Axe’s Fall(10)

Baylee glanced at the empty spot next to where she’d slept. He was gone. She had no idea when he left; she hadn’t heard him leave. After hours of sex in various positions, she’d finally collapsed, sated and exhausted, sleep quickly overtaking her. Scanning the room, she noticed he didn’t leave anything like a phone number or a note telling her how wonderful she was, or that he was so smitten he wanted to see her again.

Okay, Baylee, just stop. You had a one-night stand with a gorgeous stud, but it was all about the sex. Don’t make anything more of this. It was obvious he hadn’t. She was sure he probably did this type of thing on a regular basis. She was just another fun night for him. But wasn’t that what she wanted? Hadn’t she been the one who said she didn’t want to know any personal information, not even his name? He’d complied with her wishes, so why was she miffed? Why did she feel slighted that he hadn’t left her a note, hadn’t woken her before he left?

He’d just slipped away, like a thief in the night, after robbing her of her humdrum sex life. How in the hell am I ever going to enjoy sex again after last night?

Baylee sighed then lay back down, trying to shut out the memories of Axe’s soft, warm lips on her body. It was a one-night stand. She’d never see him again, and that was fine; she was too busy for anything that involved any emotion other than lust anyway. Her sexual rendezvous was mind-blowing and should last her for quite a while. Thinking she’d take advantage of the quiet of the room, she closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.

* * *

Monday morning blues affected a lot of people, but not Baylee. She loved Mondays and greeted them with a spring in her step, ready to finish old projects so she could start new ones.

At twenty-five years old, Baylee had her professional life mapped out. She was a junior associate at Derry, Decker, and Vale Architecture Firm. She was the only female architect in the office, expected to do twice as good a job as the male associates just to break even, but she didn’t care because she could run circles around them. The other two associates, Kirk and Logan, resented that she worked so hard. They thought she was trying to outshine them—and in a way, they were right—but making partner was important to her. It was a validation of her abilities but, more importantly, it was a tribute to her mother.

Baylee’s mother had been an architect too, and she’d inspired Baylee to follow in her footsteps. Some of Baylee’s earliest memories were of the two of them building neighborhoods and towns out of Legos. Baylee was happy she had those memories, because her world went dark the night her mother was murdered. As hard as she tried over the years to remember what had happened that night, what the man had looked like who’d killed her mother, she couldn’t. Though recently, the dark shadows that lurked out of focus in the corners of her mind had begun to take on some more distinctive shapes. Maybe it’ll come back to me eventually.

That was what her therapist had told her would happen. Dr. Scott said that as time went by, the shadows would become clearer, and she’d start to remember small things. He’d explained that something, anything really—a scent, a sight, a taste, a sound—could trigger the memories, and then they would come quickly. He’d done his best to prepare her for that, but even after all these years, her recollections of that night were still pretty fuzzy. She wished she could remember so justice for her mother could be served. The killer was never found, and he continued to roam about, a free man who was probably killing other women.

The thought made her shudder.

The phone rang, breaking into her thoughts.

“Good morning, Katie,” she greeted her secretary.

“Good morning, Ms. Peters. Mr. Decker would like you to bring the blueprints for the strip mall project.”

“Tell him I’ll be there in ten.”

Baylee looked out her office window at the tall buildings, the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains reflected in their mirrored windows. She was so grateful to Gary Decker for giving her this job. After college, Baylee had applied to many firms around the Denver metro area, but none of them had called her back. As a last resort, she asked her dad to speak with Gary and Bob Derry. They had started the architectural firm with her mother twenty-five years before, and over the years, her dad and the two men had become good friends.

Two days after he’d spoken with them, they’d hired her. And for the past two years, she’d worked her ass off to prove to them that they hadn’t made a mistake. Gary and Bob were more than pleased, and the newest partner, Warner Vale, couldn’t say enough good things about her. She was one of the two they were considering for partner next year. Baylee couldn’t be happier. She just wished her mother had lived to see this day. Baylee knew she would have been proud.