Part 13 (1/2)

I had failed to mention that we'd be chauffeured by my security detail. ”This is Clay. He's my bodyguard slash babysitter.” I made sure he could hear me from the backseat. ”He makes sure I stay out of trouble. Isn't that right, Clay?”

”Yes, ma'am.” He pulled out smoothly onto the busy street and steered us toward our destination.

I caught the hint of a smile in the rearview mirror. I grinned in reply though I wasn't sure if he saw it. That was as much of a scolding as he was going to get from me. Bryant's office was out of the city, so I sat back and sifted through the emails on my phone to kill time.

”Oh, no.”

Risa stared down at her phone, her hand cupped over her mouth. My heart sank, hoping she didn't have bad news about the site.

”What?”

”Breaking news. Mark MacLeod was found dead in his apartment this morning. He was the one you were dancing with at the gala, wasn't he? Max's friend?”

I stared at her blankly, my jaw agape and no words coming out. What could I say? I shut my mouth and made an effort to mask the panic. My mind spun, trying to make sense of the news.

”What happened?” My voice wavered. I swallowed hard, pressing my damp palms to the seat.

She scrolled through the article for a few more seconds. I wanted to rip the phone out of her hands to read it myself but refrained. ”Apparent suicide but they aren't saying how. Says a toxicology report is pending.”

Mark was dead. Dead. I silently repeated the fact over and over in my mind, willing myself to believe it.

The worst nightmare of my life was gone forever.

I stared out the window, trying to grasp the magnitude of the news Risa had just shared. I waded through the emotions that flooded me. The relief was unmistakable. No longer would I live in constant fear of the man, dreading how his presence would color every moment spent getting to know my father.

As these realities slowly dawned, a heaviness lifted. As if I'd been given a gift, a prayer answered. Tears welled, and I bit my lip to still its quivering.

”Did you know him really well?” Risa's voice was quiet and laced with all the appropriate sympathy one should have in a moment like this.

What she didn't know about the truth of the matter could fill volumes.

I cleared my throat and straightened. ”No. I'd met him briefly before through Blake's investment firm. I think he had a thing for me, but I barely knew him. It's shocking... Sad.”

Was it? This wasn't a tragic accident, and as relieved as I felt, I couldn't shake my uneasiness. Mark had killed himself, but why? With everything he had going for him, I couldn't understand it. Mark seemed to take special interest in tormenting me emotionally since he'd come back into my life. What else could be at play? I knew nothing about him except the personal h.e.l.l he'd created for me.

Clay dropped us off at the building entrance a minute later. Risa and I made our way to the elevators as I tried to regroup emotionally.

”Are you okay? I think I could probably do this meeting on my own if you need some time.”

I punched the b.u.t.ton to go up. ”I'm fine. Let's do this.”

She took a deep breath and smiled. Normally I would have been nervous, but nothing seemed as important next to the news I'd just heard.

Our meeting with Bryant's marketing director was mercifully quick, which was good because I was having a really difficult time concentrating on anything the man said. He didn't have a lot of time blocked out for us, so I let Risa take the lead presenting the details of our proposal. She was appropriately concise and delivered well. Whenever she hesitated or stumbled, I chimed in. Between the two of us, we made a pretty compelling pitch. The director seemed satisfied and said he'd run it by his team and get back to us as soon as he got approval.

On our way back, Risa released a heavy sigh in the car and relaxed back onto the headrest.

”Were you that nervous?”

She smiled. ”Kind of. I'm really glad you came.”

”Me too. We made a good team.”

I held out my hand for a fist b.u.mp, which she met with a laugh. I was anxious to keep the mood light and our conversation focused on work. I couldn't handle any more questions about Mark right now.

”Definitely. Whether this goes through or not, I think I can definitely use this as a stepping stone to connect with some other retailers. Maybe Max has some more connections.”

”Maybe.” I wasn't sure about overusing Max's resources, but he seemed willing. I had nothing to lose by letting Risa work her magic with him.

As soon as I got back to the office I slipped into Mocha. I pulled out my laptop and searched the news. Details of the story were slowly being released to the public. I got halfway through the article I was reading when my phone rang, Alli's face lighting up the screen.

”Hey,” I answered.

”Oh my G.o.d, have you been following the news?”

”Yeah.”

”I'm in shock. Does that seem like him, to just off himself?”

I blinked and stared at the photo of Mark on the screen. A portrait of him taken for the law firm, looking professional and more than ready to take on corporate America. The smile that made me sick to my stomach was plastered all over the news.

”I'm not sure,” I admitted. ”I saw him two nights ago at the Spirit Gala. He came onto me, totally freaking me out. I wouldn't have guessed something like this could have happened.”

”Well, it's not like you knew him well.”

”You don't think it has to do with me, do you?”

”Jesus, are you blaming yourself for this, Erica?”

”No, but-”

”Okay, you're going to stop that s.h.i.+t right now. Mark was a terrible person. You should be happy he's gone and out of your life now. Good riddance.”

”I don't know. I guess I'm in disbelief.” I had a hard time celebrating anyone's death, even someone I loathed as much as Mark. Daniel and Margo would probably be beside themselves with grief right now. ”Says he didn't even leave a note. Doesn't make sense.”

”What would he have written? A confession of all the horrible things he'd done?”

Simone brought over my usual latte without my even asking. I mouthed a thank you to her and stirred it slowly as I contemplated Alli's words.

”I guess you're right. I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this.”

”Try to think of it as a chapter in your life closing. You can finally move on now.”

I shook my head, knowing full well that his death could never erase what he'd done to me.

I forced myself to finish writing the Bryant's contract, though Mark's death barely left my mind as I pushed through work. I was about to give in and check the news again when Risa popped in.

”How's it going?” She beamed in front of me.