Chapter 7

“All of those blouses are going to be wrinkled. Don’t you want to leave them on the hangars?” Joanne asked her as she watched Angela throwing clothes into boxes.

“No, it’s fine. I just want to get out of here ASAP before Thomas gets home.”

Joanne sighed heavily. “I hate seeing you like this. You should let Ana help you. She has a lot of pull…”

“Pull with who, Jo? She can’t make Thomas less crazy and she can’t make me un-see what I’ve already seen, can she?”

Joanne went over and put her arm around her friend. “You know that she’s right…don’t you? Steve is in love with you. Whatever happened in those pictures…that had to be set up somehow.”

“It doesn’t matter. None of it matters anymore. I’m running scared from a man I thought was my best friend and the man I thought I wanted to spend the rest of my life with slept with my boss.” She could tell Joanne was about to argue with her again and before she could Angela said, “Whether it was volitional or not…he slept with her. Photos don’t lie. To top it all off, I may or may not be carrying the demon spawn in my womb. So really Jo, none of it matters. At this point all that matters is that I get the hell out of here without any more damage being done.”

Joanne knew her well enough to know when to back off. She went back to the box she was packing. Less than ten minutes passed when they heard Thomas’s key in the front door. Angela felt a fist of terror grip her heart. She suddenly realized that Thomas didn’t just make her nervous any longer…he scared the shit out of her. She looked at Joanne and mouthed, “Please.” Joanne nodded and started throwing things into the box at a quicker pace. Angela held her breath as she heard Thomas moving around in the living room. They already had several boxes stacked by the front door.

“Moving day?” he asked. Angela looked up and he was leaning against the door frame. For the first time she noticed how the muscles and veins bulged in his arms. He could do some serious damage to someone with his bare hands if he wanted to. For weeks she’d been saying that he would never hurt her…what if she was wrong, the way she’d been wrong about so many things where Thomas was concerned?

“Yeah, we’re going to take as many loads over as we can before it gets too dark.”

“Have to hurry and get the hell away from…What was it you called me, Joanne? Oh! That’s right, Norman Bates?”

“Thomas,” Angela’s voice was pleading. “Please, let’s not do this again.”

“Do what, Ang? I shouldn’t tell you how I feel? Okay then, maybe I’ll tell you how Blake would feel about all of this…”

“Shut the fuck up!” Joanne just could not keep her mouth shut.

“You stay the fuck out of it. This is my house and if you don’t like it you can take your dyke ass out of it.”

Joanne took a step towards him and Angela saw him stand taller…daring her. Angela put her hand on Joanne’s arm and said, “Jo…please. Why don’t you start taking some boxes down and let Thomas and I talk.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with him.”

“Why the fuck not? You think I’d hurt her?” Thomas was visibly shaking. Angela got the feeling it was taking everything he had to keep from hitting something…or someone.

“Of course she doesn’t think you’ll hurt me. Jo, please take the boxes down and let Thomas and I talk.” Joanne opened her mouth and Angela said, “Please!”

Joanne picked up a box and gave Angela a look filled with love. Then she gave Thomas one that seethed with hate. “I’ll be right back,” she said.

“We can’t wait,” Thomas spat. He did step out of her way and for that Angela was thankful. When Jo was gone Angela breathed in, trying to calm herself down and she said,

“Thomas, I know that you’re hurt by my leaving. I never wanted to hurt you. I just feel like this is the natural order of things. This was never supposed to be forever. I love you. I think you know that. I think you also know that I am so damned grateful for everything you’ve done for me. But I need my own space and you need yours. We will always be friends…”

“Your other friends are doing their best to keep us apart. You don’t think they’ll stop just because you don’t live here, do you?”

“They’re just worried about me. Thomas…I know that you’re in love with me. I’m so sorry that I can’t reciprocate that. But Blake was your best friend…and then you became mine…we’re like family and I never thought of you that way so it would be impossible for me to do that now. I don’t want to lose you in my life though and I won’t let what someone else thinks color my opinion of you.” Angela was beginning to wonder if she should have gone into acting. She was doing an academy award winning job. Thomas even looked like he might be buying it.

“So what am I supposed to do?” he asked in a shaky voice. For just a second, he let that shield he’d been wearing down and he was almost…vulnerable.

“Go on with your life. With me gone you’ll be able to start dating again and find a woman who loves you the way you deserve to be loved.”

“You’re going to walk out that door and out of my life,” he said, beginning to look agitated again, as if the very thought of it enraged him.

Angela felt like she had to get out of there. If she could just get out of this damned apartment, things would be okay again. She put her hand on his arm. He visibly flinched at her touch. “We both need space, Thomas. Some time apart to figure out the rest of our lives. Once things settle down and you have a chance to realize that this…obsession with me is not healthy, we can start over, okay?”

Thomas neither agreed nor disagreed. She felt the muscle tense in his arm under her hand and she let go of it. Joanne came back into the room…and Thomas left. She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe it was finally over.

**

Tuesday morning when Kim got to the office, Ana McAllister was waiting for her. Kim smiled when she first saw her, but when she saw the look on Ana’s face, the smile fell off of hers. “Ana, you’re here bright and early.”

“Yes I am. We need to talk.” Ana was abrupt and she could tell Kim didn’t like it. She didn’t give a shit. Kim looked reluctant, but she finally turned and unlocked her office door. Ana followed her in, right on her heels. She didn’t wait for an invitation to sit down. She perched on the edge of one of the chairs. Kim sat her things down on her desk and turned to face her.

“What is this about, Ana? Is there a problem with the layout Angela is doing for you?”

“Not at all. Angela is brilliant. As a matter of fact, she’s so brilliant I’m thinking of starting my own advertising business and stealing her away from you.”

Kim raised an eyebrow and sat down. “I’m a little confused Ana. What exactly did you want to talk to me about?” Ana produced a photo that Angela would probably be pissed to know that she had. Joanne had scanned and emailed a copy to her the night before. Angela would get over it once she realized they only wanted to help. Kim was gaping at the photo like it was as much a surprise to her as it was to everyone else “What…Where?”

“Who? When? Knock it the fuck off Kimberly. Explain this, now.”

Kim’s face went from confused to angry and ready to fight in an instant. “Obviously, it needs no explanation. Why don’t you ask your brother to explain it?”

“Because my brother likely has no memory of it. You drugged him, didn’t you?”

“What?” Kim said, incredulous. “Have you lost your mind? Look at me, Ana! Do I look like I have to drug a man to get him in bed with me?”

“It’s not about how you look Kim it’s your toxic personality. This is your one chance to tell me what you did. I’m meeting with Carlo as soon as I leave here and if I don’t get what I’m looking for from him, I’ll keep looking. I will spare no expense to find a witness that will tell me you drugged my brother and then I will spare no expense bringing you and this shoddy little business of yours to its knees. My company brings millions into this company…we can easily take them elsewhere.” Ana didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t change the tone of her voice. But it was clear she was serious, deadly so.

Once again, Kim’s affect completely changed. She looked like she was on the verge of tears as she said, “Okay…Steve was drugged. But, I only did it because Thomas forced me too. I’m so afraid of him. I was so scared. He threatened me…”

“With what? What did he threaten to do?”

“He didn’t put it out there in so many words, but he told me if I didn’t, he would make me pay. He’s not right in the head. He’s obsessed with Angela and he wanted Steve out of the way…”

“This man works for you, doesn’t he?”

“Yes…”

“And you know there’s something wrong with him, yet he still works for you.”

“He’s sick, I’m afraid of him. I’m afraid to fire him…”

“What did you drug my brother with?”

“I didn’t want to…”

Ana lowered her voice and grit her teeth. “What the fuck did you drug my brother with?”

“Ecstasy,” she said. “But once it was out of his system, he was fine. I didn’t hurt him…”

“You raped him. Are you fucking kidding me? You raped him and you were stupid enough to take photos of the crime.”

“Crime?” Kim’s eyes were as huge as saucers. “I didn’t commit a crime. I’m not a criminal…”

“You drugged my brother and you had sex with him that he doesn’t even remember…” Ana shrugged and stood up. “I guess maybe the police might believe that he could easily forget you completely sober…But since I do have what you just said on tape, I doubt it.”

Kim looked desperate and Ana anticipated what was coming before Kim even flinched. Kim dove at Ana like a wildcat. Ana stepped to the side and let her fall to the floor. She started towards the door as Kim was pulling herself up and over her shoulder she said, “If you touch me, you’ll just be adding assault and battery to your charges.”

“You can’t do this! Ana please! I was afraid for my life!”

“You can tell that to the detectives when they show up,” Ana told her. “If I were you, I’d spend my time looking for a good lawyer at this point.”

Kim picked up a glass pitcher of water. Ana stepped out and closed the door just in time to hear the pitcher shatter against it. She smiled as she stepped onto the elevator. She had them both.