Deceived - The Complete Series (31 page)

“Thomas, it’s not that. Please don’t do this. You’ve been so generous and I’ve told you time and time again that this is just about me...both of us really, needing our own space. You knew I was moving next week. Carla is out a week early. It’s only a week, Thomas. Please don’t make a big deal out of this, okay?”

“Obviously it is a big deal. You were dancing around like you just received your pardon from the Governor.”

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t meant to hurt your feelings. I wasn’t thinking...”

“Oh my God!” Joanne exclaimed. “What are you doing? Ang, you do not owe this...him, an apology. Come on; let’s go start packing you up.”

Thomas didn’t say another word...but Angela could tell by the look on his face that this was far from over.

*****

“A
ngela, Ana McAllister is here,” Marg poked her head in just before noon.

“Okay, great. Send her in please.”

A few minutes later Ana breezed in wearing a white jumpsuit and as usual, looking like she just stepped off of the runway in Milan. Angela stood up and went around the desk to give her a hug. “How are you? How was your trip?” Ana had just gotten back from Italy where their company was working on a new design for one of their sports cars.

“It was fabulous,” she said, dropping down into one of the plush, leather chairs. Angela sat down next to her and said,

“Is Italy as beautiful as I envision it?”

“It’s definitely a place you need to see someday. Have my brother take you to Tuscany on holiday...or better yet, have him marry you there.”

Angela laughed. “I’m not sure we’re anywhere near there,” she said.

“I wouldn’t be so sure my brother isn’t,” she said. “I talked to him in Chicago this morning and as I was trying to talk to him about business, all he wanted to do was gush over you. You’d think he was in high school all over again.”

Angela felt her face go hot. Steve was great at both telling and showing her how he felt, but it was nice to have confirmation as well. “Your brother is amazing,” she told Ana.

Ana rolled her eyes and said, “He’s alright,” with a smile. “So, do you have those photos for the layout for me?”

Angela reached over onto her desk and grabbed the file. Opening it up, she said, “They came out great...but they had a great subject to work with.”

Ana took one of the pictures featuring her brother and their new American sports car. She rolled her eyes again and said, “You’re as bad as he is. I want dibs on bridesmaid,” she said. Angela blushed again and acting like she hadn’t heard the last comment she said,

“I really like the third one from the left. I think the logo will fit nicely right above the car in that one.”

Ana perused the photos in her hand while Angela laid the rest out on the desk for her. Suddenly Ana asked, “Kim hasn’t been giving you any more trouble, has she?”

“No, actually Kim has been almost disturbingly quiet lately.”

“She has enough trouble with that nut she lives with,” Joanne said, walking in the door. Angela smiled at her and shook her head.

“Steve mentioned something like that...what’s the deal there?” Ana asked.

“I don’t really want to talk about it...”

“He’s a freak. He’s obsessed with her and she’s moving out...tonight, thank goodness!” Joanne said.

Ana furrowed her brow. “Is he really obsessed? That doesn’t sound good...”

“He’s just crushing hard,” Angela said, not positive why she was defending him. Mostly, she really didn’t want to talk about it. She would be moving her things tonight and that would be the end of it all...she hoped. “Anyways, let’s talk about something else,” she said, giving Joanne a hard look. Before anyone could say anything else, Marg stuck her head in the door.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Angela but there’s a courier here with a package for you. He needs you to sign.”

“Sure, send him in.” The courier came in and sat the package, an 8 x 10 Fed Ex envelope. She signed for it, thanked the courier and while Joanne and Ana chatted about friends they had in common, she slid the envelope open. She shook out the contents and audibly gasped. That drew Ana and Jo’s attention. They both also gasped when they saw the photos spilled out on her desk. They were three 8 x 10 glossy photos of a very naked Kim and Steve. They were date stamped for the night that Angela had dinner with Thomas...the night that Steve filled in for Ana and met with Kim at the bar.

“That mother-fucker!” Joanne exclaimed.

Ana looked up at her and Joanne said, “Oh honey I’m not talking about your brother. Thomas is responsible for this, I’m sure of it.”

Angela was holding back tears. She could feel an anxiety attack trying to take hold and she was doing everything in her power to hold it back. Ana looked at her and said, “Steve loves you Angela. I know my brother. He can’t stand this bitch. I don’t know what Joanne is saying...how this Thomas guy could be responsible...but honey something really freaky is going on here. I’ve never seen my brother as enthralled with a woman as he is with you.”

Angela still didn’t say anything. She didn’t trust herself. She was afraid as soon as she opened her mouth, the tears and anxiety would take hold. She took a deep breath and looked at Joanne. Joanne had tears in her own eyes. She looked like her own heart was breaking. “Tell her, Ang. Tell her what that freak has been doing to you.”

Ana and Jo were both staring at her. Angela felt a stray tear escape and roll down her cheek. She reached up and wiped it away before beginning. “There have been some really strange things going on. It started after I told Thomas I was looking for a place to move out. First, I was having these really bizarre dreams and Thomas was in them. Then I would wake up feeling like I hadn’t slept at all and I’d be sore all over...”

“Did you see a doctor?”

“Boy did she!” Joanne said. Angela gave her a look and Joanne looked chagrined and sat back in her chair.

“Yes, I saw a doctor. The doctor thought I was a drug addict. He said that I have “track marks” on my arm and that my system was positive for drugs. I’ve never taken anything stronger than a Tylenol in my entire life.”

“Son of a bitch! He’s drugging you? Jesus!” Ana looked shocked and Angela didn’t blame her. It really didn’t make any sense when you said it all out loud. Joanne sat forward in her seat and Angela looked at her quickly. The one thing she hadn’t told Ana was that she’s pregnant. She didn’t intend to and she didn’t want Joanne to either. She had to figure all of this out first. She gave Joanne a look and her friend’s face said she got it, although she wasn’t happy about it. She sat back and Angela looked down at the photos again. Suddenly Joanne sat back up and said,

“If Thomas is drugging you and...doing things to you, Kim could have just as easily drugged Steve, right?”

Ana had a hopeful look on her face now too. She sat forward and said, “The day I had Steve meet with her...the guy I went to meet is a client of this firm as well. He’s one of Kim’s personal clients...I introduced them. Shit! I knew he was acting strangely all weekend. He told me he wanted to “rekindle” what we had in college...but then he was all weird and distant with me. I wrote it off to him being a fickle asshole. What if it was all a set-up? That bitch Kim!”

“I don’t know,” Angela said, “God, I would love to believe that’s true...”

“I’ll find out. I’m going to track Carlo down today and bring him in here. Then they can both look me in the eye and tell me what they did to my brother.”

“No Ana...please, I’m out of there today. This is over. Please, I don’t want Steve to know any of this.”

Ana drew her brows together in the middle. “Why? I don’t understand. They deserve to be brought down. I’m pulling my account from this firm.”

“Please,” Angela looked at her with pleading eyes.

“I love my brother,” she said, “And I know he loves you.” She stood up then and said, “I have another meeting to get to, Angela. Are you going to be okay?”

Angela nodded and tried to force a smile. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not leaving her until we get all of her stuff moved and she’s safely tucked into her new apartment,” Joanne said.

“Good.” Ana hugged them both and left. Angela looked at Joanne and said,

“I don’t think she’s going to leave this alone.”

“Good,” Joanne said.

Chapter 7

“All of those blouses are going to be wrinkled. Don’t you want to leave them on the hangars?” Joanne asked her as she watched Angela throwing clothes into boxes.

“No, it’s fine. I just want to get out of here ASAP before Thomas gets home.”

Joanne sighed heavily. “I hate seeing you like this. You should let Ana help you. She has a lot of pull...”

“Pull with who, Jo? She can’t make Thomas less crazy and she can’t make me un-see what I’ve already seen, can she?”

Joanne went over and put her arm around her friend. “You know that she’s right...don’t you? Steve is in love with you. Whatever happened in those pictures...that had to be set up somehow.”

“It doesn’t matter. None of it matters anymore. I’m running scared from a man I thought was my best friend and the man I thought I wanted to spend the rest of my life with slept with my boss.” She could tell Joanne was about to argue with her again and before she could Angela said, “Whether it was volitional or not...he slept with her. Photos don’t lie. To top it all off, I may or may not be carrying the demon spawn in my womb. So really Jo, none of it matters. At this point all that matters is that I get the hell out of here without any more damage being done.”

Joanne knew her well enough to know when to back off. She went back to the box she was packing. Less than ten minutes passed when they heard Thomas’s key in the front door. Angela felt a fist of terror grip her heart. She suddenly realized that Thomas didn’t just make her nervous any longer...he scared the shit out of her. She looked at Joanne and mouthed, “Please.” Joanne nodded and started throwing things into the box at a quicker pace. Angela held her breath as she heard Thomas moving around in the living room. They already had several boxes stacked by the front door.

“Moving day?” he asked. Angela looked up and he was leaning against the door frame. For the first time she noticed how the muscles and veins bulged in his arms. He could do some serious damage to someone with his bare hands if he wanted to. For weeks she’d been saying that he would never hurt her...what if she was wrong, the way she’d been wrong about so many things where Thomas was concerned?

“Yeah, we’re going to take as many loads over as we can before it gets too dark.”

“Have to hurry and get the hell away from...What was it you called me, Joanne? Oh! That’s right, Norman Bates?”

“Thomas,” Angela’s voice was pleading. “Please, let’s not do this again.”

“Do what, Ang? I shouldn’t tell you how I feel? Okay then, maybe I’ll tell you how Blake would feel about all of this...”

“Shut the fuck up!” Joanne just could not keep her mouth shut.

“You stay the fuck out of it. This is my house and if you don’t like it you can take your dyke ass out of it.”

Joanne took a step towards him and Angela saw him stand taller...daring her. Angela put her hand on Joanne’s arm and said, “Jo...please. Why don’t you start taking some boxes down and let Thomas and I talk.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with him.”

“Why the fuck not? You think I’d hurt her?” Thomas was visibly shaking. Angela got the feeling it was taking everything he had to keep from hitting something...or someone.

“Of course she doesn’t think you’ll hurt me. Jo, please take the boxes down and let Thomas and I talk.” Joanne opened her mouth and Angela said, “Please!”

Joanne picked up a box and gave Angela a look filled with love. Then she gave Thomas one that seethed with hate. “I’ll be right back,” she said.

“We can’t wait,” Thomas spat. He did step out of her way and for that Angela was thankful. When Jo was gone Angela breathed in, trying to calm herself down and she said,

“Thomas, I know that you’re hurt by my leaving. I never wanted to hurt you. I just feel like this is the natural order of things. This was never supposed to be forever. I love you. I think you know that. I think you also know that I am so damned grateful for everything you’ve done for me. But I need my own space and you need yours. We will always be friends...”

“Your other friends are doing their best to keep us apart. You don’t think they’ll stop just because you don’t live here, do you?”

“They’re just worried about me. Thomas...I know that you’re in love with me. I’m so sorry that I can’t reciprocate that. But Blake was your best friend...and then you became mine...we’re like family and I never thought of you that way so it would be impossible for me to do that now. I don’t want to lose you in my life though and I won’t let what someone else thinks color my opinion of you.” Angela was beginning to wonder if she should have gone into acting. She was doing an academy award winning job. Thomas even looked like he might be buying it.

“So what am I supposed to do?” he asked in a shaky voice. For just a second, he let that shield he’d been wearing down and he was almost...vulnerable.

“Go on with your life. With me gone you’ll be able to start dating again and find a woman who loves you the way you deserve to be loved.”

“You’re going to walk out that door and out of my life,” he said, beginning to look agitated again, as if the very thought of it enraged him.

Angela felt like she had to get out of there. If she could just get out of this damned apartment, things would be okay again. She put her hand on his arm. He visibly flinched at her touch. “We both need space, Thomas. Some time apart to figure out the rest of our lives. Once things settle down and you have a chance to realize that this...obsession with me is not healthy, we can start over, okay?”

Thomas neither agreed nor disagreed. She felt the muscle tense in his arm under her hand and she let go of it. Joanne came back into the room...and Thomas left. She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe it was finally over.

*****

T
uesday morning when Kim got to the office, Ana McAllister was waiting for her. Kim smiled when she first saw her, but when she saw the look on Ana’s face, the smile fell off of hers. “Ana, you’re here bright and early.”