Page 10

I tiptoed down the hall to the stairwell, then raced up the stairs, stopping when I hit the second floor.

“Holy shit, I’m already out of breath,” I wheezed.

My stomach churned and dizziness washed over me.

Maybe drinking that shot of whiskey wasn’t such a good idea after all.

Still, I pushed on, refusing to let a little thing like mind-altering alcohol slow me down. I was on a mission.

By the time I reached my old stomping grounds, I was exhausted, sweating, and barely able to feel my legs. Climbing stairs was not for the faint of heart. And definitely not for people who were hungover.

I tugged the door open a scant inch and peeked into the main office area.

No one was here yet, aside from Fat Suzy, but she was too busy stuffing her face with donuts.

Making a break for it, I rushed down the hall to James’s office and used my key to let myself in.

Obviously, he never thought I’d return. Closing the door behind me, I hurried over to his desk and rifled through his things.

He always kept everything neatly categorized for me to find, but since he fired me, his desk was a mess.

I chuckled to myself when I thought of him scrambling to get through his day without me there to hold his hand the entire time. I bet London Barbie didn’t do anything to help him out. Holding his dick wasn’t going to make sure he made it to his meetings.

After finding nothing on his desk, I yanked open his super-secret drawer that everyone in the office knew was where he kept his personal documents. “Bingo!” I said when I pulled out the form on top.

“I can’t believe the asshole did this,” I said to myself.

Most of my things were replaceable, but this…

I stuffed the paperwork into my pocket and was just about to head for the door when I heard voices outside his office.

There was only one place to hide, and I knew he hardly ever used it this early in the morning.

I hurried over to his closet and slipped inside just as the door to his office opened and he walked inside with another man.

I pressed my ear to the door, listening as he talked about his day with Todd, the floor manager.

“I’ve already made sure her card was revoked.”

“I want to make sure she never steps foot on another one of my properties again. And have that friend of hers fired.”

I held back a gasp when I realized who he was talking about. He was going to fire Jeanie? Why?

“My whole fucking place is ruined. That bitch put insulation in my bed and my shirts. I have fucking fiberglass digging into my skin!”

Oh. Oops. In all my drunken glory, I sort of forgot about what I did last night. I stifled back a snort and listened as he moved closer, only then realizing the error of my ways. He was walking over here to change, and he was about to find me hiding in his closet.

Double shit.

I frantically looked around for anywhere to hide, but it was a closet—and a small one at that. It was nothing like the spectacular closet we shared at his apartment. He was going to open that door and not only catch me, but probably wrap his hands around my throat and strangle me.

But the bastard deserved everything I’d done to him.

Okay, I might have taken things a little far, but he took all my things! Everything was gone. He had no right to get rid of my stuff after he blatantly cheated on me the morning after proposing. And probably every month we were together.

I sucked in a breath as the doors swung open and light shone bright.

I squinted, waiting for the inevitable smack, but it didn’t come.

He hadn’t seen me yet, but only because he was still looking at Todd.

I saw my opportunity and took it, darting out of the closet in a flash and racing from the room.

I heard him calling my name, cursing me to hell as he chased me, but I was fast.

All heads in the office turned and watched as I scrambled to the stairway door.

Whispers went up in a flurry, but I didn’t stop to catch what they were saying.

I only had to escape. I yanked the door open and burst into the stairwell, catapulting myself down the stairs.

I hoped he would give chase and not take the elevator.

If no one tried to get on, he would surely beat me to the first floor.

I nearly let out a scream when I heard the door bang against the wall, but I only spared a glance behind me.

I nearly rolled my ankle in the heels, but held on tight to the railing and prevented a massive wipeout.

I rounded the corner and hit the next set of stairs at a fast pace.

Thankfully, I was going down instead of up.

I wouldn’t have lasted five seconds in the other direction.

Fear and alcohol fueled me until I finally shoved the door open to the first floor and broke out into a sprint across the lobby.

The security guard saw me racing across the room, but wasn’t fast enough to stop me.

I felt his fingers brush my coat as I raced out onto the sidewalk.

In just a few short strides, the early morning crowd swallowed me.

I didn’t dare look over my shoulder as I pushed through the hundreds of people.

This was my one chance to escape. If I was caught, I didn’t want to think of the consequences.

“Taxi!” I shouted, holding up my hand. I could still see James’s men chasing me, but they were far enough behind that I could take the chance to steal a cab.

The first taxi zoomed right past me, but the second pulled over, giving me just enough time to slip inside and the cab to take off before James’s hound dogs caught me.

“JFK,” I demanded as we took off down the road. By New York City standards, we were moving fast. We soon lost the men tailing me and I could relax for long enough to remember what I had heard in my cheating ex’s office. I shoved my hand in my gigantic purse and fished around until I found my phone.

Get out! He’s going to fire you!

After sending the first text, I knew I’d have to come clean about my plans. Gazing down lovingly at her heels, I prayed she would forgive me for not returning her things at the end of the day as promised.

I’m sorry, but I have to keep your heels for a little longer than I thought.

What? No, I need those back!

Sorry, but I have to see a man about a horse.

You do not need to poop wearing my shoes! Those are my I Feel Amazing shoes!

And I’m really sorry you won’t have them for the weekend. Maybe they could get together with my “Wish I had million-dollar heels” and they can have a party.

I swear to God, I’m going to feed you to my fish.

You don’t have any fish.

Then I’m going to get piranhas and sic them on you.

That’s a little harsh for not returning shoes on time. The library only charges a quarter for late fees.

Maybe thirty years ago. Now they take your firstborn and hunt you down until they can throw you in debtor’s prison.

Hmm, I don’t think they do that anymore. Someone’s been watching historical romances.

Now is not the time to argue with me.

On the contrary, it’s the perfect time because you’re there and I’m out of your grasp. Logically speaking, it’s the only time that makes sense.

Piper, get back here with my shoes!

Sorry! Got a flight to catch!

A flight? Where could you possibly be going?

Escaping the man chasing me. Hence, why I can’t return your heels.

Jeanie: You’re escaping? Piper, what did you do?

Piper: It’s best if you don’t know.

*Sigh*

By the way, if you don’t ever hear from me again, could you please inform the police that James had me murdered?

Should I delete this whole conversation so they can’t use it as proof against you?

Don’t be silly. Do you know what they can do with technology nowadays?

At the airport. Wish me luck!

That you don’t die?

I flung the door of the cab open, barely tossing money through the window to the cabbie before fleeing inside.

With a glance over my shoulder, I knew I hadn’t lost the demons chasing me.

They were like dogs with bones. I nearly shoved an old lady over as I rushed through the doors.

Thankfully, the ticket line was short, leaving me only a single customer to wait on.

I tapped my heel and kept glancing over my shoulder. They hadn’t found me yet, but it wouldn’t be long. The woman in front of me was asking the most ridiculous questions.

How long is the flight?

Will there be peanuts?

What do I do if I get air sick?

Do I have to check my luggage?

I nearly screamed in frustration when she pulled out her travel kit and started showing the man every single bottle she owned so he could check the sizes to ensure she could carry it on.

With a single look over my shoulder, I knew I was out of time.

I hiked my purse over my shoulder and took off through the airport.

I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing, but I had to lose my tail.

How the hell was I supposed to slip past security?

I spotted a girl in line no older than fifteen and sidled up to her. It was clear she wasn’t with the man in front of her, so I took my chance.

“I’ll pay you fifty dollars if you let me tell them I’m walking you to your flight.”

She eyed me curiously, then held out her hand. “A hundred.”

“That’s highway robbery!”

The glimmer in her eyes said I wasn’t going to win this round. “Do you want through or not?”

I pulled a hundred dollars and glared at her as I smacked the money into her hand. “You’d better earn this.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about. You look like you’re about to shit your pants.”

“Language!” I chastised her like I was talking to my own daughter.

“Please. Do you know what I hear in school? It would scare the shit out of you.”

I didn’t doubt that. Not that I was against swearing. I did it regularly, but now I felt somehow responsible for this girl. “Where are your parents?”

“In a Russian gulag.”

“Those don’t exist anymore. And you don’t look Russian.”

“I don’t have to be Russian for them to be in one.”

“Only if they still existed,” I corrected.

She adjusted her backpack, hiking it higher on her shoulder. “Why do you care?”

“Um…because I’m a decent human being?”

“Who just paid me a hundred dollars to slip through security,” she retorted. “Yeah, you’re a real peach.”

She might have a point, but I wasn’t about to continue arguing with her. “Where are you headed?”

“Iowa.”

That sounded horrible. “Is that where you live?”

“Nope. I just figured I could blend in there.”

I took a long look at her clothing and snorted. She was dressed in all black and had purple streaks in her hair. “What part of your outfit makes you think Iowa is the place for you?”

“It’s not New York.”

That wasn’t the best excuse, but I didn’t have time to argue as the line moved forward. I needed to get out of here, and she was my ticket. She handed over her boarding pass and turned to me.

“This is my aunt. She’s accompanying me to my gate.”

“Sorry, but you need a ticket,” the man said, not bothering to look at me.

“I have strict instructions from her mother not to leave her side.”

“You still need a boarding pass.”

“Sir, if I don’t accompany her, I will hold you personally responsible if something happens to her.”

I chanced a quick glance over my shoulder and nearly panicked when I saw the men looking around for me.

“She has Tourette’s syndrome and scares the passengers,” I said quickly.

“Fucking barbaric metal detectors!” the girl shouted on cue. I couldn’t have asked her to play her part any better.

I gripped her hand and smiled. “It’s okay, Celia. We’ll be there in just a moment.”

“Assholes! Stupid murdering psycho assholes!”

I patted her hand and turned to the man sympathetically. His eyes tracked the other travelers before waving me through the metal detector behind my fake niece. I kicked off my heels in less time than it should have taken and stashed all my things in the tray. Thankfully, there were no more hangups.

Until I bent over to pull on my heels and caught the attention of the men hunting me down.

“There she is!”

I grabbed my bag and took off after the girl I would now think of as Celia. I didn’t know where she was going, but I followed and prayed for the best. Except, I got lost in the crowd after being shoved one too many times, and suddenly, she was nowhere to be seen.

I looked around frantically, but all I saw were the men in the distance, shoving past people and causing a commotion. “Oh shit.”

“In here,” a woman said, tugging me by the arm toward a bathroom.

I didn’t know who she was, but she came to my rescue big time. It wasn’t until she started undressing that I realized she was a stewardess. Catching on, I started stripping out of my things, switching places with her.

As I watched her take the dress, I sighed heavily. Jeanie was going to kill me.

I snatched her hand and caught her eyes. “Just…take care of the dress for me.”

“I will,” she answered sympathetically.

I hurried through getting dressed and winced at the itchy material of the stewardess’s outfit. “Thank you so much. You don’t know what this means to me.”

“You go first.”

I nodded and slipped back into the crowd, and this time, no one followed me.