Some were green with envy, but even they were happy for me. Though they weren’t shy about telling me they wish we could trade places.
I accepted it all as friendly banter. Solomon was after all a very handsome man. Any woman would want to call him her own. One look from those piercing blue eyes would make any female feel weak. The fact that he’s so completely unconventional, with his shoulder length hair and his air of reserved coolness. He’s my own personal dream. No wonder Jessica refuses to give up.
When I first saw her in his office I was half ready to bolt. But I reminded myself of all he’d said last night, felt the weight of the ring on my finger, and it gave me the boldness I needed to step into the room. Now I’m glad I did
The phone buzzed with a text just as I got into my car. I knew my security was behind me so I waved to them as I turned the key before reading the screen. I hadn’t heard from this particular person in a while. Not since the day after I’d been left standing on a sidewalk in a dangerous part of town.
She’d explained it away as having given me the wrong address by mistake and I accepted her excuse. White Rabbit is someone I’d met online. From some of the things she’d said I think she’s someone in my circle, but she refuses to tell me who. Now she’s inviting me shopping.
The store she mentioned wasn’t on Solomon’s ‘Don’t’ list, and the idea of buying something nice and sexy to surprise him with tonight sold me on the plan. I called the leader of my team and told her where I was headed and took off for the mall.
Of course the place was crawling with teenagers since all the schools were out early and I even saw a few people I knew. I headed for the store and not seeing her, she’d told me what she would be wearing; I perused the racks and shelves until she showed up.
I found something I liked just as another text came through. ‘Where are you?’ it said. I answered and was told that she was already in the dressing room and that I should come there. I didn’t think anything of it.
Sure I hadn’t met her as yet, but I was expecting to find one of my friends waiting for me back there. We’ll have a good laugh about all the things we’d shared in text and I’d have a new friend, someone I’d already confided in.
The dressing room wasn’t too crowded when I walked in and the attendant was just leaving. “I’ll be right back, I have to find something in a different size for a customer.” She left and I walked down the aisle.
The stall at the very end was occupied; she must be in there. I was already smiling as I walked over and knocked on the door. “White Rabbit, are you in there?” The door opened slightly and I couldn’t see who was behind it.
My hand was grabbed and I was pulled inside and just before I could ask what the hell, something was thrown over my head. I started to struggle but there was a strong pungent scent of something awful that burned my eyes and nose. After the first blow, everything went dark.
21
Solomon
“Sir, we’ve got a problem.” I’d just ended one meeting and was getting ready for the next when my phone went off. I hadn’t read the screen believing it was Alexandra, as she was now in the habit of calling me to tease me unmercifully.
She had a lot of tricks up her sleeve that one. She knew that I couldn’t leave the office just yet, so her thing was to get me hot and bothered so I could devour her when I got home.
The words were like ice water thrown over my head. It cooled my ardor immediately. “What do you mean?” It was the head of her team, so the problem must involve her. “Alexandra went shopping. We followed her into the store but stayed back when she went into the dressing room. We hadn’t seen anyone go in or out, except the store clerk.”
“What are you trying to tell me? Stop beating around the bush.” I was already on my feet with my heart in my throat.
“She’s been hurt. Someone attacked her in the dressing room.”
“How bad, where is she?” I couldn’t breathe.
“We took her to the hospital sir.”
I left the office at a run and didn’t spare my secretary a glance when she called after me.
I got to the hospital in twenty minutes. Twenty of the longest minutes of my life. One of her team was waiting at reception for me and took me up to the room where she was being tended. “How is she?”
“She’s coming around. She was out of it when we found her. It looks like they used chloroform or something stronger. The scent was still in the air when we found her.” I sped towards the room where a doctor was still leaning over her. There was a bandage wrapped around her head and my first sight of her face made me see red.
I turned back to her team. “Find who did this.” They left in a hurry and I went to her side ignoring the doctor who was asking who I was. I took her hand in mine and brought it to my chest. “Baby, can you hear me? Open your eyes.” Her hand felt empty in mine and it was then I realized her ring was gone.
“Where’s her ring?”
“She wasn’t wearing one. I can ask the attending nurse but I happened to be on the ward when they brought her in and I don’t remember seeing anyone remove one.”
Had she been robbed? Was that it? He left to go inquire about the ring as I sat thinking. What was it her security had said? Chloroform? What kind of thief went to those lengths? It didn’t make sense. Someone had to be waiting for her in that dressing room. But how did they know she would be there?
My mind worked over everything I knew so far but until I got the evidence from the store I wouldn’t know shit. She moaned my name with her eyes still shut. “I’m here babydoll open your eyes.”
She moaned in pain and I gritted my teeth. I wanted to leave and find the one responsible but I couldn’t leave her. The doctor returned with the news that no one had seen the ring. I had the sudden thought that there was only one person who would take it in that way. But things weren’t adding up there either. My head was too hot to think straight. I needed to settle down first and then maybe I could see clearly again.
I sat next to her bed for what seemed like hours until she finally woke up. She grimaced in pain and called out for me. “I’m right here little one, everything’s going to be okay.” I hadn’t protected her. Even with the best security someone had got to her on my fucking watch. My mind already knew the guilty, but I couldn’t confront her unless I knew for sure.
I buzzed for the nurse and she came in followed by the doctor who went straight to her.
“Can I take her home? She doesn’t like hospitals.”
“Now that she’s awake it should be okay, just let me look her over again. There’s going to be pain for the next few days but there’s no lasting damage.” He said some other things that I needed to do to see to her comfort before writing out a prescription, and once again I carried her like a baby in my arms.
I held her in my arms as the driver took us home and she slept. I had to hold my anger at bay. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that Jessica was behind the attack. I can’t strangle her ass because she’s pregnant, but I will find a way to make her pay if she is indeed the one behind it.
22
Solomon
I called mom as soon as I got her settled in our bed. Whatever the doctor had given her for pain before we left had knocked her out, so I didn’t feel guilty for leaving her. I wanted her fucking ring back and put my team on it. Knowing Jessica she wouldn’t keep the ring herself, how could she? It’s not like she could wear it without it being noticed.
“Check all the pawn shops first.” I gave the order before instructing my driver to take me to her place. By the time we pulled up outside, I was in a murderous rage. I slammed out of the car and jogged up the stairs to her door.
She answered the doorbell with a questioning look on her face. “Solomon, whatever are you doing here? I thought you said all you had to say today.” I couldn’t help myself. My hand went around her neck and I pushed her back into the wall before closing the door with my foot.
“If I find out that you were the one who put hands on her, there isn’t a rock big enough for you to climb under.” She pulled at my hand and I gave serious thought to ending her miserable life right then and there. It was only the child and not having all the evidence that stayed my hand.
She coughed and clutched at her throat once I let her go. “What are you talking about?”
“I know it was you. I don’t know how you did it, but I know. You better hope she gets better with no lasting effects or child or no child, I will wait until you give birth and drop your ass off a cliff.”
“How dare you? I guess this little tirade is because of your precious ward. What am I supposed to have done to her now?”
“You know what you did. By the way, if that ring isn’t back on her finger by tomorrow I’m cutting the allowance in half. It will continue to go down by a thousand each day after that.”
“You can’t do that. I have nothing to do with what you’re saying. If the little tart got herself…” I turned a look so ferocious on her she took a few steps back and shut the fuck up.
“Be fucking warned, this is the last time. You even look at her shadow in passing I’ll wring your fucking neck.”