Read Chapter 1 of A Savage Presence
Chapter 1
Fiona
Alex stood in the bathroom doorway, glaring at Fiona with angry eyes. “I said, what the hell are you doing?” He walked in and grabbed the metal box from her hands.
She scrambled back against the side of the tub, cowering from him. “I found it under the sink,” she said, blurting the first thing that came to mind. “I was looking for hand soap and noticed the bottom of the sink was crooked. I tried to fix it but found that instead.”
Everything happened so fast. One minute, he had been in bed asleep, and the next, he was coming through the door. She thought maybe she could make him believe she stumbled upon the box on accident. It wasn’t a lie. She had found it by chance. He didn’t need to know she was looking for it.
But the gleam in his eyes told her he knew better. “Is this what you were looking for earlier when you showed up? When my landlord let you in? Did you think I wouldn’t put it together, Fiona? I knew something didn’t add up.”
That stupid running toilet had given her away. “What are you talking about?” Her eyes shifted to the floor and back at him. “I wasn’t in here earlier. I had just come because I wanted to make sure you weren’t with Honey, like I told you.”
He put the box back in the space and moved the board back in its place to cover it up. “You’re a horrible liar, Fiona. I knew you were up to something the minute I drove up and found you here. You thought I’d have a nice, long night with Honey, and you’d have time to snoop around. And before you lie again, let me remind you all I have to do is ask the motel manager.”
The old man would give her up in a heartbeat.
Alex stared through her. “My only question is, what the hell are you looking for?” He put the cleaners in their place and shut the door. “Well?”
Fiona knew there was no need to deny it. “I was looking for answers. I don’t trust you’ve been completely honest with me about what’s going on.” She rose to sit on the side of the tub, making sure to move slowly and with every intention of finding a way around him and out of the bathroom. If she could get out of there, she was going to run.
Alex huffed. “Obviously. You’ve been acting weird all night. Starting with showing up at the club with Juarez.” He gave her an accusing look that cut deep.
But she wasn’t going to go through that discussion again. “Don’t start! That’s not what this is about!” She had assumed the sex would have cured his stupid jealous tendencies. She got up and made a move for the door.
Alex turned and quickly trapped her against the wall, caging her in with his arms. Fiona winced away from him, which was something she never thought she’d do. “Why don’t you tell me what it’s about then?”
She tried to steady her breathing with a sigh. Alex wanted answers, but he wasn’t going to like what she had to say. She may as well confess. “There are papers in that box with Attorney Jonas Holbrook’s name on them. You just happened to have business with him, and I’m not supposed to think it has something to do with my father?”
The look in his eyes grew colder. He shook his head and sighed. “So, you did manage to sneak a peek? I guess I can’t trust you either.”
“Just a small peek, enough to see the folder with Holbrook’s name on it. If I had time to open it, I wouldn’t be asking you questions. You’re doing business with him for my father, aren’t you?”
He stepped away but stayed between her and the door. “Fiona, remember way back when you first called me and how I told you to leave it alone?”
“Yes, and I’ve already told you I’m not going to do that. So, stop leaving me out in the cold.”
He put his hands on the bathroom counter and met her eyes in the reflection of the mirror. “You were just in my bed, Fiona, and it was hardly cold. I’ve let myself get too close to you already, and look how that’s gone.”
“Yeah, you’ve done a poor job of staying away, and look where we’ve ended up.” Fiona had a clear shot at getting out and running away, but she wanted answers. “The same way you can read me, I can read you. You’re not telling me everything. Do you think I can’t hear it in your voice and see it in your eyes?”
He turned and raised his hand to rake his hair back. “Because you don’t need to know everything. Or maybe I do it to keep you safe. Not that it ever occurs to you that’s important to me. You don’t consider my feelings when you make stupid moves.”
She was about to go out on a very narrow limb and hoped that doing so wouldn’t be pushing him too far. “Is that why you killed Rick? To keep me safe? Was it because he kept following me or because he told me the truth about you and everyone else?”
She had just accused him of murder. Her head felt a bit light while she waited on his response.
Alex sighed, and finally, after a frustrated growl of disapproval, he responded. “He wasn’t your friend, Fiona. He was your stalker. And as I’ve already said, he had a lot of enemies. It could have been any number of them! And yet, you accuse me?” He pounded his fist beside her.
“So, it wasn’t suicide as I thought. You lied when you said that. Don’t deny it now.” She could see the look in his eyes, and he didn’t like that he’d just admitted it was murder. “Did you kill him?”
His shoulders slumped, and he walked through the door to the bathroom and back to his small room. “No, I didn’t. But yes, I lied to you about suicide. It wasn’t suicide, okay? You caught me. I lied to you, Fiona. Does that make you happy? Does it make you feel safe to be at work knowing that?”
He had told a lie to make her feel safer at her office. She followed him back to the room. “You can’t just keep lying to protect me, Alex. You have to be honest with me.”
“Like you’re honest with me? You came here to snoop around in my personal, hidden, and private lockbox. You wouldn’t like me doing the same, not for any reason.”
He was right about that, and maybe she had crossed the line, but if he had been honest with her, she wouldn’t have felt the need to.
“What business do you have with Holbrook? And does it pertain to my father in any way?” She just needed to know. If he explained, she could go back to those warm, fuzzy feelings with him.
But he was long past warm and fuzzy, by the set of his jaw. “It’s not your business. He’s my attorney, Fiona. I don’t have to tell you why or what it pertains to. I did suggest your father use Holbrook. But I can assure you, that’s the only common denominator. Stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong before you lose your pretty head.”
She reached for her shoes, quickly sitting down to pull one on. “I think you’re lying. I don’t think I’ll ever believe anything that comes out of your mouth.”
Alex gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Yeah, you will. You don’t like believing me, and you hate that deep down, you trust me to do what’s best for you, but you know it’s the truth.” He snatched her shoe out of her hands. “Where are you going? It’s late. You’re upset. You shouldn’t be driving.”
She snatched it back and quickly put it on. “This place is way too crowded at the moment. I’m going home. You were right, Alex. I should have listened to you from the start. The way you protected me, the way you denied even working on my father’s case, and how you were so quick to push me away. I should have known that you were already involved from the start.”
“You’re right. Maybe you should go. You just don’t get it.”
The only thing she didn’t get was why it had to be a secret. “Show me! Show me the papers and what they say. Show me you’re not involved.” Fiona didn’t understand why he couldn’t prove her wrong. Because she knew she was right. He just didn’t want to admit it.
“Do you really want the truth, Fiona? Because I don’t think you do. You don’t want to see the fucking papers. You don’t want to know what’s really going on, and thank God you didn’t really get a good look at them before I caught you.”
“I knew you weren’t going to show me,” she said. “So, look who doesn’t trust who now.”
Alex folded his arms in front of him. “Well, then I guess we have suspicions in common.”
“I guess we do. And tonight was a mistake, by the way.”
“I can’t argue with you there, sweetheart.” His voice was smug, and she hated it when he talked to her in that tone.
“Good! It won’t happen again.” Not that he would care either way.
He rolled his eyes as if that was a load of nonsense. “Yeah, sure. I’ll see you later. I’ll keep the bed warm for you.”
His nonchalant attitude pissed her off even more. “I’m serious. We’re done, Alex! And yes, I want to trust you. I do. I used to dream we’d escape all of this together, leave this life behind us. But I know it’s not possible. Maybe if we were different people in a different time, it could work. But all I can do is move on and get away from all of this crime and death because I know I’m never going to be with you.”
His eyes lit with that realization. “Good, you can get the fuck out!” Alex went to the door and threw it open. “Go home, Fiona. And do me a favor, would you? Forget where I live.”
“With pleasure. At least on my own, I know I’m with someone I can trust.” She walked out the door. “I should have known I was a fool to ask for your help. You only ever want to help when it benefits you.”
“Yeah? Well, I feel the same way. So don’t call me!” He slammed the door behind her, causing her back to stiffen.
She turned and looked at it with tears in her eyes. It was the worst fight they’d ever had. And it was so final she really did feel all alone in the world.
Alex had always given her the belief that in spite of everything, he would always be there for her, but now it was back to the dark times, the way it had been when Jack first tore them apart. Even worse now. This ending was their choice.
When she got to the car, she opened the door and quickly got in, looking back up to the room where Alex now stood outside leaning against the rail.
He looked down at her with the same hard look he’d given her when she’d accused him of murder. She wiped her eyes and tried hard not to let any more come. Crying for him was not going to do any good. She could cry all of the tears in the world, and it wasn’t going to change who he was.
At least Alex still cared enough to make sure she got out of there okay, though it didn’t make it any less final. It wasn’t as if he had run down and begged her to stay. They were done. For once and finally.
She started the car and quickly drove away. If she couldn’t get answers from him, perhaps she’d get them from Holbrook. Like her father had always taught her, it never hurt to ask. She just hoped he would give her the answers she deserved.
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