AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He doesn’t want to plead. And telling you that violates my attorney/client oath.” I stroke her cheek. “He wants the case dismissed.”
Bernadette goes still, her fingers rapping on the arm of the chair.
“If only I’d taken the designs with me. Or mailed them to Stella...”
“That’s the other reason I’m breaking confidence and violating my oath.” I lower in front of her. “He wanted a cut. He hid them on purpose. So, please stop beating yourself up that you left them in the apartment. He would have figured out a way to stealthem from you regardless.”
“He planned this?” Her eyes fill with tears.
“Yes, sugar. He says he put them in a safe deposit box while you were away.”
“Which bank?” she gasps.
“I don’t know. He won’t tell me.” I push a hand through my hair. “I have an idea where the key might be. And that will tell us which bank. Can you get us into his apartment?”
She blinks and strokes her forehead. “I had to cry and beg the landlord last time. Not my best moment.”
The idea of her weak like that enrages me.
“Please call the landlord again and ask them to let you in. Say you forgot something. I bet the key is in there somewhere. If we get that key and find the bank, I can have my investigator hack into their system and upload a forged signature card showing Michael gave me access.”
“I’ll call them right now!” She stands up, digging for her phone.
“Not now. It’s late.”
“Okay.” Bernadette nods.
“Mr. Montgomery, shall I order your dinner?” my assistant says through the intercom on my phone.
“Are you hungry, sugar?”
THIRTY-TWO
BERNADETTE
The only thing worse than preparing to cry and beg to get into Michael’s apartment building again was finding out I had to wait an entire week to do it. The property management assistant for the building was on vacation. And her temp couldn’t have been more clueless.
After a painful week, only eased by hot office sex with Emery during the day, and hot dates with Ash that ended in late-night steamy scenes with him and Ford in his bed, I stroll into the management office, ready to get my tears and begging on.
The assistant is clearly bored with me or feels sorry for me, so she just rolls her eyes and sends a text to the building porter approving my entry.
“Paulie said he’ll let you in.” She doesn’t even look up from her phone.
“Thank you.” I consider if I should send her something like flowers, or chocolates or movie tickets, but I don’t want to leave a trail that I got into the apartment again.
Ford waits for me in a Chevy Tahoe, driven by his investigator, Nick, who looks scary but cracks jokes.
We get to the building, and I press the button for the porter’s apartment. He also doesn’t seem to give a shit and lets me in.
“Thanks, Paulie. I had to leave in such a hurry. Every time I turn around, I realize I left something elsebehind.”
“Whatever. I don’t think the rent has been paid,” he says to me in the elevator.
“What...” Just as the doors close, I see Ford and Nick step into the lobby when another tenant leaves to walk her dog. They’ll take the stairs and wait for Paulie to leave. “What happens then?”
“We empty out the apartment and rent it.” He shrugs.
The idea that the key is buried in there somewhere, and I’ll never have access again turns my stomach. We need to find it—today.
