Chapter 47
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
ELENA
After chatting with my former coworkers, Amelia Chen and Ruby Anderson, excitement swirled in me. Their enthusiasm inspired a few new ideas. My plan was to have Musepaper up and running by November with some room for fluctuations.
Orion had gone over to Remi’shome to meet up with Arrow and Forrest. I had a lunch date with Kiera, Audri, and Vivian atthe Krazee Tavern. Michelle and Natalie weren’t available.
“So how’s your mission going?” Kiera asked.
“We have so much to catch up on.” I sipped my iced tea, shoving away all the stress from the past few days to enjoy time with my friends. “The Thief Who Loved Me is complete with success.”
The girls stopped drinking and eating, gawking at me.
“Details please.” Audri stared at me.
“I’ve been wondering since our last chat.” Vivian grinned.
“C’mon. Tell us!” Kiera exclaimed.
“Trust me, I wanted to tell you. But so much has happened lately.” I briefed them on the fire at my mom’s house, the bank scam investigation, how I was fired but now working full-time on Musepaper. But I left a lot out as well, like how I’d broken into Chantel’s home. That was a secret shared only with my thief.
“That’s a lot to deal with. Do you need us to help with anything?” Audri asked.
“I’m okay for now. Oh, I do need images of your upcoming events. I’ll have a section for future events so people can mark them on their calendars.”
“Will do,” they all said.
“So . . . is he excellent in bed?” Vivian wiggled her eyebrows.
“The best.” I smiled, thinking of his hands on me. I needed his touch tonight.
Perhaps after our dinner date, I could seduce him . . . rob him of his clothes and sanity.
“Earth to Elena.” Kiera waved her hands in front of me. “She’s in horny land.”
Audri laughed. “Do you love him?”
A sense of warmth cloaked me. “I do. It scares me. Seems like when things become important to me, something awful happens.”
“It’s natural to feel that way.” Kiera picked up a french fry. “Don’t overthink it.”
“Just enjoy it,” said Vivian.
“What’s new?” I asked them.
“I’m going to an art show by Nessa Lambert.” Vivian swiped on her phone and showed us an image. “She’s my new favorite artist. I bought the pink waterlily painting from her.”
“Oh, I love that one,” Audri said.
“We should all go. Take your men with you. She has a new collection she’s debuting.” Vivian typed on her phone. “I’ll send you the invite now.”
My house could use a new painting. I could also get one for Orion’s suite. If only these girls knew about his little collection.
My phone buzzed with a reminder of my date with Orion. I was supposed to meet up with him at Eclectic Taste, a new hotspot in town with gorgeous outdoor seating. I swiped the reminder away and checked for Vivian’s invite. After registering me and Orion for the event, I continued my conversation with them.
I leaned into the table. “What do you guys know about The Trogyn?”
The cheerful expressions on their faces turned serious.
“I know the boys are trying to destroy their organization,” Audri said. “Remi doesn’t want me to ask much about them, but I’m worried about him and the others.”
“Me too,” Kiera added. “The Trogyn’s sex trafficking ring is massive and elusive. Did something happen to you?”
I sighed. “My uncle was connected to them, and he just died.”
“My uncle worked for them too,” Audri added. “He kidnapped me, demanding money.”
My mouth dropped open at what family would do to each other for money.
“I know Orion is trying to protect me by not sharing a lot of information.”
“Maybe we can help them on the side,” Audri said.
“My thoughts exactly.” I beamed. “But I don’t know where to begin.”
“We’ll take our time and think of something. If women ran the world, it would be a different place, right?” Vivian asked.
“That’s for sure.” Kiera agreed.
Gosh, I loved these girls.
“We’ll wait until Michelle and Natalie are free, and we can all brainstorm. Think of this as another level of the Super Spy Girls.” Audri smirked. “We’re more than what meets the eye.”
“It’s not just about relationships with complicated men.” I laughed. “We’re upgrading to world events now.”
We clanked our iced teas and chatted for another hour until I had to leave to get some more work done before meeting with Orion. I started several articles for Musepaper regarding the events for Audri and Vivian and began organizing notes for the article that would shed light on the worldly bank scams. Feeling the need for something more uplifting, I started brainstorming about Madame Sarcasm’s return.
An hour later, I was sitting in the outdoor seating of the Eclectic Taste. I texted Orion that I’d arrived and where I sat so he could easily find me. A band played in the corner. Couples of various ages sat nearby. Pretty vines draped down along the pergola like curtains. The orange and purple hues of the sky made a lovely backdrop to the cityscape.
The waitress came by twice, and I felt bad so I ordered a lemonade. I glanced at my phone, but Orion hadn’t replied to me. He’d never been late. The one time he was late was the day I crashed into his car.
I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t shake off this unease.
“You look so lonely. Are you waiting for your boyfriend?”
I glanced up to see Chantel wearing a summer dress. Shouldn’t she be in prison?
“I’m fine, thanks. But you look like a criminal who paid off someone so you can have dinner.” Irritation clawed at me. “Are you waiting for the police to arrive?”
She smirked and irritated me even more.
“Are you waiting for the police to discover other crimes you were involved with?” I asked with a straight face. “Who did you pay off to keep you out of jail? Or rather, who did you sleep with?”
I hit the spot when indignation splashed across her face. “Did you enjoy my creative endeavor?”
“How many know the Henderson household has a drug dealer in their house? Is that how you make your money? Is that your family’s legacy?”
Pissed, she pulled out a chair and sat down without asking for my permission.
“That seat is taken,” I said calmly.
“Well, your man is fucking somebody right now.” She smirked as though she knew something I didn’t. “If I were you, I’d back away now because shit is going down.”
I had no idea what she was talking about. And I couldn’t trust her. Based on past experiences, she lied about everything. Was she trying to get on my nerves?
“Are you done? You’re ruining my evening.”
“You should pay more attention to your boyfriend.” She made a face. “He’s not a one-woman kind of guy. You’ll see.”
With that, she rose and walked over to a table with a group of women.
Was she trying to annoy me? Or was there some truth in there?
Frustration clawed at me for not being able to shake off her words. She’d planted self-doubtsin my head.
A text from Orionpopped onto my screen. And it wasn’t what I expected.
Orion: Can’t make it. See you at home.
The self-doubt grew as I drove home.