Chapter 37
THIRTY-SEVEN
CORA
He’s blocking my path as I step out of my apartment building and stopping me from getting into my car.
“Move,” I tell him.
“I let you have your space. Now, I’m requesting to see you.”
I huff in annoyance. “How kind of you to give me space after you lied to me,” I scoff, hurt that he lied to me. I don’t want to play mind games with him.
“Technically, I didn’t lie. I just never told you.”
“Yes, so chivalrous of you.” I place my hand on my heart. “What a man you are.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your words of affirmation. Now, if you would be so kind as to go on a date with me.”
“A date?” I blurt in shock. “You do understand I wasn’t serious, right?”
“Yes, I noted the sarcasm dripping in your beautiful voice. I just chose not to acknowledge it.” I stay where I am as he takes a step closer. “A date. Please.”
“Did it hurt to say please to me?”
“No, it came out naturally, which is unusual for me.”
“Noted.”
“So, will you go on a date with me?”
“Sure, I’ll meet you.”
He eyes me skeptically before he says, “I can work with that.” I go to step around him, but he blocks my path again. “I’ll send you the address.”
I remain silent as he stands there, looking way too good, which makes me even angrier. He notices. I know he does, but he says nothing about it.
“Okay,” I finally answer. And this time, when I go to pass him, he allows it. I get into the car and try my hardest not to look back at him. But just as Matty turns the corner, I chance a quick glance and find him watching me drive away.
A few moments later, a text comes through—luckily, I had unblocked him.
It’s his location, asking me to come to his place.
I delete it and then call Delaney to check on her.
She doesn’t answer, which makes me a little concerned because she always answers, or at least replies with a text saying she’s busy.
I send her a text, asking her to call me when she can because I want to make sure she’s okay.
She still hasn’t replied by the time I get to work.
Right now, I’m worried about her headspace because I know she was falling in love with James—Rylas—and someone like Delaney falls hard.
I spend most of the day checking my phone for a reply from her, but I don’t get one. I even made a point to call her office, but they told me she didn’t come in today, which has me even more worried.
I finish up my last meeting, and then I immediately have Matty take me to her house. Checking my watch, I see I was supposed to be meeting up with Arlo right now. But, to be honest, I wasn’t really planning to go on a date. I just agreed so he would move out of the way.
She doesn’t answer when I knock and wait several minutes. Then I remember I have a spare key at home. After running back to the car, I tell Matty to drive me home. I call her repeatedly on the way, but she never answers. By the time we arrive at my place, I’m frantic.
When I arrive at my apartment, I find Arlo sitting on the steps. He stands when he sees my car pull up, and before I can even open my door, he’s opening it for me.
“You knew I wasn’t coming.” It’s a statement, not a question.
“Of course I did.” He waves for me to get out, but I stay seated.
“Why are you here?” I ask.
“I want something more from you, Cora. I need something more.”
I blink a few times at his declaration, my pulse fluttering wildly.
“You don’t just want sex. We both know you deserve more than that.
And while I would be ecstatic to fuck you from here to eternity, I know I wouldn’t be happy only having that small piece of you.
I’m a greedy, obsessive man when it comes to you.
I want it all. So, the plan tonight was to ask you to be more with me. ”
“You want me to be your girlfriend? After you lied to me?” I heard everything he just said, but it also hurts and confuses me.
Arlo declaring that he wants more is not what I was expecting.
Does it make me feel a certain way about him?
Sure. He is literally throwing everything at me that I asked for, but at the same time. ..
“I never lied to you.”
“It felt that way,” I shoot back. “And I can’t discuss this right now. I have an emergency.” Just as I say that, a text comes through from Delaney. My heart rate picks up when I see her name flash on the screen.
Delaney: I just need some time away.
Time away? I get that. She’s hurting. But it doesn’t sit right with me. We go through everything together. There is never a day that she doesn’t reply to me or call me back. It’s just not who we are.
“What’s wrong?” Arlo asks as I step out of the car.
Reaching back inside, I grab my bag and then pull it over my shoulder, not wanting to make eye contact with him.
“You hold a lot of secrets, am I correct?” I ask, finally looking at him.
“Yes.” He doesn’t bother lying about it.
“And these secrets. How bad are they that you can’t share them with me?”
“They’re deadly,” he immediately replies.
“Cressida warned me to be careful what I say to you and your friends.”
“She’s had a thing against Soren for a long time.”
“But is she correct?”
He nods gravely.
I stop at the building’s entrance, and he stays on the sidewalk.
“I’m not really sure how I feel about being with someone who keeps secrets from me.
” I unlock the door and then turn back to look at him one last time.
His hands curl into fists as if he’s resisting the urge to reach for me.
Arlo is the first guy to make me feel alive in so long, and my feelings for him have been growing.
“And I don’t want you to tell me anything that could bring harm to either of us.
So, I think we have come to an impasse.”
I smile sadly at him. “Despite everything, I’ve enjoyed your company. I thank you for opening up to me when you did. Good night, Arlo.” I step inside and shut the door, locking it behind me before I lean against it, close my eyes, and sigh.
* * *
The following day, I go to work, glad when Arlo doesn’t try to contact me. But I can’t lie and say I’m not also a little disappointed he didn’t try harder. He’s shared some things with me that I thought pulled us even closer, but it appears I was wrong about that as well.
I’ve been searching the Internet for information about the hunt with no luck. And the only person who can tell me anything is the man I’m trying to avoid. Even if I wasn’t, I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t be willing to tell me anything about it anyway.
I spend the rest of the week busy with work until I get a call from the care facility that my mother has an infection, and she’s not eating.
I go out to visit her, and I can immediately see how much she’s deteriorated since I was last here.
It pains me to see her this way; I love her so much that any pain she suffers from hurts me to my core.
I pull out a bar of white chocolate, and she doesn’t even bother to reach for it. A pang of hurt goes through me at the thought of her not even wanting something she absolutely loves to eat.
Will I lose her?
How can I handle that?
The doctor explains that she has an infection in her lungs, and they’re trying to treat it with antibiotics, but it doesn’t help when she doesn’t eat anything. I thought bringing the chocolate would help, but I guess I was wrong.
I spot a fresh bouquet of flowers on her windowsill, and I still have no idea who is sending them to her. Before I head out the door, I make sure to leave two blocks of chocolate on her bedside table because if I can at least get her to eat that, it’s better than nothing.
* * *
Later that day, Sebastian comes around after I tell him what’s been happening and how Delaney is ignoring my text messages.
“I haven’t heard from her either,” he says as soon as he walks in the door.
“I’m getting worried. We should go over there.”
“Didn’t you say she was away?”
“Yes, but she may have already returned,” I reason, sitting back on the couch and pouring us each a glass of wine. “I’m worried. I mean, when does it get to the point that I put in a missing person report?”
“You really think she won’t come back?” he asks, taking his glass.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I don’t want to sound weird, and I know you mentioned you were not going to see that fine-ass man again, but could you ask him for a favor?”
I give him a confused look, not sure where he’s going with this. “What do you mean?”
“You told me how you called the police the night he broke in.” I nod my head. “You also mentioned he knows someone in the police department.”
“A detective.” And that’s when it hits me where this is going. “That would require talking to him again, seeing him. And every time I see that man, I want to give in.”
Sebastian starts laughing. “Well, if the sex is half as good as you say it is…”
“It is. The best I’ve ever had.” I don’t tell him it wasn’t just sex. Somewhere along the way, we became more.
“But you don’t want anything more with him?”
“He told me some personal things, and I wanted to give him more of a chance. Then I found out he’s keeping secrets.”
“Everyone keeps secrets, Cora.” He rolls his eyes.
“I know that, but I want to know a particular secret,” I say with a smirk. “He also offered for us to become more, to have a real relationship,” I admit. “I told him no.”
“Why would you do that when that’s what you’re after?” Sebastian lets out a frustrated huff. “That man is fine, and he clearly wants you. Yes, he may hold back a few secrets, but can you not live with that?”
“I feel like this secret is something terrible.” I bite my lip as I look at him.
“All the better you don’t know, then,” he insists. “Now, call him and ask him to get his detective friend to go over and do a home visit.”
I know he’s right, so I grab my phone. “Put it on speaker, I want to hear,” he says, so I place it on the counter and press call on Arlo’s contact.
After two rings, he answers, “Cora.”
I close my eyes at the way he says my name.
“Hi,” I manage to say. I open my eyes to find Sebastian leaning on the kitchen counter, watching me eagerly.
“I’m pleasantly surprised you called,” Arlo says.
“I have an ulterior motive,” I confess.
“Of course you do. Please, do tell.”
“You have access to a detective, right?”
“Yes.”
“I would like you to call him to check on Delaney. She isn’t answering my calls.”
“Have you gone around there to see her?”
“I went yesterday. I let myself in when she didn’t answer the door, and there was no sign of her.”
“How did you let yourself in?” he asks.
“I have a key.”
“Okay, so why do I need to send a detective there if you can let yourself in?”
“Because he might see something I missed. She isn’t there, and she isn’t answering my calls,” I say desperately.
“I’ll call you back,” he says, then hangs up.
“Do you think he’ll do it?” I ask Sebastian.
“Oh, yes. That man sounds like he would do anything for you.”
His words hit me like a shockwave. I’ve been with many men, but none have ever gone out of their way to do things for me.
They’ve always been transactional relationships.
Whereas Arlo invites me around, introduces me to his friends, and sits me on his lap in front of them as if he’s claiming me somehow.
Have I looked at everything so wrong?
“He’s a bad man,” I say quietly, almost a murmur.
“All the best ones are, sweetie,” he replies with a laugh.