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“It's more about how I can help you.” Phil pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced up at Carter. “When I was out grabbing coffee yesterday, I saw Devon out with a particular young woman, one I think you would recognize.”
Carter's phone dinged, warning of a new message, and he pulled it out of his pocket. Phil had sent a photo of Kaitlyn and Devon sitting down at Black Magic coffee. Carter could feel his brow furrowing as he wondered what they were doing together, out in public, outside of his place.
He thought things were going well, but clearly, he'd been wrong. Maybe she was pulling one over on him; after all, how much did he really know about her or what she was involved in? Maybe she was as much of a criminal as Devon.
“Thank you for sharing this with me.” Carter's head was spinning, but he was grateful that his friend had brought this to his attention before too much harm could be done. What was he going to do about Kaitlyn? What could he do about Kaitlyn?
Phil nodded, pulling his lips back and gritting his teeth. “Well, let's just keep it between us that I sent you non-work-related information during work hours, if you don’t mind.”
“I won't tell a soul.” Carter studied the picture as if he could stare at it hard enough to change Kaitlyn's face into the face of another woman. Of course, that didn't happen and the longer he stared, the more he wondered what he was missing, what she was doing, and why she was sneaking around behind his back with the man who'd kidnapped her.
It had all been a hoax, a clever ruse to get him to let his guard down. To get him to let her into his home with unfettered access. He didn't care about things or stuff. If she stole from him, that wouldn't mean anything. He had the money to replace almost everything in his home. It was the thought that she was sneaking around, lying to him, going behind his back. That's what bothered him. Especially since he'd started to feel like he could trust her, like her, maybe even build a future with her if she ever came around.
Maybe he'd just been an idiot. Maybe she wasn't really interested in him at all. Maybe he was too old for her. If nothing else, he was definitely a fool.
“Anyway, I have worked to attend to. Thank you for sitting down with me, it's always a pleasure.” Phil stood up, offered his hand to Carter, who shook it, and then headed out the door with a quick snap and his step and his head held high.
Carter walked over and closed his office door before heading back to his chair and sinking into it, putting his elbows on his desk. He put his forehead in his hands and he wondered if he'd made a huge mistake.
Sure, he hadn't really trusted her with anything she could do damage to him with. But he had allowed her into his home.
But more than anything, he wondered, what was she was doing out with Devon? What were they talking about that had her looking so animated in that picture?
The longer Carter sat, the less he wanted to go home. He pulled his phone out, looking again at the picture as if checking to make sure it really was her.
There was no doubting it, and it didn't look photoshopped or changed. Not that Phil would have any reason to lie to him about that. There was nothing to be gained by faking that. Not for Phil, anyway.
And today, Devon had shown up in his office telling him that it was that easy. Words that had sounded like a threat, but now, with this context, Carter had to wonder if what he meant was that it was easy to win Kaitlyn to his side.
If that was the case, Carter didn't want anything to do with her. He couldn't think of a single reason that she could be meeting with Devon that wouldn't be an issue for him. Sure, she was a grown adult and she was welcome to do as she pleased, and he had no control or say over her. But he did have boundaries.
After a while of puzzling through everything that he’d learned and coming to terms with what he needed to do about the ugly situation, he finally stood up from his desk and headed for the door, ready to go home and face the music.
Carter let himself into his penthouse and instantly found himself in Kaitlyn’s arms. “I missed you.” With those words, she planted a kiss on the tip of his nose, and Carter couldn't help but feel heavy.
The second she pulled back, she seemed to realize something was wrong. Her eyebrows nearly met over a crease between them, and she studied his eyes, as if searching for what she'd missed. “Are you okay?” She released him, taking a step back, and crossed her arms across her chest, still studying him.
“You were at Black Magic Coffee with Devon.”
She winced as if he'd slapped her. “Yes, I was. And I told you that you have no right to tell me who I can and cannot see. You don't own me.”
Why couldn't she understand where he was coming from? Why did everything always come back to her feeling like he was trying to control her actions? “I'm not trying to control you. I'm trying to understand why you were meeting up with my enemy - and yours - behind my back. If the roles were reversed and I was sitting at Black Magic Coffee with Devon and talking, wouldn't you feel uncomfortable with that?”
Her eyebrows lifted, as if she hadn't thought about it from that angle before. “Well, no, but...” She trailed off and Carter gently pushed.
“But what? Now take it a step further. If I was living in your home and had full access to everything you own, and I was out meeting with our mutual enemy, would you be comfortable with that?” Maybe this way she would understand that it wasn't about him trying to control her. Clearly, she was used to the kind of guys that would tell her what she was allowed to do, what she could wear, who she could hang out with. But that wasn't Carter's intent. His intent was that they both felt safe within their relationship, within their time spent together.
She didn't seem to have an answer.
“Now, I'd like you to imagine me hiding all of that from you. Then consider if you’d feel afraid for my wellbeing when you found out.” Carter took a step toward her and gently reached out to touch her arms just above the elbow. “I'm not trying to control you. I am afraid for you, and I'm not a fan of my enemy having the power to manipulate you into possibly doing his bidding. Make no mistake; Devon is manipulative and dangerous.”
“Why do you hate him so much?” Her softly spoken question had Carter stopping dead in his tracks.
For a moment, he thought about telling her the truth, before walking over the couch and sitting down. Patting the spot next to him to let her know she was welcome to make herself at home and that this might be a lengthy story, he inhaled.
“Devon and I used to be best friends. Almost brothers, actually.” The second Carter started talking, Kaitlyn walked over and sat beside him on the couch, all her attention locked on him. With her lips slightly parted and her eyes locked on his, Carter knew he had all her attention.
“When we were teenagers, he fell for a girl and knocked her up. When he found out she was pregnant, he laughed, slept with her friends and walked away. That was my first glimpse at the cruelty he was capable of.” Carter took a deep breath, hating the story and how much he’d let go before putting his foot down.
