Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
ELENA
Frustration was a deadly mosquito hovering around me as I sat in my boss’s office, glaring at him. Alvin Coolidge managed Channel 7 News, and I needed his assistance with a personnel matter.
“Chantel is lying,” I said, trying my best to hold my composure.
My competitive coworker—who had a face like Catherine Zeta-Jones and the body of supermodel Gisele Bündchen—was like the dirty water that bred mosquitoes. She created a dangerous working environment for me and others. But nobody seemed to care.
Alvin leaned back in his leather chair and looked at me with deep-set blue eyes. “Why would she lie? She has no reason to.”
She has every reason to. I’m a threat to her.
“Ever since the ratings for Uncover the Truth skyrocketed, she’s been making up shit about me. I’ve let things slide. But accusing me of working with a drug dealer to get the scoop for my episode is crossing the line.” Anger bubbled in me. “Do you know how many phone calls and emails—not to mention the social media frenzy—I had to deal with because of her accusation?”
“She said she was just being sarcastic.”
“That’s a fucking lie. And you know it.” I’d never cursed at work, but Chantel had stepped on my last nerve. Shifting in my seat, I fumed. “Her ‘sarcasm’ was on a popular podcast. She’s ruining my reputation!”
“You’re overreacting,” Alvin said calmly.
“Are you serious?” His indifference fueled the fire in me. “It’s not overreacting, Alvin. It’s called defending yourself. You would understand this if you weren’t fucking her.”
His eyes widened at my bluntness.
I knew I shouldn’t have said that, but I couldn’t help it. If I didn’t need this job, I would’ve resigned a while ago. But dammit, life had a chokehold on me. I wouldn’t pretend he was being an objective manager.
I waited for him to deny it or make up some stupid excuse. I’d seen her get into his car after work and caught them kissing at a restaurant.
“That’s my personal business.”
“Which is affecting your ability to do your job: be objective in this matter.”
Chantel’s father was a senator in New York, and her uncle was an influential agent representing several celebrities. Alvin Coolidge was a man who wanted to be in her circle.
Dropping the subject, he said, “Upper management has been on my ass about your latest investigation. They don’t think it’s viable.”
My mouth dropped. “It is viable when people are dying for no good reason.”
“People die every day, Elena. They get sick and they die. They get into car accidents and they die.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Do you realize how cruel that sounds? Concerned people are asking for my help about their family members’ suspicious deaths. People want the truth even if it’s ugly. What I’m hearing is that you and upper management believe the truth isn’t worth it.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why?”
He shrugged. “Channel Seven has a new direction now. I’m sorry to say there won’t be any more Uncover the Truth.”
A heavy boulder dropped into my stomach.
“What?” My heart stopped as tears filled my eyes.
This was my show. I’d made it popular from the day it first aired. I’d put my heart and soul into every story, and those stories had made me a better person.
“Upper management is reorganizing everything. You’re being reassigned to other projects.”
Uncover the Truth was the most successful segment of Channel 7 News. There had to be another reason for the sudden shift. Was Chantel paying them to squash my show? Were they creating a show just for her ?
I needed to get out of here because if I had seen Chantel in the hallway, I might have strangled her. But that would put me in jail and keep me from taking care of my mother. Who would pay off the monstrous debt . . .
Shit!
Anxiety tightened my stomach. I’d forgotten to make the payment that was due yesterday. This fiasco at work was messing with my head.
“I’m taking my four-week vacation starting right now.” I rose from my seat. “Sorry for the late notice, but this stressful work situation is detrimental to my mental health. I need the extra time to adjust to the sudden changes. You and upper management will have to understand.” I inhaled and exhaled to loosen the knots in my stomach. “If you don’t, there’s a mental health clause in the company policy handbook that would remind you. Check chapter five.”
I didn’t give him time to respond, stalking out of the room and heading to my office. Then I grabbed my purse and the box of folders containing all my research and rushed out to my car. I dumped everything into the passenger seat, rounded the hood to the driver’s side and got in. Once inside, I exhaled a long breath. After a few more breaths, my body calmed.
Switch gears, Elena.
Shrugging off the anxiety as best I could, I switched my focus to bills. Compartmentalizing things had helped me manage my life during stressful moments. I could dump all my concerns into a box, cover it up with a lid, and shove it aside until later.
I didn’t know how I came to that method. It was a personal mechanism birthed from extreme stress.
Opening the list of bills on my phone, I saw two bills that were unchecked, which meant unpaid.
You’re losing it, Elena.
I should have felt bad leaving work early, but right now I didn’t care. Why should I care about ethics when my employer didn’t give a damn about me? I’d worked so hard there, and for what? A false accusation and my show pulled from the air. Money had power. It talked louder than someone like me who was struggling with finances. Who didn’t have powerful family or friends.
I’d use the time off from work to think about what I wanted to do. Should I return to work and do mundane news? Though my heart wasn’t in it, I needed the money. Maybe I’d spend the time looking for another job.
I drove out of the parking garage and headed to pay my bill, which had incurred the massive late fee of five hundred dollars.
“Remain calm. You can do this,” I told myself. “ Mamá doesn’t need to see you stressed out. She won’t retire if she knows about your financial predicament.”
The late fee to my phone bill—which included my mom’s mobile phone—was something I could deal with even though the extra money could’ve gone toward the insurmountable debt looming over me like a dark cloud that had just gotten darker.
Only three hundred thousand dollars left. I’d be free after that.
The loan shark was cold and ruthless. I couldn’t negotiate with him without fearing he’d hurt me or my mom. I knew he’d create trouble for my family if I didn’t pay up. The worst of it all? The loan shark was my uncle Carlos, my deceased father’s older brother. Money was blood to him. Everything else was just . . . everything else.
My father had incurred an obscene amount of debt to my uncle, a greedy man who valued money more than his family. Maybe that was why he didn’t have a wife or kids. Who would want to be with a heartless man? The day after my father died from a stroke, Uncle Carlos came to me and my mom asking for the money. The asshole didn’t even have the courtesy to let us grieve. Did he even grieve for his brother?
I’d lied to my mom, telling her everything was taken care of. I didn’t want her to stress about it. She was recovering from a thyroid condition that had made her thin, pale, and losing a lot of hair. Her hair was just growing back. The financial burden would destroy her. She was all I had left.
As a journalist, I’d seen all kinds of people doing all kinds of callous things to each other. But it still shocked me that a family member considered me and my mom as enemies. Money could do that to people—turn their hearts black, their eyes blind, and their emotions cold.
I’d met strangers who were kinder to me.
Even though my mom was officially retired next week, she would continue to volunteer at Wild Roots a few days a week. I didn’t object because it would keep her mind active. She deserved a retirement gift, but there was no extra money for that. I’d used up my savings and my 401k money to pay an enormous sum to Uncle Carlos. These days, I was living paycheck to paycheck.
Should I ask Uncle Carlos to waive the late fee?
Nerves returned as I imagined his harsh reply. “ I have a family to feed too, Elena.”
He considered his violent men family. Did my father know his brother was a coldhearted loan shark?
There’s no such thing as a compassionate loan shark, Elena.
Did my father assume Uncle Carlos would be kind to his family and dismiss his debt?
Some days it infuriated me that my dad had left this mess to me and Mom. What could I do but pay it? I couldn’t call the police on Uncle Carlos. My dad had borrowed money from him, signed the agreement. This was a family dispute, and dragging him to court would bring shame to our family. I knew without a doubt Uncle Carlos would send his men to hurt us. Besides, I didn’t want the world to know about my family’s issues.
Bam!
A crunching noise cut through the air.
Holy fuck.
The loud noise yanked me back to the present moment. With trembling hands, I pulled over to the curb. I’d hit a parked car. Shit. Now I’d probably owe a lot more from the damages to this luxury car.
Shame on you, Elena.
Trembling inside my car, I glanced around and waited for someone to come screaming at me, but no one did. I could just drive off. No one would know . . .
But I knew. That act would forever live in the back of my mind, eating me up.
Karma catches up to you. You can’t escape it. Always do the right thing.
Mamá’s words rang in my ears. What if someone hit my car like that?
I inhaled a breath, got out, shut the door, and walked over to the beautiful black car I’d dented.
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
If I thought my uncle’s debt was too much, I was wrong. The amount of money required to repair the damages to this beautiful car could make me homeless. This car lived in another world—a world I could never enter. A world I didn’t understand.
What had I gotten myself into?
My body quivered as anxiety slithered around me. I stared at the Bugatti La Voiture Noire, admiring the sleek design that demanded attention. It was magnetic, compelling, and legendary. How did I know about this car? I’d accompanied my best friend, Elliot, to the Geneva Car Show last year. He loved fashion, beauty products, and expensive cars. This one-of-a kind car had sold for about nineteen million dollars to some anonymous car freak.
If Batman had a big brother in a car form, this haute couture car would be it. A special edition like this shouldn’t be parked in the busy streets of Providence. It should be in a garage somewhere. It should have bodyguards all around it.
“Doesn’t look good.” An old man with short silver hair approached me. He took off his shades, studied the car, made a face, and shook his head. He wore shorts with frayed edges, a brown safari jacket over a green T-shirt, and sneakers, making him appear like he’d just stepped out of an Indiana Jones movie. “Did you do that, dear?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
He glanced around, then shifted close to me. “There’s no one here. It’s gonna cost you. You should go. I won’t say a word. I swear.” He zipped his lips with his fingers and tucked the invisible key into one pocket on his vest.
His harmless gesture made me smile. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” He scrunched up his face, placing the sunglasses back on. “It’s gonna cost an arm and leg.”
“If this were my car, I’d want to know who dented it. Leaving would solve one issue for me, but I’d be thinking about it all night, wondering when the owner would find out and come after me. I wouldn’t be able to sleep.”
The man pursed his lips, nodding slowly as he looked at the damages with me.
Nausea rose, making me feel sick. “I’ll be in debt forever.”
“But it was an accident, right?” he asked.
I nodded. “I should’ve paid more attention to the road.”
“Rough day?” He studied me.
Who was this stranger who brought a little comfort to my horrible day? “The worst.”
He waved a hand. “It happens, dear.”
My body stiffened as I sensed a presence around me.
“Uh-oh,” said the old man. “I’m gonna take off. Good luck.” He walked across the street and disappeared behind parked cars.
I turned and faced a man who sent my nerves skyrocketing to another level. Every time I saw Orion Reimann, my legs wobbled. There was something extremely powerful about him. If there was a man who suited the car, it would be him.
Orion Reimann was a man that emanated power and magnetism. He looked like a contained storm that could unleash its relentless force at any moment. A strong-boned face, high cheekbones, intense gray eyes, and a square jawline stirred something in me. Standing well over six feet tall, he wore a tailored black suit, a cream shirt, and a gray tie that cut him a wealthy man dwelling in a world way out of my reach. A world I didn’t understand and didn’t trust.
He resembled a sleek jaguar, wearing a perfect coat, dominating his terrain with his mere presence. I was prey frozen in place, even though he hadn’t said a word to me. He radiated an air of power that could part the Red Sea.
Earth to Elena!
What the hell was wrong with me? My mind should be on practical matters, not some fantasies that weren’t any help to me right now. I could owe him thousands of dollars I didn’t have.
He ran his fingers over the dents and scratches. My eyes followed the long fingers and the expensive watch that looked more intricate than a Rolex. Orion seemed like a man who liked one-of-a-kind things.
I couldn’t tell if he was angry.
“Sorry about the damages,” I said, wanting to get the ordeal over with. “How much do I owe you?”
He walked up to me, and I was overwhelmed by the raw masculinity he exuded. My nerve endings sizzled from the close proximity. I panicked from the powerful reaction and fell a step back. Normally I held a barrier protecting me from exterior influences because it kept me safe in a bubble so I could do my job. Being a reporter put me close to the powerful and wealthy. Not all of those experiences had been good.
Stress had weakened my barrier today, and I felt Orion’s energy thrum around me. He was a gorgeous man, a danger to women everywhere. What did a man with that kind of power do on a normal day? Did he wake up with a strict agenda, a disciplined diet, three assistants to help with whatever he needed, and several financial advisors to guide him to earn more than what he already had?
Boring.
I couldn’t live a life based on charts, profit margins, and strict rules that would suffocate me. It would be like me trying to shove my foot into a fancy shoe that didn’t fit.
Though he was out of my league, I could appreciate an attractive man when I saw one. It was healthy to acknowledge what you liked so that things you didn’t like could stay away. What woman wouldn’t be attracted to him? He was on the news a few weeks ago with a pretty woman in his arms. Every time I saw him, he had a new woman beside him.
Men like that were noncommittal. Just like my ex, they liked variety.
“You’re a journalist, correct?” he asked in a baritone voice that made my inner thighs quiver.
“Yes. Why?”
His gaze raked down my body, and embarrassment washed over me. I wore gray capris with dirt stains I hadn’t been able to remove and a T-shirt that read: I can be held, but not touched. What am I?
He stared at my chest, sending all kinds of sensations through my body. “What’s the answer?”
“Huh?”
“The riddle on your shirt.”
“Oh. It’s a grudge.”
“Do you hold grudges?” he asked.
I tried not to, but Chantel had been testing me. “It depends.”
“On what?”
Why was he asking me these weird questions?
“Circumstances.”
“I don’t hold grudges—I just get even.” His gaze intensified. “I have a proposal for you.”
“What?” I thought I heard him wrong. “For what?”
The corner of his lips tilted. “What else? The damage to my car.”
Why couldn’t I think clearly?I needed to get this situation resolved so I could get to Uncle Carlos. The last thing I wanted was for him to slap on another late fee. He’d do that without remorse.
“What’s the catch? I’m not interested in fine prints, Mr. Reimann.”
“There’s no fine print.” Something sparked in his eyes. “You might change your mind after you hear what I have to say, Ms. Sanchez.”
He knows me?
Well, that wasn’t hard. I worked for Channel 7 News in Providence. He probably saw me on the news.
Orion leaned against the hood of his car, folded his powerful arms in front of his chest, and studied me. I believed God was playing favorites when Orion was born. I’d never met any man with his captivating features. I couldn’t even describe him in words. He was beyond stunning. A new word had to be invented for him.
Don’t wobble. Don’t stumble.
The bones in my legs felt like they were dissolving, leaving me with nothing solid to stand on. Fearing I’d collapse in front of him, I stepped onto the curb and leaned against the pole with a one-hour parking sign. I inhaled and exhaled, trying my best to stay balanced. He probably thought I was acting strange, but I didn’t care.
I’d never reacted to a man like this. I blamed my condition on this terrifying situation, the blazing sun, and financial doom.
“Why aren’t you mad about the damages?”
“What makes you think I’m not?” he countered.
I didn’t have time for games. “How much do I owe you?”