Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I was still so mad when I got home. My phone rang but I ignored it. It could be my mom or my sister but I wasn’t ready to speak to anyone, especially if their names started with an M. Once I calmed down, I would give my mom a call.
The whole way home I’d wondered if I was still being followed by one of my brother’s guys. I had met a few of them briefly but I didn’t know them all.
Mark. I was angrier with him. Even though I had stayed with him he had still put someone on me to keep track of me. It gave me an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach at the thought that someone had been watching me while I had been oblivious.
When I got home, I threw my phone on the coffee table and sat down on my sofa. I was so worked up I needed to expel some of my anger before I could calm down. I stood up and began to pace as I remembered my fight with Matthew.
My phone began to ring again. It was Mark. This time I declined the call and switched my phone off. I didn’t want to talk to him.
My stomach rumbled, reminding me I was missing lunch.
I made a peanut butter sandwich and swallowed a few mouthfuls before pushing it to one side.
I was too worked up to really eat, and concentrating enough to get some work done was out of the question, so I sat down on my sofa, determined not to think about what had just happened.
I put on some chick-flick and tried to get as comfortable as I could but I got ten minutes in and knew I was wasting my time.
Maybe I needed some air. A walk in the park was probably a good idea so I got my purse and left.
It was only when I got downstairs that I remembered the bodyguard who was supposed to be watching me.
Just thinking about it made me mad. I backtracked to my apartment and searched for a hoodie so I could try and slip out without being noticed.
I would feel a little bit of triumph at losing the guy.
That would teach both of them a lesson. I was determined and it was an outlet for my pent-up emotions.
I got the tattiest hoodie I could find and changed into a dark pair of skinny jeans.
They were old clothes and would hopefully be enough to allow me to slip by undetected.
Making sure my hair was tied up in a ponytail, I put the hoodie over my head and pulled it forward to hide most of my face and checked myself in the mirror.
Yes, it will work, I thought. I smiled. I made my way downstairs and took a determined breath before I opened the apartment building.
Hurrying forward, I made sure not to look around, keeping my shoulders hunched over so I wouldn’t attract attention.
I was so tempted to look back to make sure I had no followers but I couldn’t risk it.
Down the block, I crossed over into the park and continued my fast-paced walking.
It was exciting doing something like this.
I could feel the exhilaration of doing something I wasn’t supposed to, and I liked it.
It was almost that same feeling of being with Mark.
That thought was enough to wipe the smile from my face and darken my mood.
Now that I was well into the park, I adjusted the hoodie so I could view the scene around me and I took a deep breath.
I loved nature, the smell of the fresh air.
It was soothing.I walked for a while before I looked back over my shoulder a few times, but I couldn’t make out anyone who was intent on following me.
Maybe I had lost them, but I wasn’t confident.
I sat down on a bench across from a pond when I got tired of walking.
My father had brought me here a few times when I was younger.
There were a few ducks swimming and I stayed watching them until the sky began to darken.
I hadn’t managed to think about anything other than my fight with my brother and my interlude with Mark.
It was time to go back home. Reluctantly, I began to walk back, ensuring my hoodie was low down to hide most of my face.
I tucked my hands into the center pocket when I left the gates of the park.
There wasn’t much traffic as I crossed over and hurried back to my apartment. There was no way to know for sure if I had succeeded in losing the guy or not.
When I entered the hallway leading up to my apartment, I stopped. Leaning against the wall next to the door of my apartment stood Mark with his arms crossed. I would have turned and walked away had he not noticed me first.
“Where have you been?” he asked angrily, and I smiled triumphantly. It confirmed I had succeeded. He wouldn’t be this worked up if I hadn’t been able to lose the tail.
“None of your business,” I retorted, and he looked at me in disbelief.
“You run off after a fight with your brother without a word to anyone. No one could reach you. We had no idea where you were, and you don’t care.”
I refused to allow him to pull me into another draining argument. “Where’s my brother? I’m surprised he isn’t here as well.”
He frowned. “He knows you’re upset and doesn’t want to make things worse. Besides, he is still too mad to rationalize.”
“So you both decided it was best for you to do the task of coming to check up on me?” I lifted an eyebrow at him.
“It wasn’t like that. I was worried.” His voice sounded haggard.
There was a fraction of a moment where I hated how his words lifted something in me.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine.” I opened the door and went inside. When he made a move to follow me inside, I put my hand to his chest, not allowing him to step a foot into my home. “No. You’re not welcome here.”
“Tracy.” He used that same disapproving tone that rubbed me the wrong way.
“No, Mark.” I shook my head. “This time you and my brother have gone too far.”
“We’re only trying to protect you.”
“No. That doesn’t allow you to do whatever you like and I have to just accept it.” I took a shaky breath, dropping my hand from his chest. “I’m hurt and I’m angry.”
He cocked his head to the side while he studied me. “If this is about us—”
“Let me get this straight with you. I know what happened between us was a one-time thing. You made your views on relationships pretty clear so I haven’t misunderstood anything.
” If I had been mad before, I was livid now.
“We had sex, nothing more. So don’t try and play that card with me.
I’m angry with you and my brother because you feel you’re justified in telling me how to live my life, and you aren’t. ”
He rolled his shoulders. “Look—”
“No. I don’t want to hear it. You’re going to leave and you’re not going to come back. I need time to sort through my anger, and if or when I decide to let you and my brother back in, it will be on my own terms. Do you understand?”
Reluctantly he nodded his head. For the first time he seemed to be at a loss for words. He had no idea how to handle this side of me .
“And I don’t want anyone following me. If I see anything suspicious, I’ll call the cops.”
He refused to say anything, but I knew he wouldn’t call off the guy.
“Give your mom a call. She’s worried.”
I nodded.
“If you need anything, call me,” he murmured. “Anytime.”
“I won’t,” I said with confidence for finally standing up to the two overbearing men in my life.
Our eyes held for a few moments and then I shut the door firmly. I leaned against the door and let out an emotional breath. There, I had done it. I had put them firmly in their place and I wouldn’t allow them to dictate to me.
Two days later while going through my voicemails I discovered a message from a lawyer looking for a Miss Tracy Weiss. I had missed it when I had been ignoring the phone calls after my disagreement with Matthew.
I checked the time and it was just after five so I rang the number he had left, not sure if there would be someone to answer it. There hadn’t been a lot of information in his voicemail. He had left a very brief message with an instruction for me to call him back as soon as possible.
I looked out my window, trying to see if I could spot a car that might look out of place. So far I hadn’t noticed anyone following me but that didn’t mean my brother had called him off. It could just mean that the guy was better at staying hidden.
“Gabriel Tate,” a guy answered the call.
“Hi, I received a voicemail from you,” I explained, feeling nervous.
“And you are?” he prompted in a very businesslike tone.
“Miss Tracy Weiss. ”
“Ahh, Miss Weiss, I have been waiting for your call.”
“I’m not sure you have the right person,” I babbled, feeling more nervous.
“No, you are the person I’m looking for.”
I wandered over to the sofa and sat down. “Could you tell me what this is about?”
“This is a very delicate matter and I would prefer to deal with it in person. If we could meet up as soon as you can?”
“I’ll need to check my schedule. If you could just give me a moment.” I scrambled to my feet in search of the book I made my bookings in, but as usual I couldn’t find it. It took me a few more minutes before I located it beside my bed.
“I don’t have anything for tomorrow,” I informed him. “If that’s too soon for you, then let me know what day would suit you best.”
“Tomorrow is fine. If we could meet up in the morning, I would like to get this sorted out as soon as possible. Would nine be too early?”
“That’s fine.” I was feeling more anxious.
“Where would you like to meet?” he asked, sounding like he was taking notes of our appointment.
I wasn’t comfortable going to his office as I was sure I still had a tail, so I suggested a nearby coffee shop.
He paused. “We might want to meet up in a more private place.”
I frowned. Why? I thought, but I didn’t ask.
“Uh, okay. Would you be okay to meet up at my apartment?” I asked, knowing my brother and Mark would know about the meeting and I didn’t want them to know anything about what was going on in my life.
“Sure.”
I gave him my address.