I left things on a good note with Zach, which was what I was hoping for. I didn’t have to report to my boss or anything, but I did owe him a phone call. Him and Mr. Kent. Right now, I needed to sit down with my best friend. I needed to look her in the eyes and bounce some things off her. I felt like I was soaring through the air and flying too close to the sun.
I didn’t want all of this to implode on me, and I needed Kami’s help to keep me rooted.
“Paige! You’re back!”
I embraced her tightly just as she was coming out of her bakery.
“Shutting down early, I see,” I said. “You hungry for some dinner?”
“I’m exhausted is what I am. Pizza at my place?”
“I’ll follow you back,” I said.
Twenty minutes later, Kami was ordering us both pizza and soda. We flopped down onto her couch, and I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. I grabbed her hand and held it tightly, watching as the stress of the day slowly sank her into the cushions.
“Wanna talk about it?” I asked.
“No, I’m not ready to yet,” Kami said breathlessly. “Now spill. Why are you here?”
“Because I live here?” I asked.
“I’m serious. I know when you’re panicking. It’s your eyes. They’re always a dead giveaway.”
I frowned. “I hope not. I’ve been spending a lot of time with my mark.”
“Give me the headlines, and I’ll ask questions as necessary,” she said.
“I don’t think my mark is the person my client says he is, despite what I’ve found.”
“What have you found?” she asked.
“A bunch of firewalls and shit on his computer when I tried to access any basic file.”
“So, you’ve been on his computer,” she said. “Which means you’ve been in his house?”
“Yes, and even though I panicked about the firewalls and password-protected files, once I calmed down, I realized my gut instinct hadn’t changed. I still think he’s innocent.”
“Do you have proof to back that up?” she asked.
“Not exactly.”
“So, it’s just your gut?”
“That, and the night I just spent with him, yes,” I said.
Kami slowly lifted her head before her eyes connected to mine. “You didn’t.”
“You’re the one who told me to get laid, remember? We let the painting thing fall to the wayside, and you talked about me getting dick or something.”
“Not with the criminal!”
“He’s not a criminal. I’m telling you. None of this feels right.”
She shook her head. “Then why are you here? Why are you not there, clearing his name or some shit?”
“Because I’m panicking, Kami. I need my best friend to help me focus and make sense of my jumbled thoughts.”
“Was his cock that good?” she asked.
“Yes, but he also bought me a gift.”
“What the hell could he have possibly—”
“He went to an art supply store and bought me canvases.”
Kami sat up straighter on the couch. “You told him about your painting? That’s awfully personal, isn’t it?”
“Telling him a few personal details gets him to open up about his. And all of the stuff he’s telling me confirms what I’ve been finding, and it gives me more to research.”
“You told him about your painting. So much so that he felt the need to get you canvases. What did you say to him?”
I shrugged. “Just that I went to college for it and had the job I do now to pay the bills.”
“Holy fuck, you didn’t tell him what you do, did you?”
I shook my head. “He thinks I’m still working at the credit collection agency. I’m not an idiot.”
“Well, you fucked the guy, so I don’t know where your head’s at anymore!”
“Kami. Not helping.”
“What do you want me to do? Give my stamp of approval? You’re fucking a thief.”
“Not according to what my evidence says. And since when are people guilty until proven innocent?”
“Since the media started getting involved with criminal cases for ratings, but that’s beside the point.”
“Kami, this guy isn’t who my client says he is. The problem is, I don’t understand why my client wants information on this guy.”
“Your client just wants information?” Kami asked.
“When we had our initial meeting, he harped on that more than he did the theft that was taking place. When we ended our conversation, he made it a point to remind me of reporting back to him whenever I started watching this guy.”
“You’ve taught me enough over the years for me to know that’s weird,” she said.
I nodded. “And it burns my blood that I’m stalking an innocent man for no reason.”
“Obviously not for no reason. That’s probably why this client has hired you and why he didn’t want you taking on any other cases but his.” She sighed. “I don’t know. It sounds like you need to be digging into your client instead of your mark.”
“Exactly. I just have to go about it without raising any red flags.”
“Just be careful, Paige, okay?”
“I’m always careful.”
“I just worry.” Kami sighed just as a knock came at the door, and I stood up to get the pizza.
I signed the receipt and shut the door behind me with my pizza firmly in hand. “What is it, Kami?”
She crossed her legs on the couch, her face looking troubled. “I just hear it in your voice when you talk about him. How giddy you get.”
“I don’t get giddy,” I said, walking back over to her.
“You do, and now, talking with you about him face to face, your eyes are lighting up.”
“They are not.” Despite my protest, I kept my eyes averted as I put the pizza down onto the coffee table in front of the couch, just in case she was right.
“Deny it all you want, but I’ve known you for years. You’ve got a crush, and it’s gonna skew your mindset if you’re not careful.”
“I don’t have a crush,” I said.
“You can lie to yourself, but your eyes can’t lie to me,” she said.
“You should get that put on a shirt,” I said.
“Here’s all I know: you have a hunch that this guy is innocent with no evidence to back that up, and all the while, he’s being portrayed as a criminal. If you think he’s innocent, take the information you have and refute it, but you won’t find his innocence in his bed.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” I said, murmuring.
Kami shot me a look as I picked up a slice of pizza.
“Be careful,” she said sternly.
“I will. I promise.”
“When are you heading back?” she asked.
“What makes you think I’m heading back?”
“You have an unfinished job. Of course, you’re heading back.”
I shrugged. “I figured I’d stay the night, then travel back in the morning. It’s a nine-hour haul, and I’m pretty beat.”
“You can stay with me. We’ll eat this pizza, drink this soda, and pass out.”
“That sounds glorious,” I said.
“And a good night’s rest will help you center your mind for what you’re about to do,” she said.
“Thanks for talking with me, Kami.”
“Anytime. I just want to make sure you’re safe. You’re a very logical person, but your emotions get in the way a lot.”
“Isn’t that how all people work?” I asked.
“It’s not how I work. Some people tell me I emotionally compartmentalize like a sociopath.”
“You just don’t show your negative emotions because you feel it makes you weak.”
Kami peered at me over her pizza, and I felt a grin sliding across my cheeks.
“Love you,” I said.
“Uh huh.”
“Thanks for talking with me,” I said.
“Thanks for paying for the pizza.”
“Anytime, Kami. Anytime.”
“You gonna talk to your boss before you go back?” she asked.
“I’m gonna have to. I promised I’d call him with a report after the date last night. Which extended into this morning and bled into now.”
“You still haven’t called him yet?” Kami asked.
“I shot him a text saying I was okay and that I was gathering things together before I called him. I just didn’t tell him the things I was gathering were mental and not factual.”
“You’re treading a thin line, Paige.”
“I’ll call him tonight. I promise.”
Then, as if hell itself was trying to mock me, my phone rang with the ringtone that was only set for my boss. It rang out just as I received a text message from Mr. Kent.
“I really hate my job,” I said, groaning.
“Boss first, client second,” Kami said.
“Could I ignore them both and enjoy my pizza?” I asked.
“Pick it up,” Kami said.
So, I took my boss’s phone call and braced myself for the verbal assault that was coming.