Chapter 17

Michael

I replayed the phone call between me and Demetri over and over in my mind on my way to work Friday morning. It had been a short one, as these particular ones usually were.

“Am I right about this?” he’d asked.

“Yes.”

A long pause then, “I’ll handle this.”

We had no idea who was listening at any point which was why he preferred to meet in person for the more important and secretive meetings. Demetri had come up against authorities in the past involving a phone tap. He was back in Chicago, so there wasn’t a possibility of a face to face conversation.

I’d come to the office early that morning, wanting to get out of my apartment. I had a nervous energy that I tried to get out by exercising. When that didn’t work, I had to occupy my mind. I thought by searching for some listings for Sal I could create a good alibi for myself. If anyone linked me to his death then I could claim I had no idea.

See detective, I was searching for listings all morning. Why would I do that if I knew he was about to be murdered?

I only did that for about a half-hour before my mind was filled with scenarios that I had no control over.

I stood up from my desk and went to the window, staring out over the City. The movement of people below made me yearn for that lifestyle. Sure, those people had responsibilities and all the cares of the world but none of them had to deal with being a part of someone’s death sentence. At least I hoped not. It was a circumstance I wouldn’t want anyone else to bear.

A knock on my door made me snap out of my reverie. I went to my desk and sat, pretending that I’d been working the entire time. “Come in.”

Sandra opened the door, holding a stack of papers. “I have some messages for you.”

I fought to focus on what she was saying. None of the messages were urgent but the last one was important.

“Rachel called to remind you to look out for an email from her. She needs to confirm some details about the event.”

“I’ll review that when Rainey gets in.”

“I’m surprised she isn’t here yet,” Sandra noted. “She’s always on time. Is she okay?”

“I gave her the morning off.” I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to speak with Demetri. But when the phone call came late the night before I didn’t want to call Rainey and change my mind about coming in normal time. She seemed excited to come in late. If it were up to me, I’d want to take the entire weekend off. But that might have been suspicious depending on how Demetri wanted to get rid of Sal.

“Michael?” Sandra’s voice broke through my thoughts.

“Yes?”

“You drifted off there for a minute. Everything okay?”

“Absolutely,” I said, standing up from my desk. “I’ve been sitting too long, I need to move around.”

“Do you want me to order some breakfast?”

I glanced at the clock, it was almost eleven, and Rainey should be in within the hour. “How about we order lunch instead?”

“Any preferences?”

I waved a hand at her. “Your choice.”

Sandra smiled. “Thanks.”

I knew Sandra well enough that she’d order Chinese takeout. For some reason, she liked the little boxes the food came in. And I wasn’t in a mindset to make any decisions at the moment.

I needed a distraction, I needed Rainey.

Somehow I managed to keep it together for the remainder of time before Rainey came in. When I heard her voice outside my door, I jumped up and went to the door.

I took a breath before opening it. She wore the same tightly fitted pants she had for the interview, the ones that made her ass look incredible. I fought to keep my eyes on her face. “Good morning.”

She turned to me and her gaze found mine. A big smile swept across her lips. “Good afternoon.”

My shoulders relaxed and the tension in my chest unraveled. I was right about her ability to distract me. “Speaking of, Sandra ordered lunch. It should be here soon.” I hated small-talk but I needed an excuse to be watching Rainey take off her coat and get settled in. Anything to keep my mind away from Sal and Demetri.

She reached for her purse. “Oh, I can put some money towards the bill.”

“Not necessary, it’s a working lunch.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She licked her lips. “Is there anything specific you want me to work on today? I can gather some more listings for Mr. Rossi?”

Anything but that. “Let’s save that for Monday. I received an email this morning from Rachel with details about the charity. We should work on those.”

Rainey sat on the chair in front of my desk while I pulled up the email. I reviewed its contents. Rachel had been thorough in her requests, listing everything we needed with attached deadlines. We had enough tasks to get us through until the end of the workday. Even though Rainey had come in late, I wasn’t going to keep her late. Although I knew she would if I asked. I’d feel her out, if she didn’t have plans for dinner, I hoped she’d agree to accompany me while I waited for Demetri’s phone call.

“Michael,” she said.

I looked over at her. “Yes?”

“Did you hear anything I just said?”

“No, I’m sorry, I was reviewing the email from Rachel.”

“You seem distracted,” she said. “Is everything okay?”

I couldn’t get anything past this girl.

“I’m fine,” I said. “I have a lot on my plate right now.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help out.”

My gaze fell to her lips. There were a few things she could do to help distract me.

As the thought crossed my mind, my cell phone rang. The vibration moved it across my desk and a similar vibration took hold of my body. Demetri’s name stared up at me from the screen.

I grabbed the phone and shoved my chair away, it rolled in a wide arc away from my desk. “Excuse me, I have to take this.”

I left the office, closing the door behind me as I swiped my finger across the screen.

“Hello?” I said, not wanting to identify the caller for Sandra or Rainey to hear. I hustled down the hallway into one of the conference rooms, closing that door behind me.

“Good morning, Michael,” Demetri’s said over the line. The calm in his voice was like the still waters of Bar Harbor. A longing to go back swelled inside of me.

“It’s afternoon here now,” I said slowly, waiting for the ball to drop.

“You know that issue with real estate we were discussing?” he asked. “Real estate” was code for Sal.

I sighed. “Yes.”

“I closed the deal,” he said. “I wanted you to be the first to know.”

“I appreciate that.”

“I’ve been thinking. You work too hard. I think you deserve some time away, Michael. Find a beautiful woman, and take the weekend off.”

Fuck. Sal was going to be murdered and Demetri knew I wanted to have an alibi. I didn’t know exactly when, but his hint for me to leave for the weekend was enough. I didn’t want to, but I had to go. Now. There was always a chance of a trail back to me and Demetri gave me a crystal clear warning.

“I’ll do that.”

“I’ll be in touch next week with the details of a new project.”

Demetri was the first to hang up. I stared at my phone, giving myself a few seconds to freak out. My body heated up and I noticed a slight tremor in my hand. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Alright, it was time to act. Sal lived in the City, so I needed to be as far away as possible. But also come up with a reason for my quick departure.

The client excuse always worked. Maybe I could tell Rainey and Sandra I needed to check on a property for a client. It wasn’t out of the realm of responsibilities. But I knew I’d be a mess all weekend if I went alone. Rainey did say she’d be available at a moment’s notice. She’d be the perfect distraction. I knew she’d want to see the listing I was referring to, so I could always say the deal fell through when we got there.

As the plan formed in my mind, my confidence grew. This would work and I’d be able to get more alone time with her.

Now where to go? Bar Harbor wasn’t far away enough and it would be suspicious if I went back so soon. Where was the most remote location I could go that was far enough away that my alibi would be air-tight?

Natalia’s face flashed in my mind. Perfect!

I dialed her number and waited. She picked up on the last ring. “Hello, darling. What do I owe the pleasure?”

“Are you in Colorado this weekend?”

“No, it’s fucking freezing there. You know I only go in the spring and summer”

“Is your lodge available for the next few days?”

“Did you hear me? It’s like a frozen tundra out there. You’re not the greatest fan of the cold.”

Why did she choose now to be difficult? “I don’t care, is the lodge available.”

“Yes.”

“Can I use it?”

“What is this about?”

“Natalia,” I warned. I loved her but she pried too much sometimes.

“Fine, fine,” she said. “The key is under the mat. Hope you don’t freeze your adorable ass off.”

“Thanks, I’ll make it up to you.”

“You better.”

I hung up the phone and left the conference room.

I stopped at Sandra’s desk. “I need you to hold all my calls and call my pilot to get the plane ready for Colorado. I’ll need a car when I get there too. I’ll text you the details.”

“I’m on it, boss.”

Sandra was used to me disappearing at a moment’s notice. If she suspected anything, she never said a word about it. It was one of the reasons I liked her so much. Though I knew it would be a tough sell to Rainey. She wouldn’t even have time to gather her things. But I had enough money to pay for whatever she needed.

I went back to my office. Rainey was leaned over my desk, looking at my computer screen. Her ass was at the perfect angle and I couldn’t stop the flurry of inappropriate thoughts from racing through my mind.

She turned around and stood up. “Sorry, I wasn’t sure how long you would be. I printed the email so I could make notes.”

I cleared my throat and the thoughts from my mind. “That’s fine. Take them with you.”

“Where are we going?”

“One of my clients is interested in a property in Colorado. We’re going to fly out there today.”

“Colorado?” she asked. “We’re leaving today?”

“Actually we’re leaving now. Is that a problem?”

“It’s a little sudden,” she said.

I crossed my arms. “You gave me the impression that you were available at a moment’s notice. Was that a lie?”

“No, it wasn’t a lie. I only thought I’d be given more than a five-minute warning.”

I worked my jaw. I couldn’t tell her why we needed to go now. And I hated enforcing my power over her as her boss but she had no idea how important this was. Her independent and fiery personality fought back, but I was going to be the victor.