Page 9 of The Stalker

2

The Morality Clause

Tatiana wasin a taxi on her way to Hayden’s apartment. She’d just returned her rental car and had two suitcases in the trunk with everything she would need to start her job. She’d also called her financial advisor to organize transferring her penalty fee into escrow. She thanked her driver and wheeled her suitcases to the side of the entrance of Hayden’s apartment building.

She looked around at the area, and it seemed safe enough. People were walking around the street, and there was a doorman. It looked as though the underground garage could only be accessed using a swipe card.

She knew that this kind of security was an illusion, though. It made the wealthy people inside the building feel safe, but it was a complete façade. Anyone who really wanted to get in, would, with little effort.

Tatiana walked through the door, and the doorman simply nodded at her, which annoyed Tatiana. He didn’t question her presence here at all. Inside, a security guard sat at a desk, and he ignored her as well. She shook her head and dialed Hayden.

“Hello, Tati,” he answered her call.

“Hi, Hayden. I’m downstairs.”

“Cool, I’ll see you soon.”

He hung up, and it was only a minute or two before one of the elevators opened to reveal a smiling Hayden, whose smile dropped when he saw her.

Heat flooded through Tatiana, and she glared at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Um, you called to tell me you were downstairs, so I came to get you? Did I do something wrong?”

“Hayden, you should’ve sent Jesse,” she told him as she got into the elevator with him, and he typed a code into a pad before the elevator started moving. “You were upstairs in a secure area. If you ever need to be separated from your security for whatever reason, you should be the one who stays in the secure area, not your bodyguard.”

Hayden looked even more nervous the longer she was talking.

“Jesse’s not here.”

“What?!” Tatiana exploded.

“I sent him home. I was at home, and you were coming around soon, so I thought I was fine.”

Tatiana took a deep breath and blew it out slowly.

It’s the first day. Clients rarely understand exactly what they should do to begin with.

She tried to keep her tone even as she told him, “You are never alone anymore, Hayden. Not until this situation is resolved. Understand?”

He nodded as the elevator doors opened. Tatiana wheeled her suitcases into the entryway of his apartment.

“I saw you put a code in the elevator. I’m going to need a list of every person who knows that code,” she told him.

“Okay. Which room do you want to stay in?”

Hayden seemed nervous, and Tatiana felt bad for getting angry with him right off the bat, but security breaches were always a concern for her.

“Preferably the one closest to yours, if you’re okay with that, but I’m also fine with whichever is available.”

“The room next to mine is free,” he told her. “Want me to wheel one of your suitcases?”

“Sure,” she smiled at him and he seemed to relax a little.

Hayden wheeled her bigger suitcase and led her through his apartment to the bedroom. Tatiana was taking everything in, instinctively looking for possible places that could be exploited for access.

He opened a door and Tatiana entered a large bedroom, furnished with a king-sized bed, two side tables with lamps, and a sitting area with two armchairs by the window. It had a walk-in closet and a door that she assumed held a bathroom behind it. They put her suitcases in the closet, then walked back into the room together.

Tatiana walked over to the door and opened it to see a bathroom. There was a double shower, double sink, and a large spa bath. She had long ago stopped being surprised by the wealth of her clients and had stayed in many rooms like this when on a contract.

---