Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Phoebe
“K ane has that gala tonight, right?” Claire asked as she stirred the pasta sauce on the stove.
I nodded, my attention on the parmesan I was currently shredding. The last time I had used this particular shredder I had accidentally shredded my knuckles, so I was trying not to bleed into the cheese.
“So, he’s going to be in a tux?” Claire asked, wiggling her brows.
I laughed, then nicked my knuckle on the damn shredder and took a step back. “Why do we have this thing? Don’t we have a better one where I didn’t almost bleed every time I used it?”
“We do. But the edge broke off and now it’s sharp. I need to buy another one, so we are stuck with the one we had at our first apartment. The one we got at that Dollar Store.”
I smiled softly, reminiscing. “Oh, yes. Our Dollar Store haul. I didn’t realize you could spend $100 at a Dollar Store when you were supplying your first apartment.”
“We did okay though. And we still use some of the things we got there. I mean, our serving dishes were Dollar Store gold for years.”
“And now we’re fancy adults. We use Walmart.”
“I’ll have you know that this serving spoon is from Target. I splurged.”
I shook my head and went back to grating the cheese, happy to not be bleeding when I was done.
“What’s next?” I asked, suddenly starving.
It had been a long day, and while I was happy to be done with my current project and ready to settle down on the next one, I also just wanted to relax with my best friend, watch a movie, and wait for Kane to come home.
Not that this was his home. We weren’t living together, but we loved each other. We loved each other.
I still couldn’t believe that I was in love, in a serious relationship, and was happy.
I hated how we had gotten back together, the reason that everything had shifted, but I loved Kane so much that everything else seemed worth it.
“You’re thinking of him again, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.”
“Are you thinking about him in a tux?”
I had been thinking about Kane wearing only a towel, but now him in a tux where I could strip it off him? Oh, yes.
“Okay, get the dirty thoughts out of the way,” Claire said. “You’re literally blushing and it’s heating up the whole room.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s your pasta sauce.”
“Well, I made it from scratch. I really hope it doesn’t taste like just sugar.”
“How much sugar did you add to cut the acidity?” I asked.
“Just a little bit. That’s what the recipe says. I’ve made this before, but I feel like it’s different every time. It’s not like Grandma used to make.”
“Your grandmother was Irish,” I teased.
“Yes, and she had a pasta sauce recipe that she was given from her neighbor, Nona.”
“I like how the family recipe has been passed down through the neighborhood.”
“I’m pretty sure the family recipe that was passed down through that particular family was Ragu, but I digress. Why don’t you start cutting the bread so we can make garlic bread? And let’s not broil it this time.”
I cringed, remembering the fire alarm and the smoke filling the kitchen. “No, we’ll do a little bit better than that.”
“This is nice,” Claire said after a moment as we began to work on the next phase of dinner. We were making a salad with pepperoncini and red onion—the full Olive Garden treatment.
“Eating dinner together?”
“I mean taking a moment for us. Between both of our jobs, and everything that happened over the past few months, we haven’t had time to just hang out together.”
I heard the wistfulness in her tone, and possibly something else, and I frowned. “Have I been a bad friend?”
Claire blinked up at me, wooden spoon in hand. “No. Not at all. I love you, crazy lady.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for that. Can we have a different nickname?”
“No. But I don’t feel neglected or anything. I’m so happy that you’re with Kane, if that’s what you’re worried about. You don’t push me to the side or cancel our plans so you can hang out with your boyfriend. You guys love each other. We’re adults. We live together because we like to, and frankly it’s nice to be able to have a savings account because we’re sharing the rent. But it’s okay that you have a life outside of me. I will write in my burn book later about you, but that’s just because I love you.”
“You’re saying that, but all the jokes that you’re adding worry me.” I set down my knife and went to her, holding out my arms. She rolled her eyes dramatically, set down her spoon, and hugged me right back.
“I love you, you fool. And I love you and Kane together. You guys were nice together the first time.” She pulled back and went to stir the sauce and chop some more vegetables for the salad.
“That was nice, but there was still something off.”
“Maybe. Or maybe that was what you both were thinking because you weren’t ready. I don’t know. I’ve never been in love or had a relationship.” Claire winced. “That makes me sound amazing.”
“No, it just makes you sound like you’re waiting.”
I was glad that she wasn’t waiting for Kyler anymore, but I did want to see my best friend happy.
“Hey, I can see the way your mind is working. Don’t do the whole thing where as soon as you fall in love, you have to make sure you set up everyone else in your life. I’m really okay. All I was saying was that I’m glad we’re spending the evening together. While your boyfriend’s out being all hot in a tux somewhere protecting his charge or whatever they call it.”
“I love that you keep bringing up the fact that Kane is hot in a tux.”
“I mean, he is. Do you guys ever play bodyguard?” Claire held up both hands. “Pretend I didn’t say that because I really don’t want to know.”
“Oh, maybe.” I fluttered my eyelashes and she threw a crouton at me.
“I hate you and I love you. But please don’t try to set me up. When I figure out what I want, I’ll find them.”
“Or they’ll find you.”
“No thank you. I would like to be the one in control.”
“But sometimes it’s fun when you’re not,” I teased and she grimaced, before we both started laughing.
I was just going to the fridge to get the butter when the power went out.
Claire cursed under her breath, turning off all the burners.
“Well, that sucks. I’m going to check the breaker.”
“Yeah, that’s so weird though. Why would the power go out?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting a storm.”
Claire went to the laundry area where the breakers were, and I picked up my phone. I had no bars, and that confused me too. When the power went out, the cell service didn’t go out. Unless there was something going on.
I looked out the window to see if the rest of the block was out, or if it was something worse, but all the other lights were on.
“That’s so weird,” Claire said. “The breakers are still on.”
“Yeah, and the power isn’t out anywhere else.” I turned to her, and then I was tugged back violently, someone pulling at my hair.
“Phoebe!” Claire called out, but before I could even scream, a gloved hand went over my mouth and I staggered back.
All of my self-defense training went out the window and I panicked. I pulled at the man’s hand, trying to tug it away, but then the moonlight hit the blade of the knife and I froze.
“Don’t move. Don’t move, little Phoebe. It’s time to talk. And, Claire? If you come closer to me, I’ll cut her. And I’ll make it hurt. Go take a seat on the couch and we’re going to have a long talk. Because I’ve been quiet long enough. And it’s time you get to know me. It’s time you stop ignoring me.”
My pulse raced but I didn’t move. I tried to remember what Kane had told me to do in this situation. Which was not what I was currently doing. Not to panic.
Claire stared at me, her eyes wide, and looked as if she wanted to do something, but with a knife in his hand, there was nothing she could do.
I didn’t know that voice though. Did I? Who was this?
“Sit on the couch. Both of you. And I’m going to tell you a story.”
He pushed at my shoulder and I staggered, falling into Claire as she caught me.
He forced me down on the couch and I gripped Claire’s hand, both of us looking around for something, but the power was out and I couldn’t reach a panic button. Kane and Kingston had placed them strategically around the apartment and my office, but I wasn’t sure if it would work with the cell service out. This man, this man who seemed to be able to hide his IP address and where he was calling from, had turned off the cell service here. He had somehow blocked it.
Who was he?
The man came forward, the streetlight illuminating his face. He had dark eyes with straight black eyebrows and a firm jaw that looked like he needed to shave. His hair was pulled back in a tiny ponytail. He had on nice clothes, a black turtleneck, black slacks, and black boots, but they were worn at the edges. As if he had once been able to afford nice things but now couldn’t. Who was he? How did he know me?
“You wouldn’t stay away. I saw you, when you were with him. And he took everything. He took my business, and he took you before I even had a chance to have you. Why couldn’t you see that we were meant to be?” he asked as he twirled his knife in his hand. That’s when I realized that he also had a gun on his hip in a holster, and from the way that his pant leg was rucked up at the ankle, he had another there. Who the hell was this man?
“You don’t remember meeting me, do you?” he asked, and I shook my head, bile filling my throat.
“I’m sorry, I don’t. But you don’t have to hold a knife on us. We can talk.”
Claire squeezed my hand, probably wondering what the hell I was doing. Honestly, I was thinking the same.
“You don’t need to try those things out on me. I used to teach people how to get out of situations like this. I was a hostage negotiator for my team. I forget though that you don’t even know who I am. But your boyfriend does.” When he grinned, I realized who this had to be. Everything started to click into place, even though it didn’t make any sense.
“You’re Tim Sherman,” I choked out, and the man grinned. Such a manic grin that his eyes lit up.
“You do remember. We met that one time at that event when you were draping yourself all over Kane. It doesn’t matter though, because our eyes met and I knew we had that chemistry. But I stayed away because I don’t poach. I mean I poach other things, but I don’t poach women. I’m a gentleman. And then the fucking Montgomerys and their ilk had to keep putting their noses where they didn’t belong. They kept fucking with my business. And if you fuck with my business, you fuck with me. And then I have to blow you up. I didn’t want to blow up Daisy. Twice. I kept trying, but I didn’t really want it to happen. And then she survived, and my incompetent team members kept getting caught.” He threw his hands up in the air, the knife still clutched in his fist, and rolled his eyes as if he were exhausted over the sheer stupidity of people.
My mind whirled and I kept my gaze darting around, trying to find a way to get to a panic button.
“I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for? For not noticing me? That’s fine. It’s fine. I wanted to get you to come to me, but then what did you do when you got scared? Which, you shouldn’t have been scared of me. I was just making sure you knew I was there for you when that fucking Montgomery or whatever he calls himself dumped your ass. But you ran right to him. You ran right to him when I was trying to take my final steps for getting rid of the Montgomerys once and for all. Why did you have to be in that parking lot, Phoebe? My Phoebe. It would’ve been safer if you were away. But you had to throw yourself into his arms, and I should have killed him right then, but I didn’t. I’ve been waiting. Wooing you. But you keep going to him.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. But I realize now.”
He grinned, even as Claire held onto my arm.
“What do you realize? Do you really think that you’re getting out of this? Either of you. I mean, despair is what it is,” he said, dismissing Claire and making my veins turn to ice. “But it took me weeks to finally cut through the intricacies of your electricity and everything else. The security system, oh, it was higher end, very complex. The Montgomerys have that working for them. But I’m better. I’ve always been better. I had to kill your neighbor in order to make that happen and move in so I could be next door, but that old man didn’t really care. He was at the end of his life anyway.”
Claire let out a shocked gasp, her hand going to her mouth as we both realized that he meant Mr. Jacobs.
He had killed Mr. Jacobs. The man with a kind smile who always held the door for us whenever our hands were full.
Tears stung my eyes, and then my head was slammed back into the couch as he slapped my face so hard I saw stars.
“Don’t cry for him, you fucking bitch. You didn’t see me until it was too late. No, we’re going to have a little talk. I bided my time. I made them think that I wasn’t a problem. But I’m their problem. I always have been. They took what I wanted in life, in business, and now in bed. But I’m going to take what I want. It’s mine. I’m tired of coming second best to the fucking Montgomerys. And I get what I want.”
“Tim.”
“Oh, you know my name now? So good for you.” He moved, grabbing my neck.
I kicked at him and he slashed his knife along my forearm. Pain ricocheted up my body, as I screamed, Claire joining me.
“Get out. Get help,” I called, and Claire moved to do so, but Tim squeezed my neck and threw me back at the couch then moved so quickly I didn’t even realize what was happening until Claire let out a sucked gasp that didn’t make any sense. And then there was this almost hollow sound of blade and flesh, as he stabbed once, twice into Claire’s abdomen.
Blood welled and she hit the ground, no sound coming out from between her lips.
My throat bruised, I ran towards her and threw my body over her, trying to protect her from any more harm.
“Please stop. I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt her anymore.”
I put pressure on the wound, listening as Claire’s breath became choppy and her eyes widened.
“I’ve got you. I’ve got you,” I whispered, hoping I wasn’t lying to my best friend. But her blood pooled underneath my hands, in between my fingers. I had to stop the bleeding. I had to make it stop.
“I’ll do whatever you want,” I whispered. “Just let me save my friend.”
“You’ll do whatever I want no matter what,” Tim warned.
As fear slammed into me, I realized that right under the table was the panic button, and he couldn’t see me. So I reached out with a bloody finger and pressed it, and then quickly put my hands back over Claire’s body, hoping that they would come. That Kane would come.
And hoping that they wouldn’t be too late.