"He deserves everything coming to him," Jaqui spat. "Stealing state secrets to make a profit? I hope he goes to jail and rots."
I wanted to crawl under a rock and die.
I was scum. I was less than scum.
"When our Aria is in the senate, she won't tolerate stuff like that," Gus announced proudly. "You'll be one of the good ones."
"Yeah, right." I was already a disappointment.
I handed off the coffees to Gus and went up to my office. There I promptly deleted the picture file off my phone. I felt like washing my phone off with soap or possibly burning it just to make sure the file was gone. It didn't feel clean enough just to delete it. I restarted it several times just to be sure.
I couldn't do this.
I wouldn't do this.
Chapter 14
I left work feeling hopeful, but exhausted. I'd worked hard all day. I didn't take any more pictures of documents for my stepmother. I was done with that. It felt rather liberating. I would record a few more of our conversations and I could go to the authorities with what I had.
I was going to win. I wouldn't end up like that congressman.
I talked to Henry on the phone while I rode the train home. It wasn't very private, but it was good to hear his voice. He was busy with work, but made sure to take time to call me. He was excited to see me on Tuesday.
He was tired of hearing me eating out all the time, so he wanted to see if he could teach me how to cook something more than ramen noodles and chicken nuggets. As such, I was responsible for picking up groceries. He'd sent me a list of things I needed to buy for our meal. I had my grocery list ready for tomorrow's shopping.
I had no idea what panko breadcrumbs were, but I was going to find them and buy them.
The sky was still light pink with shades of bruised purple as I rode the elevators up to my apartment. I was too tired to take the stairs. I just wanted to go home, take a shower, curl up in bed, and sleep for a week.
Unless Henry could come over. Then I wouldn't need to sleep at all, though I would insist on the shower.
The elevator doors opened and I stepped out to find my stepmother standing in the hallway next to my apartment door.
I blinked twice, sure that I was seeing things, but she was really standing there in white slacks and a pricey black satin blouse. Today she wore a Louboutin purse and over-sized sunglasses.
"Audrey?" I still wasn't sure she was actually at my apartment. As far as I knew, she had never been here. Besides, I'd seen her and given a report just a few days ago. I had been sure I still had a few more weeks before she would want results.
She was the absolute last person I wanted to see today.
"What in the world are you wearing?" Audrey held up her nose like she smelled something bad. I doubted she could smell me from that far, but I knew I smelled of nervous sweat and spilled coffee.
"I really don't want to talk to you today," I told her, putting my key in the lock. "Can we please do this another time?"
"No. We're doing this now." Audrey's polite veneer disappeared. She put her hand on the door, making sure that I wasn't going to keep her out. She was not in a good mood.
Great. I was going to have to let this crazy woman into my home.
Audrey waltzed into my apartment as soon as the lock clicked. While she looked away, I turned on the recording app on my phone. She looked around and sniffed. She held her bag closer to her as if my cheap things might rub off on her.
"Please, come inside," I said sarcastically as I followed after her, making sure to leave an easy way out. I knew better than to get between an angry animal and its escape route. I headed to the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink? I'm having wine."
I pulled out a bottle of wine from my fridge. It was white and from the five dollar bin, so just my kind of wine.
"If it isn't Chateau d'Yquem, I'm not interested," Audrey replied. She took off her sunglasses, carefully putting them in her bag. I noticed that her eyes looked different than usual. Tired. Frightened.
I wondered what could do that to her. She usually looked like the epitome of class. Today, she looked haggard.
I poured my wine into a regular drinking class. I had wine glasses, but I knew that putting it in the wrong glass would annoy her.
"I don't have anything for you today," I told her, wiping the back of my hand across my mouth.
"That is a shame," Audrey replied. Her eyes narrowed. "Especially since I know you've come into information I requested."
I thought of my deleted photo, but kept my face smooth. "Then your reports are wrong."
Fire flashed through Audrey's green eyes, but then quickly disappeared. "I'm sure you've heard about Congressman Smith by now," she said, changing the direction of the conversation. "It's a terrible thing."
I nodded apprehensively. "He was caught selling secrets."
She smiled, but it was cold and cruel.
"No. I was selling secrets. He's taking the fall."
I took a step back, surprised. "What?"
She waved her hand through the air. "I'm not telling you this to brag, dear. I'm telling you to make a point," she explained. "Smith crossed me. He was supposed to give me the information and I was to be the broker. He decided to cut me out."
I couldn't believe she was telling me all of this. Hope sprang up in my chest. My phone was recording all her confession. I had her. I just had to keep looking surprised.
"You told the authorities he did it," I whispered. "You told them and they arrested him."
"You are smarter than you look," she sneered. Her usual elegance was missing tonight. Tonight there was an edge of madness. She was desperate and I wasn't sure I wanted to know why.
"I don't have anything for you," I repeated. "I need more time."
"That is a shame." She shook her head. "You see, I have bills to pay. Smith's info was going to pay them. Only now, I'm out an informant." Her eyes went to me and I squirmed.
"I can't give you what I don't have," I repeated. My mind raced. "I mean, I do have the research for Anastasia."
She waved her hand through the air, dismissing my words. "You think I care about that? I need those documents, Aria. And I need them now. My customers are not patient people."
"I need more time. I got put on another project," I lied. "I've been double tasked, triple if you count the research. I am trying, though."
"Too busy to take photos like this?" She held up her phone, showing me the document I'd taken a picture of earlier. I stared in disbelief. There was no way she could have that. I had deleted it. I knew I had deleted it.
"And that recording you have going right now," she motioned to my phone sitting out on the counter. "You'll find it stopped working."
"How did you... how?" I stumbled over the question, unable to even form it properly.
Audrey shrugged. "I'd have been disappointed if you hadn't at least tried. I am a little amazed at how pathetic an attempt it was. I have no idea how you're going to make it as a senator, darling."
My heart sunk. She had the document. I had no idea how she had it, other than she had hacked my phone. Which made sense if she knew about the recording.
Audrey's voice was low and dangerous as she lowered her eyes to mine. "You have until the end of next week. That should be more than enough time."
"I'll get you something," I promised. My knees were shaking behind the kitchen counter. I'd never seen Audrey like this. She was dangerous. I didn't know what was safe anymore.
"No, you'll get me everything," she said softly. "You'll give me every damn scrap of paper in that entire worthless building."
I gasped.
"And since you're making me wait, I'm going to release something on your father." A cruel grin spread across her face. "Just to show you that I'm not kidding around. You're swimming with the sharks now, Aria."
"Please, I promise to get what you want," I stammered. My father's face flashed in front of my eyes. "Please. Don't release anything."
"No. You need a lesson." She looked around the room and scoffed. "And don't worry. It won't be too damaging. It's just a reminder that I own you."
"Please, Audrey. I'll get you what you want." I had no idea how I was going to do that. The last thing in the entire world I wanted to do was give her any information.
"Yes, you will." Her face hardened and I trembled as she looked at me. "Because if you don't, you'll end up just like Smith. Imagine how easy it would be for them to find paperwork from your office at my home. If anyone goes down for this, it's not going to be me. It will always be you. I've made sure of it."
Her threat made, she turned and sashayed out of my apartment.
"Don't forget, dear. Next Monday. All of it," she called out as she went to the elevator. I thought she was gone when she suddenly reappeared. "I will need that research."