Page 57 of Reluctant Surrender

Love Maggie? I cared about her. I thought about her a lot, and I’d rip apart anyone who dared look at her in the wrong way, but that didn’t constitute love.

Did it?

Chapter 27

Maggie

Ipulled my jacket tighter around my torso and turned away from the chilled breeze blowing at me from behind. The coffee house two doors down from my office was filling up with people getting a hot drink before climbing onto the bus. I joined the crowd and was herded into the small café.

It had been a horrible day. I’d spoken to Tony first thing to let him know it would be my last day. He wasn’t surprised and had said he’d seen it coming. After an hour-long conversation about controlling men and how worried he was about me having married Lukas, he’d finally let me get back to my desk.

Maybe, and I would deny even considering the possibility, Lukas had been right about Tony’s intentions toward me. After all, I wasn’t working as an accountant or even an assistant to an accountant. I made copies mostly. Answered phones and responded to emails for clients that were requesting copies of paperwork. Losing me wasn’t going to hurt the firm. And not once in the conversation did Tony talk about the firm. He’d only been concerned with Lukas, not my job. He’d even given me his personal phone number in case I ever found myself in the position of needing a rescue.

He didn’t say it in those words, but I understood his meaning well enough.

Lukas was going to be picking me up soon. I’d finished what I could do for the day, grabbed my mug, and left. I’d only been there a few months, and the girls who’d met me at the club that night didn’t seem to care that I was leaving. I’d made no real attachments.

“Hi, can I get a medium caramel latte with an extra shot of espresso, please?” I placed my order. I would probably have trouble sleeping tonight with having so much caffeine so late in the day, but since I had nowhere to be… well… ever, it wouldn’t matter if I slept in.

The barista handed me my change and I scooted over to the small crowd to wait for my drink. I pulled out my phone, my finger poised over the text message icon. I still hadn’t texted or called my cousin to tell her about Lukas. At first, I convinced myself it was because she was pregnant and didn’t need the added stress of my drama. But then I got married. She should have at least known. But I’d been too caught up in the whole thing, too ashamed of having gotten myself in the situation. So, I hadn’t said anything.

“Hey. You’re Maggie, right? Maggie Kaczmarek?” A woman with brown hair pulled high into a bun and a full face of makeup tugged on my arm.

“Um. Yeah. Can I help you?” I asked, pulling my arm from her grasp.

Her eyes went wide, her face bloomed with embarrassment. “Oh, thank god. I had to go off a description. I saw you walk in here, but I wasn’t sure because I was told you’d be at work for another ten minutes,” she rambled.

“I’m sorry. Do I know you?” Names escaped me almost immediately upon meeting someone for the first time. I didn’t want to offend her, especially since she was obviously so upset about something, but I didn’t recognize her at all.

“No. I know your husband, Lukas.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m coming off as a complete crazy person.” She ran her hand down the side of her face.

“Maggie!” My coffee was pushed onto the counter.

“One sec.” I held up a finger between us then grabbed my drink. “Okay, let’s sit down.” I pointed to an empty table near the front window. I’d be able to see Lukas when he pulled up from there.

She sank into the seat across from me, pulling her purse into her lap. “I’m really sorry to just barge in on you like this.”

“It’s all right.” I cradled my cup between my hands. “What’s going on?” Was this woman about to tell me that Lukas and she have been having a relationship behind my back? Or worse, was Lukas having a relationship with me behind hers?

“My name is Camille Carpenter. I work for Lukas, I’m the general manager at Eclipse.”

“Oh, yes. He’s mentioned you.” Relief flooded me that I wasn’t dealing with a deranged woman or a jilted lover. Just a thief.

“Lukas.” She paused and swallowed. “Your husband thinks I’ve done something that I didn’t do.” She looked out the window, down one way of the street then the other.

“Okay, like what?” The sinking feeling returned; he must have talked with her about the books.

“He thinks I’ve been stealing from him, but I swear, I haven’t.”

“Camille, I don’t think I can help you with this. I looked at those numbers, they didn’t look right.”

She nodded. “I know. The money is missing, but it wasn’t me. I mean, not like he thinks. And now my brother.” Tears filled her eyes, spilling down her cheeks and leaving a streak through her makeup.

“What about your brother?” I pushed, glancing out the window. Lukas would be here any moment and this woman didn’t need his overbearing overreaction.

“Jared.” She took a deep breath. “He’s all caught up in it too, and I have no idea what to do, but Lukas has his men following me everywhere. I was only able to get away today because I climbed through a window in a bathroom at a diner a few blocks away.” She grabbed a paper napkin from the dispenser and blotted the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Is your brother all right?” I asked, flattening my hands on the table. Jared was the name of the man I’d seen all battered and bruised in Lukas’ cellar.

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