The Fixed Trilogy: Forever With You(83)

Hudson had promised me I could find out anything I wanted to know when we talked. This was definitely going on the list. I’d rather hear things from him than my bodyguard anyway, so I didn’t press.

I checked the clock on my phone. There was only a little over an hour before David’s shindig. Maybe I should just head there. Unless that was going to be a problem. “The club is closed on Sundays, but we’re having a party for my coworker who’s going away. Do you think the police will show up there? I don’t want to ruin anything.”

“Nah. They’ll either show up at the penthouse or wait until normal business hours to find you at work. You’ll be fine.”

“I know I have to face them eventually, but I’d rather not today.” Shit, I was such a coward.

If Jordan agreed with my assessment of myself, he didn’t indicate as such. “Let’s do this: we can take the train back uptown. I’ll leave you at The Sky Launch—I don’t expect Ms. Werner to show up and bother you tonight.”

“No. Not likely.” Though, I wouldn’t mind seeing how much damage I’d actually incurred. Just thinking about it brought a smile to my face.

“The car is parked at the penthouse. I’ll go and get it and come back to the club. Then we can leave whenever you want.” Jordan casually watched the subway passengers as they walked past us. Or it appeared casual. The more I learned about him, the more I realized nothing he did was casual.

And he was always thinking. “I bet that the police will stop by tomorrow morning, Laynie. If you prefer to stay away from them until Mr. Pierce gets back, I could take you to the loft tonight after the party instead.”

“That’s not a bad idea. I’ll consider it.” Except I hoped that when I finally reached Hudson, he’d take care of things for me so I wouldn’t have to hide out anywhere.

But even if Hudson could get rid of a battery charge, he couldn’t protect us from her forever. He hadn’t been able to stop her stalking. Surely now she’d up her game. I thought of Jack’s advice from our lunch—the only way to get rid of her was to let her think she’d won. Punching her in the face definitely wasn’t letting her win. By striking against her, had I made the worst move possible? More than ever I feared that Celia Werner would be a permanent fixture in my future. Could Hudson and I survive that?

***

The problem with holing up at The Sky Launch was that I wasn’t in the mood to be there. Fortunately, I didn’t have to do anything for the party except open the doors for the caterers. Hudson had arranged the whole thing, including an open bar. It was beyond generous on his part—probably his way of apologizing for the circumstances in which David was leaving.

Everyone on staff had been allowed a plus one. With David’s friends and the few regulars that had been invited, the total guest list numbered around a hundred. It was a true party. The whole thing might have been fun if my plus one was there. But he wasn’t. And by ten, I still hadn’t heard from him.

“Put the f*cking phone down and boogie with me,” Liesl urged. I’d filled her in on the day’s events when she arrived. Her feeling was that if I was going to face policemen tomorrow, I should party harder tonight.

She and I were definitely different people.

“Laynie, I love you and I’m here for you if you truly need me. But you seem to have moping down on your own so I’m going to leave you to it and go have a good time.” She tugged at a strand of my hair. “Forgive me?”

“Totally forgive you. Go. Have fun.”

She gave me a peck on the lips and joined a raucous group in the center of the floor. I tried not to feel abandoned. It wasn’t Liesl I wanted anyway.

Determined to not spoil the evening for anyone else, I sat curled up on one of the sofas that lined the main floor and nursed my champagne while I watched the crowd dance and mingle in front of me. It was probably a good idea for me to sit out anyway. Most of them were my employees, after all. There should be a level of separation and respect.

I wondered how much respect I’d get if they all watched me get dragged out in handcuffs.

Stop it, I scolded myself. Jordan said there’d be no arrests, and Hudson would fix everything before it came to a head, though it wouldn’t surprise me if Celia reported my assault to the media.

God, the media!

I closed my eyes, wincing at the thought. Please, Hudson, call me. Please!

“Mind if I join you?” a voice shouted over the pulsing beat.

Opening my eyes, I found Gwen in front of me.

She was already taking a seat before I answered. “By all means, join me.” I scanned the room again. Though not everyone was dancing, I appeared to be the only loner. Was that why Gwen had come over?

Fuck, I hoped not. I wasn’t in the mood to be jollied up. Might as well let her know that right off the bat. “Why aren’t you out there?” Maybe she’d get the hint and join the crowd on the dance floor.

She furrowed her brow and I realized that the drink in her hand had not been her first. If she wasn’t drunk already, she was on her way. “I’m not really into…” She trailed off as if forgetting what she was saying.

I finished for her. “Dancing?”

“Actually, I was going to say people.” She added an amendment. “Besides, they’re our employees. It doesn’t seem right to party hard with them tonight when I might be writing them up tomorrow.”