Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ELENA
Irritation pricked my skin as I flipped through the folder on the table. Obviously, I was the only one who was pissed. I heard him on the phone laughing. What was he laughing about?
Was he laughing at that embarrassing scene in his lounge?
He could deny it all he wanted, but I knew he was attracted to me. Maybe he was too afraid to admit it. I didn’t want to be with a man who was afraid to acknowledge his own feelings.
Did he think I would cower to his arrogance and quit? Elena Sanchez was not a quitter. I’d stay on this job until it was done.
With a renewed mindset, I focused on the documents inside the folder. It had detailed information about a man who had passed away a month ago. The goal was to find the killer. Possibly hiding in Providence.
I stared attheimage onthe document. Pablo Toledo, also known as The Condor. He was sixty-five when he was murdered on the street.
Who was The Condor? Who was he to Orion?
Was this a personal pursuit? Or was Orion helping someone with this case?I searched for the alias The Condor on the internet and nothing came up for him except the bird. A few Pablos appeared, but the images weren’t of the man in question.
I didn’t know why I bothered searching on the internet. Orion had probably done it already. I opened the shared drive and reviewed the details of The Condor. His birthdate, place of birth, blood type, and a silver Toyota RAV4. He enjoyed traveling. I browsed some pictures and noticed he liked birds. There were various birds from all over the world. Orion noted two wildlife charities that had received Pablo’s donations.
Pablo’s body was found on the street near his apartment. I knew that area.Orion didn’t have a lot of information about Pablo’s connection to people in Providence. I’d take that angle and see what I could come up with. He had to have had some friends in the city.
I wondered if his murder was linked to the suicides I’d been investigating. I’d never imagined myself researching murders. But the desire for the truth had always excited me. I’d seen the truth distorted, rewritten, and delivered repeatedly. It became the norm that no one questioned anymore.That bothered me.
I was a victim of that distortion.
If it weren’t for people creating false accusations, I wouldn’t be sitting here. Just thinking about Chantel made my blood boil. Why would she smear my name like that? She was already an established reporter with a great reputation.
People surprised me every day.The limits they would go to in order to harm another baffled me. Where did they find the timeto do that? I’d rather devote the energy to something that made me happy.
I looked at all the information on The Condor. My meticulous boss seemed too organized. It made me want to unsettle him.
He has unsettled you today.
I flicked the thought away like lint stuck to my shirt and looked at the image of The Condor again. “Who are you? What did you do, Pablo?” I tapped his photo. “How many enemies do you have?”
Orion gave me a list of tasks. He must love his to-do lists.
Review the list of locations The Condor visited.
Link any connections that they had with each other, if any.
Who owns the locations?
Info on them.
Add everything to the spreadsheet in the shared folder.
Compile in alphabetical order.
We’ll review updates every few days.
New tasks will be provided as needed.
Had Orion always lived by a list? It was too structured. Too rigid for me. It would drive me crazy. I made lists too, but nothing like this.
Did he know how to live without structure?A successful man like him had to be disciplined, keeping his eyes on the goal. But if he always had his eyes on one thing, then he’d be missing everything else along the way, right?
Did he ever have any fun? What did he do for fun?
I stared at the list, which was a printout of the document in the shared drive.What would happen if I deviated from his list? Would that annoyhim?
I smiled as I envisioned him fuming.
Excellent.
I reviewed the first location on the list and gathered as much information as I could. Then I compiled the data into a document organized by location. I also cropped pictures, creating a collage to give me a quick snapshot of that location. A visual map of all the things connected to this case would be helpful. He didn’t ask for any images, but I was a visual person and this would help me do my job.
Next, I made a list of places to visit, hoping to talk to anyone who might have known him. Or might have seen something.
I got lost in the work until someone knocked on my door. There was only one other person on this floor. It had to be him, but I pretended I heard nothing.
I was still mad.
After a third knock, I asked, “Who is it?”
“It’s me. The only other person on this floor.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come in.”
He opened the door and stood in the doorway, looking gorgeous.
I couldn’t tell if he was still irritated as I was. Maybe he was pretending everything was fine too.
“I’m ordering lunch. Would you like anything?” He gave me a stack of takeout menus.
I’d planned on heading out to grab something, but at the moment I wasn’t even hungry.
“I’m not hungry. But thank you.” I handed the menus back to him. He took them and stared at me.
“I’ll pay you to have lunch with me.”
“What?” I gaped at him. “Why?”
The gaze intensified for a while. I could tell thoughts were racing through his mind. This man perplexed me. Earlier today, he kissed me passionately only to dismiss me, saying it was a test.
Now he wanted to pay me to have lunch with him?
“You can save money and just eat in your office.”
“You can make extramoney by eating with me. We can discuss the investigation.”
He knew I needed money when I took the advance from him to pay my uncle. The extra money would help pay for my mom’s massage chair and fix the leaking roof.
“Okay.”
The security guard dropped off our food. Orion brought my turkey club and fries and his steak and cheese sandwich into his office, which was four times bigger than mine. Tall windows revealed a gorgeous view of the city, allowing abundant sunlight to stream in. He walked to the furnished balcony, opened the wide doors, and placed the food on the table. Pots of beautiful plants made the balcony welcoming.
My steps slowed as I approached the balcony. Anxiety climbed up my body like snakes. Heat increased and my legs wobbled, remembering the fear that had been instilled in me all those years ago.
Be brave. You’re stronger than that.
I paused for a moment, inhaling and exhaling, trying to calm my body.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I didn’t want to appear weak and forced myself to put one foot in front of the other. I kept my focus on his face as I did so, not looking anywhere else. He was the goal. I envisioned him embracing me as I made it to the balcony to safety.
I gripped my hand on the cushioned chair and exhaled. “Yeah. I guess I’m hungrier than I thought.” I didn’t want to lie, but I didn’t want him to think I was a weakling.
He retrieved some plates from inside this office, brought them out to the balcony and sorted the food. He placed his steak and cheese sub and my turkey club on the plates. “What would you like to drink?”
“Just water is fine, thanks.”
I was still standing beside the chair when he put down the bottle of water. He walked to the railing and leaned against it.
I gasped and held up my hands. “That’s dangerous.”
“What?” he asked.
“You leaning against the railing.”
He considered me. “Are you afraid of heights?”
“Yup. We’re not friends.” I sat down on the chair and picked at my fries.
He smiled. “I learned something interesting about you. This lunch was worth it. I’ll add another thousand dollars to your paycheck this week.”
I gaped at him in disbelief. Guilt gnawed at me. I shouldn’t make him pay me to have lunch with him. Taking a break from work to recharge was necessary.
“It’s okay. You don’t need to pay. The free lunch is good enough.”
“I gave you my word, so I’m keeping it.” He unwrapped his sub and bit into it.
I wagged a fry at him. “It must be nice to toss money around like that.”
“I don’t toss money. I use it wisely.” His eyes gleamed. “It’s an investment.”
He considered me an investment?
“So you view things as business projects that garner profits.”
“I didn’t say that, Elena. Just eat. Enjoy the food and the view.”
He sat next to me instead of across from me. Our elbows touched slightly. It was so strange sitting here with him, given what had just occurred this morning. I felt like I was in a different movie. How could he completely ignore what happened in the Cosmic Lounge?
I still replayed the scene in my mind over and over again.
We ate in silence, and I admitted it was nice. Simple and casual. No expectations. A much-needed pause. I realized I hadn’t sat down to turn off my brain like this in a while. Even when I was home, I was always rushing to get things done. Sometimes I ate while I worked.
“Thank you.” I sipped my bottle of water.
“Thank you for having lunch with me.”
I wanted to ask what was bothering him, but I was afraid he’d say it was none of my business.
“So when are you going to tell me the secrets to dandelions?” he asked.
He remembered that? I remembered asking him to teach me how to use a slingshot, but I didn’t want to bring that up. It was best to keep our distance from now on.
“I guess we’ll have to see how the rest of the day plays out. You haven’t earned it yet.”
He leaned back in the chair and pinned me with those powerful eyes. “Fair enough.”
His phone rang, and he picked up. “Hey.” He kept his gaze on me while he spoke to whoever was on the other line. “I haven’t forgotten. See you tonight.”
Did he have a date? Jealousy stirred in me.
Well, I had an event tonight as well. Speaking of which, I had to leave early to get my hair and makeup done at Salon Oasis.
“Is it all right if I leave an hour early? I’ve got a hair appointment I made a while ago. I’ll make up the time tomorrow.”
His eyes scanned my face and hair. “That’s no problem. Are you cutting your hair again? I like it long.”
Joy sprouted in my stomach, but I squashed it. I shouldn’t romanticize anything.
“No. Just an updo.”
“Do you have a date?” he asked.
“Yes.” I had a date with a fashion show.
His jaw tightened, and the veins on his neck throbbed. But his face remained impassive, probably trying to hold back his genuine emotion.
Joy was like the seedlings of a dandelion scattering inside my stomach, flowing all around me. I held back the urge to tell the truth, or even correct his assumption. It wasn’t my fault he assumed certain things.
“Who is he?”
I chewed on a fry. “Oh, you don’t know Octavius Rollins.”
“What does he look like?” His eyes flashed like he was ready to subdue an enemy. “What’s his personality?”
Was Orion Reimann feeling insecure? No . . .
“Handsome. Arrogant. Mysterious. Moody.” I sighed. “He’s got a lot of issues.”
“And that’s your type?”
“We’ve all got issues, Orion. No one is exempt from that.”
He considered me for a long moment. I could feel his gaze on my face as though he were tracing my features with those sharp gray eyes.
After what felt like forever, he said, “It won’t work out.”
I arched an eyebrow. “How do you know?”
“Because you’ll be thinking of me.” He leaned in and tucked an errant strand of hair behind my ear. I shivered at his touch.
Traitor.
My body should be loyal to me . It shouldn’t respond to him when I didn’t want it to. He had shoved me away.
Orion’s eyes sparkled as though he knew what he did to me. He leaned into my ear, his warm breath brushing my heat. “You can’t erase me that easily.”
“I’ll make that my mission then.”
His eyes darkened. “Why?”
“What kind of game are you playing, Orion? You don’t want me. You said I was an experiment. Why do you care what men I’m dating?”
He didn’t answer me. Instead, he rose and ran a thumb over my bottom lip. “I’m trying to figure out what I should do with you.”
Then he left.
Why was I attracted to a man with multiple personalities?