21. Chapter 21 Freddy
Chapter 21: Freddy
F reddy woke to the sound of his phone alerting him that Patrick was calling. As he answered, he stretched naked between the sheets and wondered if Sabrina had started the coffee. They needed to talk, but it would have to wait until he got back from today’s meetings.
“What’s up?” he answered.
“What the fuck did you do?” Patrick asked.
Bolting upright, Freddy noticed the deep silence of his house for the first time that morning. The place felt cold, like it used to before. “What do you mean?” he asked as dread filled his core.
“Holly just helped Sabrina move into one of the spare rooms here.”
“What the fuck? No, she’s staying here.”
“You sure about that?” his brother asked.
Freddy leaped from his bed and tore down the hall to check Sabrina’s room, uncaring that he was bare-ass naked. Her door was open, and the room was empty. He might have thought everything was just put away neatly, but Sabrina always kept her personal laptop on the table by her bed. “Oh fuck.”
“Yeah, but we don’t have time for the drama right now, because we need to leave in less than an hour if we’re going to make it to Dynamic Solutions on time, and we really fucking need to be on time today. You can bitch and moan about how stupid you are during the two-hour drive.”
Patrick hung up before Freddy could respond.
He checked the rest of the house and found her computers still set up in his office, but everything else was gone. He’d just started pulling on pants after deciding to say screw the meeting and go up to HQ to talk to Sabrina when his phone chimed with a text.
Sabrina: Sorry i left without talking but its best. Good luck at the meeting today. Text me how it goes.
Freddy swallowed the bile rising in his throat. He didn’t want to do this today, but Sabrina would kill him if he skipped the meeting. Worse, there’d be no one there to defend her. In fact, now that he was thinking it through, going to the meeting and showing how he’d stand up for her and secure her job might be the best way to prove to her that staying here was the smarter choice. He replied to her message.
Freddy: I’ll text you as soon as its done.
Then he pulled up his brother’s number and texted Patrick.
Freddy: I’m driving myself. Wont be late. See you there.
Freddy’s shoulders sagged with relief as he exited the Dynamic Solutions building. The meeting had been tense, with accusations flying and tempers flaring. Patrick’s passionate defense of Taylor Industries’ security measures had been impressive, but it was Freddy’s own assertion that seemed to finally convince the DS executives.
“Sabrina and I created those documents, yes, but neither of us leaked them,” he’d stated, his voice steady despite his internal desperation. “Our security is top-notch, and I stake my reputation on that. Moreover, blaming Sabrina would be counterproductive. All of us can agree we need to find the real culprit to ensure the leaks stop. My brother could fire her to superficially appease you, but it wouldn’t solve the problem. Our commitment to finding the real source is a testament to our integrity.”
It had been enough. Brian Renner had scowled through the entire meeting, but the men in charge agreed to keep their contract with Taylor Industries… for now.
The warm air hit Freddy’s face as he stepped onto the bustling city sidewalk. He loosened his tie, feeling the weight of the past few hours lift from his shoulders. His mind drifted to Sabrina, and a small smile tugged at his lips. He could focus on her now. Pulling out his phone, he shot off a quick text:
Freddy: Meeting went well. I’m picking up something special.
Freddy checked his watch. He had just enough time to swing by that specialty cheese shop before it closed. Sabrina loved their sheep’s milk cheese. It certainly wouldn’t fix anything, but it should convince her to let him in and start the conversation. He’d spend all night at HQ if he had to. She was worth whatever it took to convince her that she belonged here, with him, with TI, on Whitetail Mountain–all of it.
He navigated the crowded streets, weaving between harried business people and tourists gawking at the towering skyscrapers. The little bell above the cheese shop’s door jingled as he entered, the rich aroma of aged cheeses enveloping him.
“Good afternoon!” The shopkeeper greeted him warmly. “What can I get for you today?”
Freddy nodded, his eyes scanning the gleaming display case. “A wedge of the Lamb Chopper, please. And maybe... hmm, how old is your aged gouda?”
“We’ve got an eighteen month, a three-year, and a five-year.”
“I’ll take a wedge of the five-year, please. Oh, and a good triple cream, too, please.” While Sabrina loved Lamb Chopper, Freddy preferred the crunch crystals and bright flavor of a well-aged gouda. Considering how much they fought over the triple creams they both loved, it was probably best their taste in hard cheese differed.
“I’ve got a few rounds of triple cream in their own rinds, or I can cut a wedge from a larger wheel,” the shopkeeper offered.
“Let’s go with a half-pound wedge from the larger wheel.” Maybe sharing would be easier if there was more of it. Then again, maybe they could share it in bed tonight, if he could convince her to come back to his place. Surely knowing she still had her job would go a long way toward assuring her that going back to Nebraska wasn’t the solution she thought.
As the shopkeeper wrapped up his selections, Freddy’s phone buzzed with a text from Patrick. He’d been stuck schmoozing and shaking hands while Freddy was able to make a quick escape.
Patrick: Good job in there, bro. Heading back now. You going back to your place?
Freddy typed a quick reply.
Freddy: Thanks. Stopping for cheese. Then I’m going to HQ to talk to Sabrina.
He’d ignored Patrick’s side-eye as they’d waited for the meetings to begin, and then both of them had been too busy to discuss personal drama. Freddy knew his brother would have questions for him, but they could wait. He wanted to talk to Sabrina first. She was keeping her job, and Taylor Industries was keeping its contract with Dynamic Solutions. That had to count for a lot.
He paid for his purchases, the familiar weight of the cheese in his hand oddly comforting. As he stepped back onto the sidewalk, he couldn’t help but wonder how Sabrina would react to the surprise. Would she smile that crooked grin he loved so much? Would her eyes light up the way they did when she solved a particularly tricky bit of code? At the very least, it might be easier to remind her how good the night had been and how great their relationship could be as he offered up her favorite cheese.
Freddy’s steps were light as he headed back to his car, the cheese shop bag swinging gently in his hand. His mind buzzed with thoughts of Sabrina, imagining her reaction to the surprise. A hint of her shampoo lingered in his memory, and he found himself walking a bit faster, eager to see her again. It would all work out. It had to.
The parking garage loomed ahead, its concrete facade a stark contrast to the bustling city streets. Freddy fumbled for his keys, the cheese shop bag crinkling as he shifted it to his other hand. As he approached his car, a flicker of movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye.
Before he could turn to investigate, a sharp, blinding pain exploded at the back of his head. The world tilted sideways, his vision blurring into a chaotic swirl of colors and shadows. The cheese shop bag slipped from his grasp, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Freddy’s knees buckled, and he felt himself falling. His thoughts scattered like leaves in a storm, fragments of confusion and fear swirling through his mind. He tried to call out, but his voice refused to cooperate.
The last thing Freddy registered was the cold, rough surface of the parking garage floor against his cheek. Then darkness engulfed him, and he knew no more.