Chapter 28
STEPHANIE
The subway doors slid closed a fraction of an inch behind my back as I hopped on just in the nick of time. Whew, that was close.
I flashed an apologetic smile at the beanie-wearing man I nearly crashed into. He scowled and grunted but shifted slightly so I wouldn’t have to stand at a weird angle half-bent over the wheelie bag belonging to the woman next to me.
Threading my fist through the black handle, I managed to get my balance a second before we started moving. I only had four stops to the station where I needed to get off to go to work at Williams Tower.
Despite the plan I formulated with Tiana, I was still nervous this morning. Frazzled, even. First, I got out of the shower after shaving only one leg, then I put the kettle on but forgot to fill it with water.
My mind was definitely not in the game. I even left the apartment wearing my slippers instead of shoes, then had to rush back once I noticed—which was why I almost missed my train.
Stomach grumbling because I was too anxious to have so much as a single bite of food before leaving for work, I swayed with the movements of the train and tried to get my imagination in check. The absurd what if’s started last night.
What if I got to work and the crazy woman was sitting at my desk? What if she was Jeremiah’s secret wife and fired me on the spot? Okay, so that one was a little more absurd than some of the others, but I hadn’t been able to stop it.
What if she was waiting for me at work? With a more fatal weapon than a photo frame this time? I barely slept a wink, and I knew my exhaustion was contributing to my dazed state of mind. I doubted I would be worth much at work today, but I also knew I couldn’t call in sick again.
It was time to put on my big girl panties and face whatever music was playing when I got there. The longer I took before I did, the worse I would make it in my head.
I made the short walk to the office in record time, keeping a brisk pace and a keen eye on my surroundings. Any other day, I would’ve laughed at myself. I was acting like a paranoid person, but I wasn’t laughing today.
Today, I searched for flowing red hair moving toward me in the crowds. I looked out for eyes that glared daggers and a woman apparently bent on getting me out of Jeremiah’s life—or doing something even worse to me.
For the tenth time in as many hours, I considered calling the bookstore and asking for my old job back. I made it work on that salary for a long time, what was another year or so? Just until I found something better.
You already have found something better.That was what kept me from putting in the call to Tim, my former manager. I found a job where I had real prospects of growth in one of the biggest companies in the city. People applied for years to get into Williams Inc., and now, I had both my feet firmly inside the door.
I wasn’t about to throw that away because of one psycho-witch. Plus, I enjoyed working for Jeremiah. Yes, I made a mistake by kissing him and wished I wasn’t as attracted to him as I was, but the work was good. I was finally putting my hard-earned degree to good use, sort of, and what I did felt like it mattered. Like it fit in as part of a whole that someday would change the face of the city, even if only just a little bit.
Squaring my shoulders, I marched up to the doors of my office building and joined the crowd to swipe my key card and get to work. Determined to do what had to be done and get on with it.
If this woman wanted my job, or just wanted me out of it, I wasn’t going to make it any easier for her by getting fired for being a wuss. What happened was scary and unexpected, but it wasn’t going to hold me back.
Would you look at that? The big girl panties are working.In reality, they were bottle green cotton ones, but from now on they would be known as the power panties.
Giggling internally as I thought of how disgusted Tiana would be that a pair as ordinary as these would be worthy of the title, I felt myself relax on my way to the security office.
A man whose physique resembled a bookshelf stood behind a counter in the corner of the lobby, his eyes on a bank of screens in front of him. He was decked out in all black, had a walkie-talkie strapped to his shoulder, and a belt with lots of loops and pockets.
“Good morning,” I said as I approached him, swallowing down the nerves making a reappearance. Bookshelf looked up at me, narrowing his eyes until they fell to the employee badge I carried.
“Good morning ma’am. Can I help you?”
I wound my hands together behind my back, fidgeting with my fingers under his intense scrutiny. “Uh, yes. I would like to speak to someone about reporting an incident that happened two days ago.”
His impassive expression grew alert. “An incident that occurred here in the building?”
I frowned. What did he think I was going to say? No, sir. An incident that happened at my apartment I could use your help with?
“Yes, an incident that happened here in the building.”
Sweeping his gaze up and down the length of my body in a decidedly non-sexual way, he seemed to be satisfied that I wasn’t hurt and spoke into his walkie-talkie. A second later, he unlatched the gate that led behind his counter and stepped through it.
A younger, similarly dressed man appeared from a doorway just to the left of the counter and took in the bookshelf’s post. I followed at a clipped pace as I was led through the same door and down a stark, white corridor that made me feel like I’d been transported into a spy movie.
Mental note: Tell Tiana it’s time to cut back on the bad action movies.