“I got it from Remy. I needed to talk to you about how things ended the other day. I’d like to see you.” Without trying to sound too desperate, I hoped she could hear how sincere I was.
“I know you think of me as just some piece-of-trash prostitute, but I have feelings, Orlando. Crazy as it sounds, I had feelings for you. I didn’t deserve the way you treated me. All I did was turn off your lousy phone.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have done that. But because of what you did, I missed a very important business call. A call about something that might have bankrupted my family business.” I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I was starting to get worked up just thinking about it, and I didn’t want to take it out on Ruby this time. I tried again, in a calmer tone. “Look, I apologize for the way things went down, but there is just so much going on.”
“Let me guess. With work, right?”
I overlooked the obvious sarcasm in her voice. “Yes, work. But look, I can’t really get into things over the phone.” By now I had arrived at the warehouse and was parking my car. “If you’ll just agree to see me, then we can talk, and I promise I’ll tell you everything.”
“Not interested.”
“Excuse me?” Now, that was a surprise. I knew she was hurt, but I definitely didn’t expect her to be such a hard-ass about this. “I know you feel the connection between us.”
“Anything that was there is gone, Orlando. I just want to be left alone—by you, by Remy, and all the rest.”
“Please don’t be like this. Just give me ten minutes of your time.” I definitely hadn’t begun this call planning to beg, but she was being so stubborn, I felt like I had no other choice. In the midst of all this chaos surrounding the Roadster, I had this inexplicable desire to be with Ruby, like a calm port in the middle of a storm. “Please, Ruby,” I begged as I shut off my car and headed toward the warehouse. “I really need to see you. I can’t leave things like this.”
I could hear her sigh. It was so cold, I could imagine a frost coming out of her mouth. For a moment I really thought she was going to say no, and I didn’t have it in me to beg anymore. Instead, she gave in. “Sure.”
A slight victory smile spread across my lips, until she said, “Set it up through Remy. And, Orlando, don’t call this number again.”
“I won’t, but we don’t need Remy.”
“Yes, we do.”
Needless to say, the smile disappeared from my face. I choked out a laugh as I walked inside the warehouse, where I was greeted by Junior’s men. I lifted a finger so they wouldn’t interrupt my call. “Oh, so it’s like that?”
“It’s business. Just like your reason for yelling at me in the restaurant. You chose to make it about business then, and I choose to keep it about business.”
Again, she was so cold that I could imagine icicles hanging off her words. “All right, fine,” I agreed. “I’ll call-”
Boom!
A loud blast echoed throughout the warehouse.
“Look, Ruby, I have to go. I’ll see you soon.”
“Orlando! My God, what was that?”
“That was business. I’ll see you soon.” I ended the call, stuffed the phone in my pocket, and pulled out a gun.
LC
29
“Alejandro, are you able to talk?” I was seated in the conference room at our offices. It had been almost two days since Alejandro and I first spoke about the hijacking. I was not any happier now than I was then. I motioned for Harris to come closer as I placed the phone on speaker.
“Yes, the line’s secure. Speak freely,” he replied.
“There have been new developments on our end. I just wanted to know if you have anything for me. I’m starting to lose my patience about the loss of my product.”