If It Walks Like A Killer (The Carolina Killer Files #1) (4 page)

Chapter Eight

Caide

Caide drove to the office the next morning, unsure of what to expect. As he pulled up he noticed several people standing around a tow truck, attempting to tow Blaire’s car.

Damn.
He’d forgotten all about leaving her without a car.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked defensively to the tattooed man whose sleeveless shirt introduced him as Smittie. “That’s an employee’s car. You have no right.”

The man turned to him, holding a clipboard and reeking of cigarette smoke. “Who are you?”

Caide huffed. “I’m Caide Abbott, executive assistant here at Mason and Meachum. Now, that is an employee’s car you are towing. She has every right to park here.”

“Listen buddy, all I know is I got a call to come pick up a car with four flat tires. I don’t see any others around here, do you?”

“Flat tires?” He looked to see all four tires sitting flat on the rims.

Just then, Blaire burst out of the door, looking distraught. “Caide?”

“Blaire? What happened?”

Blaire shook her head. “Someone slashed my tires last night.”

“Did you call the cops?”

“I did. They filed a report but there are no witnesses and we only have cameras on the inside so they’ll be of no help. They didn’t seem optimistic that they’d find anything. It was probably just some kids acting out.”

“I’m so sorry. I can’t believe it. We’ve never had any trouble here before.”

“I know it. Meachum’s talking about installing security cameras outside now.”

“Listen,” he said, pulling her out of earshot of the tow truck, “about last night—”

“Don’t. Just don’t. I don’t want to hear it. Let’s just forget about it, okay?”

“You’re sure? I just wanted to say—”

“I just can’t hear it today, Caide. Not with everything else going on. Just forget it, please.”

He nodded, following her into the building, and telling himself there was nothing he’d like more than to forget it.

***

Rachael

Rachael heard the doorbell ring from the kitchen. She stood up, sitting Davis in her seat. “Don’t move, okay? Keep my seat warm. I’ll be right back.”

Davis nodded, watching intently as his sister tried to put the Little Mermaid puzzle together again. Rachael walked to the door, wondering who to expect. As she got to the door a smile filled her face. “Audrey?” she shouted, pulling the door open and lugging her best friend into a hug. “I’ve missed you. It’s been way too long.”

“I know, Rach. I’ve missed you too, so much. I’m sorry I haven’t called in a while. John and I have just been so busy.”

“Wait? John? So there is still a John? The last time I talked to you, you were both ready for a divorce.”

“Gosh, has it been that long?” she asked, dropping her purse to the ground. “He asked me to go to therapy. You know after I lost the baby, I just sort of lost touch with everything. It was a last resort, but our therapist is amazing. You’d love her. I swear she’s a miracle worker. We’re happy now; actually I have some big news.”

“What?” Rachael asked, her gaze wandering to Audrey’s flat tummy.

“No.” She rubbed her stomach. “Not that. We’re moving back home.”

“What?”

“We put a down payment on a house yesterday. It’s over on Hillsboro. It’s so adorable, Rach, you’re going to love it.”

“That’s amazing, Audrey. I’m so glad to have you home, the kids will be too. We’ve missed you so much.” She pulled her into another hug. “I’m glad to hear you and John are doing better. He’s good for you. I’ve always thought that.”

Audrey smiled. “Thanks, Rach. So tell me about you all. What’s been going on?”

“Oh you know La Rue, nothing new ever happens. Although you did miss a bit of drama last week. We had a car wreck.”

“A wreck, oh my God, Rachael. What happened? Was anyone hurt?”

“Not seriously, no. Just a few scrapes and bruises. Poor Davis got the worst of it.”

“Davis? Oh Rachael. I haven’t even met him yet. Has it really been two years since I’ve last seen you? Can I meet him?”

“Of course.” Rachael couldn’t believe how quickly the time had passed. She led her into the kitchen. “Brin, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Her daughter’s eyes immediately lit up as she jumped from her chair to Audrey’s waiting arms. “Aunt Audrey.”

“Oh, Brin-Brin, I’ve missed you so very much. Look how big you’ve gotten. I can barely hold you up anymore.”

Brinley smiled at this, hugging her neck.

“And who is this handsome fellow?” Audrey playfully rubbed Davis’ hair.

He ducked behind the back of his chair, hiding his face shyly. Rachael approached him, smiling brightly.

“Davis, darling, this is your Aunt Audrey. Can you say hello?”

Davis looked from his mother to Audrey and back a few times. “Hello,” he mumbled finally under his breath.

“You know, the last time I saw you,” Audrey told him, “you were just a tiny little baby inside your Mommy’s tummy. You didn’t even have a name yet.”

“He didn’t have a name?” Brinley asked, astonished.

“That’s right, not at first, but I think your mommy and daddy picked out the best name of all. In fact, can I have it?”

“No,” Davis cried.

“Please? I want it. I’ll be Davis from now on,” she teased.

“No! I Davis.” He laughed.

Audrey held out her arms for him. “Oh, fine. You’re Davis. I can’t believe I’m just meeting you, little guy. I love you so much.” She kissed his cheek.

“So, do you guys want help with this puzzle? Who is that? Ariel?” Audrey pulled up a chair, holding Davis in her lap.

Rachael smiled. Before she could sit down her phone rang. “Will you watch them for a second?”

Audrey nodded, already invested in the puzzle. Rachael ran to the living room, searching for where she’d last laid the phone. She found it, finally, mixed in a pile of toys.

“Hello?”

“Rach, it’s me.”

“Hey, Caide, is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. I just wanted to let you know I’m—”

“Let me guess. You’re going to be late again?”

He paused, heaving a sigh. “Mason’s client is about to walk, we just have to put together a closing argument. He’s a big client, babe. We can’t afford to lose this one.”

“You were out late last night too. We miss you. Your kids miss you. Please just come home tonight, just one night.”

“I don’t have a choice.”

“You know, I thought after the accident things would be different. I thought maybe you’d change. Guess I was just kidding myself.”

“Look, I’m in with Mason now. I promise I’ll try. I’ll see you tonight.”

“This evening, Caide.”

“Right. See you then.”

“Okay, be careful.”

There was silence on the other end of the line, Rachael stared at the phone screen hearing the dial tone that let her know the call was over. “I love you too.”

Chapter Nine

Caide

Caide hung up the phone, looking around his empty office. His desk was piled high with paperwork but he couldn’t keep Blaire out of his mind long enough to focus and get anything done. She hadn’t stopped in to see him all day, which had Caide worried. He knew she was hurt, and she had every right to be, but she’d never stayed mad at him for so long before. He knew he had no right to be upset with her, but he was. For the past seven years Blaire had been there for him even when he’d pushed her away. When he and Rachael had nearly split up before she became pregnant with Davis, it was Blaire he’d run to. When he’d heard there were going to be complications with the pregnancy, it was Blaire who’d listened to his worst fears. When he was stressed over work, Blaire had made it all better. He’d never meant to fall for her but after years of never admitting to himself how he felt, last night had made it clear. It had never hurt so much to be ignored.

He’d watched his door like a hawk, waiting to see the knob turn, to smell that vanilla perfume, but it hadn’t happened. If he wanted to see her, it was clear he’d have to make the first move. Until he talked to her, until he cleared the air, the pile of work on his desk wasn’t going to be touched. He walked out of his office with determination only to find that she was leaving Mr. Mason’s office, his hand on her back.

“Well, just make sure you collaborate with Caide about any potential candidates and let me know when you have a decision. I know you’ll make the right choice, you two make a great team,” he shook his head, “It’s a shame. It won’t ever be the same around here.”

Blaire nodded politely and walked to her desk, eyeing Caide suspiciously.

“Candidate for what?”

“Excuse me?” she asked defiantly.

“What candidates? What was he talking about?”

She smiled, looking down and beginning to type something on her computer. “The candidates for Mason and Meachum’s new secretary.”

“What? They need two?”

“They need one. I put in my notice.” The words hit him hard. He waited for her to smile, to say she was kidding, but she didn’t. Instead she continued to type, avoiding his eye contact.

“You did what?”

“I’m leaving this company.”

“Why?” he demanded, leaning down closer so no one could eavesdrop, “Not because of last night?”

She looked at him now, her eyes full of pain. “You don’t get to ask me that, Caide. You don’t get to ask me why and you don’t get to care.”

“Of course I care. How can you say that? You can’t just leave because you’re mad at me. It’s not fair. You’ll regret it if you leave like this.”

She frowned at him, shaking her head and whispering heatedly, “I am not leaving because of you, first of all, so screw you. I’m leaving for me. This is the first thing I’ve done for me in so long I can’t even remember, so no, I’m not going to regret it. Thanks for caring.”

“Blaire, please—”

“I’m busy, Caide, you should go.” She threw his words back at him like knives, each word piercing his heart.

“Fine.” He walked away, pacing himself to allow her to call him back, maybe even to follow him. She didn’t.

***

It was after seven and Caide still hadn’t been able to focus on his work.
How dare she just leave?
If he wasn’t home soon Rachael would go crazy. He grabbed his files and locked them in a drawer, sighing. He opened his office door to find Bart Meachum standing in his doorway, hand in the air prepared to knock.

Meachum laughed. “Caide, I was just coming to ask where the party was?”

“Sir?”

“It seems the entire office stayed late tonight. I was just wondering if I’d missed something.”

Caide stepped out of his office to glance around and saw Blaire and Brian both working busily at their desks. He smiled at Meachum. “I guess you’re right. No one gave me the memo either.”

Meachum patted him on the shoulder. “Go home, Caide, get some rest. We’ll see you in the morning.” 

Caide watched him leave the office happily. As the door shut behind him, Caide found himself walking toward Brian’s desk. “Big day today?”

“Yes, sir,” Brian said, still jotting something down on a sheet of paper before looking up. “It’s been hectic. I’m just about finished for the night. I just didn’t want to leave anything unfinished, especially after I bailed on you the other night with dinner.”

“Don’t worry about that. We all have lives outside of this place, sometimes I think we forget that. Don’t give it another thought though, go home whenever you’re ready. This will all be here tomorrow.”

Brian let out a relieved sigh. “Can I be honest?”

“Sure.”

“I overheard Mr. Mason and Blaire talking about interviews for a new secretary. I’ve been worried all day. I didn’t know we had any open positions, so I kind of assumed—”

“That we were firing you?” Caide laughed. “Brian, no. We wouldn’t want to lose you, trust me, you’re the best assistant I’ve ever had. The decision to ever let you go would ultimately be mine, so trust me when I say that as long as you want a job here, it’s yours.”

With that being said, Brian began to stack up his paperwork, filing it in a drawer. “Thanks. I’m going to head on out then, if you’re sure there’s nothing else you need tonight?”

“I’m positive. We’ll see you in the morning.”

As he left, Caide made his way to Blaire’s desk, realizing that they were the only two left in the building gave him a certain thrill.

“What are you still doing here?”

Without responding she handed him a list containing seven names. Caide looked it over. “And this is?”

“That,” she began, finally looking up at him, “is a list of potential candidates to replace me. I emailed you each of their resumes. Mason wants us to pick five to interview by the end of next week. I like them all, so I need you to look over them and narrow it down for me. Number three is particularly interesting, she has an awesome resume, nearly eighteen years of experience.”

“You want me to narrow the list down?”

“Yes.”

He tossed the paper in the trash can. “Done.”

“Caide.”

“No one, no matter how much experience they have no one will replace you, you know that.”

“Caide.” She grabbed the list from the trash and handed it back to him.

“You’re really going to do this?”

“Do what?”

“You’re going to leave?”

“Yes, I really am.”

“Where will you go?”

“Somewhere. Anywhere.” She stood from her desk, walking around to face him. “Caide, do you know I have a Master’s degree? I graduated with honors. I worked my ass off in college to be able to make a name for myself, but here I am: fetching coffee and answering phones. It’s crap. It’s crap and you know the worst part? I have no one to blame but myself.”

“What do you want? A raise? A better title? Whatever it is just name it, I’ll make sure that it’s yours.”

“You’re not listening to me. Don’t you think they’ve offered me all of those things? You don’t have to advocate for me, Caide. You don’t see the work I put in for this place. I’ve put my whole life on hold for this company and it’s gotten me nowhere because all I think about is you.”

“Just tell me what to do. Anything. We can’t lose you.”

“There’s nothing for you to do. Just find someone to replace me so we can all just move on.”

“Is this about last night? Because I said I’m sorry—”

“It’s not about last night. Last night I finally got what I’ve been wishing for all these years. You finally admitted that this isn’t all in my head, that you actually feel the same way I do. When you kissed me, I thought I’d feel so happy, so in love, so loved. Instead I felt dirty. I’ve dreamed of that moment, Caide. Last night I finally realized that what I’ve spent the last seven years of my life hoping for, I’m better than that. I deserve more than some secret kiss in a dark car. I deserve someone who will be happy to kiss me, someone who will want to love me back. I just deserve better and I can’t get that as long as I stay here.”

“It’s not like I mean to hurt you, you know that I care about you. I just can’t hurt my wife either. I can’t leave her.”

“You don’t want to leave her. Or maybe you don’t know what you want—either way I’m leaving. Just please have me a list by the end of the day tomorrow.”

She patted his chest and turned to walk away, grabbing her jacket from the edge of her desk. Caide lunged at her, not sure of what had come over himself. She turned to him, and he was sure she was about to object, before she had the chance he pressed his lips to hers. He felt his heart pounding, his pulse immediately responding to their kiss.

She pulled away, looking confused. “Caide, I can’t.” She tried to step back, though he could already see her eyes giving in. He grabbed her jacket, pulling her to him again.

“Please. Please just give me a chance to figure this all out.”

“I’ve given you chances.”

“Just a little while longer.”

“Say it then.”

“Say what?”

“Tell me how you feel about me.”

He paused, his conscience was heavy with guilt, knowing another line was about to be crossed. “I love you, okay? I do love you. Maybe I’ve loved you all this time.”

And just like that she was his. She threw her arms around his neck, her eyes rife with tears. He ignored the feeling of her tears hitting his cheeks as their passion grew. He allowed his hands to travel and she didn’t stop him. He rubbed her shoulders, slowly easing her jacket off. Her breathing quickened and he pulled back. “Should I stop?”

She kept her eyes closed, as if she were savoring the moment. “No.”

Caide didn’t ask twice. He lifted her up, sitting her on her desk. His hands explored her, stopping at her skirt’s hem line. He wanted her. All of his pent up passions had been building for too long. His shaking hands found their way to her blouse, fumbling as they undid each button. His heart pounded, making it hard to focus, and he couldn’t catch his breath. He’d never known passion like this. His hands found her hair again and he gently laid her down across the desk. His lips never left hers and her tears never stopped falling as they both crossed a line they’d sworn to themselves they’d never cross.