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Chapter Four
“Why are you callingme so early in the morning?” Jaike Hepburn asked groggily the next day.
“Sorry,” Bobby whispered as she walked past the security guard after flashing him her Visitors I.D. “I needed someone to call and you’re the only one I know who could be up this early.” Recalling Jaike’s sleepy voice, she said guiltily, “Or at least I thought you would be. Sorry.”
The guard waved her in, but Bobby could feel his interested gaze following her every movement as she walked towards the elevators that would take her directly to the basement headquarters of Florida’s most popular underground racing club.
She passed by several biker chicks along the way and all of them eyed her with a mixture of hostility and curiosity, making Bobby press her iPhone closer to her ear. She needed to look busy or she’d die of embarrassment before she could reach the elevators. She knew what they were thinking. That she was being a stupid fool once again, coming into the lion’s den like a lamb walking into a slaughter...willingly.
Jaike yawned. “No, you were right. I’m normally up early, but last night Derek...umm...never mind. Why are you calling again?”
Before Bobby could answer, she heard a thickly accented voice mumble in the background, “Baby?”
Bobby firmly suppressed the pang of envy that hit her at the sound of Derek Christopoulos’ voice. It wasn’t that she had some kind of secret crush on Jaike’s fiancé. What made her avoid spending too much time with the couple was the fact that they were so cute and happy together, and seeing the love shared by the two had hurt. A lot. And that Derek was also a Christopoulos – proof that even former Greek billionaire playboys could indeed reform – just made it hurt even more.
“Bobby?” Jaike sounded a little more alert this time.
“Sorry,” she said miserably.
Jaike blinked at her friend’s sorrowful tone. “Hey. Are you okay? Is this about...” Her voice trailed off uncomfortably.
“You know, don’t you?”
“Umm...”
“I knew it,” Bobby said, even more depressed. “Everyone knows, so it would have been silly to think you wouldn’t have heard about what happened.”
Jaike couldn’t help asking, “Did you really slap Leandro?”
“Uh huh.”
She tried to imagine Leandro Christopoulos being slapped and her mind totally failed at the challenge. “I never thought someone could ever slap Leandro Christopoulos and come out of it alive,” Jaike said honestly.
“Yeah, well...”
“And is it really true that after slapping him, youalsomade out with him in the elevator?”
“Umm...”
Jaike’s eyes widened. “Really? Then is it also true that Sabastian Gabris saw...” When Bobby didn’t protest, Jaike shook her head in utter amazement. “Seriously? I honestly thought that the news were all exaggerated and now you’re telling me every bit of it is true?” Jaike paused. “Did Sabastian get mad?”
“Of course not. He understood what really happened.”
Jaike waited for more, but a few seconds passed and she realized that it was all Bobby going to say. It made her even more curious and worried, but out loud, all she asked was, “Where are you now?”
Bobby pressed the Up button for the elevator. “At the new headquarters of Áf_xi_si_.”
Jaike’s eyes widened at Bobby’s answer. “You’re at Leandro’s old racing club?Why?”
“The fundraiser our foundation was planning with Versatile turned out to be sponsored by Christopoulos, Inc.,” Bobby answered shortly. “I received a message last night requesting my presence here so...here I am.”
“Are you really sure you can do this?”
Everyone kept asking her that.Did Leandro ever get asked the same question or did everyone think that she was the only one to suffer if they happened to meet again?
Bobby lifted her chin. The whole time she and Leandro had been separated, she had not allowed anyone to comfort her. Something inside her had rebelled against showing vulnerability, and she had no plans doing otherwise now.
She answered brightly, “Of course. It’s been ages since we broke up. I have Sabastian now. What he does doesn’t concern me at all.”
