Billion Dollar Bad Boy (Big City Billionaires)(50)

No longer fragile...

When I finally went inside, the puddles were gone.





- Chapter Twenty-two -


Alexis

“Mom, please,” I groaned. “I don't want to talk about this.”

“But honey,” her voice chopped through my phone. “Just tell me what went wrong. It had to be pretty bad to break up with a guy who could fly you all the way to LA for a weekend!”

Hunching over my steering wheel, I again regretted picking up the phone. “Why don't you want to believe me when I say he messed up?”

She clicked her tongue. “Lexi, I'm just saying that... well... maybe you should reconsider.”

“Reconsider?” I spit the word out.

“You're no spring chicken, dear. Why not settle down with a nice rich man like him and...”

Turning a little harder than I needed to, I debated dropping my phone on the floor of the car. “Mom. Look. You're fixated on all the wrong things.”

“Money isn't ever wrong.”

“I never cared about the money!” The rubber under my hands squeaked from the pressure of my grip. I was about to say more, when the low murmur of my radio slid into my awareness.

The voice in my speakers said, “...Just like years ago, and prompting the bank...”

I turned the radio dial upwards.

“But Alexis, just give him a chance, you aren't getting any young—”

“I need to go.” Clicking the end call button, I dropped my phone into the cup-holder and cranked the radio even louder. The person talking—some news station announcer—filled the air. “Authorities are saying there's still no suspect. Here's officer Santile with more details.”

Santile? That was the cop who'd driven me home the night Silver and I had... Don't think about that. Or him.

“We're still looking over video and talking to witnesses,” Santile said, sounding more severe than he had when he'd helped me. “But the issue comes with the way the robbery happened. We know it occurred sometime around two in the morning. We know no one entered the Goldman Bank, or left it. It seems to have happened entirely through the computer system itself.”

Gripping the wheel, I steered my car into the breakdown lane. Passing drivers honked at me, but I ignored them. Silver. He did it again.

The voices on the radio went sketchy, breaking up. I twisted the knob, but it didn't help, the radio waves were junk. I was regretting my shit-can car when the first speaker came back. “That was Officer Santile. If you have any information about the crime, please call their hotline. The number is one-eight-eight...”

I dropped my forehead against my knuckles. Why did he do it? It's like my mom said, isn't he already rich? Was this a game to him, what would make him risk getting caught?

They said no one entered or left. Last time, he used a little device he had the teller plug in at the bank. He must have gotten better over the years, he didn't even need to show up in person to perform the hack this time.

Sitting tall, I arched my neck and looked at my ceiling. This has nothing to do with me. Even thinking that, guilt still knotted in my stomach. It had become my familiar friend these days.

Pulling out into traffic, I finished the drive to the post office in deep thought.

When I entered the tiny building, Kerie waved at me from behind the counter. I returned the gesture, my mail-key jingling in my lock. Cracking the door, I reached in to grab the few envelopes... and stopped.

There was a letter waiting for me.

First came shock, then came fury. I told him to leave me alone! Grabbing the paper, I read the perfectly curling ink. It said only one thing, Pet.

Trembling, I ripped it open.

Pet,

You told me to leave you alone. I think you know that I can't.

I'm going to do everything I can to get you back in my grip, I need to touch you so badly, I—

Crushing the letter, I threw it on the ground and f*cking screamed.

Why was he still reaching out to me? He was insane—he had to be. Wasn't it clear after seeing me with Detective Roose that talking to me was stupid? It was the riskiest thing he could do, especially after I'd warned him off, and still he was doing it!

“Hey!” Kerie said, breaking into my thoughts. “Are you okay?”

Freezing, I looked around without moving my head. Everyone was watching me, their unease plain as day. For once, I didn't care. Let them stare, I was tired of holding my emotions inside.

He's putting himself in danger just to talk to me.

Through the frustration, there was a twang of remorse... and longing.

Kerie waved his hands gently, his voice hushed. “Calm down, you're freaking everyone out. What happened?”

“Nothing,” I said, rolling my shoulders. I bent down to scoop up the letter, but Kerie beat me to it. “Wait!”

Ignoring me, he unfolded the mess, eyes scanning the page. “Oh, jeez,” he sputtered. Flicking me a quick look, he read more. “Uh, wow. This is from that guy, huh?”

Burning down to my feet, I snatched it back from him. “Pretend you didn't read that.”

Understanding glimmered in his eyes. “You're pissed at him, aren't you?”

“Was it obvious?” Sighing, I fluffed my hair. “Sorry, that came out mean. I'm just... I didn't expect him to write to me again.”