Cunning by Aleatha Romig
Chelsea shook her head. “I’m glad she’s not. I like her smile.”
Palming my own raised cheeks, I admitted, “I do too!”
After a few minutes of catching up, Chelsea asked, “So, tell me why, now that Mr. Handsome is here, your old beau showed up?”
My smile disappeared. I’d read Bryce’s text messages this morning, and he didn’t mention going to Chelsea’s room. I hadn’t replied to any of them. I didn’t know what else to say except to tell him to go back to Savannah. “What do you mean?”
“He came here last night, not long after you left. As soon as he started talking, I knew he was the guy you were trying to dodge our freshman year. He said he was looking for you.”
“That’s ridiculous. We saw him downstairs. He knew where I was.”
“He didn’t act like it. He gave us a big story about how worried he was about your staying in the apartment. I remembered how hard it was for you to get rid of him. So I played along, trying to figure out his end game.”
“Did you,” I asked, “figure it out?”
That was one of her specialties, seeing people for whom they really were. Her freshness and realism were part of what drew me to her our freshman year. After living at Montague Manor, her ability to cut through all the pretenses was invigorating. It was also why she ended up with a major in psychology. She had an uncanny ability to figure people out.
“I got the feeling he wanted more information about when and where you were moving.”
I ground my teeth. “I told him that I’d already moved. I know to him it doesn’t look like it.” I shook my head. “I’ll talk to him. Besides, if you agree to New York, soon we’ll both be there.”
“I thought your apartment was too small for two people.”
I tucked my chin down and looked at my best friend bashfully through my lashes. “I may not be using it.”
Her eyes once again opened wide followed by the wince. “Stop making me do that!”
“I’m not making you do anything.”
“Mr. Handsome? Really? Oh my God, Charli with an i is back and boy, is she moving fast.”
I shrugged. “I mean, I could pretend to live in the apartment, but why?”
“Oh, girl! Why indeed? But… what about the bombshell your mom dropped on you? Did you tell Mr. Handsome? Obviously, he’s able. Is he helping you?”
I shrugged. “Yes, he is.” That answer was easier than explaining the truth about Infidelity.
“So you told him?”
“Not all of it. We’re taking it slowly.”
She pursed her lips. “Charli…” She drew out my nickname. “You just said you won’t be using your apartment. Babe, that’s not slow. And…” She became more serious. “I can’t say yes to New York, not yet.”
It was my turn to look surprised. “Why? Did you get a job?”
“Maybe. I had an offer. I need to think about it.”
I sprang from my chair. “Chelsea, that’s great. What? Where? Is it in counseling?”
“It’s difficult to explain. I wasn’t expecting it. The offer came out of left field.”
“What offer? Tell me all about it.”
“It’s… I’m not sure.”
“Why are you being so mysterious?”
“Well, it wasn’t exactly an offer. It was an offer to interview. If I get it, I will live in Washington DC.” She looked out the window for a minute. “I would be able to travel to a home base.” Turning back to me, her hazel eyes sparkled, even though one was framed by the dark bruise. “New York would be a quicker commute than California.”
“Oh, that sounds so exciting. I’m sure Nox would be willing to help with travel back and forth.”
Chelsea shook her head. “I wouldn’t need help. If I get it, the pay is more than I ever imagined.”
“In DC?” I asked. “That sounds very exciting.”
Her lower lip disappeared between her teeth as she inhaled and exhaled. “It could be.”
The door opened and a woman in scrubs, pushing a cart with a computer, came in. “Hello, Chelsea. I’m Madden, your day nurse. May I see your wristband?”
Chelsea held it up and answered all of Madden’s questions: name, date of birth, and last four digits of her Social Security number. After she passed the mini-exam, Madden said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but it’s time for your tests. Your doctor ordered a full panel of tests and scans. It will take us a few hours.”
I squeezed Chelsea’s hand. “That’s all right. I need to go to lunch. I’ll stop by the apartment before I come back. Text me and let me know if you’re breaking out of here today.”
The nurse turned my direction “The results won’t be conclusive until tomorrow.” She looked at her computer screen again. “I’m pretty sure the doctor won’t authorize her release until at least then.”
“Maybe this time,” I said in a stage whisper, “I’ll need to be the one to break you out.”
Chelsea smiled. “No way, girl, I’m the one who kicks ass at jail breaks.”
AS I LEFT Chelsea’s room, I instinctively slowed, waiting for my shadow. Somewhere over the last few days, Isaac’s presence had become my normal. Deloris promised I’d soon have my own bodyguard and driver. Part of me wanted to keep Isaac. There was something about him that I didn’t mind. Maybe it was the way he made his presence known with Bryce. Maybe it was the realization that what happened to Chelsea could have happened to me. I didn’t want to buy into Nox’s paranoid mentality, but ignoring it didn’t seem wise either.
My phone vibrated. Removing it from my purse, I hoped the call was from Nox.
BRYCE flashed on my screen and I sighed.
With Isaac by my side, I debated my options. I could let the call go to voicemail or excuse myself to the bathroom and away from listening ears. While those thoughts raced through my mind, my better sense told me to just rip off the Band-Aid. Now that my world included Deloris and Isaac, my ability to hide calls or anything else seemed remote. No matter where I took the call, Nox would know.
Taking a deep breath, I swiped the screen.
“Hello?”
“Alexandria,” Bryce said, obviously unable to comply with my request for a shortened name. “Thank God you answered. I’ve been worried sick about you.”
I clenched my teeth, suddenly seething with the need to defend Nox. “Stop worrying. Go home. I’m fine. As soon as Chelsea’s out of the hospital, I’m going home.”
“That’s great,” he said with a sigh. “Your parents will be relieved. It’s too dangerous. You need to be home.”
I looked up at Isaac, almost certain he could hear every word, and shook my head. Since we were still walking through the hallways of the hospital, I kept my voice low. “No, you misunderstood. I’ll be going home to New York.”
Momentary silence.
When I didn’t say more, he asked, “Have you at least Googled Demetri? Have you called Adelaide to learn what’s going on? Have you done any of the things I told you to do?”
I straightened my neck. “That you’ve told me to do? Welcome to the new world. I don’t do what you tell me to do. You mentioned those things last night and since then I’ve been a little busy.”
“Busy doing what, Alexandria? Screwing a murderer?”
“Goodbye, Bryce.”
“No. Please, I’m sorry. I am.” His words gushed through the phone, one running over the other. “I know your orientation at Columbia starts soon. Just spend a few days at home, learn the particulars of what happened, and you’ll see that you belong in Savannah.”
Isaac opened the car door. I nodded as I eased into the seat.
“You’re talking in circles, Bryce. Please go home, leave my friend alone, and report back to Alton that I’m not returning. Tell him he lost. His power play didn’t work. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, ask Adelaide and Alton.”
“I know what happened. I do. I also know it wasn’t them—it was you.” What the hell? “You can get it back. I over
My chest ached with the reality of Montague Manor. I didn’t know if I believed Bryce or if Alton purposely set him up to overhear something. Either way, I doubted it was an accident. Everything there was calculated.
“Desperate? Why do you care?”
His sigh filled my ears. “Why do I care? Alexandria, I care because I love you. I’ve loved you since we were children.”
I didn’t respond.
“I don’t want to have this conversation on the phone, but you’re not leaving me a choice.”
I swallowed. The emotion in his voice was getting to me, finding the small place inside of me, the place I’d tucked away, the place that had belonged to him since we were children running around the yards of Montague Manor and Carmichael Hall.
“Are you listening to me?”
I nodded, a tear coming to my eye. “Yes, but I need to go.”
“Let me say this… please.”
“Hurry, Bryce.”
“I’ve dated other people over the last four years.”
I bristled. “Go back further.”
“Yes, I’ve dated others. I’m not going to lie. None of those other women meant anything to me. They were for a purpose, my distraction. Demetri is your distraction. I get that. I won’t hold that against you—against us. He caught your attention. But don’t you wonder why? Don’t you wonder why a criminal and big player in so many different scenarios would find you, Alexandria Montague Collins?”
What is he saying?
“He’s using you. He doesn’t care about anyone. He’s a user and a killer. You’re there for a reason. When that purpose is met, we can only hope he discards you, because, Alexandria, the other option scares the shit out of me. The other option is that you end up like his wife.”
His volume rose. “That can’t happen. We’ve been each other’s destiny. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You’re my everything… my past… my future… the mother of—”
I shook my head, unwilling to listen to his words anymore.
“Stop. Stop calling.”
“Why? Because Demetri will be upset? Does he look at your phone? Does he tell you whom you can talk to? You shouldn’t live like that.”
“No,” I corrected. “Don’t call because it upsets me. Goodbye.”
I disconnected the call and turned my eyes to the window. I didn’t need to look into the front seat to know Isaac heard every word I said.
I turned off the volume on my phone and sent a text.
To: NOX- PRIVATE NUMBER:
Me: “WE’RE ON OUR WAY. I JUST SPOKE TO BRYCE. HOPEFULLY THIS SHIT WITH HIM IS DONE. I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU.”
New questions gathered with my usual swirl of uncertainty.
Was this smart? Could I find any shred of evidence that what Bryce was saying was true? Yes, he’d lied in the past, but did that mean I should disregard everything else?
Keeping my eyes away from Isaac’s in the rearview mirror, I took a deep breath, opened the browser on my phone, and did what Bryce suggested, perhaps what I should have done as soon as I learned Lennox’s full name.
I Googled Lennox Demetri.
Multiple articles appeared, only the first few words were visible on each one. Some had pictures. His handsome face and light blue eyes made my insides clench. I clicked to enlarge the first picture. The article began. I didn’t mean to gasp, but I did. It wasn’t just his image that took my breath away. Not his sexiness or magnetism, but who was with him.
Lennox Demetri recently seen…
Shit!
Deloris was serious when she said the world—the whole damn world.
The picture on my screen was a candid photograph, shot yesterday of the two of us standing in the San Francisco airport. I turned my phone to enlarge the image. My mouth dried. There was Nox, all attractive and GQ in his silk suit, and me, in a sundress, flat sandals, with my hair in a low ponytail looking like I just woke from a three-hour nap. The picture must have been taken while we were waiting for Deloris and Isaac to deplane, since we were alone.
I scrolled and read. The short article was mostly about me. Not my identity. It said my name, Alexandria Collins. Realistically, they could have gotten that from anywhere, including my airline ticket information. Whoever wrote the article was more interested in publishing Lennox’s picture with a woman than researching the particulars. There was nothing about the delayed flight or my family. The emphasis was that Lennox Demetri, self-proclaimed bachelor since the death of his wife of four years, Jocelyn Demetri, was traveling with a woman.
Jocelyn… the name made my heart hurt, not in a jealous way. I recalled how he’d looked up at the ceiling blankly when he mentioned his mother. That millisecond of emotion saddened me. What would it be like to discuss this other woman, his wife? Who was she? Obviously, she was married to him for four years. Undoubtedly, someone he loved.
Not all marriages were about love—my mother was a prime example. No matter how long ago Jocelyn died, I knew Nox had only recently removed his wedding ring. How could a man who continued to wear his wedding ring, a man as hot and eligible as Nox, be accused of killing his wife?
Question after question bombarded my thoughts. The Northern California landscape that I adored was but a blip on my radar, unnoticed as we drove toward the city, the elevations, the bay, the beauty. None of it registered.
My pulse kicked up a notch when I noticed Jocelyn’s name was blue, as opposed to the black type. It was a link—a modern day portal giving me access to the all the answers to my questions. All I needed to do was touch it. Apprehensively, my finger hovered over her name. Before I could activate the link, I recalled something Deloris said.
She said she’d read my profile, and even before that in Del Mar, she said she knew my last name. She left the distinct impression that she knew more, perhaps even that I was a Montague. Yet she made a point that Nox didn’t want to know her insights. He wanted to learn about me from me.
Didn’t I owe Nox the same consideration? Shouldn’t I learn about Jocelyn from him, when and if he was ready to share? And then there was the fear of what I’d learn. What if what Bryce said was true?
Before I could be tempted further, I closed the browser.
When I turned to the window, we were already in the city. Beautiful building after building along the hilled streets brought back fond memories of San Francisco as I watched people and vendors filling the sidewalks.
“Miss Collins, we’re about at the restaurant.”
“Thank you. I texted Mr. Demetri to let him know we were on our way.”
“Yes, ma’am, so did I. He said to tell you that they were already seated.”
I looked at my watch, suddenly concerned with making a poor impression. “Are we late?”
“No. They recently arrived.”
“HELLO, MISS COLLINS,” Senator Carroll said, as I approached the corner table, led by a pretty young hostess.
Smiling, I nodded, but no matter how hard I tried, my attention was drawn to the pale blue eyes shining my direction. My heart fluttered like a schoolgirl’s when Nox came closer, kissed my cheek, and pulled back my chair.
“You look stunning,” he whispered.
His words filled my cheeks with pink as I turned back to the older gentleman across the table and the woman beside him. “Hello, Senator Carroll, Mrs. Carroll. Thank you for allowing me to intrude upon your meeting.”
“Nonsense, dear,” Mrs. Carroll said. “After all the years of listening to these two attempt to right the wrongs of politics and business, I’m thrilled to have someone else to share my misery.”
Mrs. Carroll was easily the age of my mother, and while she seemed nice, she reminded me of the country-club crowd surrounding the Montagues.
“Don’t listen to her. She is enthralled by our conversations as well as our solutions,” Senator Carroll said.
??
She laughed softly. “Why, you know, I don’t know. I have an awful habit of tuning it out.”
I smiled. “That does sound enthralling.”
“Actually,” Senator Carroll said after the waitress took my drink order, “Lennox mentioned that you’re a proud graduate of our state. Tell me why, after graduating from Stanford with honors, you’d leave this fine state to pursue education elsewhere. Keeping our finest graduates here is one of our top priorities.”
When I glanced at Nox, I saw a strange bit of pride in his gaze.
“I adored living here. I hoped that after making my mark on the West Coast, I could tackle the East Coast.”
“Besides, I’m on the East Coast,” Nox added.
“It is hard to compete with that,” Mrs. Carroll replied.
“So moving back to California after law school isn’t out of the question?” the senator asked.
I shook my head. “I’ve recently learned that nothing is out of the question.”
“Right you are. Perhaps you may even convince Lennox to move with you?”
I merely smiled at the senator. When I turned toward Nox, the way he was looking at me did things to my insides that were inappropriate for our lunch meeting.
“Which brings us to our next topic,” Senator Carroll, continued. “I was just trying to convince this man to consider relocating a few of his distribution centers. Perhaps you’d be better at that persuasion than I. We have some prime real estate…”
I listened as the senator and Nox talked about location, taxes, and logistics. As I ate my salad and sipped my water, I began to wonder what exactly my purpose was at this luncheon. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be with Nox, but I could easily be at the hospital or my apartment. Bryce’s words about Nox using me came to mind. But that was ridiculous. How could my presence mean anything to a senator from California?
Mrs. Carroll reached for my hand and whispered, “See what I mean?”
I shrugged. “It’s interesting.”
“Oh, dear, you must be infatuated.”