The King and the Courtesan (53 page)

“Dark times.”

“Yeah. Anyway, Wes was the detective on the case. At that time, they didn’t know it was a Yentis murder. So, Rika helped raise Evan.”

“How old is Evan now?”

“Eighteen. He’s in college—a pre-med major. Really good kid. He and Rika get along great, often better than he does with Wes.”

I stared down at my lap. Well, that erased all doubt. Wes and Rika had already raised a boy successfully. There was no doubt they could do the same with mine. It made me tear up slightly to think of my baby following the same trajectory, going to college and leading a life free of terror and violence. Who was I to take that away from him? Didn’t he deserve the best? All that stood in his way was my own inability to let go, my craving for his love.

“Melissa?” Ace asked, standing. I sniffed and tried wiping at the tears that flooded my eyes. Ace put a hand on my shoulder, so I turned and pressed my face against his chest. He wrapped both of his arms around me and embraced me tightly.

“I know what I should do,” I sobbed. “But I don’t want to.”

“It’s okay,” Ace said, smoothing back my hair. “There is no wrong decision, Melissa.”

“There is a
better
decision, though, and you know it.” I pulled my face back and looked up at him. “Don’t you, Ace?”

“I don’t know, Melissa. You mentioned this job offer Floyd gave you. You could move out of Metro, get a house somewhere nice. You don’t
know
that giving him up is better. So much could happen.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle through the tears. “That would be the ideal circumstance, wouldn’t it? I could also go right back to the drugs and prostitution and live in a rat-infested apartment the rest of my sorry life. Then he’d end up following my footsteps and be in debt until some man like Ezekiel came for him…”

“I won’t tell you that it’s not possible, because it is. But you have power over your life, Melissa. I know you don’t believe that, but you do. You’re free now. Free to make your own decisions.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m a slave to Metro and all this
bullshit
in my life.”

Ace kissed the top of my head as I wept and held him. He didn’t say much, and I was glad. I needed to get this all out of my system, even though I’d done it just two days ago with my counselor. I was a real piece of work, wasn’t I?

“I’m sorry,” I hiccupped, pulling away and wiping at my eyes. “I’m pregnant. I cry a lot.”

Ace laughed as he helped me wipe the tears from my cheeks. “It’s okay. Women cry on me a lot.”

I snorted. “Oh really?”

“Yeah, it seems to be the only reason women ever want me around.” He gave me a goofy grin.

“Oh, Ace. You should have more success with the ladies than that.”

He shrugged. “It’s okay. I’d rather have women cry on me then run away from me.”

“You know, I’ve never had a boyfriend. Isn’t that fucking sad?”

“You aren’t that old.”

“I feel old.” Sighing heavily, I reached out to squeeze Ace’s hand. “Thank you, Ace. You’ve done so much for me. I feel like I should do more than just cry on you all the time.”

“Hey, what you need to do now is have a healthy baby and be happy. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Always am.”

I hugged him again. I felt guilty treating him like a brother when he probably wanted more than that. It was rather blatantly obvious he liked me. However, right now, even a safe guy like Ace seemed too big a hill to conquer. Maybe after all of this chaos and emotional turmoil, we could go on a date. Or maybe we’d stay friends. I didn’t know. I didn’t know a
thing
right now. All I wanted at the moment was to have a healthy baby. Even if he didn’t stay with me, even if he became someone else’s baby boy, I had to focus on doing my best for him right now. It gave me a sense of control.

Ezekiel had taught me that a sense of control was worth all the money in the world.

Floyd had decided he rather liked my company, which was all right with me, considering I enjoyed his. I didn’t have much to say because he knew so much more about the world than I did, but I liked spending time with an older man who was neither interested in me sexually, nor obsessed with power and money. I found that ironic, considering he had more power and money than any other man I’d met, excluding Ezekiel. It was clear money and power came easily to him. He was raised with it, and couldn’t understand a life without it, but didn’t talk about much. He respected me, never once suggesting that because I was female, I was somehow inferior or even different. I’d never encountered that before. Maybe his sister also influenced him—they have a very strong friendship. Whenever they were together, they were all smiles and jokes.

He had his flaws, of course. While he respected the intelligence of women, he certainly relied on them for a number of things. Rika explained that this was because their mother had always taken care of everything. While the late Mr. Milford had procured most of the Milford fortune through investment, some inheritance, and good business, Mrs. Milford was no trophy wife. She pulled her weight, often neglecting her children’s needs in the process. She’d always been of the mindset that business came first, then family, just like her husband.

Because of this, Floyd expected the same of the women in his life. And this was why he seemed eternally frustrated when none of them stepped up to the task. Rika was responsible enough, but she was very laid back, more inclined to take it easy and let her problems work themselves out than take charge.

As for Trixie, she was intelligent, but she cared more about the state of her nails than Floyd’s business ventures. Most of his time with Trixie was spent arguing, but Trixie never took him seriously. Usually the argument ended in her giggling and patting his head affectionately. Floyd would pout and mutter under his breath, but he, too, would give up eventually.

I knew my future job with Floyd wouldn’t exactly elevate me in the eyes of educated and forward-thinking people. I knew a secretary job might be considered subservient to some—not an appropriate career for someone whose entire work experience thus far had been pleasing men in alternate ways. However, it would be an income, and it would allow me to make contact with all kinds of important people, people who could prove valuable should I ever decide to take my life in a different direction. In the end, I saw this as an open window surrounded by closed doors. Now was the time to crawl out, through whatever means allowed me to hold onto my dignity.

It was time to be free.

* * *

Alpin wasn’t as picture perfect with naked trees and thick clouds in the sky, but it still had charm, and I told myself that if I lived anywhere but Metro, it would be here. Maybe once I started as Floyd’s personal secretary, I’d have enough income to move here.

“It’s one of these.” I pointed to all the brick townhouses at the other end of the street. “In the middle somewhere?”

“You just gonna knock on doors?” Rika asked.

“ I figure I have to get a hold of him eventually, right?”

Rika nodded and parked. I bundled myself deeper into my winter coat and slipped out of the car. Rika drove off—I’d asked her to go get a coffee. I wanted to do this alone, and I’d call her when I needed to leave.

After knocking on two doors and getting people I didn’t recognize, I was relatively sure I’d found the right house. I walked into the lobby area and turned to the door that said 1067. Taking a deep breath, I raised a fist and knocked. Instantly, a dog started barking. That was a good sign; I remembered Roger having a dog. What was her name again? Kendall? Kendra?

There was some yelling at the dog, though the voice was muffled, so I couldn’t identify it as Roger. But it was male. I clenched my fists at my sides and bit my lip. I was afraid of facing him after all I’d put him through before. Did he hate me? I certainly hated myself. Because of me, he’d almost lost his job. Or maybe he had. I didn’t know. He was certainly out of a job
now
. Hopefully, offering him a new job would put me back in his good graces again.

The door swung open, and there he was, looking relatively unchanged since we last spoke. I didn’t know why I expected him to look different. It hadn’t been
that
long, though it felt like years ago. The only difference was that, instead of wearing a suit, he was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, his hair sloppy.

“Melissa?” he whispered, right as his dog lunged at me, attempting to lick any visible skin. It was winter, so there wasn’t much for her to smother except my face.

“Kendra!” Roger grabbed her by the collar and hauled her back, shoving her back into the house with a foot. “Melissa, I—oh. What—what are you doing here?”

“Hey, Roger.” I blushed slightly.

“Come inside,” he offered, standing aside and forcing Kendra further back into the apartment. I ducked my head and entered, feeling a wave of heat hit me.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked.

“I’m fine. I’m not staying long.”

“But…” Roger surveyed me closely, from my frizzy hair to my jeans and sneakers. He looked past my shoulder, as if expecting a bodyguard. “Are you…”

“You know what happened to Ezekiel, I presume,” I said.

“Heard about it on the news,” he replied, drawing himself taller.

“So you were no longer with him?”

“No, I left when…uh…Bahiya…”

I noticed the photo on the mantel, surrounded by flowers, as if it were a shrine. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“She was ready for it,” he said, bowing his head and idly petting Kendra, who was immune to the solemn mood. “It ended her pain, at least.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t—actually, I’m sorry for everything. Mostly the trouble I got you in.”

“It’s okay. He didn’t fire me, so that was one small blessing. I was able to quit on my own, and he didn’t seem to care much. I was afraid he’d refuse to let me go.” Roger paused, hesitant. “They said they had no information on who killed him. Do you know anything about it?”

I didn’t want to get into the details, wanting to protect Ace and Juri as much as possible. “I was out of the house when it happened. He kept me in the dark about most of his business—you know that.”

Roger nodded, though his gaze was wary. “I’m glad you’re okay. I was really worried about you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Where do you work now?” I asked.

“I’m in charge of security at a packing plant. Really stupid job, but it pays the bills, I guess.” He paused and then looked at me. “Ezekiel was really, er, protective of you. How did you get—” He trailed off as I removed my coat. His eyes grew wide. “Melissa?”

“This is what happened,” I said, placing my hands on top of my baby bump. “Sort of an unexpected surprise.”

“Is it—is it—”

“Ezekiel’s? Yes.”

“Wow.” He blinked rapidly. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Ezekiel wasn’t happy, but I suppose that doesn’t matter now.”

“I…wow.”

“I went to rehab to detox. I’ve been off of drugs for about six months now.”

“That’s good.” He swallowed and nodded. “That’s good.”

“It’s being paid for by an acquaintance of my friend’s. Floyd Milford.”

Once again, Roger’s eyes widened. Then he managed a strangled laugh. “Melissa, you are just
full
of surprises today, aren’t you?”

I smiled. “I guess.”

“Floyd Milford, huh? You mean the rich one?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“You’ve been busy, I see.”

“Most dramatic six months of my life, I’ll admit. But in a good way. For the first time, I feel like I’m in control of my own life. Anyway, I came by to talk to you about something. About employment.”

“For me?”

“Yes. Floyd needs a new bodyguard. I naturally thought of you when he told me about it.”

“Floyd
Milford
?”

“Roger, we’ve already gone over this.”

“B-but that would be—”

“An amazing opportunity for you? Of course.” I smiled. “What do you think?”

“I-I don’t know what to think. That’s—”

I didn’t let him think. He was clearly so blindsided by all the new information that he couldn’t even make proper sentences. So I reached into my purse and pulled out the business card with Floyd’s personal number.

“He told me to give this to you. Talk to him and set up an appointment for an interview. I think he’ll like you. Don’t worry about Floyd. He’s a very nice person.”

Roger took the card from me, stunned. He stared down at it for a moment before looking helplessly at me. “Melissa, I don’t know what to say.”

“This is for all the times you put your ass on the line for me. And it’s my way of apologizing for getting you in trouble. I’m so sorry about that, Roger. The guilt still eats at me.”

“Don’t worry. It was my fault, and I still feel so terrible about what I did.”

“I don’t blame you. You know that Garrett or Bruce would have hit me if you hadn’t, so I was glad you did.”

“Doesn’t make it right. I’ve never…” He took a deep breath. “I’ve never hit a woman before. I’m not proud of it at all, and I’ve been worried about you for months.”

“I’m doing great, actually.” I reached out and touched Roger’s arm. “Can we move on and forget it all happened?”

Roger stared at me a moment, then looked down at the card. Finally—hesitatingly—he asked, “Can I hug you?”

I laughed. “Of course.”

The hug was nice. It was clear Roger didn’t hug as tightly as he could, probably because he was afraid of pressing against my stomach too hard, but it was still nice. Roger had been the only employee of Ezekiel’s who seemed human to me, and his kindness helped me feel the same.

Roger quickly grew awkward and pulled back, clearing his throat and straightening his sweater. Then he looked back down at the card in his hand. “I’ll have to get on this, I guess.”

“Yes. I hope Floyd has as much faith in you as I do.”

“I hope he pays decently. I mean, he
is
a billionaire…”

“Oh, I think he does very well for his employees.” I slipped my coat back on. “I should get going. I don’t want to inconvenience you for too long.”

“Okay. Oh! Where are you staying?” He scrambled for a piece of paper on the nightstand, shoving Kendra out of the way as she tried to lick his fingers. I noticed the place was messier than when I’d been here last. There were papers and clothing scattered everywhere, along with a dirty dish here or there. Roger had reverted to bachelor mode, I guess. “I’ll write it down and come visit you.”