Chapter 17 Rae
RAE
To: Jillian Pierce (jillybeanxo@)
Subject: You're not gonna believe what just happened...
The millisecond I get home, I dial.
And the millisecond Jillian answers the phone, I start word-vomiting.
“Holy shit Bean there was a naked woman and I thought he wasn’t in his office but I went in and there she was and she asked if I was there to sleep with her but I was like oh my god of course not so I ran but then Kir found me but then the woman kissed me but Kir actually apologized can you believe that and then Lukas gave me an envelope and he picked the dress already but I’m still supposed to go to this boutique and there’s a credit card too and have you ever heard of Maison élise and oh my god please come with me Jillian please I’m freaking out here Jillian please Jillian oh my god what am I going to do? ”
I’m panting and wheezing by the time I’m done.
Jillian still hasn’t said a word.
I clear my throat and add squeakily, “This is the part where you tell me everything’s gonna be okay, Jill.”
“First things first,” she replies. “I’m going to need you to take a breath.”
I force myself to take a big, noisy inhale as proof of my compliance. It’s hard, since my lungs feel like they’ve shrunk to the size of walnuts, but I go through the motions anyway.
“Well done. Now, out through your mouth.”
I exhale.
“Good. Again.”
We go through it twice more. The panic starts to recede, just a little.
“Better?” asks Jillian.
“… Marginally.”
“I’ll take it.” I hear rustling on her end. She’s probably settling in for a long conversation. “Now, let’s unpack this disaster one piece at a time. First: I thought I caught the words ‘naked woman’ somewhere in there. Walk me through that juicy little tidbit.”
Moving a little bit slower this time, I tell her everything, the whole mortifying saga. Natasha on the couch. Kir in the stairwell. The fur coat. The kiss. The strawberry-scented lipstick I had to wipe off my face.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Jillian cuts me off. “She kissed you? On the mouth?”
“Did I not make that explicitly clear?”
“Was there tongue?”
“Jillian!”
“I’m just asking! These are important details.”
“No tongue,” I say. “It was quick. Like a good luck charm. A really weird, invasive good luck charm.”
“Huh.” She sounds disappointed. “And then she just peaced out?”
“She told me I ‘shouldn’t be playing this game.’ Whatever that means.”
“What game?”
“I don’t know! That’s what I’m saying. I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know why any of this is happening to me.”
Jillian is quiet for a second. “Okay. So, to recap: There’s a naked woman. There’s a mysterious warning. There’s a smokin’ hot girl-on-girl kiss. And now, there’s a gala invitation and a black credit card and a dress that’s allegedly already been picked out for you.”
“Yes. That more or less sums it up.”
“Copy that. Then my big question, I suppose, is…” I can hear her grinning through the phone. “… what’s the actual problem?”
“What’s the— Jillian, everything is the problem!” I nearly tear my hair out. “All of it! The whole situation!”
“Break it down for me. What specifically is freaking you out?”
I press my free hand against my forehead. “I don’t know what he wants from me. I don’t know why he’s doing any of this. The raise, the gala, the dress. None of it makes sense.”
“Maybe he just wants you to go to his fancy-pants party,” she offers. “Maybe he just needs a date.”
“He has Natasha for that,” I whine.
“Natasha sounds like a hooker, Rae. You don’t bring hookers to black-tie events.”
“How do you know? Is there a handbook on Prostitute Protocol I need to borrow your copy of?”
“Don’t be a smart-ass.” More rustling. “Look, here’s what I think. It’s a work event. Your boss invited you. That’s normal. Well, okay, maybe not normal, considering the rest of it, but not unheard of.”
“You think I should go?”
“I think you don’t have much choice, babe.
He’s your boss. He gave you a direct order.
If you don’t show up, you’re basically quitting.
” Then she sighs in a way that means we’re downshifting into the series part of the Bestie Gives Life Advice lecture.
“I also think that this is a really important opportunity.”
“Opportunity?” I ask in confusion.
“Do you not remember the whole ‘wife’s body was never actually found’ thing we discussed?” she snaps.
“Of course I remember,” I mutter.
Truthfully, the thought comes and goes, but in my defense, I’m juggling a lot of moving pieces here.
“Good. It’s important that you remember, because I love you and I’d really like for you to not die under mysterious circumstances like she did. But, speaking of mysterious, this is a good chance to clear up some of that.”
I frown. “In what sense?”
“In the sense that this is a chance to do some digging.”
At that, I suck in a breath. “A chance to do some what did you just say?”
“Hear me out. This gala is the perfect chance to learn more. He’ll be in public, surrounded by important people.
It’s probably the safest place you could be with him, honestly.
And it’s a chance to see him in a different context.
See how he operates outside the office. Poke him and gauge how he reacts.
If someone at the party looks interesting, try to mine them for info. ”
I chew on my lip. “You really think I can learn something?”
“I think it’s worth a shot,” Jill insists.
“Plus, I’ve been hitting walls trying to dig up more.
It’s one cold, dead lead after another, and every source clams up as soon as they hear the name ‘Lazarev.’ Someone wants this all to stay buried.
” She exhales. “But if you’re there with him, in his world, you might see something, hear something.
Heck, you might even meet someone who knew her. ”
“And then what?”
“I don’t know! That’s the point. You won’t know until you’re there.” She hesitates uncertainly, then adds, “But Rae, I need you to promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“You don’t go anywhere alone with him. We can’t trust him, sweetheart. You can’t trust him.”
My heart rate has slowly but surely picked up speed throughout this conversation. Now, it’s thudding hard in my chest, and I’m starting to worry about the structural integrity of my rib cage.
“You really think it’s that dangerous?” I ask.
“I think we don’t know what we’re dealing with yet.
And until we do, we assume the worst.” There’s a crackle of static as Jillian switches the phone to her other ear.
“His wife disappeared, Rae. Her body was never found. And everyone who worked that case got paid off or scared off. That’s not normal. ”
I set the phone down and put her on speaker so I can pace around my apartment. “But what if he…?”
“What if he what? Killed her?” she prods. “Yeah. That’s the question, isn’t it? And that’s exactly why you need to be careful. But it’s also why this gala might be useful. You’ll be safe there. Surrounded by witnesses. And you might learn something that helps us figure out what really happened.”
I stop pacing and stare at my reflection in the dark window. I look small and scared.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I whisper.
“Yes, you can,” Jillian promises. “You’re one of the strongest people I know, Sunshine. You’ve been through hell and you’re still standing. You can handle one measly party.”
I sigh and let my forehead come to rest against the glass. “I wish I had your confidence. Or Natasha’s.”
“You’re worth more than both of us put together, hon. And hey,” she adds, “think of it this way: free dress! Free party! Free champagne, I’m sure! Go get loaded on the boss’s dime. There are worse ways to spend a Saturday night.”
“What if something happens? Something bad?”
“Then you leave,” she suggests. “You fake a migraine, claim you’re on your period, pull an Irish goodbye and deal with the consequences later. You do whatever you have to do.” Her voice softens. “But you’re not going to know what’s going on until you go. Right?”
I exhale slowly. “Right.”
“So go. Wear the dress. Drink the booze. And text me updates or I’ll assume you’ve been murdered in grisly fashion. Which would be awful, obviously, but at least I’d get to write your obit.”
“I hate you.” I close my eyes. “Will you come with me, at least? To the boutique?”
“Um, duh.” She cackles in delight. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”