Chapter 16
That spite was the glue holding Alicia together over the next two weeks. Spite was the only emotion allowed to enter her heart whenever she started to think about Danica, her father, or what almost happened the night some goon lit Alicia’s apartment building on fire.
The fire marshal had inconclusive results from his investigation.
Naturally, whoever Russell had hired did a good enough job not to leave any evidence behind.
Unfortunately, this also meant there was no evidence that someone had tried to kill Alicia.
Not even Candice’s suspicious tickets to Las Vegas were enough to get her loved ones to see what was going on.
So, spite it was. Spite also bolstered her through one of the nastiest breakups she ever experienced. This was worse than Matt, of all bastards.
Linda and Candice thought that Alicia’s constant breakdowns – whether they were in the hospital room or the hotel she moved to after her discharge – had to do with the trauma she suffered the night she almost died. In truth, she cried every time she thought of Danica.
Her anger stemmed from memories of her disbelief. That her family could do something so cruel to her.
Her sorrow was born from the ache in her heart and the hole in her soul. She may have been willing to say that she was in love with Danica, but actually being without her – forever – forced her to face those feelings.
She loved her. Even now, she loved the beautiful bitch. Alicia spent her sleepless nights dreaming of the way Danica made love to her and held her through their too few nights together. Chicago was a fantasy. Her coming over to the apartment for the sake of being with her?
Alicia would never have that again.
It was for the best. She knew that. Candice knew that.
Linda blankly nodded when the two young women attempted to explain what was going on with Danica.
“Some woman I dated for a few weeks, Mom. As you can see, she was too out of control and possessive. Wasn’t healthy.
Had to break up with her.” Linda kept telling her that she did the right thing.
As beautiful and wealthy as that woman had been, a possessive personality wasn’t cute.
If Alicia stayed away from Danica, then the terror would be over.
She would never have to worry about Russell again.
He got what he wanted. Even if Alicia couldn’t be killed, she would at least be scared shitless enough to never come around again.
What did she value more? Her relationship… or her life?
Danica would get over it. She would move on. She was in a position to quickly recover and bounce back in a new relationship a few months down the line. She’d find someone new. Maybe Natsuko Matsuda was still interested.
Alicia’s possessions had been mostly destroyed by either the fire itself or by smoke damage.
The fire department allowed her and Candice to salvage what they could, which wasn’t much.
Alicia’s closet was toast, which included the designer clothes.
Most of the stuff in her dresser on the other side of the room was okay. Her old clothes from her older life.
All that remained as tokens of her relationship were the choker and the emerald ring, two pieces she was still wearing when Dee dragged her out of the apartment and to safety.
Alicia didn’t have the heart to get rid of them. Not yet. She had thrown them into the bottom of the new purse her mother bought her and never looked at them again. First, she would need the spiteful heart to sell them for some much-needed cash.
Danica still paid for her medical treatment, but that was the extent of hearing anything from her. No phone calls. No texts. No assistants showing up at her hotel room door to collect her for dates or to relay information.
The only person she saw from that life was Dee, who swung by the hospital in plain clothes to inform Alicia that bodyguard services had been terminated. “I’m on medical leave, anyway,” Dee had said. “But I wanted to make sure you’re okay. Guess I’ll kinda miss you.”
Alicia should have been grateful to return to a sense of normalcy. She may be sharing a standard hotel room with Candice until they could find a new apartment, but it was more normal than what she went through with Danica.
On the third night in the hotel room, Alicia sobbed herself to sleep. Candice rolled over in the other bed and covered her head with a pillow. Eventually, Alicia was too much. Candice crawled out of her bed and into her friend’s, consoling her with bad TV and a bag of popcorn.
That was the last time Alicia cried. She made sure to get it out of her system so she would never cry about Danica again.
Her heart froze like ice. Her soul shut down. Her mind turned its attention to only one focus: getting another job.
Debts were cleared. Insurance paid for the hotel room while the roommates scrounged up the deposit fee for a new apartment. Yet Alicia couldn’t spend every day of her life sitting around, being reminded of what wonderful things Danica did to her the last time she was in one.
“Are you nuts?” Candice asked as Alicia scrolled through online job ads. “Or are you…”
“Taking matters into my own hands again?” Alicia put her phone down. “I’m looking for a job, Candi. I’m not on Tinder or Hinge trawling for prawns. Not like anyone out there can fuck like She Whom I Will Not Mention, anyway!”
“Well, then.”
Alicia needed the distraction of a job. She needed to feel in control again.
“Irasshaimase!” Alicia picked up a thick stick and pounded the taiko drum behind her. “Ogyakusama imasu!”
Amazing how much Japanese a person picks up after only three days working at an izakaya.
Alicia hadn’t even heard of the traditional Japanese pub-style bar until she got a lead for a job.
She didn’t bother applying until she double and triple-checked that Moreau Industries didn’t have their chopsticks in the communal bowls.
Now she was already making good headway and decent money. The manager gawked at her résumé before taking it straight to the owner of the large restaurant. Two hours later, Alicia was dressed in a hakama and bandana, shadowing a college kid who had already been working there for two years.
Like any restaurant, there were quirks to be honored.
This place strived to be as authentic as the native Japanese owners could make it, complete with on-the-floor seating and the staff speaking stock Japanese phrases to the diners.
Alicia didn’t have to know as much as the waiters did.
All she had to know was how to greet guests.
After that first night, Alicia took a study sheet home to distract herself.
Candice had to deal with Alicia’s butchered Japanese all night, not that she complained.
I’m totally teaching Pete this stuff when we get him back from Candice’s friend.
Alicia would die to hear him caw “Irasshaimase!” whenever someone came home.
Tonight, the place was crowded, but not so crowded that it was difficult to keep up with the influx of guests or decide which waiter to give them.
In fact, this place was run so damn well that Alicia almost considered it a blessing in disguise that she had quit Blue Bird to run off to Chicago with Danica.
Don’t think about her. Alicia went back to her podium after seating the last two guests. She pulled out an erasable marker and marked that table as taken.
“Hey, Alicia!” Liam, one of the senior waiters at the restaurant, approached her when no one else was around. “Everything going well?”
Alicia liked Liam. Since her first day on the job, he had been nothing but friendly and helpful – and not even in a creepy way like some guys at these jobs could be.
He never acted like he expected something in return or that Alicia should be so grateful for his attention. Everyone loves him. She kinda did, too.
“Yeah,” she said, twisting the cap on her marker. “Thanks for checking in.”
“No problem. It’s been a blast having you so far. You really filled in for us after Sadie went back to college early.” Sheesh. It was already that late in the summer? “Anyway, I don’t have much time left in my break, but I was going to ask if you wanted to, um…”
Alicia glanced up into Liam’s blue eyes. “Yeah?”
“Well, some of us are going bar crawling later. I’m the designated sober man who has to babysit everyone, and I could use some help.”
Alicia laughed. “You want me to come be sober with you at some bars while our coworkers get drunk?”
“What? Like that isn’t fun?”
Liam put his hand on the podium. Damn. He was fairly fit. Did he say he played basketball? I used to go to all the games in school. To say she had a soft spot…
“Might be fun with you,” she flirted back.
Liam smiled. He had such a dazzling boy-next-door smile, and it killed Alicia inside.
Supposed to. It was supposed to kill her inside.
Too soon, girl. It had only been two weeks since she shrieked at Danica to get out of her life forever.
The woman had taken it to heart. Not a single word for her.
Not a single word in the press, which was probably how she liked it.
Had Russell received word that Alicia was no longer a nuisance?
Was Alicia in the clear, free to live her life?
Which meant dating again?
Yeah, so it was too soon, but this wasn’t even a date, technically. Could it turn into a date? She supposed so. God, look at me, wondering if I should date a guy next. She felt like a stupid stereotype. Actually, she just felt stupid.
An intimidating hand clapped Liam on the shoulder. The head waiter nearly jumped out of his freckled skin.
“Don’t you have some work to do, Mr. Gable?”
Alicia dropped her marker.
She was hallucinating. Definitely, definitely hallucinating!
Liam craned his head around with an unsolicited whimper. Danica glared back at him.
“How’d you know my name?”