Chapter Twelve

 

 

White was waiting in the lobby when I returned and he rode the elevator up with me.

“I told you I need to know where you are at all times until we find out about Evans,” he scolded.

“I had some thinking to do and I didn’t know where I was going or when I’d be back.” I actually liked the attention from White but I didn’t like the restrictions so my tone was defiant.

“I know you don’t like this,” he started.

“Do you hover like this when it happens to another partner?” I interrupted.

“That’s just the thing. It doesn’t happen. There’s something about you that just,” he paused, “draws attention.”

I stepped off the elevator at my floor and he followed me. This I didn’t expect.

“I suppose you want to come in,” I said rudely. I wanted nothing more than to spend time with him but I couldn’t get Lacewell out of my head.

“I don’t have to come in.” White was clearly stunned at my remark.

“I’m sorry. Of course you can come in.” I reminded myself that his choice of lovers was of no relevance to our working relationship or friendship. We entered my apartment and he went immediately to my couch and made himself at home. My clothes from the Emma Robertson job were still in the suitcases and I decided to take the time to put them away.

“Would you make some coffee?” I asked as I carried a suitcase to my bedroom.

“Sure,” he replied from the kitchen as I opened the case. The phone I’d been given was on top of the clothes and blinking. I had a message.

“White?” I held the phone out in front of myself as I walked toward the kitchen.

“What’s this?” He gave me a curious look.

“Emma’s phone and there are several messages.”

“Who is it?”

“It must be Evans.”

After pushing some buttons White put the phone to his ear. I watched his face for any hints about the message. He only listened to a couple of the messages and didn’t reveal anything until he hung up and called Red from his own phone. He gave Red the address of the apartment I used as Emma and told him to check it out with extreme caution and get back with him right away.

“It was Evans?” I thought I already knew the answer.

“No. It was someone named Sal. Said he had Evans and would keep him until you showed up.”

My mouth went dry as I thought about Evans and the message. Sal had been a zealous flirt but I didn’t think he would have done anything like this. I hoped Red and Green would find Evans and bring him back. I felt guilty for not having the phone on me.

White must have read my expression and told me I couldn’t have known this was going to happen.

I went back to putting my clothes away while we waited for Red to call back. For some reason it felt like he might call sooner if I just got these clothes out of the way. I quickly finished the job and Red still hadn’t called.

“Maybe you should call him back.”

“No. He’ll call. Be patient.”

White and I sat on the couch sipping our coffee for what seemed like an eternity. I watched my feet for a bit and then moved my gaze to White’s boots. I studied them for a while before I realized how close they were to my own. I immediately felt restless. If White were really seeing Lacewell I felt uncomfortable sitting this close to him. Especially since I felt the way I did about him. I’d resolved to dislike Lacewell but if White liked her I wouldn’t want to do anything to disrupt his happiness. As my mind raced with thoughts like this my eyes were slowly making observations of White’s feet, legs, and finally his arm before his phone rang. My eyes jumped to his and he was watching me inquisitively. Time stopped. The phone rang again before his eyes left mine. I was breathless. White had given me all kinds of looks but nothing ever so potently amorous. He hung up after a couple of affirmative answers to quick questions and one “Yes, Grey’s apartment.” I was still unsettled by the few seconds our eyes had locked and I didn’t trust my voice to ask him who it was. Instead I adverted my eyes and rose to get coffee. I didn’t know if the look was calculated on his part and was afraid to ask.

Neither of us spoke as I brought the pot over to give White a refill. While I put the pot back on the burner there was a knock at my door. My mind was aflutter with thoughts of White as I headed toward the door to answer it.

“I’ve got it,” I noticed White rise to answer it himself.

When I opened the door it was like being slapped in the face. Lacewell tried to walk past me into my apartment as if I weren’t even at the door.

“I’m here to see White.” Her tone was full of disdain and contempt when I stood in her way.

I didn’t reply. Instead I looked her up and down like she’d done to me and shut the door in her face.

“What did you do that for?” White was asking as Lacewell knocked insistently on my door.

“If you let her into my apartment I’ll punch you right in the mouth.” I growled, standing in front of my door with my hands balled into tight fists.

“Are you serious?”

“You’re damn right I’m serious.” Lacewell’s incessant beating on my door had stopped and White’s phone rang.

“Just hold on, Lacewell,” White sounded exasperated tone. “Alex, you have to let her in. She’s here because of Evans.”

I surrendered and relaxed my clenched hands. White started to reach past me for the doorknob. He stopped when he was close enough I could have heard his heartbeat if I’d have held my breath. He faltered, his arm falling back to his side. He sighed loudly and said, “Okay.” Lifting his phone back to his ear he then said, “Just meet us at the office,” then he hung up.

I walked past him, retrieved my coffee from the kitchen then made my way back to the couch. I had no intentions of going to meet with Lacewell.

“We’ll give her a chance to stand there for a while before we go down.” White joined me.

“Why?” I had to know why.

“She pisses me off a lot, too,” he shrugged.

“But, shouldn’t you take her side in this?”

“Was she right?”

“No,” of that I was sure.

“Then, no.”

“Won’t this get you into trouble?” I loved the fact that he was taking my side but couldn’t help but prod. I wanted to make sure he and Lacewell weren’t a couple.

White narrowed his eyes at me as a devilish grin spread across his face. “In trouble with whom?”

“Her.”

“I suppose, to some extent.” The grin was still there. He added, “We better get down there before Red calls. This is very unprofessional.”

I nodded and got to my feet. Though I hadn’t planned on going to the office I had to see their reactions to each other. I hadn’t gotten any information from him and his villainous grin had confused me. Did he know I was pushing for information or was he smiling like that for another reason?

We rode the elevator down in silence and I led the way into the office. Lacewell was sitting in Gabriella’s chair when I walked in. She stood and gave me a cross look. I happily returned the expression.

“Okay, ladies,” White stepped between us to get our attention. “We will be working together so we need to build a good rapport. First of all, Lacewell,” he directed all of his attention to her. “When you are at my apartment for business, or any other reason, you will treat my guests with respect. If I hear that you’ve turned anyone away again without informing me that I have company, we will have to do all our business dealings here at the office. Am I understood?”

She rolled her eyes, said, “Yes,” but gave a loud sigh as if his requirements were ludicrous.

“Ms. Grey.” Now he turned to me. “I completely understand why you don’t want Lacewell in your apartment after the way she treated you. However, I expect you to treat our other clients appropriately.”

I was expecting him to reprimand me like he did Lacewell, but instead, he gave me permission to dislike her. I nodded my agreement and held my head higher as he led the way into his office.

The stillness between the three of us would have been more than I could bear if Red hadn’t called almost as soon as we sat down.

White’s conversation was short and his expression troubled as he handed the phone to Lacewell.

“That was Red,” White told me as Lacewell spoke on the phone. “They found him.” His voice was muted so I worried if Evans was still alive.

“Just go in and get him!” Lacewell yelled to Red.

“We’ve got to go,” White said to me. “According to your messages, Sal wants Emma, so you are going to go get Evans back for us. Lacewell, let’s go.” She was totally absorbed with her phone call but managed to follow us to White’s Mustang in the parking garage.

She got into the backseat without hesitation, allowing me to ride shotgun.

White handed me Emma’s phone as we were driving.

“Call him and tell him you just got the messages. He still thinks you are Emma so you will be.”

Sal picked up on the first ring.

“Emma?”

“Yes,” I had a tremble in my voice.

“Did you get my messages?” He sounded eager.

“Yes. You didn’t hurt Mr. Evans did you?”

“No. Here, you can talk to him.” There was a short pause and then I heard Evans voice.

“Emma?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. Where are you?” He replied.

“Almost there. Is he well armed?”

I heard some rustling and then Sal’s voice.

“Where is she?” When Evans didn’t answer quickly enough, “Where are you?”

“I’m almost home.”

“Are you alone?”

“Yes.”

His tone turned ominous. “You better hurry. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Where did you go?” He didn’t give me the chance to reply before he fired off another question and another.

White stopped a block from the apartment and told me to walk the rest of the way and keep him on the phone. I did as I was told and saw Sal watching from my apartment window. As soon as he saw me his questions stopped.

“Hurry up,” he said.

I picked up my pace and walked straight for the apartment. I looked around as I crossed the street, hoping to see Red and Green somewhere nearby.

Just as I noticed them sitting in a car near my apartment, Sal said, “What are you looking for?”

“I’m just watching for cars while I cross the street,” I lied.

“Well, don’t.” He hung up.

White drove past me at a normal pace and I watched as he parked down the street out of sight of the apartment. I didn’t know how this was going to pan out. I’d never had a stalker before. If only I had realized how unstable Sal was while I was at Gigi’s I could have taken precautions.

Sal was waiting with the door open.

“Get in here,” he waved a gun at me.

“Okay, just relax.”

I saw Evans tied up in the corner as soon as I walked in so I started to make my way to him.

“Leave him alone. I want to know where you were,” Sal demanded.

“I told you she was back home, tying up some loose ends.”

“I didn’t ask you, old man.” Sal pointed the gun at Evans threateningly. He turned his attention back to me. “You didn’t tell anyone where you were going, you just left.”

“I couldn’t work at Gigi’s anymore. They were going to make me dance and I just couldn’t do that, Sal.” I was improvising.

“Why? You would have been the best dancer there.”

“I didn’t want to take my clothes off in front of strangers.” He stood, thinking.

“Well, that’s good, I guess,” he said finally.

“Give me the gun, Sal.” I reached for it and thought he was going to give it to me until he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him.

“I don’t think so. I need to deal with him first.” While holding me in a chokehold with one arm he waved the gun toward Evans. I struggled against him but realized he had a better hold on me than I’d previously thought.

He fired the gun and I tried to pull free at the same time. Evans slumped to the floor and blood slowly pooled around him. My phone rang inside my pocket. Sal kept his grip on me and slowly turned me toward him. My phone rang again.

“Answer it and tell them not to come in,” he ordered.

“Who? I came alone,” I lied.

“I’m not dumb! Just do it,” he shook the pistol at me.

“Yes?” I tried to sound calm.

“What happened? We’re coming in.” White’s voice was intense.

“Not a good idea.” Sal took my phone from me and hung it up.

“You are damn good looking but not that good looking. We found the bug you planted.”

“What do you mean?” I continued to try to play Emma.

“Don’t even…” he let his sentence die. “You were the only girl who up and left, making you the prime suspect. I know for sure now because of all your friends outside.” He shoved the gun into my gut making me double over.

“We are leaving now.” He wrenched me around, holding my arm behind my back. Pushing me toward the door he told me, “Open it, slowly, and walk out, slowly.” As soon as the door was opened it revealed Red standing there. His sidearm aimed at us.

“Take it easy,” he said as Sal pulled me closer to him, his arm back around my throat.

“Back off,” Sal said as he pushed the gun to my temple.

Red holstered his gun and backed away. “Lets talk about this. She’s just a woman. You don’t want to do this for a woman.”

I started to shake my head, knowing that Sal knew I wasn’t who I claimed to be. He pushed the gun harder against my head, preventing me from moving any more.

“I’m not stupid. What are you guys? F.B.I.? It doesn’t matter, I’m walking out of here. Back off!” Sal was getting jumpy.

“Evans,” I croaked but my air was cut off by Sal’s arm.

“Move it!” He kept his back against the wall as he moved toward the parking lot. Red stepped into the apartment as we moved further away.

Sal slowly pulled me to the parking lot. I tried to look around but couldn’t move my head. I couldn’t see anyone else and started to feel a panic rising. I couldn’t let him get me into a vehicle. I tried to struggle but he just solidified his grip around my neck cutting off all of my air. I planted my feet and he tried to move me onward but failed until he lifted me by my neck. Grabbing hold of his arm with both my hands, I tried to lift myself up some so I could breathe. I failed and his grip only got stronger.

We reached a dark colored Jeep and he put me back down on my feet but didn’t loosen his grip. My head started to swim and I felt weak. I fought against it but knew if he didn’t ease up I was going to pass out. I felt him trying to fish his keys from his pocket but my vision was failing. My legs faltered and I went limp, sliding out of his grip. I had the sensation of falling but didn’t feel anything when I hit the ground.

The next thing I knew White was kneeling beside me, brushing my hair out of my face. My stomach was turning and my head hurt.

“Come on, wake up,” he coaxed gently. “We got him,” he said when I opened my eyes.

I tried to apologize for passing out but my throat hurt and nothing came out.

“We’re lucky he cut off your air. It gave us a chance to take him down.” His voice was soothing and despite my humiliation I felt somewhat better until I saw Lacewell standing in the background, grinning.

I managed to partially sit up. In spite of my sore throat, I asked about Evans.

“He’ll be okay, because of you.” This time it was Lacewell. Her tone was grateful, but strained. “He was shot in the shoulder and just played dead. He said that your struggling with Sal must have made him miss his mark.”

“Sal knew I’d planted the bug,” I told White.

“You were out for a couple of minutes. We know all this already and have it under control.”

“What?” I was confused.

“Emma Robertson and Michael Evans were killed here today but not before taking out the gunman.”

“Sal’s dead?”

“No, but he’ll be detained. Probably indefinitely.” Green added as he joined us.

“The ambulance is on its way,” Red informed White.

“You and I will ride in the ambulance with Evans and you’ll both die at the hospital, so don’t look too well yet.” White told me.

I gratefully laid back down and didn’t hide how I really felt. I was sore all over and it was easier to look miserable than not to.

 

*****