Billion Dollar Bad Boy (Big City Billionaires)(20)

“What is it?”

“You think you can't remember anything, but close your eyes and try. I'm counting on you. If you can't give me one tiny bit of info to help close this case... someone else could end up at gun point. And they might not be lucky enough to survive like you did.”

It was a hard dose of reality. “Alright,” I whispered. My heart was flexing over and over. “I'll try. Is there something in particular you're after?”

“Anything. His face, his voice, just anything.”

Scrunching my eyes, I breathed in—held the air. Working through my memory was like digging into a dark cave. I shoved and shoved through the thick black and stifling sand. Somewhere in my skull, there were answers.

In my mind's eye, I glimpsed a gun. It scalded, white hot and aimed at my eye.

Yes.

That was right.

He'd grabbed me, pulled me close, and then he'd whispered... he'd said... Fuck, what had he said. Why had he picked me, out of everyone in the bank that day?

My skull was trembling; everything was trembling. I clung to my own arms, hugging tight and fighting off the waves of fear. This was exactly what I'd wanted to avoid. Roose was reminding me of everything I'd buried, forcing it to claw up from the dregs of my mind, making the nightmare real again.

Those eyes...

That voice...

“Miss Willow!”

Roose's palms came down on my shoulders; I'd been about to fall from my seat. Sweat made my shirt cling to me, each breath coming faster and faster.

“Are you okay?” he asked, helping me sit upright.

Firmly, I shoved him away. “Yes, I'm fine.” My smile was frail, I knew he wasn't convinced. “This interview is over.”

“But Miss—”

“It's over. I can't do this.”

Frowning, he moved so I could stand. I held the table, trying to make it clear I was alright without his support. “Please,” he said. “I need you to look over some photos. I need answers, clues, anything to help me catch this man before he does this again.”

Again.

Laralie's words came back to me. “Did he manage to really do it, hack another bank?”

Roose flinched, considering my question. “No, it was just an attempt through their system. But I'm positive it's the same guy as five years ago.”

I was dizzy; I fought not to sit down again. That man is really back?

Even though he was still swimming in my vision, I looked at him. “Detective,” I said slowly. “Let me give you my cell number. If I think of anything, I'll tell you.”

He puffed up, handing me his pen so I could scribble it on the notebook. “Thank you. Here, my card.” He slid it from his pocket, offering it to me. “If you don't call me first, I'll reach out to you. If that's okay?”

“Yeah, of course.”

His grin was polite, but I knew I'd disappointed him. I would have felt worse about that, except my stomach was still knotting and twisting.

When Roose left the conference room, I darted behind him, hurrying the opposite way towards the restroom. I was on the verge of being sick, the back of my throat itching.

Stumbling against the sink, I spun the knob. Water rushed out, my palms cupping it, splashing my sickly pale skin. In the mirror, I saw how drained I looked. It was as if I'd seen a ghost.

In a way, I did.

Those memories. I just... I didn't want them. I wanted that slice of my life to never float up again. In my pocket, my phone buzzed. Drying my hands, I slid it out, reading the screen.

Silver: Go to Lotus Spa on Fourth Street, they'll be expecting you. Bring the dress, you'll wear it tonight. I'm taking you to dinner.

He'd arranged for me to go to a spa, and he wanted to have dinner? I liked that way more than our secret sex club encounter.

I typed back, Sounds like a date. Before I hit send, I caught myself smiling in the mirror. Silver had taken me from sick and stressed, to giddy and excited in an instant.

Chuckling, I pushed the button, then put my phone away.

This man...

He made it so easy to forget my troubles.





- Chapter Nine -


Alexis

The spa was on a stretch of downtown that was reserved for high end shops. In other words, a place I rarely explored.

With the box containing my dress under one arm, I strolled through the doors and into the peaceful, wood-wind sounding waiting area. There was a woman at the counter, and she eyeballed me with doubt as I approached.

“Hey there,” I said, feeling out of place. “Apparently I have a reservation or something?”

Her drawn on eyebrows moved higher. “Oh?” With long, manicured nails, she flipped the pages of the book on the counter. “Name?”

Could he have picked a snootier spa? “Alexis. Alexis Willow.”

She started to smile, but her lips twitched. “Huh. Here you are.” She sounded surprised, double checking the list. Then, in a great show of skill, she put on a huge grin and spread her arms. “Welcome to the Lotus Spa! I see you've been booked for the deluxe package.”

I gripped the box a tad tighter. “I don't know if I'm a deluxe kind of person.”

“Nonsense! It comes with a salt scrub, a manipedi, a sea cucumber soak, and a make-up and hair blow out, as well as a massage!”