Rico made the appointment and did a little research. I did no research whatsoever. I didn't want to spend a minute reading about the guy who was making moves on my girl. He told me a few key points, but other than that, I'd be winging this meeting. It wasn't about his business anyway. I just wanted to get a chance to meet the guy before I killed him.
"Take a seat and let's talk business." Reed pointed toward the seat in front of his desk.
I sat in the chair in front of his desk and tried not to stare at the picture he had next to his phone, although I could still see it clearly. I could clearly see Emily's lips on this asshole’s cheek. My insides twisted and I fought the bile that rose in my throat.
Over the next thirty minutes, I entertained the fact that I was interested in one of Reed's properties. He was overall very polite and informative, seemingly believing that I was really an investor, but he really had no reason to think otherwise. In reality, I couldn't give two shits about it. I spent most of the time thinking of how I was going to kill him. Slowly, I had finally decided. Our conversation came to a close and I reluctantly glanced at the picture again. I guess I wanted to torture myself.
"Is that your girl?" I asked, pointing to the picture. I couldn't even look at Emily. My eyes were glued to the man that was with my girl. The same man who was sitting in front of me.
"Yes, it is," he said, a large smile spreading across his face. I couldn't believe I wasn't wiping that smile off his face right now.
Taking in a deep breath through my nose, I forced down my temper. "She's beautiful, Mr. Alexander. You're a lucky, lucky man."
"That I am. Now if you don't mind, and if you don't have any more questions for me, I'm taking that beautiful woman out for dinner tonight and I don't want to be late."
I clenched my jaw and forced out a fake smile before standing up.
"Well, it all sounds very interesting, Mr. Alexander. I'll have to take a few hours to discuss it with my business partners. May I call you with my answer this evening?"
He nodded. "Of course. That would be fine."
"Have a nice dinner and hang on tight to the girl you have. Girls like that don't come around very often."
"She's very special, and believe me, I don't plan on letting her go."
The pain in my chest felt like someone was sticking a hot branding iron directly on it.
Turning around, I headed toward the door. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.
"How'd it go, boss?" Rico asked when we were back in the car.
"Just as planned." I glanced out the window. "It won't be long now."
It was just a few minutes after our appointment ended that Reed walked out the front of the building. Rico had done some more digging and found that Reed only lived a few blocks from his office.
Before long, we were parked on the sidewalk across the street from his building. Reed went upstairs and twenty minutes passed before he came back downstairs. This time he wasn't alone. Emily was there. His arms were wrapped around her waist and she was pressed up against him, like she was trying to keep warm. Her long, brown hair was blowing in the wind. He ran his hands through it as he kissed her softly on the lips. It felt like a knife had been stuck in my gut and twisted around.
Rico cleared his throat, and I drew my eyes away from them to his eyes in the rearview mirror. "What do you have planned, boss? This is kind of weird. It doesn't seem like you. You're a little too cool and relaxed. It's kind of making me nervous."
"I have a plan." I seethed. "I'm trying to keep my cool so I don't ruin the surprise. I don't want any interruptions tonight."
My eyes floated back over to them as they entered a black suburban and drove away.
"Follow them," I said, never taking my eyes off the car.
15
EMILY
WE HAD just sat down for dinner when Reed's phone rang. He sighed and glanced back at me, giving me an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, but I have to take this. It's the investor I met with this afternoon. Will you be okay for a minute? I'll be quick."
"It's fine." I smiled. I hadn't expected to see him for a few more days, so I could part with him for a few minutes. "I'll order us an appetizer and some wine."
"Sounds good." He bent down and kissed the top of my head. "I'll be back soon."
My eyes followed after him until he was out of sight. It was in that moment that it hit me. Really hit me. I was starting to fall for him. I wasn't sure if it was love yet, but I was pretty sure he felt the same. This feeling was different from what I ever felt with Jake, even in our early years. This was more real. It was nothing like the love Jake had for me, or thought he had for me. His sick and twisted love wasn’t love at all. It was all about control.
My cell phone rang, causing my thoughts to dissolve. Reaching down into my purse, I frantically tried to end the annoying ringing sound. I pulled it out and silenced it before I even saw who was calling. After putting it on vibrate, I was about to drop it back into my purse when the screen lit up and it vibrated in my hand. A strange number that I didn't recognize popped up on the screen.
It must have been something for work, but whatever it was, it was going to have to wait. When I ended the call, it began to vibrate again, almost immediately. Even though it was probably for work and it was a Saturday night, I figured it must have been important. I was handling my own clients now and Christine did tell me they could call me morning, noon, and night.
"Emily Anderson," I answered. The restaurant was fairly loud so I pressed the phone hard against my ear.
"And here I thought you were ignoring me," a dark yet familiar voice spoke. In a matter of seconds, it felt like the room dropped twenty degrees. My body went rigid and every hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Blood rushed to my ears, causing a ringing sound, and fear pressed on my chest, making it difficult to breathe.
It was Jake. He had found me.
"I have to say, Emily. You are even more beautiful than I remember. You look simply stunning, but I've always said blue was your color."
My stomach turned and I tried to find a breath. He was here. In the restaurant. Close.
I was too scared to speak, breathe, or move. A tiny voice in the back of my head told me to get up and run, to get out of there while I still had the chance, but I knew I couldn't leave without Reed.
My head remained still, but my eyes stretched right and left, sweeping the room. People were happily enjoying their meals. As my eyes moved around, I couldn't spot Reed or Jake.
"All these months I've been looking for you. All these months I've been missing you. I've yearned for the moment when I would be able to touch you again." He spoke in a low, quiet tone, and to most, it would be described as sweet, but I knew better. I could hear the underlying anger in it as well.
My mind went to a dark place, remembering all the scariest moments in the last few years of my life. This was definitely the scariest of them all. I knew the consequences of running away from him. I knew what he would do to me when he got me alone. He would kill me.
"I can't tell you how hard it is right now to be so close and not be able to touch you, to feel your soft skin against my own. It's killing me inside." His voice was still too soft, sweet.
A small whimper finally escaped me and I tried to choke back the tears but failed. They spilled down my cheeks and I quickly wiped them away.
"Don't cry, Emily. Tears have never looked good on you." The softness in his voice had disappeared. Now, all I could hear was pure anger, and I didn't miss the way he pronounced my name with disgust.
There was silence now, but I knew he was still there. I could hear him breathing. I could also hear the noise of the restaurant through the phone. I knew he was near me, maybe behind me. My mind continued to spin with what to do next. Wondering how I was going to get out of here alive and how I was going to get Reed out of here alive. So many things ran through my head—run, scream for help—but I did nothing. I was frozen in my seat.