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Torrian.
She cried. He shouldn’t get her tears, and maybe she should be pissed at him, but rather than that, she couldn’t stop weeping. Rocking and hugging herself, she curled up on the bed. After a long time, she showered, dressed, and walked to the front door. After making sure the reporter was gone, she slipped from the apartment and started down the street. As soon as she turned the corner, a hand shot out to grab her arm. She yelped and leaped back, fists raised.
“Whoa, Jaz, don’t hit the messenger.”
She blinked at Kenny. “What do you want?”
“You’re not answering my stupid cousin’s calls.”
She rolled her eyes. “So he got you to do his dirty work?”
He shrugged. “He offered me money.”
“Why should he have to? Aren’t you family?”
“Oh, so you’re still willing to make excuses for him after he used you.”
“He didn’t use…” She fell silent, not knowing what to think.
When she started walking again, Kenny fell into step beside her. His sneakers were old and worn. She wondered if he was holding down a job lately and figured if he wasn’t, that might be why he was willing to pass on a message to her from Torrian.
She stated the obvious. “You don’t like him.”
“He got everything. I got nothing.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little juvenile?”
“Maybe, but I don’t give a fuck. He doesn’t belong around here, and he proved it. He didn’t tell you where he lives, did he? I happen to know his chauffeur brings him over this side and drops him off. If he had nothing to hide, why do that? If he was proud to call you his girl, why not let everybody know?”
Jaz felt like Kenny shot bullets into her heart. “Is that what he paid you to come tell me?”
He glared at her. “No. Here.”
He handed her a card. Jaz read it. “Torrian’s business card? Everyone knows who he is now, including me.”
“On the back, stupid.”
She flipped it over to see Torrian had handwritten a phone number.
“Call that number. Tell him where you are. He’ll pick you up and take you to Torrian.”
“Why all the subterfuge?”
Kenny swore. “It was all about the sex between you two, wasn’t it? Because you’re not very bright.”
She gritted her teeth.
“Reporters. He’s a big shot that keeps a low profile, so when something juicy comes up they’re all over him. You’re the wicked flavor of the month. I said what I had to. Later.”
Jaz stood where Kenny left her, thinking about what he said and what everyone believed. The truth was, she didn’t want to face Torrian and hear for herself that he had been using her. To know he had kept his real life from her hurt a lot. She’d known there were secrets, and she had thought he was just some manager. His level in business s
cared the crap out of her. She longed to just go to the center and get back to work. Somehow even the thought of fighting for the kids didn’t calm her spirit. No, she needed to talk to Torrian and vent some of the frustration and anger of waking up to a serious invasion of her privacy.
After working half the morning, giving her boss and those she worked with the bare minimum of details of what happened, she begged for time off and pulled the business card from her pocket and dialed the number.
“Hello?” she said, and cleared her throat when she sounded like a frightened lamb. “This is Jazara Crane. I was asked to give you a call. I’m trying to meet with Torrian Donnelly.”
“Hello, Ms. Crane, I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Niles.”
