Private Listing Tease Me, page 9
“Then stay with me. I have a couch, and you can take the bed. I don’t want you to be in danger.” Robert steps closer again. “I can keep you safe.”
I wrap my arms around my waist, but I don’t reach for the door. Something’s not right. I can’t figure it out yet, but something is definitely off.
Why? Why did this woman approach Robert? What did that gain her?
“Why did the woman tell you about the back door?” I ask, thinking out loud, not really expecting an answer.
“She said I’d never get in any other way. The guys would stop me from getting to you.” He glances toward the door. “If they’re hurting you, I can help you get away. I’m not afraid of them.”
“They aren’t hurting me.” I breathe in and drop my arms. “My bosses are protecting me. I don’t know what that woman wants, but it’s probably not in my best interest. For all I know, she’s working with the stalker, and they want me out so he can get to me easier.”
“She swore they were hurting you. That I should do anything to get to you. Even pick the lock and take you, whether or not you wanted to go. But I know you’re reasonable, and if I could just talk to you, I could make you come with me.”
Take me?
I gasp. “She wanted you to get in trouble.” My mind whirls around the possibilities. “What if she wanted us to think you were the stalker? What if she tried to set up Jimi as the stalker, too, but that didn’t work? So she moved on to you. The guy who’s been a little too forward sometimes but who actually cares about me.”
His cheeks get a little red. “I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“And I appreciate that, but my bosses will take care of me, so you don’t have to worry about me anymore.” I step forward as I say this, trying to reassure him.
“You’ll call me if you need me?” His dark eyes search mine.
I nod, knowing I won’t, but if times get dark, it doesn’t hurt to have a friend.
“Good.” He steps back from the table. “I didn’t scare you, did I?”
The door opens before I can figure out a reply. Blake comes in and the tension releases out of my body.
“We need to talk about the woman you talked to.” Blake doesn’t look my way.
My brow furrows. I thought they couldn’t hear what we were saying. Why would they tell me they couldn’t hear me? It would have made me less fearful knowing they were listening to every word. So why not reassure me?
The guy was trying to get into our apartment and take me.
Unless they don’t trust me? Did they think I set this up? My hand goes over my mouth to hide my hurt.
But the ache is deep in my heart. Seth and Blake didn’t trust that I’d tell them what Robert said. Did they think I was involved with him too? My stomach churns. Robert’s brown eyes flick to me.
“I’d recognize the woman if I saw her. I’m good with faces.”
Blake glances at me briefly. His expression is blank. My throat thickens and I’m pretty sure I’m going to cry or throw up or both. What happened to “We need to trust each other for this to work”?
“Take a walk with me.” Blake gestures with his head to Robert. He pauses next to me. When he reaches out to touch my arm, I flinch away. I can’t.
He releases a breath. His green eyes capture mine. His mouth presses into a thin line. “Wait here for Seth.”
I cross my arms and look away.
Robert stops beside me. He glances at Blake’s tense back and then to me. “If you need me . . .”
I force a smile like my heart isn’t breaking a little. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
I just know where I stand now. They may claim to love me, but they don’t trust me.
Chapter 137
Personal Responsibility
Blake
Seth warned me it was a bad idea, but fuck, I can’t help if I don’t trust anyone. Another man is after Madison. Maybe Robert isn’t the stalker, but he could be something else. Something more to her.
Madison’s watery eyes tore at me before she took them away entirely. The way she flinched from me. The hurt and pain on her face made my insides crumble. I’m the one she turned to for comfort and I’ve pushed her away. But I can’t focus on that right now.
Right now, I have to follow this clue. We need any lead we can get on Madison’s stalker.
“I’m going to show you around the office.” Stopping a few feet from the conference room with Robert, I glance back but the door is still open. She’s hurting and there’s nothing I can do about it. At least not right now. Fuck. I turn to Robert. “I want you to see if the woman you talked to is here.”
“Anything to help Madison.” He doesn’t meet my eyes, but he’s already looking around the office.
I don’t want to be correct about this, but I lead him to Hope’s desk. Hope lifts her head and gives me a smile before turning to look at Robert. There’s no spark of recognition in her eyes. She gives him a curious once-over before turning back to me.
“Do you need my help, Mr. Wagner?”
When I glance at Robert for confirmation, he shakes his head. Some of the tension leaves me. If it had been Hope, it would devastate Madison. She trusts Hope, and I know they’ve gotten close.
“No, not right now.” I blow out a breath. “But maybe check in with Madison today.”
Hope tips her head to the side. “Is she okay?”
“She might be having a rough day.” I leave it at that. I can’t tell Hope that I fucked up. That I didn’t do the one thing Madison needs me to do. Trust her. Because I’m fucking broken.
Hope frowns and picks up her phone. “I’ll text her. Thanks for the heads-up.”
I lead Robert through the hallways. We stop by every office with a dark-haired woman, but no one seems to catch his attention. My mind keeps drifting back to Madison’s face. How she looked at me. I never should have doubted her.
I’m an asshole.
Courtney’s office door is closed, so I knock and wait. When she doesn’t answer, I hold up a finger to Robert to wait. I call the receptionist.
“Is Courtney Miller in today?”
“No, sir, she called in sick.” The receptionist is polite, but curt.
“Thank you.” I hang up and pull out my keys. Unlocking the door, I push it open and lead Robert inside.
Courtney’s office is small but neat. Pictures of her and friends fill her shelves.
Robert tugs on my sleeve. “That’s her.”
He points to a picture with a group of women in it. I lift it off the shelf and hold it in front of us.
“Which one?”
When he points, my stomach turns.
Fuck. I wasn’t expecting that.
Seth
When I reach the conference room, it’s empty. I glance at Matt who guards the door.
“Where is she?”
“She needed to use the restroom, sir.” Matt gestures toward the bathrooms.
“Why didn’t one of you go with her?” I can feel the tension headache starting behind my brow. My chest squeezes. We played a stupid game. One we knew we could end up losing. I just hope she gives us a chance to explain.
Matt glances at Alex and they both look at me. “We were told to stay here.”
I release a breath. “You can return to work now.”
I check the bathrooms on this floor, but they’re unoccupied. Blake told her to wait for me, but it took a few minutes in the control booth before I could come get her. I refuse to panic as I ride the executive elevator to our office and check to see if she’s there.
Her desk chair is empty. The bathroom is unoccupied. A thick, choking pressure builds in my chest.
When I open Noah’s door, he lifts his head from his work. “What’s up?”
I glance at his empty couch.
“Have you seen Madison?” I run a hand through my hair.
Blake’s plan wasn’t necessary. I felt it in my bones, but that little voice warned me, What if I can’t trust her? What if this whole thing is moving too fast? What if she fits too well? What if this is a setup?
Even in the video, I could see the hurt on her face when Blake came in. All this time she gave us her trust, bending beautifully to our will, and then we pull this shit. She’s right to be angry and upset.
Now, I’m afraid she’s left us, and it would be all my fault.
“No, but I’ve been working.” He stands. “Everything okay?”
“I just wanted to check in with her.”
I’ll have to come clean to the others about what Blake and I did, but first, I need to find Madison. Honestly, I don’t know how they’ll take it. I’m not sure what I would do if one of them abused her trust in us.
“I’ll text her.” Noah lifts his phone and I nod. I should have done that, but there’s this pressure in my chest that I can’t seem to shake. The fear that I drove her away. That she wouldn’t answer me if I messaged her.
Coop isn’t in his office, so I go to the break room, checking the file room on the way. It’s late in the day, almost time to quit.
“If the spy contacts the pretend client, do we need to let the spy know they’re being recorded?” Coop’s voice greets me as I enter the room.
He and Patrick raise their gazes to me. It’s obvious Madison isn’t in here. That sinking feeling grabs onto my heart and pulls down.
“Do you need something?” Coop leans back in his chair. His light blue eyes focus on me.
This definitely isn’t something I want to share with our lawyer. Especially since he fed into our fears. As always, Patrick looks unworried and a bit bored.
“No.”
Coop lifts an eyebrow, but I give him a subtle head shake. I’ll tell him later because that’s how you build trust. You share your concerns with the people you love. Which is exactly what Madison has always done with us.
I’m the asshole.
One last place to check.
The elevator to the apartment takes forever. I walk into the foyer and the apartment lights are all out, only the lowering sunlight from the windows spills into the space. Hurrying to Madison’s door, I knock and turn the knob. Nothing.
For a second, I’m completely dumbfounded that the door didn’t open and try the knob again. When I realize it’s locked, I try the number on the keypad and still nothing.
Fuck. She locked it and put in a new code. I knock, but still don’t get any response. Fuck.
“Madison?” I yell at the door. “Are you in there?”
I blow out a frustrated breath and take my phone out of my pocket. I just want to make sure she didn’t leave. That she’s safe. That she didn’t make herself a target because of me.
Me:
Are you okay?
This door hasn’t been locked the entire time she’s been with us. She doesn’t want to see me, but I need to know if she’s okay. I need to know she’s still here. After a minute with no reply, I open a text to Blake.
Me:
Robert still with you?
Blake:
I’m seeing him out right now. Problem?
My gaze lingers on the closed door.
Me:
Maybe.
Blake:
Where?
Me:
Apartment. Her door is locked.
He doesn’t respond, but I don’t expect him to. He knows what this means. I take in a breath and slide down the wall next to her door. I open a text to Noah.
Me:
Have you heard from her?
Noah:
Not yet.
My head hangs as I try to think how I’d feel if she didn’t trust me. The only time I gave her any doubt was when I kissed Elizabeth, and she was right to feel betrayed. I betrayed what we were growing, and she forgave me, but this . . .
Me:
Princess, please.
Me:
Just let one of us know you’re okay.
Me:
It was Blake’s and my decision.
Me:
Don’t punish Coop and Noah for our stupidity.
I can take yelling, even throwing things, but this silence and not knowing is killing me. My phone buzzes and I glance at the screen.
Noah:
She’s fine.
Fuck, that hurts more than anything else. She knows I’m here. She knows I want to see her.
Noah:
Why isn’t she telling you this?
Me:
I’ll explain later.
I pull up my one-sided text conversation with her.
Me:
I’m sorry.
Me:
I fucked up.
Me:
Again.
Me:
Please talk to me, princess.
The door to the apartment opens, and after a moment, Blake rounds the corner. He stalls as he looks at her door, now a barrier between us and her. One that we erected.
Standing, I brush off my pants and join him at the kitchen island. “Did you find out anything?”
“I’ll update everyone when we’re together.” Blake grimaces as he glances at the door again. “Has she spoken to you?”
I shake my head. “Noah texted. She told him she’s fine.”
Blake inhales and releases his breath, sitting on a stool and running his hands through his hair. “I fucked this up.”
“We both did.” I join him and place my phone on the island, hoping she’ll text me, knowing she won’t. That weight settles in my stomach, so fucking heavy.
“How do we fix this?” Blake turns and his green eyes are solemn.
“I don’t know.” The words make my chest ache. Maybe the Elizabeth issue was easier to deal with because I never wanted Elizabeth. Madison knew I had to play like I liked her. But after all the times I stressed trust in this arrangement, to throw that away because of something other women have done in the past is potentially unforgivable. I shrug. “Maybe we’re too broken to love.”
Blake grunts in acknowledgment. “Want a drink?”
“Yeah.” I can’t do anything else until she’s ready to talk.
Madison
After managing to keep my lunch down and texting Noah to say I’m fine just not feeling well, I climb onto my huge bed that smells like each of their colognes and close my eyes. Usually their scents help soothe me, but not this time.
I don’t know what I did wrong. What gave them the idea they couldn’t trust me? Have they ever trusted me? Or was it all a ruse?
After hearing Seth call out to me, I leave the door between my bedroom and my private living room open. I can’t face him yet. Not after the conference room.
What did they think they’d find out? I take a while to sort it out in my head, but all I can come up with is they didn’t think I would tell them the truth. That I had something to hide. Do they think so little of me that they thought I set this up?
I received and read all Seth’s texts, but I can’t answer him. Not yet. Not until I figure out where my head is. And what I want to do.
Open and honest communication. That was supposed to be our mantra. So what the fuck was that with the conference room? I’ve been outside that door while a meeting was going on. Blake couldn’t hear through the door.
Isn’t it bad enough that I have someone else recording my life and finding my faults without my own guys doing the same? Did they really believe something might be going on between me and Robert or that I wouldn’t tell them exactly what he said?
The ache grows within me, spreading like a virus.
My phone has been silent for a while. Hope texted to see if I needed anything. I wrote her back that I’m fine. And I am. My heart’s a little tattered right now, but if Seth is to be believed, they feel bad about what they did.
The problem I have now is whether I can trust them not to do this again.
The door to the apartment slams, jolting me upright.
“What the fuck did you two do now?” Coop’s voice rings through the apartment. My door only muffles it slightly.
Jumping to my feet, I rush through my living room without thinking. I stop before opening the door, choosing to listen instead. I don’t know that I can trust them. Not if they don’t trust me.
Blake grumbles something I can’t hear.
“This isn’t just about you.” Noah’s voice is firm. “We’re all a part of this relationship.”
“You didn’t hear—”
“What, Blake?” Coop demands. “What did you hear that made you forget what you know to be true?”
Blake doesn’t answer.
“We fucked up.” Seth sounds miserable.
I put my hand and head against the door. His pain and the brokenness of his voice makes me want to cry for him.
I still love them. I still want them. But if they can’t trust me, what do we really have?
Chapter 138
Foot the Bill
