Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
Miller
“Sir, we have a situation.” Jerry, my driver, tells me as soon as I get into the backseat of my car.
“Now what is it?” I ask, while looking at my email. Something that I’ve become more accustomed to over the past twenty-four hours because of the potential leak of releasing information that could hurt some projects, which could cause a few of our major sponsors to pull out of deals about.
“I drove Denise the other day, as you asked. And as I was leaving, I saw a familiar face. So, I circled around and parked down the street to watch.”
“Quit beating around the bush. How many reporters were there?”
“It wasn’t reporters. Sir, it was Ms. Winchester.”
Well, isn’t it the woman stirring up a lot more shit in my pot?
“Becky?”
“Yes, Ms. Rebecca Winchester was across the street. She was watching the building from across the street. She was in between two buildings. It wouldn’t have been something I noticed if it wasn’t for the giant hat and sunglasses. It just looked out of place.”
“Wait, back up. What was Becky doing at Denise’s building? Do they know one another?”
“Ms. Winchester walked up to the building twice that I observed. She did not gain entrance that I saw.”
“Interesting. And you did not see her go into the building?”
“No, sir.”
I sit silently, stewing in my thoughts with this information.
Why would Becky be at Denise’s place? Do they know one another?
My mind is full of questions. And I know exactly what I need to do.
“Do you know where Ms. Watson is right now?”
“Sir?” he asks in the rear-view mirror.
“Is she at work or school?”
“I believe she would be at home,” he says.
“Can we please go over there?”
“Yes, sir.”
I send a text to Denise to let her know that I’m on my way over. I need to figure out whether this is coincidence, or if this is the end of my relationship with the woman that I fell head over heels with.
My knee is constantly bouncing, and my jaw remains clenched.
Are they friends? Or are they strangers?
The moment that I’ve let my guard down and I’m questioning everything that has happened within the past month.
Is it a strange coincidence, or something more?
Upon arriving, I press the code that Denise gave me and take the elevator upstairs.
I knock twice before turning the doorknob.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” she stands at the kitchen counter, with a steaming mug in front of her, stirring the liquid.
“I wanted to come by and check in.”
“Oh yeah? Any specific reason?” She walks around and comes to stand in front of me, threads her arms through the space at my sides and interlocks, while pulling our bodies flush. I fight the urge to push her against the wall and take her. I need to figure out the answers to my questions.
“Well, I just was thinking about you, and shit. I’m sorry. I’m crap at lying. Can I ask you something?”
She looks at me with concern, “of course.”
“Do you know anyone named Becky?”
Her features look confused. She looks like she is thinking. “I don’t think so.” She shakes her head.
“Are you sure?”
“Why? Why are you suddenly looking at me like I’m lying to you?” She takes a step back and places her hands on her hips.
“You’re telling me you don’t know anyone by the name of Rebecca Winchester? Or Becky?”
“No. I don’t. Why? And should I?”
The phone in my pocket vibrates, and I pull it out. I see Jerry is calling and I answer it.
“Yes?”
“Sir, she’s outside the building again.”
“Where?” I ask, walking over to the window.
“She’s sitting in a blue Lexus, right under the tree across the street.”
“Thank you.”
I glance outside and true to my expectations; there she is. She has on large sunglasses, and her long hair covered by a baseball cap, but that’s her. That’s Rebecca.
“What is it?” Denise asks.
I motion for her to come to the window. “Do you know the woman in that blue Lexus?” I ask.
Denise steps up to the glass pane and squints as she looks across the street.
“No. I don’t think so. She doesn’t look familiar. Should she?” she stands up, turns to me and crosses her arms, closing off from me.
“Okay. I may have approached this totally wrong. You know how I told you my ex-girlfriend came out of the woodworks recently, well that’s her. And she’s been staking out your building.”
An understanding crosses her face, and then her worried eyes look at me.
“Last night, my building buzzer kept going off. When I answered, no one was there.”
“Did you let the person in?” I ask recalling the phone call I got from Becky and her mentioning something about Denise’s building.
“No. They said nothing, so I didn’t buzz them in.” She shakes her head.
“That’s not it. The past few days, I’ve felt like I was being followed.”
“Why haven’t you said anything?”
“I thought nothing of it.” She shrugs.
“I’m so sorry,” I tell her. “Fuck. I feel like an asshole.”
“You thought I was what? Friends with her and feeding her information on you? Seriously?” her voice rises, and I know exactly why.
“Honestly, my mind went into protection mode. I’ve worked hard to keep private, and then suddenly I was thrust into the public eye. Work is shit and I’m dealing with a whole of lot a shitstorm from the past.”
“And why would you think I would know that woman?” she asks defensively.
“My ex, Becky, is the reason I have a lot of people pulling their business out of mine. Why suddenly a lot of people are writing shit on the web about you and I. And that woman, sitting in the blue Lexus, she is the sole reason that all this shit is happening.”
“Why?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. Jealously?”
“Well, what did she want when you and her spoke last?”
“She wanted to get back together, and when I said no, she threatened me. But she’s got no backbone, and I thought nothing of it. Shit. I am so sorry that I accused you of knowing her.”
“It wasn’t cool. I would have thought that you would have known me better than that, that I would never.”
“Listen, you have to know. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Go. I think you need to take care of your business. I need to think.” She steps away from me.
“I need to make sure that we’re okay. I’m sorry.”
“I hear you. But I have to get ready for work. And you have a lot on your hands too.”
I want to bed for her to let me stay. But I know not to push. And there’s a lot that I need to do on my end as well.
Like confronting the woman sitting in front of this building in the blue Lexus.