Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
“It’s going to take us forever to sort through what was taken and what wasn’t. There are dozens of client files here and all of it’s compromised.” I groan with frustration as I kneel on the floor and thumb across a few pages splayed in front of the desk.
“Try not to touch,” the detective warns from the doorway.
I stand up and shove my hands into my pockets.
“Do you have security footage, Mr. Remington?” she asks.
“Only at the elevator bank. We pride ourselves on keeping things confidential with the caliber of clients we work with. They enjoy the privilege of privacy with our firm.”
“Your firm is a crime scene and you’re throwing attorney-client privilege in my face? I thought you’d be more helpful.”
“I am being helpful,” I tell her. “There aren’t any cameras inside the offices beyond the ones pointing at the elevators. Have you checked the footage?”
Her frustration is audible as she jots down something in a notebook. “No one arrived or left through the elevators.”
I chuckle to myself.
“Something funny, Mr. Remington?”
“None of this is funny, but I can see the humor in you thinking your job would be as easy as checking the security cameras for the intruders. Even if they took the elevator into the office, you’re assuming they’d be stupid enough to not have masks on. Your best bet is to talk to the guards and see if there were any deliveries.”
“Thanks for your input on how to do my job, Mr. Remington.”
“Just a suggestion, Detective. If you’re done with me, I’m not sure if there’s anything else I can do for you here.”
“Stay in Colwood, Mr. Remington. I may need you for additional questioning.”
I shrug and nod. “I’ll be around.”
I leave the office and immediately pull out my phone to send out an email. The office is closed and folks will have to work from home for the next few weeks. I just want to be sure they stay out of the way and out of danger.
The moon is high in the night sky by now, and I don’t have time to put my phone away before it starts ringing as I walk toward my car. It’s another number I don’t recognize. Still, I answer it, wondering who’s trying to get a hold of me now.
“Hey, partner,” Owen says. I can still hear the pain in his voice, but he’s trying to mask it with a lightness that’s not serious enough for everything that’s happening.
“What the fuck, Owen?” I practically hiss, glancing over my shoulder to see the detective standing with the other officers in front of the building. “Some biker-looking guy was waiting for me at my house looking for you. Said he was an agent. Where are you?”
“A nurse helped me leave the hospital last night. The feds need my books, my ledgers where I kept track of everything I’ve done for Lorenzo and his friends.”
“You know the office was broken into?”
He lets out a low growl. “Fuck. I’m sorry, Rex. Is it bad?”
“Other than your office looking like someone set a bomb off in it, everything else seems to be in working order.”
“I had my nurse friend go in there last night to help me, but I think we may have been followed. I’m really sorry, Rex. I didn’t mean to bring all of this to you or Raina. How is she, by the way?”
“She’s coping, but I’m taking care of her. I’ll keep her safe. I’m going to keep her at my place for the time being. I doubt she’ll be going back to her apartment.”
There’s a pause on his end. It makes me wonder if this is going to be the moment where he wants to do his fatherly duty to question my intentions with his daughter. However, Owen doesn’t say anything of the sort.
“As soon as I get my deal with the feds in order, I’ll probably be in witness protection. The ledgers are my only leverage for them to uphold their end and to keep me out of prison. In case I don’t see her, or either of you for a while, just tell her I’m sorry. I really am, Rex. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, Owen. Be safe and stay alive long enough to see Raina happy…with me.”
Owen lets another pause linger between us before he says, “I know she’s in good hands with you, Rex. Take good care of her.”
8
RAINA
The lyrics to a song repeat over and over in my head as I sink into the heat of the warm tub. Comfort soothes me as the tune plays from my phone. There’s a brief interruption when Rex sends me a message that he’s on his way back home.
Home.
This is home for me and I don’t want that feeling to change. This day has been long and relaxing in this deep tub, water up to my shoulders is exactly what I need.