Chapter Twenty-Three
Brick
I can’t do this anymore. I don’t expect to get paid, and I won’t talk to anyone, so please don’t worry about that. I’m sorry.
The note was under the diamonds. At first, I felt empty. She left me. I wanted to feel relief. It was over. I didn’t have to be strangled by the pull I felt towards her. She was gone and it was over.
But instead of relief, I just felt raw and unhinged. Grabbing the collar, I hurled it against the wall. When the cold stone didn’t break, I grabbed the lamp and threw it as well. The ceramic shattered, and a roar burst out of me.
She was mine, and I was not going to let her go. Grabbing my phone, I called the front desk of the building. Daisy had left here without any money. She couldn’t have gone far.
“Mr. Langston,” a pleasant voice answered. “How may I help you?”
“Did one of your cars drive my guest somewhere last night?” I demanded.
“Give me just a moment.” I clenched my jaw while the clacking of keys filled my ear. “Yes, sir. It looks like the doorman on duty last night called a car to drive your guest to an address in the Bronx. He returned without her. Is there anything else that I can help you with?”
I hung up without answering her. The Bronx? She either went to her father’s or she went to Ralph’s.
I love you.
Of course she went to her boyfriend’s. I’d taken her like she was no better than a two-bit hooker, and she thought Ralph was her savior. Every urge in me wanted to kill him, but how was I any better? He’d sold her, but I’d bought her. She fled in the middle of the night because of me, not him.
I needed to leave her alone. Let her live her life and move past this, but first, I wanted to make sure that Ralph treated her right.
After dressing for work, I left my place and found the night doorman still at his post. He nodded his head when I lingered. “Mr. Langston. I believe your car is waiting for you, but is there anything else I can help you with?”
I glared at him. “You called the driver for Daisy last night?”
He hesitated. “A young lady shouldn’t be walking around alone at night.”
“I know,” I said finally. “Thank you for that.”
“My condolences on her bad news.”
“Excuse me?”
“She was obviously upset. Crying. Distraught..”
Crying. Distraught.
“Thank you,” I said stiffly, assaulted by the mental image of her wandering the streets, crying and alone.
Fuck, I was the biggest monster in her life.
I was late to the office. Julie was already waiting for me with an annoyed look on her face and a stack of folders in her arms. “Ralph Cook,” I growled. “I want him in my office now.”
“What? Why?”
“I pay your fucking salary,” I said and whirled on her. “That means that you do what the fuck I tell you or you’re replaced with someone who does. I want Ralph Cook in my office now.”
Her eyes widened. “Brick,” she said in a low voice. “You need to calm down and tell me what’s going on. Is this about that woman? Can we get ahead of the situation or are we talking damage control?”
“You’re fired. Get the fuck out of my building.” My muscles were taut as I advanced on her. She pressed herself back against the wall as a hand clapped on my shoulder. Tense, I whirled around for a fight.
Jim released me. “Julia. Brick has a conference call later today. Will you please make sure that everything is in order for that,” he said softly. His hard stare never left mine.
“Sure,” she whispered as she slipped passed me. I knew that I owed her an apology, but just couldn’t get the words out.
“Come on,” Jim said slowly as he guided me into the office. “You need to calm down before you really do fire the best assistant that you’ve ever had. Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
“No,” I hissed. “I’ve already made myself clear. The only thing that I want is Ralph Cook in my office.”
“Are you planning on firing him?”
“Maybe.”
“Are you planning on killing him?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Did she leave you?”
I swallowed hard and gripped the edge of my desk. “Do I have to do every fucking thing myself?”
“Ralph Cook. I got it,” Jim said softly. He paused and shook his head. “You know, Gemma hasn’t had a single nightmare since we started doing stories and reading books at night.”
I didn’t answer him, and he quietly left the office. A few minutes later, there was a loud knock on my door before Ralph strolled in. “Mr. Langston! I was happy to hear from you. I wanted to explain about last night.”
I clenched my jaw. “Explain what?”
“I know that you’re probably worried about Daisy, but rest assured, she knows her place. You do whatever you want to her. She can take it. If she’s still giving you issues, you just let me know. I’ll break her for you. We can also tack on another week if you want. No charge.”
Rage swept through me. “What the fuck are you talking about? She went to your apartment last night.”
“Yeah. I think she was a little shaken up, but I straightened her out.”
“And you sent her back to me?”
“She was a little resistant, but it wasn’t like she had anywhere else to go,” Ralph laughed. “Hey, if there’s a problem, we can work it out. Just tell me what I can do.”
I had half a mind to fire him on the spot, but that was too good for a man like Ralph. I didn’t just want him fired. I wanted him dead and buried. “I just needed some information from you. You can return to work,” I said calmly.
“Sure. Thanks.” Ralph nodded his head as he backed out of the office.
I immediately placed a call to Jim. “I want to run a quiet in-house investigation on Ralph Cook.”
“Why?”
“It’s either this or I murder him. I also need a quiet investigation run on Daisy Smith.”
“Brick, I want to help you, but I need to know what’s going on.”
“You were right. Daisy left me,” I admitted. “She went to Ralph for help, and he turned her out on the streets. She has no money and no place to go. I want her found, Jim. And I want him dead.”
“When we find her? What then? Should I deliver her to you?”
I closed my eyes. “Just find her, Jim. Just fucking find her.”