Chapter 35
Sloane
A couple of hours later, Cami and Zoey made their way over to Lisa's. I sat down with Zoey outside on the patio and recapped everything I had already told our family, the guilt consuming her almost immediately.
I could see it the second she felt it.
When I told her about the night I finally left, she burst into tears, wrapped me in a hug, and held me close. This was why I didn't tell her. She blamed herself almost immediately, and I never wanted her to carry that guilt.
That was exactly what I told her, to which she replied: "If I don't get to feel guilty, neither do you."
It was almost surreal hearing everyone tell me that nothing was my fault and that I had no reason to feel guilty because I had let myself believe for so long that Stu treated me that way because of something I had done.
Wrapping my head around the fact that I’d carried the weight of so many different negative emotions for no reason was difficult, but I was realizing that what they were saying was true.
It wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t my fault that Stu treated me like shit. It wasn’t my fault that he acted out, and now Rhys was in jail.
He was just a shitty person. And his shitty personality was the reason for all of this. Not me.
What my family and Rhys’s family were telling me was true, and I wouldn't let anyone, especially Stu or my intrusive thoughts, tell me otherwise.
"Okay, so let's go over the course of the night.
We all know that Rhys didn't have those drugs on him.
" My sister turned to look at me, and everyone circled the large island in the Armstrongs' kitchen.
"I really wanna take this to Lucas, I think he'll believe you, I really do, but he and Stu have been friends for ages.
I'm gonna need some... proof." Her eyebrows pinched together.
"I hate that your word isn't enough, I do. But that's just... Stu is–"
"Charming," I interrupted, nodding my head. "I know, Zo. I've been there. I mean, what if we have Marvin give up the security tapes? Stu was outside our apartment every night for a week a month ago. It shouldn't be hard to prove he was stalking me at least."
Zoey nodded. "That could be enough to at least get him put on admin leave."
Cami was already heading towards the door with keys in hand. "On it!" She yelled over her shoulder. "I'll let you know what I find," she promised before closing the door behind her.
I really did owe her a pair of Louboutins. Maybe Dom would take a pair, too. I had some amazing friends on my side.
Lisa poured another cup of coffee, passing it over after topping it with whipped cream. I smiled appreciatively, taking the mug in my hand and taking a small sip. "Okay, what else?" I lost count of how many cups I'd had today, but I still needed the caffeine.
Zoey took a deep breath, pressing the heel of her palm into her forehead as she closed her eyes. "We need to figure out if it was Long who put the drugs in his suit coat."
"I really don't think so." I shook my head, taking another sip of coffee. "Unless he's extremely good at close-up magic, there's no way. There were three dime bags in his pocket. He wouldn't have been able to just... put that in there."
My sister leaned against the back of the barstool, sighing deeply. "Okay... And you're absolutely sure it wasn't Stu?"
"He didn't touch him. They were close enough, and I wouldn't put it past him, but I swear, they didn't touch."
Her fingernails tapped rhythmically against the granite. "Okay," she sighed again. "Someone put those drugs in his pocket. I really need you to think, Sloane. Retrace your steps. His steps."
I went through the whole night out loud, retelling everything in as much detail as I could, but nothing stuck out to anyone.
It was a normal night.
Rhys and I were a little tipsy; we'd mingled and danced. For the most part, we stood at the bar and were together.
After running through the night three times, I was starting to get frustrated.
"We had just come off the dance floor and were standing at the bar. Cami and Dom were swaying like a couple of idiots in the middle of the room. After Rhys went to the bathroom, we headed towards the door."
"And there was nothing out of the ordinary?"
I shook my head, "No, I mean..." My voice trailed off as I replayed the night with as much detail as I could in my head.
"Wait," I paused, "Rhys– When he went to the bathroom, he ran into a waiter.
It was like– like he came out of nowhere.
I thought it was 'cause he was drunk but...
" I looked up, my eyes meeting Zoey's. "We gotta find the waiter. "
She grinned. "We gotta find the waiter."
***
Cami, like the fucking angel she is, got the security tapes from Marvin, showing three months of Stu standing and waiting outside of my building. I hoped that Zoey was right. If we couldn't prove anything else, these were at least enough to plant a seed of doubt in the minds of his friends.
Dom met up with her after practice, and with minimal bribing, they were able to access my apartment so she could bring me some clothes. It wasn't much, but enough to get me through the weekend.
I changed out of Dom's baggy clothes and slid into a comfy pair of jeans and a simple black t-shirt. I was significantly less done up than on a typical 'work day,’ but with my limited options, it would have to do.
"So, are we going to the Four Seasons?"
I shook my head. "I don't think he worked for the hotel. I think he was hired by the catering company. I remember talking to someone at the bar about the food. It was like Joe's or John's Steakhouse. Something with a J."
Jim perked up from the dining room table, "Johnson's Steakhouse. We went there for Rhys’s twenty-fifth. It's the real deal. Super high-end. 'Bout a twenty-minute drive from here."
I exchanged a look with Zoey and nodded. "Let's go. We should stop at the bank first."
I took out another five thousand on my way to the Steakhouse, shoving it into my purse and hoping I wouldn't need to use it. But... better safe than sorry. If I needed to bribe someone, at least I'd have the cash on me.
It was a little after noon when we pulled into the parking lot, my nerves immediately taking a turn for the worse.
I was so tired that it felt like my brain was working at half capacity.
My sister, who worked in law enforcement, and I, a fucking lawyer, just pulled out money from my bank account with the intention of bribing someone for information.
Rhys was in jail because my ex-boyfriend planted drugs on him.
Everything was in shambles. Everything.
Zoey reached over and placed her hand on top of mine. "We got this. We're just gonna go inside, ask some questions, and get some answers. Easy peasy," she reassured softly. "Rookie is home. Rhys will be soon, and then everything will be back to normal, except Stu will be in jail."
I took a deep breath, pushing aside the what-ifs and doubts clouding my brain. "Okay, yeah. Let's go."
My sister led me inside, and we both took a second to let our eyes adjust to the dimly lit restaurant, a stark contrast to the sunny sky outside. My stomach grumbled at the smell of fresh bread rolls and seared steak, reminding me that I've been living off coffee and whipped cream since last night.
Zoey elbowed me gently. "We'll run through a drive-thru when we leave."
I chuckled. "Sounds good."
The hostess stared as we neared the stand, her eyes doing a not-so-subtle up-and-down at our attire.
Obviously, we were not dressed up to par.
I should've guessed, given the way her black hair was slicked into a tight bun and paired with a form-fitting black dress with an extremely conservative neck and hemline.
Her lips pulled into a tight, but polite smile as we approached. "Hello, I'm sorry, but we have a specific dress code, even for lunch dining."
"Right," Zoey responded, flashing her badge from the waistband of her jeans. "Unfortunately, we won't be dining today, but I was hoping you might be able to find someone." She looked over at me, giving me a slight nod to go ahead with the description.
"Uh– I'm looking for someone who would've been working catering last night at the Four Seasons.
Male, about 5'9, maybe 140. Kinda lanky.
He would've been there until last call." I didn't get the best look, but if she knew her coworkers, there had to be at least one person who fit the description.
My eyes flickered to her name tag. "Please, Yasmin.
We could really use your help. This is a rather serious matter. "
Her brows pulled together, a deep line forming between them. "That sounds like Samuel." Yasmin lowered her voice. "He's a great kid with a not-so-great upbringing." She paused, leaning in closer. "Is he in trouble?"
"I'm not sure," Zoey answered honestly. "Right now, I just have a couple of questions for him."
She offered a stiff nod before scurrying off.
God, I hoped he was here. This was the only fucking lead we had, and if it turned out to be a dead end, the worst I could do was maybe get Stu put away for a couple of months for stalking. And that was a big maybe.
He was basically above the law. One corrupt cop was backed up by several others. If Samuel didn't pan out, I wasn't sure where to go next.
After a couple of minutes, a scrawny kid with pale skin and a mess of brown curls on top of his head stepped out behind Yasmin. His cheeks were flushed pink, and his eyes flitted nervously around the room.
He wrung his thin hands together as he approached the hostess stand. "H–Hi?"
I exchanged a look with Zoey, and we both acknowledged the sketchy behavior. The scared look on his face tugged at my heart. He was just a kid.
If Stu had pulled him into this, it couldn't have been willingly.
"Hey, Samuel," I smiled softly. "Do you go by Samuel?"
He swallowed, eyeing Yasmin before meeting my gaze again. "My mom calls me Sammy."
"Sammy. How old are you, Sammy?"
I could see his hands shaking despite the effort he put into stopping it.
"Seventeen."