Page 84

If Alex harbored any judgment, it didn’t come through.

She sat quietly, a neutral expression on her face, as she listened to Eric.

Inside, Charlotte was screaming. This is what she was risking her freedom for? Just so people like Eric could fulfill their fantasies? How could it be worth it? How could whether this dude gets o be worth years in prison?

Charlotte didn’t voice any of her growing frustration.

Instead, she stayed quiet and followed suit.

CHAPTER 32

TIRED, Charlotte trudged up the stairs to her apartment.

Meeting Eric had been so draining, she wasn’t sure how Alex and Stephanie did it without losing steam.

She’d been so exhausted that after dinner with Alex, she’d gone home rather than to her place. Sex was the last thing on her mind after having talked about a dude’s predilec

tions for over an hour, and the idea of going to Alex’s just to sleep was too intimate.

With her heels in her hands and flip-flops on her sore feet, Charlotte pulled her keys out of her purse. In the dark, thanks to the burned-out bulb the building manager had yet to fix, Charlotte nearly missed the note scribbled on the Chinese menu hanging on her doorknob.

Ripping it o and looking at it more closely, she recognized Jayson’s handwriting: Wait twenty-minutes and come next door.

Charlotte’s heart leapt into her throat. Hustling inside, she jumped in the shower. Exhilarated that she’d get to see Jayson soon, she needed to do something while she waited.

Full of nervous energy, Charlotte threw her hair in a messy bun and pulled on sweats and a t-shirt.

Looking out the window, Charlotte made sure there were no unusual cars in the parking lot. For the first time, she wondered where Jayson had parked his truck.

As soon as the twenty minutes were up, Charlotte slipped out and knocked on Frania’s door. Instead of her neighbor, Charlotte was greeted by a man in a sport’s jersey and baseball cap pulled down low over his eyes. If she didn’t know Jayson by his posture, she wouldn’t have recognized him.

The moment the door closed behind her, she tackled Jayson in a hug. “What’s this get up about?” she joked, grabbing the bill of his hat and giving it a playful tug.

She couldn’t stop grinning as she stared at him. He’d lost weight and the beard. Was he worried about her? About his investigation?

“This is the tenth time I’ve tried this in a month,” he complained before pulling o the hat. “Do you ever come home, girl?”

Charlotte laughed too loudly as she struggled to control her nerves. She was excited to see him, but she was a little scared too. “I thought you had a tracker on my car. Couldn’t you tell when I was going to be here?”

“That doesn’t predict the future,” he explained as he plopped down on Frania’s couch and patted the spot next to him. “I needed to make sure I was here before you so it wouldn’t look suspicious.”

She wanted to tell him he was right about how deeply Alex vetted people, about how she vetted her perspective

clients, but it was like her jaw was wired shut. When she managed to speak, she asked him how he was doing and how he’d gotten inside Frania’s apartment.

As he told her that Frania had been more than happy to assist in an undercover car theft bust, Charlotte thought about Alex. Despite her e orts to focus, Charlotte couldn’t be sure she was the same person who had signed up to take her down.

“Enough about me,” Jayson turned on the couch to face her. “We’re going on nine months,” he exaggerated. “This baby’s gotta be born. Tell me you have something.”

All the moisture fled Charlotte’s mouth and flooded her back. Frania’s apartment, which mirrored her own exactly, was too small and su ocating. She couldn’t take a deep breath much less formulate a response.

Jayson rested his hand on her shoulder before giving it a squeeze and o ering a small sympathetic smile. “Don’t beat yourself up, Charlie. You’re doing your best,” he said before getting to his feet and retrieving two beers from Frania’s fridge.

“These have been sitting in there a while, but I’m sure they’re okay,” Jayson said, handing her a light green bottle.

She imagined him sitting there on other occasions, waiting to see if she’d show up. Did he watch her car on the tracker? Waiting hours for Charlotte to leave Alex’s before giving up?

“Hey, what’s going on with you? You look like you’re about to cry.” He set the beer on Frania’s co ee table and scooted closer to her on the couch.