Deceived - The Complete Series (28 page)

“I would love nothing more than to wake up with you tomorrow morning...but since I took half the day off today, I really need to go into work.”

“That’s fine, just bring your things and get ready at my place.”

“It’s already seven baby. By the time I get my stuff and we get to Long Beach and we make love...”

“It would be a long night for a woman who was ordered by her doctor to get more rest, right?”

“Yeah...kind of. I’m sorry.”

He pulled her in with his hands on her hips and pressed his forehead to hers. “Don’t be sorry. Just promise me that you’ll rest.”

“I will, I promise.” She really was exhausted now and she really hoped that she could keep that promise. As usual lately, it will depend on what Thomas was up to. She kissed him again and he watched her go inside the building. Her heart ached when he got back into the car. She really wanted to go with him. She really wanted this all to be over. With a heavy sigh of resignation, she made her way up to the loft. As soon as she walked in the door, Thomas stepped out of the kitchen. The look on his face made her want to turn around and walk back out.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“I was with Steve,” she said. “Don’t yell at me. I thought we talked about all of this already. I don’t need to check in with you when I go out.”

“I dropped you off after your doctor’s appointment, Angela. You were sick...supposedly. You couldn’t go back to work. I was worried about you when I got home and there was no sign of you.”

Not wanting to argue with him further she said, “You’re right, I should have called or something. Steve came by and I was feeling better so we went out and got some lunch and we took a walk, I think the fresh air did me good as well. But, I am sorry that I worried you.”

That seemed to relax him a little bit, but she could see that he was still visibly very tense. “So, you ate already?” he asked her.

“Yeah, I’m really tired now so I think I’ll just take a quick shower and go to bed. Are you mad at me?”

“No, Ang. I’m not mad. I was worried. You just don’t seem to understand how much I worry about you.”

She mumbled another, “I’m sorry,” although she wasn’t. She was halfway down the hall when he said,

“By the way, you left your phone in my room.” She stopped dead in her tracks. She felt a surge of terror rush through her. She hadn’t even noticed it missing. She’d been so relaxed and comfortable with Steve today that she hadn’t let herself think of anything but him. She may have just made a deadly mistake. She shivered and tried to convince herself there was nothing “deadly” about her old friend. That was becoming harder and harder for her to do, especially when she finally convinced herself to turn around and she saw the look on his face as he held out her phone. It was one of smug satisfaction. He knew she’d been snooping and there was no way she could deny it at this point. She forced a smile. It felt foreign on her face. Then with a shaky voice that betrayed her fear she said,

“It was in your room?”

He smiled too. His didn’t reach his eyes and only served to intensify her fear. “Yeah, behind the door.” He let her take the phone from his hand and then he said, “Do you mind telling me what you were doing in my room...with the door closed?”

Angela’s mind was racing. What should she say here? Should she try turning it back on him about the escort card? She was sure he’d had time to come up with an explanation for that...so it was probably a moot point.
Damn it!
With her heart slamming against the inside of her chest she said,

“I was doing laundry. I just went in to look for dirty clothes. I was talking to my mother and I must have dropped it off the top of the laundry basket and not even noticed.”

He smiled again, this one looked even more sinister. “That would explain it; I guess...if I didn’t know you were digging in my nightstand drawers.”

Shit!
“I’m sorry, Thomas. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy. I honestly went in to look for dirty clothes and when I saw the drawer slightly open I was going to close it for you. But then I saw the cards...the one on top had my name on it...why is that?”

“I got a phone call from a real estate friend of mine the other day. I was considering helping you with your apartment search. She gave me some numbers for you to call. I was in the bedroom and grabbed one of the cards and started writing on it before I realized how inappropriate it would look to hand you a note on one of those.”

Plausible...but she wasn’t buying it. “You don’t want me to move. Why were you going to help me?”

“You just seem so stressed out lately, Ang. I honestly only want what’s best for you. I took down the numbers. It was right before you told me you found a place. I still have them if you’d like to see.”

She’s sure he did have them. Spending the day with Steve had given him all the time he needed to get things in order before she confronted him. “No, that’s okay. I believe you,” she lied. “Can I ask you about the cards though? Why would you even have those? There were a couple of other...questionable things in that drawer.”

He looked annoyed then as he said, “I’m an adult Angela. I’m a man. I have needs. I’ve never brought one here while you were home, so frankly, it’s none of your business, as is the rest of what is in that drawer. I don’t go snooping through your things or question you about your sex life.”

She hated to admit it, but he had a good point. She knew in her gut he was lying but at the moment, she didn’t want to argue with him. So she did what she knew would work with Thomas. She acted like she was remorseful as she said, “You’re right. I’m sorry. I won’t pry into your private life again.”

He didn’t look like he believed her even a little bit, but he smiled nonetheless and said, “Thank you. You should get some rest now. You look exhausted.”

She nodded and turned back towards her room. On the way past his she noticed the doorknob was silver...the rest of the knobs in the loft were burnished copper...as his had been only hours ago. This knob had a matching deadbolt right above it. Thomas had put a lock on his door.
Fuck!
Now she really needed to see what was in that room...but how? She pretended not to notice and continued into her bedroom. She closed the door and leaned up against it with her heart racing. What the hell has she gotten herself into? She was so tempted to just wait until he fell asleep and leave. Steve would be there in minutes if she called him...so would Joanne. If she had half a brain, she’d get the hell out now...but then she might never know all that he’d been up to. She put her hands across her belly. It was time to finally admit to herself what she was worried most about. The drugs in her system...waking up sore...getting pregnant in spite of being vigilant with her birth control...before she told Steve she was pregnant, she had to know the truth. She took another deep breath and headed into the bathroom. Maybe a long soak in the tub would clear her head and help her decide what to do.

Chapter 3

Angela woke up the next morning feeling better than she had in weeks...physically, anyways. She sat up and stretched and realized her body wasn’t sore today. She hadn’t had any strange dreams. She looked at her arms closely. She could feel the tiny bumps underneath them that led the doctor to believe she was taking drugs...but she still couldn’t see anything there. If Thomas was giving her drugs...he was really, really good. She didn’t want to believe her “friend” could actually be sick enough to sneak into her room at night and give her something to knock her out while he did...God knows what. But, her trusting and sometimes naïve nature had let her become way too involved in this mess with Thomas already. She had to stop thinking of him as the man she thought she knew. She threw back the covers and stepped out of bed. She needed to talk to someone who would take away any doubts she still had that Thomas was a freak. She needed to talk to Joanne.

As she was getting dressed and ready for work, she text Jo:
“I need to talk. Can you meet me for coffee before work?”

A few minutes later she got one back that said:
“I’m there. The Coffee Bean on Spring Street?”

“Perfect,”
she text back.
“I’ll see you soon.”

She finished getting ready and when she passed the hallway bathroom, she heard the shower. Thomas was in there. She stopped and looked at the door to his room. Quietly, she went over and tried it. It was definitely locked.
Damn it!
She made her way to the kitchen and the ring where Thomas hangs his keys. There was a key to the building and one to the front door. The same two keys he’d had on that ring as long as she had been here. She looked at his car keys next. There was nothing new there either. He was keeping the key close which made her believe seeing what was in that room was even more urgent than before. There was something in there that he really didn’t want her to see. She grabbed her own keys and picked up her purse and left. He would be annoyed again that she left without telling him.
Screw him!
She was so sick of this twisted game of his she was right on the verge of giving in and running away. She couldn’t do that though. She had to be strong and see this through.

Joanne was waiting for her when she got to the Coffee Bean. She’d already ordered her a latte and as soon as she sat down her friend said, “You look more rested today. What happened at the doctor yesterday?”

“Kind of a lot,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee. “Let me get through it first, okay? Then, I’ll try and answer your questions. I have to get to work on time, so I don’t have a lot of time.”

“Okay, I’m listening,” Joanne said, taking a long sip of her own coffee.

“The doctor said a lot. He said there where drugs in my system. The kind of drugs that would knock me out and not let me remember things. The nurse said I have “tracks” on my arms. You can’t see them, but if you run your hand along my arm, you can feel a few bumps underneath.” Joanne’s face was red and it looked like she was going to have a seizure if she couldn’t say what was on her mind...but to her credit, she held back.

Angela took a breath and went on. “He also said that I’m pregnant.” That elicited a squeak from Joanne. Angela smiled at her. She really was a good friend. “I took the rest of the day off work after that and I searched Thomas’ room. I found some creepy escort cards. One girl looked like me and had my name written over hers. Then I found a “secret” door in Thomas’s closet. I think it’s an attic, but he’s definitely using it. I only got a peek, but there are pictures all over the walls.”

Joanne finally couldn’t stand it. She said, “Pictures of what?”

Angela shook her head. “I don’t know. I didn’t get a good look, it was too dark. Steve knocked on the door and I went to let him in. I didn’t want him to know what I found...”

Joanne lost it then. “Why the hell not? Please God tell me that you at least left with Steve and didn’t go back, Angela!”

“I left with him...but I went back. I’m an idiot, Jo. I left my phone in Thomas’s room. He confronted me and I made up a dumb reason for it. He didn’t believe me. I confronted him about the escort cards and he made up a dumb reason for that. I didn’t believe him. We were at a standoff and I was willing to leave it there for a bit...and then I saw that he’d changed the doorknob on his bedroom. He put a deadbolt on it. There’s something in that room upstairs that he really doesn’t want me to see.”

“Son of a bitch. I knew he was a lunatic! You have got to get out of there now. If you’re not ready to live with Steve until your place is ready, then you come stay with me. I’ll sleep on the couch. You can’t stay with that freak! You need to tell Steve and the police...”

“Jo, listen to me, please. I have nothing to call the police about. I have no proof he drugged me. I have no proof that he is anything other than a horny asshole with those cards...”

“Oh honey, he is so much more than that. Please tell me you do realize that now.”

“I do. I know that you’re right. But, I need more time. I need to prove it. I need to see what’s in that room. As it is now, he could easily talk his way out of everything and I’m the one that looks like the nutcase.”

She could almost see the wheels turning in Joanne’s head as she processed it all. When she looked back up at Angela, she had tears in her eyes. “You’re pregnant?” was what she said.

Angela nodded. “Before I tell Steve, I have to be sure, do you understand?”

Joanne nodded slowly. “I don’t like it,” she said, “But I do understand it. You’re not going through this alone though.” She finished her coffee and looked at her watch. “We both have to get to work now, but you’ve just met your shadow for the next week. I’ll pick you up for lunch and I think maybe I’ll bring Chinese for dinner tonight, does that sound good?”

With tears in her own eyes, Angela got up and hugged her friend. “Thank you,” she told her.

“I love you. I’m not going to let that freak do any more damage to you than he already has.”

Angela nodded. “But Jo, don’t provoke him, okay? I don’t want him doing anything to you either.”

“Me? Provoke him? I would never!”

“Jo, I mean it...”

Joanne laughed. “I know you do,” she said. “I’ll be good, but not too nice. If I’m too nice he’ll know something is up.”

Angela smiled and said, “True story.”

“I’ll see you for lunch,” Jo said before leaving. Angela headed to work. She felt a little lighter just knowing someone else knew. The fact that someone else was her best friend who always had her back made it even better.

*****

T
homas was visibly annoyed when Joanne showed up with the Chinese food that evening. He’d already tried to take Angela out for lunch and she told him she had plans with Joanne. Then when they both got home that evening he asked what she wanted to do for dinner and before she answered him, Joanne was on the doorstep.

“Wow, breakfast, lunch and dinner?” Thomas asked as she walked in with arms laden with food.

“Yeah, but don’t worry, I ordered enough won-tons for you to have one.” Thomas narrowed his eyes at her and said,