do that for about five minutes, and you might get to the point where I was when you sprung that surprise on me and told me you saw her coming out of my apartment.”
Her eyes narrowed. Disbelief was etched clearly on her face. “Are you saying you didn’t know she was there?”
“I haven’t had contact with Arianna since the day before what was supposed to be the wedding. That’s what I told you, and that’s what’s true.”
She paced the room. “But I saw her come out. She had a key.”
“Which I never took back…because well, when she sent all my stuff, I didn’t look through it. I just stored the boxes she sent in a cupboard and forgot about them. Frankly, I was in no mood to take a trip down memory lane so I just pushed them out of my mind. Big mistake! I assumed she must have sent my keys back. She didn’t.”
Lexi stopped in front of him. “And you never knew?”
“I can see why you would have trouble believing it, but I’m saying it the way it was.” He wanted to draw her in his arms, but she wasn’t quite ready yet. From the way she crossed her arms over her chest, he could tell that she was feeling a little vulnerable. He didn’t want to give her the jitters, but if his ex-fiancée was unhinged enough to come after her, then he wanted her to be prepared.
“That day when you told me, I couldn’t offer an explanation because I didn’t have one. So I went home, checked through those boxes, and didn’t find the keys. Then I asked the doorman and he said she did come around. Since I never bothered to cut her name from the list of people who can go up without my express permission, he was allowing her up whenever she showed up.”
