The VIP Room(122)
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Emma felt like she was being watched as she made her way home. She stopped once, bent to tie a shoe that didn’t have laces, and looked behind her, but she didn’t see anything. Still, she felt the hair’s on the back of her neck stand as though someone was breathing too close to her.
She made an elaborate dinner that night, complete with fresh baguettes and a chocolate cake for dessert. When Sophie came through the door, dragging her feet as she had been doing for days, she looked on the spread with suspicion.
“What’s going on?”
“I got a job.”
“Really?”
Emma gestured to the couch. “See what you think.”
Sophie turned and squealed when she saw the full length, red gown Emma picked up at the department store at half price. When the cashier heard she’d just been hired on, she gave her another twenty-five percent off, so the dress was practically a steal. Sophie snatched if off the couch and held it to herself, dancing around with the skirt outstretched like a proper lady at a fancy ball. Emma laughed, glad to see the color blossom on her sister’s cheeks. She only wanted to give her everything.
“There’s nowhere to put your pump, but I thought we could sew a pocket inside of the waist, or maybe get one of those pouches that lady at the doctor’s office told you about.”
“We can work it out.”
“Your sugars were good today?”
Sophie groaned. “Don’t ruin it, Em.” She twirled one last time. “I’m gonna go try it on.”
Emma turned back to the stove, checked the stew to see if it required any more seasoning before she left it to simmer. It was perfect. She settled the lid on it and wandered into the living room, flipping on the television to see if Sophie’s favorite show—something about little liars—was on tonight. As she was flipping through the channels, she saw a familiar face on the local news.
“Dante Caito, CEO of DJC, Inc., announced the acquisition of several new properties on the east side of the city today. Caito did not say what these acquisitions would be used for, but business insiders suggest he might be planning a renovation of the area. This would not be the first time DJC, Inc. embarked on a renovation project in the cities in which they do business. Last year, they renovated an entire section of downtown Decatur where they had, the year before, located one of their regional offices.
“This news comes on top of DJC, Inc.’s announcement that Caito plans to unveil his company’s next project at next week’s technology expo downtown. Large crowds were already expected to attend the expo, but this announcement has led to an increase in projected numbers…”
Emma stared at the television, at the images of the boarded up diner and her apartment building, at the face smiling from a stock photo behind the newscaster. She knew that face. Not the smile. But she knew those green eyes, that olive skin. She could hear his voice grating at the back of her mind.
You will regret this.
It was the business suit from the diner. The man who suggested he could buy and sell her a million times over, that he could ruin her life without lifting a finger.
She felt a sensation, like cold water rushing over her body.
It suddenly all made sense.
It was him. He was doing this to her. He bought the diner. He bought this apartment building. It was probably even him who had someone call all of her prospective employers and warn them not to hire her.
Why? Why would a man like that bother with a girl like her?
The picture disappeared as the newscaster moved on to another story, but it was still burned in Emma’s mind. She didn’t understand. But she was determined to get some answers.
Chapter 6
Emma tossed and turned all through the night. By morning, she was more exhausted than she’d been when she first went to bed. She showered, let cold water wash over her body and work out the knots that called her shoulders their home. When she was done, she called down the hall for Sophie, then dressed in the dark slacks and white oxford that would be her uniform at the department store.
“Come on, Sophie,” she said, kicking her door open with her foot. “You’re not going to have time to eat at this rate.”
“Not hungry.”
“Need to eat anyway if you want to avoid a midmorning low.”
Sophie groaned, still dressed in nothing but her bra and panties. “I can’t find my t-shirt.”
“Which t-shirt?”
“The black one.”
“That really narrows it down. You have about a hundred black ones.”
Sophie ignored her as she bent low to search through a pile of clothes that were a mixture of clean and dirty jumbled together on the floor. As she bent, she pulled her pump off the bed, smacking it against the hardwood floor.
“Soph—“
“It’s fine,” she said, rubbing her thumb over the device’s screen before standing and shoving it into her bra. “I drop it all the time.”
“That’s good to know,” Emma said, trying not to point out that the thing cost more than two thousand dollars, that Sophie would have to go back on shots if she broke it, and they would have to wait for a replacement. Thank goodness for warranties…but this warranty was five months short of expiring. Now would not be a good time to break it.