“I love you, Angel.”
“I love you too,” I whispered as I tightened my arms around him.
He made me feel safe. A safety I hadn’t felt since that night I believed Charlie died.
“Are you okay?” He lifted his head and stared into my eyes.
“I’m fine.” I softly smiled.
“I’ll get to the bottom of this. I promise you that.” His lips softly brushed against mine.
The next morning after we headed into the office, I was sitting at my desk when Cody knocked on my door.
“Come on in, Cody.” I smiled.
“Hey, Addison. Good morning to you.”
“Good morning to you too. What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to say thanks again. I went and bought that Dior perfume set for my sister. She’s going to love it.”
“You’re welcome.” I smiled.
“Oh, and this is for you.” He handed me a coffee from the Coffee Pod.
“You didn’t have to get me coffee.”
“I know I didn’t. It’s just a thank you gesture. No big deal.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” I smiled.
“No problem. I have to get back to work. Have a good day, Addison.”
“You too, Cody.”
The day was pretty quiet until Andrew came storming into my office and shut the door.
“Hello there.” I smiled.
He threw a folded piece of paper on my desk.
“That was just delivered to me,” he spoke in anger.
I picked up the folded paper and opened it.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I looked up at him. “Ellie got a restraining order against you?”
“Do you believe that bitch!” He paced around the office with his hands tucked into his pants pockets. “She stalks me and you and there’s not a damn thing we can do about it, yet they give her a restraining order against me?”
“Well, Andrew, you did grab her. Technically, she could charge you with assault.” I arched my brow.
He narrowed his eye at me for a moment as the anger on his face grew.
“Really, Addison?”
“I only speak the truth. I’m sorry.”
I got up from my desk and walked over to him, placing my arms around his neck.
“Don’t let this upset you. Consider it a blessing. Now she can’t come anywhere near you.”
“True. But that doesn’t stop her from coming near you. I know what she’s fucking up to. Damn it!”
“Calm down. Breathe,” I softly spoke as I kissed his lips. “I don’t think she will now.”
Once I managed to calm him down, he went back up to his office and I headed out to meet Emma for lunch. When I stepped outside the door of the building, Rick, my bodyguard, was waiting to take me to the Rustic Table.
“I should only be about an hour, Rick. I’m meeting Emma, so there’s no need for you to come in. Unless you want to eat.”
“I’m good, Addison. I already ate.”
“Oh okay.” I smiled as I climbed out of the car and went inside the restaurant.
Rick was a big guy who stood about six foot six, with a big, muscular build. The moment I sat down at the table, my phone rang, and it was Emma calling.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Addy, I’m so sorry, but I won’t be able to make it,” she whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” I asked.
“Because I’m still with my pain in the ass client who I’ve been with for the past two hours. This woman is impossible. She hates everything.”
“It’s okay.” I laughed. “We can meet for lunch another day. Deal with your pain in the ass client.”
“Thanks, but I’d rather shoot myself. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”
“No big deal. I’ll talk to you later.”
I ended the call and placed my order. Since I was already here, I figured I might as well stay and eat something.
“Addison? I thought that was you.”
“Cody. Hi. What you doing here?” I smiled.
“I was just running an errand and thought I’d stop in and grab some lunch before heading back to the office. Are you eating alone?”
“My friend, Emma, was supposed to meet me, but she got held up. Would you like to join me?”
“Sure. If you don’t mind.”
“No. Not at all. Lunch is on me.” I smiled.
“I can’t let you do that, Addison,” he spoke.
“Of course you can. You bought me coffee this morning.”
He shyly smiled. “That’s different.”
“No, it’s not. No more arguing. I’m buying your lunch, so deal with it.” I grinned.
“Fine. But next time, lunch is on me. Deal?” He held out his hand.
“Deal.” I lightly shook it.
After we finished eating, we stepped outside.
“You can drive back with me to the office,” I spoke.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. Rick doesn’t mind. Do you, Rick?” I glanced over at him.
“No. Not at all.”
After climbing into the back seat, Cody leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Who is that?”
“A driver Andrew hired for me.”
I wasn’t about to tell him he was my bodyguard because I wasn’t getting into the reason why Andrew hired him.
“Oh. Cool.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“How was lunch with Emma?” Andrew asked as we climbed into the Escalade.
“She had to cancel right when I got to the restaurant. She had a pain in the ass client she couldn’t get away from. But, as I was sitting there, Cody walked in.”
“What was he doing there?”
“He had an errand to run in the area and stopped in to grab something to eat. So I invited him to sit and have lunch with me.”
“Now that makes me jealous. I wish I could have had lunch with you.”
“You were in a meeting, Mr.” I smiled as I poked him in the chest.
“I’m going to call a meeting tomorrow about the Sherwin project. We need to get moving on that.” He leaned over and kissed me.
****
I was at home and Andrew was still at the office when I received a call from Daniel, the doorman.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Good evening, Miss Belle, it’s Daniel. There’s a flower delivery down here for you. Shall I send it up?”
“Umm. No. I’ll come down and get it.”
I hung up the phone as a wave of uneasiness washed over me. Putting on my shoes, I went down to the lobby.
“Here you go.” Daniel smiled as he handed me the arrangement wrapped in paper.
“Who delivered this?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I stepped away for a moment to use the bathroom, and when I came back, they were sitting here.”
“Thank you, Daniel.” I smiled to try and hide the worried look on my face.
I took the flowers back up to the apartment and set them on the kitchen counter. After taking in a long deep breath, I removed the paper wrapping, revealing a glass vase filled with white calla lilies and no card. I closed my eyes for a moment as my heart started to pound. I swallowed hard and grabbed my phone.
“When will you be home?”
I waited for a response for over an hour before Andrew finally texted me back.
“Sorry, Angel. I was in a meeting. I’m on my way home now. What’s wrong?”
I didn’t want to tell him over text. He was on his way home and that was all that mattered.
“Just curious. I miss you.”
“I miss you too. I’ll be home soon.”
While my phone was still in my hand, it rang, and a restricted number appeared.
“Hello,” I answered.
It was silent on the other end, but I could hear someone breathing.
“Hello!” I heard a click.
This couldn’t be happening again. I hadn’t received o
ne call like that since I changed my number.
I poured a glass of wine and sat down on the couch. A few moments later, I heard Andrew come home. I jumped up and ran over to him, wrapping my arms tightly around him.
“Hey.” He kissed the top of my head.
“I’m happy you’re home.”
“Me too. It’s been a long day.” He broke our embrace and kissed my lips.
He set his briefcase down and went into the kitchen, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw the vase of calla lilies on the island.
“Where did those come from?” he asked as he turned and looked at me.
“I don’t know. Daniel called a little while ago and said they were sitting down there.”
“Who delivered them?”
“He doesn’t know. He stepped away to use the bathroom, and when he came back, they were there.”
“Fuck!”
“Also, I got a call from a restricted number. When I answered it, there was silence, but I could hear someone breathing. Then they hung up.”
“Those flowers are Ellie’s favorite. Damn it!” he shouted. “I’m calling Detective Ginn.”
After Andrew placed the call, he walked over to the bar and poured himself a scotch. About fifteen minutes later, Detective Ginn was at our door.
“Mr. London, there’s nothing we can do. They’re just flowers. There’s no harassing note or threat of any kind. And as for the phone call, it was probably one of those stupid telemarketers. I get them all the time.”
“I know it’s Ellie doing this.”
“You don’t have proof, and besides, don’t forget about her restraining order against you. So don’t think of trying anything.”
“Funny how I get a restraining order against me when she’s the one causing all the problems.”
“You did grab her arm in rage. You’re lucky she didn’t press assault charges against you.”
Andrew shook his head as he clenched his jaw.
Suddenly, my phone rang, so I walked over to the table and picked it up. Again, it was a restricted number.
“Answer it and put it on speaker,” Detective Ginn spoke.
I did as he asked.
“Hello.”
“Hi, this is Nancy from First Financial offering you a special rate on any credit card balance transfer over five hundred dollars.”
I let out the deep breath I was holding.
“I’m not interested. Please don’t call again.” I hung up.
“See. That’s probably who it was earlier, but you got disconnected. Those people have everyone dialed by a computer,” Detective Ginn spoke.
“So there’s absolutely nothing you can do about the flowers?” Andrew asked.
“I’m sorry, but no. They’re just flowers. If things start to get weird or you get a note or are threatened, call me right away.”
“Thanks for coming out, Detective Ginn.” Andrew sighed.
****
A week had passed and everywhere I went without Andrew, Rick was with me. I hated it. I felt like a damn prisoner. The phone calls were still coming in sporadically, and every time my phone rang, I jumped. I didn’t want to worry Charlie, my mom, Emma, or Jasper, so I didn’t tell them anything that was going on.
Then, letters with words cut from a magazine started appearing.
You’re a whore; You’re a slut; You’re a filthy bitch, were just some of things that were said. Andrew and I handed the letters over to Detective Ginn and he was going to send it to his forensics department to see if any fingerprints were left behind. As the days went on, I was constantly looking over my shoulder. This was affecting our relationship because I was frightened, and I wasn’t in the mood for sex. Andrew said he understood, but I wasn’t so sure. I saw the look of disappointment on his face every time I made him stop.
“Are you okay, Addison?” Cody asked me.
“I’m fine.”
“You seem off and have been for the last couple of weeks.”
“I just have a lot on my mind. That’s all.” I gave him a small smile.
The Sherwin project was coming along nicely, and Cody and I were working hard to make our deadline. Not only did we draw the plans up on paper, but we also had to build a model of the shopping center. I put all my concentration into the project to keep my mind off what was happening. Detective Ginn turned up nothing, and Andrew was becoming angrier every day.
It was my lunch break and I decided to go out to clear my head. I wanted to have lunch with Andrew, but he was tied up all day with a client. I didn’t feel like dealing with Rick, so I snuck out of the building and walked down a couple blocks to Starbucks. As I was standing in line, I felt someone grab my arm. When I turned around, I gasped when I saw it was Ellie.
“Addison, I need to talk to you,” she spoke in a panicked tone.
I jerked out of her grip.
“Stay away from me, Ellie.”
I got out of line and headed towards the door. She followed me.
“I need to talk to you. It’s important!”
“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say!” I shouted as I ran down the street and out of sight.
My heart was pounding, and by time I made it back to the LAC building, I was out of breath. Stepping through the doors, I headed to the nearest restroom to compose myself. Standing there, with my hands tightly grasping the sink, I looked in the mirror at myself and couldn’t believe I was letting this woman get to me. I was stronger than that. I always had been, even when I was in a controlling relationship. I took in a deep breath. Tomorrow, I would confront her and put an end to this, no matter what it took.
When I got back to my office, Andrew was walking out.
“There you are. Where were you?”
He could tell by the look on my face something was wrong.
“What’s wrong, Addison?”
I walked past him and into my office. He shut the door and I jumped.
“Angel.” He gripped my shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“I saw Ellie.”
“WHAT?! WHERE?!” His voice was angered.
“I needed to get out of here and clear my head, so I went to Starbucks.”
“Where was Rick?”
I knew he was going to be pissed as hell and I was afraid to tell him.
“I didn’t tell Rick I was leaving.”
“What? You went by yourself? Addison!” he spoke in a stern tone. “Did she talk to you?”
“She grabbed my arm, Andrew, and said she needed to talk to me, that it was important. I got away from her, but something wasn’t right.”
“What the fuck do you mean?”
“She looked like she was nervous. Like it was something really important.”
“Nothing she has to say is important. Damn it, Addison. Why the fuck don’t you listen?” he shouted.
I pointed my finger at him, for I’d reached my breaking point.
“Don’t you ever speak to me like that again! Because if you do, that’ll be the last time you’ll speak to me. Do you understand?”
He took a step back as his eyes widened.
“I’m sorry. I know how much stress you’re under. How much stress we’re under. Come here.”
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him.
“I love you, Addison, and I’m scared. I don’t mean to yell at you. I just need you to listen to me. Please. It’s all I ask. I don’t know what I’d do if anything ever happened to you.”
He was right. I shouldn’t have left without telling Rick. But I was going to put a stop to this. I could talk to her. I could reason with her. I knew I could.
“I hate seeing you like this,” he spoke. “I’m tired of the police not doing a damn thing. We can’t live the rest of our lives like this.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
I didn’t dare tell him of my plan to talk to Ellie, because if I did, he’d keep me locked in the apartment. This was something I needed to do on my own terms, without his knowledge.
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“I have to go to the club tonight to check on things. I won’t be gone long. I want you to stay inside this apartment and don’t go anywhere. Do you understand me?” he spoke.
“I’m not going anywhere. Do you have to go tonight?”
“Unfortunately, I do. I’m sorry, but I’ll make it up to you when I get back.” He kissed my lips. “I love you, Angel.”
“I love you too. I’m just going to take a nice hot relaxing bath and then watch a movie until you get home.”
He gave me a small smile, kissed my forehead, and left. I took my bath, tried to relax, poured another glass of wine, and watched a movie. Three hours had passed, and Andrew still wasn’t home. I picked up my phone and sent him a text message.
“Are you still at the club? I thought you would have been home by now.”
Fifteen minutes passed and still no response, so I tried to call him, and it went straight to voicemail. Now I was starting to worry. About a half hour later, I heard the elevator and I let out a breath. Getting up from the couch, I walked into the foyer just as the doors started to open.
“What took you so long? I was worried.”
“Sorry, Angel. There were a lot of problems.” He wrapped his arms around me.
“You didn’t respond to my text, and when I called, it went straight to voicemail.”
“That’s because my phone died. I’m sorry I made you worry.”
He picked me up, carried me to the couch, and set me on his lap.
“You doing okay?” He brushed a strand of my hair from my face.
“I am now that you’re here.”
He leaned in and softly brushed his lips against mine. Our kiss turned passionate and the desire to make love to him was strong. I wasn’t going to stop him this time. I needed him inside me. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. He broke our kiss and looked at me.
“Who the hell would be here at this hour and why didn’t the lobby call first?” he asked.
I got up from his lap and tightened my black satin robe as he got up and answered the door.
“Mr. Andrew London, you’re under arrest for the murder of Ellie Grant.”
“What?!” he shouted.
I ran to the foyer as they put Andrew in handcuffs.
“What is going on?” I shouted to Detective Ginn.