parents and I’m sure they urged her to do that.”
“Yes. Dara has plenty of gumption, but I think she tends to follow their lead. These Millennials are so entwined with their parents. It’s a bit hard for me to relate to since I was raised pretty much by four Mexican maids.”
“Well, those women did a fantastic job,” Kit said. “Should we hire a temp, do you think?”
“I’ve got a few ideas, but as I said, we can talk in the morning. Do what you have to do now.”
It was all unraveling, Kit thought as she trudged into the bedroom. She was too afraid to work out of her office, Dara was probably leaving, Holt, her hottest new client prospect, appeared to be backing off. And her brain seemed incapable of generating a single worthwhile idea for the bachelor apartment. She felt as if she was staring at a river rushing over its banks.
In the guest bedroom she dumped her phone out of her purse. How could she worm the information out of Kelman? she wondered. If he’d lied to her about his relationship status, it seemed only likely that he’d deny any connection to Sasha other than a work one. Her only hope, she decided, was to catch him enough off guard that he wouldn’t be able to disguise how flustered he was by her question.
As she picked up the phone off the bed, she saw from the screen that she had a missed call from Kelman and a text, neither of which she’d noticed when she’d texted Baby from the taxi. If he’d been playing a sick game with her as a pawn, he was still all in. She tapped his number and he picked up after the second ring.
“I was expecting to hear from you earlier,” he said. “Is everything okay?”
“More or less.”
“Meaning?”
“I’m just still trying to adjust to everything that’s happened.”
“This will be resolved soon, Kit. I promise you. Things are moving along quickly at this point.”
“I have a question for you. Just a loose end I’d like to tie up.”
“Of course. Shoot.”
“Tell me about Sasha Glen.”
A long pause followed. He’d confirmed the truth without uttering a word.
“How do you know about Sasha Glen?” he said finally.
“I asked you the question.”
“What exactly do you want to know?”
“Are you two lovers? That’s what I want to know.”
Another long pause. Even more portentous than the first. And then just one word.
“Yes.”
chapter 20
She’d prepared herself for such an answer and yet his words were as good as a kick in the gut.
“I need to explain, Kit,” he said in a rush. “It’s not what it seems.”
Right, she thought, why don’t you spin yet another tale for me and try to trick me into swallowing it whole.
“I’m not interested in your explanation.”
“Kit, give me five minutes. That’s all I ask.”
“No. I’m going to hang up and I want you to stay away from me, do you hear? Nothing good has ever come from any contact I’ve had with you.”
She disconnected, and after fighting off an urge to fling the phone across the room, dropped it on the bed instead. For a few moments, she just sat there, letting the truth echo in her head. He and Sasha were together.
Underneath her fury, there was also an undeniable pang of disappointment. She had wanted to believe Kelman, wanted to trust him, and yes, as tough as it was to admit now, wanted to rekindle that crazy connection with him she’d felt in Islamorada.
The phone rang again—it was him calling back—and she jabbed at the decline button. A moment later the voicemail icon indicated a message had been left. She ignored it and put the phone on mute.
Was he just a cad and a player? she wondered. A guy who while laying low in Florida had seen the opportunity for some easy sex with her and decided that his chances would be better if he claimed to be completely single? Maybe. And then later, once their lives became entangled in a nightmare and he knew he needed her, he might have decided not to make things even messier by fessing up to having a girlfriend after all.
And yet the other possibility loomed large, that he was a liar in every regard. Not a whistle-blower as he claimed but a criminal who’d simply kept her close—and hinted at an attraction to her—so she would provide a constant flow of information.
There was something that needed to be considered: Sasha’s possible role in all that had transpired.