Chapter 8 #2
Nervousness flashes across her face as she shakes her head. She talked to her mom and sister but not her boyfriend.
“Why not?”
“Because he can tell when something’s wrong, even when I try to hide it.”
I fight the urge to clench my fists.
What do you expect from a boyfriend she’s serious enough about to live with? That’s the way it should be.
These emotions spinning around in me are becoming a nuisance.
“What time do you usually get home? When will he be expecting you?”
I know the answer to that, and I know she knows I’ve been following her. But I don’t want to unnerve her even more by giving that away. She glances at her watch. It’s nearing four o’clock. Juan o’clock according to my chest.
“Around six.”
“I doubt I’ll have this solved and handled in two hours.”
Her gaze sweeps the living room and toward the second bedroom before she looks at me again. Her eyes narrow.
“Will you follow me home and drive past my apartment building just to be sure you know where I am?”
I cock an eyebrow to appear mystified by what she’s accusing me of.
Why would I follow her anywhere or drive past anywhere since she’s not leaving this fucking suite until whoever did this is dead?
“You terrified me that night, Jorge.”
“If I were such a threat, such an ogre, why’d you call me?”
“I didn’t say you were either of those. You still scared me. How fucked-up am I to turn to my stalker for help?”
She wraps her arms around her waist, and she appears to shrink into herself. The enormity of this situation just hit her again. I shove my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching for her like I did earlier. But her lip trembles at my rejection. I approach her slowly.
“It was dark, and you couldn’t be sure who it was.
That kind of situation should scare you.
It should keep you aware of your surroundings and not take your safety for granted.
I think the idea of me following you makes you feel safe.
You don’t like it, but it’s sprouted roots in your mind.
You know I wouldn’t be there as a threat. You know I’d protect you.”
“Just admit what you did, Jorge. Stop speaking in hypotheticals when we both know it’s real.”
I don’t admit to crimes.
“You’re certain it’s the truth, so you don’t need me to confirm what you’re sure you know.”
“Being evasive doesn’t endear you to me.”
“Should I be dear to you, chiquita?”
My gaze sweeps over her, lingering on her mouth. I’m not trying to seduce her. I’m trying to distract her.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Try to distract me. Skirt the truth by putting this all on me.”
“Am I distracting?”
“Stop flirting with me. I’m not a toy.”
“I’m not playing with you.”
Her cheeks flush with the innuendo. She turns away from me and sits on the sofa again. She ate half the cheeseburger and most of the fries. She picks at the ones that are left, but they look soggy.
“Liesel, you need to have your mom and sister come here. We need to explain what happened.”
“I know we have to tell them, and being here with your security detail is best. I just don’t want to be the one who has to.”
I sit beside her and cover her hands on her lap with mine. She doesn’t object, so I don’t pull away.
“I’m here to do this with you. Tell them a client offered you a night in a suite as a gift of gratitude. Does your boyfriend work tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Say he can’t make it because of work. Make it a girls’ night. Tell Bastian the same thing. We explain once they’re here. We do not want them to involve the police or tell anyone else. That’s what’ll happen if you give even a hint that something’s wrong.”
“All right.”
She retrieves her phone from her purse which is on the dining room table behind us. She unlocks it as she returns to the sofa. She looks at me before pulling up her contacts as she sits. She calls her mother first. I follow along with their German since Liesel has it on speakerphone.
“Mutti, ein Kunde hat mir ein Dankeschon-Geschenk gemacht. Es ist eine Suite in einem Fünf-Sterne-Hotel.” Mom, a client gave me a thank you gift. It’s a suite at a five-star hotel.
“Das wird ein schones Vergnügen für dich und Bastian.” That’ll be a nice treat for you and Bastian.
“Er kann nicht kommen, weil er morgen eine Superfrühschicht hat.” He can’t make it because he has a super early shift tomorrow.
They continue in German as they go back and forth. I sense Liesel’s getting frustrated. I rest my hand on her thigh, and she relaxes beneath my palm.
“Save it for another night.”
“I could, but I really hoped you’d come with me today. We can order room service and just be together. I’m going to invite Heidi too. Work’s been extra complicated recently. You know that. It would be nice to have you around right now.”
Her mother hesitates, and I grit my teeth.
“All right. I’ll let Papa know.”
Liesel flinches before tears fill her eyes. I watch her take a breath before she responds.
“You’ll need to leave him a message.”
“Okay. When should I head over?”
“Can you pick Heidi up on the way? She should be done with her meeting by now. I think she can slip out early. I’ll call her when we hang up. If you don’t hear from me, it means she’s ready.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too, Mutti.”
I like the informal diminutive for Mutter—Mother. It’d be sweet if things weren’t so fucked-up.
She hangs up and presses another contact. She keeps this call on speakerphone too as she speaks to her sister in German.
“Hey.”
“Hey. Guess what I got.”
“What?”
“You sound rushed. Can you talk right now?”
“Yeah. I just went to the restroom, so I’m walking back to my desk.”
“Okay. A client gave me a night at a suite.”
“In exchange for?”
Liesel glances at me before looking straight ahead at the TV which I muted as she called her mother.
“Nothing. It was a thank you gift. Bastian has to work early tomorrow, so I decided to invite you and Mutti to join me. It has two bedrooms. If you snore, I’m kicking you out to the sofa.”
“Such a welcoming invitation. You’re the one who kicks in her sleep.”
I swallow my laugh. She scowls at me before she leans to whisper in my ear.
“Not since I was like ten.”
She sits up, surprised how close she got to me. It’s like she didn’t expect to confide a secret. Her warm breath against my ear was faint which made it erotic as hell. She turns her attention back to her sister.
“Mutti’s on her way to pick you up unless you can’t leave yet.”
“Um—that gives me about half an hour. Yeah, I can come. I won’t have an overnight bag though.”
Liesel turns to me in a panic. Neither of us thought about that. We’ll sort out what they need for the next few days once we get past sharing the news.
“Don’t worry about that. Just be ready for Mutti.”
“Okay.”
“I’m going to send Mutti the hotel name and address right now.”
“Thanks for the invite. I’m picking out the unhealthiest thing they have on the menu.”
Liesel’s face flashes a pained smile before she plays it off. “We can order two. It’ll be good to have you here. See you in a bit.”
“See you. Bye.”
“Bye.”
She hangs up and puts the phone on the armrest to her right. She wraps her arms around herself, and she appears so lost. I slide my hand across her back until it cups her shoulder. I nudge her, and she leans against me. She rests her head on my shoulder.
“Jorge, what are we going to tell them?”
“Do you want me to do it?”
“Yeah. But it should be me. They’ll already be upset you’re here once they find out you’re—”
“A man in your suite who isn’t your boyfriend.”
“That too. Once they know who you are.”
“A potential investor.”
“That won’t convince them to have faith in you. We have to tell them who you are.”
“No, they’ll automatically assume this had to do with my family doing business with yours.
It might, but it might not. They’ll fear I lured you all here.
They’ll insist upon leaving, and they’ll insist upon calling the police.
One of them might slip away to do it even if we convince them to stay.
Right now, I’m an obscenely rich businessman who has unlimited resources at my fingertips because of that wealth. ”
“That’d be true even if you weren’t in a cartel, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes.”
She leans away to look at me more easily. She studies me before she nods.
“What if they’ve killed Papa and are going to send him to me in boxes? I’m not at my office to receive them. Did they follow us and know to send anything here?”
“Whoever this is, is watching you. They knew to deliver the package while you were at lunch that way you couldn’t ask questions.”
“My assistant was away from his desk too.”
“They know the significance of your father’s ring and that you’d recognize it immediately.”
“Will they send more of him here?”
“I don’t know who this is yet. I can’t give you an honest answer—not even speculation—about what will happen next.”
“A ransom?”
“I doubt it. This isn’t about money. At least, that’s not all of it. What can you tell me about the note dropped in your lap at the park?”