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After peeking into my mother’s room, unable to stay because my father was at her side, I went to another room where I’d convinced one of the nurses to let me stash some of my things. It hadn’t taken much to sweet-talk her. I’d pretty much been guaranteed anything I wanted when I’d flashed her my killer smile.
I pulled out my laptop and shoved my noise-canceling headphones over my ears, Peter Wolf Crier’s “Hard As Nails” cranked up while I worked. There was only one way to do what needed to be done. Hacking. Now I was going to do it to my own company. Using the login credentials of the chief financial officer for SPE instead of my own, I authorized a transfer of a million bucks into an offshore account. Old George would have his money in the morning as promised.
Chapter Sixteen
Sonya
Cleaning toilets sucked,even if they weren’t dirty, and to stay at Paths of Purpose, certain things were expected of every resident. Our rooms were to be kept tidy—beds made, bathroom cleaned, vacuuming and dusting done. It was only fair, but that didn’t mean I liked doing it. I’d also volunteered to clean Trish’s room since she had a big day scheduled.
I thought she was going to cry when the words came out of my mouth. I thought I was going to too.
Peeling off the big yellow rubber gloves, I tossed them into the bucket, empty now that I’d dumped the Pine Sol and water into the tub.
“What’s happening to me?” Sam looked at me with those big, luminous eyes from where he was lying on the floor. “I don’t do this kind of thing, let alone volunteer to do someone else’s chores.”
I wiped my brow with a forearm, a strand of my hair falling loose from my high ponytail. God, I was spoiled. I could probably count on two hands the number of times I’d cleaned a bathroom in my life. We’d had a housekeeper growing up, and when I’d gone to college, my mother insisted I have one so I could focus on my studies. It was just another way she’d put me first. Her life had been focused on me and my dreams until I couldn’t stand to look her in the eye because of my guilt. My entire world was based on lies now, but I hated lying to her. The only way I couldn’t was by avoiding her. The close relationship we’d had was too far gone to repair.
Sam stayed against my leg as I shoved the bucket back into the supply closet at the end of the residents hall and jogged downstairs. I snagged a bottle of water from the little refrigerator in the den on the main level and guzzled half, some of it running down my chin. I didn’t bother to wipe it away. Then I offered Sam some, who lapped greedily when I tipped the bottle to his mouth. He didn’t care when water dripped off his lips either.
Drew had a Swiffer duster in his hand and an amused look on his face, overriding the deep lines around his eyes, as he took in the scene. I ignored him and made for the back door to the alley. He’d follow me, poor boy. He couldn’t help it. I needed to start working my magic. Time to start reeling him in.
He was out the door right behind me. I gave Sam a knowing look, a bit disappointed in Drew. It was too easy. I’d expected him to be more of a challenge, but he was as predictable as all the others. I hurried to the fire escape. Using the hook, I pulled down the drop-ladder and scrambled to the first platform. Drew was close. My cells prickled with awareness. Sam put his paws on the second rung of the ladder. Because he wanted to come up with me, he allowed Drew to carry him up.
Once Sam was on the platform, I climbed up the stairs to the next one, and he was right with me. Drew pulled the ladder up behind him. His footsteps barely made a sound on the metal steps as he closed in on me. At the top, I sat on the edge of the grated rectangle platform and let my legs dangle. Sam lay beside me while Drew took a wary look over the edge before joining us.
He tipped his chin up. White clouds moved against a gray sky. I opened my mouth to rib him about being afraid of heights, but he spoke first.
“You look like hell,” he observed, digging out his pack of cigarettes. “They not have showers here, or is it just you? Everybody else looks presentable.”
He bent his head and lit a cigarette, taking a drag without offering me one first.Dickhead. Good thing I was used to dealing with those.
“It’s just me,” I said with a surreptitious smile. “We bathe as little as possible, don’t we?” I patted Sam’s head, and he wagged his tail, backing me up.
Drew sniffed twice and leaned away from me. “I can see that.”
“Are you always this charming with women?” I made a grab for the cigarette, and he shifted it to the other hand, out of reach.
“You want some of this, sugar?” he taunted, knowing damn well I did. “These are bad for your health.”
“How sweet of you to be concerned. I wouldn’t have taken you for someone who gives a shit about anyone but yourself.” Okay, so this wasn’t exactly going the way I’d planned. My sharp tongue was getting the better of me, when I’d meant to entice him with a little bit of honey. Screw it. I could play nice another day. He didn’t seem to be going anywhere, and I wasn’t either.
“A good reader of character. Tell me. What else have you figured out about me?” He was baiting me, extra surly this afternoon.
“Hmm.” I placed an index finger on my lips as I appraised him. Damn, he was attractive. “You’ve escaped problems most of your life, but it’s finally caught up with you. This time you may not be able to wiggle your way out of it, and you haven’t decided if you want to try.”
He tapped the tip of my nose; I was not fond of the condescending gesture. “Could it be, my tigress, that we have somehow ended up in the same boat?”
“If we have, I’ll take my chances swimming.”
“You a strong swimmer?” he asked.
“I’m not bad, but I’m better at snow skiing.” Shit. I’d just shared something personal. Something honest. I couldn’t be truthful in this game, and now it was too late to take it back. I stroked Sam’s fur like he was my crutch. A shield from this man who saw too much.
He knew I’d just given him a real piece of me. It was in his eyes, the way he coolly continued to smoke as if he got information he wanted from people all day long. I wasn’t playing with some oblivious fucker. Drew was calculating. A little shiver of excitement ran through me. Could he be the one to finally figure out who I was? The one to coax out the truth instead of a mountain of lies? The idea of getting caught, beaten at my own game, had me itching to win and interested when everything had been so flat. Maybe Drew wasn’t going to be so boring after all.
“Park City?”
Whoa. Suddenly, I got the impression he wasn’t fishing uninformed. “I beg your pardon?”
