Page 12 of Playing A Risk
“Good morning, Hailey. It’s Melanie. Is Jonah available? Yes, please tell him it’s regarding the Sacks Commodities social media campaign.” She listens and then covers her speaker. “She’s putting me through.”
I don’t know what good this is doing, but I’m at a loss.
“Hi, Jonah. I know I told Hailey I needed you for a different reason, but I didn’t want to sound the alarms.”
Mel lifts her crossed fingers. “Thanks. I was wondering ifyou’ve heard from Dori. She’s not answering her phone and isn’t in her office. I even tried to email her, but nothing. I’m getting concerned. This is so unlike her.”
She pauses for a minute, then her brows crease. “You said she texted you? When?”
I pace before Mel.
She pauses again. “Jonah, how is that possible? I know Dor?—”
I stop and wave my hands, mouthing, “No, no, no. He can’t know we have her phone. I don’t want him to know what happened.”
She fakes a coughing attack. “Thanks, Jonah. If you hear from her, please tell her to call her worried best friend.”
She hangs up and resolve floats over her face. “Dori’s hiding and I’ve got bad news for you.”
My stomach drops. “What’s that?”
“She’s communicating with Jonah through what I can only assume is a new phone number. For her to go to this level of extremes, you must have done something worse than what you copped up to. I’m no longer helping you until you tell me.”
I am not going to tell Melanie about my son before I talk to Dori, so this conversation may as well be over. But I need Mel on my side, so I once again give her the lesser of two evils.
Dread wraps its brutal arms around me and squeezes. “Jesus Christ, Mel. It’s so bad. I don’t even want to tell you.”
“What did you do to Dori? What did your barbarian ex do to Dori? And don’t lie to me this time or I’ll have no choice but to quit helping you.”
“Okay. Let me find the words.” I trek to my desk and throw myself into my chair, burying my face in my hands.
There’s no way around this. I raise my head to find Melanie leaning over my desk, glowering.
I swallow hard. “The woman who hit Dori wasn’t just an ex-girlfriend.”
Mel pulls back and her face contorts. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means as the entire fucked up situation unfolded, my ex shoved her left hand in Dori’s face and showed her the ring on her finger. It was my mom’s ring, so I’m sure Dori recognized it.”
Mel’s mouth falls open. “You’re fucking engaged?”
“No.”
“Then how does yourexhave your mom’s ring?” She pushes off my desk.
“I gave it to her, but we broke up. She won’t give it back.”
Mel shakes her head. “You know what? That doesn’t matter. You’ve obviously lied to my face for months. If I’m this hurt, then I can only imagine how Dori feels.”
Mel storms out of my office. And again, she doesn’t even know the half of it. Clearly, I’m in this fight alone.
I want to say Dori and I will be able to work through this, but I’m doubting that now. She’s never going to forgive me. I’m certain of it.
The world sucks me into darkness.
I’ve lost her. My heart’s broken into pieces. I don’t know how I’ll ever get through this horrific pain, and I only have myself to blame.
CHAPTER 4
