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“I can’t say more. Wish I could, truly.” His eyes soften, and I actually believe him. “Just—look, don’t go searching. You’ll understand eventually.”
I simply nod, because what the fuck else am I supposed to do? Santi starts to walk away, ending our little chat as abruptly as he started it, but he turns back and adds quietly, “Oh, and thank you.”
My eyes blow out. Is he seriously thanking me for not ratting him out?Themout?
He walks back to his desk and doesn’t spare me another glance. I force myself to tear my gaze from him and onto my computer, but my mind is reeling.
Santiwas driving the car? What will I understand? Why did he warn me about not snooping around? Was I right? This place is riddled with secrets, too?
This is exactly why I wanted to escape Lorenzo—he’s not good for me. All those weeks of shoving him into the recesses of my mind, and all it took was one conversation with Santi to reignite the curiosity in me. And it’s burning so bright, I can’t ignore it.
I need to know what’s going on with this place—because Iknowsomething is going on—but I have no idea where to start.
I rack my brain, going over every single interaction between me and Lorenzo, recalling things I’ve heard at work, and analyzing Brad’s story. Something is not adding up. Why would they all work here while maintaining an air of secrecy about it?
I can’t stop thinking about Santi’s words:I was driving that night.Well, it certainly confirms that hedoesknow that I know. But why would he want to make that clear to me? Was Lorenzo in the car with him? I should have asked. Either way, does it make it any better? Any more forgivable?
I also can’t shake the guilt of holding onto all of this knowledge and not reporting it. What’s my alternative? Turn them in and pose a risk for myself by outing them? Turn Lorenzo in to potentially suffer consequences? Consequences he’d deserve, yes. But at my hand?
There’s no right answer. It feels like this is an impossible situation.
I glance at Santi across the office. He’s deep in his own work, clacking away on his keyboard. I consider asking him outright about all of this, but why would he tell me the truth? He and Lorenzo probably have the same bullshit explanation, and it can’t be trusted.
No… something is definitely off, and I need to figure it out on my own. I pick at the skin around my nails as my eyes go out of focus. It makes sense that he works here, seeing as he’s related to Rowan. But what about Carter and D? Why are they in—
Rentals!
Inspiration hits me so suddenly that I nearly fall off my chair from sitting up too fast. I can feel my surrounding coworkers’ eyes on me, but I ignore them, taking a sip of coffee to play it off.
Rentals was dinged on that audit, and Rowan asked us to keep quiet about it. What if that’s the key to all of this? It’s known that they charge less for rentals, but I have no idea how much. I navigate to the company website and search the Rentals tab. A quick read through confirms it’s five hundred dollars less than what I pay at my place. I always assumed the low rates meant they were quaint apartments. But these photos are showing some lavish looking homes.
How in the world do these cost so little? And it’s the same rate in all three towns. According to the qualifications, you don’t need much. And they give a twenty percent discount if you pay in cash.
I glance around me again, double-taking to Marco’s office. The lights are off, visible through the floor to ceiling windows that serve as a wall next to the door. Should I…
No. It’s too risky.
But…
I want to know.
Ineedto know.
The hasty decision is made for me. I turn back to my computer and shoot off a message to Garrett through Teams, asking if I can work overtime tonight. It’s time to get some goddamn answers.
Chapter Nine
April 30th - Lorenzo
Tenstepsoneway,ten steps back. Glancing through the window above the couch before pacing again. Taking in the bare walls of this house that’s never been a home.
But it's never felt so claustrophobic before.
Every day, I checked to see if her name had disappeared from our system. Every day, I checked her status on Teams. I nearly asked Rowan where she was too many times. But it was too risky. Even asking her team lead, whatever her name is, could somehow get back to him or Marco.
I refuse for them to ever know we had a relationship.
That’s what it was, right? Even though I insisted I wouldn’t commit, my heart had other plans. But I couldn’t tell her that. It was a risk any time I went near her as it was. Putting more solidarity into us would have increased that risk exponentially.
