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“He’s a piece of work, all right.” Sophie leans to the side and places her empty bowl down on the floor. “Apparently multiple reports made from female colleagues about him making inappropriate comments mysteriously went missing after they were filed with the police.”
“You think he paid someone to lose them on purpose?”
She rubs her temples and sighs.
“I know he did. There’ll be a lose thread somewhere. I just need to find it and pull. The cops will start their own internal investigation. But that could take months. Right now, I just need to prove that he was the other man involved in what happened to my client. There’s DNA evidence. You know what sickens me, though?”
“What?” I ask as she drops her fingers from her temples and looks at me with tired eyes.
“It’s the fact that this kind of behavior escalates. It rarely comes out of nowhere. Those missing reports were the first warning signs. But because his behavior was covered up, he went unmonitored. Then he went on to commit a bigger crime against my client.”
My jaw clenches as I think about the few details of the case Sophie has been allowed to share with me. But it’s enough to know those two evil pricks manipulated a young woman for their own perverse enjoyment.
“You think there’s a chance it wouldn’t have happened if those reports had been taken seriously in the beginning?”
“I don’t know.” Sophie sighs. “I can’t think like that, it doesn’t help my client. A crime was committed against her and that’s that. The only thing I can do now is get justice for her.”
I give her a lopsided smile. “You’re incredible.”
Her eyes soften as she looks at me. “You told me that at least ten times today.”
“I’m at least twenty times behind schedule, then.” I lift one of her feet, bringing it toward my mouth so I can nip her ankle playfully.
She smiles and lets out a deep breath.
“Let’s go to bed—”
Her phone ringing cuts her off, and she frowns at the screen before answering.
“Chelsea? Okay…Okay, take a breath… Good… tell me.” Sophie’s eyes meet mine, widening as she reels off her home address.
“Everything okay?” I ask as she ends the call.
“That was my client.” She swings her legs out of my lap. “She’s coming here. She has something to tell me.”
Sophie’s intercom buzzes, and she presses a button to unlock the main door.
“You want me to make myself scarce?” I ask, walking up behind her in the hallway.
“No. At least not yet. Let her meet you so she knows there’s someone else here. I don’t want her to get upset if she sees you by accident.”
I nod, swallowing the thick lump in my throat. This girl was kept in a filthy apartment for two days by a man who posed as her own age online so he could groom her. It makes sense she might be nervous around people she doesn’t know as a result.
“Okay.”
Sophie straightens her shoulders as there’s a knock at the door. When she opens it a young woman and man walk in, both looking like they’re on edge. The woman’s eyes stay on Sophie as she fidgets out of her jacket, and a pregnant stomach extends from beneath her sweatshirt.
The guy she’s with has his eyes fixed on me as I look up from her stomach. His chest expands as he looks me up and down like he’s trying to figure out whether I’m a threat or not.
“This is Drew. He’s my fiancée,” Sophie says to the youngwoman.
She glances up at me. “Nice to meet you. I’m Chelsea. This is Jake.” She gestures to the young man next to her. He can’t be more than twenty, and he’s half my width, but he’s looking at me like he has no issue fighting me if he deems me dangerous.
“I’m sorry to call. I thought it was better to talk in person,” she says to Sophie in a nervous voice.
“Don’t apologize. Come on in and take a seat,” Sophie says as she leads Chelsea into the living room. Jake follows behind her, close enough that he reaches out and rubs her arm reassuringly.
“Would you like a drink?” Sophie asks as Chelsea sits down and knots her fingers together in her lap.
