Rochelle shook her head. “No, you’re right. No woman wants that in her face.” Stepping back, she looked up and asked, “So what are we gonna do?”
Sighing deeply, he replied, “For one more week, we’re gonna keep the attention on us and not on her. By the end of the week, the force and DEA will get whatever they can out of this case and wrap the rest of the shit up. I’ll walk away knowing I did the best I could to bring down the top men, but the bottom line is that at the end of the week, I. Walk. Away.”
She nodded. “Yeah, me too. I want to keep climbing higher in the DEA, so I am hoping this punches my ticket. I’m just sorry for the collateral damage to a friend.”
With this, the two of them parted ways as Shane slipped off into the night. He had something to take care of and nothing was going to stand in his way.
Chapter 14
Annie made it up the stairs to her apartment before letting the tears take over. Making her way over to her sofa she collapsed, sobbing into the cushions. How could I have been so gullible? How can I be so book-smart and so man-dumb? How could I have given myself to him over and over and not even known who he really was? The silence of the night gave no answers to her questions. As her sobs began to slow, she stayed face-planted on the sofa.
After a few minutes, a wet nose pressed into her ear. Turning her head, she saw the familiar face of Boo nuzzling her face. Moving her hand down off of the sofa, she felt the other two pressing against her.
Sitting up, she leaned back. Her eyes landed on the security box next to the back door. She slid her glance over looking at the one next to the front door. Why would he set up an expensive security system if he was just playing me?
Snorting as she stood up, she looked down at Boo saying, “I guess even a player can feel guilty.”
“Meow,” was the only response she received as three cats swirled around her legs.
“Oh babies, I’m sorry,” she sniffled. “I forgot to feed you before I left.” She walked into the little kitchen, getting their food out of the cabinet. Scooping it into their individual dishes, she watched as they lined up side by side to eat, each keeping an eye on the others to make sure they didn’t snatch food from their bowl. Once finished, they swirled around her legs for a moment before they plopped down in the living room to bathe.
“Oh, to be a cat. One owned by me,” she said wistfully. Needs always met. Life always stable. Food. Water. A warm bed. A sunspot occasionally. If only my life could be so easy.
Grabbing a bottle of wine from the fridge, she headed to her to her bathroom. Stripping, she quickly showered wishing the hot water could wash off the night’s memories. He looked so amazing. Tall and handsome. Moving to the music. His hands on the woman’s hips. She was grinding on him. Stop! Stop thinking about it!
Turning off the water, she stepped out of the shower and quickly pulled on short pajama bottoms with a matching camisole. Brushing her teeth, her mind wandered back. He wasn’t smiling. He didn’t look like he was enjoying himself. Her reflection stared back at her in the mirror. “What are you doing?” she asked herself. “Are you trying to find excuses for his behavior?”
Leaning in closer to the mirror, she said, “Face it, girl. You got played. Huge. So pull up your big-girl panties and get over him.” Slamming her toothbrush back into the holder, she flipped off the light and headed to bed.
Crawling under the covers, she wondered if sleep would come. Unable to stop its path, another tear slid down her face onto the pillow just as sleep claimed her.
* * *
Sometime during night, Annie dreamed of being visited. She was vaguely aware of having a warm, hard body pressed up to her back. A heavy leg thrown over hers with an arm across her waist pulling her in tightly. Warm. Cocooned. Safe. What a strange dream she thought, as her exhausted mind slid back into sleep.
Awaking the next morning, her swollen eyes tried to open to the little bit of light that was coming in through her bedroom window. Lying in bed for a few minutes, she slowly allowed her mind to wander. Suddenly remembering the feeling of having someone in bed with her last night, her eyes flew open as she jerked her body around.
The bed was empty. I must be losing my mind. Pressing her fingers to her eyes, she noticed Boo lying on the end of the bed. She leaned over to make the bed when she noticed that the other pillow was indented as though someone’s head had lain there.
“Boo, did you sleep with me last night?” she asked. Unable to stop herself, she picked up the pillow noticing that it had no cat hair on it. But it had a scent. Shane. Tossing the pillow down she sprinted into the living room to see if he was there. Empty. The room looked just like she left it last night. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she stood and stared. At the room. At nothing. Was it a dream?