And then you drew me back.
Florian had been confused by my decision to bring our company here. When I'd met him in San Francisco, he'd been working at a start-up; the one Gerard owned. We'd been the most talented pair there, so we'd hit it off.
Perhaps that was why he'd trusted my decision to quit and begin again.
If I was as smart as him, I had to have a good reason.
He'd never have guessed Alexis was my reason.
- Chapter Twenty-five -
Alexis
––––––––
Where is it? I wondered, throwing my blanket off of my bed. Other than my wrinkled sheets, nothing stared back at me. Where could I have left it?
Tracing my steps, I worked to remember the last place I'd had my phone.
Last night was the party... and I had it when I... Stopping in my tracks, I slapped my own forehead. “Dammit,” I said out loud. “I left it in his office!” It had fallen from my hands on the couch, but when I'd left, I'd only grabbed my purse.
Groaning, I hurried to get changed. I'll swing by after work. The idea of going the whole day without talking to him was draining my mood. I'd gotten so used to our contact. This distance reminded me of when I'd first cut off his gifts.
Laralie spent most of the day gabbing to me about how much she liked Florian. She said he was a genius, funny, and probably as rich as Keswick.
It was hard not to smile at her enthusiasm. I even had an excuse when she accused me of ignoring her texts. “I lost my phone,” I said, dodging her lightly-tossed paperclips.
“Uh huh. Right.” Flicking another clip, she grinned. “Let's go on a double date, how about it?”
“That would be fun.” Thinking about how Silver might not curb his behavior in public with me, I shifted on my seat. “Let me think it over.” Eyeing the clock, I grabbed my coat and purse. “I've got to go.”
Laralie spun in her chair. “Meeting him, are you?” When I flapped my hands, she just giggled. “Ask him about the date!”
“Of course, right.” Ducking into the elevator, I jogged to where I'd parked my car. It's past five, will he still be there? What if I missed him? I hadn't memorized his phone number, at this rate, I'd have to go straight to his condo and drag him back to his office.
Starting my car, the radio flicked on. It was still on a news station, and they were going on about another bank being robbed. That hacker is still out there. Eyeing the radio, I frowned nervously. I hope they catch him soon. I hadn't heard from Vermont in forever, it had become easy to forget about the robberies at all.
My tires squeaked when I pulled up along the sidewalk outside of Pure Pleasure. Two figures were standing near the entrance, every window glinting like obsidian. Am I too late, did they close up?
Nearly dropping my car keys, I stumbled out the door. One of the men laughed, his sharp cheekbones casting hard shadows on his face. Florian was easy to recognize, but Silver was even easier.
“Hey!” I shouted, waving my arms. I jogged up the steps to meet them.
Silver turned my way, pleasantly surprised by my sudden appearance. “What are you doing here?”
Catching my breath, I pointed at the doors. “Did you lock everything up already?”
He shot a look at the building. “I did.”
“Dammit.” Straightening up, I fixed my wind-tossed hair. “I'm sorry to ask you to do this, but can you let me in? I left my phone in your office last night.”
Florian gave me a meaningful look. “Oho.”
“Don't tease,” I mumbled. “I feel bad enough about it.”
Silver reached for his pocket. “Relax. It's not a problem.” He was halfway to sticking the key in the lock when the sound of tires cut through the air. The white, beaten up Subaru that skid into place behind my car was one I recognized. Even so, I had to look twice to convince myself it was Vermont.
He shut the car door loudly, eyes fixing on me—then Silver. A weight settled in my belly, my muscles going sluggish. “Why is he here?” I asked softly.
Silver flicked his attention to me. The detective's voice drew him back. “Keswick Silverwell?” he asked, one hand under his coat.
Lifting his chin, Silver studied the man like he was a piece of rotten food. “Do you need something?”
In one fast motion, Vermont hooked his body against Silver's. I screamed, covering my mouth in surprise. His face was shoved violently against the building. To his credit, Silver didn't even grunt in pain.
“What are you doing?” I shouted, starting to run forward. Sirens and flashing lights descended upon our once quiet corner of the city. Florian threw his head side to side, his skin both yellow and shiny. He was as terrified and confused as I was.
Detective Roose jammed his forearm onto the back of Silver's neck. “You're under arrest for the hackings at Old Stone Bank, Goldman and Wellmont.”
I'd known that this was coming. How could we arrive at anything else? Silver had always been a fugitive.