Are you worried? You should be. I see you when you’re sleeping… I see when you’re awake…
My stomach roiled, and a sour taste filled my mouth. I had to talk to Kane. I dialed his private office number. The one I hadn’t used before. He picked up immediately.
“You’re a mind reader. I was about to summon you to my office. We have some business to take care of.” I could hear the smile in his voice.
“I have to talk to you. It’s pretty important. Something’s happened. I mean it might be nothing, but it might be something.”
“Come straight up. I’ll cancel whatever meetings I’ve scheduled.”
“Like I said, it might be nothing, but it’s something you need to be aware of.”
I stood to leave, but before I reached the elevator, Linda made a beeline for me.
“You’re not going to the restroom again, are you?” She glared at me; her eyes like daggers.
“I have a quick meeting with Mr. McKenzie about the mentee program. He wants to see me in his office.”
Her lips narrowed into a thin, disapproving line. “Fine, but after that, I need balls to the wall. It’s month end. And to think I had high hopes for you.” To show her disappointment, she shook her head.
“I’ll stay late to make sure I get everything finished.”
“Make sure you do.”
What was her problem? One moment she was friendly. The next moment she acted like she couldn’t stand me.
****
Melissa stood at the penthouse coffee bar flicking through a magazine. When she saw me, she pulled me into a hug. The scent of vanilla and citrus drifted off her, and I couldn’t help but take a long sniff of her hair. What was her secret? How did she always manage to look and smell so good?
“I hear things are going well with you and Kane,” she said, releasing me from her embrace. “He’s like a different person these days. Amazing what regular fucking will do for someone.”
“He’s not the only one. I really like him,” I confessed. “I mean I more than like him, which is strange because I’ve never allowed myself to feel that way about anyone before. Everything is just different with him.” I tried to express my happiness, but my anxiety pulled my lips down into a frown and I started picking at my nails.
Melissa looked me up and down and frowned herself. “Is everything okay? You don’t seem your usual happy-go-lucky self.”
“Honestly, I’ve been getting some threatening emails and letters,” I admitted, leaning into the bar next to her.
Her eyes widened in shock. “Since when? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“The first one came last night along with a letter taped to my apartment door. I got two emails this morning. One of them showed a picture of Kane leaving my apartment building.”
Worry crinkled her eyes. “You should’ve told him last night when he was with you.”
“I know,” I said, “but I was so glad to see him I didn’t want to ruin it. And I didn’t think it was anything worth talking about.”
“Go talk to Kane immediately. If anything else shows up, let me know ASAP. I’ll log into your emails to see what I can find.” She motioned for me to go into Kane’s office. “Don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this, and whoever is behind it will pay dearly.”
“Thanks, Melissa.” I nodded and gave her a little wave.
Telling her about the emails and letter lifted some of the weight from my shoulders. Keeping it a secret was the wrong thing to do, and probably dangerous.
When I knocked on Kane’s door, he called me in right away. He hadn’t shaved, and he looked good enough to eat sitting behind his desk with the sun illuminating him from behind.
He wore a navy suit and a light gray shirt with no tie. When he saw me, a broad smile lit up his face. Knowing he was happy to see me filled with warmth and want.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” he said, leaning back in his big leather chair.
I swallowed hard and clutched my star pendant. There was no easy way to say this except by blurting it out. “I’ve been getting threatening emails. I thought they were from Sloane. They’re not. I confronted her. Now I’m guessing maybe Simon is behind them.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Can you forward me the emails?”
“Sure. Melissa is also looking into them.” I logged into my email account on my phone and forwarded Kane the emails. “I don’t know where they’re coming from. They’re encrypted and the IP they’re sent from can’t be tracked.”
He clicked on his inbox. “I have the best email support department in the world. If anyone can find out who’s sending these to you, they can. For now, I want you to take a few days off and spend it at my Hampton’s house. Don’t come into the office until we get to the bottom of this. I have many enemies, and I don’t want them coming after you to get to me.”