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“Office,” I call.
He follows me in and shuts the door behind him. “What’s up? Where have you been? We were supposed to–”
I cut a hand through the air. “Backburner your questions for now. I need you to look into something for me.”
He raises a dark eyebrow but doesn’t interrupt. Catarino has been my right-hand man for years, the closest thing I have to a brother, though he’s technically my cousin.
“Fraser’s daughter, Cadence, is staying here for the time being.”
He doesn’t react, which tells me that Mrs. Palacios has already been gossiping through the house.
“Her place was broken into. I want you to go down–”
“On it.” He turns to the door. “I’ll let you know what I find out.” He disappears, efficient as ever. I’ve no doubt he’ll come back with a lead, if not the name and location of the asshole who dared to shatter Cadence’s sense of safety. When I get my hands on him, I might go too far–and I might like it. It’s been a while since I’ve taken a life, but just the thought of someone going through her things–or someone hoping she was at home so they could hurt her…
My hands are fisted, my nails digging into my palms. I force myself to relax. I’ll handle the guy, and sooner rather than later. I need Cadence to feel safe. Glancing at the papers on my desk, I remind myself that Cadence might be the key to getting the deal done with her father. That’s why I need to gain her trust.Liar. I ignore the stray thought and the guilt it tries to stir inside me.
This is business. I need to remember that. My entire fortune is riding on this deal, and Cadence is simply a means to an end.Liar, my mind whispers again. Maybe that’s true, but lying has gotten me plenty of places in life, and lying to Cadence will get me her father’s company. She’s so honest and open, she’ll never see it coming. It’s a perfect opening to strike against her father, and it’s one I intend to exploit. Maybe then Cadence will be more careful with who she trusts.That’s a good thing, I tell myself. But it’s just another lie.
10
CADENCE
“What would Father do if he knew I was here?” I ask Sassy. She’s made herself right at home. My phone starts to ring. I grab my purse and rifle through it. It stops ringing momentarily only to start again. “It’s like he knows.”
There is only one person that calls me. My father. I haven’t gotten a chance to make any friends yet. I’ve met a few other girls that live in my building, but in the small conversations I had in passing with them, they always told strange lies. About things that didn’t matter. My dad thinks my little trick is a gift. When I was younger, I did too. But it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes I wish I could shut it off.
I guess one good thing is it allows me to spend time with my father. Sit in on some of his meetings. He’s always been so interesting to watch. Especially when it goes from others in the room to only him and me.
There’s a different side to him that I only know. Too bad he’s way overbearing when it comes to my safety. I’ve always wondered why that is. Especially to take it to the level that he does.
My thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of my phone again. “Crapsicles.” I turn my purse over, letting everything spill onto the bed finding my phone. “Hi!” I chirp.
“What is going on? Why did you take so long to answer?”
“I was in the shower,” I lie. If you can’t beat them, join them. Wait, do I beat them actually? Doesn’t always feel that way.
“It’s afternoon.”
“You know that you don’t have to only shower in the morning or at night. I could have been out for a jog.” The line goes quiet for a few seconds, then a low chuckle comes through. So low I think most would miss it.
“I don’t need a lie detector for that one.”
“Hey, I could take up jogging.”
“You fall going up the stairs.”
“Our stairs are black! It’s hard at night. That’s not fair.” I plop down on the bed next to Sassy, kinda missing my dad.
“I had runners and stair lights installed, and still you tripped.”
“Okay, you got me. I’m not jogging. What are you doing?” I pet Sassy, changing the subject to my father.
“Marshall is going to stop by in an hour.” I stop petting Sassy.
“Why?”
He pauses.
