Chapter 6 - One Hundred DollarsFor the first time since I had met Nora Bennett, she stopped talking.
She sat at my kitchen island while everyone around her moved.
Daniel issued orders.
My analysts traced accounts.
Elena quietly removed Nora's untouched bowl.
I stood ten feet away and watched the woman who had marched up to a stranger that morning with one thousand dollars slowly understand that people she trusted might have constructed an entire trap around her.
Finally, I dismissed everyone except Daniel.
Nora looked at me.
“My mother wouldn't knowingly do this.”
“I agree.”
“You don't know her.”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“Because people knowingly laundering four million dollars don't usually argue publicly about pastry school.”
Daniel nodded.
“Too much attention.”
Nora gave him a confused look.
I explained.
“If your mother were involved, she'd want you compliant. Quiet. She wouldn't publicly fight you into leaving the company.”
“So Miles manipulated her.”
“Likely.”
Nora covered her face.
“He handled several vendor contracts after Dad's surgery.”
“When?”
“Eight months ago.”
“What surgery?”
“Heart valve replacement.”
Her voice shook.
“Mom was overwhelmed. Miles offered to help.”
There it was.
Access.
Trust.
Timing.
He hadn't merely found an opportunity.
He had created dependence.
I crouched beside Nora's chair.
“Look at me.”
She lowered her hands.
“We can fix this.”
“We?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes were tired.
“This morning you were a joke I made because I didn't want my mother asking why I wasn't dating Miles.”
“I've been called worse.”
“And now…”
She looked around my enormous kitchen.
“…I'm sitting in a crime lord's house discussing money laundering.”
“Developer.”
She stared.
“Seriously?”
“Developer first.”
A laugh escaped her.
Small.
Broken.
But a laugh.
Good.
I stood.
“You're staying here tonight.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“There he is.”
“Who?”
“The control problem.”
I leaned against the counter.
“Your apartment is compromised.”
“You said the tracker was on my car.”
“The tracker we found was on your car.”
Her face fell.
Exactly.
“We're sweeping your apartment tonight.”
She folded her arms.
“And tomorrow?”
“We move you somewhere secure.”
“I have work.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“You aren't going to Bennett Events until we know which systems are compromised.”
“Evan.”
“Someone used your login to authorize illegal transfers.”
“That is exactly why I need to go.”
“No.”
Daniel quietly backed toward the door.
Coward.
Nora stood.
“You cannot order me around because you're frightening.”
“I can when your safety is involved.”
“Watch me ignore you.”
I stared at her.
She stared back.
Something hot and entirely inappropriate moved through me.
Most people stopped arguing when my voice changed.
Nora seemed to view my authority as an irritating administrative issue.
“Fine,” I said.
She blinked.
“Fine?”
“You can go.”
Suspicion immediately appeared.
“Why did you agree that easily?”
“I'll send twelve men.”
Her mouth opened.
“Twelve?”
“Eight inside, four perimeter.”
“I am not arriving at my mother's office with a militia.”
“Then stay here.”
“You're impossible.”
“Efficient.”
She pointed at me.
“That's my word.”
“I improved it.”
Nora paced.
Then stopped.
“What about Grandma?”
“We'll protect her.”
“My parents?”
“Them too.”
“My sister?”
“Yes.”
“You can't put security around my entire family without anyone noticing.”
“I can.”
“How?”
I looked at Daniel.
He shrugged.
Nora caught it.
“Oh, wonderful. Even he thinks you're ridiculous.”
Daniel cleared his throat.
“I absolutely do not.”
“Coward,” she said.
Daniel left.
I almost smiled.
Hours passed.
Nora called Rose first.
She did not explain everything, only asked her grandmother to stay home and not answer the door for strangers.
Then Catherine.
Then her father.
She avoided Diane.
At eight thirty, she stood at the windows overlooking the river.
I found her there.
“You haven't eaten.”
“I had soup.”
“Six hours ago.”
“I'm not hungry.”
“You're a baker. That's offensive.”
She glanced toward me.
I held out a plate.
Elena had left grilled cheese and tomato slices.
Nora took it.
“Thank you.”
We sat on the terrace.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
Then she reached into her purse.
She placed nine hundred-dollar bills on the table.
I looked at them.
“What?”
“Our deal is over.”
“No.”
“Evan.”
“You hired me until tonight.”
She checked her phone.
“It's eight forty-three.”
“Seventy-seven minutes remaining.”
“You're insane.”
“Contractual integrity matters.”
She smiled despite herself.
Then became serious.
“Why did you help me?”
“You know why.”
“No.”
She pushed the money toward me.
“One hundred dollars does not buy this.”
I stared at her.
No.
It didn't.
“Maybe I hate Miles.”
“You didn't know him this morning.”
“I have fast instincts.”
“Evan.”
She wanted truth.
Again.
I was discovering Nora had an annoying relationship with truth.
She demanded it even when it was inconvenient.
“I don't know.”
Her eyes searched mine.
“You don't know?”
“No.”
“That might be the first believable answer you've given me.”
I looked toward the river.
“People ask me for things every day.”
“Money?”
“Money. Influence. Jobs. Protection. Revenge.”
“And I asked you to pretend to be my boyfriend.”
“Yes.”
“Was that refreshing?”
“It was absurd.”
She laughed.
Then went quiet.
“When you were sitting in that café, you looked lonely.”
I turned.
She immediately looked embarrassed.
“Sorry.”
“Why?”
“That's invasive.”
“I'm not offended.”
She picked at the edge of the sandwich.
“I almost chose someone else.”
For reasons I disliked, that annoyed me.
“Who?”
“A guy near the window.”
“What guy?”
“He had nice hair.”
I stared.
She laughed.
“You're actually offended.”
“He was probably useless.”
“You didn't see him.”
“Doesn't matter.”
“Jealous?”
“No.”
“Excellent fake boyfriend answer.”
I leaned closer.
“Do you enjoy provoking dangerous men?”
“Apparently.”
Our eyes met.
The space between us changed.
Again.
Too often now.
I looked at her mouth.
She noticed.
Her breathing altered.
The joke from the café returned to me.
Do I get to kiss my girlfriend?
Only if your girlfriend says yes.
I moved slightly closer.
Nora did not retreat.
My phone rang.
I wanted to throw it into the river.
Instead I answered.
“Cole.”
Daniel.
“We swept her apartment.”
I stood immediately.
“What did you find?”
Nora's smile vanished.
“Two listening devices.”
My blood went cold.
“Where?”
“Living room outlet and bedroom smoke detector.”
Nora heard.
Her face turned white.
Daniel continued.
“There's more.”
“What?”
“We checked the building security footage.”
I waited.
“Harper entered her apartment three times while she was at pastry school.”
Nora gripped the edge of the table.
“When?”
I repeated the question.
“Last month. Twice this month.”
“Did he have a key?”
“No.”
A pause.
“He used one.”
Nora whispered, “My mother.”
I looked at her.
She closed her eyes.
“She gave him an emergency copy last year.”
I put the phone down.
Something inside me became quiet.
That was usually when men got hurt.
Nora saw it.
“Evan.”
“He entered your bedroom.”
“I know.”
“He installed a microphone.”
“I know.”
“He tracked you.”
“I know.”
I started toward the house.
She grabbed my arm.
“Where are you going?”
“To talk to him.”
“No.”
“Nora.”
“You promised not to threaten Miles.”
“That was before the listening device in your bedroom.”
“You cannot kill him.”
“I didn't say kill.”
“You didn't have to.”
I looked down at her fingers around my wrist.
“He invaded your home.”
“And if you do something insane, what happens?”
“He stops.”
“And then?”
I said nothing.
“Police investigate you. His people retaliate. Someone gets hurt.”
Her grip tightened.
“You told me violence created your empire. Fine. But you also said Cole Development became more profitable than everything underneath it.”
I stared at her.
“So maybe you're not twenty-two anymore.”
That sentence stopped me.
Few people spoke about my father.
No one used him against my temper.
Nora released my arm slowly.
“Help me beat Miles without becoming the man who killed your father.”
I didn't breathe.
She realized what she had said.
Her expression softened.
“Evan…”
“No.”
I looked toward the dark river.
“You're right.”
She stepped closer.
“Are you angry?”
“Yes.”
“At me?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
“But you're right.”
She smiled slightly.
“That's probably painful.”
“Extremely.”
At ten exactly, I took the single hundred-dollar bill from my jacket.
I placed it on the table between us.
Nora looked at it.
“Our contract is finished.”
“Yes.”
“So you're not my fake boyfriend anymore.”
“No.”
The silence changed.
She looked at me.
I looked at her.
“And now?” she whispered.
I reached for the bill.
Folded it.
Then placed it back into her hand.
“Now I'm helping you for free.”
She stared at the money.
Then at me.
“That sounds dangerous.”
“It is.”
Neither of us moved.
Finally Nora whispered, “Good night, Evan.”
She walked inside.
I watched her disappear up the stairs.
Then Daniel stepped onto the terrace.
He had clearly been waiting.
I didn't look at him.
“If you smile, I'll fire you.”
“I wasn't going to.”
“You were.”
“Yes.”
I turned.
“What did you find?”
His amusement disappeared.
“Harper made a call after leaving the bakery.”
“To whom?”
“Victor Salerno.”
My jaw tightened.
Daniel handed me a transcript.
Only one sentence mattered.
Harper had said:
“The bakery changed things. Cole is involved now.”
Victor replied:
“Then use the girl before Cole decides she's his.”
May you like
I stared at the words.
Too late.
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